With three sports running simultaneously in Chicago, fans were treated to three games (plus an inning) on Tuesday that all began around seven.
While managing to keep track of the Blackhawks, I also watched the fourth, sixth and eighth through 10th innings of the Cubs’ series-tying loss to Houston, parts of the third and fourth quarters of the Bulls’ win against the Knicks and missed every Hawks goal but managed to catch Alfonso Soriano’s game-tying home run. What I learned is that I could use some new buttons on the remote.
There’s good news in that an evening of uninterrupted sporting kept certain female roommates from showing me anything happening on American Idol. Unfortunately, baseball also seems a lot slower after an entire winter of hockey. For example: I now notice Lou Piniella’s gait to the mound so profoundly that I find myself hoping somebody streaks down the third base line and checks him back into the dugout. Flipping channels may have told you that three skaters drew blood and two penalties were handed-out by the time he got there. Also a once-comfortable Bulls lead was slashed right in half.
Deciding which game to watch the bulk of was the toughest call of the night. The Hawks and Bulls had already technically made the playoffs but the Cubs were only on their second game, with 160 (and hopefully some postseason) left to go. The Bulls are mostly a sacrificial lamb, whether they play the Cavaliers, Celtics or Magic, making the Blackhawks the most important team at this point, although it doesn’t matter what seed they get, or if they play at home or away, as long as they play Calgary over Vancouver, who they can’t seem to beat. Right? There is probably yet another game we should be watching concerning this last point.
Judging from the whole: all of these games only half matter. All I know is that it is still the Kane, Toews and Havlat show, Dempster should be pretty good again, Soriano hits home runs, and the Bulls … ? Maybe I should have watched closer.
Number of the night: 2
Chicago teams that won on Tuesday: the Blackhawks (4-2) and Bulls (yes it’s baseball season again and there’s a fancy new quarterback in town, but watching these guys make the playoffs might be kinda fun after tough finishes for our three teams from the other two major sports).
