Depth in the starting rotation and power arms in the bullpen lend credence to the belief the Sox can contend in the AL Central. Patch Editor Ron Kremer outlines three reasons to keep your eyes on the Sox this summer.
The Sox open at home Monday (3:10 p.m.) vs. the Kansas City Royals. The game will be televised on Comcast SportsNet. The forecast calls for temperatures in the upper-30s. Snow flurries are possible.
GM Theo Epstein begins the second year of a rebuilding process. Just don't expect to see huge gains in 2013. Patch Editor Ron Kremer outlines three reasons for the Cubs' faithful to give up the faith—an in a hurry.
The Cubs open at 12:35 p.m. Monday in Pittsburgh against the Pirates. The game will be televised on WGN-Channel 9.
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11:16 am on Monday, April 1, 2013
The Cub's have always been a baseball soap opera,as every year they start with a "fresh" outlook, but with the same old line up, usually with a few supplemental players of dubious distinction meant to show that they are serious in improving their chances, but in reality, all a Cub's fan can look forward too, is going to the world's longest running beer bash, in one of the greatest party area's of… more ›
Rounds are way down this month at Heritage Bluffs and Wedgewood—but the anticipation of a new season dawning is building at both golf courses.
So, if you’ve been wondering just how much colder it’s been this March vs. last March, then consider this bit of startling news from a couple of local golf course pros. From March 1 to March 19 last year, 1,300 rounds of golf already had been played at Wedgewood, one of the Joliet Park District’s three golf courses. This year, 16 rounds were played during that same time period, Wedgewood golf pro Jason Shook said. And Brian Smith, the golf pro/manager at Heritage Bluffs Golf Club in Channahon, had much of the same kind of news to report. Smith said it’s been so wet and so cold in recent days members of his grounds crew were working Tuesday afternoon to chip ice out of the cups on many of the holes at Heritage Bluffs. No joke. “The flags …
In his third season as coach of the USF men's basketball team, John Baines has emerged as a leader and emerged as his own man, too.
John Baines works in a building dedicated to his predecessor. The Pat Sullivan Center is named after a legendary figure, one who turned multi-tasking into an art form long before it was part of the modern-day lexicon. The man was a do-it-all during his tenure at the University of St. Francis. Pat Sullivan won more than 500 games in 34 seasons coaching the USF men’s basketball team. He also served as USF’s athletic director and, more importantly, served as a symbol of integrity in a college sports environment so often rocked these days by scandal. Upon his retirement, he reflected on three ideals that came to be known as his hallmarks—graduation rates, basketball highlights and lifelong friendships. He can be spotted sitting in the stands …
Watch: General manager Chris Franklin introduces Mike Breyman as the new manager of the Slammers during a news conference at ATI Physical Therapy in Bolingbrook.
Mike Breyman was fumbling with the buttons on his Joliet Slammers jersey, preparing to pose for a photograph during a news conference Tuesday at ATI Physical Theraphy’s headquarters in Bolingbrook. An awkward moment quickly turned into a bit of light-hearted humor when an onlooker alerted him that one of his buttons was misaligned. No wonder the new manager’s jersey wasn’t fitting him properly. No worries, either. “That’s what we call a ‘Breyman-ism’—I may make words up, just so you know,” he said. Breyman, 31, was introduced as the new Slammers manager during a get-acquainted shindig that served notice the news Slammers ownership team headed by CEO Josh Schaub already is on the ball on several fronts. No doubt, Schaub picked the location …
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Watch: CEO Josh Schaub, GM Chris Franklin, Frontier League commissioner Bill Lee and Joliet city manager Tom Thanas talk Slammers baseball and downtown revitalization in a Patch video.
Whether the new Joliet Slammers ownership team is more successful than the old remains to be seen. What I learned during Tuesday’s media day shindig in the Hall of Fame Room at Silver Cross Field is CEO Josh Schaub is going to step up to the plate ready to swing at almost any pitch. Schaub promised to hire a new manager that he hopes one day will become the face of the Slammers’ baseball team, if not the entire organization. An announcement on the hire could come before Christmas. He also promised to make Silver Cross Field an entertainment destination site and that means you can expect to see a variety of different shows on the field, the list ranging from concerts to weddings. Yes, very soon you will be able to tie the knot at home plate…
12:30 pm on Friday, December 14, 2012
Skip the circus between innings. Just play baseball and play it well and the fans will start coming. Doug is right. Don't expect customers to pay for two or three beers and get just one. more ›
Joliet Catholic Academy heads into Saturday's Class 5A football semifinal game vs. Montini with a bit of a different mindset because of questions about Ty Isaac's health and availability.
With the game and its season on the line, Joliet Catholic Academy’s football team turned to its defense to make the big plays in a 21-20 overtime victory over Lincoln-Way West in the Class 5A quarterfinals. Senior linebacker Ira Hughes notched his first sack. Junior defensive end Anthony McInerney stopped Lincoln-Way West’s Justin Keuch on a fourth-and-2 play in the first half. Keuch was harassed into a throwing an incompletion on a fourth-and-5 in the second half by JCA’s entire ‘D’ line. Senior linebacker Matt Madrigal made a team-high 10 tackles. Senior defensive back Grant Harrison twice stopped Lincoln-Way West from gaining momentum through the airwaves with his two interceptions. His is a story of rehab. Harrison broke his hand in a …
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Closing in on his 71st birthday, manager Bart Zeller shows no signs of slowing down. He begins the second half of the season with a positive attitude—and a smile on his face.
Often, it is said the face of a baseball team belongs to the manager. In the case of the Joliet Slammers, that face comes with the inevitable signs of aging. Bart Zeller’s wrinkle lines and bald noggin speak to his years of experience. He will turn 71 on July 22. He will turn back the clock on occasion, but only to recall some fond memories. He is a baseball lifer. With that title comes a responsibility, a commitment to pushing forward. He must be a teacher and coach—and more. His job is part Xs and Os, part team shrink and part omniscient in that he is charged with the task of sharing his wealth of knowledge. He has been around the block, as well as around the basepaths, and welcomes the challenge. “We are faced with—probably on a daily …
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1:39 pm on Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Bart Zeller is my Dad. There is nothing that makes me prouder then seeing him light up while he is on the field doing his thing! Baseball is his passion! I truly believe that the game of baseball is what keeps him in the great physical and mental shape that he's in and I also know that his door is always open to any player in the same way that he has always been there for our family! more ›
Tom
4:25 pm on Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Wish I could expect better hitting from Ramirez and Beckham, but I think we have seen the ceiling for both. Multiple All-Star games were predicted for each, but it doesn't look like it's ever going to happen for either one. Glad to be proven wrong, but not optimistic. more ›