Tribune Forgets South Side Has Bus Service

A little over a week ago, the Tribune ran a list of Chicago's busiest bus routes. People who actually ride buses in Chicago were stunned to see that all the busiest routes on the Tribune list were North Side routes. For example, Michael Kmak of Pilsen couldn't believe the Addison bus — which leads to Tribune-owned Wrigley Field — could actually be the third-busiest route in Chicago, so he looked up the figures himself and discovered that, in fact, it isn't. Kmak was the first to expose the Tribune's error — if error it was — on his Chicago El blog:

As I was reviewing the top bus routes, I just couldn't be convinced that the #152 Addison bus was the third busiest in the system. That made absolutely no sense to me. So I researched myself, and found out that the Addison bus didn't even make the top thirty of the routes. I listed out the top twenty-plus routes and sent them to Hilkevitch. The bus routes they listed were all on the north side and serving the communities mostly on the lake shore.

John Hilkevitch, the Tribune's transportation and UFOs reporter, didn't reply to Kmak. The Tribune ran a skimpy, nearly invisible correction that explained nothing, but left its faulty graphic online. It's just too sinister to think the Tribune would promote certain bus routes in certain privileged neighborhoods while Illinois debates funding for the CTA, but who knows? It's the Tribune. The CTA Tattler writes,

I hope it's not because of the thousands of North Side RedEye readers. I hope it was just a plain mistake. But it was truly bizarre and questionable.

Suddenly the South Side Chicago Board of Tourism's campaign to introduce Chicago to its South Side doesn't seem quite so funny. Below you'll find the Tribune's fishy list of the busiest bus routes in Chicago, including the number of weekday boardings, followed by the CTA's actual list of the busiest bus routes in Chicago:

THE TRIBUNE's LIST
01) # 151 Sheridan: 20,156
02) # 147 Outer Drive Express: 13, 423
03) # 152 Addison: 11,467
04) # 156 La Salle: 9,740
05) # 146 Inner Drive/Michigan Ave Express: 9,582
06) # 145 Wilson/Michigan Express: 7, 271
07) # 155 Devon: 6,228
08) # 135 Clarendon/La Salle Express: 3,666
09) # 157 Streeterville: 3,174
10) # 136 Sheridan/La Salle Express: 2, 437

THE TRUTH:
01) # 79 - 79th: 33,766
02) # 20 - Madison: 24,437
03) # 9 - Ashland: 23,475
04) # 66 - Chicago: 22,621
05) # 63 - 63rd: 21,979
06) # 77 - Belmont: 21,974
07) # 3 - King Drive: 21,314
08) # 53 - Pulaski: 21,233
09) # 4 - Cottage Grove: 21,125
10) # 22 - Clark: 20,178
11) # 151 - Sheridan: 20,156
12) # 8 - Halsted: 19,857
13) # 49 - Western: 19,125
14) # 82 - Kimball-Homan: 18,679
15) # 87 - 87th: 17,590
16) # 67 - 67th-69th-71st: 15,643
17) # 36 - Broadway: 15,467
18) # 29 - State: 15,438
19) # 72 - North: 15,430
20) # 62 - Archer: 14,289

Day in the Life of Tribune Spin Machine

Tribune columnist Fred Mitchell sees cheery happy fuzzy cute parallels between the fan who charged Bobby Howry at Wrigley on Monday and a play now running at a North Side theater:

Life imitated art Monday night when a fan ran out onto the field in the ninth inning at Wrigley Field as the Cubs faced Colorado.

Currently showing at Chicago's Victory Gardens Theater is "I Sailed with Magellan".... The show includes a scene in which Uncle Lefty—a free-spirited jazz man and Cubs fan played by actor Lance Baker—jumps out of the Wrigley bleachers and runs on the field to shake Willie Mays' hand.

He is taken out by a Wrigley Field security guard, and Uncle Lefty is promptly incarcerated into a "loony bin."

