Today in History: Oak Lawn Tornado

This will be the first in the installment of Today in History, and Today in Sports History. I always remember the dates of significant historical events and I can't think of a better way to begin than to discuss perhaps the biggest event in the history of my home town. 

On this day in...1967:  April 21, 1967 - One of the deadliest tornadoes in Chicago's city history occurred on this day in 1967. In all, 33 people died. On a day where nine tornadoes formed over Illinois, the most severe touched down at 5:30 p.m. in Palos Hills and was quickly making its way to Oak Lawn, my home town. The tornado created the most damage at the intersection of 95th Street and Southwest Highway, where 16 people dies in those few seconds alone. The twister ripped off the roof of Oak Lawn Community High School and also destroyed an ice rink at 91st and Cicero. It rummaged through Hometown and then down 87th Street before becoming a waterspout over Lake Michigan near 79th Street. When the tornado made its way to the 8700 block of South Loomis, my late uncle, Mike Leahy, narrowly averted the disaster when the tornado destroyed houses across the street but skipped his side of the block.

Even though the twister hit many Chicago suburbs and the city itself, it will always be known as the Oak Lawn Tornado for the damage it caused at 95th and Southwest Highway. 

Perfect no more: Heyworth stings Maroa

HEYWORTH - The sixteenth game of the season has not been kind to Phil Applebee and the Maroa-Forsyth Lady Trojans softball team the past two seasons. After losing to Williamsville in Game 16 last year, the team repeated history in 2010. The Lady Trojans (15-1) lost their first game of the season, dropping a 5-3 decision to the Heyworth Hornets Tuesday afternoon. 

Maroa-Forsyth kicked off the scoring in the top of the first when Kayti Lundin scored on a Kim Lamar triple. Heyworth answered with one in the first and used three timely hits in the second to take a 4-1 advantage.

Despite trailing by three, Lady Trojan fans that made the trip up Route 51 were just waiting for the bats to click. The team had recently put up a pair of 10+ run games and had come back from three three-run deficits already this season. 

It looked like the comeback was underway when Taylor Coit doubled, stole third and scored on a Rachel Hastings flyout in the top of the third. But two stranded runners in the fourth and fifth innings prevented such a comeback from mounting itself. 

Rachel England scored the Lady Trojans' final run in the top of the sixth on a Breanna Livingood RBI double. 

Coit took the loss on the mound, pitching for Kayti Lundin, who took a day off from the field. 

Maroa-Forsyth returns to Okaw Conference play with a home game against Monticello today. 

Photo: Taylor Coit scores Maroa's second run Tuesday in a 5-3 loss to the Heyworth Hornets. 

Why declare now?

Just when you think the Fighting Illini are bound to stack up pretty well in the Big Ten next season, their two best players, Demetri McCamey and Mike Davis, make themselves eligible for the NBA Draft.
Neither star particularly impressed fans during the team's disappointing 2009-2010 season. So why declare now? Neither will be a top 10 pick and could improve their stock with good senior seasons in Champaign.
I hope that the fact they did not hire agents means they are planning to come back for another year. They just aren't ready. But I do understand that they have to make themselves eligible to see where they stand if they were going to be drafted. Both have plans to play at the NBA level, so it will be good for them to see just what it takes to begin the draft process.
The biggest problem with both players last year was their consistency. McCamey in particular would look like an All-American one night and then look disinterested the next time out.
If they decide on a return to Champaign, which will be beneficial to them, the Illini could be one of the Big Ten favorites. Since they return all five starters, anything less than a Sweet 16 appearance could be a disappointment.
If both or either player actually does enter the draft, it may be fear of that possible, yet very conceive able disappointment.

NBA Playoff Preview

One of my favorite sports days of the year is today, the beginning of the NBA Playoffs. For the next two months, pure basketball excitement will occur on a nightly basis. Although upsets rarely occur this time of year, but when they do, it is memorable. Each year I make my predictions and they are usually wrong. Here it goes for the 2010 playoffs.

