9 awesome things about The Chi

Posted in Blackhawks, Chicago, Football, Hockey, Lists, Love, Music by laurenmaya

No, not the TV show … the City.

Logan Square

For the first time in 11 years, I’m celebrating my birthday at home. I’ve been globetrotting for some time but now I’m back. And in honor of this amazing city — that I’ve always called “my heart” because it’s more than just “my home” — I’ve compiled a list of the 9 most awesomest things about it:

9. Easiest city to navigate … All the streets run north/south and east/west. Most intersections are “T” grids. Some streets you can literally take from one side of the city and in an hour reach the other side. If you get lost in Chicago then I don’t know what to tell you.

8. #SummertimeChi … If you are bored in Chicago in the summer you must be from Green Bay. #SummertimeChi is not only a popular hashtag, or line in a song, it’s a way of life. AAHH Fest pic Every single summer weekend there’s something to do (and the weekends begin on Thursday). From the music festivals (Pitchfork, Lolla, Riot, AAHH) to the art festivals in Old Town and Hyde Park, everybody from Howard to Austin to the wild-100s are out and about enjoying them. Then there’s the annual Jazz, Gospel and Blues fest down in Grant Park. And if you want something to satisfy your stomach, there’s always a food festival going on. You’ve got:

May: Italian Beef Festival … Oh mio Dio!
June: Puerto Rican festival in Humboldt Park
August: Tacos & Tamales Festival in Pilsen
August: Festa Italiana on Taylor Street … I’m a be there!
August: Hot Sauce Fest in Avondale
There’s so much more: Chicago Food Festivals & Chicago Music Festivals

7. Conscious Rap … Chicago is known for conscious rap. We’ve never had a distinctive “sound” in hip hop but our lyrics have always pushed listeners to think intelligently about the world around them. Common’s The Corner, Kanye’s Crack Music, Lupe’s All Black Everything, Chance’s Blessings, the list goes on and on and on. And please note that when I say “Kanye” I’m talking pre-Yeezus Kanye … when he was just a humble kid from Oak Lawn making 5 beats a day for 3 summers. Nonetheless, I’m so proud of the hip hop we produce. (***I say “we” like I’m in the studio laying tracks, Ha!***)

6. Sports … Do I really need to go there?!?!?!?! Yes. Yes I do.

George Halas, Dick Butkus, Walter Payton, Mike Ditka, Buddy Ryan, Da Defense, Da ’85 Bears, The Super Bowl Shuffle, The Chicago Stadium, BJ Armstrong, Bill Cartwright, Horace Grant, John Paxson, Michael Jordan, Michael Jordan, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Tony Kukoc, Luc Longely, Steve Kerr, Phil Jackson, ’91, ’92, ’93, ’96, ’97, ’98, burning cars, 35th & Wentworth, Ozzie Guillen, Kenny Williams, Jerry Reinsdorf, Rick Hahn, Paul Konerko, AJ Pierzynski, Scotty Pods, Jon Garland, Mark Buehrle, Sweaty Freddy, Jose Contreras, Johnny Toews, Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp, Duncan Keith, Dustin Byfuglien, Brandon Saad, Joel Quenneville, Joe Maddon, Theo Epstein, Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Dexter Fowler, Javy Baez …

Do I need to continue?!

Yes. Yes I do.

Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler, D-Wade, Thib Thib, Anthony Davis, Jabari Parker, Coach K, Doc Rivers, Chris Chelios, Eddie Olczyk, Shani Davis and last but not least Kirby Puckett.

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3Feb2018

Not to be a party pooper but I don’t do Super Bowl parties

Posted in Football by laurenmaya

I have a confession to make:

I don’t do Super Bowl Parties!!!

Ahhhh! I can’t stand them and I’m saying this as a sports-fanatical extrovert! Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy the game, the chicken wings and the commercials. But I’ve been to dozens of parties and I often find myself in a sea of people who don’t know the game of football. So I end up spending most of my time explaining the game, players, teams, and rules to folks who won’t even care on Monday morning and all I wanna do is watch the game.

Does anyone feel my pain?!

Football on Field I have a second confession to make though: last year I watched the Super Bowl alone. And I loved it! Yup, the game where Brady and Belichick rallied from 28-3 to win the title game, I watched alone. It was just me, my TV and Chinese food.

But I think I found the solution … watch the big game with folks you’ve watched sports with in the past. This Super Sunday I’m going to my friends’ place where I’ve watched plenty of games, including the 2016 World Series and part of last year’s NCAA Tournament. There’ll be a small group of us, some good food and definitely no football tutorials.

Yup, that’s my solution from here on out.

Tea Recommendation: Ginger spice or peppermint … to quell an upset stomach should the Eagles lose.

9Oct2017

Cam Newton & his laughter

Posted in Deep Thinking, Football by laurenmaya

Cam Newton’s laughter, I heard it all too well. Nope, I wasn’t at the presser in Carolina. I don’t even cover the NFL. But when he laughed at the Charlotte Observer’s Jourdan Rodrigue’s question on “routes,” it reminded me of the number of times I was disrespected by men in sports. I’ve been winked at by a coach, stared at in lockerrooms and one time bumped in the shoulder when a certain NFLer walked past me when there was more than enough space for him to walk around me. And each time something like that happened I always thought “If I were a man, then they wouldn’t have (fill in the blank.” Panthers QB Cam Newton
ESPN’s Linda Cohn put it best: “Women have to fight for credibility.” You have to be better than good in the world of sports. It doesn’t matter that I’ve been a sports fan my entire life (especially of Chicago sports). I’ve been loving the Bears since birth, celebrated every Bulls championship in the ‘90s, cried when the White Sox won it all in ’05 and was even low-key congratulatory when the Cubbies did it last year. And, good luck to them this year. But I know no matter how much I love a sport, played a sport (lacrosse in high school and college) or covered a sport, I’ll never be taken as seriously as a man.

