Today’s Wisch List column from the Kankakee Daily Journal …

Expansion? The Big Ten Dozen’t need it

The WISCH LIST

March 6, 2010

Just outside Chicago, not far off the Kennedy Expressway and within buzzing distance of O’Hare Airport, sits a nondescript two-story brick building neighbored by a cluster of modest homes and the machine yard of a suburban snow removal company.

It’s pretty safe to say that, upon first glance, the headquarters of the Big Ten Conference in Park Ridge isn’t quite what you’d expect.

In fact, the place kind of looks like it could use an expansion.

To which I’d tell the Big Ten, go for it.

Just leave the conference itself well enough alone.

In recent weeks, newspapers, talk radio and the Internet have been atwitter with reports – and wild rumors – regarding the proposed expansion of the Big Ten from 11 schools to 12.

Well, the Big Ten Dozen’t need it.

Not unless that new school is named Notre Dame or Texas, at least.

On Tuesday, media outlets reported that an initial Big Ten expansion study prepared by a Chicago-based investment firm had suggested to conference officials that expansion could be financially worthwhile.

The study analyzed whether five schools – Missouri, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Syracuse and Rutgers – would generate enough additional revenue to justify their inclusion in the Big Ten. Reportedly, the study concluded that by adding the right school, the league could indeed become wealthier.

And I don’t doubt that with the “right” school it could.

But, the only two schools that I feel fit that criteria – academic and athletic powerhouses Notre Dame and Texas – are longshots, at best, to shuck independence and the Big 12, respectively, and join the Big Ten.

If either did, the reason would be the same one behind most business decisions: Money.

According to ESPN’s “Outside the Lines,” Big Ten schools in 2008 received a whopping $242 million in TV revenue from ESPN/ABC and the Big Ten Network, which breaks down to $22 million per university.

That big number looks even larger when compared to the $78 million generated in TV revenue by the Big 12, of which most members are said to receive about $6 million. Texas and Oklahoma reportedly receive larger shares because of more TV appearances.

Notre Dame football’s famed NBC TV contract, meanwhile, reportedly is worth $9 million a year – well short of Big Ten payouts.

Because of haughtiness (Notre Dame) and traditional rivalries (Texas), neither the Irish nor the Longhorns are expected to join the Big Ten.

But if they won’t, then why bother expanding at all?

With the other rumored candidates, risks outweigh potential benefits. Penn State’s membership makes it questionable whether Pitt would increase the Big Ten footprint in terms of recruiting and exposure. Missouri almost certainly would not.

This week, the Chicago Tribune reported that many officials believe Rutgers – the oddly named state school of New Jersey – would be the best fit for the Big Ten.

But I’d argue otherwise. For one, it’s Rutgers. There’s no cachet. And to say the addition of the Scarlet Knights – or fellow northeastern school Syracuse – would significantly extend Big Ten fandom and recruiting into New York and New England is pure folly.

Kids growing up out east dream of Madison Square Garden, not Madison, Wis. It’s the same here, where Midwestern kids fantasize about catching touchdowns at the Big House, not in the Carrier Dome.

Has having DePaul in the Big East increased that conference’s exposure in Chicago? Hardly. And it likely has hurt DePaul in recruiting local athletes who were raised on Big Ten tradition and are unfamiliar – or uninterested – with the Big East’s.

Ohio State University president E. Gordon Gee recently told his school’s student newspaper that, along with financing, the main reason for Big Ten expansion is “an inelegance in having 11 teams. We can’t play each other quite like we want.”

He likely was referring to the league’s inability to split into two divisions for football and hold a conference championship game. However, even if you assume each school would garner $1 million-plus with a conference playoff, I’m still not convinced of that game’s value.

In nine of the last 12 years, the Big Ten has placed a second school in the BCS series – and earned an extra $500,000 for all 11 members – largely because the league’s top two teams haven’t had to knock the other out in a conference title game.

With a league championship, that dual-berth regularity would vanish, while the difficulty of reaching the BCS title game would multiply with teams needing to win an additional conference game.

Without a conference championship, some feel that the Big Ten falls off the national radar during December and that its teams suffer from the monthlong break before bowl season.

But that’s just a convenient excuse for failure.

This past season, the Big Ten’s top four teams went 4-0 in bowl games, showing no signs of supposed rust. Fact is, if Big Ten teams are good enough, they’ll win bowl games.

And, barring the addition of a Texas or Notre Dame, the conference is already good enough as is. So, don’t add a lesser school, Big Ten.

No one wants to see a Dirty Dozen.

First off, I want to Wisch everyone a Happy Fourth of July. Have a great one.

