A throwback - Trib buys the Chicago Cubs

So far they haven't posted this vid on YouTube yet, but I just want to share this. FuzzyMemories had video from 1981 discussing the sale of the Chicago Cube to the Tribune Company. Appropriate to look at this history as in 2008 the Cubs are on the auction block. Also we're looking at whether or not the Cubs might have to play at US Cellular Field whenever Wrigley Field is sold to the state and renovated. Oh and I should also add that the new Tribune owner, Sam Zell, is floating the idea of selling naming rights for Wrigely Field.

And after the Cubs story apparently the Chicago Public Schools had money problems and this wouldn't allow for the schools to open on time. Well don't ask me what happened with that history I have no idea. Perhaps someone can enlighten me.

Beyond that story there's the US selling arms to China. President Reagan goes after the Democratic Congress for attempting to undercut his economic program. And they show video of his press conference where he discusses possibly running for re-election. They also mentioned the assasination attempt in addition to news about Reagan's press secretary James Brady who was shot in this episode. The Reagan White House said they wouldn't issue anymore bulletins about Brady. They also teased a story about John Cardinal Cody being in the hospital and flooding in Northwest Indiana and the south suburbs.

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Chicago Marathon registration begins today

Five months after a race that can only be called a fiasco, registration opens today for the 2008 Chicago Marathon. The race has a new sponsor, the Bank of America.

Last fall's race gained unwanted national attention after thousands of runners, on an unseasonably hot-and-humid day, faced empty water and gatorade tables during their 26.2 mile effort. An estimated 200 runners were taken to hospitals, mostly for heat stroke. One runner died.

A nurse working at a nearby hospital told me that her facility's emergency room exceeded capacity--fallen runners were taken to conference rooms with electric fans hastily brought in to assist their cooling off. She assured me they all ended up fine, however.

Chicago ambulances were in short supply that day, some suburban crews called in to assist got lost, incuding the crew from Niles that transported the runner who later died to the wrong hospital.

A bad day for Chicago and the Chicago Marathon.

I know Carey Pinkoswki, the longtime executive director of the race, and I believe he's the man to fix the problems from last year's event. The City, if it wants its 2016 Summer Olympics bid to succeed, obviously needs to make improvements in its 911 dispatch system.

And as I have every year since 1990, I'll be running this year's Chicago Marathon. As for myself, last year's race wasn't that bad. I slowed down, and I did't let the heat overpower me. I'm at mile 24 in the picture--I was feeling okay there, as I did at the finish line a few minutes later. The signs behind me, "It's Gonna Happen," were correct.

Sadly, I encountered my last collaped runner, of the dozen I saw, four hundred yards from the finish. Damn...he was so close.

Related posts:

A participant's view of the cancelled Chicago Marathon: UPDATED

Water station mayhem at Chicago Marathon

Chicago Marathon: Ambulance driver got lost, took dead runner to wrong hospital

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Nanny state update: Chicago legislator wants to ban aluminum bats for kids under 13

An article in this morning's Daily Herald gives horrifying details about a high school pitcher's facial injury that resulted from a line drive from a ball hit from a aluminum bat. The ballplayer was 17 at the time.

State legislator Robert Molaro (D-Chicago), wants a ban on aluminum bats for kids under 13--and the coaches or parents who ignore the ban "during a recreational baseball game" face a $500 fine.

Would this ban cover me? Several times last summer I lobbed some pitches to 11 year-old Little Marathon Pundit. She was using an aluminum bat. Would my homeowner's policy cover a $500 punishment?

Some believe that baseballs come off aluminum bats with more velocity. Possibly. What's for certain, is that little-leaguers 13 and under don't hit the ball with as much force--they're well, littler.

From the Daily Herald:

Several local little league directors, coaches and parents say such a ban is unnecessary and that there's no difference between the safety of a wood bat versus that of a metal bat.

But proponents say wood bats are safer because the ball doesn't come off as fast or go as far as those hit off metal bats. Wood bats also are better for teaching children the game, they say.

Phil Rizzo, who runs Little League District 13 -- covering 18 leagues in Bartlett, Hanover Park, Streamwood, South Elgin, Carpentersville and other suburbs -- wants coaches, players and their families to speak out against a state ban on metal bats.

