Hawks Playoffs Series Getting Punchy

Paul M. Banks a.k.a. The Sports Bank, NBC Chicago Street Team
Since the opening face off, the Chicago Blackhawks first round playoff series with the Calgary Flames has been a very physical one. Game one contained lots of good solid checking, but it didn’t have all the punches of games two and three. Monday night’s loss in Calgary saw even more checks get cashed in the currency of pushes, shoves and punches. Downright dirty and nasty, if these series trends continue maybe we’ll see Ken Shamrock or Oscar de la Hoya on skates in game six. Usually the postseason brings less fighting than the regular season because teams don’t want to risk obtaining dumb penalties within tight playoff games, but emotion has taken over for logic at certain points of this series so far. And since game three was a little more lopsided down the stretch than the first two, the physicality was ramped up even further.

Hawks defenseman (or “defenceman” in Canadian English) Duncan Keith sees the physical quotient increasing as the series goes on. “Every game’s going to be tougher and tougher that’s the mentality you have to have. Naturally, the more times you play a team, the more issues, whatever you want to call it, you’re going to have against guys out there. Obviously, they’re trying to key on certain guys on our team, and we’re trying to hit them as much as we can as well,” Keith stated.

Both teams combined earned 5 penalties for 12 minutes in game one. The second game total jumped to 9 infractions- 18 minutes while game 3 at the Saddle Dome saw a whopping 13 penalties for 86 minutes combined!

The Hawks lead the series 2-1 and in order to maintain control, they must keep a cool head when considering possible retaliation against the Flames. “It’s something we’ve talked about in here. We try to play as hard as we can whistle-to-whistle and be in their face as much as they’re in ours without taking penalties. Discipline is a huge part of the game in the playoffs and that’s something we’re addressing,” said Hawks forward Patrick Sharp.

As this series between the 1988 Winter Olympic host city and a 2016 Summer Olympic bid city progresses, expect the skills and fundamentals inherent to a few Olympic events (boxing, wrestling, possibly tae kwon do) to play a significant role.

See more of Paul M. Banks’ work at the Washington Times and The Sports Bank

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NBA Stars, Olympians Endorse Chicago 2016

Paul M. Banks a.k.a. The Sports Bank, NBC Chicago Street Team Only one NBA team, the Utah Jazz, contains two members of the 2008 Gold Medal winning Team USA Men’s basketball team on their roster. The “Redeem Team,” which conquered Beijing included Jazz point guard Deron Williams and power forward Carlos Boozer. As Chicago’s final bid for the Olympics became public a few days ago, I thought it the perfect time to revisit the exclusive conversations I had with each of them in Milwaukee recently. Shortly before the Jazz contest with the Milwaukee Bucks, both of them gave me their endorsement for Chicago’s 2016 Olympic Bid. “Huge sports town, great fans, very committed, great venue, great to have it here in the states, we haven’t had it since Atlanta. And I think it would be well received, we’d have a great turnout here I think, other countries love to come play here,” Boozer said of Chicago before later adding, “I had a chance to see the plan. They have a great plan for it too.” Boozer is one half of a powerful inside-outside combination that currently reminds Salt Lake City fans of past legends John Stockton and Karl Malone.

The dynamic duo’s other half is Deron Williams- the highest draft pick in Illinois basketball history and the best player the program has produced in modern history. “There’s a lot of Illinois fans in Chicago, so they treat me great. I love Chicago, it’s my second home. I love being there and spend a lot of time there in the summer. It’s a great city,” Williams said of The Chi.

D. Will told me about competing in the Olympics “It was a great experience, a chance to represent my country, my organization, my family and win a Gold medal, something I’ll cherish for the rest of my life,” and also endorsed Chicago’s prospects for 2016: “They’d be a great host, I saw the 3D plans for what they want to do with it, how they’re gonna change everything around, all the facilities, it looks amazing,” Williams responded.

See more of Paul M. Banks’ work at the Washington Times and The Sports Bank

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The Most Popular Athlete in the World Stops By

Paul M. Banks a.k.a. The Sports Bank

Michael Phelps is a man who truly needs no introduction. Michael Phelps is to swimming what Devin Hester is to kick returns in football or what the Red Baron was to combat aviation The Olympic gold medal record setter and swimmer extraordinaire Michael Phelps was in Chicago yesterday and I had a front row seat at his press conference and live chat for the 2016 Channel at the Hilton Towers on Michigan Avenue. You can listen to the audio at this link

One topic Phelps discussed was the Michael Phelps Foundation and some of the foundation’s objectives. “One of the biggest things for me is to raise the bar in the sport of swimming. I would like to try to get as many people as possible around the country and around the world as comfortable as they can be in the water, so we can cut down the {number of} drownings in America and all over the world,” Phelps said.

