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The Cheryl Raye Stout Interview: A chat with one of Chicago's veteran sports reporters

Fri, 17 May 2013 09:52:00 -0500

As a veteran female sports reporter, Cheryl Raye Stout has had to prove her chops over the nearly 30 years she’s been reporting in this city. We had a delightful phone conversation about breaking through the glass ceiling (which took the form of the Bears locker room door), her rapport with some of the city's sports legends and her thoughts on head injuries. Go here if you’d like to learn a little bit more about her history as a Chicagoan and reporter. We spoke for much longer than your typical blog post, so if you'd like to see the full chat, go here.

You teach radio sportscasting at Columbia College. What do you have to teach students now about reporting that wasn’t relevant 10 years ago?
I also taught ethics in broadcasting. I had to bring that into play because a lot of times they take blogs verbatim, they take Tweets verbatim, Facebook... I said, 'Whoah! Unless it’s a legitimate source, you can’t take it at face value.' One of the things I tell my students too is if you’re using Twitter or Facebook, you’ve got to be very careful. I think players, strangely, think that Twitter is almost personal and private. They don’t realize the ramifications when they put things out there. I think there are more pros than cons but there are cons and the negativity—like what I’ve seen this year, about Derrick Rose, that really, really is bothersome.

I saw a post on Deadspin about how little anyone knows about the kind of injury Rose has, yet everyone feels so qualified to say he’s slacking.
I find that just appalling. Because those of us around him—I know the kid, I’ve been around him—we know that he’s not the person that they’re painting him out to be. And it’s hard because people will attack you for saying anything about him positively. Sports talk radio has really become a beast of negativity and of vile spewing things.

You alluded to some unpleasant situations you encountered when you first started covering sports in Chicago. Can you give an example or two?
I’ve told the story about the Bears, when I was going up there for practices, the players would be really angry and say, insult me and be mean-spirited, and then they had to sit outside the locker room. But there’s been times when I was in a Boston Celtics locker room early in my career and they never had any women covering at that time. I was there in the visiting locker room at the stadium and a player saw me and he’s coming out of the shower, dancing and everything, naked. I’d never make eye contact, I’d walk away. I thought, 'What a jerk.' So, he was dressed and I walked past him and said, 'You know, there really isn’t much to look at.' I just felt that humor was my way of getting back without being mean, and to indicate that I’m not going to back down just because you don’t want me in here.

How do you advise female sports reporters on how not to be pushed around, prove they are going to stick around and can roll with the punches?
You have to know more. You have to research more. You cannot rest. I also tell them, especially when you do a lot of phone calling or contacting, you make sure you know who is on the other end of the phone. If it’s a wife or girlfriend, or whoever, you treat them well. I always tell everybody, men and women but women particularly, if you're going to interview a player, don’t just gung-ho start the interview. Introduce yourself, talk to them a little bit, and then say, 'Can I talk to you now on the record?' Just to break that ice because you then get comfortable.

The seasons when you had to sit outside the Bears locker room before Jim Harbaugh invited you in, what did you do while you sat there?
I would sit there and ask the PR director to get me a player, the player would come out and I’d talk to them. The funniest thing was when I was sitting there one day and Walter Payton sat down next to me. This was before I was let in. He goes, 'Go Cheryl, go in there!' I said, 'No. I know you, you’ll open the door, I’ll walk in and you’ll walk the other way.' He was a practical joker. I just knew that I had to bide my time.

What are some of your proudest moments as a reporter?
One of the things I learned a long time ago is that everybody you meet—if it’s a security guard, an usher, a handler, a PR person—no matter what, you introduce yourself, you get to know them. That’s the way I was raised. Michael Jordan used to talk to us before games in the locker room. He was very accommodating. A lot of it was background information, and sometimes it was on the record when you were doing an interview for news. But he talked to me about baseball and he said, 'That’s the sport I wanted to play.' I said, 'Oh Michael, you’ve got years.' This was almost a year and a half before he retired. Michael retires and somebody I knew that was involved with both the White Sox and the Bulls came up to me at a Bulls game and said, 'Michael’s going to try out for the White Sox.' I called up a person I knew that was doing security with the White Sox. I said 'Hey, what time does Michael get there to work out?' And the person says, 'Oh, about 10 o’clock.' And she goes, 'You...didn’t know that, did you?' I said, 'Don’t worry, I’ll never use your name. I just need to make sure I’m on the right trail.' As I progressed I was able to get the information and it was a firestorm when I did it.

