Showing posts with label White Sox. Show all posts
Showing posts with label White Sox. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 11, 2026

Sue The Pants Off Them





Former prospect sues White Sox, claiming COVID-19 vaccination ended his career

Isaiah Carranza, a 12th-round draft pick from 2018, never got past High-A, and he blames the team for allegedly pushing him to get the shot. Numerous studies have shown the vaccine is safe and effective.
By Mitchell Armentrout Chicago Sun-Times
Feb 9, 2026, 6:30pm CST


A former White Sox pitching prospect is suing the team, claiming he was pushed into taking a COVID-19 vaccination in 2021 that resulted in severe allergic reactions that eventually derailed his career.

Isaiah Carranza, a 12th-round draft pick of the Sox in 2018, alleges team officials warned him he would be ‘‘blacklisted’’ if he didn’t get two doses of the vaccine, meaning they wouldn’t release him from his contract for opportunities with other clubs even though he had ‘‘no prospects of moving up’’ with the Sox.

Carranza got the Pfizer vaccine and soon began suffering ‘‘extreme dizziness, nausea, near-fainting and wildly fluctuating heart rate’’ that the team chalked up to dehydration, anxiety and ‘‘rookie nerves,’’ attorneys for Carranza claimed in his federal lawsuit, which was filed in December in Chicago.


Numerous studies have shown that COVID-19 vaccinations are highly effective at preventing severe cases of the respiratory disease and that severe allergic reactions are exceedingly rare. The Illinois Department of Public Health recommends the vaccine for nearly all people 6 months or older as a means of minimizing the severity of infections.

MLB encouraged players to get vaccinated but did not mandate it when the game returned early in the pandemic.

Carranza later was diagnosed with a nervous-system disorder that his lawyers tie to the vaccine. He never advanced beyond the Sox’ High-A affiliate and hasn’t appeared in a minor-league game since 2022.

Carranza’s estimated future medical expenses are more than $557,000, his lawyers say. A Sox spokesman declined to comment on the active litigation.

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Saturday, May 10, 2025

Meat w/ the Heat RIP

Nah, nah, nah, nah, Hey, Hey Hey Goodbye Homo Pope Frank... driving in from the bullpen in the new Impala model from Fanning Chevrolet is Pope Bob.

A White Sox fan in the Vatican


Anyone from Chicago can tell you, the Cubs always get the celebrities -- from Ronald Reagan to Bill Murray. At one point, Al Capone even tried to buy the team.

While it’s true that Richard Nixon grew up in California rooting for the White Sox, when the Dodgers moved in, he had to switch allegiances. Even worse, another President, the Lyin’ Hawaiian, liked to wear the current Sox hip-hop black cap, but it turns out, he may never have been to a game at what he calls “Cominskey Park” and in 2010 didn’t know the name of a single player.

Now comes the amazing news from the brother that the new Pope is a genuine White Sox fan, as are all the kindly old school priests and sisters south of I-55, on into Indiana and Michigan. That’s a huge point in his favor and it appears he frequently voted in the Republican primaries in Illinois (that state does not have specific party registrations).

Growing up in the south suburbs of Chicago in the 1960s, in a very Catholic household, he would have had a ringside seat to the great battles in the American Church. Back of the Yards was where the leftist Saul Alinksy co-opted a big chunk of the Catholic community outreach, thanks to the liberal Bishop Bernard Sheil. But this area, and to the west, is also where the conservative Augustinian priest Francis X. Lawlor had his blue-collar political base.

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The Augustinians are still active around Chicago, and new Pope Leo has grown up with that order since attending their high school seminary and then their flagship university, Villanova.

Generally, Augustinians are very humble priests, often called the Friar Hermits, who quietly run schools and missions. Pope Leo XIV spent over 20 years in Peru, which is the mission target for Midwest Augustinians.

Apparently, Pope Leo XIV has no hostility to the Latin Mass, while Pope Francis hated it. His public comments also indicate he has no interest in pushing the homosexual agenda or ordaining women. These are all things conservative Catholics care about and which the Pope controls.

On things he doesn’t control -- immigration, global warming, American politics, etc. -- I expect a lot of rhetoric to warm the cockles of the international media. That’s a compromise most Catholics can readily accept.

