Boozer to practice Monday (Bulls)

Although the biggest Chicago sports story of the weekend was the Bears win over the Eagles on Sunday, I saw this article about the Bulls and found it very exciting. K.C. Johnson wrote the article to report that Carlos Boozer will finally be able to practice as a Bull, who had been inactive due to a fracture in his right hand. Johnson did a great job of highlighting the fact that the Bulls have been successful without Boozer but it will only get better when he gets on the court. Johnson quotes Coach Tom Thibodeau answering "none," when he was asked what adjustments will be made for Boozer's debut. I'm glad Johnson included that because I'm sure many fans are wondering how it will be when he gets back, since we have never seen him play as a Bull. Johnson includes a quote that states that Boozer will start in place of Taj Gibson which surprised me because I thought that'd work him in off the bench because he has been injured for so long. Johnson writes that Kyle Kover, another Bull, knows Boozer's game better than anyone else because they played together in Utah. I never knew that so I am glad he included that piece of information. Johnson then said "Soon, that partnership will form with Derrick Rose." I like the sound of that and I can't wait to see them work together on the court. Johnson ends with an effective quote by Boozer, "I'm looking forward to playing with the guys, I do have a target date. But I'm going to keep that to myself. I got to have a little mystery." Overall it was an article to get Bulls fans excited but still keeps a sense of suspense and mystery. Hopefully he will be playing in the game versus Magin on Wednesday, but we will see!


Boozer to practice Monday- Article

Bad decisions could be Vick's undoing vs. Bears

Brad Briggs wrote a short article that many Bears fans like me, should definitely enjoy reading. He wrote about the predictions and calculations of K.C. Joyner, the football scientist. I like that Briggs included game statistics for Cutler and Vick for the readers to closely compare. The bears play the Eagles this Sunday and after an impeccable game by Mike Vick last weekend many are very nervous about the possible outcome. I had never really heard about Joyner before this article. I really like the way he calculates a "bad decision" percents for quarterbacks. Briggs was sure to include that Joyner defines a bad decision as "when a quarterback makes a mistake with the ball that leads to a turnover or a near turnover." Adding that definition definitely helped me grasp the idea of "bad decisions" and was better able to compare the two quarterbacks. Briggs includes that joyner said it was only a matter of time until Vick's statistics balance out. As a Bears fan, I really hope that this upcoming game is when Vick's statistics will "balance out" and he doesn't have such a great game. Brigg ends with a great statement to sum up the article, "Joyner says Vick has had 'phenomenal luck' and you have to wonder if the opportunistic Bears defense, which leads the NFL in takeaways, can swing that luck in Sunday's meeting at Soldier Field." Great article, Go Bears! Let's hope Cutler and the bears defense can pull this win off. 


Bad decisions could be Vick's undoing vs. Bears article.

Will the UConn women beat UCLA men's 88 wins in row

Expecting one article when I clicked on the “Will the UConn women beat UCLA men's 88 wins in row” link, I was surprised to see four separate short ones on the topic. All of the articles were from different publications, Daily Press, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times and the Hartford Courant. I liked the way it was set up because I was able to see what sports journalists across the nation are predicting, and could compare the opinions easily. The first writer, David Teel, wrote with extreme confidence that the UConn women’s team will surpass the UCLA men’s 88 win record. He went on to say they would reach a 100 game winning streak. I liked his concise writing and his last line that stated his opinion on when they would lose. He said it would be “Sometime after senior All-American Maya Moore graduates and coach Geno Auriemma takes over the Lakers from Phil Jackson.” As a Lakers and Phil Jackson fan, it was surprising to see an opinion like that, and made me wonder if that could actually happen in the future. Shannon Ryan, the Chicago Tribune reporter, was the only journalist to predict that UConn will not surpass the UCLA men’s 88 win streak. She seemed extremely sure her prediction was correct, which I liked. She also chose not to jump on the bandwagon by just saying UConn would break the record just because many others have. Being a women journalist in a predominately male profession seems to be tough at times so I'm to see that she hasn’t let that sway her opinions. I haven’t seen an article that includes four seperate articles from different places. I think it should be done more often, especially because I only read the Tribune usually and would have only seen Ryan’s prediction. I probably would have taken her opinion as the majority opinion, but now that I read the articles of three other journalists who predict UConn will break the record, it is obvious that the consensus is just the opposite.

Will the UConn women beat UCLA men's 88 wins in row article. 

Tribune Photos I loved this week!

Below is a picture from the Tribune website of Wrigley Field set up for the Illini vs Northwestern game on Saturday Nov., 20. U of I won 48 to 27, nice!!

^http://www.chicagobreakingsports.com/2010/11/snug-spots-unavoidable.html

Below is a link to a photo of Rashied Davis's victory dance after his 4th quarter touchdown!
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/football/bears/chi-week-10-chicago-bears-minnesota-vikings-photos,0,6314511.photogallery (photo 21) 

Below is a link to a sweet picture of Derrick Rose (Bulls) in a game against Washington where the ball looks like it is balancing on his fingers in mid-air. I thought it was pretty cool!

