Soldier Field, above, which was once one of the worst stadiums in the NFL must now be surely one of the best. I can remember, years ago, sitting in one of the end zone seats (and they were all end zone seats) and freezing my butt off in late August as the wind whipped off Lake Michigan. Fortunately, that's no longer the case.
Since the renovation in 2003, Soldier Field is now the smallest stadium in the NFL. The seats are close to the playing field (and the turf looks just fine, thank you; I don't know what everyone is talking about) and seem to climb at just the right angle. It makes for a great venue to watch football. And as for all those naysayers who complain that Soldier Field looks like a giant flying saucer landed on it, I say: Get over it! The architects dramatically improved the inside while preserving its historic facade.
As for the games (oh yeah, almost forgot about those), I arrived in the middle of the third quarter of the first contest in which Mount Carmel avenged last year's opening day loss to Simeon, 23-14. The guy sitting next to me (who turned out to be an old acquaintance of mine from the Merc) told me that Caravan running back Brandon Greer, above, was the highlight of the game (11 carries, 124 yards, one touchdown). But a player to watch going forward, he said, was Simeon offensive lineman Jordan Diamond (6'5", 315).
(Incidentally, Mount Carmel's quarterback, Don Butkus, who threw for one touchdown and ran for another, is the great nephew of Bears legend Dick Butkus.)
It was between the first and second games that I had my lightning bolt moment of the evening: President Obama is going to have a hard time getting reelected.
As I entered the stadium from the parking lot on the south side, I realized I had to make a choice: sit on the public school side or the Catholic school side. Are you kidding? That's easy; I always choose the Catholic school side because each one has its own unique personality. Take Providence, for example: far southern suburbs and blue collar-ish. As the president, a Father McGrath (sent directly from Central Casting), led the stadium in prayer before the game (imagine what the fans on the Morgan Park side were thinking), I remarked to my Merc friend that all of the Providence parents looked like they went to Brother Rice or Mount Carmel or Mother McAuley and moved south as young adults when they started families. (He gave me a quizzical look, for some reason.)
That was about the time that Merc Guy confided in me that not only had he been recently laid off, but he was also divorced, had declared bankruptcy, lost a brother and a cousin (and best friend) to cancer in the last year, attends AA regularly and, at age 47, has moved back home with his mother. Also, since losing his job, he no longer has health insurance and had to "humble himself" recently and go to Cook County Hospital to be treated for a bad back. But you know what? According to him he's doing just fine. Then he mentioned that he'd been involved in Republican politics lately and was hoping to get a job from someone in the party. (If the Democrats can't reach a guy like this, what chance does Obama have?)
As he was telling me all this (with cigar breath at close range, no less) I looked around at the (all white) Providence crowd and thought to myself, These people just don't look like Obama supporters to me. And what's more, they're probably representative of the rest of White America.
President Obama's best shot? Besides a recovering economy (which looks less and less likely), he'd better hope the Republicans nominate someone who scares independents (like a certain governor from Texas).
Back to the games. (I keep forgetting.) Providence, above, despite four turnovers (it was Week 1, after all), easily dispatched Morgan Park, 21-6. Amazingly, it was the first time the Celtics won their season opener since 2004, the last time they won the state championship. I say "amazingly," because Providence has one of the most consistently competitive programs in the Chicago area and is vastly underrated this year. In fact, they're not on anyone's radar, as far as I know. The Celtics are coming off their first losing season (2-7) since 1980 -- a fluke -- and should prove to be the Most Improved team in Illinois this year. Providence is big, strong, fast and well-coached. Look for the New Lenox squad to finish the season ranked solidly in the Top 20. (In case you can't tell, I really like this team.)
Another team I like is St. Ignatius, for different reasons. The Wolfpack scored 20 unanswered points in a come-from-behind victory over Whitney Young in the evening's finale. (The Chicago magnet school is Michelle Obama's alma mater.) Why do I like St. Ignatius? For starters, they're coached by Pat Jennings, above, who used to coach at Waukegan. (Merc Guy even knew Jennings from another life. He had on a gray T-shirt, khaki shorts and Old School high black Converse All-Stars on the sidelines. Priceless.)
Ignatius isn't particularly big or athletic, but I can just tell that after resuming varsity football in 2005 (after a 43-year hiatus) the 141-year old Jesuit institution will improve more and more each year. Eventually, they'll be competitive in the Catholic League. It may take ten years (or more) but, believe me, Jennings is building something real on the near West Side of Chicago.
Football is important to Catholic schools in a way that public schools (like Whitney Young) will never understand. Among the upscale Ignatius crowd that filled the stands for the third game was seemingly every new Freshman at the school. One after another filed past me in maroon T-shirts with CLASS OF 2015 on the front (yes, 2015!) and STARTS WITH "I" AND ENDS WITH "US" on the back. Attendance must have been mandatory, with JUG threatened for anyone without a doctor's note. (JUG, for those of you who didn't attend Catholic school, stands for "Justice Under God.")
So, six hours after taking my seat, it was time to leave. (That was quick!) Next week will find me closer to home: Montini at Loyola in Wilmette. Should be a good game.
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