I watched that 30 For 30 about him playing baseball: I never before heard that conspiracy theory that he was being forced to take time off from basketball because of his gambling.
His dad had been murdered. That’s what people forget. And in '93, James Jordan traveled with Michael. That was the first year he had ever traveled with him. I was working for the team’s flagship station and I traveled with him. They were closer than father and son. When James was murdered, there were over 100 cameras on Michael’s lawn. That’s when his privacy was really unearthed. I think that that devastated him more than anything. So to say that it was from gambling... unless you know for a fact, I just don’t like that conjecture.

Has anything you've learned from your career influenced the way you raised your son?
I made a clear decision that he will do sports for enjoyment, he will not do sports to make that a career. I suppose you could mold anybody into an athlete if you really really try. I just think that the way it’s evolved now—where the parents are living through their children, and these kids are playing sports 24/7, I don’t think they become well-rounded. Also I saw the injuries. When I was covering Bears camp up at Platteville, the old place, we used to be feet away from injuries. I saw the collisions that went on, I heard knees and shoulders pop, I saw these guys with their bell rung. I had talked to a couple of Bears coaches, Dave Wannstedt and Dick Jauron. They had daughters. I said 'If you had a son, would you let them play football?' They both said no. I was in a very bad car accident when I was 19 and I had a concussion that was really bad. I had the effects for over a year. I now have a brain ailment. We don’t know if it’s connected but I wonder if it is.

Can you tell me more about your brain ailment?
Five years ago I started having some symptoms with my eyes. I had trouble. I kept blinking a lot. My jaw was dropping. It took over a year to be diagnosed. I was going from different types of doctors until I finally went to a neurologist who said, 'You have Meige’s syndrome.' I get Botox shots every three months to control it. It’s my eyes, my throat, my neck, down the blade of my shoulders. I deal with pain every day and sometimes it affects my voice and affects certain things. I don’t want that to impede me from doing what I do what I want to do. I’m not going to sit here and feel sorry for myself. I just deal with those times when I’m working and I can feel the symptoms bother me. It just frustrates me more than anything.

Who are the nicest Chicago athletes that you’ve gotten to know over the years?
Boy, there’s so many. I love Ozzie Guillen. I don’t care if he’s a lightning rod. I knew him from the time he was a rookie. I’ll never forget he was doing a live shot with us on WMAQ and he didn’t speak good English. The only language he knew was profanity.

This is my favorite Bulls team, this last few years. The core of Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Luol Deng. My son was given jerseys by other people, but the only one I ever bought for him was Luol Deng’s, because of him as a person. He is the most well-rounded, grounded, intelligent, caring athlete I’ve ever been around. Michael Jordan and I had a great rapport. I really loved him. I could go on and on.

How does it feel to be the 349th person interviewed for Zulkey.com/WBEZ?
I feel honored!

Follow me @Zulkey and go here to see previous Zulkey.com interviews.

Mayor Emanuel two years on, tech and the new world order and the value of a college degree

Thu, 16 May 2013 13:17:00 -0500

Afternoon Shift: Restaurant show, the value of alone time and rivalries

Wed, 15 May 2013 12:29:00 -0500

On today's show, Niala talks with food writers Mike Sula and Julia Kramer about the future of the food critic. Mexico City's secretary of economic development stops by the studio during his visit to Chicago this week. Blackhawks Hall of Famer Tony Esposito joins us to talk rivalries.

