From the Bleachers

COLUMN BY KURT MARGGRAF IN CHICAGO

The Chicago Blackhawks don’t usually get as much attention as the other professional sports teams in the city.

Their followers are relatively small in number but quite loyal. There are however a significant number of fair weather fans, who follow the team when they are playing well or in the playoffs.

I must admit that some of the shenanigans that have taken place over the last few years had moved me away from caring about them as much as I do the Bears, Cubs, Bulls, and White Sox.

That all changed this week when the Blackhawks won the draft lottery and the opportunity to draft one of the best prospects in decades.

Remember the name Connor Bedard. Right now he is, by far, the best amateur player in the world and the Blackhawks will draft him on June 28th. He’s still 17 years old, but will be the best Blackhawk player as soon as he signs his contract. The last time the team drafted first, they drafted Patrick Kane and that led to three Stanley Cup championships. Some things are already changing. The Blackhawks are estimated to have sold six to seven million dollars worth of season tickets, jerseys, and renewed interest in the team. This winter will be much more exciting for Chicago sports fans. The Bears are finished trying to lose and should be much better, the Bulls are an unknown entity, and the Blackhawks will have one of the most exciting players in a generation. I do love summer, and I’m not trying to rush winter, but when it comes I will be joining a bunch of Chicago sports fans anticipating the upcoming seasons.

I suppose we should talk about the teams that are currently playing. The weekend series for both the Cubs and Sox were disappointing. They both lost two out of three and both teams are struggling.

The Sox were competitive against the Astros but their record fell to 14-28. With a quarter of the season gone, the Sox are nine and a half games behind the Twins.

Speaking of the Twins, they annihilated the Cubs over the weekend. After winning the opener 6-2, the Cubs lost 11-1 and 16-3. They now trail the Brewers by four games which isn’t too bad, but they are only three and a half games ahead of the Cardinals, and that’s a little scary. The Cubs record is now 19-21. Hopefully both teams will bounce back this week.

I had the opportunity to travel to Minnesota and watch two of my grandsons play baseball last week. The oldest is a junior on his high school team and I was amazed at how good these young men are. The younger one is an eight grader, and those young guys are really good too.

I also got a chance to see the young one compete in long and high jumps and a 400 yard relay and 100 yard dash. I must admit, I enjoyed watching my grandsons play more than I enjoy the professionals.

Albert Einstein said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.”

Be kind. Talk to you next week. Peace, love, and happiness.