In this breakdown of the Tornoto roster after the Raptors traded for Jermaine O'Neal, 3 In The Key writes that one of the big weaknesses in the starting lineup is Naperville Central graduate Anthony Parker. Well, sort of.

It's not Anthoy Parker that is the problem per se, but the combination of Parker and Jamario Moon that causes TSN's basketball blogger concern.

And make no mistake, even with a fully healthy O'Neal, this team still needs upgrades.

The first, and most well documented in this space, comes on the wing. Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon are fine NBA players, and either one would make a great NBA starter if flanked by more talent alongside on the perimeter. Together, though, they make up one of the meekest starting-swing combos in the NBA. Neither one creates much havoc with his offensive game and neither one demonstrated much stopping power last season as the Raptors were routinely torched by opposing big guards and small forwards.

By D.J. Wanberg

Hey Cubs fans! Just wanting to check your mental state after the White Sox finished up a sweep on Sunday night.

Which best describes your current condition?

A. You've pushed the speed dial button on the phone for your therapist as you form the fetal position .

B. You're not sweating. Even good teams are going to hit a bump in the road during the season. Cubs are 6-9 in their last 15 games. It could be worse.

C. You're still shaking your head and wondering, "Tampa Bay can't be that good. They're Tampa Bay!"

D. You're sweating and wondering what the Cubs have to give up or what teams would want in order to get a quality starting pitcher in a trade to shore up the rotation.

E. You wonder if the upcoming road trip to San Francisco and St. Louis will make or break the season.

When Naperville native Mary DeScenza, Neuqua Valley graduate Melissa Marik and Naperville Central graduate Kelly McNichols finish swimming a race this weekend at the U.S. Olympic Trials, they could be asked for a little something extra.

That's because for the first time, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency will be conducting blood tests for performance enhancing drugs at the swimming trials.

It's probably a good idea. USA Swimming doesn't want to get embarrassed like the Bulgarian weightlifting team. Filthy buggers.

Marik is entered in the 100-meter butterfly and the 200 freestyle. McNichols qualified for five events: the 100 breaststroke, 200 breast, 200 free, 200 individual medley and the 100 free.

DeScenza will race in the 200 backstroke, 200 butterfly, 100 fly, 200 free and the 100 breast.

After further inspection of the results of the Nike Outdoor Nationals, Waubonsie Valley's Sean Wiggan placed 12th in the 800-meter run on Saturday.

Wiggan ran a 1:52.84 and finished ahead of Michigan state champion Tommy Brinn, who won the 800 at the Midwest Distance Gala in Lisle a week earlier.

The is what the on-the-mend Chris Derrick wrote about the 800 in one of his observations for Dyestat.com on Saturday.

The 800 is one of the most exciting races. In each final, the favorite pounced on the field at 400m and appeared to have the victory in hand, only to have the grueling long sprint to the line almost eat them up. The variety of strategies that can work in the 800 and the propensity for a fast pace to throw a large piano on the back of an early leader in the final straight make the homestretch of an 800 an unpredictable and thrilling event.

By D.J. Wanberg
As we watch the NBA draft coverage here in The Sun newsroom, I get a sense of hope coming from the Bulls' camp after they selected Derrick Rose with the No. 1 overall pick.

It reminds me of the 1984 draft when Michael Jordan was selected third overall.. Jordan had plenty of potential. We just didn't know he'd shatter the potential meter when he got on the court..
Debate rages in Portland to this day that the Trail Blazers shouldn't have taken Sam Bowie with the second pick and grabbed Jordan. Duh.

There was talk on sports radio this week from fans wanting the Bulls to take Michael Beasley of Kansas State who ended up going to Miami with the second pick. Years down the road, Bulls fans might have wished that happened. Or maybe Rose's jersey will hang retired one day from the United Center rafters. Who knows?

But for now, the Bulls are a team whose future is brighter than it was a few hours ago. How do you feel about it?

At the 35 second mark you can see Candace Parker dunk for the last of her 22 points on Tuesday night. The Naperville Central graduate became the first WNBA player to dunk in back to back games.

"A lot of us have just seen history," Sparks Coach Michael Cooper said. "You're going to see more because Candace Parker is very, very good."

Kyushu Bunka Gakuen High School, the 11-time Japanese national girls volleyball champion which will play Sports Performance 18 Elite on Wednesday night, was once at the center of one of the most self-evident research studies known to man.

According to this abstract, 24 girls volleyball players from KBG were studied over the course of 11 months during 1988 and 1989. They were tested for body fat percentage, cardiorespiratory function, body composition and skin fold measurement.

Those results were compared to those of 16 players from another local school that had "second-class players." (In your face Nagasaki Prefecture!)

In the LA Sparks 77-63 victory over the Indiana Fever last night, Candace Parker became just the second woman in WNBA history to dunk in a game. But no doubt, their will be some who say it wasn't a "true dunk." And I've got a tiny problem with that.

By D.J. Wanberg
Nobody is enjoying the Cubs' success more than me, but I feel a cold wind on my neck as I look at their upcoming schedule.
There are just 10 home dates in July and nine in September. This for a team whose best road trip was the first of the season, a 4-2 effort. The team has had five below .500 road trips so far.
The Cubs simply cannot be stopped at Wrigley Field. They have to figure out how to be that way in different zip codes. Or a cold wind will blow on the hopes of the season once again.

