By Jim Coffman

How much do we Chicagoans of a certain age really know about hockey anyway?
We barely saw the game growing up in the ’70s and ’80s unless we had a chance to go in person and my parents were definitely not hockey fans. I attended a handful of games through those years. The second balcony experience at the old Stadium was fascinating (it was an awesome view from seats that felt like they were almost hanging out over the ice – until the ever-growing cloud of cigarette smoke began to obscure sight lines after the second intermission).
But this fan never reached the point where I felt as though I could really appreciate the subtleties of the game.

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Posted on March 11, 2013

By Professor Jeff Bergen/DePaul University

The odds of picking a perfect bracket are less than one-in-9.2 quintillion. For those with a solid knowledge of the history of the NCAA tournaments, the odds of picking a perfect bracket increase greatly but still involve numbers with lots of zeroes.

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Posted on March 7, 2013

By Dan O’Shea

If you find yourself in the middle of the line for your fantasy baseball draft, there’s a good chance you could end up drafting Robinson Cano in the first round and have your second base needs taken care of immediately. If you don’t, you might want to forget about second base until much later, as there is value to be had deep into this list.
1. Robinson Cano. Far and away the best fantasy producer at the position, though it’s fair to wonder how a decimated lineup and contract squabbles will affect his production.
2. Dustin Pedroia. The Red Sox’ housecleaning could force him to be an MVP-type player again.
3. Jason Kipnis. A lot depends on the readiness of the youngster to go all-out for a full season, but he’s a solid hitter who could finish among the stolen base leaders.

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Posted on March 6, 2013

By Jim Coffman

Hey Theo, in major league baseball, 78 isn’t just greater than 73, it is much greater.
The Cubs’ general manager opined last week that he didn’t want his team to get caught in the middle ground of not really competing for championships. He said he would rather break up a mediocre team in the middle of a given season and use trades to try to add more prospects than hang in there, maybe add a piece or two, and hope for a hot streak that might put the team over the top.
The money quote: “There’s no glory in 78 wins instead of 73. Who cares?”

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Posted on March 5, 2013