Secondly, here’s today’s Wisch List newspaper column from the Kankakee Daily Journal …

Digging in at Hot Doug’s

The WISCH LIST

July 4, 2009

At precisely 9:30 a.m. last Saturday morning, Darren Cahr parked his SUV at a quiet intersection on Chicago’s North Side and promptly hopped out.

The 40-year-old then strolled across the street, took a seat on the sidewalk outside a restaurant’s entrance and unfurled a newspaper in preparation for an hourlong wait.

Just to eat a hot dog.

“I’ve been doing this for years,” Cahr proudly explained as he sat on the hard concrete outside Hot Doug’s, Chicago’s self-proclaimed “Sausage Superstore and Encased Meat Emporium” that serves so much more than “just hot dogs.”

Within minutes, the line behind Cahr had grown to eight. And by the time Hot Doug’s finally opened for business at 10:30 a.m., the string of hungry folks waiting outside had swelled to nearly a hundred and stretched all the way down the block.

It was expected to stay that way all day long. Just like it does every Saturday, no matter if there’s rain, sleet, snow or sweltering heat.

And you thought the lines at the Taste of Chicago were extreme.

“For a true aficionado, there simply is no better place to experience a hot dog,” Cahr said explaining the madness behind his methods. “Hot Doug’s is the height of the encased meat art form.”

Yes, in Chicago, there is an art form.

And Hot Doug’s is the Louvre.

Owned by executive chef Doug Sohn and located at 3324 N. California Ave. in Chicago’s Avondale neighborhood, Hot Doug’s truly is unlike any other hot dog joint that you’ll find in the Windy City – or anywhere else, for that matter.

In a town known for its grub, Hot Doug’s stands tall, boasting a true cult status among Chicago’s devoted “foodies” thanks to its fascinating menu (we’ll get to that), friendly atmosphere (Hot Doug himself is your cashier) and glowing accolades (in June, culinary guru Anthony Bourdain decreed Hot Doug’s as one of the “The 13 places to eat before you die”).

If Bourdain’s claim is true, then Brent McKinney is proud to say he can die a happy man.

“My two favorite restaurants are Gibson’s (Steakhouse) and Hot Doug’s,” McKinney, 35, explained on Saturday as he stood fourth in line waiting for the Encased Meat Emporium to open. “But I put Hot Doug’s slightly above Gibson’s because you can find other steakhouses.

“But you can’t find another place like Hot Doug’s in the city. You’ll never find another place like this.”

At Hot Doug’s, you can get traditional Windy City staples such as bratwursts, polish sausages and Chicago dogs (no ketchup allowed). But that’s not the main reason why most people go there.
Rather, they’re willing to wait more than an hour in line to sample some of the restaurant’s more exotic – or amusing – fare.

Each day the menu includes a variety of celebrity-themed sausages such as the “Keira Knightley” (formerly the Jennifer Garner and the Britney Spears) that’s described as “Mighty hot!” and the “Salma Hayek” (formerly the Madonna, the Raquel Welch and the Ann Margaret) that’s “Mighty, mighty, mighty hot!”

Beyond that, each morning at hotdougs.com rotating specials are posted that range from the Hot Doug’s BLT with bacon sausage, avocado mayonnaise, cherry tomatoes and iceberg lettuce to a Spicy Beef Sausage with Coca-Cola BBQ sauce and Colby Jack cheese to a Taco Pork Sausage with jalapeno mayonnaise and habanero Jack cheese.

Most interestingly, though, is Hot Doug’s “Game of the Week” special, a selection of game animal sausages that – if they don’t make your mouth water – will at least make your jaw drop.

“I’ve had a rattlesnake hot dog, kangaroo, elk, venison, buffalo, wild boar, rabbit …” McKinney said, ticking off the sausages he’s sampled.

On this, my first visit to Hot Doug’s, I skipped the wild boar and instead went with a BLT dog and an order of duck fat fries (available only on Fridays and Saturdays), described by many as the best in Chicago.

Hot Doug’s is only open from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday, but McKinney makes those hours work.

“One weekend, I actually did a triple-dip,” he said. “I came here for dinner on a Friday, then lunch on Saturday and then dinner on Saturday. By the third time, one of the busboys did a double take. And I was like, ‘Yeah, me again.’ ”

McKinney said that weekend he spent a total of nearly four hours waiting in line outside Hot Doug’s. And he issued a caveat to anyone else considering a visit.

“Just Remember that Hot Doug’s only takes cash,” McKinney said.

The wait is worth it.

But it doesn’t take plastic.

