Friday’s column from CBS Chicago …

(CBS) When it comes to Starlin Castro’s fielding percentage, the good news is that it’s improved every season. But the bad news? Well, after four years of big league ball, it’s still never been better than .967.

And for those of you scoring at home, that’s not good.

Despite Castro’s high-profile struggles at the plate in 2013, I still believe that he’s is a natural-born hitter, and hopefully he shows that again this summer in Chicago. But on the flip side, based on his proclivity for errors – both physical and mental – while out in the field, I’ve never really believed that the guy is a natural-born shortstop.

Rather, he just plays one on TV.

So far, much of the talk this spring in Mesa has been if Castro, the Cubs’ 23-year-old entrenched shortstop, and Javier Baez, the Cubs’ 21-year-old phenom shortstop, can eventually co-exist on the same roster.

Continue reading at CBSChicago.com …

From the Saturday, March 8, editions of The Daily Journal (Kankakee, Ill.) and The Times (Ottawa, Ill.) …

The WISCH LIST

By Dave Wischnowsky

Its name changed months ago, and now down in Champaign, State Farm Center is finally getting a facelift too – or, at least, the beginnings of one.

But come November 2016, once all the construction is slated to be finished and the University of Illinois’ venerable basketball arena has been fully renovated, there’s another time-honored institution that also should consider changing its identity by moving back into the place.

Yes, I’m looking at you, IHSA Boys’ State Basketball Tournament.

No offense, Peoria.

On Tuesday night, the Fighting Illini played their final home basketball game of the season. After it was over, a crew began pulling up the court at State Farm Center so work could begin on Phase I of the building’s $165 million renovation, which is scheduled to take three off-seasons to complete.

Continue reading →

Today’s column from CBS Chicago …

(CBS) Since its massive overhaul back in 2002, Soldier Field has never really made much sense.

Inexplicably, it is one of the NFL’s smallest stadiums (capacity: 61,500) despite its location in the NFL’s second-largest market (9.52 million metro area population). It doesn’t have a retractable roof even though it resides along a notoriously cold lakefront. And while I’m now accustomed to the look, the whole spaceship-inside-the-Parthenon thing is still an odd design.

Yes, Soldier Field may not be perfect. But with Chicago committed to funding its bond payments through 2032, it very much is ours.

And it’s not going anywhere.

Although, according to reports this week, it could soon be going up in capacity. On Tuesday, news broke that Mayor Rahm Emanuel is in the “very preliminary” stages of looking at a 5,000-seat expansion of the home of the Chicago Bears.

“It’s an exploration to see what, if anything, is possible,” Emanuel spokeswoman Sarah Hamilton told the Chicago Tribune.

If expansion indeed is possible for the stadium, I think it would be a great thing for Chicago and for Bears fans. But I don’t think it would be a “Super” thing, which apparently is what the city is hoping.

Continue reading at CBSChicago.com …

Today’s column from CBS Chicago …

(CBS) Late Monday morning, my buddy Danny was preparing to board a flight from Los Angeles to Chicago when he spotted a familiar face outside his gate at LAX.

Bill Murray’s.

A Deerfield native and a proud University of Illinois alum, Danny approached Murray – the famous Wilmette native who proudly cheered on Illinois during the school’s 2005 Final Four run – and introduced himself as an Illini grad.

“We just beat Michigan State,” Murray replied.

Before his flight departed, Danny texted me the news of his fun exchange with the comedy icon. Which seemed so fitting, as the fun is back for Fighting Illini basketball.

For now, at least. But also, I’d argue, for the future.

At 6 p.m. tonight, Illinois will host 12th-ranked Michigan at State Farm Center in what’s suddenly become a huge game – and an even bigger opportunity for the Illini.

Continue reading at CBSChicago.com …

From the Saturday, March 1, editions of The Daily Journal (Kankakee, Ill.) and The Times (Ottawa, Ill.) …

By Dave Wischnowsky

The WISCH LIST

Our state is called the Land of Lincoln.

But, ironically, when it comes to the Civil War that defined Abraham Lincoln’s presidency, the Great Emancipator’s home state of Illinois is likely one of the last ones you think about.
But think again.

Because there’s a lot of Civil War history in Illinois, and through March 24, much of it’s living at the Newberry Library in Chicago’s Gold Coast neighborhood. With an exhibition entitled “Home Front,” the Newberry – Chicago’s independent research library, founded in 1887 at 60 W. Walton St. – captures and memorializes daily life in the Civil War North.

“More than 150 years after it began,” the Newberry explains in the exhibition, “the Civil War still occupies a prominent place in our collective memory. Paintings and photographs, plays and movies, novels, poetry, and songs remind us of the struggle over the future of slavery, Lincoln’s determination to save the Union, and the brutality of brother fighting against brother. Battles and battlefields occupy us, too. Bull Run, Antietam, and Gettysburg all conjure up images of desolate landscapes strewn with war dead.”

The frontlines, however, weren’t the war’s only landscapes. Across the country, from the East Coast to the “West,” which Chicago was then considered a part of, civilians had their lives thrown into turmoil. The Newberry’s exhibition explores these connections between the Northern home fronts and Civil War battlefronts, including war relief work and women’s changing roles due to the conflict. It features beautiful paintings from the Terra Foundation for American Art, as well as compelling books, magazines, photographs, correspondence, sheet music and newspapers from Newberry’s own Civil War archives.

