By John Schutt NASCAR Cup Series, Geico 500, Talladega Superspeedway, Lincoln, Ala., Monday, June 22. The race with limited fans due to COVID-19 was marred with a racial incident aimed at the only black NASCAR Cup driver, Bubba Wallace, Jr. Sunday. A noose was found hanging in his pit stall.
By Bobby Narang The boys basketball high school State tournament will return to Champaign. The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) board of directors voted to accept the Champaign-Urbana bid to be the host for the State basketball tournament beginning with the 2020-2021 season all the way through the 2022-2023 season
By Woodrow Carroll In the 1990s when the Chicago Bulls captured six National Basketball Association (NBA) championships in a span of eight seasons, there was no clear-cut rival to the Bulls. The Bulls, in championship series, 1991-1993, defeated the Los Angeles Lakers, Portland TrailBlazers, and Phoenix Suns in the first
Little action on the field, yet, and will Major League Baseball twiddle its thumbs and fritter away the season? Meanwhile, high school basketball and college football make news off the field. • The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) will make a return to Champaign-Urbana for boys basketball State tournament games
By Bobby Narang The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) revealed last week the Stage 1 plan to restart sports in the Summer. Since the coronavirus pandemic led to the immediate stoppage of all high school sports in early March, right before the opening of the Class 1A and 2A state
By Woodrow Carroll Former NBA (National Basketball Association star Wes Unseld passed away last week at the age of 74 after battling medical issues in recent years. He was not at the level of Michael Jordan and some other NBA greats, however, he still deserves to be appreciated. Unseld stayed
The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) took easy steps to start the process of playing games with the ruling that modest first steps can be taken with individual workouts June 6. Everything is contingent n the COVID-19 level in various areas. Not all school districts have the same exposure to
Implications are that one by one sports will return. Details of how, when, and in what format are unclear. We continue to play the waiting game. Continually. NASCAR is running races without fans, the Fire, as a part of the Major League Soccer, will return to competition Saturday, June 13
By Bobby Narang Two-plus months after the end of the high school girls basketball season, Jason Nichols made a surprise decision that sent shock waves in the Chicago area scene. Nichols announced last week that he was stepping down from his position as head girls basketball coach at Montini Catholic
By Woodrow Carroll One of the great mysteries in the history of Major League Baseball might be the rise and fall of the Milwaukee Braves, and, not just about the product on the field. The fans ceased to support the Club. The 1952 Boston Braves pulled up stakes and left
Sports plans must continue. Uncertainty reigns. Still, even with the knowledge that schedules may be changed, that teams do not know when they will play next, and continuity easily can be a casualty, plans are a certainty. Football in the Fall, whether college, high school, or National Football League, remains
By Bobby Narang Nazareth Academy High School quarterback J.J. McCarthy made a big splash Monday. After leading the Roadrunners to a Class 7A State championship and two State second-place finish in his first three seasons, McCarthy changed course and announced Monday he was transferring to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla.,
By Woodrow Carroll It is hard to argue over the interest generated by the recent Michael Jordan-centered Netflix series “The Last Dance” for television in 10 one-hour segments on ESPN/ESPN2. Many viewers were in quarantine confinement and enjoyed the epic. Stories and articles centering around Jordan and his accomplishments then
Experience and longevity on the one hand. Youth and energy on the other hand. Don Davidson, athletic director at Parkview Christian in Yorkville and a fixture in high school basketball in the Fox Valley area for 50 years, made the decision to give up coaching duties and retain duties as
Death always arrives too soon for individuals who are bigger than life and sometimes it is stunning. Both were in evidence Tuesday this week with the discovery of the untimely death of former West Aurora High School hall of fame basketball player, Ron Hicks. He was a member of both
By Bobby Narang Luke Juriga is not afraid of long odds. He was a two-star prospect coming out of Marmion Academy in Aurora, despite a solid build and National Football League (NFL) lineage. Juriga was named the 2014 Chicago Catholic League co-Offensive Player of the Year, then made redshirt his
By Woodrow Carroll Former Major League Baseball player Eddie Robinson has a distinction that he would like to hold on to for more years. Robinson, born December 15, 1920 in Paris, Texas is MLB’s oldest living former player. Robinson has many distinctions that have come with advanced age. Robinson wore
By Bobby Narang Broc Rutter is set to prove any doubters wrong, again. After a dominating performance in leading North Central College, based in Naperville, to the Division III national championship last Fall, Rutter signed a free agent contract with the San Francisco 49ers last week. “They are such a
Gerardo Alvarez, a 2003 graduate of Marmion Academy in Aurora, this week was named the school’s head varsity soccer coach. Native to Argentina, he grew up with soccer in his blood. It was always more than a sport, it was a lifestyle. In 1991, his family moved to Aurora. He
By Woodrow Carroll College football has produced its share of memorable bowl games. That season-ending gridiron battle usually pits two quality opponents. The 1948 Cotton Bowl was one such game, which matched Southern Methodist University (SMU) against Penn State. SMU was 9-0-1 with a late-season tie against Texas Christian University
