Wisch List

Today’s column from the Kankakee Daily Journal and The (Ottawa, Ill.) Times …

Wrigley finally hosts a Fall Classic — in football

The WISCH LIST

Nov. 13, 2010

Wrigleyville is usually pretty dead in November.

It’s usually pretty dead in October, too, mind you. But that’s for different reasons.

During this time of the year, though, Major League Baseball has closed the book on its season (not just the Cubs’), the local bars have closed their patios for the winter and the streets are filled mostly with neighborhood residents, not rabid fans.

But, come next Saturday, the area will again be awash in gameday spirit as Wrigley Field – home of the Chicago Bears from 1921 to 1970 – plays host to the Illinois Fighting Illini and Northwestern Wildcats in the 2:30 p.m. Allstate Wrigleyville Classic, the iconic ballpark’s first football game in 40 years.

For those attending the Big Ten tilt, those who would like to, and those who simply want to soak up the gameday atmosphere in the neighborhood, here are some tips on how to get your football fill.

You want tickets …

Well, good luck. The game is a sell-out, although tickets are available at StubHub.com and Craiglist.org. As of today, they were going anywhere from $55 to $1,000 a pop.

Your best bet might be just trying to scalp tickets outside the ballpark. Generally, the best locales for ticket-hunters are outside Murphy’s Bleachers (Sheffield and Waveland) or near the Red Line station on Addison Street.

You want parking …

Again, good luck. Like during a Cubs game, the streets and lots around the ballpark will be jam-packed. However, the Cubs will be running their shuttle and parking service at the DeVry University campus located off Addison Street and Western Avenue. For $6 you can park there and ride the shuttle free to and from Wrigley.

If you don’t want to drive into the city, identify the Metra station nearest you and use the Regional Transit Authority’s handy online trip-planner at tripsweb.rtachicago.com to plan your trip to Wrigley.

You want Wildcat fans …

Northwestern fans aren’t exactly known for flocking to watch their football team play in Evanston. However, at Wrigley Field, that likely will be a different story.

If you’re an NU alum or fan, the Northwestern Alumni Association is hosting a Young Alumni Tailgate Event at Sports Corner sports bar (Addison and Sheffield) from 12 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Visit alumni.northwestern.edu/yatailgate for more information.

NU also will hold a free Alumni Tailgate on “Wildcat Way,” (aka Sheffield Avenue, between Addison and Waveland) from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Elsewhere, Mullen’s on Clark (3527 N. Clark St.) is known as Wrigleyville’s “Northwestern” bar and it should be awash in purple.

You want Illinois fans …

Since the Allstate Wrigleyville Classic is officially a Northwestern “home” game, the Illinois Alumni Association isn’t hosting a special event for alums and fans. However, the Chicago Illini Club is, with a Tailgate Party at Rockit Wrigleyville (Clark and Waveland).

As of Friday, a few dozen tickets were remaining for the 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. event. Visit chicagoilliniclub.org for more information.

Another good game-watch option is Rebel Bar & Grill (3462 N Clark St.), considered Wrigleyville’s unofficial “Illini” bar. Arrive early, though, as it’s sure to fill up quickly.

Or, you want to play …

If you can’t get tickets and don’t like crowds but still want to experience football at Wrigley Field, consider instead visiting The Friendly Confines on Sunday, Nov. 21.

For its “Touchdown on Wrigley Field” event benefiting Chicago Cubs Charities, the organization will open the ballpark and allow fans to toss the pigskin around the Wrigley gridiron for 50 minutes.

For ticket information, visit cubs.com and search for “Touchdown on Wrigley Field.”

Today’s column from the Kankakee Daily Journal and The (Ottawa, Ill.) Times …

Bright holiday ideas? Chicago has them

The WISCH LIST

Nov. 6, 2010

In Chicago, it’s apparently never too early to start thinking about the holidays.

No, I mean, really.

It’s apparently never too early.

