Bucket List of Sports

Writers at Sports Illustrated shared their “bucket list” of sports events – events they want to see before they die. That inspired me to share my own list.

I’m proud to say I’ve witnessed several exciting sports events in my life – White Sox-Mariners playoff game in 2000; the memorable “black-out” play-in game between the White Sox and Minnesota Twins last October; the 2006 World Figure Skating championships in Calgary; 2008 and 2009 national figure skating championships in St. Paul, Minn., and Cleveland; and the second round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament at the United Center in 2007. But there’s plenty more I want to see.

1. Kentucky Derby – Mint julep, anyone? I love a good horse race, and while I’ve been to Arlington Park Race course in suburban Chicago, it probably doesn’t compare to the tradition and excitement of the Derby.

2. Baseball World Series – I missed the opportunity to watch the White Sox in the 2005 Series, but I’m hoping for another chance.

3. Wimbledon – I watched a women’s pro tournament at the UIC Pavillion in the mid-90s, including Venus and Serena in a doubles match when they were mere teenagers. If I’m going to see a pro tournament, it might as well be the grandaddy of them all – Wimbledon.

4. NHL playoffs – With the Blackhawks reaching the Western Conference finals in the playoffs this year, my love of hockey has been reignited. With their young, talented team, there is no reason why the Hawks shouldn’t make a return trip to the playoffs over the next few seasons. The trick will be to get my hands on what is sure to be the hottest show in town.

5. Michael Phelps – As long as he continues to swim competitively, my desire to see him compete is alive and well.

6. Olympics in Chicago – If Chicago is named the host city for the 2016 Olympic Games, I will have a smorgasbord of events to choose from – diving, rowing, gymnastics, basketball. Even better would be to attend the opening ceremonies and the parade of nations.

7. Chicago Fire or Red Stars soccer – The Fire and Red Stars are Chicago’s two pro soccer teams (men’s and women’s soccer, respectively). I watched some soccer while attending a small college. The team was one of the best in the nation, having won eight NAIA titles in 13 seasons. I’m eager to see the Fire and Red Stars at Toyota Park.

8. WNBA – Rumor has it the WNBA is struggling and could be the next league to fold after the Arena Football League suspended operations last week. If that’s the case, then I should check out the improved Chicago Sky this season. Runner up: NBA playoff game featuring the Bulls. Again finding a ticket for the pro game is tricky.

9. Snowboarding – I was fascinated watching the snowboarding competition during the 2006 Torino Olympics on TV. These guys and gals look like they’re having a blast, and it must be even more fun to watch them in person.

10. Gymnastics – When I was in high school, I had to learn to do a routine on the balance beam and uneven parallel bars, and I’m not athletically inclined. I have a tremendous appreciation for what these young men and women do on these apparatuses.

Chicago Women’s Soccer Team Needs a Name

The new Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) league will be launched in the spring of 2009, and Chicago will be one of seven cities with a franchise. The only thing is – the team is looking for a name.

On his soccer blog Red Card, Chicago Tribune columnist Luis Arroyave provided six of 10 names that are currently being considered. Those six names are the Chicago Blues, the Chicago Towers, the Chicago Riot, the Chicago Massacre, the Chicago Union and the Chicago Wind.

Beginning next week, the team is having a “name the team” sweepstakes. Fans are invited to vote for their favorite name at the team’s Web site. Here's a link to the online form to vote. Voting ends March 16th.

Looking at the names that are listed already, I would say the best choice is the Chicago Wind. The other names have negative connotations that aren't suitable for a women's sports team. And besides, the Chicago Wind goes nicely with Chicago’s WNBA team, the Chicago Sky. (The wind and the sky -- what a lovely thought).

Coach Ryan Made All the Wrong Moves

Before the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup tournament began, Nike came out with an ad featuring the U.S. women’s team and the tagline, “The best team you’ve never heard of.” Well, now the U.S. team is getting a lot more publicity than it bargained for, and for all the wrong reasons.

After losing to Brazil 4-0 in the semi-finals of the World Cup last week, coach Greg Ryan came under intense criticism for choosing Brianna Scurry over Hope Solo as the starting goalie for the U.S. team. Scurry, one of the stars of the 2004 Olympic team, had not played in more than three months. Solo, on the other hand, started all three previous World Cup games for the U.S. with three shutouts to her credit. After the loss, Solo publicly criticized Ryan and Scurry, and claimed she could have made the saves that Scurry did not make.

We’ll never know if Solo’s presence in goal would have made a difference in the game or not. Brazil looked highly motivated and prepared to take on the American team, and I’m not sure the U.S. would have beaten them.

I do know that in preparation for any kind of tournament or championship game, you have to go with the hot hand. You stick with the people who brought you to the dance, and Solo has been the go-to person all along. Why bring in Scurry, who has been on the bench for so long and may have been a bit rusty?

Sadly, Solo received a lot of unfair criticism for her public display, and in fact, was dumped by her teammates who decided she was too much of a distraction leading up to the third-place game. But if I were in her shoes, I would have felt the same way. There is some speculation that Solo’s future with the team is jeopardized because of her comments, and that is sad. I don’t think it’s fair to cut a talented athlete because they express their opinions publicly. It certainly doesn’t seem to hurt Terrell Owens or Randy Moss. If anyone needs to have a career makeover at this point, I would say it’s coach Greg Ryan. The decision he made to switch goalies not only hurt the team on the field, it hurt the team’s morale more than Solo’s comments did.

Stay tuned. I’m sure there’s more to come.

By the way, the American women finished third in the World Cup, defeating Norway in the consolation game 4-1.

The Beckham Factor

British soccer phenom David Beckham and his wife, Victoria, were introduced in Los Angeles today. When he makes his debut with the Los Angeles Galaxy, the whole world will be watching. The Galaxy signed Beckham for $5.5 million per year last winter, and U.S. soccer officials are hoping that his name, talent and reputation will attract new fans to the sport.

Sure, people will watch the games, but mostly out of curiosity. But will they start watching soccer because they’re interested in soccer, or because they want to see some soccer superstar in action? The Galaxy will definitely attract more people to their home games – they already sold more season tickets for this year after signing Beckham – but are they soccer fans or they curious about Beckham’s celebrity?

The reality is Beckham may be too much of a celebrity himself that he might become a distraction to the Galaxy. The soccer star has said he would like to get into acting, which is why he signed with the MLS team in Los Angeles. Whatever success the sport enjoys while Beckham is part of it will be intense and short-lived. If and when the Hollywood lights begin to beckon, he’ll leave U.S. soccer in a cloud of L.A. pixie dust. Then the sport will be back to where it started.