Naperville native Mackenzie Caquatto did not perform on Sunday at the U.S. gymnastics Olympic Trials in Philadelphia. She warmed up, but was a scratch for the second day of competition.

As a result, she was not invited to the Olympic team selection camp.

The Los Angeles Times reported on its Web site that Caquatto pulled a hamstring.

Benet sophomore McKinzie Schulz finished 16th in the women's 800-meter dash on Saturday at the Nike Outdoor Nationals in Greensboro, N.C.

Schulz finished in 2 minutes, 14.89 seconds. Jillian Smith of New Jersey won the race in 2:05.24. Schulz was scheduled to run the 2,000-meter steeplechase, but the Naperville native did not start that race.

Neuqua Valley graduate Chris Derrick would be running at the Nike Outdoor Nationals if not for his recent illness, but he is in Greensboro, N.C., this weekend working as a correspondent for Dyestat.com.

His coverage of the meet -- Derrick's Dispatches -- can be read here.

This was a great line from his Friday post about German Fernandez breaking the national two-mile record.

German is the most incredibly even pacer (even while racing guys) that I have ever seen or heard of. Forget testing for drugs, test for a freaking computer chip.

Hopefully, Chris can catch up with Benet sophomore McKinzie Schulz, who is slated to run the 2,000-meter steeplechase at 10:45 a.m. and the 800 at 4:55 p.m. today. Last summer, Schulz won the 2,000-meter steeplechase at AAU Nationals and won the 1,500 at the USATF Nationals.

This is the first of two posts of an "In my own words" feature on FSN Prime Ticket, which is a cable network in the Los Angeles market. In his this interview Candace Parker tells her athletic life story, including describing herself as "a girly tomboy" when she was a youngster growing up in Naperville.

Parker also explained that Ron Harper, not Michael Jordan, was her favorite Bulls player.

In part two, Candace Parker backs down from singing a Little Mermaid song after claiming she new all of them. She also said the following phrase: "Grandma, you can't listen to Wu-Tang." That's good stuff.

Here is a clip of Naperville's Mackenzie Caquatto competing in the vault on Friday at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Philadelphia. Caquatto is sixth in vault after day one.

Naperville resident Mackenzie Caquatto is in sixth place on the vault after the first day of the U.S gymnastics Olympic Trials on Friday in Philadelphia.

The junior to be at Naperville Central had a high score of 8.8 on the vault. Caquatto is 12th in the all-around in the 19 gymnast field with a score of 57.1.

The women's trials continue on Sunday. The top two gymnasts in the cumulative all-around are given automatic berths for the Olympic team. The rest of the team is picked after a team camp July 16-20.

Neuqua Valley small forward Dwayne Evans is No. 19 on the Chicagohoops.com Top Illinois Class of 2010 Prospects.

Evans is the only Naperville-area player on the list. Waukegan forward Jerome Richmond is the No. 1 prospect.

Neuqua Valley senior Chris Derrick lent his pen to Dyestat.com in a preview of the 3,200-meter run at the Nike Outdoor Nationals, which are this weekend in Greensboro, N.C.

Derrick does a great job of laying out how the race could go and explains who the true players are in a field that could be good enough to break the national two-mile record.

What makes races like NON so intriguing is it is the first time since Footlocker that all of the top guys get into the same race. Each of these star athletes has become accustomed over these past months to winning, if not dominating, over lesser fields. Now thrust into a race of true peers, strategies and mindsets accrued from months spent as favorites must be adjusted.

The petty sandbox fight is over, and the haves have figured out how to slice up our money between them thusly. Now we can go back to watching Big Ten football on television the way it was intended: on the couch at your own house.

No longer will we be forced to suck up to friends with digital satellite or spend a grip of money at a sports bar. The nightmare is over friends.

The Big Ten Network and Comcast ended their prolonged negotiations on Thursday and announced that the BTN will be available on all Comcast cable systems in time for football season.

Under the terms of the agreement, Comcast will initially launch the network as part of its expanded basic level of service to promote it to the majority of its customers residing in states with Big Ten universities (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania, with the exception of the Philadelphia region which will launch on a broadly distributed digital level of service) starting August 15th. (Comcast does not have systems in Iowa, the eighth Big Ten state.)

Shortly after 11 a.m., during his pregame briefing, Ozzie Guillen was asked if he could ever manage the Cubs. At first the White Sox manager wavered, "No, I don't know man."

Guillen then refocused and joked that he'd have to wait until White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf dies before he'd even consider managing on the North Side.

"Then, I'll take a look at it," Guillen said. "I'd never do that to Jerry Reinsdorf. I'd never do it to (general manager) Kenny Williams."

It came to my attention today that Naperville North freshman outfielder Sammy Marshall broke the school record this season for steals. Marshall finished with 26 stolen bases this season, the most in the area. The previous record was held by Jan Mountcastle, who had 23 steals in 1979. Marshall also scored 20 runs this season to lead the Huskies.

