By Soxman and Paul M. Banks
This week is a very special Sox Exchange for many reasons. The Sports Bank is reaching new levels of popularity. Also, TSB founder Paul M. Banks was media credentialed for the last home-stand and brings new insights straight from the press box to the Sox Exchange (Look for his upcoming stories on the Jim Beam Club, Scout Seats Lounge and U.S. Cellular Field statues very soon).
(SM) Sometimes good things happen to good people. I liken it to 2005 when Joe Crede finally broke out. You keep saying to yourself, “when is this kid going to break out? He has all the talent in the world.â€Â As evident by the host of exciting things happening for you, it looks like your time is now.
(PMB) Thanks I feel like I was called up from the minor leagues to the big show for a spot start a couple months ago. Now I have a solid position with the parent club’s starting rotation. You are aware that the story I did on you for the NBC Street Team, as well as this site is breaking records for comments, page views, hit count etc. Hi Five! Your thoughts?
(SM)You did a story on Soxman? I’ll have to check it out. LOL, seriously I continue to be amazed that so many of our fans responded to that article both here and on the Sportsbank. In a small amount of words you captured the essence of [More …]
“Cuz I got mad hits like I was Rod Carewâ€
By Paul M. Banks
-Thanks to the Beastie Boys for this week’s slogan. “cuz we can’t, we won’t and we don’t stop…TSB come and rock the Sure Shotâ€
-What also has “mad hits like Rod Carew†is the story I did on Soxman for the NBC5.com Street Team and the one for this site. Records for comments, page views, hit count etc. were all shattered many times over!
My MILB Radio guest spot live from Cubby Bear
When you click on this site, the audio of the most recent show plays…I was on as an interview guest from around the 41 minute mark to the 58. I talk about MLB, MILB, Ryno, NBC5 Street team, The Sports Bank, Wrigley Field, Soxman, Batboy, Dave, Tren, Marcus Riley and much more.
-This week was very special for many reasons. I met Cubs GM Jim Hendry on Tue night, and I sat in the press box for the Sox-Rangers game last Wednesday. (Look for my upcoming stories for TSB and NBC on the Jim Beam Club and Scout Seats/ Lounge very soon. I’ll take you behind the scenes for the bougey or high-class White Sox experience) And my article chronicling the statues of U.S. Cellular Field.
-That game was the MLB debut of Clayton Richard. He was the starting pitcher for the United States in the Yankee Stadium All-Star Futures game. He also played quarterback [More …]
By the Soxman
As the MLB trade deadline hits today, GM Kenny Williams drew first blood from the Reds in trading Danny Richar and Nick Masset for future Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. As a 10 and 5 player, Griffey had the option of declining the trade. However, his desire to get to the World Series, again play centerfield and hit in the U.S. Cellular Field launching pad, made it an easy decision.
Griffey, 38, is batting .245 this season with a .355 on-base percentage, 15 home runs and 53 RBIs in 359 at-bats. Earlier this season, he hit his 600th home run. While his best years as a player are far behind him, he still represents a marked hitting upgrade over Paul Konerko, who is likely to lose the most playing time as a result of this move. Griffey has a career .379 on-base percentage and .549 slugging percentage. He’s injury-prone, which is why this move is somewhat of a surprise. Junior signed through the 2008 season, with a club option for 2009. Depending on how he performs, this could result in Jim Thome’s option being declined, or Paul Konerko being traded after the 2008 season.
The White Sox attempted to acquire him from the Reds at the trade deadline in 2005, but the trade reportedly was nixed by Reds ownership for financial reasons. The Sox confirmed Griffey will return to CF. The Sox are set at the corners with Carlos Quentin in [More …]
By Trenni Kusnierek and David K.
Trenni, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous. The Cubs lead in the NL Central has shrunk to one game since the Brewers won their first seven after the All-Star break (all on the road), while Chicago has been riddled with inconsistency. What has impressed me the most about Milwaukee is how they have been able to win in the clutch; look no further than their four-game sweep in St. Louis. Three of the Crew’s wins came via home runs in their final at-bats, while Carsten Charles Sabathia took care of the Cards in the other victory throwing his third straight complete game as a Brewer. Heck, even the bullpen has been solid for Milwaukee since the break. So yes, I’m nervous.