Yeah, that's it! Brent Kowalkoski was running out there to shake Bobby's hand. That's the ticket. Cub fans are just so Disney-delightful that they especially want to shake the hands of Cub pitchers who give up homeruns, and the lead, in the top of the ninth. That Cub fan who attacked Randy Myers on the mound in a previous incident was probably also just looking for a nice handshake.

But we couldn't expect Fred and his Tribune co-conspirators to show such largesse to troublesome fans on the Southside. No. Southside bad. Southside evil. Northside happy! Wrigley wonderful! Handshakes for everyone!

Hoy Vey

Meanwhile, the Spanish-language newspaper Hoy treated Spanish-speaking readers to a feature on Carlos Zambrano, including a front-page color photo over the fold and a full-size back-page color photo. The feature is part of Hoy's ongoing nationwide series, "Conoce a tus Cubs," in which the Tribune-owned Hoy newspapers are exclusively promoting the Tribune-owned team in gross violation of the most important ethical principles of American journalism.

But Wait, There's More

Frank Thomas, for a long time the greatest baseball player in Chicago, hit his 500th homerun this week. The Tribune headline:

"Former Sox standout hits 500th Homer."

Former Sox Standout? Here's the headline they gave Sammy:

"SAMMY SOSA SLAMS NO. 600"

Yes, in ALL CAPS.

Tribune Columnist Phlip-Phlop Rogers writes about Thomas' 500th as if it's an obituary and makes sure to include Ken Williams' full "idiot" quote from last year. For Sosa, he made excuses:

In 2004, his final season with the Cubs, Sosa hit 35 homers in 126 games, production that so disappointed him he ducked out of the clubhouse early on the last day, angered his manager, Dusty Baker and set in motion a trade that sent him to Baltimore.

Let's see. That's Fred, Phlip, Hoy — wonder what Gonzo's up to. In his mailbag, the Tribune's beat-Sox reporter, Mark Gonzales, can't wait to bury all memory of 2005. John Browning of Flemington, N.J. writes in to ask, "When was the last time the Sox had a stretch when they went 6-22? (I'm guessing 1968). Do you think its time to re-design the Sox uniform?"

Gonzales' reply:

I think it's time to change the introductory music and clips on the scoreboard, unless they want to start playing Jethro Tull's "Living in the Past."

Har. If Gonzo doesn't know when the Sox last had a 6-22 stretch and doesn't feel like looking it up, fine. But then why include the question? He just gives a sub-witty answer to the nothing part of the question, and it makes him seem underqualified for and disinterested in his job.

Brett Ballantini and William Melvin contributed to this entry.

'Loyal' Fans Attack 'Lovable Losers'

The Chicago Tribune deprived readers Tuesday of dramatic photos of Cub fan Brent Kowalkoski charging Bobby Howry on the mound at Wrigley. The Sun-Times ran a pair of the photos of Kowalkoski being tackled and cuffed by Cubs security at the edge of the mound. We had to wait a day to see a photo in the Tribune.

If the same incident had occurred at U.S. Cellular Field, the Tribune certainly would have displayed the photo right away and prominently. In fact, when a woman ran onto the field after a Sox game in May, the Tribune used a photo of the incident as the lead photo on their online sports page. The Tribune identified the woman as a Sox fan, even though she wasn't wearing any Sox gear, while Tribune reporter Paul Sullivan was very careful to identify Kowalkoski not as a Cubs fan, but as a fan "wearing a souvenir Cubs jersey." (Sullivan probably figures he was a Sox fan in disguise.)

On the bright side, this incident briefly reminded our local media of the Cub fan who attacked Cub pitcher Randy Myers on the mound in 1995. The Tribune had miraculously forgotten all about that incident during its coverage of two, count 'em two, fan-on-field incidents at the Cell earlier this decade. Here's a 2004 letter to the editor by Sox fan John McHugh trying to remind the Tribune of its Cubbie history:

It's unfortunate that Paul Sullivan's otherwise nice story about Cubs and Sox wives playing softball for charity (Tribune, July 1) served to reinforce a stereotype about U.S. Cellular Field. A Cub wife said that a brawl wouldn't occur because "We're at Wrigley . . . Those things don't happen over here."