View the story "Afternoon Shift: Restaurant show, the value of alone time and rivalries" on StorifyAfternoon Shift: Restaurant show, the value of alone time and rivalriesOn today's show, Niala talks with food writers Mike Sula and Julia Kramer about the future of the food critic. Mexico City's secretary of economic development stops by the studio during his visit to Chicago this week. Blackhawks Hall of Famer Tony Esposito joins us to talk rivalries. Storified by · Wed, May 15 2013 10:33:40Food reviews: Chicago Reader food and drink writer Mike Sula and Time Out Chicago's Julia Kramer examine the significance of the National Restaurant Association Show and the changing role of food critics: How do you find out about restaurants? Do you follow a specific reviewer or rely on crowd-sourced information from websites like Yelp? Best lebanese meal in townvasile23Top Celebrity Chefs Talk Chicago's Food SceneNext week, Chicago's McCormick Place will play host to the National Restaurant Association's Hotel-Motel Show. From May 18-21, more than ...This weekend is the National Restaurant Association show, which means 50,000 people making 75,000 reservations and showing up for 15,000Kevin PangInstagram Your Meals? Study Says You Might Have Food IssuesIf your Instagram feed has turned into a constant stream of photos of other people's Amaro-shadowed eggs benedicts and homemade spaghetti...Mexican economy: Mexico's secretary of economic development for Mexico City Salomón Chertorivski Woldenberg stops by during his week-long visit to Chicago to help strengthen relations with Mexico. He talks about Mexico’s economy, Mexico City’s economic development strategy and what he has been learning from the business community in Chicago.
Mexico CityVasenkaMexican official pitches business in ChicagoAlthough news about Mexico is focused on immigration reform and border security, the country remains a leading trade partner for the U.S....Mexico City's Secretary of Economic Development Visits Chicago to Strengthen RelationsCHICAGO, IL --(Marketwired - May 09, 2013) - The Chicago Council on Global Affairs is pleased to bring Salomón Chertorivski Woldenberg, s...Alone time: Writer and WBEZ blogger Claire Zulkey waxes philosophical about the meaning of alone time. Do you take "alone time" for yourself? Do you value your time spent alone? Mom's solo staycationZulkey gains new perspective (and rest) after being alone in the house for the first time ever without: a dog, a baby and a husband. As w...LOOK: A Short Meditation For The Time-DeprivedThe stress and strain of constantly being connected can sometimes take your life -- and your well-being -- off course. GPS For The Soul c...Rivalries: This week, the age-old rivalry between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Detroit Red Wings comes to a close, of sorts. With the Red Wings' move to the Eastern Conference, the teams will only face off twice a season. Blackhawks ambassador and Hockey Hall-of-Famer Tony Esposito discusses the history of the rivalry. What do rivalries mean to you?300 miles of Hate: A look at the Chicago Blackhawks/Detroit Red Wings rivalryWith the Blackhawks set to take on the Red Wings in the Western Conference Semifinals, RedEye takes a look at their storied rivalry. (Did...“It's compelling when these two rivals meet, and this series should be no different.” - @Real_ESPNLeBrun (http://es.pn/18Ikfqj)ESPNRed Wings-Blackhawks Rivalry Will Be Readjusted by RealignmentCHICAGO - On a visit to Olympia Stadium in Detroit in the 1960s, the Hall of Famer Bobby Hull recalled, he was skating through warm-ups w...

Bulls' hope fades, Blackhawks take on Red Wings

Wed, 15 May 2013 06:00:00 -0500

The depleted, ailing Chicago Bulls are one game from starting summer vacation. Down three games to one to the Miami Heat, it feels as though the end is near. It has felt that way since early in Game Three when the listless Bulls could not muster the strength to avoid a lopsided loss to the defending NBA Champions.

This isn’t a small hill the Bulls face to get back in this series. It is the Rocky Mountains. You could see it in the eyes of the players in the locker room following Monday’s game.

They didn't concede anything, but slumped back in their chairs. At this point, the Bulls cannot compete in the same stratosphere as LeBron James and his teammates. Missing players have forced others to carry a load that is too heavy.