Naperville Central graduate and Indiana University diver Amy Korthauer finished 12th in the 12-diver field for the 10-meter platform on Wednesday at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Indianapolis.

Korthauer posted a score of 210.50. Laura Wilkinson is in first place with 362.0 points.

Only the top diver is guaranteed a spot on the Olympic roster.

Zachary Michael Jack, an assistant professor of English at North Central College in Naperville, has a keen interest in what it's like for "average" athletes to take a shot at the pros. So much so that he has a book coming out on the subject. Due for release in November, Jack's "Inside the Ropes: Sportswriters get their game on" takes a look at journalists who relish the chance to bring a firsthand account of sports to their readers.

Check out this link for more information or to reserve a copy.

Tiger Woods proved this week that even on one leg, he's better than everyone else in the world. Somehow he won the U.S. Open, in 91 holes no less, with a double stress fracture in his leg and a torn anterior cruciate ligament. He got what he came for, leaving Torrey Pines with the trophy. But did he put his career in jeoparty? Woods and his doctors say no, that he'll come back good as new. Given that he plays golf and not, say, football, he has reason to be optimistic, and Jack's record of 18 major titles will fall.

What do you think? Should he have come back so soon given all the damage being done to his body?

Neuqua Valley senior Jake Blackman was named The Sun's 2008 boys volleyball player of the year on Wednesday. A week earlier, he sat down with The Heat Index to discuss Neuqua's season and his future plans.

As for Neuqua's 25-23, 20-25, 25-22 loss to Buffalo Grove in the state semifinals, Blackman said his team didn't give the Bison enough respect. After defeating DuPage Valley Conference champion Glenbard East in the quarterfinals the night before, the Wildcats were not ready to play.

"Beating Glenbard East the game before gave us a lot of confidence, made us a little hot headed," Blackman said. "You know, we could beat anybody. We could do anything. I think we took (Buffalo Grove) a little too lightly."

USA Swimming released the pysch sheet for the U.S. Olympic Trials on Tuesday, and while The Heat Index isn't exactly sure what a pysch sheet is, it sure seems like a long list of people who are qualified for the trials.

Naperville native Mary DeScenza was near the top of three of those long lists. DeScenza is the third seed for both the 100-meter butterfly and the 200 butterfly. She is the fifth seed in the 100 backstroke.

The trials will be held June 29-July 6 in Omaha, Neb.

By Brad Engel and Patrick Mooney

Bryan Roberts was arguably the area's most valuable player. With the dominant senior on the mound, Benet could always hang with the top teams in the Chicago area. In press boxes, the line of reasoning would go something like this: Where would Benet be without Roberts?

But no one can answer that question, and it's clear where Neuqua Valley wound up with Ian Krol -- back among the state's elite programs, playing on the final day of the season.

Other media outlets release its end-of-season awards before the season actually ends. The Sun waited until Neuqua had finished third at the Class 4A tournament, and Krol had already won four playoff games. It's difficult to ignore how the junior performed during the spring's defining stretch.

This video posted on Friday has highlights and interviews with Neuqua Valley cross country and track standout Chris Derrick. Though the graphics have his last name spelled Derick, we're pretty sure it's the same guy.

As The Heat Index reported on May 20, Naperville Central's Kara Wilson, Naperville Central's Tyler Kelley and Naperville North's Conor Handley were voted to the Illinois Water Polo first team all-state team.

The all-state banquet was held May 29 in Elmhurst and the all-state winners were posted on the IWP Web site sometime in the recent past.

The Heat Index did make a few errors in its initial report. The most blatant mistake was leaving Waubonsie Valley senior Max Martin off the list. Martin was given honorable mention.

Also, Waubonsie Valley's Bailey Gucinski was not on the third team as The Heat Index reported. She was given honorable mention.

Naperville North senior Jon Bunge will continue his volleyball career at Orange Coast College, according to his mother.

Becky Bunge told The Heat Index on Monday afternoon that her son would attend the two-year school in Costa Mesa, Calif.

A unanimous selection to the All-Dupage Valley Conference team, Bunge missed all of the playoffs with an ankle sprain.

By D.J. Wanberg
The rich history of the U.S. Open has plenty of memorable playoff moments.
According to thegolfchannel.com, the tournament has been decided 32 times by playoff since the first tournament was held in 1895.
Many memorable names have taken home the trophy after going to extra holes including the last player to win the event in a playoff - Retief Goosen in 2001.
Others accomplishing the feat include Ernie Els (1994), the late Payne Stewart (1991) and Hale Irwin (1990).
Legendary Jack Nicklaus won by playoff in 1962 and lost the same way to Lee Trevino in 1971.
But the focus is on today's battle between Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate.
Who do you think will make U.S. Open history today?

Waubonsie Valley senior Sean Wiggan just seems to be a fourth-place guy. Wiggan was fourth behind a stacked field in the 800-meters on Saturday night at the Midwest Distance Gala in Lisle.

Wiggan (1:52.96) finished behind first-place Tommy Brinn (1:51.07), Illinois Class AA 800 champ Matt Smoody and Andrew Perkins of Wisconsin.

Brinn is the Michigan Division II state champion. Perkins entered the event with the fourth-fastest time in the nation.