Sullivan missed a great opportunity to remedy her misperception. He should have mentioned the Cubs fan who attacked his own team's relief pitcher, Randy Myers, a few years back. He should have recalled the Dodgers racing into the stands after abusive Wrigley fans. Has he forgotten the terrible incident after a ballgame earlier in the season? That tragedy took place on Addison Street, not 35th.

The tragedy McHugh refers to was a murder. We also noticed Cub fans throwing beer at Rockies' outfielders during last night's game. And we'll remind you again of the Tribune coverup of a Cub fan hurling a fast ball at Jacque Jones' head last year. The fact is, fan-on-field incidents occur more often at Wrigley. For some reason, those famously loyal Cub fans tend to attack their own lovable players, and they enjoy the privilege of having their deeds downplayed by the city's largest daily.

Windsock Flips Direction Again

Dr. Phlip flipped his flop again. Phlip Rogers, the Tribune columnist who thought Ken Williams' off-season pitching trades were a terrible idea in March, a great idea later in March, a terrible idea in May, and a great idea just one week ago... thinks they're a terrible idea again. No surprise there... we predicted it in our previous entry. This guy changes his position more often than Tom Skilling.

Today Phlip thinks Williams' trades of Garcia and McCarthy, which he described as "the right call" one week ago, were a bad call because Williams only got five young pitchers, and he should have also gotten a left fielder, a center fielder, and a shortstop. Doh! Kenny probably just didn't think of asking Texas and Philly to throw in three more position players. Shoot, we probably could have gotten Aaron Rowand, Michael Young, and Ryan Howard. Dammit Kenny.

Maybe Jerry Reinsdoft should name Phlip Rogers the Sox' new GM. Not only can he trade two pitchers for five pitchers, a left fielder, a center fielder and a shortstop, he's also always right, because his hindsight changes as fast as the circumstances. Some say his hindsight is so good because of the very special place where he stores his head.

Columnist or Windsock?

We'll just let Tribune 'baseball expert' Phil Rogers speak for himself:

June 18: Sox Make Right Call on Garcia, McCarthy

When White Sox general manager Ken Williams traded Freddy Garcia and Brandon McCarthy in deals for younger pitching, he said those trades with Philadelphia and Texas would help the Sox in 2007, as well as the future. While only John Danks is delivering immediate benefits in Chicago, he probably will be right.

May 20: Execs Mainly At Fault for Sox's Slide

I wonder what would be happening now if Williams and the front office had had more faith in some they cast aside. Williams couldn't resist making big moves... stocking up on young arms for 2007. It's almost like Williams caught Jerry Krause Disease, trying to prove it was the organization that won in 2005, not the players. Williams should have been the Executive of the Year in 2005, but he has not had the answers since then. Yes, John Danks is a nice pitcher, and we'll see about Nick Masset, who starts Sunday against the Cubs. Yes, Garcia and McCarthy are a combined 4-7. But the bottom line is, well, the bottom line, and it took only four months for the World Series champs to turn into just another team.

March 26: Oops! Maybe Sox Got It Right

It would be an understatement to say I didn't like the trade when it was made.... As Opening Day approaches, Ken Williams and Jerry Reinsdorf, the decision-makers, probably feel like a doing a little gloating.... Building another rotation such as the one that won the World Series won't be easy... but Danks looks like he'll do as much for that cause as McCarthy would have. That means anything the White Sox get from Masset and Rasner (who will open the season in Class A) is gravy. The more you look at this trade, the more you understand why Williams did it. It was an offer he couldn't refuse.

