From the Saturday, Dec. 2, editions of The Daily Journal (Kankakee, Ill.) and The Times (Ottawa, Ill.) … The WISCH LIST I always say that other than summertime, there’s no better time visit Chicago than Christmastime. With the Mag Mile awash in glittering lights, State Street truly looking like that Great Street with the festive […]
Author Archives: Dave
Light at the end of the Illini tunnel? I can see it
It’s been a dark decade for Fighting Illini basketball. But is there finally a light at the end of the State Farm Center tunnel? I think so, with Brad Underwood having mercifully taken reins from the overmatched John Groce. Although, with so much youth and a lack of size, Underwood’s inaugural Illini squad may not […]
How to embrace October baseball in Wrigleyville
It’s October again. But for the Cubs – and Cubs fans – it’s also a brave new world. No longer the Lovable Losers, the North Siders are now the Cherished Champs, and in turn, the 10th month of 2017 has a different vibe than in Octobers (and centuries) past. As the Cubs dive headlong into […]
Amazon’s HQ2 could be a big win for Chicago — and beyond
From the Saturday, Sept. 23, editions of The Daily Journal (Kankakee, Ill.) and The Times (Ottawa, Ill.) … The WISCH LIST The City of Big Shoulders remains The City of Big Aspirations. But in recent years, Chicago has more often been The City of Big Losers when it comes to actually making those aspirations a […]
Another bad season for Monsters of Midway? Grin and Bear it
From the Saturday, Sept. 9, editions of The Daily Journal (Kankakee, Ill.) and The Times (Ottawa, Ill.) … The WISCH LIST From 2010 to 2014, the Chicago Cubs lost 464 games, finished in last place every season, and made the Friendly Confines a downright hostile environment for winning baseball. It was a brutal stretch to […]
Frustrated Illini: U. of I. fails to lead on Native American issues
From the Saturday, Sept. 2, editions of The Daily Journal (Kankakee, Ill.) and The Times (Ottawa, Ill.) … The WISCH LIST I used to be a Fighting Illini. Now I’m just a frustrated one. And it’s not nearly so much because of the University of Illinois’ many losses on the football field and basketball court […]
Weighing in on ‘War Chant’ & What It Really Means
On Wednesday morning, I joined The Jeremy Werner Show on ESPN Radio in Champaign-Urbana to discuss the University of Illinois’ decision to ban its “War Chant” music from Illini sporting events but how the issue runs much deeper than a drum beat and football. You can listen to the podcast of my segment by clicking […]
Trade winds still could blow for Cubs in 2017
From the Saturday, July 15 editions of The Daily Journal (Kankakee, Ill.) and The Times (Ottawa, Ill.) … The WISCH LIST So, what do you do about a problem like the Chicago Cubs? Well, on Thursday we got an answer: You deal for Jose Quintana. But while acquiring the 28-year-old southpaw from the White Sox […]
Snapshots from a Croatian vacation
From the Saturday, July 1, editions of The Daily Journal (Kankakee, Ill.) and The Times (Ottawa, Ill.) … The WISCH LIST Curling along the shoreline across the Adriatic from Italy, Croatia’s Dalmatian Coast lies 5,000 miles from Chicago. But growing up as a Bulls fan during the 1990s, it seemed in some ways like it […]
Chicago’s ‘606’ remains a (public) work in progress
In advance of its opening in 2015, the advertising signage around Chicago promoting The 606 – the ballyhooed new elevated park winding 2.7 miles through the city’s Northwest Side atop a defunct freight line – promised to “Raise More Than Your Heart Rate.” But two years later, I find it still fails to make my […]