It's early February and I don't need a groundhog to tell me there will be six more weeks of winter or not. It is the sound of a ball hitting a mitt, the crack of a bat, fans cheering in the stands. Major League Baseball's spring training is next week, and that to me means winter is ending. Well, in Chicago we know it can last well into March and April, but in our collective minds it just makes you feel good knowing baseball is around the corner.
Both Chicago teams have their bags packed; the White Sox even provided a photo opportunity for the media as the equipment trucks head west. Next Tuesday, pitchers and catchers from both clubs will be reporting to Arizona. The White Sox will go to Camelback Ranch in Glendale and the Cubs to Hohokam Park in Mesa. It is year two for both managers, Robin Ventura for the Sox and Cubs skipper Dale Sveum.
Between the snacks, the office pools and the Super Bowl ads, there is a game to be played on Sunday. One of the biggest storylines this week has been about one family.
After decades of covering sports teams, players and coaches, you may have an opinion or feelings about someone not based on their accomplishments or the team they represent.
Nothing like a firing/hiring, a sports league getting back to work, an MVP preparing to return, off the field news for baseball and a countdown to the pitchers and catchers report. In other words: the cold Chicago winter has plenty of warm sports news.
Dear Derrick,
It was not an ordinary pick-up game. There was a star bigger than any player former Bulls guard Randy Brown had met with on the court. Bigger than his former teammate Michael Jordan. Another former teammate, Scottie Pippen, was there. But the spotlight was on the President.