'Burbs Eye View

It never fails. Every time I write about soccer, one of the game's extremely well-informed fan base writes back to very kindy tell me why I'm an idiot.

Standing in the drizzle outside Soldier Field's Gate 14, two hours before today's game with the Vikings, stood uber-agent Drew Rosenhaus.

If not for this day-night double-header, I might never have discovered the heavenly goodness of Busch Stadium's garlic fries. Still, as crappy workdays go, this is right up there with covering the state track meet and having to type in your own agate.

Channeling Jim Mora or no, Jonathon Byrd summed up perfectly the rank-and-file's thinking about the PGA's contrived playoff system, now wrecking a Western Open near you.

A couple of local guys will be competing live on the Versus network tonight at 8 o'clock on a World Extreme Cagefighting broadcast. Homewood's Joe Benoit is on the undercard of a night highlighted by Dowers Grove native Chase Beebe's defense of his WEC welterweight title.

Prince Fielder and his 39 homers had one chance to win the game. It might have been two, but Lou Piniella walked him to put the go-ahead run on base in the ninth inning rather than pitch to the Brewers slugger with two men on and a 5-3 lead.

Pin the Brewers' 5-3 loss to the Cubs in the opener of their pivotal three-game series at Wrigley Field on venerable Milwaukee announcer Bob Uecker. Or not.