The MLB schedule makers must love that the Cubs and Crew will tango ten times before October including a regular season finale at Miller Park. In your opinion, just how important is this current series for both teams and who has more to win/lose? It is obviously going to have an October, playoff-like feel to it and I’m sure the Brewers are anxious to further cement their status as a World Series contender by taking this series.Â
–David K.
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If you’re nervous, I’m in sick to my stomach, ulcer mode. If there is one area I still think the Cubs trump the Brew Crew it’s in big game experience. Although the Brewers made it a point to [More …]
By Sarah Spain
The Love of Sports.com
The Excerpt:
A story that began as nothing more than a few rumored text messages has quickly become a PR nightmare for the Green Bay Packers and a topic of endless discussion for the sports media. As one of the most compelling baseball seasons in years rounds the corner into the home stretch, and the Beijing Olympics loom on the horizon, it’s the “will he or won’t he†of one man that dominates the headlines.
Brett Favre is the sports world’s Britney Spears.
Even as reporters and writers bemoan Favre’s complete media takeover, they contribute to it. Stories like “Brett Favre: Sick and Tired of the Guy†and “Brett Favre – Get Off My TV†dominate popular sports blogs. Shows like PTI introduce another day of Favre news (or non-news, as is often the case) with an apologetic preface, but wouldn’t dream of letting the topic go unaddressed.
If everyone’s so over Favre, then why is everyone still talking about him?
The Link:
http://theloveofsports.com/index.php/site/comments/love_it_or_hate_it22/
Possibly Related Posts:
By Paul M. Banks
Jemile Weeks is the younger brother of Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Rickie Weeks. He’s also the highest (12th overall 2008) Oakland Athletics draft pick to play for the Kane County Cougars as well as the most prominent A’s draft pick since Barry Zito. (9th overall in 1999) Weeks skipped his senior season at the University of Miami to sign with the A’s for a $1.9 million singing bonus. He hit .363 and went 22 of 23 in stolen base attempts during his final collegiate season. The All-American and All-ACC pick led the Miami Hurricanes to the top overall seed in the College World Series. Unfortunately, his big experience playing at historic Wrigley Field did not go well. He led off the game with a grounder to first, landed on first base funny, injured a hip flexor and missed the rest of the game.
On how hectic his first day as a professional baseball player was…
JW: In Oakland I woke up, jumped on the plane, headed over here on a little car ride and got to playing.
Kind of crazy, I’m in a little bit of a rush, but I came out here to play, so they put me in the lineup. I just started early. Whatever, I went out there to play my game. I appreciate their fitting me in. That was great, a great feeling to go out there. You know hopefully if I play well I thought maybe I’d get out [More …]
Peter Christian & Soxman break down what each MLB contender needs to make the play-offs
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Trade Rumors begin to heat up as the MLB trade deadline approaches. The deadline is 4 p.m. ET on Thursday, July 31. Until then teams may trade players freely without having to go through the waiver process.
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D’Backs
With Eric Byrnes having an awful season (.209, 6 HR) they need a proven hitter in their line-up. The D’Backs still have a fairly deep farm system and could use those resources to snag Jason Bay or Raul Ibanez who could be available. They acquired Tony Clark on July 17th in the hopes of improving the 5th worst offense in MLB (.249 BA). The D’Backs have the 11th best pitching staff in MLB (3.92 ERA) so their pitching needs a lift. Hard throwing super prospect, Max Scherzer could be the answer.
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Dodgers
 You can’t rule out the Dodgers making the play-offs as they have an exceptional manager in Joe Torre. The loss of Saito for 6 weeks creates a need in the bullpen, in addition to their need for more thunder in their line-up. Could they go after Houston Street? Take a gamble on bringing back Eric Gagne? They also need help at shortstop and have inquired on Jack Wilson. David Eckstein could also make a lot of sense. Their starting pitching is solid.
