Wisch List

Saturday’s column from CBS Chicago …

(CBS) I’ve never run the thing myself – who knows, maybe some day – but the Chicago Marathon and my family still go way back.

Between 1978 and 1991, my dad – who ran a total of 17 marathons in total during his long-distance heyday – completed the 26.2-mile course that each autumn winds its way up and down Chicago’s streets and through 29 of its eclectic neighborhoods.

Back in ’78 when my dad ran his first Chicago Marathon during the event’s second year, there were only 5,200 entrants. When he ran his last one in ’91, there were still only 7,500. This year, there are 45,000 runners – and they hail from 115 countries.

“Things have really changed,” my dad said this morning.

Yes, they certainly have. And to enlighten you a bit more about the Windy City’s trademark long-distance race, here are five things that you might not know about the Chicago Marathon.

1. The very first Chicago Marathon was actually in 1905

The “modern-day” Chicago Marathon celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, but the race actually has an ancestor so old that when it first plotted its path through the city, the Cubs were still three years shy of their last World Series victory.

So, you know, a long time ago.

On Sept. 23, 1905, the first Chicago Marathon organized by the Illinois Athletic Club started off in north suburban Evanston and finished in Washington Park on Chicago’s South Side. More than 100,000 spectators reportedly watched as upstart Rhud Metzer came from behind to steal a late-race victory from favorite Louis Marks.

The crowd might have been big for that the original marathon – which continued annually in Chicago until the early 1920s – but the field was not. Only 20 runners registered for the race, just 15 of them showed up at the starting line and a mere seven made it to the finish.

To continue reading, visit CBSChicago.com …

Today’s column from CBS Chicago …

(CBS) After 101 losses – and 61 uninteresting wins – the 2012 Cubs season is finally, thankfully and mercifully over.

I’m relieved.

But, after a deep exhale yesterday, I found myself holding my breath this morning. And that’s because, as we eye 2013, I fear that the Cubs could be just as bad as they were this season – and perhaps, remarkably enough, even worse.

After all, for much of this year, the North Siders at least had a decent starting rotation. Come next season, though? Well …

Last week, Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer said that the organization plans to be a player in the free agent marketplace this winter, telling the media: “We’re obviously going to be active. I don’t think there’s any question about that.”

Perhaps not, Jed. But the question isn’t about the Cubs simply being active, it’s about getting some actual results. And, despite the team’s claim that they’ll be particularly aggressive in the search for starting pitching – “We certainly need to bolster our rotation,”

Hoyer said in the understatement of the month – I have serious doubts about whether they’ll be able to accomplish anything really worth a darn this winter.

To continue reading, visit CBSChicago.com …

Today’s column from CBS Chicago …

(CBS) After sitting perched atop the American League Central for 117 days – including a stretch of 63 in a row – there’s one thing for certain after the Chicago White Sox’s 2012 season officially came crashing down around them on Monday night.

It ended in disappointment.

But for Robin Ventura, did this season also end up as a failure? Or was the Sox manager’s rookie season still a success considering that his team far exceeded the 95-loss expectation set by Sports Illustrated back during an highly uncertain spring?

On Monday, after the White Sox’s 11-0 victory over Cleveland went for naught thanks to Detroit’s division-clinching win vs. Kansas City, Ventura said, “It’s disappointing because you wish you could have done better. But I’m not disappointed in these guys. You end up where you’re supposed to end up. The effort was there. Just came up short.”

By coming up short in the race for the playoffs, Ventura was simply following the trend set by his managerial predecessors on the South Side.

To continue reading, visit CBSChicago.com …

Your 2012 Chicago Cubs,  ladies and gentlemen …

This weekend’s Wisch List newspaper column from The Daily Journal (Kankakee, Ill.) and The Times (Ottawa, Ill.) …

The WISCH LIST

By Dave Wischnowsky

For my money, there’s no better month of the year in Chicago than September.
The average temperature is a comfy 75. Along the lakefront, summer’s warmth still lingers while the crispness of fall beckons throughout the city. Football season begins (some years better than others). And baseball can get interesting (you know, on occasion).

All that said, as September fades away this weekend, October in the Windy City isn’t too shabby, either.

Plus, it comes with candy.

And as we jump into the 10th month of 2012 – time flies, doesn’t it? – I have some suggestions on how you can enjoy October in Chicago. As an added treat, they’re all free.

Sunday, October 7: Chicago Marathon

Maybe you’re running 26.2 miles through the streets of Chicago next weekend. Or perhaps you’re tired just thinking about the idea of it.

No matter your fitness level, if you’re interested in watching the Chicago Marathon – one of the city’s most impressive sporting events, with 45,000 participants – then there are a number of great spots to do so.

One of them is right at the start. From atop the Randolph Street overpass above Columbus Drive just north of Millennium Park, you can watch as the basic equivalency of an entire Cubs game crowd – including the rooftops – passes beneath you.