For example, I was driving through the city’s Roscoe Village neighborhood one evening when I spotted on light poles a series of new banners bearing the image of a Christmas tree above the message: “Happy Holidays from Addison Street Community Church.”

This was on August 31.

August. Thirty. First.

Unless “the holidays” now begin with, well, Labor Day, I’d say those banners were a tad premature. But now that the calendar has actually flipped to November, I figure it’s OK to start thinking about plans for the actual “holidays.”

And to help, here are a few Windy City suggestions as we barrel toward Thanksgiving and beyond.

Nov. 18: Christmas Around the World

At the Museum of Science & Industry, Christmas starts early. Not Aug. 31 early, mind you, but still pretty early.

Beginning Nov. 18, MSI will be decked out in holiday décor and feature singers and dancers as part of its 69th annual Christmas Around the World celebration.

The highlight will be the towering “Grand Tree,” located in the museum’s Rotunda and surrounded by more than 50 smaller trees decorated by members of Chicago’s ethnic communities to represent global cultures.

Christmas Around the World lasts through Jan. 9. For more information, visit msichicago.org.

My tip: At MSI, Christmas isn’t the only show in town. Also beginning Nov. 18, is the museum’s Holidays of Light display, which celebrates holidays such as Chinese New Year, Diwaili, Kwanzaa, Ramadan, Hanukkah and more.

Nov. 20: Magnificent Mile Lights Festival

Paris might be “The City of Lights,” but this time of the year, Chicago can hold its own in that regard.

At 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 20, the city will officially flip the switch on the holiday season with the Lighting Procession of the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival.

Featuring more than 30 floats, marching bands and Mickey Mouse as Grand Marshal, more than one million lights will be illuminated on 200 trees as the parade travels the Mag Mile. At 6:55 p.m., the event will culminate with a fireworks show over the Chicago River. For more information, visit magnificentmilelightsfestival.com.

My tip: The festival actually begins at 11 a.m. in Pioneer Court, 401 N. Michigan Ave., with a live concert featuring a variety of Radio Disney performers and acts that your kids probably love.

Nov. 20-21: Chicago Toy and Game Fair

When you’re a kid, Christmas largely revolves around just one thing: Toys.

So to indulge your children – or just your inner child – you can visit the 8th annual Chicago Toy and Game Fair, held in Festival Hall B at Navy Pier.

As the nation’s only toy and game fair open to the general public, the event features live entertainment and the opportunity to sample the hottest new toys and games on the market. For more information, visit chitag.com.

My tip: The fair isn’t only fun (or toys) and games. It also educational, offering seminars for both parents and teachers.

Nov. 26-28: ZooLights at Lincoln Park Zoo

If lights at MSI and along Michigan Avenue don’t, well, knock your lights out, then maybe those at Lincoln Park Zoo will.

Beginning the weekend after Thanksgiving, Chicago’s zoo will bathe itself in strings of lights and extend its hours to celebrate the holiday season. ZooLights is free and runs from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. For more information, visit lpzoo.org.

My tip: ZooLights is staged only on weekends until Dec. 17, when it begins running nightly through Jan. 2. (The zoo is closed on Dec. 24-25).

Today’s column from the Kankakee Daily Journal and The (Ottawa, Ill.) Times …

Prison Tales: Al Capone and Alcatraz

The WISCH LIST

Oct. 30, 2010

Throughout Chicagoland this weekend, plenty of people are no doubt dressing up as Rod Blagojevich. But I’m wondering what Blago himself is going as for Halloween.

Perhaps, come tomorrow, Rod will step out the front door of his Chicago home decked out in prison stripes – a little cap perched atop his coiffure – and take his daughters trick-or-treating along the streets of their neighborhood.

Or, maybe Rod will scrap that idea and just keep on pretending he’s Elvis until his federal corruption retrial, which last week was postponed until April 20.

Although, it seems April 1 would have been more fitting.

Or, even better: April 15.

