Today is a strange day. It is the day of remembrance for the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. But it is also the day that Michael Jordan will be inducted into the Hall of Fame. I feel bad for Gabe’s awesome sound/brain wave piece. It’s up against some mighty news today.

I want to say something here. I’ve noticed some news headlines, some t-shirts, some buttons that refer to late Michael Jackson as “MJ.” No. Let me stop you right there. There is only one MJ and it is Michael Jordan. And everyone in Chicago knows this. Michael Jackson can have “King of Pop” or “Michael” or “Mr. Jackson” but MJ is for our home-town hero. So if you aren’t from here, now you know. MJ = MJ. Jordan coverage has been outstanding by the media. Both papers have pull-out sections in the paper and we got in the game yesterday with a feature from Ammad. He got to talk to Dwayne Wade and to some old-timers around the UC. And if you are the media, let’s face it - this is the last time you can put together 32 pages of special coverage on MJ til he dies. This is a monster peg. Here are my random observations from the day that MJ goes into the HOF:

1. Jordan was quite a businessman, but the story should be about how he helped Chicago. Seriously, everyone wants to say Oprah made the West Loop - but c’mon - MJ did. It was a circus. And not a frilly French version.
2. In this day and age, if an athlete had the baggage Jordan had (gambling, affairs, etc), he would be outed by the media in 2 seconds. Why did Jordan get a pass? What (or who) protected MJ from the media?
3. Do you remember Hoops Gym? Jordan and other NBA celebs would go over to Morgan and Washington and play pick-up games with local high school players. That’s pretty damn cool.

Let’s talk MJ today. Do you have a story about growing up in the area? Seeing MJ in Hudsons on Wells? Do you remember a moment watching MJ that you can’t forget? Let’s collect some good ole’ Chicago memories…