It really is amazing they were able to stun Miami in Game One. Since then, the Heat adjusted defense and took advantage of their size to trap Bulls guard Nate Robinson. The physical play in the first three games was missing in the last contest. The Bulls may try to pull out all the stops tonight. This is a team that would love to go down swinging.

Dwayne Wade's sore knee may force him to miss Game Five, but it doesn't matter at this point. He wasn’t a factor in last game. The Heat is alreadly looking forward to the winner of the Knicks-Pacers series and will need Wade moving to the next round.

Better chances for the Blackhawks

Bulls fans may be gloomy, but Blackhawks fans heading to the United Center have high expectations as second round action against the Detroit Red Wings. You can’t fault the Chicago hockey crowd for being giddy. This is a series that oozes great drama and of course, there will be the ever-present 'Detroit sucks!' chant.

If there is one player with a smile on his face knowing the Wings are next it is Corey Crawford. The Hawk goalie is 11-2-2 lifetime against them with a 1.82 goals-against average and a .943 save percentage.

It has been a long time since the Blackhawks played, so recent practices have been important to keep focused for the challenge at hand.

It will be a quicker-paced series than Minnesota. Detroit has been resilient: getting into the playoffs, then forcing and winning a game 7 on the road. The Red Wings have two big-time stars Pavel Dansyuk and Henri Zetterberg who will challenge the Hawks. Of course, the Hawks have plenty of stars and are healthy.

The Red Wings have been the cream of the crop for years. Heck, the city is known as Hockey Town. These two teams met in the post season four years ago for the Western Conference Final. There were three overtime games and Detroit took the series in five games. This will be the last time Detroit will be in the Western Conference, so in the future the Hawks can only meet them in the Stanley Cup Final.

Nothing is better than these two Original Six teams doing battle with so much at stake.

Follow Cheryl on Twitter @CRayeStout and Facebook Cheryl Raye Stout #AtTheGame

Playoff ride continues for Bulls and Blackhawks

Mon, 13 May 2013 06:00:00 -0500

It is not an overstatement to say the Bulls face a must win game Monday night against Miami. Chicago is down two games to one, and it is likely going to be another physical, tough game at the United Center.

It has also been a costly series for the Bulls so far. Coach Tom Thibodeau is $35,000 dollars lighter after his negative comments about the officiating last Friday. Taj Gibson had to cough up $25,000 for his dispute with referees in the second game.

There have been three Bulls players ejected from the last couple of games. The perception is this is a whiny Bulls team. When you look at everything they have dealt with this year, it is more like they are fighting to stay alive in the playoffs.

Nothing has been easy for them and facing the Miami Heat that is healthy and loaded with talent has been difficult. The hurdles they have dealt with would have weakened the resolve of most teams. The Bulls can not afford to lose the war with the officials. They must remain level-headed.

Luol Deng is still struggling with his health after his spinal tap. Kirk Hinrich is not seeing much improvement on his bruised calf. Of course, you have to mention (and would rather not) Derrick Rose is unavailable.

Can this Bulls team win another game in this series?

You cannot rule them out, but they are treading on thin ice if they don’t win tonight. Being home and knowing they were in the game last Friday magnifies the urgency to take advantage of favorable opportunities.

Having two days off between games may help the Bulls. At this point, you have to grasp at straws to find any positives.

Bring on the Red Wings

The Chicago Blackhawks now know who they will meet next in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Late Sunday night the Detroit Red Wings finished a seven game series on the road in Anaheim with a 3-2 win. What a great matchup in the second round: two of the original six NHL teams meeting. It’s particularly interesting because next season Detroit will move to the Eastern Conference.

The Hawks have home ice advantage and the first two games of this series will be played at the United Center. During the regular season, the Hawks beat the Red Wings in all four meetings. Since finishing off their first round series last Thursday, the Hawks have been able to mix rest with intense practices. Intensity was the magic word used by players at their practice on Saturday. Knowing it is Detroit will make it easy to dial it up a notch entering the next round.

