>>>AS

SPORTS

COLUMNIST FOR

THE CHICAGO READER,

TED COOK

HAS COVERED EVERYTHING,

BULLS,

BLACKHAWKS AND BEARS,

ALSO

HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL, BOXING

AND EVEN CRICKET.

SOME OF HIS

FAVORITE COLUMNS

ARE IN THE NEW

BOOK.

TED COX

NOW COVERS CITY HALL

FOR THE NEWS WEBSITE.

AND HE

JOINS US NOW.

GOOD TO SEE YOU.

>>YOU AS WELL.

>>LET'S

TAKE YOU TO THE

BEGINNING.

ONE OF THE THINGS TALKED

ABOUT

IS HOW YOU WOUND UP LIVING

ACROSS THE STREET FROM WRIGLEY

FIELD.

THAT

WAS TO TELL

THE TRUTH,

ROOMMATE AND, COLLEGE

BUDDIES,

WE HAD OUR FIRST

APARTMENT

AND

IN THE TIME BETWEEN WHEN WE

SIGNED THE LEASE AND

WE MOVED

IN, THEY CHANGED THE

OVENS

AND

A COUPLE OTHER THINGS

AND

DOWNGRADED

AND WE

COULDN'T

BELIEVE IT.

WE WENT

LOOKING FOR A

PLACE.

MOVED

INTO A PLACE ACROSS

THE STREET FROM WRIGLEY

STREET.

A DREAM APARTMENT.

FOR A SPORTS

FAN

AND IT WAS EVERYTHING THAT

WOULD YOU IMAGINE AND

>>AND --

ROACHES BEING THE MORE

PART.

>>YOU

WERE AT THE

1983 SOX

KAMINSKI

PARK WHEN THEY WON

THEIR DIVISION.

TELL ME ABOUT THAT.

IT MADE ME THINK ARE

YOU A SOX

OR CUBS FAN?

>>I'M

UNABASHED LOVER OF

BOTH.

I KNOW SOME THINK IT IS

ABERRATION BUT I'VE NEVER HAD

A PROBLEM ROOTING

FOR BOTH

TEAMS.

FANS WENT ON THE

FIELD NOT

ONLY THIS NIGHT WHEN THEY

CLINCHED BUT THE NIGHT BEFORE

AS WELL WHEN THEY

CLINCHED A

TIE AND THEN

THE ORIOLES

WERE

STILL PLAYING IN

KANSAS

CITY.

PEOPLE POURED ON TO THE FIELD

AND THEY CAME UP ON

THE

SCREEN.

>>YOU WROTE IN YOUR BOOK

YOU

WERE CARRIED AWAY BY THE

CROWD.

>>SURE.

FROM THE BEGINNING IT WAS LIKE

SUPPOSED TO BE A FAN'S EYE

VIEW OF THE GAME.

I THINK EVOLVED OVER

TIME.

DID BECOME MORE

SPORTS

WRITERLY P IF THAT'S A WORD.

AT THE TIME,

IT WAS LIKE A

FAN'S EYE VIEW -- TRYING TO

GET THE DRAMA THAT WASN'T

BEING CAPTURED IN

THE

DAILIES.

THEY WOULD TELL WHEN SOMEBODY

HIT A HOMERUN.

MOMENTS I THOUGHT WERE

DRAMATIC AND DESERVED TO

WRITTEN ABOUT THAT MIGHT BE A

DOUBLE PLAY OR MISSED DOUBLE

PLAY AND THOSE WERE KEY

ELEMENTS OF THE GAME.

IN THAT NIGHT, AND THE

NIGHT

BEFORE, PEOPLE POURED ON TO

THE FIELD.

THE NIGHT BEFORE WATCHED

THE

ROYALS GAME, ROYALS

COME BACK

AND WIN THE

GAME.

THEY HAVE TO

COME BACK THE

NEXT NIGHT TO CLINCH IT.

PEOPLE JUST LEFT.

THEY DIDN'T RIP UP

THE FIELD,

TEAR UP THE GROUND.

AND CAME BACK THE

NIGHT

AND WENT BACK ON

FIELD

, TO

CELEBRATE.

AGAIN THEY WEREN'T RIPPING

THE FIELD,

TEARING UP

THE --

>>THEY WERE BEHAVING.

>>YEAH.

SINCE THEN YOU SEE THE COPS

COMING IN WITH THE HORSES AND

STUFF.

IT IS A BYGONE

ERA

>>ANOTHER NIGHT WAS

2003.

TELL ME THE STORY OF YOUR

OBSERVATIONS OF THE

GAME

INVOLVING

THE

FIASCO?

BARTMAN IS INTERESTING.

I DON'T KNOW IF I WANT

EITHER PRAISE HIM

OR PILL LORI

HIM.

IT IS

-- PILLORY HIM.