March 2: ... Arms Deals Don't Make Sox Better in '07

But the thing I'm still trying to figure out is how these moves will make the White Sox better in 2007.... In terms of the upcoming season, it will be a surprise if the White Sox gain more from the Garcia and McCarthy trades than they lose, no matter how loyally Guillen defends his bosses. (And on Feb. 14 Rogers wrote: "Out went Freddy Garcia. Out went Brandon McCarthy In came . . . well, no one who is likely to replace Garcia or McCarthy, at least not this season.")

We were almost impressed on March 26 when Rogers almost admitted he was wrong. Until May 20 when he decided, again, that he had been right, and it was Ken Williams who was wrong. But now he's back to saying Kenny was right. It shouldn't take more than a bad outing by Danks, or a pitch thrown by Garcia or McCarthy, for Rogers to switch again. Can't wait.

One thing we know: General managers don't have the leisure of changing their minds after they trade a player. They can't say, Oops! I was wrong, cancel that trade. So why should they take advice or criticism from guys who change their position on a trade whenever it's convenient? And why should anyone read these guys? Obviously, they don't know any more than anyone else who can read a box score.

If nothing else, Rogers knows how to go with the flow. We just wish he'd follow it the rest of the way down the Sanitary Canal. He makes a career out of criticizing the White Sox, often irrationally, in a newspaper owned by their competitors, and then he authors a book to profit from their World Series victory. And we have to tolerate this guy's voice in our city... why? Because, “Mediocrity is wanted. Mediocrity is solicited. Mediocrity is honored.”

Dem Fightin' Cubbies

So when the Twibsters write about their Fightin' Cubbies tomorrow, will they mention Derek Lee, when he a clear shot at Chris Young, running behind 63-year-old Lou Piniella? (Nice, Derek, start a fight and then hide behind an old man. Lee sure fights like a Northsider). Will they mention Carlos Zambrano being more interested in preserving his doomed no hitter than in retaliating for Lee's hit-by-pitch? We'll see.

UPDATE: They didn't mention either. Paul Sullivan quotes Alfonso Soriano saying, "If they throw at somebody, we have to throw at somebody, too, because that's not fair," but then Sullivan doesn't mention that Carlos Zambrano didn't do that. Mike Downey notes that Lou Piniella fell to the ground but doesn't mention that Lee was hiding behind him. He also gets Piniella's age wrong: "Lee's impulsive actions even could have led to a serious injury for his own manager, inasmuch as the 66-year-old Piniella was knocked to the ground during the brawl."

Add to Sam Zell's shopping list: fact checker and standards editor.

Finding the Cloud in the Silver Lining

Yesterday we showed you how the Tribune, equipped with the same information as three other newspapers, spun it negative. Today we'll show you another piece of Tribune artifice that makes the White Sox look bad, stemming from the same press conference with Aaron Rowand.

In a story published yesterday Mark Gonzales writes,

PHILADELPHIA -- The White Sox's offensive struggles are so obvious that even one of their biggest supporters can't hide the truth.

"I'm not surprised at how poorly they're playing," Phillies center fielder Aaron Rowand said of his former team after it suffered a 3-0 interleague loss Monday night at Citizens Bank Park.

"I think everyone in baseball is probably surprised how they haven't hit."

The two quotes from Aaron Rowand contradict each other. Is Aaron surprised the Sox are playing poorly, or is he not surprised? The first quote is particularly negative, controversial, and insidious — it suggests a real rift between Aaron and his former team. It's also dubious, because three other newspaper reporters and an MLB reporter attending the same press conference with Aaron Rowand did not have that quote. They only had the more positive one. Both Nathaniel Whalen of the Daily Southtown and Scot Gregor of the Daily Herald had exactly the same quote from Rowand:

“I think everyone in baseball is probably surprised how they haven’t hit,’’ Rowand said before the Sox were shut out for the fifth time. “There’s so much talent over there. Between (Jim) Thome, J.D. (Jermaine Dye), Paul (Konerko), Joe (Crede’s) been hurt, A.J. (Pierzynski), everybody, Darin, the talent over there is unreal.

