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.
A rare federal misdemeanor trial is set for next week in the case of the remaining "Broadview Six" protesters even after prosecutors dropped the overarching felony conspiracy charge against them earlier this month.
A New York-based investment firm has agreed to purchase Chicago's parking meter system from the company that purchased them in an infamous 75-year deal in 2008, but the deal still requires City Council approval.
Cook County State's Attorney Eileen O'Neill Burke on Monday announced a new task force dedicated to fighting crime on the Chicago area's mass transit system.
Ald. Jessie Fuentes (26th) has filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration, accusing federal agents of assault and false imprisonment, after she was arrested inside a hospital in the Humboldt Park neighborhood during Operation Midway Blitz last October.
Three people were killed in a shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego, and two suspected shooters were found dead inside a vehicle nearby, police said.
An attorney for Chicago Ald. Jim Gardiner (45th) on Monday called an ethics investigation into the alderman's conduct a malicious "travesty."
In a move aimed at curbing the growing problem of "teen takeovers," D.C. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro is threatening to bring charges against parents if their teens violate the local curfew.
State Rep. Josh Turek and State Sen. Zach Wahls squared off Thursday over which candidate can flip Iowa's open Republican-held Senate seat, as millions in outside spending reshapes the primary's final stretch.
Sens. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois and Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin say their concern is there may be more emergency exit doors than flight attendants in the event of an evacuation.
Ald. Jim Gardiner (45th) is suing the city of Chicago, its inspector general's office, and the Board of Ethics, accusing them of defamation.
Consumer and environmental advocates said Monday that they found overcharges buried in the most recent rate-hike request by Nicor.
One week away from Memorial Day weekend and the unofficial start of the summer travel season, with gas prices remaining high, negotiations were set to resume Monday at the largest oil refinery in the Midwest.
Chatham residents say they're losing a vital resource as Walgreen's prepares to close its store near 86th and Cottage Grove.
According to AAA, the average price of a gallon of regular gas in Chicago was $5.17 on Friday, up from $3.75 a year ago.
Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas Company customers are likely to see minor credits on their bills for the next three years, thanks to a $125 million settlement agreement announced Thursday by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul.
A person suspected of having hantavirus in Winnebago County, Illinois, turned out to be a false alarm, officials said Monday.
The DuPage County Health Department has confirmed its first positive tests for West Nile virus in pools of mosquitoes this year.
The Kane County Health Department was set Monday to offer a free mental health awareness webinar.
At least 80 deaths have been reported in a new Ebola disease outbreak in Congo and Uganda, authorities said.
Engineers at Northwestern University have created a wireless polygraph to detect stress.
DraftKings announced Monday that it is closing its sportsbook operation at Wrigley Field after only about two years.
After more than 80 years, there will be no Ann Sather restaurant location in the 900 block of West Belmont Avenue in Chicago's Lakeview community, effective in June.
Flight attendants at Chicago-based United Airlines have approved a new labor contract, marking their first pay increases in six years.
The Chicago Fire FC announced Wednesday morning that its new stadium in the South Loop will be named McDonald's Park.
U.S. prosecutors allege a man with multiple aliases used the name of the famed Astor family to scam a Mexican billionaire out of $450 million.
The Chicago-born house music track, which began as a personal poem in 1982 and became a defining anthem of the city's house music scene, has been selected for permanent preservation by the Library of Congress.
The Library of Congress revealed this year's list of 25 recordings to be preserved for future generations on the National Recording Registry.
David Allan Coe also had hits with "You Never Even Called Me By My Name" and "The Ride" among others.
Some youngsters got a behind-the-scenes look at the magic of making opera Sunday at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Matt DeCaro, an actor who was a familiar face on the Chicago stage for many years, died this weekend.
A person suspected of having hantavirus in Winnebago County, Illinois, turned out to be a false alarm, officials said Monday.
An American doctor has tested positive in an Ebola outbreak in Africa. The CDC confirms Dr. Peter Stafford, an American missionary working in the Congo, has the virus. The CDC is working with the State Department to move him to Germany for care.
Gov. JB Pritzker minced no words on Monday about Mayor Brandon Johnson, sending the clearest message yet that the mayor isn't helping efforts to keep the Chicago Bears in Illinois.
Cook County State's Attorney Eileen O'Neill Burke on Monday announced a new task force dedicated to fighting crime on the Chicago area's mass transit system.
Funeral arrangements were announced Monday afternoon for fallen Chicago firefighter Steven Decker, who died during a training exercise last week.
Two rounds of swift but strong thunderstorms blew through the area, toppling a small plane at Midway Airport and leaving some power outages and damage in their wake.
Gov. JB Pritzker lobbed some strong words about the Chicago Bears straight at Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson Monday morning.
A rare federal misdemeanor trial is set for next week in the case of the remaining "Broadview Six" protesters even after prosecutors dropped the overarching felony conspiracy charge against them earlier this month.
One person is dead, and two others were hospitalized, in a home explosion in Wonder Lake, Illinois, far northwest of Chicago Sunday night.
A New York-based investment firm has agreed to purchase Chicago's parking meter system from the company that purchased them in an infamous 75-year deal in 2008, but the deal still requires City Council approval.
Pothole complaints continue everywhere, but especially on one street in the Pullman neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago.
People in Lincoln Park and Lakeview have rallied against a plan to build a new industrial ComEd electrical substation in their neighborhoods, pushing local and state leaders to get involved.
Monday marks one year since Illinois enacted Karina's Law — legislation aimed at taking firearms out of the hands of people accused of domestic abuse.
Tenants at a South Shore apartment building said they've noticed their rent fluctuating by hundreds of dollars a month due to a change in how their utility billing system is set up.
A man from the Chicago suburbs lost $69,000 of his savings to a scam by a thief using an AI-generated U.S. Marshals badge to intimidate him.
Rookie Gabriela Jaquez set career highs with 20 points and eight rebounds, Kamilla Cardoso had 11 points and 12 rebounds, and the Chicago Sky beat the Minnesota Lynx 86-79.
Edgar Quero hit a two-run homer in the 10th inning and the Chicago White Sox beat the Chicago Cubs 9-8 on Sunday in the rubber game of their first crosstown series this season.
Murakami added his 17th homer in the fifth, a two-run shot to center off Jameson Taillon that traveled an estimated 428 feet.
Chris Brady had six saves for Chicago and has six shutouts this season.
Carson Kelly hit a tiebreaking single in the seventh inning and drove in four runs as the Chicago Cubs stopped a five-game White Sox winning streak with a 10-5 victory over their crosstown rival.
A truck driver was sentenced to over 13 years in prison for smuggling $9.4 million worth of cocaine in a shipment of Skims, Kim Kardashian's shapewear brand.
Police in Michigan City, Indiana, were searching Monday for the person they said shot and killed a 14-year-old boy.
Burglars hit a string of businesses in Chicago's South Loop early Monday morning.
Burglars broke into a CBD and kratom dispensary on Chicago's Near West Side early Monday morning.
The Cook County State's Attorney's Office will announced a new taskforce Monday bringing federal officers on board to help with crime on CTA.