"If we didn't believe it was safe, we would have gone to wooden bats a long time ago," Rizzo said.

A North Dakota high school organization bans the use of metal bats. Pennsylvania recently legislators rejected such a ban, but the New York City Council passed a bill prohibiting the use aluminum bats in high school games.

Interestingly, aluminum bats are used exclusively in NCAA college baseball, much to the frustration of Major League Baseball scouts, who are forced to ponder--"What kind of hitter is this guy going to be using a wooden bat?"

This is not Molaro's first brush with nanny-ism--Early this year he introduced a bill to ban the goose liver delicacy foie gras in Illinois.

For more on Nanny-ism, I recommend the book, Nanny State: How Food Fascists, Teetotaling Do-Gooders, Priggish Moralists, and other Boneheaded Bureaucrats are Turning America into a Nation of Children.

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Family of dead Chicago Marathon runner may sue

Participants in any organized running event must sign a waiver absolving the race of any responsibility in case a serious injury or death occurs. But the family of Chad Schieber, the Michigan man who died while running in last month's Chicago Marathon has hired a lawyer who is looking into the tragic events of October 7.

From the Chicago "free registration required" Tribune:

The attorney, Gilbert Ross of Chicago, said Friday he believes the Village of Niles ambulance that picked up Chad Schieber, 35, of Michigan got lost on its way to the hospital.

But Ross said it's unclear how much time was lost and whether a faster response would have made a difference.

In court on Friday, Cook County Circuit Judge Ronald Davis entered an order that requires Chicago and Niles officials to preserve 911 tapes and other evidence in the case. Lawyers for all sides had agreed to the order.

Because of the heavy demand for ambulances that day, suburban crews were called into to the city to assist. My dominant post-race memory while resting in Grant Park if of sirens blasting constantly.

Related Marathon Pundit posts:

A participant's view of the cancelled Chicago Marathon: UPDATED

More questions surrounding Chicago Marathon runner's death

Chicago Marathon: Ambulance driver got lost, took dead runner to wrong hospital

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Chicago Marathon statement on Sunday's race released

Earlier today Carey Pinkowski, Race Director of the Chicago Marathon, released his statement on Sunday's race. He should've had this out a few days ago--runners are an obsessive lot, and I'm certain thousands of them visited the Chicago Marathon site wondering when there would be some sort of explanation of what happened--and didn't happen--on October 7th.

The shirt is of course not officially licenced Chicago Marathon gear, it comes this way from Kansas Jayhawk, and you can purchase one at the new Chicago Fun Run site. a back-of-the-packer who encountered several empty water stations on Sunday--but still managed to finish.

As for the shirts, the operator of the website says portions of the proceeds will be donated to the family of Chad Schreiber, the Michigan runner who died in the race.

From the Chicago Marathon site:

Dear Runners,

For 17 years I have been honored to serve as Executive Race Director of The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon, a race steeped in a 30-year tradition of providing the ultimate marathon experience for runners.

The record high temperatures and humidity at Sunday’s race made for a challenging day for marathoners. The conditions on Sunday presented me with the single most difficult decision I have ever made as race director. While that was a frustration to many, I stand behind the decision to end the race early– it was a necessary safety measure. However, I also recognize that because of the conditions and my decision, many of our runners did not have the experience they trained for and expected.

As an organization dedicated to providing the very best experience in the industry, the results have left us disappointed as well. Our team has spent the last several days reviewing the details and we are listening to runners, staff and volunteers. Rest assured that we take the day’s events - and your comments - seriously.

We are reviewing all details and feedback as we plan to continue the tradition of our race in 2008 and beyond. Offering the best experience possible to runners always has been our priority and it remains a commitment of the highest importance.

My personal gratitude goes to each of you, as well as to staff and volunteers, for participating in the race this year. I share in your disappointment, if you did not have the experience you expected.

I certainly hope to be able to greet you at our finish line in the years ahead, in the grand fashion that has characterized The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon for so many years.

Sincerely,

Carey Pinkowski
Executive Race Director

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USOC considers HQ move to Chicago

Well at least if Chicago can't have the Olypmics in the next decade Chicago can have the headquarters of the US Olympic Committee. From Crain's...

