By Nick Shreders

First some notes, then the brackets:
* The state of Ohio is sending four teams in the Sweet 16: Ohio State (2), Cincinnati (6), Xavier (10), and Ohio (13). No state has ever done that before, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. (See their Ohio trivia quiz.)
* Cincinnati and Xavier engaged in a pretty nasty bench-clearing brawl earlier this season, complete with punching, stomping and real blood. It’s not gonna happen, but they are on opposite ends of the bracket and would meet in the final if they both won out.
* For the first time ever, two 15 seeds defeated two number 2 seeds in the round of 64.
* Kansas State (8) loses Jamar Samuels to another surprise suspension.
* UNC (1) point guard Kendall Marshall fractures his wrist, is questionable.

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Posted on March 21, 2012

Even If They Don’t Read The Paper Sponsoring The Show That Sells Them

The 44th annual Chicago Sun-Times Sports Collectibles Convention was held in Rosemont over the weekend and – from the looks of the lineup – what a show it was.
We’re just not sure it’s annual, because the 45th show is scheduled for November.
At any rate, let’s take a look.
1. 41 Jeters.

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Posted on March 20, 2012

By Jim Coffman

We pause for a moment in the midst of wall-to-wall coverage off the NCAA tournament to point out that the Blackhawks are now 8-4-1 in their last 13 games. That would be a strong stretch in any circumstances but it is especially so because the team has played that baker’s dozen without captain Jonathan Toews. And before we take a closer look at that streak, let’s take a closer look at Toews’ injury.
Toews has been out for about a month now with what the NBC Sports Network broadcast last night of the Hawks’ 5-2 victory over the Capitals still described as an “upper body injury.” One of the broadcasters noted that the Hawks still describe their young star’s injury that way.
Everyone else has now gone ahead and reported that Toews has a concussion.

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Posted on March 19, 2012

By Nick Shreders

* Breaking news: Syracuse center Fab Melo ruled ineligible for the tournament due to largely presumed academic issues.
* Three of the four number one seeds lost in their conference post-season tournaments: Syracuse, Kentucky and North Carolina. Michigan State gets a one-seed with seven losses, the most I can remember any one-seed.
* If you still haven’t filled out your bracket and are completely clueless or stuck somewhere, check the Wall Street Journal’s interactive Blindfold Brackets.
As always, the usual March Madness conventional wisdom applies:

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Posted on March 14, 2012

By Dan O’Shea

From the looks of my top 10 starting pitchers, you would assume I’m picking Phillies vs. Angels for this year’s World Series. I’m actually not a big believer in the Phils, so it feels strange to have the majority of their rotation in my top 10.
I feel the real value at SP comes after the top 10, when you get into guys like Stephen Strasburg, Yu Darvish, Adam Wainwright, Josh Johnson, Ian Kennedy – well, you get the idea.
The corps of relief pitchers is typically uninspiring. I showed how good I am at judging closers last year when I ranked Carlos Marmol first. This year, I’m taking a different tack, putting the best SP/RP on my list as my top reliever.
My top 10 starting pitchers:

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Posted on March 14, 2012

By Aaron Clark

From The Beast to The Raptor to The Prowler – the Midwest’s best roller coaster teasers.

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Posted on March 13, 2012

By Jim Coffman

Did you see Kyle Korver stroking it over the weekend? Or his equivalent one level down? As bracket madness takes over during the next few days and weeks, don’t forget the game – especially in Illinois where for the second time in three years our schools were completely shut out of NCAA tournament berths.
And the best thing about the game around here of late was Korver’s shooting. With Joakim Noah out with the flu and Luol Deng sitting down to try to reduce inflammation in his left wrist, the Bulls were just about dominated inside against the Jazz on Saturday. The team from Utah out-scored their hosts 62-42 in the paint.
But it didn’t matter because the Bulls were overwhelmingly good from the outside, led by Korver’s six threes on his way to 26 points. The Bulls finished with seven three-pointers as a team. Utah did not connect once from beyond the arc on its way to a 111-97 loss.
And I’m confident I speak for intense basketball fans everywhere when I say there is nothing like a pure shooter heating up and using perfect form to drain shot after shot. Despite operating exclusively from way out on the perimeter, Korver connected on 10 of his final 12 shots to thrill the Chicago faithful.

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Posted on March 12, 2012

By Thomas Chambers

The latest research results are in.
Sure, all data is anecdotally based, but the conclusion is indisputable: The pull of Thoroughbred horse racing and its attendant wagering action is very strong indeed.
At the conclusion of a successful season handicapping the Bears and the NFL right through The Big Game, opportunities fell off precipitously.
Wagers on teams where leagues play a gazillion games every year seem silly. There was that one game where the Knicks, on what turned out to be the tail end of Linsanity, traveled to Miami, but more on that later.
I hadn’t really stopped reading the Daily Racing Form or The BloodHorse. But the rage after a botched 2011 Breeders’ Cup was real and justified. The BC has become a classic example of the committee making itself and its bloated racing card and the boastful “marketing” hoopla of the whole thing the main focus, instead of treating it for what it is, a very nice two days of racing. “World Thoroughbred Championships” indeed. Ask any Chicagoan what tossing around the word “world” will get you.

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Posted on March 9, 2012

By NBAFilmsTV

He doesn’t lift much, doesn’t eat fish or red meat, and longs for what’s in that trophy case (look at his eyes).

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Posted on March 8, 2012

Clearly Not Produced In Chicago

So real it’s unreal. Like, where are the overturned cars and alcohol-poisoned bodies stacking up at the morgue?

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Posted on March 7, 2012