Eastern Conference: It's very rare for an eighth seed to beat a number one in the NBA. That's the task that awaits my beloved Chicago Bulls as they begin their series against the league's best Cleveland Cavaliers. Although I will be rooting hard for the underdogs, they have little chance of winning this series. I'll be surprised if they even win a game. Despite the recent turmoil between coach Vinny Del Negro and GM John Paxson, I will give them one win. Cavs in Five. The Charlotte Bobcats make their first playoff appearance, but will be severely over matched by Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic. Magic in Five. One of the most underrated series this year will be between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks have been gradually improving for the last four years and Milwaukee is one of the league's surprises this year. Don't count out the Bucks, John Salmons has been on fire. But experience will win out. Hawks in Seven. My upset special is the Miami Heat, who will prevail over the Boston Celtics in seven games. The Celtics tend to take first round teams lightly and you really can't do that against Dwyane Wade and the Heat. Wade is the best player in this series and will dominate. The Heat's run will end quickly after though, as they will have to play the Cavs and lose in five in the second round. I can foresee another upset in the second round, as the Hawks may finally have what it takes to reach the conference finals. They will beat the Magic in six. I like Atlanta and if they do advance to play Cleveland, I will be a huge Hawks fan. But not against LeBron and the best supporting cast he has ever had. The Cavs will reach the finals with a six-game beat down of the Hawks in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Western Conference: The top seeded Lakers are the prohibitive favorite to win the conference, but will be tested by the young Oklahoma City Thunder in Round One. Kevin Durant will establish himself and one of the game's best with a huge series, but the Lakers will avoid the upset by winning in seven. The Mavericks and Spurs may provide the first round's most interesting series because the two Texas teams know each other so well and have taken turns eliminating each other from previous years' playoffs. As much playoff magic that the Spurs have had over the years, Dallas is going to be too much for them. I think it will go seven games, but Dallas is just too deep. The hard-luck Portland Trail Blazers will have to take on the Phoenix Suns without leading scorer Brandon Roy. LaMarcus Aldridge is a beast, but Phoenix is playing extremely well right now and will be motivated to erase previous playoff failures. They are also more healthy than Portland. Suns in Five. The Utah Jazz ended the season on a sour note with a humiliating loss to the Phoenix Suns, but still will have enough to upset the Denver Nuggets. If they do, it will be without leading shot blocker Andrei Kirilenko. This is the toughest first round pick because Chauncey Billups always manages to get his team past the first round, but not having their coach is going to hurt the Nuggets. Jazz in Six. The Jazz will get Kirilenko back for Round Two and give L.A. all they can handle, but Kobe Bryant will be too clutch in a seven game Laker victory. I think the Mavericks will be worn out by Round Two after their tough test with the Spurs. Phoenix should get by them in Five. The Suns' luck will run out though in a six game loss to the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.

NBA Finals Prediction: Cleveland gets their first major pro-sports championship since 1964 with a five-game victory over the tired Los Angeles Lakers.

Chicago Church Tour: Stops 1-3

CHICAGO - For a few years now, I have wanted to visit all of the great churches in Chicago. Now, I am finally up to the challenge. I began visiting a different Catholic Church in Chicago each week beginning on March 14. I hope to study each parish, each church's architecture and then go on a tour of the neighborhood after attending mass.


Stop 1: Sunday, March 14, 2010: St. Barnabas Church - I thought a great way to begin my tour would be to stop at a community church in my favorite Chicago neighborhood. With that in mind, I made my first stop at St. Barnabas, located at 10134 South Longwood in the Beverly community. It was fitting that I visited this church the day after my birthday, the same day the South Side Irish Parade would have occurred, in the very community it would have. The mass wasn't crowded, but the way the church is set up creates a spacey feel. Unlike many churches on my tour, St. Barnabas is a community church. I had a strong feeling that I was the only non-regular there. It is a small place, but I really liked the way it was set up. The pews were arranged in almost a semi-circle around the altar. The priest was easy to understand and seemed to know most people there. St. Barnabas won't be recognized as one of Chicago's great architectural structures, but it is in an ideal location.

Sunday, March 28, 2010: Holy Family Church - I enjoyed my first visit to one of Chicago's most important Irish Catholic Churches on Palm Sunday. At Holy Family, 1080 West Roosevelt, I doubt I was the only tourist. It is rich in history and not too far from many downtown attractions. I enjoyed the long mass Fr. Jerry said. Palm Sunday is always one of my favorite masses and I am glad I was at one of the city's premier churches. It is located right next to St. Ignatius College Prep in the University Village neighborhood. I would have liked to go on a walking tour of the neighborhood after mass, but although the sun was out, it was just too cold. I wanted to walk down Taylor Street to see Little Italy, which seems even smaller than the one in New York. The Jane Addams Hull House will also be a place I'd like to visit the next time I am in University Village.