“I’m sure it’s surprising they haven’t hit the way they were expected to. The starting pitching looks like it’s done pretty well, keeping them in games. If you didn’t have the starting pitching and you have a team batting average of whatever it is (.232), you wouldn’t think they’re just a couple of games under .500. You think they’d be like the Devil Rays of (2001).’’

Or maybe Gonzales had a big scoop? As we've learned, some Tribune scoops turn out to be works of fiction.

Finding the Silver Lining in the Cloud

So the Tribune is going out of its way to make the White Sox look bad, as if they need any help with that right now, and meanwhile, it's going out of its way to make the Cubs look good. Ten days ago, when the Cubs were 22-31, Tribune Columnist Rick Morrissey said they had to go 7-3 in the next stretch to merit attention.

They have gone 6-4. I guess they're toast, right?

Wrong.

In today's Tribune, Morrissey says the Cubbies are still in it. But not for the reason anyone else would offer right now, that the NL Central appears to be heading toward a sub-.500 division winner.

No, Morrissey's Cubbies are still in it because they fight in the dugout.

That's right, the single-most embarrassing moment in recent Cubbies history — and that is saying a lot — is now a point of pride and a rallying cry for the Cubune empire. Even if it really isn't, given the recent 6-4 stretch.

Morrissey's main source for his inspiration? Quotes from 175-pound rookie Ryan Theriot. Excellent. Can't wait to see Theriot take on Barrett.

Brett Ballantini contributed to this post.

How They Spin It

Four newspapers equipped with the same quotes from Aaron Rowand, and here's how they spin them (hint — one of these things is not like the others):

Joe Cowley, Chicago Sun-Times: "Rowand, Sox Share Mutual Attraction"

''It's the first time I'm going through free agency. I haven't heard anything from my agent or other teams.'' That doesn't mean Rowand doesn't have a special place in his heart for the South Side -- not only because he was drafted by and grew up in the Sox organization, but also because of the 2005 World Series run.

Scot Gregor, Daily Herald: "Rowand's Ties to Sox Still Strong"

The Sox seemed to miss Rowand’s competitive fire while finishing third in the AL Central last season despite winning 90 games. And they really seem to miss the 29-year-old outfielder this season.

For what it’s worth, Rowand said he misses the Sox, too.

Nathaniel Whalen, Daily Southtown: "Rowand Still Fond of Sox"

Whenever he sees his name linked to the White Sox via trade, free agency or anything else, former South Side cult hero and current Philadelphia Phillies center fielder Aaron Rowand doesn't know what to do.... If given a choice, Rowand probably never would have left the Sox for Philadelphia in a Nov. 25, 2005 trade that brought Jim Thome to the South Side.

Mark Gonzales, Chicago Tribune: "Rowand Isn't Sure About Return to Sox"

Rowand can become a free agent next season. He wondered Monday whether the Sox would make a competitive offer in what is expected to be a thick market for center fielders. He wasn't sure if he would lean toward the Sox if all offers were similar.

Nothing in Rowand's quotes, printed in all these newspapers, supports Gonzales' negative spin. Here's Aaron's main quote:

''Anytime you get drafted by an organization, come up through the organization, win the World Series [with] the organization, yeah, you're going to have a soft spot for that team,'' Rowand said. ''If you asked anybody anywhere if they were put in the same situation, they'd say that same thing.''

Thanks to Cubune Watcher Keith Makenas for this entry.

CLTV: Cubbieland Television

We certainly enjoyed the delightful banter between Tribune-employed meteorologist Tim McGill and Tribune-employed anchorwoman Tanya Francisco on Tribune-owned CLTV this morning. See, Tim was especially interested in how sunny and warm it was going to be because he was going to the Tribune-owned Cubs game at Tribune-owned Wrigley Field. Tanya asked Tim where his seats are. Tim said near the bullpen. "Better take some sunscreen," cautioned Tanya, expressing her insider's knowledge of The Shrine.

