Wisch List

Last week’s Wisch List newspaper column from the Saturday, Dec. 8, editions of The Daily Journal (Kankakee, Ill.) and The Times (Ottawa, Ill.) …

The WISCH LIST

By Dave Wischnowsky

When the Newberry Library first opened its doors to the public on Sept. 6, 1887, Chicago was just six months removed from its 50th birthday.

Within the city, much has changed in the years since then, of course. But inside the Newberry Library, time – in many ways – stands still. That’s perhaps never been truer than right now as the longtime Chicago historical institution stages the final weeks of its “The Newberry 125” exhibition, celebrating the 125 years since the library’s founding.

This eclectic exhibit, which opened on Sept. 6, the Newberry’s birthday, remains open through Dec. 31 and boasts the tagline “You Won’t Believe What’s Here.” For history buffs – Chicago, or otherwise – that’s probably true. And if you happen to be holiday shopping along the Magnificent Mile during the remainder of this month, I suggest swinging a few blocks west to take a stroll back through time.

The free-admission Newberry Library, located at 77 W. Walton not far off North Michigan Avenue, was originally the brainchild of prominent Chicagoan Walter L. Newberry, who died at sea in 1868 while on a trip to France and left a complicated will that eventually led to the establishment of the library nearly 20 years later.

Aboard the ship, Newberry’s body was preserved in a large empty rum barrel before it was returned to Chicago. That keg is not among the items on display at “The Newberry 125” exhibit (Walt is buried at Graceland Cemetery), but plenty else certainly is.

Continue reading “Find magnificent history just off the Mag Mile”

Today’s column from CBS Chicago …

(CBS) Minnesota. The Chicago YMCA. Rose Polytechnic Institute. Minnesota again. The Evanston YMCA. Wisconsin. Millikin. Butler. DePaul. Wisconsin again. Houston. Arizona State. Furman. Louisville. North Carolina.

… And Gonzaga?

The initial 13 schools – or, well, Young Men’s Christian Associations – listed above are the teams that handed the first losses to the last 15 men to have coached basketball at the University of Illinois. Meanwhile, the final school listed is the one that could hand current Illinois coach John Groce his first defeat tonight when the 13th-ranked Illini tangle with 10th-ranked Gonzaga out in Spokane.

Or Illinois (9-0) could again best the Bulldogs (9-0), who the Illini have beaten two years in a row, and push Groce one step closer to setting Fighting Illini history with the best-ever start by a first-year coach.

This past Wednesday, after Illinois survived an upset bid from Western Carolina at Assembly Hall, Fox Sports Midwest columnist Andrew Astleford wrote about Groce, “He’s the first Illinois coach to win his first nine games at the university since Fletcher Lane did so more than 100 years ago. That stretch includes a Maui Invitational title in November against a field that featured heavy lifters such as Texas, Marquette and North Carolina.”

Continue reading at CBSChicago.com …

Today’s column from CBS Chicago …

(CBS) Throughout Chicago, speculation has been flying fast and furious that last Sunday’s overtime meltdown against Seattle may have marked the beginning of the end for Lovie Smith’s tenure as head coach of the Bears.

Whether or not that’s true remains to be seen. Smith does remain under contract for 2013, after all, and as we all know, speculation can ultimately lie. But numbers? Well, they never do.

And Smith’s coaching numbers tell an interesting tale.

Following the Bears’ ugly loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Nov. 19, a friend of mine shot me a text asking, “What is Lovie’s record against teams with winning records?” I told him that I didn’t know, but that it certainly couldn’t be very good.

Turns out, I was wrong.

Smith’s record vs. winning teams isn’t just “not very good”, it’s downright awful – and probably worse than you even imagined. This week, I spent a few hours breaking down the Bears coach’s career record of 79-61 into thirds and examining how well he’s fared against teams with above-.500 records, teams with sub-.500 records and teams with .500 records.

For kicks, I then did the same for Mike McCarthy, head coach of the archenemy Green Bay Packers, with whom Smith’s Bears are currently tied atop the NFC North Division. Here’s what I found:

Continue reading at CBSChicago.com …

Tuesday’s column from CBS Chicago …

(CBS) The Big Ten Championship Game isn’t a very big deal.

Not in Indianapolis, at least.

So, how about bringing the thing to Chicago instead?

