Illinois

The White Sox game against the Tigers was canceled Thursday about two hours before the scheduled first pitch due to an impending storm. The night off couldn't come at a better time for ailing players like Jermaine Dye and Jim Thome. Utility player Rob Mackowiak doesn't want any games off, however, for he is in the middle of a two-game hit streak, tying the longest of his career.

Wireless provider U.S. Cellular has experienced technical problems with its sponsorship of the White Sox ballpark this week, periodically dropping the sponsorship for durations of up to three seconds.

With the Bulls and Cubs also playing Tuesday night, the White Sox were regulated to air on the rarely used Comcast SportsNet Plus Two, which broke from its "Softball 360" marathon to showcase the game. The Sox played to the level of the channel, enduring a one hour and 46-minute rain delay before forcing fans to suffer though poorly played 9-7 win over the Royals.

Mark Prior got a 12th opinion on his ailing right shoulder Tuesday, this time by well-known orthopedic specialist Dr. James Andrews of Birmingham, Ala. Prior's tour of doctors--which began two weeks ago in the Los Angeles medical office of Dr.. Lewis Yocum--took him through 14 states and covered nearly 3,200 miles in his daddy's Escalade limousine.

For the 23,097 fans at the sold-out United Center Tuesday night, a close win by the Bulls would have sufficed. After all, the Heat are the defending champs and have one of the most prolific scoring duos in the NBA.

Following a tough, extra-inning loss Sunday, the White Sox were able to take out frustrations on annual bottom-dwellers Kansas City, winning 7-3 Monday night. Sox players agreed a trip to Kauffman Stadium is just what a team needs after a loss.

Just when Cubs fans thought it couldn't get any worse, there was Monday night--a gut-wrenching 12-inning, 5-4 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley. The game was a microcosm of everything that is flawed about the 2007 version of the Chicago Cubs.