This year's state tourney is being played at the home field for the Joliet Jackhammers, a minor-league franchise in the Northern League.
Hmmmmmm.
Maybe some year down the road, the Field of Dreams that will be where the Lake County Fielders play in Zion can host the state meet.
What's needed is hotel rooms for the 8 teams (4 in Class 3A and 4A in class 4A) that play on Friday and Saturday. We probably have plenty of hotels around here to accommodate them.
Tonight, the Grayslake High Board of Education reportedly is going to consider naming a permanent varsity boys basketball coach for next season. Brian Moe, who coached the Rams last year after former coach Tim Bowen got fired, served as interim coach last winter.
Since elections reshaped the school board, it is possible that there is strong sentiment to bring back Bowen, a very successful coach in terms of wins and losses who was dumped by the former board for reasons not connected to winning and losing games.
So, who will it be: Bowen or Moe?
This does remind of the situation at Waukegan High when Al Rogers was named interim coach after Brian Colbert departed a few years back. After Rogers' season, the job was posted and likeable Al applied for the job. As did Colbert.
Neither of them, of course, was hired. Ron Ashlaw was.
But it was conceivable that Colbert COULD have been brought back, so the idea of bringing back Bowen is not beyond the realm of realism.
The irony, of course, is that Bowen served last year as assistant coach for Waukegan High's team that nearly won the IHSA Class 4A state title. Meanwhile, Moe became the first coach in Grayslake (Central) history to coach a team to victory in a sectional game.
This one has a too-close-to-call feel to it.
What do you think?
One of the things you notice right away during the spring sports season is how few of the area's top prep boys basketball players also play baseball or track or tennis or lacrosse.
One notable exception is Vernon Hills High senior Riaz Hoveydai. During the winter, he was the best players on a decent Cougar boys hoops squad.
This spring, he played No. 1 doubles for his school's tennis team and actually reached the finals of the North Suburban Conference tournament at No. 1 doubles. It was the first time a Cougar singles player or doubles team played for an NSC title in the school's nine-year history.
Are there any other all-county boys hoopsters playing successfully on the school field this spring?
This team probably should be atop the North Suburban Conference Lake Division standings. But, inexplicably, it went in the tank for two weeks in April, losing back-to-back two-game series to Lake Zurich & Stevenson, and thereby assuring also-ran status for the rest of the regular season.
That said, the team has the total package necessary to do some serious damage in the Class 4A playdowns. They can catch the ball, can play small ball, have some serious thumpers in the heart of the lineup, and have an emerging freshman pitcher who will keep the other team from scoring in bunches.
The key is to play smart ball. Don't know why the team kept brain-cramping in April, but it's playing the best ball in our area right now, and will be a real danger team in the playoffs.
The North Suburban Conference Prairie Division softball and baseball titles appear to be headed in the same direction -- north.
In softball, Antioch has total command of the league race and surely will represent the division in the NSC Championship Game.
In baseball, Lakes High's program is on fire, and has won 11 straight. While the Eagles have a danger game against powerful Deerfield today, the Eagles clearly could be a factor when the IHSA playoffs begin and they drop down to compete at the Class 3A level.
The North Suburban Conference scheduled league baseball games for Monday-Tuesday of each week this spring.
Nothing wrong with that except that it has rained every Monday and Tuesday for the last three weeks.
Seems like, each year, the prep baseball season is getting shorter and shorter and shorter. And, in an attempt to extend the season, the state tournament is now being played long after virtually every school has finished up for the year.
As a result, there is zero buzz at the schools for the prep baseball playoffs. And yes, the same holds true for softball.
One wonders if it is feasible to play prep baseball with the season starting in mid-August, when football practice starts, and playing the state tourney in october (the Fall Classic, so to speak).
Prep golf used to be a spring sport and it was shifted to the fall because the golfers are at their best then, having played all summer.
The same theory holds true for baseball.
Would making baseball a fall sport be a good idea?
Is there a better high-school baseball program in the area than the one at Carmel High?
Every year, that program is strong. This year, it has started out 5-0.
In fact, it's kind of interesting that East Suburban Catholic Conference rivals Joliet Catholic and Carmel are both state powers in football and baseball, but really, really, really struggle in boys basketball.
Why is that?
At least everybody who was calling in to the Chicago-based sports talk shows on Thursday night did.
Rarely has there been such unanimity on such a controversial sports topic.
In the Locker Room, by the way, we are solidly behind Jay Cutler and glad to see Kyle Orton go.
Now, the Bears just need to come up with a couple of solid possession receivers. There are some oldies but goodies on the scrap heap right now, such as Tori Holt. One wonders which grizzled-veteran type the Bears should pursue to give Cutler some solid targets to throw to.
Gotta tip the cap to those area high-school baseball programs that are playing ball this week in places where it is warm. That's a lot of candy bars to sell during the off-season and a lot of cars to wash, but getting games in is worth it.
Carmel High, for example, is off to a 5-0 start and crushing the opposition in sunny Arizona. This is the first year ever that the Corsairs have left the area for spring-break week. If Carmel had stayed home, they'd be in the gym practicing all week.
Am reminded of what happened at Z-B High this year. Little did we know that Rodney Clinkscales' loss from the 2008 team to graduation would leave such a big hole in the lineup. It seemed like shuffling pieces, with Zelle Smith moving to guard, Quintrell Love moving to small forward and the big Worthington kid taking over for Antonio Stewart at power forward. And that would leave Z-B poised to win it all in 2009.
Didn't happen.
Think about that when you start penciling in Waukegan to win the 2010 state championship.
Colin Nickerson did a lot of things for the Bulldogs besides score. He was the team's best defensive player and always played the role of lockdown corner against the opponent's high scorer. He also could rebound, lead the break, and hit from behind the arc as well as drive to the basket. That is a huge hole Waukegan will have to fill. One player isn't going to be able to wear Colin's shoes, and when you start asking other players to do more, it takes away from what they currently do well.
In other words, it's OK to plan that state-championship parade down Washington St. in Waukegan for next March, just don't pay for the parade permit just yet.
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