Chicago is a huge sports city, but we have never had a hometown boy lead a team towards glory. Dick Butkus was the closest we came to that, 60 years ago. Dw ya-ne Wade and Isiah Tom became rivals in Chicago, despite being from here. Wade was essentially here to cash a check, sell tickets, and launch Jimmy Butler to become the insufferable dickhead that he became. The White Sox are yet to have a Southsider lead them to the World Series.
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We believed we had Derrick Rose to do the trick, but LeBron James snuffed his best chance. Roses knees were then turned into dog food. There was also the whole rape case. Things turned real bad fast.
With Chris Chelios, the Hawks captain, we thought we might be able to do it. The Hawks failed to win, and we were then forced to watch him leave for Detroit to compete for several Stanley Cups. We are used to seeing the best of us leave to get the rewards and accolades we can't get here in the entertainment industry. It doesn't have to be boring.
It was a great experience for Candace Parker, a Chicagoan who was born and raised, to lead the Sky to the WNBA Finals. They beat the Connecticut Sun 79 to 69 to win the semi-final series, 3-1. She may not have been the greatest player on the team as Courtney Vandersloot points out, but she was certainly the most important piece.
Parker's homecoming has created a buzz that the Sky have not felt in quite some time. The Sky are now on an upward path since Parker got well. It's what we all dreamed of as children, playing at the highest level and winning a championship in our home country. Parker is undoubtedly the greatest basketball player that we have ever seen, and Parker might be bringing a banner along. It's a life she lives. We haven't had much to smile about the past few years around here, in all honesty. But a returning hero taking the team to the final round? That is something we can all support.
