This was a night where I would have much preferred to be relaxing on my couch, as opposed to being stuck here at the office.

Too great playoff games for Chicago teams tonight, one that ended happily and one that ended in disappointment.

How about Joakim Noah? His steal, dunk over Paul Pierce (left) and free throw gave the Bulls the lead for good in a 128-127 epic, triple-overtime thriller at the United Center. Derrick Rose blocked a shot attempt by Rajon Rondo to preserve the lead, and all of a sudden this series is tied 3-3.

I didn't think the Bulls were capable of pushing the Celtics to seven games, but you have to give them full marks. This is one of the best NBA playoff series I've ever seen, if not the best. Never before has a series featured three overtime games. This one has had FOUR. Two single-overtime games, a double-overtime game and now a triple-overtime game.

I'm not the biggest NBA fan or the biggest Bulls fan, but if you can't enjoy this great series, you might as well turn in your sports fan card. The drama has simply been awesome -- great shots by both teams, and also some critical mistakes under pressure. Hard fouls, fights, heroes, villains all kinds of shifts in momentum. You just can't ask for more.

Now, it's back to Boston for a decisive Game 7 on Saturday. It would only be fitting if that game goes overtime as well.

The Blackhawks game was a great one tonight, too, although that one ended in disappointment as the Vancouver Canucks prevailed 5-3 in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals.

The Hawks faced a 3-0 deficit heading into the third period, but they rallied on a pair of goals from Patrick Kane and a game-tying strike from Dave Bolland. Unfortunately, Sami Salo scored with 1:13 left to give Vancouver the lead, and the Canucks added an empty-netter to ice the win.

Game 2 is Saturday night in Vancouver. We'll see how the young Hawks respond as they face their first series deficit of the playoffs.

Great time to be a sports fan in Chicago, huh? You just can't beat this excitement. This is the first time since 1997 that both the Hawks and the Bulls made the playoffs in the same year. No matter the outcome, this has been a joy to watch.

The Bulls suffered a tough loss last night in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals, 106-104 in overtime.

The Celtics took a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series, and this loss had to frustrate Bulls fans to no end because it didn't need to happen. Chicago had an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter and let it slip away. And some really boneheaded coaching by Vinny Del Negro and his staff contributed to the unnecessary defeat.

Take the end of the overtime session, for example. Score tied 104-104, Boston ball. Celtics star Paul Pierce (26 points, 15 from the start of the fourth quarter on) was red hot on midrange jumpers down the stretch. Time and time again, the Celtics were able to isolate Pierce near the top of the circle against a smaller defender. On at least four occasions, Pierce knocked in the midrange shot.

Coming out of that final timeout, I was yelling at the TV, imploring the Bulls to make someone other than Pierce beat them. No sale. Once again, the Celtics isolated Pierce (left) at the top of the key against a smaller defender. Once again, he hit a midrange shot -- a game-winning jumper over John Salmons with 3.4 seconds remaining.

Is Del Negro comatose over there on the bench? Ray Allen was fouled out and on the bench. That meant that Pierce was option A, B and C for the Celtics in that situation. You HAVE TO force someone other than Pierce to make a play to win the game. Deny him the ball, double-team him, do SOMETHING, ANYTHING. You can't just allow the Celtics to do whatever they want with the season hanging in the balance.

That's just terrible coaching, and it's a shame because the Bulls really do have a chance against the beat-up Celtics in this series. Unfortunately, Del Negro is clueless under pressure.

This video was posted over on White Sox Interactive earlier today, and I thought it was interesting to watch. It's a report on the state of the Blackhawks from October 20, 2007. My, how things have changed in 18 months....

Moments ago, the Blackhawks won their first playoff series since 1996, defeating the Calgary Flames 4-1 up north of the border.

With the victory, the Hawks win the series 4-2 and advance to the Western Conference semifinals.

The keys for tonight: Two first-period goals by Patrick Kane and Adam Burish gave the Hawks an early 2-0 lead and forced the Flames to play from behind. Goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin did the rest, turning in a brilliant 43-save performance.