This past Saturday night, the announced attendance at Lucas Oil Stadium for the Big Ten’s title tilt between Wisconsin and Nebraska was 41,620. That meager number was nearly 23,000 fans smaller than the announced crowd of 64,152 at last year’s game in Indy – or about the equivalency of an Illinois football home game this season.

Ouch.

Last December, I attended the inaugural Big Ten Championship Game at Lucas Oil, and can tell you that although more than 64,000 fans were announced, there weren’t nearly that many actual people in the stands. As a result, in a column following the 2011 contest, I offered up a proposal to Big Ten commish Jim Delany, writing that “If game attendance and ticket demand in Indy doesn’t improve markedly the next few years, the Big Ten should bring its football championship to Chicago’s Soldier Field.”

Well, the attendance certainly didn’t improve markedly this past weekend. Rather, it sunk startlingly. And that was even with a matchup that featured the University of Nebraska, whose fans are known for generally traveling like locusts. I consider this past weekend’s shrunken crowd and shriveled ticket demand a clear-cut sign that Indy shouldn’t claim exclusive rights to the Big Ten Championship Game.

And that, just like with the Big Ten Basketball Tournament, Chicago should get its shot at hosting the event, as well.

Continue reading at CBSChicago.com …

My Wisch List newspaper column from the Saturday, Dec. 1, editions of The Daily Journal (Kankakee, Ill.) and The Times (Ottawa, Ill.) …

The WISCH LIST

By Dave Wischnowsky

Besides summertime, there’s really no better time in Chicago than Christmastime.

Michigan Avenue is awash in twinkling lights. The windows at Macy’s on State Street are filled with animated holiday cheer. The Cubs can’t lose any ballgames …

Ah, but I digress.

With so much holiday hoopla going on throughout the city in December, I thought I’d gift to you today some ways to enjoy it yourself. I think it’s OK if we unwrap them early.

Catch a holiday show

This winter, “A Christmas Carol” celebrates its 35th year of production at the Goodman Theatre (170 N. Dearborn St.). Last December, I got the chance for the first time to see Goodman’s take on the Charles Dickens classic and came away feeling anything but “Bah, Humbug.”

The sets for “A Christmas Carol” are particularly amazing, taking full advantage of the theater’s spacious environs. For tickets and details, visit goodmantheatre.org.

If you’re not in the mood for Scrooge, I also recommend “The Christmas Schooner,” a longtime Chicago tradition at the cozy Mercury Theater (3745 N. Southport Ave.).

Continue reading “’Tis the season to enjoy the holidays in Chicago”

Saturday’s column from CBS Chicago …

(CBS) He’s three inches shorter, five pounds lighter and unlikely to be named National Player of the Year (or go No. 2 in the NBA Draft), but that doesn’t mean Brandon Paul can’t still pull an Evan Turner this season.

And by that I mean, Paul has the talent and potential to lift the Fighting Illini basketball team to lofty Big Ten heights – and perhaps beyond – much in the same way that Turner elevated Ohio State three years ago.

The biggest question might be if John Groce can live with Paul making mistakes along the way, the way Thad Matta lived with Turner’s.

Back in December 2009, I was chatting with a friend in the stands during a game at Assembly Hall in Champaign who had spoken to the Illinois coaching staff just the day before. They told him that NBA scouts were already starting to chirp about Paul, the 2009 Illinois Mr. Basketball, who had set a freshman record a month earlier with 22 points vs. SIU-Edwardsville in his Illini debut.

After that conversation, Paul’s draft stock no doubt cooled considerably after he went on to average only 7.8 points for the season while Illinois failed to reach the NCAA Tournament. But it appears that Paul’s draft status is likely heating up again here in 2012 during the 6-foot-4, 200-pound guard’s senior season.

Continue reading at CBSChicago.com …

Last Thursday’s column from CBS Chicago …

(CBS) When the Chicago Cubs, coming off their 104th year of championship futility topped by 101-loss cherry, probably inspire more hope and interest than your football program does, you know you have a problem.

But Mike Thomas decided to stick with Tim Beckman anyway.

On Tuesday evening, the University of Illinois’ athletic director announced on the radio in Champaign that Beckman, his handpicked coach whose inaugural 2-10 season featured everything bad but a corny laugh track, would return for an encore in 2013. Immediately afterward, Thomas could also have told radio listeners that good sections of seats are now available at Memorial Stadium.

