The [Tuesday] Papers

"White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel has commissioned his longtime pollster, Stanley Greenberg, to survey Chicagoans about a potential mayoral bid," Lynn Sweet reports. "Meanwhile, former Sen. Carol Moseley Braun will accept a mayoral "draft" at a Monday news conference in Chicago.

"Sources told me that polling calls for Emanuel were being made over the weekend and that Emanuel has activated his Chicago network of pals to reach out to political figures in Chicago on his behalf. While Emanuel backed out of a Chicago visit this past weekend, I'm told he will be in Chicago by the end of the month."

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Throughout this long, arduous process you'll want to keep checking in with our Mayoral Odds as we update the board.

But remember: This isn't a game. It's not sport. It's not entertainment. It can be entertaining, but it's, um, kind of important who the next mayor is. You might even say lives are in the balance. Let's not forget that - or let the media forget it.

Durbin's View
"Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) on Monday said White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel could win a Chicago mayoral election to succeed the retiring Richard M. Daley, but that the city's unique demographics would make it difficult," The Hill reports.

Democracy Alert!
"The Chicago City Council could be in for its biggest turnover in decades - with as many as 20 seats changing hands - thanks to a surge in voter turnout tied to the wide-open mayoral race, alderman and political observers warned Monday," Fran Spielman reports.

I guess I just find it interesting that Spielman - and her editor/s - used the word "warned."

Sox Pox
"I couldn't help but notice that meaningless Cubs-Milwaukee games drew 41,463 fans Saturday and 37,317 Sunday at Miller Park. Meanwhile, somewhat meaningful Sox-Kansas City games had crowds of 26,389 Saturday and 23,756 Sunday at U.S. Cellular Field," Ed Sherman writes for Crain's.

Not only that, but Sherman reports that plenty of good seats are still available for this week's showdown with the Twins, which starts tonight.

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"They dug not just a hole, but a 25-man grave," our very own Andrew Reilly writes in The White Sox Report.

Anne Burke Watch
Strings are being pulled as we speak.

Bets Are Off
"Betting on the races has come to a screeching halt at a River North neighborhood," the Sun-Times reports (via WLS-AM).

"Stretch Run Sporting Club and Grille at 540 N. LaSalle St. closed abruptly Sept. 5 after the company managing the restaurant operations abruptly cleared out, partners said.

"The facility, which offered live race wagering, was operated by Inter-Track Partners, LLC, a joint venture of Hawthorne Race Course, Maywood Park Racetrack, Balmoral Park, and Hostmark Hospitality Group."

Retry Robert!
"Just because you didn't know something was illegal, doesn't mean you're off the hook," according to ChicagoNow's Chicago's Real Law Blog. "Maybe you didn't realize you were breaking the law, or you had no intention of breaking the law. You can still be charged with a crime, convicted of that crime, and thrown in jail.

"If you thought u-turns were legal in Chicago because they are legal where you used to live, that's just too bad. You broke the law, and not knowing the law is no excuse."

But if you thought you were just conducting politics as usual by shaking down campaign contributors awaiting action by your brother on state policy issues while he is under federal investigation for trading political favors for campaign contributions, then, well, everyone loves you if you emote a straight-arrow bearing because you once had top secret security clearance to manage Pershing missiles in Germany but you are a naif nonetheless, then, well, it's okay to pretend you had no idea what was going on and in that case breaking the law is okay.

Crooked Rain
Pavement's set list from its Millennium Park show last night.

Zell vs. Eisner
Eh, probably a push.

Class War
"Teachers are being yanked from one of Chicago's neediest high schools six weeks into the school year. It's a situation that plagues certain Chicago public schools in the first weeks of class," Linda Lutton reports for WBEZ in "Needy Kids Lose Teachers - Again."

Mountain High
"The Appalachian Mountains may be kindergarten stuff by, say, Rocky Mountain standards, but when you live in Chicago and the only thing you've got to compare is Waste Management's CID landfill along the Bishop Ford in Calumet City, they're pretty fucking impressive," writes our very own Scott Buckner in Road Trip: Virginia.

Cubs vs. Twins
Will Ricketts get it? Because Hendry doesn't.

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The Beachwood Tip Line: Your choice.

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