By Steve Rhodes
Am I glad Romney lost? Of course! Am I sad Obama won? Yes.
* Election Notebook: Big Blue.
* QT: 1,463 Days To Go.
* Dark Money And The 2012 Election.
Posted on November 7, 2012
The [Tuesday] Papers
By Steve Rhodes
As I have for 15 years or so, I voted at the Wicker Park fieldhouse across the street from the cool-ass building I rent an apartment in from the awesome Popovic family and, as always, I have some thoughts to share.
I’ve rarely had to wait in a line to vote there, and while there was a line when I went this morning, it was so short as to be negligible. But it was long enough for me to commit what may have been an Election Day faux pas. I tried starting a conversation with the guy in front of me.
He looked uncomfortable. Is that wrong? I wasn’t electioneering; I know better than that. I just commented that we were in this beautiful gym with those wood floors and nice rims and that they should let us shoot baskets while we wait. Why tease us so? It’s a pretty nice court.
Posted on November 6, 2012
The [Monday] Papers
By Steve Rhodes
If you haven’t made Election Night plans yet – like dousing yourself in gasoline and lighting yourself on fire – an invite to be a guest at this program hosted by Jim DeRogatis has saved me from running head first into the TV at the first mention of an exit poll, and maybe it can save you too.
Otter Fodder
“Once listed as endangered in the state, otters are increasing in number, according to wildlife officials who say the population is now big enough to support an annual harvest,” the Tribune reports in “River Otters Being Trapped In Illinois For First Time Since 1929.”
Congratulations, otters! Now that you’ve survived extinction and grown your population back to a healthy number, we’re gonna slaughter you!
Posted on November 5, 2012
The Weekend Desk Report
By Natasha Julius
Why stop at an hour when we could fall back 40 years?
Market Update
Of course, some parts of the country this week are well on their way there already.
Posted on November 3, 2012
The [Friday] Papers
By Steve Rhodes
“In a stunning political maneuver, the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority elected former TV reporter and gubernatorial aide Kelly Kraft as its new CEO,” Crain’s reports.
Quinn was worried that the fix was in, so he put the fix in. And now the ISFA is doubly broken.
Posted on November 2, 2012
The [Thursday] Papers
By Steve Rhodes
“Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Wednesday introduced and defended his plan to cut a 20-year deal – potentially worth $270 million to the city – with a clout-heavy partnership that includes the French company that holds Chicago’s controversial bus shelter contract,” the Sun-Times reports.
“After introducing the new ordinance at Wednesday’s City Council meeting, Emanuel was asked why he didn’t put the digital billboard plan out to bid to see if he could get an even better deal for taxpayers.
“‘We have 1,300 billboards, and we get $1 million. Here, we’re talking about 34 billboards and you get $15 million. I didn’t need to go to Harvard business school to know that’s a better deal and it’s the right deal for the city,’ he said.”
No, but you might need to go to Harvard to decipher what the hell he’s talking about.
Posted on November 1, 2012
The [Halloween] Papers
By Steve Rhodes
Ah, the circle of life.
1. Sheriff’s Office Conducts Halloween Checks On Sex Offenders.
Including the Boy Scouts, the Catholic Church and the NCAA.
Posted on October 31, 2012
The [Tuesday] Papers
By Steve Rhodes
“As superstorm Sandy marches slowly inland today, millions along the East Coast are without power or mass transit, with huge swaths of New York City unusually vacant and dark,” the Tribune reports.
“Trading at the New York Stock Exchange was canceled again Tuesday – the first time the exchange suspended operations for two consecutive days due to weather since an 1888 blizzard struck the city.”
Posted on October 30, 2012
The [Monday] Papers
By Steve Rhodes
One of the key aspects of sabermetrics that I’ve never been comfortable with is the way it values outs above everything else – that outs are the commodity that so precious they must be preserved in any way possible, which usually translates into an aversion to sacrifice bunts.
Apparently this is because as long as you have an out left, you have a chance to win a game. To my way of thinking, though, runs are the most precious commodity – scoring them and preventing them. After all, runs determine who wins and who loses.
And if you sacrifice an out along the way, that’s an out you may not need at the end of the game to win it.
That’s why this passage in a column by Jon Paul Morosi of Fox Sports caught my eye in today’s coverage of last night’s World Series victory by the San Francisco Giants:
Posted on October 29, 2012
The Weekend Desk Report
By Natasha Julius
Watch out this weekend, Sandi. When you get caught up with strong northern forces, the result is generally a huge mess.
Market Update
Most analysts agree you can’t throw good money after Bad. However, it appears now you can’t even throw good money after Good anymore.
Posted on October 27, 2012