Midwest

Fans entering Wrigley Field for the Cubs' opener home Monday are in for a surprise, and it's not just the new ads on the outfield wall: The hallowed ground now hosts a housing development.

Last week, Sox manager Ozzie Guillen expressed insecurity about his job security while speaking in the third person.

Sox skipper Ozzie Guillen has never hidden his admiration for Ron Gardenhire's Minnesota Twins, even going so far as praising them as "little piranhas" for their unrelenting smallball style of play. The South Siders split two games with the Twinkies over the weekend, after Friday's game was postponed due to temperatures MLB officials described as being "colder than the center of Marge Schott's black heart."

Cliff Floyd is a South Side Chicago native. Signed to a contract the Cubs this season for his powerful left-handed bat, he adds a missing piece to the puzzle for the Cubs. In this interview, he talks about the pressure of playing in his hometown, if he's happy platooning and what really tries Lou Piniella's patience.

Against all their own efforts, the Bulls found themselves in unfamiliar territory after splitting a weekend set against the Nets and Raptors. With a not-so-solid hold on the second seed, the Bulls must now fight off the temptation to suck for the rest of the season and take a violent tumble in the standings.

I suppose I'd be remiss if I neglected to offer my thought on THE BIG NEWS, the development that no Chicago media outlet can avoid--the impending sale of the Chicago Cubs.

There's nothing quite like the tradition of Opening Day at Wrigley Field--a crisp spring breeze blowing off of Lake Michigan; the brown ivy getting ready to bloom into a luscious green; a sea of Cubby blue in the stands; Under Armour signage on the outfield wall; Devin Hester singing the seventh inning stretch; another Cubs defeat.