Khabibulin was named the game's first star tonight and rightfully so.

The Hawks will likely face Vancouver in the second round. If Anaheim beats San Jose tonight, the Ducks will draw the Detroit Red Wings in the other Western Conference semifinal.

Currently, Anaheim leads San Jose 3-1 in the second period. I will update again when the game concludes.

UPDATE: Anaheim defeats San Jose 4-1. The Vancouver Canucks will be the second-round opponent for the Blackhawks.

Oh, and Matt Walker is tough. He's a hockey player:

You had to figure NFL Draft weekend would be pretty bland for the Bears. After all, they traded their first-round pick to Denver as part of the deal to acquire quarterback Jay Cutler. That move was the big offseason splash, and nothing the Bears did over the weekend even comes close to generating that kind of buzz.

However, I think the Bears did a decent job of drafting some guys who can fill up the bottom half of their roster. Are any of these draftees going to start as rookies? Perhaps not, but several should be capable backups -- as well as contributors on special teams.

In case you missed it, here is a rundown of the players the Bears selected:
Third round
DT/DE Jarron Gilbert 6-5/288/San Jose State
WR Juaquin Iglesias 6-1/210/Oklahoma
Fourth round
DE Henry Melton 6-3/260/Texas
CB D.J. Moore 5-9/192/Vanderbilt
Fifth round
WR Johnny Knox 6-0/185/Abilene Christian
LB Marcus Freeman 6-0/239/Ohio State
Sixth round
S Al Afalava 5-11/213/Oregon State
Seventh round
TE Lance Louis 6-2/303/San Diego State
WR Derek Kinder 6-1/210/Pittsburgh

Coming into the draft, I felt the Bears needed to address the receiving corps and the secondary.

With respect to the receivers they drafted, I hope Iglesias is ready to make an immediate contribution. He has good size, good hands and seems to be a good fit for offensive coordinator Ron Turner's scheme. A guy like Iglesias has the potential to be a good complement to Devin Hester. Hester is a pure speed guy. He's undersized, but he stretches the defense. Once the defense is stretched, Iglesias should be able to operate on the underneath and over-the-middle routes. Iglesias is probably the one potential rookie starter among the draftees. We'll see how quickly he adjusts to life in the NFL.

The other wide receivers the Bears took don't seem like immediate solutions. I've never seen Knox play before in my life. I'm told he has great speed, but coming from Abilene Christian, he's probably a project. Kinder is another big guy, but he has a torn ACL in his injury history. In my mind, he's a longshot for the roster.

I'm a little disappointed the Bears didn't draft a safety higher. I'm not real comfortable with free-agent acquisition Josh Bullocks being handed the job at free safety. Afalava figures to be a special-teams contributor and a backup at a thin position for the Bears. Is he better than Craig Steltz? I'm not convinced. I'm glad they added depth at cornerback with the addition of Moore. Starter Nathan Vasher has had significant injuries the last two years and can't be trusted anymore. Moore had six interceptions at Vanderbilt last season and should contribute in a reserve role as a rookie.

The sleeper in this group? That would be Freeman. I'm a Big Ten guy, and I was always impressed with Freeman when he was at Ohio State. He was overshadowed by overrated former teammate James Laurinaitis, but he has good wheels and he's a sure tackler. The Bears three incumbent linebackers (Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs and Hunter Hillenmeyer) have some age on them. Freeman can probably back up any of the three spots as a rookie, and a couple years down the road he could replace Briggs on the weak side.

And we'll conclude with the video of third-round pick Gilbert jumping out of a swimming pool. Can't argue with the dude's athleticism:

I think most of us get sick of the hype surrounding every series the Yankees and Red Sox play. Certainly, those two teams don't need any publicity from me. Nevertheless, I will give mention to a clever and unusual play that took place in a game between the two ESPN favorites last night.

With the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning, Red Sox outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury executed a rare straight steal of home plate. The swipe gave Boston a 3-1 lead, and it went on to a 4-1 victory over New York to complete a three-game series sweep.