The choice of the papal name is also intriguing. Pope Leo XIII, the last Leo, was one of the greatest Popes of all time. Liberals would like to claim this Pope for his support of workers and the right to organize. But Leo XIII despised socialism and was the force behind the Church’s modern support of free markets and Thomist natural law theory as well as the center/right Christian Democratic political movements in the 20th Century.

I'd prefer Walt 'No Neck' Williams as Pope - EWS

New Pope Leo, it should be noted, was a math major in college. He’ll need to dust off his calculator. The Vatican finances were always crooked and are now an absolute ruin. Pope Francis brought in conservative George Cardinal Pell to try to clean it up years ago. Instead, Pell’s enemies in the Vatican and Australia hit him with a frame-up that sent him to prison for a while before he was vindicated.

Pell wrote a brutal report, the Demos, detailing the myriad problems with Francis’ Vatican before he passed away in 2023.

Pope Leo will have a huge job ahead, digging out from under the mess that Francis is leaving him. I suspect in the end that Pope Leo XIV will have little time to generate new controversies. Just keeping the lights on will consume all his time.

Rome may be in even worse shape than what has become of the once solid ball club on the South Side. And for the same reasons -- bad managers, no farm system, no stars, lack of money, and an utterly clueless top leadership. The new Pope certainly has the modest personality and proven intelligence to do a better job than his predecessor. Like a lot of people, I will pray he does.

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Pope Bartman the First has a nice ring to it.

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Wednesday, December 13, 2023

Wh/Bl Sox


Thinking back on the1977-78 Southside HitMen season, Commiskey Park 81 times through the summer was the Largest Tavern on Earth. Cheering on our favorite Veeck/Hemond cheating, lovable ham sandwiches cast of characters acting like ball players, every spectator left with an alcohol blood level over the blow limit. Every fan was drunk for every pitch the entire season. I attended 52 games that year.

Commiskey Park was on one side of the urban renewal demarcation line called the Dan Ryan Expressway. Walking across the bridge over an Interstate eight lanes wide, one would find themselves in the Robert Taylor Homes complex, since demolished. High-rise public housing stretching for miles on either side, they were occupied by black sharecroppers from the South. I'm sure there were plenty of baseball fans that lived there but they seldom attended. They worked outside, scalping tickets or using the 'watch your car, Mister' gentle extortion scheme.

A recent conversation involving the Great Extortionist, Jesse Jackson, and his black boycott threatening Major League Baseball brought this forward. For a payoff, it sure was an easy endeavor to maintain. Not many black people ever showed up to watch the game. It very well may have to do with disposable cash available but being intimidated by 50,000 drunk white people probably had more to do with it.

Even with the 9-inning state of being en masse, I simply don't recall any harassment of any black folks working there, men or families that were there for baseball entertainment. This is a 46-year memory, and it would be an interesting study of Police reports coming out of the Bridgeport district on game night concerning race relations. Were African Americans beaten up for being black? In this percolating kettle of, supposedly, white hatred was there ever what is described these days as a 'hate crime'? After the game, there was always plenty of mischief and interactions, how many incidents of unbridled White Supremacy violence were there?

There is plenty of racial violence in present day America. Let's be honest about it.

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The Slaughter of Cities*

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Sunday, January 10, 2021

Let's Take A Ride*

My Dad always bought the crappiest cars. We had the '63 Chevy Corvair, the one that made Ralph Nader's career.

It was always so cute how tired the three us us in the backseat were and how they had to carry us into the house after family parties. How come they didn't notice we were purple?

The Studebaker wagon was cool.  I remember a ride every summer of all the block kids he could cram in, sometimes 14, as I reckon, and head down to batting practice 10am for the 1pm game at Comisky Park.  My Dad would flash his badge, talk to a few chums and as all of us would have free range over the entire empty stadium. 

When we did settle down and joined back together in Upper Deck third base down the line, I learned baseball and fundamentals watching and it was just what a Little Leaguer needed.  Another time much later in life, I saw Jose Conseco hit one armed home runs. Quite impressive. And One Dog had a real  pus arm Sox fans.

