By Steve Rhodes
“The Cubs aren’t even fun to hate-watch anymore,” I write in The Cub Factor.
I have to say I’ve never been less interested in an Opening Day in my lifetime.
Thank you, Theo Epstein, for sucking the joy out of even hating being a Cubs fan.
And even more so, a giant Fuck You to the Ricketts family. You’ve done the impossible: You’ve made the previous owners look magnanimous.
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“The spacious new Cubs Park in Mesa was a big hit this spring, with the Chicago Cubs setting new attendance records for a Cactus League season and for per-game average,” the Arizona Republic reports.
Good. Maybe now give the taxpayers their $99 million back.
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Meanwhile, Theo’s track record isn’t as good as you think it is. Our very own Jim Coffman explains in SportsMonday.
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Cubs fans! got Opening Day art? http://t.co/oIAQkOKbmh via @Etsy #Cubs #Chicago #OpeningDay #WrigleyField #photography
— helene smith (@helene_smith) March 29, 2014
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The outlook is slightly brighter on the South Side. Our very own Roger Wallenstein explains in The White Sox Report.
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Cracking The Chicagoland Code
This was the week the Rahmfest really went off the rails.
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Oh, Sun-Times
the chicago sun-times has randomly run a column I wrote ages ago for someone else on Russia’s vodka problem http://t.co/k5yu35CcBO
— Oliver Bullough (@OliverBullough) March 31, 2014
Indeed. It’s from last May.
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Walgreens Whiff
“A powerful member of the Indiana Board of Pharmacy was quietly involved in discussions with state pharmacy regulators about a $100 million project that benefited his employer – Walgreens pharmacies,” the Indianapolis Star reports.
“And now a government watchdog group and a labor federation say those actions not only violated state ethics laws, but have allowed Walgreen Co. to dramatically remodel dozens of stores across Indiana, compromising patient privacy and increasing the chance of errors in filling prescriptions.
“One of the groups persuaded the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to look into the matter. It recently launched an investigation into the patient privacy allegations at Walgreen.”
Shady trips to Chicago involved. Click through for the details.
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Rahm Woos Black Journalists
Eats collard greens in Austin.
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Exclusive! Inside O’Hare’s New Terminal 5!
Another Beachwood Special Report.
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The Weekend In Chicago Rock
People, I beseech you!
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Judging Obamacare
You can believe the Tribune Company’s naive and unknowledgeable coverage or learn the truth from the pros at Pro Publica.
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BeachBook
* Mayor Of Tornado-Ravaged Illinois Town Returns To Day Job At Caterpillar.
* GM Misled Grieving Families On Lethal Flaw.
* Inside The Mind Of Barack Obama’s Straight Shooter.
* World’s Largest Hot Dog Grilled At County Fair In Florida.
* LAPD Says Every Car In Los Angeles Is Part Of An Ongoing Criminal Investigation.
* The 10 Worst Lines From Sally Jenkins’ Abysmal Hit Piece On The Northwestern Union Ruling.
* Tax Breaks For CEO’s Pay For Million-Dollar Salaries.
* Impoverished In Illinois.
* Rahm vs. FOIA. A reminder.
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TweetWood
Not saying it’s not true – Obamacare sucks – but a fact-check of this anecdote from Mark Kirk is in order: http://t.co/sOLgmlghqy
— Beachwood Reporter (@BeachwoodReport) March 29, 2014
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Sponsored by Lunesta RT @Chicagoist: The CTA says they plan to reopen the O’Hare Blue Line station Sunday at 2 p.m. http://t.co/gxNd9mW7QD
— Beachwood Reporter (@BeachwoodReport) March 30, 2014
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Since 1970, virtually all the benefits of productivity gains have gone to capital rather than labor. NYtimes chart: pic.twitter.com/ZIDBFtj9GP
— Nils Gilman (@nils_gilman) March 30, 2014
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American justice, du Pont edition: http://t.co/2frmhQJjBZ
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) March 31, 2014
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The Beachwood Tip Line: At a tipping point.
Posted on March 31, 2014