Sunday, April 4, 2010: St. Margaret of Scotland - Perhaps the most crowded mass I have ever been to was Easter Sunday's at St. Margaret of Scotland, 9837 South Throop, in the Washington Heights neighborhood. I like the Pastor, Fr. Daniel Mallette, who said the mass. I had the chance to interview him for a video documentary while at Saint Xavier University in 2007. The congregation seemed to be a mix of people who left the neighborhood years ago and current residents.

Photo: St. Margaret of Scotland Church, 9837 South Throop. Easter Sunday, 2010.

Movie Review: My Cousin Vinny

I have to admit that if it had not been for one of my favorite episodes of Seinfeld, I probably would never have rented My Cousin Vinny the other night. I'm so glad I did. Although I have only watched it twice, I would rank it among my favorite movies of all-time.
The key to a great movie is having the audience focused at all times. With so many movies that have boring story lines, it is easy to get distracted. Too many take too long to get to the point and put you to sleep.
But that was not the case with My Cousin Vinny. The storyline? Perfect. Two teenage New York boys driving through Alabama accidentally steal a can of tuna. While believing they are confessing to the minor theft, the police are coming up with a murder case against them. When they find out they are being tried for murder, one of the defendants hires their cousin for their council. The problem is, he is mainly a personal injury lawyer and has no experience at murder trials.
Despite all the evidence to their guilt, we know these boys are innocent and root for them throughout the movie.
The movie was hilarious. It had a captivating story line and kept you interested throughout. It had a feel-good ending. Joe Peschi and Marisa Tomei were at their best.
And who couldn't love the guy who played Herman Munster acting as the judge in the case.
I'm glad I finally got a chance to see this movie and look forward to seeing it again sometime.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Two five-run innings give Clinton win

CLINTON - The Clinton Lady Maroons looked the best they had all year Thursday night in their conference opening 12-2 win over Central A&M at the Clinton softball field. 

It didn't hurt that Central A&M had a hard time in the field. 

Lacey Lord had two two-run RBI doubles, one in each of the first two innings. Both times, Alicia Mitchell and Emily Kroeger scored on the hits. It looked like Clinton could have put 30 on the board in the first two innings. Instead, they settled for five in each frame to give them a 10-1 lead.

Bailey Walker did well on the mound, striking out two and earning the win in six innings pitched. She will b e called upon a lot this season since head coach Emily Starkey decided that it was in the team's best interest to keep All-State second baseman Meghan Matthews at her strongest position. Sharing the pitching load with Walker this year will be fellow-freshman Jessie Shride. 

For a conference opener, Tuesday was all Starkey could ask for.

"The team did an amazing job in their first conference game," Starkey said. "I was really pleased with the way they came out and hit the ball. We had a few errors defensively, but overall we played well in the field too."

Mitchell has been a great addition to the team this year, especially  helping out on the basepaths. The Maroons' final run in the win was all her. She reached base on a strikeout-error, then stole second and third, and came home on a passed ball, one of many Red Raider miscues on the day. 

The Lady Maroons will visit Decatur MacArthur for a Saturday nonconference double header beginning at 10 a.m. The game they may be looking forward to more is Monday night's showdown with Maroa-Forsyth and All-State pitcher Kayti Lundin. 

Photo: Clinton hurler Bailey Walker (16) was solid Thursday, striking out two Red Raiders from Central A&M. 

A Clinton Legend: Kamren Ferguson

From April 12 to May 12, 2004, the Clinton Lady Maroons softball team was unblemished. It wasn’t that they hadn’t lost a game in that month. Or that they were winners of 20 in a row. It was the number of runs they gave up in the 91 innings played. Zero.

A sixth inning Mahomet-Seymour run during a 4-1 Clinton win on May 12 ended a streak of 91 scoreless innings by the Clinton pitching staff. On the mound for all 91 was Kamren Ferguson.

The 2004 season was a banner year for Lady Maroon fans and Ferguson was the unquestioned leader of a bunch that went 27-3 and won a regional title.

“That was a pretty special team we had in 2004,” Ferguson said. “Most of the players on our team were seniors so it was good to have a great final year before we all moved on to college.”

