Wisch: Is Ron Zook's Job At Illinois Secure?
As a University of Illinois season ticket holder, I've watched a lot of Ron Zook football during the past six years. Most of it bad.
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As a University of Illinois season ticket holder, I've watched a lot of Ron Zook football during the past six years. Most of it bad.
Christmas is over. New Year's is looming. And in between this week the Big Ten gets its bowl season rolling.
You've worried about the offense. And, now, you've worried about the defense.
Dasher and Dancer. Cookies and Milk. Mistle and Toe. And … NBA and Basketball?
Merry Christmas, Illini Nation. Bah, humbug. For Illinois basketball fans, there are few – if any – things worse than losing to Missouri in the annual Braggin' Rights battle.
So, apparently, you can get a managing gig if your name is Pete Rose. Just as long as there's a "Junior" attached to the end of it.
Say they don't win another game. Say the Bears lose to the Jets, lose to the Packers and lose in the first round of the NFC Playoffs. (I'm not saying they will, mind you. Not at all.) Would you still declare Chicago's 2010 NFL season a success?
On Feb. 8, 1896 – one month after X-Rays were discovered and nine months before William McKinley was elected as the United States' 25th president – a the Midwest's premier universities held a powwow in Chicago and established the Big Ten.
OK, it's taken a couple of days, but I'm finally on board with this whole new Big Ten thing. The conference is bigger, it's badder (and that's just what they're saying about our divisions!) and, thanks to all those new multi-name football awards, it's also more hyphenated than ever before.
They call Chicago the Second City. But New York appears to be turning itself into the City of Second Chances. For ex-Cubs, at least.
This past summer, when the Big Ten announced that the University of Nebraska was signing on as the league's 12th team, the Conference That Can't Count hit a stand-up triple.
Eleven years ago, I was sitting in the press box at Michigan Stadium, watching the Wolverines storm to a 27-7 lead over Illinois midway through the third quarter when a kindly, gray-haired U. of M. alum seated in my row leaned in toward me.
They both played high school ball on a team with a more glamorous teammate (Bracey Wright and Evan Turner). Each entered college with a ton of talent – and probably a few too many pounds. But one worked his way into shape, led his team to the national championship game and became a first-round NBA pick.
Tom Brady and his golden arm (and his golden locks … and his golden pair of UGGs) are coming to town. The Bears are in first place at 9-3. And, at 10-2, the New England Patriots can say the same.
Imagine Superman signing on as the official spokesman for Kryptonite tights. Then imagine Albert Pujols putting on Cubs pinstripes. What's less likely?
For Cubs fans, there's only one thing bleaker than the 2010 regular season. And that's the 2010 offseason. So far, at least.
Last Sunday, after the Bears upended Philly, I was eating crow. Seven days later, after watching them struggle to beat the better-but-still-bad Lions, I was about ready to cough it back up.
The news was stunning, if not surprising, this morning when I woke up, turned on the TV and learned from the crawl on the screen that Ron Santo had passed away at 70 after a lifetime of health issues.
Redcoat or Turncoat. Whatever you want to call him, in the eyes of Cubs Nation, Ryan Theriot has turned heel.
As far as weeks go for college basketball teams, this one is about as big as it gets for the University of Illinois.
Earlier this month in his weekly Sports Illustrated Q&A, Dan Patrick posed the question to Brian Urlacher, "Best team in the NFC now?"
With a record of 7-3, the Bears aren't a joke. But I still can't take them seriously. Can you?
Mikel Leshoure has officially arrived. So, does that also mean he's already gone?
Last week, when pitching coach Larry Rothschild bolted the Chicago Cubs (honestly, finally) for the New York Yankees (honestly, seriously?) after a nine-year stint on Chicago's North Side, I'm pretty sure that one name was the first to pop into most fans' minds as a potential replacement.