We, I mean the Gary Peters led White Sox, were there to play the Baltimore Orioles.  Hank Bauer, present coach and long time O's and Yank's great outfielder was hitting fungoes in front of us. As batting practice was winding down, we were all yelling down to Coach Bauer, "Hey, Hit one up here!" and dang if he didn't turn and hit one our way.  It looped up and came down... right under my father's seat. He never moved a muscle as it was coming his way. The gang of kids diving under his seat, covering him, fighting, to get the ball is a very pleasant memory of youth, baseball, Comisky Park, and my father.

He had a real Al Bundy mobile - the 1965 Plymouth Fury.   It was kinda like a Valiant with the push button transmission.  I remember the windshield wipers wouldn't work in the rain, dry days fine. AM radio all the way WIND 500, Clark Weber, good country. My dad and I had a mental game when we got stuck by a train which was often anywhere in Chicago. We'd say GO and silently count the number of cars that went by.  It was tougher on the Southeast Side because they tended to back up and subtraction was needed. But when we declared STOP, it was always close, one time 370 cars.  Maybe he just wanted to shut me up, could be, but I liked the game. I remember going to wrestling matches at the International Amphitheater, and getting stuck on the way home by a train in the Plymouth Fury with my Dad counting train cars on a rainy night.

... and the Rambler. To this day my impressions of this most defective crapazoid  wreck of corroded machinist quackery at a young age made me never to buy a AMC product. A station wagon, natch, for three young boys and a grocery grabber.  Ran like a tank, or an Old Harley. The 10 day furlough escape to a Southern WI resort was the highlight of the summer. We jammed every thing we could into the jalopy, headed North and got on the brand new TriState Toll Way.  We got a flat tire, on the side of road we had to empty a part of the cargo and change the tire.  My Dad was pissed, he needed a country blow with his bros.

We got to Twin Lakes, checked in and settled and the Rambler got us around until my Dad had to make a tight turn leaving the fruit market.  I was walking up at the time ready to get in the car and the left front tire completely collapsed, the axle broke, I assume, but the tire was 90 degrees from roll. I can't remember how we got home from that vacation, a la, Mr. C. Griswold, but I don't think it was in a pale green Rambler station wagon.

It's a skeleton in the closet, but in a Father's Club raffle at the high school fundraiser, he won a Buick Riviera. Copper colored, just a huge big beautiful machine, 1971, circa. I think the 9 gazillion hp, front wheel drive whoop-de-do engine was a bit too much for Dad.  He wrapped around a telephone pole two days after receiving it from the dealer. When my brother had to retrieve the wreckage the next day he said it was wonder how he even survived.

Just memories...

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Memoir, not factual

Tuesday, February 18, 2020

Beisball 2020*

I just love this picture

It's Pitchers-and-Catchers time in the old ball yard. 

 First things First!  
This is THE YEAR!  

GooooYoooouuuuuWhiiiiiiiiteeee Sooooxxx! 
-Andy the Clown 

The Houston Astros with bench coach Alex Cora, won the World Series 2017.  The Boston Red Sox with manager Alex Cora won 2018.  What an amazing 'leader of men'.  It does help to have a live camera feed from the outfield to the dugout stealing the catchers signs so the batter has a heads up.
If nobody knows that, it does look good on the Yearly Performance Review.  But if people do know the scheme was in place, you look like Bozo.  Not exactly illegal in a criminal way, just plain weasal -like.  Not starred on the new resume he needs to punch up.  

As if Bill Veeck hired Andy the Clown to managed the White Sox.  I wonder if he gave that consideration.  Bill's first hire when he and his "partners" took ownership was Paul Richards, long time baseball man with a reputation of doing what was needed to win. While he managed the team, low tech, he used a guy with binoculars in center field and his assistant waving a handkerchief. The SouthSide Hitmen of 77-78 lead the league in homers in the largest field, by far, in the American League (440 center and 352 on the lines.)  Long, loopy fly balls with a 'plink' off the bat, especially in the later innings.  We cheered like mad.

Jack McDowell spilled the beans on Tony LaRussa using a light on the smaller scoreboard to signal the batter.  Not much new under the sun, only getting higher tech.

Wavy Lines... Wavy Lines... Garth... Wavy Lines

In some crazy willy-nilly  decision, Bubsy, Daniher, Frankie and I decided outside the usual left field lower deck grandstand location, where Old Willie McGee would buy all us beers from Sawtooth Darling, the vendor. Willie would  pay from the 16 yr olds' money, one for himself. Only fittin'.

