Tell us about a Chicago sports (doesn’t have to be Chicago, I guess) moment that you remember strangely well. Not a world series or a championship—something smaller. Your memory has held onto every thing about that day or night in your life for no good reason.
What do you think the Cubs and/or the Sox need to do this offseason?
2003 Elite Eight. I'm not sure what struck me that night, but I was the biggest Arizona basketball fan this side of the Mississippi. Salim Stoudamire was an absolute beast and I was going nuts for the Wildcats. I had to look up their roster while typing this and found out they also had Luke Walton, Andre Igoudala and Will Bynum on the team too. Pretty good time for me to be an Arizona basketball fan. They ended up losing the game to Kansas and I threw an absolute tantrum, which got me a sweet reversible Arizona jersey for my birthday two months later.
That was the last time I ever cheered for Arizona in a game that I didn't bet on. You can bet your sweet bottom I was not wearing that reversible jersey in '05 when Dee Brown and Deron Williams were leading the charge for Illinois basketball and I was marching around the house as if I were Chief Illiniwek himself.
Still not sure why I was such a big Arizona fan for the night, but what a night it was.
2006 Notre Dame vs Michigan State. After a Saturday of my brothers and me playing for the local pop warner team we rushed to my grandmas where our family was set up to watch the game. We wanted to get there before kickoff so we elected not to shower and go straight there. We stunk and the first half of that game stunk. The whole family crowded in the kitchen screaming and yelling at the tv, saying how the season was lost after what it looked like was going to be 2 back to back losses. My grandma being the smallest one but loudest one there scared the shit out of me. They ended up coming back and winning the game but at 11 years old I was convinced the world was ending.
The Devin Aromashodu game. A meaningless, home MNF game against the Vikings so naturally my dad made some popcorn (on the stovetop) just in time for OT. We barely made a dent in the popcorn before Cutty threw a dime to a streaking Aromashodu to win the game. What made it so memorable was the incredibly unathletic chest bump that my dad and I attempted in the middle of our family room that ended in him hitting the floor and my mom yelling at both of us.
New Years Day 1973. Notre Dame is playing Nebraska in a Bowl Game and getting their ass handed to them. At some important part of the game, as I am sitting on the floor watching the game in front of the TV, my father fires the bottle opener at the TV Screen and breaks the TV, Game Over! What was my learning experience from that moment? Don't throw things over silly College Football games? No. I learned that day that this shit is serious business. In for a penny, in for a pound!
In 2012 the White Sox brought up Dan Johnson at the end of the year and he hit three homers in one game. I remember thinking he was Paul Konerko's replacement and that he would be a staple in the Sox organization for years to come. Little did i know he was just some AAAA player for his whole career and was actually 32 years old when the Sox brought him up (I had to look that up right now).
I don't know why i remember that game so well but i just remember the Sox being solid that year and he was one guy I saw doing well in the minors that i thought could help us make a push for the playoffs.
The first time my dad let me stay up late was during game 2 of the ALCS of the 2005 White Sox playoff push, because of how hard I was rooting against them. And by "stay up late" I mean that he let watch from the stairs and didn't tell me to go to bed so he could plea ignorance to my mom. Unfortunately for me, that was the "drop third strike" game. My hatred for AJ began that day, #neverforget.
2012 Wisconsin Badgers, Russel Wilson's first and only year in Madison, which was also Nebraska's first year in the big ten. Nebraska went to Wisconsin for a highly anticipated early season match up, Wilson and Monte Ball went on to wipe the floor with Nebraska and prove they were a contender that year. And if my memory serves me correct, we were getting ready for one of Sam's legendary house parties.
Little did I know, the following weeks held 2 absolutely devastating last second losses to Michigan St. and Ohio St. that I still havent recovered from. That is where my true hatred for Michigan St. started, Mark D'antonio can go suck a railroad spike.
Not a fond one, but it was a regular season game in 2009. Bulls- Heat (pre Lebron). I was watching the game in my parents room with my dog Boomer (RIP). Game went to double overtime. Tied up with ten seconds left, Bulls have the ball. Watch out for the John Salmons ISO! Can't lose this one here, either Bulls win or a triple OT. Then Wade picks Salmons pocket and hits the iconic one legged 3 point floater to win the game and cover the spread. Devastating.
Kick 6 is the another one that comes to mind- I was standing in my Uncle's living room, he let me have a beer even though I was only 19. Saban called a timeout so the booth would review that there was still one second left on the clock when Yeldon went out of bounds instead of heading into overtime. I think he attempted the field goal with the punter instead of the normal place kicker because he had a bigger leg. Anyways... The tigers are gonna win the football game!!