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Today’s column from CBS Chicago …

(CBS) Does America’s national pastime deserve a national holiday?

Well, Budweiser and Ozzie Smith think so. But as much as I love baseball, I can’t say that when it comes to establishing Opening Day as a holiday that I’m drinking Bud’s Kool-Aid.

For one thing, it’s far too cold.

On Tuesday, Budweiser – the “Official Beer of Major League Baseball” – and Smith – the official back-flipper of the St. Louis Cardinals – announced that an online petition had been posted at whitehouse.gov to make Opening Day a national holiday.

Active for 30 days, the campaign is intended to gain support for the holiday initiative before the start of the 2014 Major League Baseball season.

The petition reads: “MLB Opening Day is more than just the beginning of the season. It’s a symbol of rebirth. The coming of spring. The return of America’s national pastime. It’s a state of mind where anything is possible. You can feel the electricity in the air. Opening Day brings with it the promise of a new beginning. Every fan is in good spirits. It’s a day of celebration. It’s a day of hope. It’s a day that, for generations, has been looked forward to by baseball fans every offseason. It’s an American tradition, and it deserves to be recognized as an American holiday. Join us in our quest to make sure every American can exercise their inalienable right to celebrate the day those two magical words are uttered for the first time: ‘PLAY BALL!’”

Continue reading at CBSChicago.com …

Thursday’s column from CBS Chicago …

(CBS) They’ve seemingly been on life support since the New Year, but like zombies on AMC, this Illinois basketball team isn’t dead quite yet.

In fact, these Illini are still fighting.

And as outlandish as it may sound – and as unlikely as it may indeed be – the other fact is that Illinois still has something big to fight for: namely, a chance for an NCAA Tournament berth.

Yeah, seriously.

On Wednesday night, Illinois took the air out of “Nebrasketball,” using a stifling defensive effort to deflate the soaring Cornhuskers in a 60-49 win at State Farm Center. The victory was the Illini’s second in a row and third in its last five after suffering eight straight losses, improving their record to 16-12 overall, 5-10 in the Big Ten.

Continue reading at CBSChicago.com …

Tuesday’s column from CBS Chicago …

(CBS) With so many fans so weary of rooftop battles and so fatigued with a franchise that’s so seemingly unfocused on fielding a winning team – or even a so-so one – anytime soon, the Chicago Cubs are stuck between a rock and a dull place.

And they need to find a way out, as hard as that might be.

Otherwise, they’re liable to end up killing off half their fan base from sheer boredom.

In an attempt to provide an escape route from the logistical and legal boondoggle plaguing Wrigley Field’s pending renovations, the Chicago Tribune’s Paul Sullivan on Sunday wrote a story entitled, “Cubs need fresh ideas to break rooftop impasse.”

In the article, Sullivan interviewed some TV production people about one such fresh idea. He asked them if the Cubs could perhaps mimic the Blackhawks by erecting virtual TV ads at Wrigley in place of the giant beer sign slated to be put up in right field.

Continue reading at CBSChicago.com …

From the Saturday, May 26, editions of The Daily Journal (Kankakee, Ill.) and The Times (Ottawa, Ill.) …

The WISCH LIST

By Dave Wischnowsky

The calendar tells us that spring is right around the corner.

Although, I lost my calendar somewhere in a snow drift about two months ago.

Nevertheless, I’m certain that the season is coming (and staying) at some point, even if that isn’t just yet. In the interim, I thought it might be nice to think about what will be coming to Chicago along with springtime – just as long as their progress doesn’t get stuck in any snowdrifts.

360 Chicago

Since opening in 1969, the 94th-floor observation deck of the John Hancock Building has offered Chicago’s most breathtaking views – yes, even better than Willis Tower’s. But now, after 45 years, that lofty lookout is getting a fresh identity.

Beginning in March, the John Hancock Observatory will be rebranded as 360 Chicago and feature the tagline “Best Views. All Around.” Later this spring, the tourist hotspot will then undergo a full renovation featuring an updated look that’s described in a press release as “rich in blues and greens, meant to celebrate the natural land, sky and water elements seen from the observatory.”

Continue reading →

My Feb. 22 column from CBS Chicago …

(CBS) Hey, it might be the greatest sporting event on Earth, but, really, who needs the NCAA Tournament?

Not us, here in the Land of Lincoln, apparently. Or even them, over there in the Hoosier State. At least, that’s certainly the way it looks right now.

Because, despite being arguably the two American states most closely associated the sport of basketball, it’s looking less likely by the day that any school from Illinois or Indiana is going to end up qualifying for next month’s NCAA Tourney.

Now, that’s madness.

Over in our neighboring state where the likes of Larry Bird, Brad Stevens and Bob Knight built their legends thanks to the month of March, SI.com’s Seth Davis asked last week, “An NCAA Tournament without a team from Indiana? Is that even legal?”

It is. And, actually, the entire Hoosier State was shut out from the NCAA Tournament as recently as 2005, although prior to then it had at least one team qualify every season since 1972. Coincidentally, Illinois also failed to see any of its programs punch a ticket to the Big Dance that year, making ’72 the last time that both the Hoosier State and the Land of Lincoln were shut out in the same season.

But now 42 years later, it looks like history could repeat itself.

Continue reading at CBSChicago.com …