I’ve heard some male sports journalists say “Just deal with it.” And for the most part we women do. Most of the time we don’t have a choice. We take the winking and the staring and the laughter. But every now and again you don’t want to “just deal with it.” You want an apology. And as late as Newton’s was, it was appreciated.

So, I thank you Cam for the apology. I hope other men will follow your lead. And Jourdan… you did good girl. Thanks for taking one for the team.

Tea recommendation: Lady Grey tea … for all Doris Burkeses, Jackie MacMullenes and Claire Smithes grinding it out among the men everyday.

4Feb2016

It’s National Signing Day, I CAN’T EVEN!

Posted in Football, Headlines, Sports, Uncategorized by laurenmaya

In Boston, I used to mentor teens and they always used the phrase “I can’t even.” It was their generation’s “whatever.” I never really knew when to use it until today.

It’s National Signing Day and I CAN’T EVEN!!!

Fountain pen and signature

I tried to avoid it all day. But I simply couldn’t. I got a few updates on my phone this morning. Every other tweet during the day was about who signed where. And the headlines are still flooding my newsfeed at 9 o’clock at night. I’m incredibly happy for the kids but when did this become a thing?!

What’s most upsetting is the deification of these kids. Rashan Gray, the nation’s top recruit, decided to go to Michigan. Great! I hope he shines bright like a diamond. I really do. But do we need all the news coverage and interviews and highlights on national TV?! Haven’t we all read the script before? Small-town kid makes it to a big state school and turns into campus hotshot after his highlights lead SportsCenter’s A block for the 15th time in two days. He then becomes No. 1 in the nation and thus untouchable.

But then trouble comes. He busts his knee or worse gets busted by the law. The confetti falls. Then everyone starts pointing the finger.

Except not at ourselves. We didn’t do anything. We’re bowing down at the next kid.

6Jul2015

American WOMAN!

Posted in Football, Headlines, Love, Soccer, Sports by laurenmaya

Carli Lloyd.

Carli Legit.

Carli LEGEND!

Houston playing, Liverpool loving, Nike sponsoring, Hat-Trick history making, Jersey-born Scarlet Knight …

Carli Lloyd is my new Girl Crush!

Best moment too: When she gave Abby Wambach the captain’s armband! #Classy

Congrats to the US Women’s National Team on capturing our hearts like Brandi and Mia did years ago!!!

And awesome sauce job by the other crushes too: Kelley O’Hara. Hope Solo. Alex Morgan. Abby Wambach. Sydney Leroux. Megan Rapinoe. Amy Rodriguez. Becky Sauerbrunn. Heather O’Reilly. Christen Press. Christie Rampone. Alyssa Naeher. Ali Krieger. Meghan Klingenberg. Julie Johnston. Lauren Holiday. Whitney Engen. Ashlyn Harris. Tobin Heath. Shannon Boxx. Morgan Brian. Lori Chalupny.

#SheBelieves #IBelieve #CarliLloydFromTheParkingLot

23May2015

24.3 Things To Do Instead of Focusing on Deflategate

Posted in Football, Headlines, Lists, Sports by laurenmaya

24.3

Roger Goodell. Tom Brady. Robert Kraft. Ted Wells. Wells Report. Ball Boy. Ball Boy whose name sounds like a hall-of-famer. Football. PSI. Deflategate. Deflategate. DEFLATEGATE.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!

I’m still tired of it all. It’s been over a week since the Wells Report disrupted our daily lives and it’s driving me CRAZY. It’s a 243-paged dissertation and in an effort to NOT focus on it I’ve come up with 24.3 things we can do instead:

Find Jimmy Hoffa … It’s been decades since his disappearance and we still don’t know where he is
Find the rest of Bill Belichick’s sleeves … I imagine they’re all tucked away somewhere at Gillette
Save Chicago from bankruptcy… please!
Save baseball from boredom … double please!
Bring baseball back to the hood! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!
Repair Baltimore … Just grab a broom and dustpan and get to work
Free Adnan
Figure out if Serial is sponsored by “Mail Kimp” or “Mail Chimp” … It’s sad that we still don’t know how to pronounce it!
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12May2015

Deflategate? More like Deflate-hate!

Posted in Deep Thinking, Football, Headlines, Sports by laurenmaya

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!

Is anyone else tired of all the Deflategate noise! It’s everywhere! It’s all over the newspapers. It’s on the radio, on TV, on street corners and on the T. And when the NFL punished Patriots QB Tom Brady on Monday, the news nearly broke Twitter! In January I was “ahhhhh-ing” because I was just tired of the wall-to-wall coverage of Deflategate. It was repetitive and annoying like the New England snow. But when the official punishments were announced on Monday my “ahhhhh-ing” grew from 5 “h’s” to 15 “h’s.” And this time I was upset at the actual punishment.