This week’s Wisch List newspaper column from the Kankakee Daily Journal …

Chicago aldermen kick the Bucket (Boys)

The WISCH LIST

June 13, 2009

I swung down to Michigan Avenue last Saturday afternoon in the hopes of chatting up a Bucket Boy.

But I couldn’t find any.

Chicago’s summertime staples – known as “Bucket Boys” because of the white plastic utility buckets they use as drums to pound out intense, rhythmic beats – were tougher to locate downtown than a functioning parking meter.

And that’s tough.

Now, maybe the Bucket Boys weren’t at their usual stomping (thumping?) grounds on this day because of the drizzling rain.

Or, maybe, it was because of the aldermen.

Last week, the Chicago City Council approved a noise ordinance targeting Bucket Boys and other street musicians (but, really, Bucket Boys) that allows the city to revoke a street performer’s license – yes, even Bucket Boys are supposed to have licenses – if they get two violations for excessive volume in the span of a year.

Currently, the license can be revoked after three violations, although in extreme cases a performer’s permit could be pulled at the first violation.

The ordinance was introduced by Chicago Alderman Brendan Reilly, whose 42nd Ward includes the Magnificent Mile. Reilly said that he’s received complaints from people working in the office buildings along Michigan Avenue who claim they often can’t concentrate on their jobs during the summer months because of the noise on the street below.

He didn’t say how many of them can’t concentrate during the summer when the sun is shining outside.

(But I’m guessing the numbers would be pretty even.)

Now, the controversy over the Bucket Boys and their performances downtown – as well as around Wrigley Field on Cubs game days – is nothing new in the Windy City.

In fact, it seems to blow through most every summer.

But last week word of this new ordinance sparked the debate anew as commenters on city news sites and Chicago-related blogs began beating their drums on both sides of the issue.

“I find it sad that they may have to crack down on ALL street performers, when as far as I’m concerned it’s only the Bucket Boys that are annoying,” one person wrote on the popular blog chicagoist.com. “It’s not just that they’re loud, they’re also not particularly talented or interesting. How about getting some real drums?

“Get a real percussion ensemble going and learn some new rhythms, maybe something that people could actually dance to, instead of that one constant, rapid-pounding which appears to be the only thing one can do with a plastic bucket.”

Another commenter, however, came back with the retort, “Do you know how many movies that have … featured them [the Bucket Boys] as background? I would suggest that perhaps they should be considered part of Chicago’s unique (or what passes for unique) culture. These kids are not begging or gang banging on a street corner but are playing music (on recycled buckets).”

Yet another argued, “I still think [the Bucket Boys are] a net-positive … they bring a bit of  ‘native wonderland’ to the suburban shoppers, making their trip to the big city all the more exciting.”

Perhaps when you visit the Mag Mile, those are your thoughts, as well.

Or, perhaps, not.

But, either way, here’s my take on this topic: You don’t move to Chicago – or work there – for the peace and quiet. You’re there for the energy. And complaining about noise on Michigan Avenue – where I once did work – whether it’s from Bucket Boys, saxophone players, ambulances, honking taxis, construction equipment or something else just seems pretty silly to me.

It’s like moving to Wrigleyville and then griping about the crowds.

Don’t act like you didn’t know what you were getting yourself into.

Last week on the “Clout Street” blog at chicagotribune.com, one reader wrote about the Bucket Boys debate: “This city has become so sanitized and boring. I don’t know if it’s because of an intrusive government or whether it’s because … yuppies have moved to the city from the ‘burbs and [are] trying to make Chicago like one … I don’t know.

“But part of the beauty of living in a city of 3 million people is the diversity and ability to express individuality. Of course, the price to pay is that you’re going to run into things you don’t like or nuisances. But guess what … somebody here thinks you’re a nuisance too. It’s part of the deal.”

It is.

And, I’d argue that rather than trying to make the Bucket Boys kick the bucket, Chicago’s City Council should have bigger fish to fry. Let the Bucket Boys play. They are, after all, part of what makes Chicago, Chicago.

Even if not everyone approves.

“I work in a high rise across from where the Bucket Boys play,” another reader wrote at chicagotribune.com. “I can’t hear car horns but I can hear the Bucket Boys loud and clear and it is very difficult and distracting.

“There are several horn-playing musicians on Michigan Avenue but you only hear them as you walk by. I hear the Bucket Boys 17 floors up. I would be happy to get peace and quiet in the summer.”

If that’s really the truth, then, hey, I feel for the guy. But instead of pining for The Day That Street Music Died, here’s my advice:

Buy headphones.

For seven years both during and after college, I was a sports writer.

So I figured now that I’m back in the newspaper game, I might as prove my sportswriting chops early — and defend my the coach that U of I is lucky to have (even some people may never see it).