IT IS INTERESTING

DUSTY BAKER

LED THEM

SAYING

WE CAN'T

CHANGE THE PAST BUT WE ARE

GOING TO ACKNOWLEDGE IT AND WE

ARE A DIFFERENT

TEAM

ANOTHER COLUMNIST

TALKS ABOUT

YOU CAN TRUST US,

WE ARE A

DIFFERENT BREED.

THE PLAYERS THAT YOU WERE

CONSCIOUS OF BEING DIFFERENT

FROM THE CURSED CUBS OF

THE

PAST.

>>YET, YOU SAY

YOU EXPRESS A

DEFINITE OPINION REGARDING

THE

CONSEQUENCES OF THAT.

OH WELL

WHAT IF

THERE HADN'T

ABOUT AN ERROR LATER

AND A

GAME THE NEXT DAY.

>>WHAT HAPPENS IS THE FANS

KIND OF LEAD THE

TEAMS

SELF---

THE MOST LOYAL FANS.

NOBODY DOUBTS

THAT

BARTMAN IS

A LITTLE FAN MANY ACTING

THE

WAY THAT HE ACTS,

ACCORDING

HIS NATURE, THE

FLY

BALL WOULD

HAVE CAUGHT IF HE CATCHES IT

THE CUBS ONE THE WORLD SERIES

THAT YEAR.

MARLINS BEAT A WEAK

YANKEE

TEAM IN THE SERIES.

>>YOU THAT I WAS THE PIVOTAL?

>>YEAH.

>>SOME SAY THAT WAS

CERTAINLY

NOT AN

INSIGNIFICANT EVENT.

>>THE PIVOTAL MOMENT, YES.

NO DOUBT,

GONZALEZ

DOUBLE

PLAY BALL AFTER THAT IS WHAT

REALLY SINKS THE CUBS.

THE CUBS PLAY UP TO THEIR

NATURE AS WELL.

THE FANS

, BEHAVING ACCORDING

TO THEIR NATURE THEY LEAD

THE

CUBS SELF-DEFENSE INSTRUCTION

THAT'S AN INTERESTING WAY TO

APPROACH IT.

>>BACK TO THE SOUTHSIDE.

WITH THE

2005 WHITE SOX

, YOU

MADE A COMMENT ABOUT

THE

IMPORTANCE OF CHEMISTRY AND

THE BONDING THAT

GOES

ON AMONG

THE PLAYERS.

EXPAND ON THAT.

>>YOU MEAN, YOU CAN

ONLY

EXPAND ON IT UP TO A

POINT.

ASIDE

FROM RARE

ACCOUNTS

JIM'S BALL FOUR,

I THINK THERE

IS A

REAL

PLAYERS DO PRESERVE

A SANCTITY ABOUT THE

CLUBHOUSE.

WHAT YOU SEE, SAY HERE

WHEN

YOU LEAVE HERE

, LET IT STAY

HERE.

YOU DON'T KNOW

EVENTUALLY

HOW

-- WHAT IT IS

ABOUT TEAM

CHEMISTRY THAT

WORKS AND IT IS

MAGIC.

NO DOUBT, BASEBALL HAS

A WEIRD

CHEMISTRY WHERE GUYS COME

TOGETHER.

ON THIS TEAM,

YOU'VE GOT

THE

ONE NIGHT

WHERE THEY ARE

OUT

AND TELLING THE

DEEJAY TO PLAY

SOME JOURNEY.

THAT BECOMES

THE

TEAM'S

THEME

SONG AND THEY WIND UP

WINNING

A CHAMPIONSHIP.

THE BEST DESCRIPTION

FICTIONAL BOOK

FIRST MARK

HARRIS NOVEL

, THE

SOUTHPAW

ARTHUR WIGGINS SAYS,

WINNING

MAKES WINNING LIKE

MONEY MAKES

MONEY THAT

CAPTURES BASEBALL

CHEMISTRY.

WHEN A TEAM IS WINNING

THEY

FEEL THERE IS NO END.

>>YOU DON'T JUST

FOCUS

PROFESSIONAL SPORTS.

YOU ALSO LOOK AT HIGH SCHOOL

SPORTS.

ONE HAS TO DO WITH

GARNETT AND

WHAT A REMARKABLE PLAYER

WAS.

WHAT MADE HIM REMARKABLE TO

YOU?

>>THING THAT WAS REALLY

AMAZING ABOUT HIM.

HE WAS JUST

UNBRIDLED

POTENTIAL.

HE WAS

EVEN PLAYING FOR FAR

GUT,

FARRAKHAN

GUT, WOULD

RUN THE

COURT LIKE MAGIC

JOHNSON, DISHING, HE WAS

NOT

THE BIG BUILT UP CENTER

NBA

CENTER THAT HE IS NOW, HE WAS

JUST A GUY THAT COULD DO

ANYTHING HE WANTED ON THE

COURT.