Such was the fan reaction to Beckman’s return.

However, as bleak as things appear for an Illinois squad led by a man who’s better known for chewing tobacco and lasagna than for feasting on opponents, the truth is that Tim Beckman, as bad he might be, really isn’t the school’s true problem. He’s just a symptom.

To continue reading, CBSChicago.com …

My Wisch List newspaper column from the Saturday, Nov. 24, editions of The Daily Journal (Kankakee, Ill.) and The Times (Ottawa, Ill.) …

The WISCH LIST

By Dave Wischnowsky

I don’t own a DeLorean. I have no idea how to make a Flux Capacitor. And I can’t say that I’ve ever met Marty McFly or Doc Brown.

But I did go back to the future this past week.

Last weekend, my fiancée and I swung by Headquarters Beercade, a new hotspot in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood where a mural on the back wall reads “Don’t grow up, it’s a trap.” More than any place that I’ve ever visited in the Windy City, Headquarters does all it can to ensure that you don’t have to grow up.

You know, as long as you’re 21.

For those of us with fond memories of cashing in our allowance for a fistful of quarters and then spending every dime on games at the local arcade, Headquarters, a bar and vintage video game arcade – yes, you read that right – takes you back to those days. It’s a great concept and a wonderful jaunt back to the 1980s for everyone, even if you don’t remember the ’80s.

The brainchild of Chicago nightlife entrepreneurs Mark Kwiatkowski and Brian Galati, Headquarters opened on Oct. 11 at 950 W. Wolfram St., and since then has seen a steady stream of old-school gamers and new-school craft beer aficionados step inside.

In regards to the games, the place has just about everything your 12-year-old self could want, from Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, Frogger, Donkey Kong, Galaga, Asteroids and Dig-Dug to Double Dragon, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Street Fighter II, NBA Jam and Mortal Kombat. There are even more, with nearly 40 games offered in sum.

Continue reading “Chicago’s mega blast from the past”

My Thanksgiving weekend column from CBS Chicago …

(CBS) Ex-Cub Ron Santo finally got into the Hall of Fame this past summer. Ex-Cub Greg Maddux will easily get into the Hall of Fame in the summer of 2014. And Ex-Cub Lee Smith will surely get into the Hall of Fame …

Well, who knows when – or if – the big man will ever be inducted into Cooperstown. But I do know this: the fact that Lee Arthur Smith hasn’t gotten in yet is a shame.

And it’s high time to fix the oversight.

In 1995, legendary Los Angeles Times sports writer Jim Murray tabbed Lee Smith as the active player most likely to be elected to the Hall of Fame, calling him “the best one-inning pitcher the game ever saw,” and “the best at smuggling a game into the clubhouse in history.”

Two years later, Smith retired after 18 dominating seasons and with his name attached to the all-time saves record. But here in 2012, he’s still awaiting his HOF call. Murray, who passed away in ’98, would surely be scratching his head about that if he was alive today.

I am alive and I’m certainly scratching mine.

Continue reading at CBSChicago.com …

Today’s column from CBS Chicago …

(CBS) Chicago is in Illinois.

But in many ways, Illinois is still trying to get into Chicago.

As part of its ongoing efforts to expand the Illini’s presence in the Windy City, the University of Illinois athletic department since just February has formed cross-promotional partnerships with the Chicago White Sox and the Chicago Fire, rolled out a new marketing slogan (“Our State. Our Team.”) to counter Northwestern’s motto (“Chicago’s Big Ten Team”), and announced that it will host the University of Washington football team at Soldier Field in 2013.

Whew.

Last week, Illinois took yet another step toward sinking its teeth deeper into the city when the school announced the addition of a new Director of Development/Chicago Operations to its staff.

“Zach Goines brings a great deal of experience and success to the I FUND staff as he directs our Chicago operations,” Illinois athletic director Mike Thomas said about his newest team member, who previously held positions at Miami, Marquette and Connecticut. “Zach has served as a development director at three major institutions prior to coming to Illinois, and has extensive experience working in the Chicagoland area. He will play a big role as we continue to bring more Illini events and enhanced exposure to the Chicago area.”

To continue reading, CBSChicago.com …