The Hawks will have more players at their disposal. Coach Quenneville says he will have Ray Emery and Dave Bolland back from injuries. Bolland is known as someone who can get under the skin of his opponent.

Emery’s return is good insurance to back up Corey Crawford between the pipes. Crawford is coming off a stellar first round and to have the Hawk fans back in his corner is an added bonus. There is no question that Crawford is more confident having that first series win under his belt. But if he falters (which seems unlikely), Quenneville will not hesitate to go with Emery.

It will be interesting to see if the Red Wings are worn down from their seven game series or if they have momentum from their series opener. Either way the Blackhawks will be ready, willing and able to meet the Detroit Red Wings. This is match-up the fans will definitely love.

Follow Cheryl on Twitter @CRayeStout and Facebook Cheryl Raye Stout #AtTheGame

Chicago Bulls prepare for Miami Heat, Blackhawks beat Wild

Fri, 10 May 2013 00:30:00 -0500

Stay classy, Chicago fans. Game three of the NBA playoff series tips off at the United Center Friday night.

With the Bulls and Heat knotted at a game apiece, most of the attention should be on the series. But antics and injuries off the court are garnering plenty of interest.

The Bulls had two players, Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson, ejected in the enormous 115-78 loss to Miami. As Noah was walking through the exit in the American Airlines Arena, one of the fans bluntly showed her displeasure with the Bulls center. Filomena Tobias flipped off Noah and the image went viral. This is not new. Several years ago the Chicago Sun-Times had a back page photo of a Bears fan doing that to players walking through the tunnel. I remember because it was my son's grade school gym teacher doing the gesture.

The Miami fan story shielded the Bulls from their crushing defeat by LeBron James and the Heat on Wednesday night. It must have felt like a freight train for the Bulls as James did what most people expected after losing the opener: he took over. The physical play was brutal and the officiating was a big factor, with nine technical fouls and two players ejected.

Friday the Bulls can expect the same tone from the NBA defending champions. Since the Heat formula is to be rough and tough, the Bulls have to play smart in response. They cannot lose their cool and they must still move the ball on offense. You can bet the officials will be calling this game close. That may make it harder on the Bulls since they are so undermanned and can't afford any players to get into foul trouble.

Two of the ailing Bulls, Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich, were at Thursday’s limited workout. It was mostly a film session (more like a horror film). It was the first day Deng has been able to get out of bed after an illness and severe side effects from a spinal tap procedure.

How bad has this past week been for the Bulls All-Star? Deng lost at least fifteen pounds, suffers headaches with too much movement and looks weak. Deng admitted he was frightened since he had many issues with bodily functions, speaking and walking. It's doubtful Deng will play for a while.

Hinrich's bruised calf is still causing him to walk gingerly and will likely keep him planted on the bench next to Derrick Rose. Of course, there are tons of rumors about the former MVP return and people are becoming more vicious by the day. It is extremely doubtful Rose will suit up.

Blackhawks slam door on Minnesota Wild

The Blackhawks slammed the door on the Minnesota Wild 5-1 to take the series four games to one Thursday. What a huge series for Corey Crawford. He played tough and atoned for early first round exits the past two seasons. Last night when Crawford made some terrific saves the fans chanted his name.

The heroes of the night, besides Crawford, were Marian Hossa scoring two goals, one each for Marcus Krueger and Andrew Shaw (his first career playoff goal). Patrick Sharp had a 3rd period 5-on-3 power play goal and finished with five goals for the series.

The penalty kill was again brilliant they denied the Wild twice on the power play and all 17 times for the series.

The Blackhawks will play either San Jose or Detroit after the Western Conference playoff series.

One thing we know for sure, round two will open at the United Center for the first two games and this Hawks team will be rested and ready.