Whatever reason, on a sunny day in May, upper deck behind the plate,
in our youthful jerkiness, settled into our seats.  I was filling in my score card and fooling with the little pencil, dropped it and while trying to find it in a tangle of legs, Tom Egan, a big, right handed hitting catcher, hit the ball out of the park.  Right down the third base line, just past the pennant and over the roof.  I was on my hands and knees looking for my pencil.  People jumping up and down. I missed it.  That's why I will always remember 352 ft down the line, those big yellow numbers at the top of the wall in my sight line.


Roger Broussard, the Sodfather of Comiskey Park, groundskeeper extraordinaire would have half the first base running lane in two feet of fine sand when Rickey Henderson came to town.  Didn't matter, he'd be safe and two pitches later he's be on third, esp. w/ Carlton Fisk's pus arm. Henderson may be all-time best in my lifetime, I'll give that some consideration, he is from Oakland and I hold a grudge.  Roger should write a book, an oral history of his secrets.  Baseball Omerta keeps them sealed.

Didn't Alex's brother Joey play for the Sox?  Maybe Joey picked up some tricks from the Masters and relayed it to his big time big league big brother manager brother.


A.J. Hinch, the manager of the 2018 Astros says he knew, but didn't stop it. Dweeb. It was hatched by Carlos Beltran, in the meantime named manager of the 2020 Mets.  He is also creating a new resume to hawk, but in Espanol, as Carlos will go back to the old country and never be heard from again.

MLB fined the team's owner, who in great Old Texas Oil Man grumpiness called a press conference and told everyone to fuck off.  Altuve was also there, the MVP for that year.  I think they should cut his fingers off on a paper cutter at home plate on Opening Day.  If I was a Muslim, that is.


Let's talk about those on the team definitively did not get advantage from the cheating - the Astros and Red Sox pitchers. Except for pitching with a lead, there is no Quo Quid Bono for their job BUT you are on a team.  Not many secrets after 180 ball games or so, barnstorming the country.  The coaches are also more culpable, as they have to have higher degree of integrity as their position shows. 

MY RULING (I got this one, Commish):  The World Series of 2017 and 2018 shall be vacated, declared un-won.  All prize money, all endorsement, merchandising monies of the unofficial winners, namely the Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox, shall be allocated in a fair and agreed upon manner to the players and club of the officially declared 'undefeated' teams in all playoff games involving Houston and Boston through the World Series 2017 and 2018, respectively.

Although the Astros returned to the Series in 2019, they were defeated by the Nationals.  Those opponent clubs and players in the Astros playoff rush shall fairly compensated by the Houston Astros baseball club.

SOLUTION: Bluetooth from pitcher to catcher to dugout.

and

A Big Finger Wave and Warning to Everyone in MLB
No, No, Never

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This is the year, Walt

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Pitchers and Catchers*
Opening Day*
REMEMBERING MARK FIDRYCH
MARCH 20, 2020 BY PAUL MIRENGOFF

For those who missed the Mark Fidrych experience, here’s some background. Fidrych debuted as a 21 year old rookie for the Detroit Tigers in 1976. He made the club with only a year and a half of experience in the minor leagues.

Inserted into the starting rotation in mid-May, Fidrych won nine of his first ten starts. His only loss was to Boston, 2-0. He completed all but one of these starts.

For the season, Fidrych went 19-9 with 2.34 ERA and 24 complete games (in 31 starts) for a bad team. He didn’t win the AL Cy Young award, the great Jim Palmer did. But from the time Fidrych entered the starting rotation until the end of the season, the Bird was as good as Palmer.

... After baseball, Fidrych returned to his home in Northborough, Massachusetts. He farmed, drove a truck, and did odd jobs. Once, when someone said to him “don’t I know you from somewhere?” Fidrych replied “I used to work at the Sunoco station at the corner.”

Fidrych died in 2009, at age 54, in an accident as he worked underneath a truck.

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2020/03/remembering-mark-fidrych.php

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Miss you, A.J.