The satirical magazine The Onion might have the best take on the Bulls hiring Vinne Del Negro last week.

Bulls GM To Team: 'This Is New Head Coach Vinnie Del Negro; He'll Be Staying With Us For a While."

CHICAGO--Introducing Vinnie Del Negro as a "great guy who has just hit a rough patch and needs somewhere to stay," Bulls GM John Paxson introduced his team to their new head coach on Wednesday.

In typical Tiger Woods fashion, he roared into the lead after three rounds of the U.S. Open on Saturday. And he saved his best moments of the day for last, grabbing a birdie on the par 4 17th and dropping a winding putt for eagle on the par 5 18th to get under par for the day at 70. He's one shot ahead of Lee Westwood, who will be paired with Woods for the final round.

Woods looked like he was fighting off the pain in his knee on most swings, particularly on his magnificent approach shot on 18. Even hobbled, can he be stopped? It's a tall order for a player such as Westwood. As for the big names, Sergio Garcia, Ernie Els and Mike Weir are all six shots back, and even they would have to shoot lights out and need Woods to stumble to have any shot.

It looks like another victory march for Woods (though he would probably prefer to take a cart). What do you think, is it over, or am I speaking too soon?

Waubonsie Valley senior Sean Wiggan and Neuqua Valley junior Bryan Winek are scheduled to run tonight in the Midwest Distance Gala at Benedictine University.

Wiggan placed fourth at the All-Star Spotlight Meet last weekend and was fourth at the IHSA Class AA state championships in the 800-meter run. Despite that, Wiggan is not considered a challenger in the event, according to this preview.

Popular track and field Web site Dyestat.com has become part of ESPN, with Thursday's announcement that the four letter had acquired the 11-year old site in a deal to purchase Student Sports, Inc..

This is another sign of ESPN's continued mission to seep into every nook and cranny of the sporting media. This latest acquisition is a big step in developing ESPN Rise, which will focus on high school sports.

ESPN RISE is a multimedia brand that will deliver high school sports content across all of ESPN's platforms including programming and events, digital media and publishing.

Selecting The Sun's All-City softball team is one of my most difficult and fun job responsibilities. There are usually three or four no-brainers and then the list gets trickier and takes a few days to sort out. Since I make the list, I thought I'd share with our Heat Index readers the five rules I employ when making this list. Remember, these are my rules. I can't speak for how my colleagues determine their All-City selections.

River Bend head pro Mike Reilly looks like a prophet now. He said in Part 1 of Open Forum that Wheaton Warrenville South alumnus Kevin Streelman could do well at Torrey Pines, and he finds himself tied for the lead after Round 1. He could have had it all to himself had he not bogeyed his 18th hole of the day (No. 9), but overall he held up extremely well.

Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson had their opportunities to get to red numbers but faltered. Yet both are still good bets to come out on top come Sunday.

What do you think? Can Streelman keep this up, or is he destined to fade while the superstars shine?

No surprise on this end. Ian Krol and Jason David of Neuqua Valley, as well as Benet's Bryan Roberts, each made the IHSBCA All-State Baseball team for Classes 3A and 4A.

Krol won four postseason games en route to a 9-1 overall record, and David blasted a school-record 11 home runs and recorded 52 RBI.

Here's the complete list:

River Bend Golf Club head pro Mike Reilly is one of the lucky ones. The former San Diego resident, who moved to the city when he was 19 before moving back to Illinois eventually, has played Torrey Pines' South Course about 50 times. The seaside track hosts the U.S. Open this weekend, and it's changed quite a bit since he last played it. For one thing, while this year it's playing more than 7,600 yards, it never played that long 20 years ago.

The U.S. Open gets off and running today, and of course Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are the stars of the show. But if ever El Tigre is going to be vulnerable, isn't this going to be the year? He's got a bum knee and hasn't walked 18 holes, much less 72, in months. Sergio Garcia might be poised to shed what used to Mickelson's dubious label, of being the best player never to win a major.

This might be Lefty's tournament to lose, but somehow I think he will. So who will be left standing? I like Zach Johnson to come out of nowhere and get major victory No. 2. Who do you think survives?

As any good Italian beef-chewing, sausage-eating, clogged-artery Bulls fan knows by now, it's taken 52 days to hire a new coach for what used to be one of the NBA's most storied franchises. And unless you lived in Phoenix, or more importantly, worked in the Suns' front office, you've probably got no idea who he is. His name is Vinny Del Negro and well, I have no clue who he is or why he was chosen, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Everybody's gotta start somewhere right? That's the attitude I'm taking here and I think we'll all survive the Chicago heat with a few less heart palpitations if we just calm down and think this through.

This slide show has nearly five minutes of Waubonsie Valley state championship girls soccer photography for your viewing pleasure. There are some funny voice bubbles added in too.

Fresh off his Class AA state championship in the discus, Waubonsie Valley's Brett Einbecker won the discus on Saturday at the Senior All-Star Spotlight Meet in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Competing against all-star teams from Wisconsin, Iowa and South Dakota, Einbecker hurled the discus 187-feet, 9-inches to win the event. He also placed third in the shot put with an effort of 55-10 1/2.