Somewhat ironically, it was the 15th of April – or, at least, what it represents – that brought down the most notorious federal target in Chicago history, when legendary gangster Al Capone was found guilty of tax evasion in 1931.

Capone’s conviction sent him on a seven-year odyssey through the U.S. federal prison system, including a four-year stint at a place that’s worthy of the spookiest ghost tales:

Alcatraz.

Last month, I toured Alcatraz Island and learned about Capone’s time on “The Rock,” as well as his descent into madness there. And, in honor of Halloween, I thought I’d share a few details.

On Aug. 22, 1934, Alphonse Capone arrived at Alcatraz, the new maximum-security prison in San Francisco Bay reserved for troublesome federal prisoners. The 35-year-old Capone already had spent two years incarcerated in Atlanta, and hadn’t been particularly troublesome. His reputation, however, had been.

In Atlanta, rumors swirled that Capone had a phone in his cell and was allowed perks such as silk underwear and custom-made shoes. Such allegations were never proved, but prison officials still transferred Capone, likely to make it look as though they were cracking down on his supposed antics.

In his receiving document at Alcatraz, Capone’s criminal specialty was listed simply as “Hoodlum,” and among the items he was allowed were music writing sheets, a World’s Almanac and family photos.

From the prison library, Capone would check out books such as, “Common Errors in English Corrected,” “Practical Flower Gardening,” and “Life Begins at 40.” Meanwhile, one person tried to send Capone a picture of his dog. Another wanted him to contribute to a book of funny sayings for tombstones. And one woman even sent him a cryptic letter along with a check for sixteen octillion dollars ($16,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.00), signed “Holy Moses.”

Prison officials feared the correspondence might be some type of code, and asked the Bureau of Internal Revenue to investigate. It determined, however, that letter and check were nothing more than “the products of a person lacking proper mental balance.”

By 1938, Capone had begun losing his own mental balance. Years earlier, he had been diagnosed with syphilis, a then-incurable sexually transmitted disease. On Feb. 5, he began having convulsions that doctors diagnosed as “paresis,” mental deterioration brought on by syphilis affecting the brain. From then on, Capone would never be the same, and news that he was “going crazy” circulated fast outside the prison.

Until his transfer from Alcatraz in January 1939, Capone remained in the prison hospital. But, with the development of penicillin still years away, doctors could do little to help him.

As his condition continued to deteriorate, Capone began getting into fights, throwing fits and one day even compulsively making and unmaking his bed over and over again.

It was years before that Capone had made his bed. But it sounds as if after being forced to lie in it at Alcatraz, he desperately wanted, in his madness, to make it again.

How’s that for a scary thought?

Happy Halloween, everyone

Chicago isn’t only a great city, it’s a wonderfully odd one, as well. And that’s why I’ve launched my new website, oddchicagophotos.com to capture the Windy City in all it’s quirky glory. Check it out, have a laugh and contribute your own entertaining photos. Anything Chicago- or Illinois-related will be considered for submission — just as long as it’s amusing.

Today’s column from the Kankakee Daily Journal and The (Ottawa, Ill.) Times …

Students say ‘Boo’ to Chief Illiniwek scare tactics

The WISCH LIST

Oct. 23, 2010

Today is homecoming at the University of Illinois.

And, with the Illini football team a surprising 3-3, lowly Indiana limping into town and Champaign-Urbana experiencing its first swells of pigskin pride in three years, it’s been looking like a happy one.

But then the university administration had to go and complicate things.

Sigh.

You see, there’s this hot button on campus – goes by the name of Chief Illiniwek – that the school’s powers-that-wannabe just can’t seem to stop pushing.

Even when the sensible thing is to just leave it well enough alone.

For a quick refresher: In February 2007, Chief Illiniwek, U. of I.’s longtime symbol, was retired by the university under duress from the NCAA. Each autumn since, a trio of pro-Chief groups – the Students for Chief Illiniwek, the Honor the Chief Society and the Council of Chiefs (comprised of former Illiniwek portrayers) – have kept the tradition alive by holding a “Next Dance” performance at Assembly Hall featuring an “unofficial” Chief Illiniwek. The current Chief is Illinois sophomore Ivan Dozier, who is half Cherokee Indian.