Other hot race spots include the corner of North Avenue and Wells Street (where “Elvis” serenades the runners from a stage), Chinatown near Cermak and Wentworth (where a cheering section includes a Chinese dragon and drums) and Michigan Avenue south of Roosevelt Road (where you can watch the runners as they power – or struggle – through the race’s final mile).

For more information, visit chicagomarathon.com.

Continue reading “Chicago has plenty of treats in store for October”

Saturday’s column from CBS Chicago …

(CBS) Back in July, after Simeon superstar Jabari Parker left the Illinois of his Top 10 list of potential college pitstops, I wrote that when it comes to basketball recruiting, second place truly is the first loser.

And it is.

But, hey, that doesn’t mean you always have to feel awful about it.

On Thursday, following a breakneck push by first-year Illini basketball coach John Groce and his staff to land point guard Demetrius Jackson of Mishawaka, Ind., the highly touted hoopster announced he was staying home to play for nearby Notre Dame.

Without a doubt, the news was a disappointment for Illinois hoops fans – and, naturally, for Groce & Co. Particularly so because probably, oh, about five Notre Dame fans truly care that Jackson is coming to South Bend, whereas an entire state would have rejoiced had he chosen to transport himself across Indiana’s seemingly impenetrable border to Champaign.

Nevertheless, the fact that Illinois lost the recruiting battle for Jackson with the Irish, who recruited him for three years, wasn’t a reason to feel bad about Groce. Rather, it would have been a reason to feel great about Groce if he’d been able to nab Jackson’s services after just five months of wooing.

To continue reading, visit CBSChicago.com …

Thursday’s CBS Chicago column …

(CBS) It’s almost 4,000 miles from Wrigley Field to Piccadilly Circle, but this morning, via email, I asked my transplanted Cubs fan buddy currently living across the pond in London if he would like to see Sammy Sosa make a return to Wrigley Field.

My friend’s answer was “No,” before adding, “But I don’t know if I want to return to Wrigley Field!”

I laughed when reading that. But with the Cubs closing in on 100 losses and next year’s team looking to be just as bad – honestly, who’s going to pitch? – I can’t blame my friend. Heck, I live just six blocks from Wrigley, and I’m not itching to get back inside the ballpark any time soon myself.

In the case of Sosa, however, whatever cabana it is that he’s lounging at these days – while probably sipping a cool drink and treating his skin with who knows what – it’s surely a much shorter trip up to Wrigley Field than it is from London.

But, like my friend, I don’t want to see Sosa make his return, either.

Continue reading at CBSChicago.com …

When it comes to radio, nothing makes for a better listen than a healthy dose of debate.

And there was plenty of that today when I got the chance to join my guys on the Tay & Jay Show on Champaign’s ESPN-CU 93.5/95.3 to discuss my recent CBS Chicago Column, “The Truth About Illlinois Football,” and my take on Illini coach Tim Beckman and athletic director Mike Thomas.

We certainly didn’t agree on everything and to listen to our spirited discussion, you can download the podcast right here.

Today’s column from CBS Chicago …

(CBS) Every so often on the campus of the University of Illinois, seemingly no matter the coach or the era, you’ll see T-shirts pop up bearing the slogan, “Champaign: A Drinking Town with a Football Problem.”

Sadly enough for Illini fans, that adage, as tongue in cheek as it may be, does ring true for what’s by far the most underachieving program in the Big Ten. And for anyone who watched Louisiana Tech humiliate Illinois – and first-year football coach Tim Beckman – 52-24 on Saturday night at Memorial Stadium, it’s crystal clear that right now Illinois indeed has a problem.

But the truth is, it goes well beyond football.

And this deeper dilemma affecting U. of I. athletics is so discouraging that after reading this column, you very well may be driven to drink yourself.

If so, remember to tweet responsibly.

To continue reading, visit CBSChicago.com …

Saturday’s column from CBS Chicago …

(CBS) When it comes to University of Illinois football, I’ve had a mantra ever since I walked off campus with my diploma in hand way back in May of 1998.

And that’s been my vow that I wouldn’t be fully back on board with the Illini program until it went to back-to-back bowl games. Now, that might not seem like it’s asking too much of a Big Ten school, but this is Illinois we’re talking about – a pigskin program that Yahoo! Sports last week billed as the second most underachieving in the nation over the past decade. I think that’s probably being kind.

It wasn’t until this past winter – a full 14 seasons after I became a college grad and almost 20 years since Illinois went bowling in 1991-92 – that the Illini finally qualified for consecutive bowl games again. UCLA, which Yahoo! ranked as the biggest underachievers, actually reached six bowls during the past decade.

To Illinois’ credit, however, they even won both their bowls the past two years – but, even so, I’m still not sure that I’m back on board with Illini football.

To continue reading, visit CBSChicago.com …