The memorable moments from that year will not soon be forgotten. Clinton fans remember the 11-3 win over defending state champion Olympia, the 8-1 win over Maroa-Forsyth, Kamren’s 17-strikeout performance against St. Teresa, her 18 K game against Fisher and her April 21 no-hitter against Sullivan. Not to mention the fact that the IHSA had the Lady Maroons ranked as high as second in the state.

“It was amazing to coach a group like that,” Clinton head coach Emily Starkey said. “What an amazing feeling it is to walk into a game with so much talent and know that Kamren is just going to mow down innings.”

91 consecutive scoreless innings was the stat of the year. At times during the streak, Kamren would be ill, but still go out there and dominate.

“There were at least two instances where she had the flu and pitched through it because I allowed it,” Starkey said. “She would go behind the dugout and get sick, and then come out and pitch. Even when she had bad days, her teammates were there to pick her up.”

While ill for a game against MacArthur, Kamren gave up a hit to the Generals’ leadoff hitter, but then allowed nothing the rest of the way in a 3-0 win.

The Lady Maroons came short of their ultimate goal in 2004, losing a tough 3-2 contest to Midwest Central in the sectional semifinals. Kamren did her best to keep the state title alive, belting a game-tying two run homer in the sixth.

“I think we could have went further than we did,” Starkey said. “We had a freshman step up in the regional, but we couldn’t get pat Midwest Central. That was a special group to coach and they all fed off Kamren’s greatness.”

As special as the 2004 season was, Kamren’s most cherished moment of her Clinton career came during her junior year when the Lady Maroons defeated the undefeated, 30-0 Monticello Sages in the final Okaw Valley Conference Tournament title game ever played.

Starkey remembers the situation vividly. “It was the Okaw conference championship in 2003, the last time the tournament was played. We had never ever won that tournament, ever. The only two school names that were on that trophy were Warrensburg and Monticello. We had went over there that day and they had just written an article in the Decatur paper about Monticello and the fact that they were 30-0. Well we walked over there and beat them. The really amazing thing was that there were really bad storms that day and it started to rain as the game started. We gave up five runs in the first inning to a very talented team. But we came back to beat them 6-5. It was all Kamren. Her pitching, great defense and timely hitting.”

“It was an amazing day. We were all jumping up and down. It was a sweet win for all of us.”

During her senior year, Kamren announced she would be attending Western Illinois University and pitch for the Leathernecks, then of the Mid-Continent Conference.

“I liked the school in the smaller town, everyone seemed like they meshed well together and it seemed like a good team to play for,” Kamren said on choosing Western. “I wasn’t really considering any other school.”

Ferguson immediately made an impact in her freshman year at the University, striking out six batters in the Metrodome Classic in Minnesota. But a season ending knee injury would shelve her for 2005. She came back to earn all-conference honors in her redshirt freshman season in 2006 and was named the Mid-Continent Pitcher of the Year in 2007.

Kamren was ready to have her best year at WIU in 2008, but again suffered a season ending injury.

While many college athletes would call it a career after two season ending injuries, Kamren and Holly Van Vlyman, her coach at Western Illinois were determined to get her to pitch for four full years.

“The motivation to comeback was to help my team win conference championships as much as I could,” Kamren said.

“We wanted to make sure she pitched four full years,” Van Vlyman added.

Unsure of whether or not she would be able to play in 2010, Kamren entered the 2009 season as if it would be her last.

“Towards the beginning of the season I was thinking this might be the last time I play here or the last time I would pay there,” Kamren said. “It was kind of sad, but I did the best I could.”

Ferguson would get the sixth year of eligibility, but not before being named Summit League Pitcher of the Year, throwing 171 strikeouts and posting a conference-best 1.35 ERA.

“I was really excited to get a sixth year to play with my teammates for another year,” Kamren said. “Getting the extra year was great because I really wanted to come back and help the team win the conference.”

The Leathernecks won the 2009 regular season Summit League title, but lost in the conference championship to North Dakota State, a team that went on to compete in the NCAA Regionals. “They did well and we were cheering them on,” Kamren said.

But this year, Kamren and the Leathernecks are hoping to appear in an NCAA Regional themselves. They are off to a good start. The team boasts an 18-10 overall record and the Leathernecks are right in the thick of the Summit League race.

“We expect to finish at the top of the league.” Kamren said. “We have 10 starters returning from last year so we want to finish as good as we did last year, if not better. Our goal is to get to the NCAA Regionals.”

If the team does make it to the Regional, it will be on Kamren’s arm.