Follow Cheryl on Twitter @CRayeStout and Facebook Cheryl Raye Stout #AtTheGame

More wild playoff success for the Blackhawks

Wed, 08 May 2013 06:00:00 -0500

Blackhawks tamed the Wild 3-0 in Minnesota last night.

The Hawks lead the series three games to one, and can close it out tomorrow night at the United Center. After the underdog Wild played a tough physical game three, the Hawks responded and pushed back in game four.

It has been a terrific comeback for one Blackhawk-Patrick Sharp. He scored two goals last night and four in this opening series. Not bad for the Hawks left winger who missed a lot of time during the regular season with a bad shoulder. During the shorten season he only tallied six goals.

Minnesota was forced to go to their third goalie of this series when Josh Harding was injured stopping a shot by Jonathan Toews with three minutes left in the first period. Harding gave up a re-direct goal by Sharp in the opening period.

The Wild started the second period with inexperienced 23 year old Darcy Kuemper, the first shot he saw turned out to be an unassisted goal by Sharp. Another Hawk having a good series is Bryan Bickell; he scored on an awkward wrist shot late in the game. The big winger has three goals against Minnesota this series.

The home team had plenty of opportunities with six power plays, including back to back, starting the third period. The Hawks were able to turn them all away. The penalty kill for Coach Joel Quenneville’s team has been one of their biggest improvements from the past couple of seasons. Of course, Minnesota is an offensively-challenged team.

For Blackhawk goalie Corey Crawford it was his second career shut-out with twenty-five saves on the night.

There was one tired player on the ice before the game even began- Duncan Keith. The Hawks “iron man” defenseman made a trip to Chicago hours before the game to see his wife Kelly-Rae gave birth to their first child, Colton Duncan Keith. Then the new dad was able to rejoin the team in time for the late game, but did not start.

One interesting note, Jonathan Toews still has no points in this series. It won't matter to the Hawk captain if his team keeps on winning and one more victory on Thursday will end this best of seven game series against Minnesota.

More playoff news…

The other UC tenant-the Bulls have another big game tonight. They will be facing an unhappy Miami Heat team looking to avenge their loss to the Bulls on Monday.

The past few days is seems the Bulls have become the darlings of the NBA. No one thought they could steal game one, but they did against the complacent defending champions. Jimmy Butler and Nate Robinson have become cult heroes in the sports world. Butler for his defense and late game scoring and Robinson for getting eleven stitches after being manhandled by LeBron James. Nate was a scoring machine again.

Look for the Heat to come out with more intensity, James will probably attack the basket more. Miami’s perimeter players , Ray Allen and Shane Battier will attempt to score beyond the three-point arc.

The Bulls will try to continue their strong defensive stance, they know the heavily-favored Heat will try to break them down and entice more fouls.

Miami will also try to force more Bulls turnovers, so they can score easy transition baskets.

It is still an underman team for Coach Tom Thibodeau, Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich will likely be out. It doesn’t matter, this Bulls team believe in their coach, believe in the system, believe in each other and believe they can win. It won’t be a lack of trying.

Follow Cheryl on Twitter @CRayeStout<https://twitter.com/Crayestout> and Facebook Cheryl Raye Stout #AtTheGame http://www.facebook.com/CherylAtTheGame

Blackhawks post first 2013 playoff win in overtime

Wed, 01 May 2013 06:00:00 -0500

The Blackhawks quest for the Stanley Cup began Monday with a 2-1 overtime win over the Minnesota Wild at the United Center. The game winner came off Bryan Bickell’s stick in the extra period.

Even before Jim Cornelison belted out the National Anthem, a mini drama played out at the opening playoff game. Minnesota starting goaltender, Niklas Backstrom, was injured during warm-ups and had to be helped off the ice.

Minnesota coach Mike Yeo called it a "lower body" injury. The Wild had to rely on Josh Harding between the pipes. The 28-year-old goalie played in only five games this season. His last start was in January. (The underlying story this season about Harding is his health. He was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in November. Harding would not comment on his situation, but after the game several Blackhawk players mentioned their admiration for him. During the game, actor Michael J. Fox tweeted, "NHL playoffs! Yes!!! Josh Harding...Great story"

Harding and Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford both had good games with great defense in front of them. Minnesota was the first to score when Cal Clutterbuck got a shot past Crawford in the first period.