I don't actually know what the spread was in that Bulls game, but Heat -2.5 at home sounds about right.
2003 Elite Eight. I'm not sure what struck me that night, but I was the biggest Arizona basketball fan this side of the Mississippi. Salim Stoudamire was an absolute beast and I was going nuts for the Wildcats. I had to look up their roster while typing this and found out they also had Luke Walton, Andre Igoudala and Will Bynum on the team too. Pretty good time for me to be an Arizona basketball fan. They ended up losing the game to Kansas and I threw an absolute tantrum, which got me a sweet reversible Arizona jersey for my birthday two months later.
That was the last time I ever cheered for Arizona in a game that I didn't bet on. You can bet your sweet bottom I was not wearing that reversible jersey in '05 when Dee Brown and Deron Williams were leading the charge for Illinois basketball and I was marching around the house as if I were Chief Illiniwek himself.
Still not sure why I was such a big Arizona fan for the night, but what a night it was.
2006 Notre Dame vs Michigan State. After a Saturday of my brothers and me playing for the local pop warner team we rushed to my grandmas where our family was set up to watch the game. We wanted to get there before kickoff so we elected not to shower and go straight there. We stunk and the first half of that game stunk. The whole family crowded in the kitchen screaming and yelling at the tv, saying how the season was lost after what it looked like was going to be 2 back to back losses. My grandma being the smallest one but loudest one there scared the shit out of me. They ended up coming back and winning the game but at 11 years old I was convinced the world was ending.
The Devin Aromashodu game. A meaningless, home MNF game against the Vikings so naturally my dad made some popcorn (on the stovetop) just in time for OT. We barely made a dent in the popcorn before Cutty threw a dime to a streaking Aromashodu to win the game. What made it so memorable was the incredibly unathletic chest bump that my dad and I attempted in the middle of our family room that ended in him hitting the floor and my mom yelling at both of us.
This is awesome.
New Years Day 1973. Notre Dame is playing Nebraska in a Bowl Game and getting their ass handed to them. At some important part of the game, as I am sitting on the floor watching the game in front of the TV, my father fires the bottle opener at the TV Screen and breaks the TV, Game Over! What was my learning experience from that moment? Don't throw things over silly College Football games? No. I learned that day that this shit is serious business. In for a penny, in for a pound!
This explains a lot.
In 2012 the White Sox brought up Dan Johnson at the end of the year and he hit three homers in one game. I remember thinking he was Paul Konerko's replacement and that he would be a staple in the Sox organization for years to come. Little did i know he was just some AAAA player for his whole career and was actually 32 years old when the Sox brought him up (I had to look that up right now).
I don't know why i remember that game so well but i just remember the Sox being solid that year and he was one guy I saw doing well in the minors that i thought could help us make a push for the playoffs.
32 years old hahahaha
The first time my dad let me stay up late was during game 2 of the ALCS of the 2005 White Sox playoff push, because of how hard I was rooting against them. And by "stay up late" I mean that he let watch from the stairs and didn't tell me to go to bed so he could plea ignorance to my mom. Unfortunately for me, that was the "drop third strike" game. My hatred for AJ began that day, #neverforget.
(The ball never hit the ground btw)
It did not.
2012 Wisconsin Badgers, Russel Wilson's first and only year in Madison, which was also Nebraska's first year in the big ten. Nebraska went to Wisconsin for a highly anticipated early season match up, Wilson and Monte Ball went on to wipe the floor with Nebraska and prove they were a contender that year. And if my memory serves me correct, we were getting ready for one of Sam's legendary house parties.
Little did I know, the following weeks held 2 absolutely devastating last second losses to Michigan St. and Ohio St. that I still havent recovered from. That is where my true hatred for Michigan St. started, Mark D'antonio can go suck a railroad spike.
Not a fond one, but it was a regular season game in 2009. Bulls- Heat (pre Lebron). I was watching the game in my parents room with my dog Boomer (RIP). Game went to double overtime. Tied up with ten seconds left, Bulls have the ball. Watch out for the John Salmons ISO! Can't lose this one here, either Bulls win or a triple OT. Then Wade picks Salmons pocket and hits the iconic one legged 3 point floater to win the game and cover the spread. Devastating.
Kick 6 is the another one that comes to mind- I was standing in my Uncle's living room, he let me have a beer even though I was only 19. Saban called a timeout so the booth would review that there was still one second left on the clock when Yeldon went out of bounds instead of heading into overtime. I think he attempted the field goal with the punter instead of the normal place kicker because he had a bigger leg. Anyways... The tigers are gonna win the football game!!
I don't actually know what the spread was in that Bulls game, but Heat -2.5 at home sounds about right.
Uncle Joel?