“She is very important to our success,” Coach Van Vlyman says. “She has gotten better every year since she has been here.”

“Her pitch movement, change of speeds, and leadership makes her the complete package on the field. She can look at her teammates in the eye and tell them ‘we are going to win this game’.”

After years of softball success, Kamren’s career will end at the conclusion of the Leathernecks’ season. She will soon graduate with a degree in Graphic Communication and minors in Law Enforcement and Sociology.

It will be remembered as a great career that featured many teams, many moments and great games.

Kamren began her softball career playing for the Clinton Gold at age 11. Before and during her stint with the Lady Maroons, she played for the Peoria Rage and the Central Illinois Girls Softball Rebels. For one summer, she was a pitcher for the Puerto Rican national team during the Pan-American Games.

“I got to play with a lot of people and learned a lot from each of the teams I have played with,” she said. “It was good to play with a lot of different people from different places.”

 Kamren’s Clinton legacy

 The Lady Maroons finished both Kamren’s junior and senior seasons with an impressive 27-3 record. In her first year as the full-time starter, the team was 18-10.

“I remember becoming the head coach in 2001 and as soon as I saw Kamren throw as a sophomore, I knew we were going to be very talented,” Starkey said.

Starkey was right. The Lady Maroons were very talented those three years. And Ferguson has brought that talent to Western Illinois and flourished there as well.

Whether you look at her individual achievements over the years, her dominance at Clinton, or her impressive accomplishments at Western Illinois, Kamren Ferguson is without a doubt, a Clinton legend. 

Photo: Kamren Ferguson (22) cemented her name as one of the best softball pitchers in Clinton history back in 2003 and 2004, and she is still competing at a high level for Western Illinois, hoping to lead the Leathernecks to a Summit League title in 2010. 

Movie Review: Dumb and Dumber

It had probably been ten years since I last saw the 1990s hit comedy film Dumb and Dumber, starring Jim Carey and Jeff Daniels. But watching it two nights ago made it seem like it had only been a week. I knew the famous lines, what was about to happen and all the foreshadowing.
Who could forget the orange and blue suits, getting your tongue stuck to the ski lift, so you're saying there's a chance' or selling a dead bird to a blind kid.
The movie was, as it states in its title, very dumb. Too dumb at times. And very immature. You cannot help but laugh at some of the situations Harry and Lloyd get into and how they manage to accidentally bail themselves out. In all of the movies I've seen, it would be hard for me to name a character with less logic than either of those two. At the same time, it would be hard to think of a luckier one too.
I thought the film was written very well. Everything fit together. It is a film that you can watch over and over and pick up something new every time. There was an intriguing story line behind all the absurdity. It was easy to follow and you found yourself rooting for Harry and Lloyd in their pointless quest that turned out to be so much more than it should have.
Dumb and Dumber was not one of the greatest movies ever made, but it was certainly one of the most memorable.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Ferguson takes loss for Western

NORMAL - It was far from Kamren Ferguson's best outing. The pitcher that may be the best ever to come from Clinton struggled on the mound Wednesday as the Western Illinois Leathernecks fell to the Illinois State Redbirds, 9-2 in the first of a nonconference double header.

Kamren struck out the Redbirds' leadoff hitter and got out of a first inning jam. But the ISU offense really came to life in the second. Shelby Music hit a two-run home run to open the scoring and Kara Nelson followed with a solo shot that inning. 

The Leathernecks had a prime opportunity to make it a close one after scoring a run in the top of the fourth. But any chance of Kamren getting a win was thwarted when they left the bases loaded. WIU also stranded a pair of runners in the top of the third. 

She was brought in to pitch in the fourth inning, but did not record an out and was pulled after only pitching three innings. She struck out three batters, but also gave up three home runs. 

Kamren's replacement, freshman Kelsey Michelini, did not fare much better. Michelini gave up three runs in the bottom of the fourth as the Redbirds walked away with an easy victory. 

Illinois State was also victorious in Game Two, blanking the Fighting Leathernecks 6-0. 

Despite the loss, Ferguson is still having a great year in her final season in Macomb. She still has a chance to be named Summit League Pitcher of the Year, an honor she already garnered last year. 

Photo: Western Illinois pitcher and Clinton native Kamren Ferguson (22) pitches for the Leathernecks' during their 9-2 loss to Illinois State Wednesday afternoon in Normal.