–The Soxman
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Los Angeles DodgersÂ
Even though the Dodgers [More …]
Peter Christian, David K. & Soxman break down what each MLB contender needs to make the play-offs
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Trade Rumors begin to heat up as the MLB trade deadline approaches. The deadline is 4 p.m. ET on Thursday, July 31. Until then teams may trade players freely without having to go through the waiver process.
I don’t care what David K. says, the Cubs are just fine. They might be the only team to be able to claim that they swindled Billy Beane (by nabbing Rich Harden and Chad Gaudin for a handful of minor leaguers that don’t look to be all that great) and they have been able to overcome a lengthy disabled list trip by Alfonso Soriano. Their rotation is very solid (and might get a bit crowded if Jon Lieber looks impressive during his rehab). Even with the Cubs recent struggle to score runs they are 2nd in the Majors in run production and the only MLB club to have a positive run differential of more than 100 runs. The one thing the Cubs do lack is a threat off of the bench. The starting lineup is pretty stacked (especially when Soriano is back) but there really isn’t any firepower on the bench to bring out in late inning pinch-hit situations. Oddly enough the team that has a few guys to fit that mold is the team they already traded with (A’s). The problem with going after that type of player while being in the [More …]
By Rikki Greenberg
Please welcome the newest addition to TheSportsBank.net, my fellow NBC5.com Street Teamer Rikki Greenberg. As you read her contributions here, you’ll see she has a certain journalistic wheelhouse.
I visited my newsworthy sites of thesuperifical.com and well, newly appointed newsworthy site, VH1 and apparently Madge and A-Rod have an alleged sex tape!!
The old story goes something like this:
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Aging pop start who just won’t quit (Madonna) meets highest paid, easy on the eyes baseball player (Alex Rodriguez). Rumors of A-Rod and Madonna canoodling start to surface. A-Rod loses his wife and Madonna’s marriage starts to fall apart coincidentally at the same time these rumors are going around. A-Rod and Madonna make an alleged sex tape to what can only be assumed as a way for both to deal with their failed and failing marriages. It’s a sad turn of events kids, and I wish it didn’t go down like this. Usually people make sex tapes to further their career and both parties are well-established…so I don’t get it? Madonna is not an attractive woman even with make up on…I don’t even want to know what she looks like without make up on, let alone naked. Honestly, I’m disappointed with you A-rod because you could have fun with any chick you could ever want to and you choose Madonna?
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That’s like me choosing Flavor Flav when I could have Josh Hamilton from the Texas Rangers. Or like [More …]
Peter Christian, David K. & Soxman break down what each MLB contender needs to make the play-offs
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Trade Rumors begin to heat up as the MLB trade deadline approaches. The deadline is 4 p.m. ET on Thursday, July 31. Until then teams may trade players freely without having to go through the waiver process.
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Milwaukee Brewers –
Brewer GM Doug Melvin already landed the trading season’s biggest prize in CC Sabathia, which has paid off immediate dividends. However that didn’t mean Melvin was done. He also traded for a veteran backup to the slump prone Rickie Weeks (Ray Durham) and recently signed Jay Gibbons who has been out of baseball since he was mentioned in the Mitchell report as an alleged steroid user. The Brewers willingness to go out and make changes in an effort to make the play-offs for the first time since 1982 proves to both the players and the fans that this team is committed to one thing: Winning the World Series. While Bill Hall has been swinging a good bat lately, he has been mentioned all season long as being movable and might be bait to go out and get a reliable closer (the Crew’s most glaring need). Outside of some late inning help the Brewers are in a good spot for the playoffs. They have very good hitting and defense on the bench to go along with a starting lineup that is one of the most powerful in the bigs. [More …]
By Paul M. Banks
You’ve likely seen it by now on SportsCenter, your local news or on your favorite sports blogs: the infamous minor league fight between the Cubs single A affiliate, the Peoria Chiefs and the Cincinnati Reds’ affiliate, the Dayton Dragons. The video is being forwarded to millions of inboxes everyday. These same Chiefs take on the Kane County Cougars at Wrigley Field on Tuesday night at 7:05 PM. The Chiefs are currently managed by Ryne Sandberg, an iconic figure for a whole generation of Chicago Cubs fans. The 2005 Major League Baseball Hall of Fame inductee is considered to be one of the greatest second baseman in history. Sandberg had no part in this infamous brawl though because he was away in Cooperstown for Hall of Fame weekend ceremonies. Sandberg’s fill-in, as well as the Dragons’ manager, were both ejected.