This was a really alert play by Ellsbury. Yankees left-hander Andy Pettitte was on the mound, taking his usual 500 hours between pitches, and got caught napping. He was working from the windup and seemingly had no idea what was going on.

When I saw this play, it occurred to me that this wasn't the first time someone had stolen home on Pettitte. Mike Sweeney (then of the Kansas City Royals) swiped home in this game played on August 14, 2002. The New York pitcher that day? Sure enough, it was Pettitte.

Sweeney, currently with the Seattle Mariners, has only 50 stolen bases in his 15-year career. That steal of home against Pettitte has to rank as the most memorable.

Next time Pettitte gets a runner on third, he should probably be a little more careful.

It wasn't just a win -- it was a dominant win. That's exactly what the Blackhawks needed after dropping Games 3 and 4 of their Western Conference quarterfinal series in Calgary.

On Saturday night, the Hawks took a 3-2 series lead with a resounding 5-1 victory over the Flames at the United Center. For all intents and purposes, this one was over early as the Hawks began the game by overpowering Calgary in the first period.

It took the Flames 10 minutes of clock time before they got a single shot on goal. They only had three shots total in the entire first period, while the Hawks had 15. And, oh yeah, Brent Seabrook, Patrick Sharp and Kris Versteeg scored three goals within a span of 1:49 to give the Hawks a quick 3-0 lead. THAT'S how you start a game.

Calgary scored early in the second to make it 3-1, but the Hawks answered with goals by Andrew Ladd and Cam Barker. Down 5-1, the Flames never made a serious charge after that, although the Hawks had to kill off a two-man disadvantage that lasted 1:29 in the third period. That was Calgary's last gasp, and it failed to score.

Now, it's back to Calgary for Monday night's Game 6. Can the Hawks close the deal on the road? The first four games of the series were close and could have gone either way. By contrast, Game 5 was an easy win for the Hawks. Now, they have the momentum -- and a great chance to finish the Flames off if they start well in the next game.

With the recent job cuts here at Fox Valley Publications, I've had a little more on my plate the last few days. There's more work to be done, which leaves me less opportunity to actually watch sports during the evening hours. Unfortunately, it leaves me less time to work on this blog as well.

Maybe being busy on the desk tonight was a blessing, as the Bulls laid an egg. I saw very little of Thursday's 107-86 loss to the Boston Celtics. With the carnage, the Bulls now trail the best-of-seven series 2-1.

Sun-Times beat reporter Brian Hanley wrote that Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro had the following five things designated as keys to the game:

1. Controlling emotions
2. Handling the physicality of the game
3. Being mentally tough
4. Limiting mistakes
5. Valuing the ball

0-for-5, Vinny.

The "valuing the ball" part definitely was a catastrophe. The Bulls had 22 turnovers, leading to 24 Celtics points. Given that the difference in the game was 21 points, I'd say that's a fairly significant stat.

Point guard Derrick Rose had seven turnovers alone. When Rose plays well, as he did in Game 1, the Bulls play well. When Rose goes 4-for-14 from the floor with only two assists and gives the ball away, the Bulls generally stink.

A lot of pressure is on Rose. As a matter of fact, the Bulls are too reliant on the rookie guard, and that will ultimately cost them this series against the more experienced (albeit injured) Celtics.

It's asking a little to much to require Rose to put his mediocre teammates on his back and lift them to a series win over the defending NBA champs. But this will be a great learning experience for the 20-year-old, and that will benefit the Bulls in the future, when they hopefully surround Rose with better talent.

Ahh, Dusty Baker....everytime the former Cubs manager and current Cincinnati Reds skipper comes to town, you can count on him saying something dumb.

Apparently, In Dusty We Trusty thinks the NL Central is a balanced, tough division. I about fell off the couch when I read the following comment in this morning's Tribune:

"There shouldn't be anybody that you just figure can come in and sweep the weekend, or the week," quoth Dusty. "If everybody is pretty good, they're all capable of beating anybody."

That statement is a bunch of droppings from a male cow. Once you get past the Cubs and Cardinals, there is nothing in the NL Central. Absolutely nothing. In fact, I predict that division will produce at least two 90-loss teams.