This year, the Students for Chief Illiniwek again rented Assembly Hall for the “Next Dance,” scheduled for 6 p.m. this evening. However, earlier this month, the university attempted to sabotage their efforts by retaining a Chicago lawyer to threaten a trademark rights infringement lawsuit if the students went forward with the event.

Attorney Andrew L. Goldstein demanded the students stop using the words “Chief Illiniwek” on posters publicizing the event and remove from the group’s website all references to “performances or appearances by Chief Illiniwek.”

It would appear that the university considers even the name “Students for Chief Illiniwek” – a mere expression of support for a symbol – an infringement on its trademark rights. And, if that seems like a broad claim to you, then you’re not alone.

But, really, this whole thing isn’t really about trademarks, anyway. Rather, a week before Halloween, it’s about scare tactics. And they almost worked, as the students – faced with the possibility of a pricy legal fight – briefly canceled the “Next Dance” before deciding not to cave in to the university’s intimidation. The show will go on as scheduled.

The future of free speech and expression at U. of I., however, doesn’t look so hot. Although, I’m sure administrators would tell students, “You have nothing to worry about.”

(Just as long as you don’t like Chief Illiniwek.)

Meanwhile, U. of I. has plenty of bigger issues it should be concerning itself with, chiefly (ahem) its ongoing budget crisis. Yet, the university somehow finds wisdom in spending taxpayer money to hire an attorney to stifle a group of students just because their views clash with some administrators.

At least when the university opted to retire Chief Illiniwek in 2007, it had legitimate reason (the threat of NCAA sanctions). Today, though, there’s no reasonable rationale for waging war against the “Next Dance,” an event that would have stirred very few pots this weekend if the university had simply kept its thumb out.

“It really doesn’t make sense,” my friend and former Chief Illiniwek Steve Raquel said. “It’s one thing to acquiesce when the NCAA says to get the Chief off the field. But it’s another thing to want to wipe the Chief off the face of the Earth just because of political correctness. That’s a slap in the face to 80 years of tradition.”

Anyone who sits through the now-lackluster halftime show today at Memorial Stadium will clearly see that Chief Illiniwek is gone.

So why can’t the university just let him be?

With a last name like “Wischnowsky” (that’s 11 letters, if  you’re scoring at home), I didn’t have any choice but to become a good speller when I was growing up. So, as an adult, I am something of a spelling Nazi (albeit, a nice one). That’s why I appreciate this link, “The 10 Words You Need to Stop Misspelling.”

Today’s column from the Kankakee Daily Journal and The (Ottawa, Ill.) Times …

Are the Cubs right on ‘Q’?

The WISCH LIST

Oct. 16, 2010

So, here are three words I never imagined I’d type:

Mike Quade Hype.

But, after the Cubs’ no-name interim manager made a name for himself by unexpectedly transforming a lackluster Cubs squad into a blockbuster one down the stretch this season, the hype is indeed real.

I’m just not sure I’m comfortable believing it.

This week, media reports in Chicago went as far as to call Quade – who, following Lou Piniella’s retirement, guided the Cubs to a 24-13 record after they had lost 20 of the previous 25 games – the “odds-on favorite” to score the coveted North Side managing gig.

The unassuming Evanston native has the backing of the current Cubs players. He has extensive managing experience in the minor leagues. And, after eight years with the organization, he’s plenty familiar with the choppy seas inherent with being captain of the S.S. Wrigleyville.

Yet, I’m still not sold that Quade is the right guy for the job.

Or that Cubs legend Ryne Sandberg is not.

According to published reports, the finalists in the Cubs’ managerial search appear to be down to Quade, Sandberg and former big league managers Eric Wedge and Bob Melvin, with Yankees skipper Joe Girardi possibly looming on the fringe if the Cubs decide to wait until New York’s playoff run is done.