Ryno’s .989 career fielding percentage is the highest ever for a second baseman. His #23 is just the fourth number ever retired by the Cubs organization. He retired in 1997, after spending nearly his entire career as a Cub. Highlights of his Major League service include:Â
-Ten All-Star Appearances
-Nine Gold Gloves
-Seven Silver sluggers.
-1984 MVP awardÂ
Large crowds of that “bleed Cubbie blue†follow him wherever he manages. Goose Island even brewed a special beer in honor of Sandberg, “the Ryno 23†during the year he was enshrined in Cooperstown. I caught up to him right before his [More …]
Peter Christian & Soxman break down what each MLB contender needs to make the play-offs
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Trade Rumors begin to heat up as the MLB trade deadline approaches. The deadline is 4 p.m. ET on Thursday, July 31. Until then teams may trade players freely without having to go through the waiver process.
NL EAST
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Phillies
The Phillies addressed their biggest need by trading for Joe Blanton on July 17th. Are they done picking up starting pitching? They have also scouted Matt Cain, AJ Burnett, and Derek Lowe.
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Mets
The Mets are suddenly very much alive in the NL East. They are also believed to be involved in the Freddy Garcia sweepstakes. They have also been strongly linked to AJ Burnett in recent weeks. I’ve heard rumors of a trade involving Matt Holliday, Willy Taveras, and Brian Fuentes for Fernando Martinez, and Carlos Beltran, but I don’t believe it. Martinez could make a big-impact if ready, and the Mets could turn to a cheaper option such as Xavier Nady or Raul Ibanez.Â
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Marlins
How could a team that loses their best hitter and franchise player compete? The Marlins are doing it…And are quickly earning my respect as the “Twins†of NL. Perhaps they should change their name from the Marlins to the Piranhas. Looking to add speed to compliment their abundance of power, they have inquired with the Rockies about Willy Taveras and Scott Podsednik. [More …]
By Soxman
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As the Major League Trade Deadline draws closer, your trade rumor hot stove heats up to a molten level!Â
I’m not offering detailed analysis here because some of the goals are completely obvious. However, it should help keep you in the loop.
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Here we go…
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White Sox Get Aggressive
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Evidently, Kenny Williams is smelling another title run and attempting to plug holes with the emergence of new assets like Alexei Ramirez. When reading these Sox Rumors, consider the following: Joe Crede might be back, (pardon the pun), Jose Contreras might have a worse injury than previously thought.
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Per Baseball Tonight:
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•       Juan Uribe to the Boston Red Sox for Alex Cora (brother of Joey).
•       Orlando Cabrera to the Dodgers for Derek Lowe (OC really has not panned out like the Sox have hoped offensively).
•       Justin Duchscherer and Houston Street to the A’s for Josh Fields, Adam Russell, and one other player (Brian Anderson?).
•       The Sox scouting Freddy Garcia.
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Milwaukee Brewers
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In search of bullpen help, the Brewers have been trying to land George Sherill, Will Ohman, and Houston Street.
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The Orioles wanted J.J. Hardy for Sherill and the Brewers rightfully declined.
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New York Yankees
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•       Jarrod Washburn to the Yankees for Melky Cabrera
•       ESPN Mike and Mike reports Barry Bonds Bond’s name discussed [More …]
Peter Christian, Soxman & Paul M. Banks break down what each MLB contender needs to make the play-offs
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Trade Rumors begin to heat up as the MLB trade deadline approaches. The deadline is 4 p.m. ET on Thursday, July 31. Until then teams may trade players freely without having to go through the waiver process.