The Astros have an aging offensive core and no pitching to speak of outside of Roy Oswalt. They stink. The Pirates are off to an 8-6 start, but that's a mirage. Seventeen consecutive losing seasons is enough for me to feel comfortable saying they also stink.

I'm starting to wonder if the Brewers stink, too. They still have a lot of great young offensive players (Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun, Corey Hart, J.J. Hardy, et al.), but it's hard to win when Jeff Suppan is your Opening Day starter and Carlos Villaneuva is your closer. The offseason losses of C.C. Sabathia and Ben Sheets gutted that pitching staff. Milwaukee, a wild-card team last year, is off to a 4-9 start.

Maybe this Baker statement isn't as stupid as the time he claimed dark-skinned players perform better in hot weather, but it's still flat wrong. I think the Cubs and Cardinals are going to do a lot of "sweeping" against NL Central opponents this summer.

It looks like a two-team race, with the Cubs as the favorite. Sorry, Dusty.

White Sox fans rejoiced Monday afternoon as worthless right-handed relief pitcher Mike MacDougal was designated for assignment.

MacDougal, who seems to have a chronic allergy to the strike zone, has walked seven in just 4 1/3 innings this season. He also has a spiffy 12.46 ERA.

The Sox promoted Jack Egbert from triple-A Charlotte to take MacDougal's roster spot. Really, though, it doesn't matter who the Sox called up. Just about anybody would be better than MacDougal.

Hell, this kid would probably be better than MacDougal:

Looks like he at least throws strikes. He even kinda looks like MacDougal.

Blackhawks right winger Patrick Kane will miss tonight's Game 3 of the Western Conference quarterfinals with flu-like symptoms.

While that doesn't bode well for tonight, it's best to keep Kane away from his teammates. Do whatever it takes to prevent that virus from spreading around the locker room.

The Hawks own a 2-0 series lead over the Calgary Flames after back-to-back 3-2 victories on home ice last week.

UPDATE: The Hawks lose this one 4-2. They still lead the series 2-1 with Game 4 scheduled for 9 p.m. Wednesday in Calgary.

Amusing story from Joe Cowley in today's Sun-Times. Apparently, the hotel the Sox (and other teams) stay at in St. Petersburg, Fla., while in town to play the Tampa Bay Rays is haunted.

Maybe that explains why Tampa Bay had the best home record (57-24) in baseball last season. None of their opponents got a good night's sleep at the Renaissance Vinoy Resort, which is said to have an excessive amount of paranormal activity on the fifth floor.

For the record, catcher A.J. Pierzynski and MLB.com writer Scott Merkin are the only two members of the Sox travelling party staying on the fifth floor this weekend as the team plays the Rays in a four-game set.

His name doesn't show up on the scoresheet. He wasn't one of the three stars. But Blackhawks winger Andrew Ladd played a helluva game Thursday night, helping the team to a 3-2 overtime victory over the Calgary Flames in Game 1 of the Western Conference quarterfinals.

Martin Havlat is going to draw all the headlines, and rightfully so. Havlat netted the game-tying goal at 14:27 of the third period to force the overtime. And he won it 12 seconds into the extra session.

But look at the celebration photo at left and see who is standing right in front of the net. That's Ladd. On the game-winning goal, Dave Bolland skated the puck over the blue line. Ladd was directly to Bolland's right, and he made the smart play: He drove to the front of the net and took the Calgary defenseman with him.

That opened up the space for Havlat to receive a pass from Bolland and put one past Calgary goalie Miikka Kiprusoff for the winner.

That was an outstanding play by all three members of that forward line: Bolland made the pass. Ladd drove the net and screened the goalie. Havlat executed the shot.

Havlat and Bolland will show up on the scoresheet. But don't forget to give Ladd his credit as well.

I'd be really surprised if the Bulls make a series out of their first-round playoff matchup with the Boston Celtics, but it certainly helps that Boston star forward Kevin Garnett has been ruled out for the series.