With no ties to the Cubs organization, I think Wedge and Melvin likely are longshots at best. And I doubt that at this point in his career Girardi will leave annual World Series contention in the Bronx to rebuild in Wrigleyville (nor, probably, should he).

As for Quade, while I admire how well the Cubs fared under his guidance, I’m also quite leery of putting much stock in any team’s performance in meaningless games without the pressure of playoff contention. After all, who’s to say that the Cubs wouldn’t have done just as well if Sandberg – or even bench coach Alan Trammel – had been given the reins for the remainder of the 2010 season?

Perhaps a burned-out Lou Piniella was the Cubs’ problem, more than Mike Quade is the answer.

We really don’t know.

But, what I do know is that if Quade is hired strictly based on the Cubs’ performance late this season, then Ryne Sandberg will have gotten a raw deal. It’s hardly Sandberg’s fault that he didn’t get the opportunity to “audition” as the Cubs manager this season. And, I think he has proven himself well enough the past three years as a manager in the Cubs minor leagues to merit the nod over Quade.

That’s not to say I’m not convinced that Sandberg will succeed – heck, with the Cubs, I’m not convinced anyone will – but I do believe he’s earned his chance.

If Cubs general manager Jim Hendry does instead opt for Quade, though, I hope he has excellent reasons. Because selling a skeptical fan base that accounted for a whopping 39.5 percent dip in Cubs TV ratings this season – the biggest drop-off in the majors, according to the Sports Business Journal – on Mike Quade over Ryne Sandberg won’t be easy.

The fact is, the clock will begin ticking much louder for Quade in 2011 than it would for Sandberg, who would buy the Cubs more time and patience to develop the team’s young talent and reconstruct its lineup.

My preference would be for the Cubs to hire Sandberg as manager and hire Quade as his bench coach. Because, I do think Mike Quade earned himself a job with his performance this season.

I just don’t think he earned himself the top one.

Today’s column from the Kankakee Daily Journal and The (Ottawa, Ill.) Times …

New website makes me Chicago’s Wizard of ‘Odds’

The WISCH LIST

Oct. 9, 2010

Most of you know me as a words guy.

But, as my Facebook friends have learned quite well during the past few years, I’m a photos guy, too.

Quite simply, I was born with an eye for the absurd and I’m observant to a fault. Every day, I seem to spot things in life that most others don’t. And, if something happens around me that I didn’t appear to notice, well, it’s probably only because I pretended not to.

Often, I write about the interesting, amusing and quirky things I catch sight of on the streets of Chicago and beyond. But, other times, I simply snap a photo of them with my iPhone.

And then share it with Facebook friends.

Today, however, I’m taking things to a new level by sharing my ever-growing collection of eccentric photos with all of Chicagoland – and then hoping that Chicagoland will, in turn, share its photos with me.

So, without further ado, I’m excited to announce the launch of my new website, oddchicagophotos.com, which is pretty much exactly what it says it is. If you swing by for a visit, you’ll see the tagline is, “If it’s odd and in Chicago, it’s here,” and soon discover that’s the truth.

Featuring a hearty sampling of the many photos I’ve snapped of Chicagoland’s oddball signs, offbeat outfits, over-the-top vanity plates (one of my specialties) and much more, it’s my hope that oddchicagophotos.com will provide you with at least a few chuckles today.

And with a lot more in the future, as the site grows through my own photo contributions, as well as those from Chicago-area residents just like you.

According to a national survey released in March by wireless association CTIA, about 91 percent of the U.S. citizens now own a mobile phone. Most have cameras, meaning that with about 10 million people living in the greater Chicago area, the potential opportunities to snap shots of the Midwestern quirkiness that surrounds each of us every day are almost limitless.

Just so long as we look for them.