On the heels of its efforts to lure the 2016 Summer games here, the Daley administration has opened talks with the USOC about moving its headquarters here from Colorado Springs, Colo., where the committee has been based since 1978, according to sources familiar with the talks.

The USOC’s real estate consultant, James H. Didion, World Business Chicago chief Paul O’Connor and others toured about a half-dozen downtown office towers last month, seeking about 100,000 square feet of office space and about 3,000 square feet of street-level retail or showroom space, those sources say.

In 2001, Mr. Didion retired as chairman of California-based commercial real estate firm CB Richard Ellis Inc., where USOC Chairman Peter V. Ueberroth was a director.

The identities of the Chicago buildings on the tour could not be confirmed. Other cities on the USOC’s list also could not be confirmed. Sources say the search is in the initial stages, and probably will not be completed for several months.

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Chicago Marathon: Keep Pinkowski in charge

The Chicago Tribune's Eric Zorn, like myself, knows Chicago Marathon Race Director Carey Pinkowski pretty well, and I have to agree with Zorn that Pinkowski uttered a whopper of a misstatement at Monday's post-marathon press conference:

Is there anything we could have done better? No. We anticipated the weather. I'm very proud of the way things went...

Well, he shouldn't be. Even if this was the only aid station that ran out of water and Gatorade, and it apparently wasn't, Pinkowski owes Sunday's participants and the aid station volunteers a deep, sincere apology. After all, runners had to shell out $110 to enter the race.

Many people, runners and non-runners alike, are calling for Pinkowski to resign. Here is Zorn's take:

His PR stumbles notwithstanding, Carey Pinkowski is still the guy I'd want instituting those reforms.

I agree. And let me put the situation into perspective. When Pinkowski took over as race director in 1990, the race was still suffering from the stigma of being cancelled in 1988 after its chief sponsor, Beatrice Foods, abruptly pulled out. By 1991, the marathon had no title sponsor, and half of the race course was pushed onto Lake Shore Drive, out of the neighborhoods because residents viewed the race as an extreme annoyance. Slowly Pinkowksi got the race, bit by bit, back into the neighborhoods, where for the most part it was eagerly welcomed by inhabitants of the many Chicago communities it now passes through.

In 1994, LaSalle Bank became the title sponsor, and it later purchased the race outright--keeping Pinkowski in charge. In the early 1990s, the marathon averaged about 8,000 entrants, within a few years after LaSalle took over, the number of participants doubled, then doubled again--up to the point that the race sold out at 45,000 entrants. This year that 45,000 cap was reached six months before race day.

All this time, I have to reiterate, Carey Pinkowski was at the helm. While the "back-of-the-pack" grew, the elite side of the event was not overlooked by Pinkowski, who was an All-American runner for Villanova University before he entered race management. In 1999 Khalid Khannouchi set a new men's record for the marathon in Chicago; Catherine "The Great" Ndereba in 2000, then Paula Radcliffe in 2001, did the same in regards to the women's world record for a 26.2 mile effort.

Keep Pinkowski and let him, in Zorn's words, "institute those reforms."

Zorn has run three marathon and can write with authority on the subject. The same can't be said for his co-worker Mike Downey. (Free registration is required for the link.)

Nearly 10,000 of the people who filed entries for this 30th annual race were smart enough not to run it.

Here's a little known fact about major urban marathons. Many of them, such as New York, Marine Corps in Washington, and of course Chicago, sell out months in advance. The first two use a lottery system to decide who gets in, but once you are chosen, you have to pay up. Chicago, as I wrote above, was booked up in April. A herd instinct drives people to sign up for races that they may be thinking of running, or they have every intention of running, but aren't able to on race day. Injuries are the chief reason people stayed home when this year's Chicago Marathon came around, but non-running distractions--new jobs, new responsibilities, illnesses, a pregnancy, or a change of mind months earlier brought that no-show count up to 10,000. Take a look at the other sold-out Chicago Marathons, and you'll find a similar number of absentees. Runners are a determined lot--too determined sometimes--so it's my firm belief that very few decided to throw in their non-sweaty towel when they heard Sunday's weather forecast.

Once again, I have to revisit media reports of the race. Yes, some people, too many, had a horrible experience on Sunday, and the race suffered a fatality--which was not the first Chicago Marathon death. But a lot of runners toughed it out and finished--some like myself drastically slowing down to ensure a successful completion of the race, others patiently walked it in.