Evan Gattis on Astros Cheating Scandal: ‘We F*cked Up’

"Everybody wants to be the best player in the f–king world, man…and we cheated that, for sure, and we obviously cheated baseball and cheated fans,” Gattis said. “Fans felt duped. I feel bad for fans.

“I’m not asking for sympathy or anything like that. If our punishment is being hated by everybody forever, just like whatever. I don’t know what should be done, but something had to f–king be done. I do agree with that, big-time. I do think it’s good for baseball that we’re cleaning it up…And I understand that it’s not f–king good enough to say sorry. I get it.”

An MLB investigation into the Astros sign-stealing scheme resulted in the suspensions of both the general manager and manager, in addition to the forfeiting of first and second round picks in 2020 and 2021, and a $5 million fine.

“We didn’t look at our moral compass and say this is right,” Gattis said. “It was almost like paranoia warfare or something. But what we did was wrong. Don’t get it twisted, it was wrong for the nature of competition, not even just baseball.”


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Friday, April 5, 2019

Opening Day*


GGGGGGGOOOOOOOOOOYYYOOOOOOOUUUUUUUWWWHHHHHIIIIITTTTEEEESSSSOOOOOXXXXXXXXXX … Andy the Clown

1) Carleton Fisk had such a pus arm that after they walked Rickey Henderson, he went to third and started the next batter with a 2-0 count.

2) Minnie Minoso ran into the centerfield wall and needed assistance off the field 9 times in one season.  Also, lead the league in getting hit by pitch consistently.


3) The Sox traded Harold Baines to get Sammy Sosa.  After two seasons traded Sosa for George Bell. Baines is in the Hall of Fame.  Sosa went on to hit over 600 home runs.  Bell runs a gas station in the Dominican Republic.

4) Dennis Lamp is an underrated pitcher for his career.

5) Ron Blomberg hit a home run Opening Day. What you get for a million bucks.

6) The Southside HitMen played in the biggest park (352 down the lines and 440 in center) and lead the league in homers.  They used Performance Enhancing Bats.


7) Chuck Brinkman is only 713 behind Ruth.

8) Bill Veeck had an ashtray in his wooden leg.

9) Bee Bee Richard said he was going to make Chicago fans forget Luis Aparicio. Confidence is good, talent even better.

10) Tony LaRussa won Manager of the Year on a team with four 20 game winners and 5 batters driving in 100 runs or more.  Bonzo the Chimp could have managed that team.

11) At the All Star break Wilbur Wood was 13-1.  He ended the season 23-23.  Pitched over 500 innings. Both ends of a double header once.


 12) All time fav by position LF: Jay Johnstone  CF: Ken Berry RF: Walt Williams 3B: Robin Ventura SS: Ozzie Guillen 2B: Jack Brohamer 1B: Frank Thomas C: AJ Pierzynski SP: Wilbur Wood, Gary Peters, Britt Burns, LaMarr Hoyt, Buerhle RP: Hoyt Wilhelm, Terry Forster, Bobbies Thigpen, Jenks - The Meat with the Heat  Manager: Eddie Stanky

13) The clutch hitting of Ron Hansen; the line drive home runs of Dick Allen; Ed Herrmann's triple; Dave Nicholson's out-of-the-park homer; Ron Santo at 2B WTF?; the Picnic Area in Comiskey Park; Disco Demolition; the Father/Son tandem beating up the first base coach of the Royals at the Cell; Smokey Burgess; Ed Farmer beaning batters; the 5 pitcher no-hitter; the commentary of Jimmie Piersall; Seat Cushion Night when they blew an 8-0 lead in the 9th; The CPD horses clearing the street in front of McCuddy's; Left field tacos and Augsburger beer; NaNaNaHeyHeyHeyGoodbye

14) It was White Sox fans that started singing Take Me Out to the Ballgame at the 7th inning stretch.  Now, Baseball, please stop. 


Wednesday, February 13, 2019

Pitchers and Catchers*


Pitchers and Catchers

Oh, man. The Sox are going to do it this year.

Believe in the Process, Yes Way! Nothin' But Flowers, (thankfully not Tyler)!

Bunch of great, young players. Led by pitcher who made a media presence in the city as a babe, threw one pitch, went to Dr. Andrews Arthritic Camp - but nothing but UP!

I really love Jose Abreu. He picks up his tool bag and goes to work everyday. 