My concept for oddchicagophotos.com is similar to that of the popular offbeat photo-sharing websites peopleofwalmart.com and awkwardfamilyphotos.com, but I think it has the potential to boast broader – and even more amusing – content. It all depends on what people see and shoot and how clever they can be with their captions.

To contribute your own photo to oddchicagophotos.com, simply visit the site and click the “Submit” button on the home page. Then, select “Submit a Photo” from the scroll-down menu that pops up, upload your photo from your computer, type in an amusing caption (if you have one), check the box accepting the “Terms of Submission,” and hit “Submit.”

All photos will be reviewed prior to posting, and keep in mind that I will be keeping the site both classy and clever. Inappropriate photos will be rejected, and only the most entertaining images will make the cut. Photos of anything that’s amusing and Chicago- or Illinois-related will be considered for submission.

To enhance the Odd Chicago experience, you can also follow the site at twitter.com/oddchicagophoto (no “s”) and become a fan of “Odd Chicago Photos” on Facebook. In the coming weeks, look for upgrades to the site, spread the word and be sure to check back regularly for new photo submissions.

If you have a Facebook account, it’s likely you already have at least a few funny photos buried somewhere in your Mobile Uploads folder. Thanks to oddchchicagophotos.com, now is the time to start putting them – and your phone’s camera – to good use.

Remember, the Odds are with you.

Today’s column from the Kankakee Daily Journal and The (Ottawa, Ill.) Times …

In Montana, Chicago is a Hoot

The WISCH LIST

Oct. 2, 2010

You know, I really can’t remember my last dull moment.

Best I can figure, it was probably back in 2002, before I became a columnist and kick-started a life that’s been nothing but crazy coincidences, quirky characters and unique experiences ever since.

My weeks might not always be good, but they almost always are interesting.

And perhaps none more so than last week, when I spent five days driving across 900 miles of Montana, discovering how for one unique segment of locals, Chicago is a Hoot.

And they are too.

The reason I was in Big Sky Country was for a work project that had me visiting 13 colonies of Hutterites – colloquially called “Hoots” – from Great Falls to the Canadian border to Billings to interview the colony leaders about their farming practices.

Now, if you’ve never heard of Hutterites – pronounced HUT-er-ites or HOOT-er-ites, depending on who you’re talking to in Montana – you’re not alone. Until last summer, when I traveled west for a similar project, I had never heard of the religious sect myself.

Like the Amish and Mennonites, Hutterites trace their roots to Radical Reformation of the 16th Century. And since the death of their founder Jakob Hutter in 1536, their beliefs – in particular, a communal lifestyle and absolute pacifism – have sent them on a centuries-long odyssey through multiple countries.

Today, more than 40,000 Hutterites live on colonies of 100 to 150 people in Montana, Minnesota, South Dakota, Washington and Canada. They don’t watch television, use the Internet or listen to radio. They do make their own traditional clothes, construct their own buildings and if I hadn’t been visiting, they would have all been speaking only German to one another.

On the flip side, Hutterites devour newspapers and crack political jokes. They drive pickups, tractors and combines outfitted with fancy GPS systems. And they use cell phones almost as much as your teenager does.

The Hutterites are a fascinating people. However, as curious as I was to learn more about their culture, I was just as interested in learning what they already knew about mine.

Upon my arrival, I was informed that Montana is “Next Year Country.” To which I replied, “So is the North Side of Chicago.”

The Hutterites were talking about crop harvests, while I was talking about baseball. But as it turned out, I discovered they knew plenty about both.

Even though Hutterites have almost no access to electronic media, the men each have favorite Major League Baseball and NFL teams. So, “The Bears” and “The Cubs” were common responses when I asked them what they knew of Chicago.

At Milford Colony, I told one Hutterite that I lived just a few blocks from Wrigley Field, but that my street wasn’t noisy. Flashing a smirk, he responded: “I know why it’s quiet. There’s nothing exciting going on.”

Ouch.

Other Hutterites thought of not athletics, but politics, when it came to the Windy City.