^ http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/basketball/bulls/chi-2010-chicago-bulls-photos,0,3517502.photogallery (photo 25) 

Bulls take charge in 2nd quarter for 103-96 victory

In an article by Fred Mitchell he highlights the Bulls win against the Wizards, but also focuses on the upcoming games on the road. Mitchell’s opening sentences begins with “With the challenging "Circus Trip" coming up...”. It is unclear to me what the “circus trip” is until later in the article when he writes that the Bulls will be on the road from Nov. 16-27. Some may not make the connection I did though, so he probably should have defined what he was talking about. Mitchell quoted Tom Thibodeau, the Bulls head coach, who said he was nervous about the game against the Wizards, it's nice to see that some coaches aren't afraid to express that. Later in the article Mitchell quotes him again, "All the stuff about going on the road and the circus I'm not concerned about that, I'm just concerned about the next game." I think using that quote was effective because many fans may be worried that he is getting stressed about being on the road for so long, but that quote will hopefully put them at ease. Although the Bulls won, through Mitchell’s quotes of Thibodeau it was obvious that he wasn’t very happy with his team’s performance in the 4th quarter. Earlier in my blog I wrote about the predicted Derrick Rose-John Wall match up this season, but haven’t read much about it since. Mitchell said, “the contest was billed as a showdown between Wall and Rose,” and it was nice to see that the prediction of a fellow Tribune writer has proven true. Mitchell ends with quotes from Hinrich, a Wizard player and ex-Bulls player. I was a fan of Hinrich when he played on the Bulls. I was glad that Mitchell was able to incorporate how he felt about seeing his former teammates, even though he said it was “weird.” Great article overall. Go Bulls!

Bulls take charge in 2nd quarter for 103-96 victory

All in all relaxing 84-45 victory for Illinois

Chris Hines wrote an enjoyable article about the Illini basketball victory while including information on the players who signed on for the 2011 team. Singing day and the game versus Toledo were both on Wednesday, so it was a smart move to mix both topics into one article. Hines started with a scene-setter lead that had me picturing Bruce Weber waiting by the fax machine on previous singing days for good news to come his way. He then explains that the signing in recent years has been a lot more relaxed and less stressful on the Illini Head Coach. Hines quotes Weber saying “It's stressful, but not quite as stressful as it was maybe in the past.”  Hines included the names of the 4 new players that signed with U of I, which I haven't read about yet.  I actually googled all of their names and watched highlight videos for each to get a feel for how they play. The word relaxed was key to this article. Hines described the 39 point win against Toledo as relaxed and goes into specific game statistics. Hines focuses on Senior Demetri McCamey for a part of the article. He wrote that McCamey practices earlier than other Illini players because he has late class on Wednesday . I’ve actually always wondered how classes fit into the demanding schedule of an Illini athlete, so I liked that Hines included that extra bit of information. The rest of the article focuses on the great defense Illini displayed and Weber’s satisfaction with their performance. Hines did an exceptional job of reviewing the win and incorporating the list of players who singed with U of I for next year. Great, well-written article.

Hines' Article

Nuggets' Anthony: Chicago a 'top three' NBA city

K.C. Johnson put together an article which included questions with direct answers from Carmelo Anthony on Monday. I enjoyed that the article was set up in a question-answer format because it was easy to follow and I was able to see exactly what Anthony said.  As a Chicago Bulls fan, it was flattering to read the many positive things Anthony had to say about the city itself and some Bulls players. Johnson included great questions, like “where does Chicago rank for you in NBA cities?” It was straight forward and Anthony was able to give a direct answer, that put a lot of speculation to the side. Johnson also included questions that solidified Anthony’s commitment to the Nuggets at the time, something many Denver fans may be questioning with all of the talk about him wanting out. Anthony said, “I have to focus on being a Nugget and playing Nuggets basketball.” I enjoyed the format of the story because I haven’t read a question and answer article on the Tribune website yet. It’s nice to see diverse writing so I applaud Johnson’s decision to set the article up like he did. 

Johnson's Article

Mesa approves new spring facility for Cubs

Since I am a big Cubs fan I clicked on the Cubs tab of the Tribune sports page, even though it’s their off season, and I’m glad I did. Paul Sullivan shared the exciting news that the new spring training complex in Mesa, Ariz., was approved to be built.  Sullivan writes that the Cubs have trained in Mesa, Arizona since 1952. I am excited to see that their location won’t change, especially because I have enjoyed traveling down to Arizona to attend spring training in the past. Sullivan quoted Chairman Tom Ricketts saying “We’d like to stay in Mesa for another 50 years.” Sullivan then went on to write about how the building of the state-of-the-art complex would be funded- a ticket surcharge added to every Cactus leauge game.  Sullivan writes about the intense lobbying the Ricketts had to do prior to the approval. The story in a chronological way that makes a lot of sense to the reader. Sullivan ends with an explanation of the current facilities the Cubs are using. His descriptions make it obvious that a new facility is needed especially because many other Cactus league rivals have already upgraded. Overall, Sullivan put together an article that provided the reader with background on Cubs spring training and exciting plans for the future. 

Sullivan's Article

Readers take crack at Big Ten division names

In this article, Teddy Greenstein writes about the tedious search for names for the new divisions in the Big Ten. The Commissioner, Jim Delany, is quoted saying he wants the names to “conjure up the right feelings in people -- a positive, emotional response.” Last week Greenstein asked readers to send in name ideas, he then incorporated the reader’s responses in this article. I think it was a great follow up and gave those who sent in ideas a reason to keep reading his articles to see if their idea got featured or not. I thought the article was humorous because many of the proposed names Greenstein featured were silly. The article definitely illustrates that picking two final names will be a tough process. Aside from writing about the many division name ideas, Greenstein tells the readers that Dec. 1, the date the new names were supposed to be revealed, may be pushed back 60 days. I think many Big Ten sports fans will appreciate knowing that piece of information. As a Big Ten sports fan myself I am interested to see what the divisions will be named. 

Readers take crack at Big Ten division names