The Hawks didn’t have the playoff intensity needed in the first period and the crowd was passive until the start of the second.

Early in the second period, Minnesota’s Zach Parise was penalized for crashing into the Hawks’ goalie. Patrick Kane’s pass to Marian Hossa took advantage of the power play and Hossa tied the game 1-1. Keith also earned an assist.

That goal and the subsequent penalty kill brought the fans back into the game. The Blackhawks’ fan base wants this club to provide action — and wins. Nothing but hoisting the Stanley Cup is on their minds.

The game remained tied into the third period. With ten minutes left in regulation there was a scrum at the Wild’s net. It appeared that Jonathan Toews had scored, but referees blew the whistle. After the game, the Hawks captain said he thought the whistle came rather quickly.

Regulation ended with a 1-1 tie. Since playoff hockey doesn’t have a shoot-out, it is regular periods until someone scores. The Hawks have played overtime in eight of their last nine playoff games.

Last night with just over three minutes left in the first overtime, Johnny Oduya knocked the puck into the boards to a streaking Viktor Stalberg. Stalberg gave it up to Bickell for the score and win.

Coach Joel Quenneville gave his team the day off from practice Tuesday. They will play game two at 8:30 p.m. Friday.

Goalie Ray Emery and center Dave Bolland both have lower body injuries and are likely to stay off the ice Friday.

Follow Cheryl on Twitter @CRayeStout and Facebook Cheryl Raye Stout #AtTheGame

Bears go Long, Bulls hang on, Baseball W's and Blackhawks finishing up

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 00:19:00 -0500

Bears go Long

And the 20th pick in the first round of the 2013 NFL draft the Bears selected...

Kyle Long, an offensive guard from Oregon.

Bears Phil Emery was unable to trade down and told the media that Long was the player the team had targeted. Many draft experts had Long going later in the draft as late as the third round.

He is 6’7,” 313lbs and the Bears believe he has the capability to also play at tackle. If the last name rings a bell. it should. He is the brother of Rams defensive end Chris Long and the son of Hall of Famer Howie Long.

There is some baggage for the new Bears player. He had some off the field issues at Florida State where he played baseball, went to a community college to play football and wound up at Oregon.

Long played in 11 games last year and started in five, so he has a limited resume on the Division I level.

You can look at it two ways:

He doesn’t have the wear and tear players have coming into the league.
But, he is a player with limited experience and will have to digest the game fast.

Emery expects Kyle Long to make an impact sooner than later. And if the football thing doesn’t work out, he probably could try baseball. No joke.

Long was drafted by the White Sox out of high school in the 23^rd round.

The NFL draft continues today with the second and third round. The final rounds 4-7 are tomorrow.

Bulls hang on to win at the UC

It sure wasn't pretty last night, but the Bulls will take the 79-76 win over the Brooklyn Nets.

It started really ugly for the Bulls when they allowed Deron Williams to get his team going and built a 17-5 lead, and that was all Tom Thibodeau needed to get mad.

He regrouped his team and they came back with a sense of purpose and used their defense like a vice around the throat of the Nets. Forcing turnovers and getting easy baskets is the staple of this Bulls team. The Nets missed 25 of 26 shots during a stretch from the second through the third quarter.

It was a similar blueprint as the second game on Monday. Carlos Boozer had 22 points and 16 rebounds and Luol Deng had 21 points and ten boards. The Nets did make a run at the end of the game and had a chance to tie it but CJ Watson missed a three pointer. Brook Lopez was the Nets high point man with 22 points and Williams contributed 18 in the losing effort.

Although it was a huge win and the Bulls are up 2 games to 1, they realize the task at hand is to win two more and they expect Brooklyn will not roll over. There is little time to rest since the game four will be tomorrow at 1 p.m. at the United Center.