“Obama is from there,” said George, the Farm Boss at Cascade Colony. To which the colony’s Secretary, Peter, chimed in with a laugh: “Are you neighbors?”

Other responses about Chicago ran a gamut of knowledge from “You have that Space Needle” and “Is it hot there?” to “You have a new mayor coming in, don’t you?”

A few men had actually visited Chicago and jokingly asked why they hadn’t run into me before. At Mountain View Colony, one 77-year-old Hutterite even told me had had been to the top of Willis Tower.

“We told him he’d been to the Moon,” his friend said.

After spending a week at the colonies as an alien myself, I knew the feeling.

Today’s column from the Kankakee Daily Journal and The (Ottawa, Ill.) Times …

Jest a lot of problems with Blago’s retrial

The WISCH LIST

Sept. 25, 2010

Mayor Daley is stepping down. Jesse Jackson Jr. has been stepping out. And the rest of Illinois’ politicians are stepping up their game – or, at least, their antics – as the Land of Lincoln prepares for the onset of its silly season.

Otherwise known as election time.

The state’s silliest pol of them all, however, has been conspicuously (and blissfully) silent during the past several weeks.

And, you know, Rod Blagojevich could stay that way.

If only we’d let him.

Come January, though, our ex-governor – and his ego – will return to the spotlight as the Feds again attempt to cook his goose after their legal recipe failed the first time around.

The thing is, though, it wasn’t the prosecution’s recipe that was the problem during Blagojevich’s mistrial this summer. Rather, it was their ingredients.

They were rotten.

And even fresh material, such as potential testimony from convicted influence peddler Tony Rezko or this week’s news that Indian-American businessman Raghuveer Nayak told federal investigators that Rep. Jackson asked him to raise millions for Blagojevich in hopes that he would appoint Jackson to the Senate seat vacated by President Obama, doesn’t really change that.

Last month, JoAnn Chiakulas – the so-called “holdout juror” who refused to convict Blagojevich on all but one of 24 counts – explained that the government simply didn’t convince her beyond a reasonable doubt that the ex-Guv was guilty.

Many media types found her refusal to convict Blagojevich ridiculous, but I didn’t. And that’s not saying I think he’s innocent. I don’t. But proof of guilt is a high burden, and if Chiakulas didn’t feel that the government met that burden, then she didn’t.

That was her prerogative.

To convict someone in a criminal trial in the United States, the prosecution needs to convince every juror of the defendant’s guilt. In the case of Blagojevich, the Feds simply did not.

I don’t, however, fault U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald & Co. for that, because I truly don’t believe they had the legal ammunition necessary to eliminate reasonable doubt in every juror’s mind.

Fact is, there was no “smoking gun” in the whole Blagojevich saga. Rather, there was a lot of talk by an egomaniacal governor that seemed to perhaps be conspiratorial, but also seemed to just be all over the place.

I can see how a juror might lean toward the latter.

And I don’t believe that Blagojevich’s media blitzes and reality TV appearances had anything to do with that. The true reality is that the moment Blagojevich was arrested before a Senate seat – or anything else – was “sold,” the case against him was left with a whole lot of holes.

And that’s why I believe the government shouldn’t try him again (even though they’re going to), because with no “smoking barrel,” I easily could see another mistrial taking place.

I think we might need to just be satisfied that Blagojevich is out of office, was denied the opportunity for even greater corruption and was found guilty on at least something (lying to federal investigators).

He’s also currently out of our hair.

But once the retrial begins, his won’t be.

From the get-go, Rod Blagojevich was a flawed case, but a good arrest that benefited Illinois by leading to his removal from office. I’d prefer to just let it be at that. Because, if the Feds don’t recognize that during a retrial one out of 12 jurors (at least) could see things the same way Chiakulas did, then they’re fooling themselves.

Let’s hope that in court come January, we don’t see Blagojevich making fools of us yet again as its Jester.

Jest don’t be surprised if he does.