This week is a highlight of the Chicago White Sox at the Chicago Cubs. Cubs-Sox is always a good rivalry and important both for the partisans and for the Chicago area. The Cubs won the first two games this year in July. Nonetheless, the Sox began the series 25 games under .500 with a 47-72 record. Ouch and out of the playoffs. The Cubs were 61-57 and in the thick of a fight for a playoff berth. Important games, just not championship caliber battles. Can the Cubs continue good pitching, hitting, defense? They won 17 of 24 games to propel themselves into the playoff hunt.
We are preparing for football: High school, college, and the National Football League. We circle the date Saturday, Sept. 2 for the start of college football, with both big universities and small colleges. All interesting and fun. High schools will begin the last weekend in August with nearly all the games on Friday night lights, August 25. Glenbard South will be at East Aurora and West Aurora will be at Proviso East in Maywood. With nine Upstate Eight Conference football games, one each weekend, there will be no room for the once-traditional East-West game to be played. It is a City tragedy. Top conference football excellence will continue in the DuKane and DuPage Valley Conferences and the conferences will be represented in game one with Geneva at Metea Valley in Aurora; Chicago Phillips will be at Batavia; Wheaton North at Downers Grove South; Chicago Simeon at Wheaton Warrenville South; Oswego East at Waubonsie Valley; and Oswego at Neuqua Valley. Fox Valley Conference will be strong. A new conference, eight teams in the Chicago Christian Conference will include Aurora Christian. Marmion will be st Maine West in DesPlaines; Naperville Central at Hinsdale Central.