With two golds and a bronze at the Charlotte Ultraswim over the weekend, Naperville native Mary DeScenza finished the Toyota Grand Prix Series in second place behind Michael Phelps.

Phelps had 20 golds and four silvers for 112 points to win the $20, 000 prize. DeScenza had nine golds, nine silvers and four bronzes for 76 points to win nothing the hearts and minds of loyal Heat Index readers.

The IHSA board of directors is nothing if not inclusive and proved that again on Monday with the announcement that bass fishing will be an IHSA sanctioned event starting next year. This is clearly awesome.

Schools will be allowed to enter up to two boats, with up to three students in each boat, although only two may fish at any one time. The competition will run for up to eight hours per day. Each boat may weigh five fish at the end of each day's competition.

The state finals will be held May 8-9 at a site to be determined. For those who have dipped a hook or two in this state, where should the IHSA hold the state finals?

By D.J. Wanberg
Some media reports today state that athletes have been taking Viagra to help their performances in their sports.
Does that mean if a baseball pitcher is throwing a no-hitter longer than four hours that his manager should take him out immediately?

The National Soccer Coaches Association of America just released its final high school girls soccer poll for the spring. And two-time state champion Waubonsie Valley failed to repeat as national champions.

The Warriors are ranked No. 2, behind Parkview of Lilborn, Ga. Last season after Waubonsie won its first Class AA state title, the Warriors were rewarded with a No. 1 ranking by the coaches.

This year the Warriors, who started the season at No. 1, slipped down to No. 11 after a tie with Lincoln-Way Central and were never able to reclaim their top spot.

But take heart Waubonsie fans. StudentSportsSoccer.com continues to feel your Warriors are deserving of the top billing in its poll.

One of the interesting Naperville footnootes from Ken Griffey Jr.'s 600th career home run last night was which one of his teammates was on base and scored on the historic blast.

None other than Naperville North graduate Jerry Hairston Jr., who's incidentally enjoying one of the best years of his up-and-down career.

By D.J. Wanberg
I grew up watching Jim McKay, the legendary ABC sportscaster, who passed away over the weekend.

I remember finishing up neighborhood touch football games with my friends and heading to the television on Saturdays to watch "Wide World of Sports."

We watched the ski jumper, who is shown wiping out and crashing in the intro tape, symbolizing what McKay said in the voice-over as "the agony of defeat."

And McKay and colleagues such as Frank Gifford showed us the Harlem Globetrotters, Evel Knivel's latest jump or would take us to Europe for the latest World Cup skiing or bobsledding.

McKay brought to the viewer the stories of the event he was covering and the athletes involved in a friendly, straightforward manner and free of hype. But he always did it with lots of substance and perspective.

He brought that style to ABC's coverage of the Olympics and frankly the world's largest sporting event hasn't been covered right on television since. McKay anchored ABC's coverage of the 1972 terrorist attack of the Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics, some of television's finest journalism ever I believe.

He was truly one of a kind.

By D.J. Wanberg
The IHSA needs to do this with their state finals in sports such as basketball, baseball and softball where the state finals have just semifinals, a third-place game and a championship contest. Teams are guaranteed two games and no one is eliminated.

The IHSA needs to say farewell to the fourth-place trophy. In my past experiences covering state competition, I've seen some teams, with state title hopes dashed, mail it in during the third-place contest.

If only the third-place game winner got trophy and medals, it would help motivate athletes and would be a good learning experience for them that success in life is earned and not handed to them.

Going to a state final and losing two games is not worthy of a trophy and medals. And the IHSA only awards trophies to the top three teams in other sports. Why not be consistent?

By D.J. Wanberg
While the weather might be heating up and summer is unpacking, college and pro football preview magazines have made their way to stores. And I quickly grabbed some of them up for my fix that will carry me to the first week of the season.

Athlon's Big Ten preview came out and here are the predictions for the 2008 season.

1. Ohio State
2. Wisconsin
3. Illinois
4. Penn St.
5. Michigan
6. Iowa
7. Michigan St.
8. Northwestern
9. Purdue
10. Indiana
11. Minnesota

Two thoughts come to mind. I think a sixth-place finish for the Hawkeyes is being very generous with a serious lack of depth at running back.

Losing to Western Michigan in the last game of last season, gave me enough indication that this program is on the downside and needs to be righted quickly.

Indiana's prediction simply comes from the fact that quarterback Kellen Lewis was suspended indefinitely just before spring practice for violating team rules. In a published report, coach Bill Lynch stated he would make a final decision on bringing Lynch back by the end of this month.

If Lewis doesn't return, there's simply not enough in Hoosierland to replace his talent that threw for over 3,000 yards and 28 touchdowns last season in addition to his 736 yards on the ground and nine rushing touchdowns. And Indiana will return to watching bowl games on television instead of being in one.

Say this for Bulls general manager John Paxson: he's starting to branch out from the list of usual suspects when it comes to coaching candidates. Of course, he and the organization kind of backed themselves into this corner by hemming and hawing over Mike D'Antoni and Doug Collins, both of whom became imaptient with the Bulls for various reasons.