But I'm still getting calls and e-mails from people wondering if I'm in the hospital or bedridden, which is what they believe was the fate of almost every runner that took part in Sunday's race because of what they saw on TV or read in the newspaper. I am fine. I ran a little bit on Monday, a little more on Tuesday, and I plan to run a little bit more later this morning. But then I'll take a couple days off.

Am I nuts? Probably. Determined? Absolutely. After all, I've run 29 marathons.

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Water station mayhem at Chicago Marathon

In this video, you'll see a picture of runners encountering a water and Gatorade station without water and Gatorade. My early skepticism on reports that some of the aid stations ran out of fluids has evaporated.

It's a chilling video, especially the bit with runners dousing themselves in fountain pool at the Peggy Notebart Nature Museum.

Hat tip to Running Jayhawk, whose Chicago Marathon, and that of her husband, was significantly less enjoyable than mine.

Related posts:

Happier scenes from Sunday's Chicago Marathon

Shirts of the Chicago Marathon

A participant's view of the cancelled Chicago Marathon: UPDATED

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A participant's view of the cancelled Chicago Marathon

I've run and finished each Chicago Marathon since 1990--that's me in a photo taken by Mrs. Marathon Pundit at Mile 24. But obviously this one stands out. Coming into this race I was easily in the worst shape for year's event. Which turned out perhaps to be a blessing. I didn't feel the need to, despite the high heat and humidity, to run a fast race because I was in peak condition.. And as a blogger, I thought I'd kick back, relax, take some photos with my digital camera, and take a "back of the pack" view of America's largest marathon.

When the starting signal went off at 8:00am, it was already in the mid-70s, and by 10:00am, the temperature climbed to 88.

This race was different. Towards the end of any 26 mile race, many runners turn into walkers. At mile two of today's race, I began seeing walkers. As I said, I wasn't worried, I was just viewing my participation as a "fun run."


Taking part in a marathon--or watching one--is a feast for the eyes, as my photographs hopefully portray. The sidelines are pretty entertaining too. The band of the left, Chicago's Gay & Lesbian Marching Band, was playing--no I'm not making this up--
"YMCA."

And there are of a fun people in the race--"Bam Bam" on the right, for instance.

"Bam Bam" was dressed for the weather at least.

At about noon, the rest of the rest of the race was cancelled. Runners who hadn't crossed the half-way point, just west of Chicago's Loop, were told to turn back on walk to Grant Park--the starting and end point of the race.

Participants I spoke with were understandably disappointed.

"I trained six months for this." one woman told me.

At Mile 16, I saw my first of about a dozen or so runners sprawled out on the side of the street.

I was at Mile 23 when I heard the race had been cancelled. A police officer told me to "Start walking." I thought he was joking. I kept running. After all, I had trained, sort of, for six months. A block later I first realized the gravity of the situation: I saw my first runner, a young woman in a tie-dyed shirt, getting an on-site IV treatment from a paramedic. This runner was propped up against a chain-link fest, her eyes were closed, and her head slumped. Later in the race, I saw two men getting IVs, their eyes were closed too.

One person, a 35 year-old Michigan man, died during the race. As for the number of runners taken from the race course and finish line areas by ambulances, most of the local media outlets are reporting that over 300 runners were driven away, although ABC 7 Chicago says only 49 have been hospitalized. Chicago and private ambulances couldn't handle the load, I saw EMS vehicles from suburban Summit and Mundelein, the first time I've seen suburban ambulances in downtown Chicago.

Local media is also reporting that some water and Gatorade stations had run out of supplies. I ran the race, every station I saw was well stocked. Perhaps the slower runners faced empty fluid tables, but no one I spoke with could confirm that.

I finished my 26.2 miles in under five hours. I grabbed some water, headed to my running club's tent, and exchanged "war stories" with my friends--over the constant screeching of ambulance sirens.

Usually post-race gatherings have the celebratory feel of a wedding reception. Not today. The slower runners were crushed that they couldn't finish the event, faster runners were disappointed that the weather conditions prevented them from reaching a time goal. And all of us were taken aback by the sites of fallen runners along the race course.