Manager Rick Renteria speaks Spanish. That's good. Paul Konerko didn't need Ozzie's blather either. Play clean baseball, go for the extra base (PK sure couldn't). The manager always looks good.

I'm looking for the motivation of "what have we got to lose?". I'm 22 ears old with a million dollars in the Bank. I am with fellas from all over the world, going all over the country. How much fun is that? Hit, Pitch and Catch the ball. Just the fundamentals.




Mr. Reinsdorf seems to take care of his plantation. Earn your money, bring pride to the organization. You will be taken care of.

Opening Day is always a Rite of Spring at (always) Comiskey Park. Fond memories Veeck's Wrecks - the SouthSide Hitmen - the Winning Ugly teams, booing Tony LaRussa until my lungs hurt. Rich McKinney hitting the 10th inning game winning single while I sat in a whole section of upper deck naked fans. It was a sunny warm day, a long winter...

The last game of the season is traditionally call Fan Appreciation Day, but my SouthSide friends call it Blow It Out Your Ass Day, or I Have a Jerry Manuel Intestinal Kumquat Day. But this year will be different!


Saturday, January 12, 2019

Buh Bye Chicago*


Debt, Dope, and Casinos: Chicago Is Circling The Drain 

Neither Chicago defaults on the pension promises it’s made to city workers or it defaults on its massive debt. It’s simple arithmetic.

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The Fall of Chicago. There Will Be No Economic Recovery

The difference between the two cities is that Chicago’s debt and unfunded liabilities are more than three times higher than Detroit’s were when the city declared bankruptcy in 2013. 

...To put things in perspective: Every Chicago household is currently on the hook for at least $63,800 in local-government debt.

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Chicago is toast. I don't have much hope. I appeal to all my loved ones to find a small town or medium sized city in a different state and move there. Quit subsidizing their shitty schools, leave behind their chronic rampant crime and broken justice system. I left 8 years ago and only go back for family reasons. I come back commenting on how dark energy is everywhere. Being downtown at night is like being in a Batman movie. I'm creeped out by the feeling that runs through me. The anger is in the air.


Chicago as an entity has never been united in any way, possibly a Bulls championship riot. It prides itself on being a "city of neighborhoods", which is nice, but very provincial. I'm surprised some of those neighborhoods haven't built a wall around themselves. In many ways that has already been done with railroad tracks, viaducts, cemeteries, designed expressways and waterways marking demarcation. Within your 'hood', one may describe themselves being from St. Elephants' or Blessed Mother of God parish. Latin Kings, Gangster Disciples and whoever they decide should be dead. There are 50 ward organization, or 50 shakedown operations, which one may be a loyal member. If you are, your loyalty goes to your 'Chinaman' or sponsor. And don't ask questions.

Internally, Chicago has always been divided on long-standing affiliations, except being Republican, that is. You were from the Southside or the Northside. You were a Sox fan or a Cub fan. You were Irish or Polish. You were Mexican or Puerto Rican. You were black or white. Very seldom did they meet in togetherness. Stay in your neighborhood.

So the cancer of identity politics killed this city, as it is killing the country. Chicago is the perfect long term example of divide and conquer. Each ward, parish, sports team, ethnic persuasion has looked at each other with suspicion and dread. It's ingrained in the make up of the population. So much bossiness, so many victims in one spot. "Wheres mine?", the Mike Royko motto of the city, can't apply to everyone, especially when the takings are getting smaller. The bankers get the loot. Rahm Emmanuel sealed that deal. Now the vultures pick on the remains. Mayoral run off in 5 weeks.
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Study: Chicago’s Middle Class ‘Almost Gone,’ Majority Either Rich or Poor


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Monday, June 29, 2009

Hits, Shits and Quits


It's the weekend:

"I've known them my whole life, even when I was in school," she said of the family "They've always been such nice, Christian people. Good people."

Tell It Like It Is, Ozzie:

So the Sox need the Cubs to help them draw fans? White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen was asked why attendance was so low at the Sox-Dodgers series, and said: "Because our fans are not stupid like Cubs fans. They know we're (expletive)."

The Arrogance Is Incredible:

Privately, many U.S. officers worry the Iraqis will be overwhelmed if violence surges, having relied for years on the Americans for nearly everything.