I would have liked to see the Bulls go after Flip Saunders, seeing as they already waited this long, though it doesn't look like he's on their short list. The Chicago Sun-Times is reporting that the next Bulls coach will be Dwayne Casey, Vinny Del Negro or Chuck Person. None of those names lights a fire under me. But if whoever takes over the reins gets the team back to the playoffs in a hurry, then all this probably will have been worth the wait.

DETROIT -- While going to a Tigers game in June has its own set of benefits, Saturday's home game in Detroit went above and beyond mainly because of the establishment former Blackhawks defender Chris Chelios owns.

Cheli's Chili Bar sits beside Comerica Park, and on Saturday it was host to the Stanley Cup. Chelios, Nicklas Lindstrom, Kris Draper and company did there best to give the good people of Detroit a chance to embrace the most unique trophy in all of sports over and over again inside and outside Cheli's.

This reporter took advantage.

JOLIET - This was a good week for Highland pitcher Jake Odorizzi, who was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers with the 32nd overall pick in the amateur draft on Thursday, threw seven shutout innings to beat Crystal Lake Central 1-0 in the Class 3A semifinal on Friday and then nailed down the final two outs as the Bulldogs beat Rock Falls 6-2 for the state title on Saturday. Odorizzi (14-0) struck out two batters to earn the save.

Two of Benet's rivals were drafted in the later rounds. Joliet Catholic's John Ruettiger, who shared ESCC player of the year honors with Bryan Roberts, was selected by the Texas Rangers with the 1,053rd pick. Lockport's Steve Sabatino, a Notre Dame recruit who saved the 4-2 win over Benet in the sectional semifinal, was chosen by the White Sox with the 1,260th pick.

For a list of players who consider Illinois home, click here.

JOLIET - Neuqua Valley's coming off one of the best two-year runs in Illinois state baseball history. The Wildcats finished third in Class 4A this year and won it all in Class AA last year. Not many teams, if any, can same the same thing -- ever.

So who should get the credit? The players or the coaches? Neuqua coach Robin Renner opened the door for debate after they won the sectional championship in May.

JOLIET - Wheaton North senior first baseman Travis Otto got a call Friday night around 7:30 or 8, and it wasn't a telemarketer. The White Sox had selected him with the 1,458th pick of the amateur draft.

"I had no clue that was gonna happen," the 6-6, 190-pound Otto said. "I didn't expect it at all."

Otto later told Sun contributor Eddie Burns that he still plans to attend Illinois Wesleyan...and play golf. Saturday's 4-3 loss to Neuqua Valley marked his final baseball game.

JOLIET - St. Louis University pitcher Dave Sever, a Benet graduate, was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 21st round (637th overall) of the amateur draft on Friday. The 6-4, 195-pound junior, a Burr Ridge native, went 5-6 with a 5.21 ERA for the Billikens (24-29) this season. Sever made 13 starts in 15 appearances and finished with 80 strikeouts against 29 walks in 93.1 innings.

Fresh off winning the Class B Lacrosse Cup, Benet had four players named to play in the IHSLA All-Star Game.

Attacker Bobby Calzaretta, attacker Kyle Honn, defender Wells Lifka and midfielder Danny Hondgman made the team for the Redwings. Calzaretta was also recently named a 2008 Academic All-American.

Neuqua Valley senior Liz Schneider was named to the Illinois High School Women's Lacrosse Association second team All-State.

The goalie is the only Naperville area girls lacrosse player honored with first or second team selection. Wildcats teammate Kayla Pagano, a senior midfielder, was given honorable mention.

JOLIET - The Wildcats have less than 24 hours to shake off Friday's state semifinal loss to Prairie Ridge and reboot for a third-place game with Wheaton North.

What's the sense?

JOLIET - Neuqua Valley pounded Prairie Ridge 15-6 last month in Naperville, but little could be gleaned from that nonconference game, with both teams saving top pitchers for other opponents.

"I think it was in the back of everyone's head...the way that last game went," Prairie Ridge shortstop Bobby Martin said. "Neither team really threw any of their real good pitchers but (it) was a good experience to go through that (and) really come out after 'em this game."

By Friday night, after Michael Heesch had shut down Neuqua in a 7-1 win, and Prairie Ridge had scored six unearned runs, a more telling lesson could perhaps be found in last season's Class AA title game. The Wildcats beat New Trier 5-1 despite notching only one hit, taking advantage of two errors and scoring all five of their runs in the fourth.

"One play could give you a win. One play could cost you the game," Neuqua coach Robin Renner said. "So many times that play has allowed us to win the game, you know, over the last couple years. You know last year with the one hit...and a lot of times this year...This year it went the other way on us."

Naperville native Mary DeScenza broke the meet record for the 100-meter butterfly both in the prelims and the finals on Friday at the Charlotte UltraSwim.

She swam a 59.25 in the prelims and a 58.54 in the championship heat.

DeScenza's meet record in this morning's prelims shattered the 8-year-old mark held by Slovakian Olympian Martina Moracova by 24-hundredths of a second.

"It's my best time by about two-tenths," DeScanza said. "I don't normally go that fast in-season, but I've been training my butt off this year. This is just a trial run for (Olympic) Trials, and I've been getting out there and racing as much as I can. You can't do average times all year, and then expect to go fast at Trials. That's my philosophy this year."