Garnett (left) has been hobbled by a sore right knee and has missed 22 of the last 26 games for Celtics. The injury may require surgery and could keep Garnett sidelined for as long as the Boston playoff run lasts.

Kendrick Perkins, Leon Powe, Glen Davis and Mikki Moore are going to be patrolling the paint for Boston in this series. That should make it a little easier for the Chicago bigs, but it won't make a big enough difference to sway the outcome.

The Celtics are still going to win, perhaps easily. Garnett has missed 25 total games this season, and Boston had gone 18-7 in those contests. Included in those 18 wins, a victory over the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers. The Celtics went 8-1 over their final nine games without Garnett.

One would think this injury will cost the Celtics in their quest to repeat as NBA champions, but they should get by this Bulls team. After all, the Bulls should have secured the No. 6 seed and a date with the Orlando Magic in the first round. Instead, they blew that with a preposterous homecourt loss to the lowly Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night. Not exactly a good way to enter the playoffs.

Hopefully, the Bulls can win a game or two and make it interesting.

Sunday nights just aren't going to be the same without John Madden. The long-time NFL announcer announced his retirement Thursday after 30 years as a color analyst for four different networks.

Now, who is going to talk incessantly about Brett Favre? And who is going to remind us that, "When your quarterback throws the ball, and your receiver catches it in the end zone, well, that would be a touchdown. Boom!"

Happy trails, John.

This is rich: Basketball didn't work out so well for Duke guard Greg Paulus, so he's going to give football a shot. The former high school quarterback actually had a tryout with the Green Bay Packers.

So, let's see here. Paulus hasn't played football in four years. He stands only about 6-foot-1, and he's basically a little wuss who lost his starting job and got dunked on constantly at Duke. Sounds like the perfect quarterback for Green Bay!

I'm sure Bears fans would love to see Paulus lining up under center for the Pack. Now, if we could just get Aaron Rodgers out of the way....

Every year, it seems like you see a few college basketball players make the terrible mistake of declaring pro too early. DePaul's Dar Tucker (left) is stepping into that trap this year.

Tucker announced Tuesday that he will hire an agent, thus making him ineligible to return to school if he is not drafted. That's foolish.

Sure, Tucker averaged 18.5 points per game for DePaul last season. He's a good player, but that kid needs another year in college. Pro scouts followed Tucker and teammate Mac Koshwal despite the Blue Demons' 0-18 record in the Big East last year, but the 2009 mock draft posted on Draft Express doesn't have either player listed among the top 60 potential picks.

I'm seeing a second-round selection (at best) and a trip to the D-League in Tucker's future. It seems this decision is motivated by financial hardship. Unfortunately, it's hard to get rich playing in the NBDL.

The Colorado Rockies thought so little of Scott Podsednik that they cut him this spring. Podsednik, a World Series hero for the White Sox in 2005, doesn't appear to have it anymore.

That didn't stop the Sox from signing him to a minor-league deal on Tuesday. Welcome back, Pods!

Since Jerry Owens is coming back to the White Sox, I guess we have to give him our traditional warm, sarcastic welcome.

As the 13-28 road record suggests, the Bulls have had trouble winning away from the United Center this season. But they showed some toughness Monday night by rallying for a 91-88 win over the Detroit Pistons at The Palace in Auburn Hills, Mich.

The Bulls trailed by as many as 11 points in the third quarter and were down 88-85 going into the final minute. No matter. A 3-point play by Derrick Rose (team-high 24 points) with 42 seconds left, followed by a Ben Gordon bucket with 14 seconds remaining gave the Bulls the winning points.

Detroit managed just 13 points in the fourth quarter and 32 points in the entire second half. That's the kind of defensive effort the Bulls will need in the playoffs, and that's something that has been lacking for most of the season.

This win was important for the Bulls because it ensures that they will finish no worse than seventh in the Eastern Conference. That means they'll avoid top-seeded Cleveland in the first round.

The Bulls first opponent will be either the defending champion Boston Celtics or the Orlando Magic. The Bulls (41-40) sit sixth in the East, one win better than the Philadelphia 76ers (40-40). If the Bulls hold their ground, they will open at Orlando. If they slip behind Philadelphia, they head to Boston.