And with that, it’s on to the second installment of my Wisch List column from the Saturday, June 6 edition of the Kankakee Daily Journal …

Weber a bright spot in dark week for U of I

The WISCH LIST

June 6, 2009

When it comes to tarnished Land of Lincoln icons, I swear (you know, kind of like her) that even Patti Blagojevich had a better week than my alma mater.

And she swallowed a dead tarantula on TV.

Over the past several days, the University of Illinois has had it pretty rough, absorbing blow after well-deserved blow from the Chicago Tribune’s investigative series that exposed a secret and preferential admissions process for high school students lucky enough to have political connections.

Because of this self-made mess, you can’t say right now that U of I exactly stands for University of Integrity.

But, thankfully, the school’s basketball coach still stands for something.

Largely lost this week in the shroud of scandal that blanketed the state’s flagship university was that Illini hoops coach Bruce Weber quietly had one of his brightest weeks ever.

All because the spotlight from yet another education-related controversy – this one involving Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose – wasn’t also shining on Champaign.

In case you somehow missed it, Rose – recently named the NBA’s Rookie of the Year – has been accused by the NCAA of knowingly allowing an impostor to take the SAT for him so he could qualify for admission to the University of Memphis where, as a freshman in 2008, he led the Tigers to within a whisker of a national championship before jumping to the NBA.

Additional published reports also claim that during high school at Chicago’s Simeon Career Academy a grade was changed from a D to a C for Rose’s collegiate transcript and that his older brother, Reggie, received more than $2,200 in illegal benefits from the University of Memphis.

On Tuesday, Memphis responded to the allegations with the claim that it had found “insufficient evidence” to reach the same conclusion as the NCAA that Rose did not take the SAT himself.

Although the university also couldn’t prove that Rose did take the exam. And it acknowledged that a forensic document examiner hired by the NCAA did determine that the student in question (identified in media reports as Rose) “probably did not write the questioned hand printing or cursive writing on the exam form.”

Maybe he just drank too much caffeine that morning.

Now, I’m not here today to debate whether we should care about the high school academics of an athlete who’s now making millions of dollars (although we should), or if Derrick deserves to be labeled as the shadiest Rose since Pete (he at least has a better haircut).

Rather, I’m just glad none of this nonsense is the University of Illinois’ problem.

And for that I thank Bruce Weber.

Two years ago, Weber was slammed in many circles of Illini Nation for failing to hang on to prized recruit Eric Gordon (who at the last minute was lured to Indiana by coach Kelvin Sampson) and his inability to reel in Rose (who opted to instead play for John Calipari at Memphis).

Bruce Weber can’t recruit, they said.

(Perhaps you said.)

To which I’ll say, thank goodness.

Because, if being able to “recruit” meant that Weber needed to do what it took to haul in the likes of Gordon and Rose, then I don’t want that guy as my basketball coach.

Yes, the Hoosiers got Gordon – and along with him a boatload of sanctions after IU fired Sampson following a slew of recruiting tactics either illegal (impermissible phone calls) or unethical (giving associates of the Gordon family jobs on the IU basketball staff). Today, the Hoosiers program is in shambles as new coach Tom Crean continues to pick up the pieces.

Now, first-year Memphis coach Josh Pastner, who took over when Calipari bolted for the head job at Kentucky in April, may find himself dealing with a similarly sorry situation.

We’ll see what happens. But we already know what didn’t happen on Weber’s watch.

“We understood what was going on (with Rose) all along,” University of Illinois athletics director Ron Guenther told the Champaign News-Gazette last weekend. “The sport of men’s basketball has issues that the NCAA has been trying to address. There are many tentacles to the problem, so there is no magic bullet to solve it. It has been a focal point for discussions in this conference for more than 10 years. We’ve had task forces looking into the AAU, the shoe money, the agent.

“One of the reasons I feel so strong about Bruce Weber and his staff is that I know they’re going to do it the right way. Nothing that has happened in the Rose case has been a surprise to me.”

Me neither.

Although I’ve always been surprised – and disappointed – by Illinois fans that have simply failed to see what they have in a coach with Bruce Weber.

Sure, without Gordon or Rose, Illinois suffered through a brutal 16-19 season two years ago. But thanks to Weber’s coaching, the program bounced back strong this past season and with back-to-back blockbuster recruiting classes the future of Illini hoops couldn’t be brighter.

So, while Illinois basketball may have given up some wins because it failed to reel in Gordon and Rose, it didn’t give up its integrity.

And, in my book, that counts for a lot.

You might even say that Bruce Weber passed a big test.

And did it all on his own.

Imagine that.