Yes, baseball is in full swing

Guess it was a triple header of Chicago wins last night. Besides the Bulls, the White Sox beat Tampa 5-2 and the Cubs were able to a “W” in Miami 4-3 — in case you were interested.

The Blackhawks nearing the finish line

The last unimportant home game for the Blackhawks is tonight when they host the Calgary Flames and it will be the first chance for the fans to applaud the winners of the President's Trophy. The honor goes to the hockey team with the most points for the regular season.

The Hawks have proven they have been the best team in the league with their torrid opening streak.

The team now has the luxury the final two games to back off some minutes on players. It looks like they will have to wait until the final game to figure out who they will be hosting in the first round beginning early next week.

Of course, the Blackhawks want a little bit more than the President's Trophy. It's the Stanley Cup that they have been striving for the year. Odds are that they have a terrific chance to be dancing with that Cup sometime on June.

Okay, maybe that is too cocky – but this team is very impressive.

—Follow Cheryl on Twitter @CRayeStout and Facebook Cheryl Raye Stout #AtTheGame

What qualifications do you need to be a professional Zamboni driver?

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 18:16:00 -0500

Tug Gillingham of Bridgeport wanted to know:

“What qualifications do you need to be professional Zamboni driver?”

Our search for the answer led us into the chilly depths of Chicago’s United Center to meet head ice technician Dan Ahearn. He's called “The God of Ice in the Midwest” by a fellow Zamboni driver. Ahearn’s certainly earned the nickname. He’s been behind the wheel of a Zamboni for the 31 years.

Resurfacing ice is the technical term used to describe what Ahearn actually does on his Zamboni: the shaving, cleaning and smoothing of the surface of an ice rink. The Zamboni and other machines that do this are all known as ice resurfacing machines. But since Zamboni was the original, the brand name is often adopted to describe any and all ice resurfacing machines. (It’s become what Xerox is to copy machines or Kleenex is to facial tissue.) Dan Ahearn says there’s a good reason for that.

“Zamboni's the best," he said. "They’ve been building them the longest. The other ones are copies off them, to an extent. There’s a company, Olympia, that makes machines. A couple companies in Europe makes machines. But Zamboni probably has 75 percent of the market... Just in the Chicago area, there’s 60 rinks and probably 50 of them have Zambonis.”

While the Zamboni Company wouldn't confirm that number for WBEZ, it did say that, “the Zamboni Company sells more machines annually than [their] competitors combined. [And] it would be safe to say that [they] have the majority of the market share.”

You might be surprised to learn that operating a Zamboni requires no special license or certification, according to Ahearn, who also works as a welder and mechanic at the United Center. He said that most ice rinks that need a driver will likely show you everything you need to know.

But after talking with him, it was clear that a little bravery and an enthusiasm for winter sports are probably a plus for landing the job. Or, in Ahearn’s case, a lot of both.

When he was 12, he was refereeing a hockey game for younger kids. The guy who was supposed to resurface the ice that day never showed up. All Ahearn had done up to that point was park the machine.

“[So I think to myself], well the guy’s not there, and I drive the thing, so I can probably figure this out,” Ahearn said. “That’s the first time I ever did it - missed a lot of spots, but the ice got done.”

Still can’t get enough of Zamboni? Then check out these fun facts from the company’s website:

The machines travel an average of three miles per hockey game, which makes sense if you think each resurfacing is 3/4 of a mile. Add that up over the course of a year, and these ice makers on wheels each travel close to 2,000 miles a year.
Prior to the invention of the Zamboni machine, it took three or four workers more than an hour to resurface the ice by hand.
More than 10,000 Zamboni machines have been delivered around the world.
The machine’s top speed is 9.7 mph, and it can go from 0 to ¼ mile in 93.5 seconds. That’s according to an April 2005 issue of Road & Track magazine, which performed an actual road test.

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Anthony Martinez is a multimedia producer living in Chicago. Follow him on Tumblr.