This is what the suburban kids of Chicago are missing out on because of the Blackhawks and their no-championship since 1961 ways. The lucky ducks are clearly on the other side of Lake Michigan, specifically the kids at Hillside Middle School who are classmates of the kiddos ofRed Wings captain Nicklas Lidstrom.

A friend of The Heat Index's bookie, who teaches in Northville passed along this note.

Here's a great example of what "show and tell" is like in Northville
Public Schools:

Two of Nick Lidstrom's sons are students at Hillside Middle School.
Yesterday, they brought in to school THE Stanley Cup to show everyone
there.

Neuqua Valley junior Ian Krol's right when he says, "It just seems like every game we have great pitching, and that's just what stands out."

But is that all Neuqua Valley has going for it, heading into this weekend's Class 4A state finals? Not according to Krol, who believes the defense has come a long way from opening day and their hitting simply goes unnoticed.

The Heat Index thinks he's right. Do you?

Benet's Bryan Roberts and Joliet Catholic's John Ruettiger were named the East Suburban Catholic Conference's co-players of the year in baseball.

Roberts went 9-2 with a 0.79 ERA, three saves and 133 strikeouts in 70.2 innings for the Redwings, who finished a game behind ESCC co-champions Carmel and Joliet Catholic. Roberts, who is committed to Illinois, also hit .404 with four home runs and 27 RBI.

Benet junior shortstop Alex Staehely (.339, eight home runs, 36 RBI) and junior first baseman Pat Gelwicks (.333, two home runs, 19 RBI) were also recognized on the all-conference team. For the full list, click here.

North Carolina pitcher Colin Bates was named to Collegiate Baseball Newspaper's Louisville Slugger Freshmen All-America team.

The Naperville Central graduate is 6-1 with a 2.28 ERA in his redshirt freshman season. The Tar Heels (49-12) begin a three-game Super Regional series Saturday against Coastal Carolina at 11 a.m. in Cary, N.C., on ESPNU.

Ravi Patel, a Neuqua Valley graduate and Northwestern freshman, dreams of playing professional golf. And he took a major step toward that goal last week when he qualified for the Bank of America Open, a Nationwide Tour event.

According Pat Goss, Patel's coach at NU, the 18-year-old has the short game and mindset to break onto the tour eventually.

"He has a great short game and he has a great competitive mentality," Goss said of Patel. "Ravi really works hard to get the most out of his round. You have to really be willing to fight hard the whole round, never give up, just really keep grinding (and) get the most out of each shot. Those are the two things that Ravi has done best."

Goss is helping Patel get more out of the longer clubs in the bag.

"I think he's really improved his ball striking," Goss said. "That's ultimately the thing he has to improve the most to get to the level he wants to, playing professional golf. He needs to continually improve his ball striking and his length; that's probably his biggest weakness."

Chicago Mayor Richard Daley might never get a casino at Navy Pier, but he's one step closer to seeing his dream come true of the city hosting an Olympics. The International Olympic Committee on Wednesday named the Windy City one of four finalists (Tokyo; Madrid, Spain; and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, are the others) for the 2016 Summer Games.

The debate over whether "faster, higher, stronger" necessarily means better for Chicago tends to be a polarizing one. Where do you stand? Will the economic impact and cache the games will bring the city be worth weathering the crowds and other potential pitfalls?

Here's a cross-section of views on how the Chicago organizations will approach the MLB Draft:

Not that ESPN is the last word in sports but if you take a look at their NBA experts' picks for the Lakers-Celtics finals, it's pretty clear who the favorite is.

Of 10 panel members, nine picked the Lakers to win the series. Only Tim Legler thought the Celtics go pull it out.

Who do you think will win the series, and why?

Naperville Central graduate and Indiana University sophomore Amy Korthauer is one of 13 women's divers that have qualified for the 10-meter platform event at the U.S. Olympic Trials, which are June 18-22 in Indianapolis.

Korthauer -- part of Central's 2004 and 2005 state championships -- placed seventh on the platform at the Big Ten championships in February.

As my colleague Brad Engel posted earlier, the WNBA has got game and Candace Parker fits in nicely. Just check out the highlights from her rookie debut, which also happened to be the best in league history.

It's been going on too long friends. The anger has built up to such an intense level. Thankfully, Overtime School of Wrestling has provided a relief valve.

For the purposes of this story, I have an irrational hatred of Bulgaria. This is an invented rivalry topped only by my distaste for baseball player Randy Winn. You know what that link won't tell you? How much I hate Randy Winn.

But the point is, the Beroe Wrestling Club is getting mashed on June 20 if it dares show up to Neuqua Valley High School. At least that will happen if The Heat Index knows the history of Stara Zagora, Bulgaria, and come on, we think that's been established.

All right, I'll admit it:

I didn't watch the WNBA until Candace Parker cracked the league earlier this year. Not only did I not watch it, I didn't even follow it.

Heck, I can't believe it's been around for a decade already. Eh, I guess most people can say the same about Major League Soccer, too. I digress.

The Heat Index can only speculate, but it's guessing Ian Krol took a final exam in history either today or yesterday at Neuqua Valley.