I watched this team blow a late inning four run lead to White Sox from the U.S. Cellular Field press box on Wednesday, and I thought “wow this team never changes!†They always seem to pound the ball on offense and have laughable pitching. I saw closer C.J. Wilson blow a save as MVP candidate Carlos Quentin took him yard for a go-ahead three run blast. Wilson’s high 4s ERA is really ugly for a closer, so they should consider acquiring some bullpen help. This team is only a “contender†because Oakland waved the white flag on the ‘08 season a few weeks ago. However, if they are to make a serious run at the division or the Wild Card, they need to fill some big pitching gaps (Jason Jennings, Brandon McCarthy, Kason Gabbard all being on the DL doesn’t help) Of course, I don’t know how much hope there truly is for this group. The years that they are in contention, they always seem to wilt down the stretch in the Texas heat. If you want to know why high school football is so huge in Texas and the Dallas [More …]
Peter Christian, Paul M. Banks & Soxman break down what each MLB contender needs to make the play-offs
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Trade Rumors begin to heat up as the MLB trade deadline approaches. The deadline is 4 p.m. ET on Thursday, July 31. Until then teams may trade players freely without having to go through the waiver process.
Since they have already been the league’s most active team in trades it appears that the A’s are trying out an unorthodox theory of winning while rebuilding. Billy Beane is one of the most active GM’s in the league in the effort to sell high and buy low. The dealing of Rich Harden, Chad Gaudin and Joe Blanton netted the A’s 7 prospects and should allow Beane a chance to utilize his already deep farm system to put the best team on the field down the stretch. However, Beane might not be done wheeling and dealing yet. With injuries to the bulk of their veterans (Eric Chavez, Frank Thomas, Mike Sweeney and Keith Foulke) the A’s only have four active players over the age of 30 on their roster (Alan Embree, Justin Duchscherer, Mark Ellis and Emil Brown). All of those active players have been mentioned in trade rumors. It is pretty unusual that a team still in the thick of the Wild Card race (and 10 games back of a team that I get the collapse vibe from) would be in such a “fire sale†mode, but with the stockpile of [More …]
By Sarah Spain
Last night on my way home from work I was listening to All Night With Jason Smith on ESPN 710. The topic was Devin Hester’s holdout and subsequent absence from the Chicago Bears training camp. Smith feels that Hester, primarily a punt and kick returner, is asking for too much because his role on the football field is equivalent to that of a late reliever in baseball. Fleshing out his analogy, Smith compared quarterbacks to starting pitchers—when a team loses, most of the blame falls upon the starting pitcher or the quarterback–and kickers to closers–when the game’s on the line, it’s in their hands (or feet, as the case may be). Smith claimed that Hester, like a late reliever, played an important role in–at the most–half of the games in which he played last year. While I agreed with a lot of Smith’s thoughts, his fatal flaw was in not watching enough Bears games.
Hester affected almost every single Chicago offensive possession last season. Teams that dared kick to #23 were immediately burned by another ridiculous highlight reel return from the Windy City Flyer. When he wasn’t taking it to the house, he was taking it three-quarters of the way there and giving the anemic Bears offense a decent shot at getting in the endzone. Most importantly, Hester’s influence was obvious when he didn’t even touch the ball. Every time the Bears started their drive near midfield, it was because of Devin Hester. Every pooch [More …]
Peter Christian and Soxman and break down what each MLB contender needs to make the play-offs
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Trade Rumors begin to heat up as the MLB trade deadline approaches. The deadline is 4 p.m. ET on Thursday, July 31. Until then teams may trade players freely without having to go through the waiver process.
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With their starting rotation looking healthy, it would be hard to see any team overtaking the Angels in the AL West. The Angels have coveted a legitimate, power-hitting first baseman for years. Could they place a call to GM Kenny Williams about Paul Konerko? With Konerko’s awful season that seems unlikely. They could try to net Mark Teixeira from the Braves. They have also been linked to Brian Fuentes. Perhaps the Angles could be persuaded to take Todd Helton in the deal? I know it’s a stretch. The Marlins Mike Jacobs is another possibility for the Angels.
