That's All She Wrote: Blackhawks Advance, Bulls In Trouble
By George Ofman-
(WBBM) The chants of "Corey, Corey" cascaded from every corner of the United Center. As focused as Corey Crawford was, it didn't escape him that the crowd that used to get on him now loves him.
"22,000 people chanting that? Maybe caught a couple seconds of it," he admitted.
The Blackhawks made the second round of the playoffs because Crawford was oh so good in the first round.
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Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews didn't notch a goal in the series with the Wild. But Patrick Sharp bagged five and Marian Hossa, three. Star power!
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For Game 3 between the Bulls and Heat at the United Center tonight, I want the television analyst to be The Fight Doctor Ferdie Pacheco. Don't you think he's needed? This is series is no longer being scored by quarters. It's by rounds.
Before the ball toss to start the game, we need Michael Buffer at center court bellowing, "LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE!"
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Is anyone up for a Scott Foster voodoo doll? Bet Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson would happily supply the pins. Foster and his officiating crew forgot the players are the game, not the referees. Of course, the Bulls forgot about the game, too.
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Do you really want Derrick Rose to come back to this? The latest rumor is he changes into one of Craig Sager's suits.
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I was amused to hear some fervent fans predict the Bulls to win this series and a few others who wanted to see if the Bulls could keep Nate Robinson and trade Rose. Forget prescription medicine, how about shock therapy?
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So let's see whose missing for Game 3: Derrick Rose, Luol Deng, Kirk Hinrich and Carlos Boozer. Boozer is healthy and not suspended, just missing.
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The White Sox offense has stooped to new lows punctuated by an on-base percentage that's actually lower than Adam Dunn's weight. So when does Jeff Keppinger start justifying his contract? So far he's been a humongous bust. If you think Dunn's numbers are bad, check this out: Keppinger's .191 batting average combined with a .188 on base percentage ranks him dead last. That's dead last among over 500 players. He was supposed to be a catalyst as a No. 2 hitter. He's more like a cadaver. Both he and Dunn were benched for Wednesday's game against the Mets. The result? The Sox scored six runs on a season-high 13 hits and won.
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Robin Ventura turned down a contract extension. Think he might consider a contract contraction?
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Scott Feldman, Travis Wood, Jeff Samardzija and Carlos Villanueva are giving forlorn Cubs fans hope, until the bullpen arrives, or until Edwin Jackson starts his next game.
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There are two Os in Carlos Marmol's name. It would stand to reason his middle initial is B. And as bad as Kevin Gregg was the first time around with the Cubs is as good as he's been this time. You wonder how long this will last.
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Angel Hernandez, already considered one of the worst umpires in baseball, reviewed a home run hit by Oakland's Adam Rosales in the ninth inning Wednesday. It would have tied the game with the Indians. It was clearly a home run hitting a railing above the yellow line. Hernandez and his crew returned and claimed there wasn't enough evidence to overturn the call so Rosales was stuck at second base and Oakland eventually lost. This leaves us at the apocalypse: Instant replay now needs instant replay! Baseball needs to review Hernandez's employment record.
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It's been a bad week for officials. How could the NHL not have suspended players and perhaps a coach or two from Game 3 of the Canadiens-Senators series? It's the kind of mayhem that gives this wonderful sport a black eye, and about a dozen stitches.
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Best nickname for a Chicago athlete today: "Jimmy Buckets." Jimmy Butler has given hope for the future but could that future be with another team? Think about it.
And that's all she wrote.
George Ofman is a sports anchor and reporter for WBBM Newsradio 780 & 105.9FM. Look for him on Facebook and find him on Twitter at @georgeofman.