As for calling the race off, the race officials made the right call. Since suburban ambulance crews had to be called in to handle hundreds of runners needing help, one could only imagine what would have happened if the slower participants continued on instead of heading a couple miles east to Grant Park.

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"Worst sports team owner" Bill Wirtz dies

During my three year stint as an employee at the Bismarck Hotel, now the Hotel Allegro, I got to know--a little bill--Bill Wirtz, whose family then owned the property. I found him to be a friendly and charming man.

Still, I have to agree with many other that Wirtz, who died of cancer early today, was easily the worst owner in professional sports.

The Wirtz dynasty was founded in real estate, and for a while the magic touch carried over to the Chicago Blackhawks, an "original six" NHL team. Wirtz' father Arthur purchased the team in 1954, the "Hawks" won a Stanley Cup in 1961. And for a while the team gave the Cubs, White Sox, and the Bears a run for their money as Chicago's most popular team. The Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita led teams of the 1960s and early 1970s, after that championship, brought a tremendous amount of excitement to the city.

But Hull jumped to the World Hockey Association in 1972--Wirtz' father still owned the team until his death in 1983--but the team remained successful, but without a Stanley Cup, into the 1990s.

But free-agency came to hockey in 1990 and Bill Wirtz' Blackhawks refused to spend the money to keep star players such as Tony Amonte, Chris Chelios, Jeremy Roenick, and Ed Belfour in Blackhawks sweaters. The Blackhawks have only qualified for the NHL playoffs twice in the last ten years.

And the team' popularity plummeted. People living outside of Chicago find this hard to believe, but home games, with rare exceptions, are not televised in the Chicago area--not even on cable. People have busy lives, and kids who aren't exposed to televised hockey don't become fans. (Road games are televised on cable, but the Blackhawks play in the Western Conference, and play a lot of games on the west coast, when kids are sleeping.)

But Wirtz, on the rare occasions when he addressed the TV issue, responded that three things make the Blackhawks successful: "Season reservations, season reservations, and season reservations."

But that failed Wirtz too. The Blackhawks average 12,000 fans a game, but play in the 20,000 capacity United Center.

Besides the realty holdings, the Wirtz empire includes Judge & Dolph, a wine and liquor distributorship. In one of Illinois' most idiotic laws--a hold over the 1930s--beer, wine, and liquor manufacturers are prevented from selling their products directly to businesses. They have move their goods through a middleman such as Judge & Dolph. During the unhappy term of disgraced Illinois Governor George H. Ryan, a law passed, nicknamed the "Wirtz Law," made it virtually impossible for alcohol producers to fire companies such Judge & Dolph. A federal judge ruled that the law was unconstitutional three years later.

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April 30, 1922: White Sox pitcher hurls first "perfect" game

On this date eighty-five years ago, Charley Robertson of the Chicago White Sox threw major league baseball's first "perfect" game. Well, not exactly, other perfect games had been hurled in the big leagues prior to 1922, but Robertson's unlikely gem was the first one to be called a perfect game, according to the book Unhittable,it was a Chicago sportswriter who coined the term, writing that the...

White Sox, according to captain Eddie Collins, had not let the thought of a no hitter, to say nothing of a perfect game, dawn on them until just three men stood between Robertson and the rarest of baseball glory.

Robertson was making just his third major league start; he was up against Ty Cobb's Detroit Tigers--the ornery one was managing the team then. Cobb protested the game, claiming Robertson was throwing spitballs, which had been banned the season before.

It's a common saying that "any pitcher can throw a no-hitter," just a little skill and a lot of luck are needed. For proof of that, here is one for you Metro East folks, there is Bobo Holliman of the St. Louis Browns, who in 1953 threw a no-hitter in his first major league start, and won just two more games in his very brief major league career.

Only the greatest pitchers, so it's believed, have the skill to throw a "perfecto."

But to counter that mantra, there is Charley Robertson.

Robertson had a much longer career than Holliman, but his career record ended up being just 49-80, the worst of any pitcher who threw a perfect game.

There would not be another perfect game thrown in the majors until the New York Yankees' Don Larsen performed the feat in the 1956 World Series. The next regular season perfect game would have to wait until 1964, when current US Senator Jim Bunning (R-KY) tossed one for the Philadelphia Phillies.

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