That's because, following Neuqua's supersectional win over Collinsville on Monday, Krol knew off the top of his head that it's been about 50 years since anyone's won consecutive Illinois state baseball titles.

Neuqua Valley alumna Marisa Mele recently found out from the race director that she actually finished 10th at the Green Bay Marathon, not 11th as the official results still report.

What's the difference, right? Money, that's what. By finishing 10th, Mele was in line for some cash, according to an e-mail sent to The Sun.

Naperville Central graduate Kyle Kaminska was named the South Atlantic Leauge co-Pitcher of the Week on May 26. In his first start since that honor, Kaminska allowed runs in each of his first four innings and gave up back-to-back homers in the third inning.

Going into his fifth start for the Florida Marlins Class A affiliate, Kaminiska had a streak of 11 scoreless innings and had gone 22 innings without giving up a home run.

"He's a young kid, and he's all about confidence," said Greensboro manager Edwin Rodriguez. "He lost his confidence right away after those two home runs. You could see it on his face. But then again, he's learning. His two previous outings were strong. It sounds funny, but he throws too many strikes. He's 0-2 in the count, he's got to throw a bad pitch. I think those two home runs were when he was ahead in the count."

This is quite possibly the worst vocal performance I've ever heard, and I sat through the video of Karl Rove rapping and John Ashcroft singing "Let the Eagles Soar," which I suppose wasn't bad so much as it was just odd. Still, unlike Tony Romo, the Zooker remembered all the words and was pretty enthusiastic. I give him points for that.

Benet walloped St. Ignatius 14-7 to win the Illinois High School Lacrosse Association "B" Lacrosse Cup contest on Sunday. This short video shows just how excited the Redwings were after the win. if anyone has the entire game, feel free to leave a link in the comments section so we can post it up.

Naperville North graduate Jerry Hairston Jr. went 1-for-3 on Sunday to extend his hitting streak to nine games. During that stretch, Hairston has 16 hits, has scored nine runs and stolen six bases without getting caught.

Though he has started at all three outfield positions, third base and second base, Hairston has spent a lot more time at shortstop, especially since Jeff Keppinger went on the disabled list. The Reds Blog at Cincinnati.com wonders what happens when Keppinger is ready to play.

Jerry Hairston Jr.'s suicide squeeze on the ball that might have hit him in the head was the play of the game. It's going to be interesting when Jeff Keppinger comes back. Pretty hard to sit Hairston after what he's done in the leadoff role.

The excitement from this year's Class AA state title probably won't wear off for a while. But people are already asking: How many more titles can Waubonsie Valley win?

The Warriors enter next season with their 58-game unbeaten streak intact. All but three players from the team that just went 26-0-1 will return, including coaches all-state picks Bri Rodriguez and Vanessa DiBernardo. Rodriguez, who tore the ACL in her left knee in the quarterfinals, should be back to full strength long before the season starts.

It's not a stretch to say the Warriors should add to their trophy case next spring.

Waubonsie Valley junior Shakeia Pinnick set meet records for the first day, second day and total points this weekend to win the heptathlon at the Illinois Prep Top Times Mutli Event Championships.

Pinnick scored 3,019 points on Friday winning three events and tieing for first in the high jump. She ran meet records in the 100-meter hurdles (14.30 seconds) and the 200 dash (24.4).

Saturday brought another dominating performance from Pinnick, who qualified in four events for the IHSA Class AA state finals. Pinnick won the long jump, ran a meet record 2:15 in the 800 and placed second in the javelin to finish with 5,053 points.

Dwayne Evans scored 21 points against Thornton and 21 points against Glenbard East on Saturday for Neuqua Valley at the Riverside-Brookfield High School Shootout.

Neuqua will play the De La Salle/Morton winner at 3:45 p.m. Sunday in the second-place bracket. With two wins today, the Wildcats can place seventh.

Neuqua Valley senior Collin Adler had five kills in the final match of his career on Saturday. He also wrote this post in the volleyballmag.com forum.

"i think everyone can agree that it really this is a family publication that WWS won again though, definitely a downer"

The last three IHSA state finals this particular part of The Heat Index has covered have gone like this:

Boys swimming: Neuqua Valley wins state title.

Water polo: Naperville Central boys finish as runner up.

Boys volleyball: Neuqua Valley finishes third.

So basically fourth place is as good as the next team I see can hope to achieve. Teams would be much better off with a Paul LaTour or a Brad Engel. Their mojo seems intact.

Plainfield South had an interesting advantage going into Saturday's 3-2 win over Naperville Central in the Bolingbrook Sectional championship - they didn't realize they were supposed to lose.

Two pitches stood out in Neuqua Valley's 9-4 championship win over Lockport on Saturday: Geoff Rowan's fastball and Mike McKinley's curveball.

Rowan kept his fastball down for most of the game. Of the first 12 outs he retired, only one ball reached the outfield. He induced six grounders and struck out five batters.

"He really didn't give us, through the first four innings, anything very good to hit," Lockport coach Steve Stanicek said. "Everything was down."

Naperville native Candace Parker now has plans for this summer.

Parker was one of nine players, along with Los Angeles Sparks teammate Lisa Leslie, who were named to the U.S. women's basketball roster for the 2008 Summer Olympics on Saturday.