The Sixers host the Celtics Tuesday night and play at Cleveland on Wednesday. The Bulls conclude the season Wednesday at the UC against the Toronto Raptors.

The New York Yankees are getting smoked by the Tampa Bay Rays tonight, but I just checked the box score and noticed that former White Sox OF/1B Nick Swisher pitched an inning for New York.

A scoreless inning at that. Swisher recorded a strikeout against journeyman outfielder Gabe Kapler, which has to be a real embarrassment for Kapler.

As a matter of fact, Swisher was the only New York "pitcher" to go unscored upon tonight.

Here's one you don't see every day: White Sox outfielder Jermaine Dye and White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko both hit their 300th career home runs Monday in the Sox 10-6 victory over the Detroit Tigers.

This marks the first time in the history of Major League Baseball that two players have hit their 300th career home runs in the same game. The blasts came within minutes of each other, as Dye and Konerko went back-to-back in the second inning off Detroit right-hander Zach Miner.

Despite picking up the victory, Sox pitcher Gavin Floyd (1-1) was terrible in this game. He walked seven and allowed six runs in five innings. I guess this evens things out for Floyd, who was solid in a 2-0 loss to Kansas City last week.

Floyd deserved a win against the Royals and a loss today against the Tigers. The exact opposite happened. That's baseball.

Sox center field Dewayne Wise saved Floyd's ass with a spectacular diving catch in the fifth inning. For his efforts, Wise is headed to the disabled list with a separated shoulder. Joe Cowley reports that the Jerry Owens Experience is about to start anew. Shudder.

For the Blackhawks, this has been a year to end some lengthy droughts: First playoff berth in seven years. First 100-point season in 16 years.

Another dryspell ended today when Dustin Byfuglien (left) scored on a penalty shot with 27.6 seconds left to lift the Hawks to a 4-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings.

The last time the Hawks scored on a penalty shot? That was Dec. 13, 2002, when Alexei Zhamnov (aka Oksana Baiul) scored against the Buffalo Sabres.

The Hawks also learned today that the Calgary Flames will be their first round playoff opponent. The Vancouver Canucks defeated the Colorado Avalanche 1-0 in overtime Saturday to win the Northwest Division and secure the No. 3 seed.

That drops the Flames down to No. 5, and they will travel to Chicago to begin a best-of-seven series later this week. Before the playoffs begin, I'll offer my thoughts on this series and post the schedule once it is announced.

The goal is in sight now for the Blackhawks. With three games remaining, the Blackhawks need one more win to secure the No. 4 seed and home-ice advantage for the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Goals from Jonathan Toews, Dustin Byfuglien (pictured), Patrick Kane and Martin Havlat lifted the Hawks to a 4-2 win over Nashville on Tuesday night. The Hawks have now won four in a row and seven out of nine, and they have 99 points.

Calgary sits at 96 points, while Vancouver has 94. The Hawks need only finish ahead of one of those two teams in order to achieve the No. 4 seed. If they get two more points to get to 101, the Canucks can't catch them.

The Flames and Canucks are playing as I write, with the Canucks leading 2-1 in the third period. If Calgary rallies to win in regulation, the Hawks could clinch home ice tonight. More than likely, though, Vancouver wins at home.

I will update before closing up shop tonight.

UPDATE: Vancouver beats Calgary 4-1. That means Calgary and Vancouver are tied at 96 points with two games to play. Whichever team wins that battle gets the No. 3 seed. Hopefully, the loser finishes behind the Hawks and gets the No. 5.

The Hawks host Columbus on Wednesday, play at Detroit on Saturday and host the Red Wings on Sunday. Two more points are needed.

Without a doubt, everyone will be talking about Jim Thome's 3-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning Tuesday that gave the White Sox a 4-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Opening Day.

But none of that would have been possible without some veteran guile from left-hander Mark Buehrle, who made his seventh Opening Day start as a member of the White Sox.