For more Chicago sports analysis and talk go here.

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Oprah, Olympians, Oh Boy!

Marcus Riley, NBC5 Street Team (video)

I like to think I’m passed the point of being overly excited by meeting celebrities. Not that I’m too cool for school or anything, it’s just that I’ve learned over the years that celebs are like the rest of us, and if anything, a bit more insecure and tortured due to the glare that life can bring.

That being said, I was a bit surprised to find myself feeling a few butterflies as I stood among 150 medal-winning Olympians and the Queen of all media herself — Oprah Winfrey. It all went down at Millenium Park, where Oprah was shooting her season-opening episode that airs Monday.

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Slideshow: Oprah And The Olympians

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The athletes rode in on double-decker buses, and the next thing I knew, I was snapping pictures of all those athletes I was watching from Beijing just a couple of weeks ago — names like Phelps, Misty, Nastia — and others I’ve been watching for years, like Kobe. That was expected. What wasn’t expected was a visit down the media rope by Oprah herself. I’m not sure why I was surprised she was so gracious and down-to-earth. For some reason I’d always thought she would be the opposite.

At the end of the day it goes down as another feather in Chicago’s cap — good publicity for the 2016 bid and another reminder that we live in one of the coolest cities in the world.

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Why Chicago? Millennium Park

JenChicago, NBC5 Street Team

Some of the same reasons that I moved to Chicago are the same reasons that I think it would be pretty sweet to have the 2016 Olympics here! And Millennium Park is one of my most favorite things EVER!

What do YOU love about Chicago?

Videography by Courtney Hannibal.

See more video at JenChicago.com

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Cara Carriveau, NBC5 Street Team

Oprah is taping her season premiere at Millennium Park in downtown Chicago this Wednesday.  There was a post about it earlier but I wanted to make sure you knew that you couldn’t simply show up on Wednesday – if you want to get in, you need to come to Millennium Park TODAY (Saturday, August 30th) at 12pm for reservation information. Audience Coordinators will be located on the East side of the Jay Pritzker Pavilion along Columbus Drive just behind the McDonald’s Cycle Center.  Click HERE for all the details!

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Aniko Salon & Spa–Ab Fab!

Shlomi Rabi, NBC5 Street Team

Every now and again, when I can’t think of the right word, that perfect comeback touche-type of retort that leaves my competition speechless, I go quiet for a moment. All eyes–the spectators, the moderator, the judge, my Correctional Officer (yeah Marcus, you wish)–are on me. I think for a second and go back in my head to a quiet, calm spot. A location so safe and so comfortable I can easily find my way around at no effort. A vision so familiar and loving that I am once again able find the strength to summon my inner bitch, and silence my opponent. That location, of course, is Michael Phelps’s abs.

With the Olympics fading into memory, I am beginning to bid adieu to Phelps’s abs. (Sigh)…. Who knows when and how I will see them again. Most likely the Vatican will dip into their “Bail-A-Priest Trust Fund” and buy him out of Kellog and use his face on their Christmas mass eucharist, now that the U.S. has put him on their Endangered Species list, but until then, I must find my the drive within to proceed solo. Which is why last Thursday I went to Aniko Salon and Spa‘s event to benefit the Chicago Fashion Foundation. Watching Aniko Salon stylists transform the models using body paint (which, as you may have guessed, further reminded me of my paramour), while listening to live music provided by DJ Jason Wolfe, sipping on cocktails, and nipple… I mean nibbling (right, nibbling) on hors d’ouevres, was just what any fun-loving Chicagoan could use these days. Well, at least short of napping on Michael Phelps’ abs.

To learn more about what makes the world get stuck, click here.

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U.S. vs. China for Medals, Money and Military

Paul M. Banks a.k.a. The Sports Bank
In the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, our nation and the host nation are expected to fight it out as medal count winner to the very end. As of Thursday 1:45 PM ET, we were ahead of China in total medals 95 to 83, with Russia a distant third at 51. In terms of economic power, the International Monetary Fund ranks America first in Gross Domestic Product with China second. The gap is 13.8 to 6.9. In terms of military might, the 2005 U.S. military budget was almost as much as the rest of the world’s defense spending combined and is over eight times larger than the official military budget of China.

