By Thomas Chambers

There are two kinds of sports fans, at least in these parts.
Those who bet and those who don’t. But gamblers see their games forever differently, because the inner game of the wager tints whatever is going on in the field.
In the old days, when you used to see No Gambling signs posted around the ballpark, the product was sometimes so bad that betting was the only way to enjoy yourself out at the yard.
These days, baseball games are taken out of the hands of the best pitchers and players, making handicapping impossible. Football is an inhuman, militaristic industry and not a game or a sport, civilian casualties be damned. And basketball is too painful to watch even with a wager down.
But we do have Thoroughbred horse racing, and specifically, this weekend’s 143rd Kentucky Derby.

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Posted on May 5, 2017

By AP

Horse racing’s most visible races are set to begin with the Kentucky Derby during the first week of May. The events are underscored by a concern about the future of immigrant workers who support the tracks.

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Posted on May 3, 2017

By Kevin Hylton/The Conversation

Every summer, cycling enthusiasts anticipate the start of the Tour de France, and in more recent times, in the north of the UK, the Tour de Yorkshire. For the latter, yellow and blue bunting lines the streets of Yorkshire towns for one of the biggest cycle races in the country – with some of the top international teams taking part.
Events like the Tour de Yorkshire have put cycling on the map in Britain, and have had a major economic impact – with research showing that the 2016 Tour de Yorkshire boosted the region’s economy by nearly $78 million.
The health benefits of cycling have also been well documented – with recent research indicating that cycling to work could help you to live longer.
This has led to calls to get Britain biking, with campaigns aiming to get more people “on your bike” to reap the health benefits that can come from commuting on two wheels.
And yet research shows that ethnicity, gender and income still strongly affect participation and preferences.
Olympic Team GB cycling coach David Brailsford has described how:

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Posted on May 2, 2017

By Jim Coffman

I considered writing about the Cubs today but the bottom line is, they arrived at the end of April last night a tiny, tiny bit ahead of where they started the season. They are 13-12 and atop the NL Central. They have a few little worries but come on, has anything that has happened so far shaken anyone’s belief they will win their diminished division and return to the playoffs?
In other words, four weeks in, everything is still the same.
So let’s talk some more about the Bears and laughingstock general manager Ryan Pace.

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Posted on May 1, 2017

By Roger Wallenstein

Whaddya mean the Sox can’t hit? They’re killing the ball.
This basically was the message I got a week ago from folks who stop here on Mondays after mentioning the team’s anemic offense just as Rick Renteria’s crew began a six-game winning streak which ended Sunday with a 7-3 loss in Detroit. Just maybe the fellows weren’t buying comparisons to weak hitting teams of the past. They felt challenged, maligned, disrespected.
Whatever the reason – how about the patience of batting coach Todd Steverson? – the bats came alive last week in leading the Sox to a three-game sweep of Kansas City before taking two-of-three in Detroit.

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Posted on May 1, 2017

By Jim Coffman and Steve Rhodes

Makes statement pick that is neither bold nor courageous. Plus: Rondo vs. Wade; Hey Hey JHey!; Avi!; Sacrificial Hawks; and Schweinsteiger: Nein!

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Posted on April 28, 2017

By Carolyn Crist/Reuters

High school athletes with access to a certified athletic trainer are more knowledgeable about concussions and their consequences, but that doesn’t make them more likely to report a concussion, a U.S. study finds.
“The underreporting of concussions is estimated to be high, and the No. 1 reason athletes do not report a concussion is because they do not want to lose playing time,” lead study author Jessica Wallace of Youngstown State University in Ohio said by e-mail.
Although experts estimate that athletic trainers are present in 86 percent of U.S. high schools, only about 37 percent of high schools employ one full-time. In high schools with no athletic trainer, athletes are five times more likely to not report concussion symptoms because they didn’t know they had a concussion, Wallace told Reuters.

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Posted on April 25, 2017

By Jim Coffman

The most frustrating thing is that the Bulls failed to take advantage – wait a minute, the NFL Draft starts Thursday!
Who are the Bears going to take with the third pick? Will Ryan Pace be a good enough general manager to engineer a trade down (something that every team from pick 2 to pick 7 is rumored to be trying to do)? If not, Jamal Adams or Malik Hooker? Solomon Thomas or Jonathan Allen?
Whoa there Sparky. As tempting as it is to focus on the annual amateur football player dispersal at this point, the current Bulls situation demands primary attention in this space.

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Posted on April 24, 2017

By Roger Wallenstein

Watching Quick Pitch on MLB.tv for a wrap-up of each day’s games, blast after blast disappears deep into the dark environs of the outfield seats as the Giancarlo Stantons and Bryce Harpers of the world trot around the bases.
Sadly, White Sox hitters have failed to be featured on any regular basis.
As the Sox returned home Friday evening from a more than respectable 5-4 road trip, manager Rick Renteria’s lineup included six players hitting below .200. Included was rookie centerfielder Jacob May, who was 0-for-24 at the time. Designated hitter Cody Asche checked in at .069, and flu-ridden Todd Frazier was 3-for-27 for a .111 mark.

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Posted on April 24, 2017

By Jim Coffman and Steve Rhodes

Window half-closed or half-open? Plus: Unlike Blackhawks, Bulls Still In Playoffs; Is Something Wrong With The Cubs Or No?; Cracks Showing On South Side; Draft Fever; and Schweinsteiger!

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Posted on April 21, 2017