ONE OF THE JOYS OF

WATCHING

HIM WAS THAT HE DIDN'T HAVE

ANY SENSE OF ANY LIMITS

WHAT HE COULD DO.

HE WOULD RUN,

SLING THE BALL

BACK HAND, BEHIND THE BACK

, ON

A FAST BREAK

AND

-- HIM

AND

FIELDS, TREMENDOUS TEAM.

I WAS LUCKY.

I GOT TO SEE

BOTH

GARNETT

AND

DERRICK ROSE AS HIGH SCHOOL

PLAYERS.

WHEN THIS

-- WHEN I STARTED

DOING THE COLUMN, OF

THE

FIRST

THE WHITE SOX

FINISHED FIRST

THE SECOND YEAR THE CUBS

FINISHED FIRST AND THE THIRD

YEAR THE BEARS WON THE

CHAMPIONSHIP.

BY THAT TIME MICHAEL

JORDAN IS

ON THE SCENE AND I GET

THE

BULLS THROUGH THE 90s,

LUCKY

TIME.

>>LET'S TALK ABOUT THE BULLS

AND JORDAN.

MANY THINK THAT WAS

LIGHTNING

IN A BOTTLE.

WHAT IS

YOUR MEMORY

OF MICHAEL

JORDAN?

>>IT IS NOT

LIGHTNING IN A

BOTTLE THAT IMPLIES A ONE

HIT

WONDER.

IT WAS SUSTAINED

LIGHTNING.

>>WHAT I MEANT BY THAT

JORDAN HIMSELF WAS A ONCE

IN A

GENERATION KIND OF A PLAYER IS

WAY MEAN.

>>ABSOLUTELY.

I FULLY EXPECT TO GO

TO MY

GRAVE THINKING THAT JORDAN WAS

THE BEST ATHLETE I EVER SAW.

KIND

RUTHIA IN

FIGURE.

THE FIRST GAME OF THE

'92

FINALS HE MAKES --

HE MAKES

EVERY THREE POINTER,

AND

SHRUGS HIS Svp

!ERS.

GREAT ONE OF THE

CLASSIC

BASEBALL

STORIES

HAYWARD

DESCRIPTION OF A

RUTH IN THE

WORLD SERIES, THE RUTH

MIGHTY AND SHALL

PREVAIL.

LATER ON

I BORROW THAT

AND SAY

THE JORDAN IS

MIGHTY

AND SHALL

PREVAIL.

HE WAS THAT KIND OF PLAYER.

>>YOUR MEMORY OF THE BEARS

OVER THE 25 YEARS THAT

YOU

COVERED SPORTS?

>>BOY,

THAT'S

85 TEAM WAS

THAT'S

85 TEAM WAS MAGIC

IN A

BOLT.

-- IN

A .

THEY STILL OWN THE TOWN.

THEY NEVER WON

AGAIN FOR

VARIOUS REASONS.

A LOT HAVING TO

WITH DITKA

PART OF HAVING TO

DO WITH THE

FOLLOWING YEAR, I BELIEVE

IS McMAHON GETS

CRUSHED BY

MARTIN OF THE PACKERS AND

MESSES UP HIS SHOULDER AND YOU

WIND UP WITH FLUTIE

AS YOUR

STARTING QUARTERBACK IN THE

PLAYOFFS AND THE

FOLLOWING

YEAR YOU HAVE THE

PLAYER'S

STRIKE AND DITKA

SELLS HIS

TEAM OUT, EMBRACING THE

SCAB

REPLACEMENT PLAYERS AND

THEY

NEVER WON AGAIN.

>>WE ARE WRAPPING UP.

ONE OF THE

THINGS ONE OF THE

QUESTIONS THAT YOU ASK

YOURSELF IS, WHY

YOU SO MUCH

TIME FOLLOWING A

BOYS GAME,

SPECIFICALLY BASEBALL,

WHY SO

MUCH TIME IN SPORTS IN

GENERAL,

WHY DID YOU?

I THINK I FOUND

THE SAME

KIND OF DRAMA IN SPORTS THAT

IS IN

OTHER KIND

OF ADULT

LEISURE PURSUIT, MOVIES,

PLAYS,

BALLET.

IT IS

BEAUTIFUL BODIES

AND

BEAUTIFUL MOTION FOR ONE

THING.

ALWAYS THERE'S THESE

DRAMATIC

STORYLINES, YOU

-- IF YOU PAY

ATTENTION AND WATCH IT IS AS

INVOLVING AS

ANY

SHAKESPEAREAN

TRAGEDY.

>>TED COX

APPRECIATE IT.

>>THANK YOU.

>>AGAIN, THE BOOK IS

1001

DAYS IN THE

BLEACHERS.

READ AN EXCERPT ON OUR

WEBSITE,