The world is watching Michael Phelps accomplish feats that make him to swimming what the American economy is to GDP or what the USA is to global defense spending. Dominance of this sort (in all three competitions) comes along once in a lifetime…and to witness it is truly special. Watching the man who looks like a cross between Super Bowl hero Eli Manning and the guy who plays Jim on “The Office” (Thank You Stephen Colbert for that joke) break Mark Spitz’s record from Munich in’72 will make Beijing one of the most talked about Olympics of all time. But as Phelps’ personal empire builds, the American empire declines. As our economy tanks from 8 years of the supposed “CEO Administration,” the Chinese economy soars!

Three years ago, I recall my mentor in business school telling us in class about China becoming the next global superpower and how the Olympics being in Beijing was a chance for them to truly rise up and show the world what they are made of. Maybe we’ll know a little more about the era of American hegemony nearing its end by the time these games are done?

For more Chicago sports information and discussion click here.

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Olympics: 1 Week Down, 1 To Go

Marcus Riley, NBC5 Street Team (video)

I’m one of millions who’ve been glued to the TV and Internet, watching the Olympics. I’ve previously been a critic of NBC’s TV coverage because of the emphasis on the storyline, but with so many other options to check out your favorite sport, there’s something for everyone. And yes, I am also caught up in the soap opera aspect.

Opening Ceremonies Controversy

I also felt sorry for the little girl whose face wasn’t used to sing the song in the Opening Ceremonies, but I did feel the outrage was a bit hypocritical. Especially in our own society that values the physical over substance. Richard Roeper said it beautifully in his column.

Cool Runnings

Jamaican Usain Bolt took a lot of flack for showboating with 40 meters left in the 100m run – even though he still ran a world record. I say lay off the kid. Sprinters are like wide receivers in football or closers in baseball — a little brashness and eccentricity is expected. I am disappointed that he didn’t run through the line and see how fast he could actually go. He could pull a hamstring tomorrow and ever be healthy enough to put the world record in a stratosphere that may not be touched for years.

Gymnasts Controversy

Is there a bigger soap opera? It’s like figure skating, right down to the outfits. As for the scoring controversy over Nastia Liukin’s uneven bars performance — the rules are the rules when it comes to sports, and these weren’t made up at the last minute. That’s why the American contingent didn’t file an appeal. By the way, would anyone be complaining if the Chinese girl lost and the American won?

Sexing Up The Games

So I’ve been busy creating slideshows and popping local stories to our localized version of www.nbcolympics.com, and it’s clear what sells — the sexy and the outrageous. Hey, are that many people really into beach volleyball? That being said, here’s a couple of slideshows to entertain you.

Slideshow: Olympic Falls
Slideshow: The Women Of Beach Volleyball

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Cold War Anyone? Part II

Raminder, NBC5 Street Team

The Olympics are in full swing and apparently the Phelps-mania is catching on and NBC couldn’t be happier for their advertisers! And we are too!

Former U.S.S.R. member Russia realized they didn’t have much sports might so why not show their military might during the Opening Night ceremonies by engaging Georgia in a wrestling match.  

The U.S. maintains a slim lead in the total medal count (79) but China (76) has to wonder if the medals should be weighted the same, given that they (China – 43 Golds) have 17 more Gold medals than the U.S. (26 Golds).

Russia (10 Golds) is sitting at a total of 42 medals and I think Putin (and his judoesque prowess) saw this poor showing coming and wanted to bring Georgia into its empire and count their 3 medals too. But it doesn’t work that way Mr. Putin or at least try invading the UK (16 Golds and total of 33 medals) and Germany (11 Golds and total of 28 medals) as they could put you in the lead.

These Olympics might be remembered as the ones that brought Russia into the forefront of Europe again when it was instead supposed to be China’s moment to make us fear them. ;-) Oh and the other billion strong nation of India celebrated with their first-ever solo Gold medal in 10m Air Rifle shooting…Jai Hind my peeps!

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Bring it, Olympics! (In 2016, that is…)

JenChicago, NBC5 Street Team

So Chicago and ME kinda got this whole love thing going on… and when the Chicago 2016 Organization asked me to be a part of bringing the Olympics to My Love, I jumped at the chance! After all, Chicago’s Sweetheart WOULD be incredibly supportive, yes? Yes. (You’re so smart.)

Therefore, expect to see a whole lotta Olympic chatter coming outta JenChicago! Granted, I just moved here, but it sounds like a big ol’ party if you ask me… and well… I sho’ do like a good party!

‘Cause there ain’t no city like this Midwest city, ’cause this Midwest city don’t stop!