–The Soxman
I’m not sure what it is about this 60 win team but I’m not sold on them being a legitimate World Series contender. With their mix of high priced contracts and young prospects their ceiling should be high but I just get an ’07 Mets-like vibe from them. The thing is that they are winning now and aren’t showing signs of falling apart which also means that GM Tony Reagins is going to be hesitant to break up the good mix. They have a good bunch of young [More …]
By Sarah SpainÂ
The team formerly known as the Seattle SuperSonics may have a new name…but will fans in Oklahoma City Love It Or Hate It?
On Friday, local TV station KOCO-TV in Oklahoma City announced that a source confirmed the team would be named the Oklahoma City Thunder. While O.C. team officials have yet to respond to the report, KOCO.com also sites a newly registered website as their evidence.
http://www.koco.com/sports/16925692/detail.html
“KOCO.com confirmed that the registrar for all of the NBA’s Internet domain names reserved okcthunderbasketball.com and okcthunderbasketball.net on July 10 …â€
… Over the course of the past two weeks, KOCO.com and SportsXtra have worked together to research what’s called ‘whois information’ on more than 200 domain names, with the focus primarily on possible nicknames such as Barons, Outlaws and Thunder. Most domain names and variations of them had been registered well before the settlement between the city of Seattle and the former Seattle Supersonics of the NBA.â€
It’s possible the newly registered domains are the work of yet another fan hoping to cash in, but the timing of the registry has fans all over Oklahoma buzzing.
Some locals seem excited about the endless pun possibilities: Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman wrote, “The team store can be ThunderWear, which will market Thundergarments … The beer at ballgames can be ThunderWater. Analysis of the payroll cap can be called ThunderFunded.â€
Sarah with “Oklahoma City Thunder” star Kevin Durant
Others — particularly those who dislike [More …]
By Paul M. Banks
During the weekend that America became engulfed by the force of nature that is the Batman sequel “The Dark Knight,†I spent two nights in the shadow of our local caped-crusader. Given that the city of Chicago plays the role of Gotham in the current record-setting summer event film, it’s fitting our hero represents a Chicago team. His name is Soxman. He made his first appearance at game one of the 2005 World Series, and his legion quickly grew. He is a fan of fans and simply appears from nowhere to boost the spirit of others who love the White Sox, to show Chicagoans everywhere which team’s fans are truly the most dedicated. While Soxman’s winning record is no longer perfect in games attended, he continues to cheer on his favorite team, while having an incredible 39-7 record since last year’s World Series!
I shadowed him from his traditional pre-game meal (which is always done out of costume) to the end of the night, noticing all the heads that turn as he slowly walks by. He articulated to me how scared he and his trusty sidekick Batboy were the first time they took this walk three years ago. The dynamic duo had no clue whether they would be ridiculed, insulted, jeered, cheered or applauded. The anxiety was worth it as today scores of people approach and request to have their photo taken with him. Basically, a night at the park with him is what happens [More …]
 “Like the Weather and the Summer Movie Season, it Keeps Getting Hotterâ€
By Paul M. Banks
-This week I really got to know both The Soxman and his real life alias “Bruce-Wayne Parker.†Look for my story chronicling a night at the park with Soxman & Batboy for NBC5.com and this site today. It’ll be perfect for my upcoming book too. I also took in the Dark Knight film with the Soxman’s alter-ego and 7 of his friends. Here’s what Soxman had to say about a film that reminded me of the “summer event movies†of my youth, a blockbuster film that one anticipates like a kid at Christmas time.
“The movie overtook my favorite super hero, Spiderman, as the highest weekend gross of all-time at $155.34 million. As a “Gotham†twist, this monster haul is still significantly less than the Yankees $209.10 million team salary. It was a lot of fun to pick out all of the places in the City of Chicago where film shooting took place. The final “battle†was actually filmed atop the “under construction†Trump Tower, where Batboy II once served as a safety officer.â€
-I really enjoyed that it was a Batman movie for adults just like the last one “Batman Begins,†because it explored the concepts of chaos theory and critiqued the existence of absolutist morality and free will. Like ABC’s “Lost,†it understands that good and evil are often shades of grey rather than black or white…which makes sense because [More …]