Buehrle had nothing in the way of stuff Tuesday, but he put on a clinic on how to keep your team in the game while pitching with less than your best. The Royals had Buehrle on the ropes in each of the first five innings. Sure, they nicked him for a couple runs, but they never knocked him out.

Here are the jams Buehrle pitched out of:
First inning: First and second, one out -- No runs for Kansas City
Second inning: Solo HR followed by a one-out double -- One run for Kansas City
Third inning: First and second, one out -- No runs for Kansas City
Fourth inning: First and second, one out, Second and third, two outs -- No runs for Kansas City
Fifth inning: Bases loaded, nobody out -- One run for Kansas City

Buehrle's final line: 5 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 3 K, 3 BB, 2 HBP.

Not particularly impressive, but consider that the Royals stranded nine runners during those five innings. Buehrle got every big out he needed. He left trailing 2-1, but it very easily could have been 5- or 6-1. Instead, the Sox stayed in the game and Thome provided the heroics off Kansas City reliever Kyle Farnsworth.

Farnsworth, who former Beacon News sports editor Bill Kindt called "Farnsworth-less" during the right-hander's days with the Cubs, has a long record of choking against the Sox. Coming into today, he had an 8.10 ERA in 27 career games against the South Siders, including 10 HRs allowed in 26-plus innings. Those numbers just got worse.

Frankly, I can't believe Royals' skipper Trey Hillman allowed Farnsworth to face Thome with the game on the line. Is Ron Mahay dead? If you're Kansas City (and fortunately I am not Kansas City), don't you have to bring in the left-handed reliever to face Thome with the game on the line?

Bad move, Hillman. The Sox and their fans will take it.

I'm not going to write anything about the national championship game. I hate the ACC. I hate when the ACC wins. To hell with North Carolina.

Instead, tonight's late-night offering will be news from around the world of Major League Baseball.

It should be interesting to see what the New York papers have to say tomorrow about the Yankees debut of C.C. Sabathia (aka Captain Cheeseburger). The sizable lefty stunk it up in a 10-5 Opening Day loss at Baltimore, allowing six runs in 4 1/3 innings. He walked five, uncorked two wild pitches and failed to record a strikeout in an outing for the first time since July of 2005. Typically, the Yankee folk don't take kindly to guys signing $161 million contracts and pitching so poorly. It's just one game, but this disaster raises hope for the rest of the American League that the Sabathia deal will blow up in New York's face.

Sabathia wasn't the only ace to get lit up Monday. It was a rough day for Detroit's Justin Verlander and Cleveland's Cliff Lee as well. Verlander got torched for eight runs in 3 2/3 innings in a 12-5 loss to Toronto, while Lee surrendered seven runs in five innings in a 9-1 drubbing at Texas.

The Twins, Tigers and Indians all lost Monday, making it a rough day for the AL Central. That means tomorrow's game between the Royals and White Sox shapes up as a first-place showdown. :)

In National League action, the Pirates scored four in the ninth to rally past the Cardinals, 6-4. The Pirates trailed 4-3 and were down to their last strike in this game, before Jack Wilson cleared the bases with a three-run double. With the win, Pittsburgh is now tied for first place with the Cubs, who also won Monday.

If I were a Pittsburgh fan, I think I'd clip and save the standings in tomorrow morning's paper. This might be the last time you see the Pirates in first place this late in the season.

An early April snowstorm rolled into Chicago Sunday night and caused the postponement of today's Opening Day game at U.S. Cellular Field between the White Sox and the Kansas City Royals.

The two teams will begin the season tomorrow, hopefully under less snowy conditions.

Obviously, as Sox fans, we are all disappointed that we have to wait another day for our season to begin. Spring training has taken forever this year. We all had April 6 circled on our calendars. Now, the day has finally arrived, and we're left with no game.

However, I disagree with people who argue that all the teams in the Northern cities should have to start the season on the road. There just isn't getting around the bad weather in April. Inevitably, there will be bad-weather days at this time of year, and inevitably, some of those bad-weather days will fall on days where the Sox have home games. We just have to deal with it.