Anyhow, there were some crazy-smart and influential Chicago social media peeps in attendance INCLUDING some of my fellow NBC5 Street Teamers, like The Local Tourist and Blagica Bottigliero! (Woot-Woot!) We all had some very authentic discussions about the impact of the Olympics and I am extremely anxious to see how we, as a community, will invite the world over for some fun in the Chicago sun!

So, get out your megaphone and pom-poms! We’re gonna need your help.

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Cold War Anyone?

Raminder, NBC5 Street Team

Remember the good ole Cold War and all its detente? I miss it. It sure gave meaning to everything in our lives, from watching the tense weightlifting competition pitting U.S.S.R and U.S.A.,  to some other so-called sport (handball…go easy on the bashing if you play handball) that’s only remembered as a sport every four years, or how the judges from both nations rated each other in gymnastics.

But maybe, just maybe, these could be the games that bring back the passion sans the sappy storylines (a la VH1 Behind the Music). China and its exports (some lead-filled) to us have propelled them to a powerhouse status worthy of being disliked by mainstream America. Russia, on Putin’s watch, is gathering its resources and might just become something to be reckoned with, but not till 2020 or so.

India, though well populated, cannot muster up the same level of chutzpah for sports as they have for education. Germany is still reeling from their EuroCup loss to Spain to care about the Games. Cuba, minus Fidel, is adversarial in boxing and baseball but too small to really challenge…

Nonetheless, here’s a merry toast to seeing a rival rise onto the world stage tomorrow night and Happy Games To You All!!!

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Ain’t NOTHIN’ wrong with Movies In The Park…

JenChicago, NBC5 Street Team

Tuesdays at sunset in Grant Park. *sigh*

I almost don’t even have to say anything more…. The Chicago Outdoor Film Festival is an amazing gift that everyone is invited to enjoy and many take the city up on it.

Grab a blanket, snacks, your best pals and some sparkling grape juice (because technically… there’s no alcohol allowed. Umm… right.) and head out to enjoy a picnic with about a million (I have no idea how many people… a lot) other friends of Chicago.

Thank you to all of the people that chatted with me. Thank you, Daley for helping to make this happen. I think this video exemplifies so much of what is wonderful about Chicago. Beauty, energy and wonderful people. It’s no wonder we are a candidate city for the 2016 Olympics! (Whoop- whoop!)

Oh, Chicago… I just love your guts!

Music by Rick Cates, City Lights.

More videos and fun at JenChicago.com

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Help Jones College Prep’s Band Play at the China Olympics!!

Blagica Bottigliero, NBC5 Street Team (Video)

Everyone listen up and listen up good! One of our very own public schools, Jones College Prep, has a PHENOMENAL opportunity to take its BAND to CHINA and perform at the Olympics. What’s the issue? They need an additional $36,000 to get there.
Kudos to fellow Street Teamer and NBC5 Diva, LeAnn Trotter, for doing a story on NBC5 to help the cause. Good news is, money started to roll in, but the bad news?

Jones College Prep needs $36,000 MORE in the hands of the United Airlines sponsorship team by the end of THIS week to get those plane tickets.

Why does this topic get to me? Here are a few reasons:

• I live around the corner from Jones. I’m a neighbor, I give a darn and I love the hustle and bustle of being around students. I was also a band nerd.
• Did you know that Jones College Prep earned the TOP prize at an orchestra/band competition in Canada in 2006?
• Did you know that the Mayor has a close tie with the Chinese consulate in town AND that Chicago has one of THE best Chinese as a second language programs?
• Did you know that Jones College Prep earned a BLUE RIBBON award and is one of THE best 100 schools in the COUNTRY – and its public?
• Did you know that this may be the ONLY band that is sent from Illinois to China to perform at the Olympics?
• Whitney Young is sending a choir

Mr. Mayor, since Chicago is trying to obtain the 2016 bid and since we have such a strong and warm relationship with China, can’t someone you know help out?

Can’t Orbitz, Motorola, Kraft, McDonald’s, Sears, CB Richard Ellis, Jones Lang LaSalle, Crate & Barrel, Lettuce Entertain You, Levy’s Restaurants, Billy Dec or some OTHER successful Chicagoland based company/entity help out and sponsor our phenomenal Chicago representatives and send them to China to perform?

Hey Sam Zell, think YOU can help out?

Here is Jones College Prep’s number: : (773) 534-8600. Ask for Mr. Menzies

(For more ideas, stories and my POV on life in Chicago, take a look-see here)

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