I've seen beautiful days in the first week in April, such as the home opener in 2005 -- 65 degrees and sunny. I've seen miserable days in mid- and late-April as well. Some of the worst weather I've ever experienced at the ballpark was Easter Sunday in 2006. That was in mid-April. It was 40 degrees or so, and it poured buckets starting in the fifth inning. Umpires allowed the game to get through five innings to make it official, and then called it.

But here's my point: The weather can be just as bad on April 15 or April 20 as it is on April 6. There's no point in making the Sox and other Midwest teams start on the road because you think the weather's going to be any better next week. You just never know. The weather here is part of the game. We don't have a dome, and we don't want one.

Unless you want the Sox to start the season with a 30-game road trip, there's always going to be a chance that you get this type of bad weather on Opening Day. It sucks, but that's how it goes.

What we've assumed would happen for months has now come to pass: The Blackhawks are going to the playoffs for the first time since 2002.

The Hawks clinched their playoff berth with a 3-1 victory over the Nashville Predators at the United Center Friday night.

In addition, the Hawks moved back into the coveted No. 4 playoff spot. They have 95 points, while both Calgary and Vancouver sit at 94. The Hawks have played one fewer game than the Flames, who dropped a 4-0 decision to the Minnesota Wild Friday night.

The only negative for the Hawks tonight: Another lower-body injury for high-scoring winger Patrick Sharp. Early reports have Sharp listed as day-to-day. He missed 16 games earlier this season with a sprained knee.

The Pirates lost 6-4 to a junior college team today.

I'll be sure to keep that in mind this year when Cubs fans are boasting about their 13-2 record against the mighty Pittsburghers.

So, how long will it be before the meathead fans at Soldier Field start chanting for Caleb Hanie to replace Jay Cutler?

My guess is they'll be calling for Cutler's head by the second home game. Yes, Bears fans really are that stupid. And drunk.

In the meantime, I'm going to go ahead and celebrate today's trade with Denver that brought Cutler to the Bears. Thankfully, the Bears finally have a young quarterback who has already established himself as being among the top 10 signal-callers in the league.

Cutler has thrown 45 TD passes in the last two years. When is the last time you've seen that kind of production from any of the stiffs the Bears have had playing quarterback in recent seasons?

No doubt, the Bears paid a price to get this guy. They gave up their incumbent quarterback, Kyle Orton, as well as their first-round draft picks for each of the next two years and a third-round pick this year. For me, it's worth it. I've waited my whole life for the Bears to have a franchise quarterback. They finally have one.

People will point to Cutler's career 17-20 record as a starter as a potential pitfall. I don't see that as a problem because Cutler went 13-1 when the Broncos defense held the opposition to 21 points or less.

If Cutler can give the Bears 24 points per game, I like their odds of winning the NFC North.

I do have one word of advice for Cutler, not that he's asking for my opinion: Toughen up your skin. Cutler was on the block in the first place because he took exception to trade rumors. He's got to learn to shrug criticism and other stuff like that off.

The first time Cutler throws an interception in Chicago, he's gonna get booed. The drunken tools in the stands are going to chant for Hanie. Hopefully, Cutler can ignore that garbage and let his talent shine through. If that happens, this is a GREAT move for the Bears.

News-Gazette beat writer Paul Klee had a nice synopsis of Illini basketball coach Bruce Weber's season-wrapping press conference.

Among the highlights:
1. Chester Frazier was the team MVP
2. The staff had difficulty deciding who to name the team's most improved player -- because several players made significant strides
3. Leadership is a concern for next season
4. Weber still has faith in struggling guard Alex Legion
5. Incoming freshman D.J. Richardson should be a strong defensive player
6. Incoming freshman Brandon Paul reminds Weber of Dwyane Wade.

Yeah, he really said that. That's a stretch.

In football news, the home game with Fresno State has been moved from Nov. 21 to Dec. 5. I still don't know why they don't just play the game in September.

The Illini basketball team will play Gonzaga at the United Center next year. Right now, that game is also tentatively scheduled for Dec. 5. You have to hope AD Ron Guenther is smart enough not to schedule that event on the same day as a home football game, but this is Guenther we're talking about here.