We've heard this dialogue on CLTV before, almost as if it's scripted, but strangely, we've never heard Tanya nor Tim nor any of the other CLTV stars chatting about visits to White Sox games. Why is that?

CLTV describes itself as "ChicagoLand's only 24-hour regional news, weather, sports and information channel. CLTV brings viewers continuous coverage of Chicagoland's news that is convenient, up-to-the-minute, straightforward and accurate."

That makes them sound like pretty serious journalists. Outside of the Tribune Tower, serious journalists pride themselves on independence from commercial interests. The Tribune Company's greatest contribution to American journalism has been selling it out.

A Good Chicago-Style Election

It's a good thing the Chicago Tribune, which is always accusing city officials of corruption, doesn't run our local elections, because I'm pretty sure the guys who count the votes aren't supposed to do any campaigning in the polling place. Here's how the "voting" for the Tribune's All-City Team began today:

Today: First base

The case for Paul Konerko: There's not much right now....

We'll just pause right there. If one thing has become abundantly clear in recent years, it's that Tribune sportswriters don't know any more about sports than most of the fans in this town. So when the Tribune asks us to vote on something, it probably doesn't need to tell us how to vote. We can figure it out. But the Tribune Company is accustomed to leading readers by the nose — straight to Wrigley Field where it can load them up with Old Style and separate them from their money — and this poll is being conducted by ChicagoSports.com, which is edited by admitted Cub fan George Knue and staffed almost* entirely by admitted Cub fans that Knue hired. (*We can now say almost because ChicagoSports.com identifies one recent hire — Amanda Kaschube — as a Sox fan. Wow. Now there's one).

ChicagoSports.com has also admitted that most of its readers are Cub fans, which is interesting because the most recent poll showed most baseball fans in Chicago are Sox fans, which means most Sox fans don't read ChicagoSports.com. Big surprise. We could therefore expect the polling at this particular precinct to favor the Cubs even without the Tribune conducting a campaign inside the voting booth.

Furthermore, even Paul Konerko would vote for Derek Lee at this position right now. Jeez.

Next on Gonzo's Circus

Here's the intro to Tribune beat-Sox reporter Mark Gonzales' mailbag at the Tribune website (click image for a closer look):


Huh? Here's a better question: What is up with that last sentence stinking, when will the Tribune abandon its hope that the Sox will abandon hope, and how about sending Gonzo — or whatever lackey wrote this intro — out for some grammar enhancement?

You Won't Read it In the Tribune 2

Wrigleyville Alderman Tom Tunney wants to reign in the beer-sodden, urine-soaked stupidity that plagues the neighborhood surrounding Wrigley Field, according to the Chicago Sun-Times and NBC-5. The Tribune's neighbors are "fed up," but the Tribune has not covered the story.

Could it be because the Tribune uses the beer-soaked, urine-sodden stupidity to lure the corn-fed squares from Iowa and Minnesota (Steve Rhodes), convert them into sudden Cubs fans for the duration of their beer-sodden, urine-soaked visit, and then suck the money out of their wallets? Gotta wonder. That might also explain the gross disparity in the way the Tribune covers crime in the vicinity of the two ballparks.

Meanwhile, inside Wrigleyville's biggest beer garden: Zambrano slapping Barrett wasn't the only news to come out of Wrigley Field this weekend.

A fan ran onto the field during the same game, and the Tribune actually mentioned it. Briefly. At the end of a long story. The mention is notable because the Tribune usually prefers not to cover such incidents — except when they happen at U.S. Cellular. We would have liked a picture — you know, equal coverage — but hey, at least we got a few words: "And so another strange day ended at Wrigley Field, where a fan ran onto the field just as Aramis Ramirez was connecting for a home run in the eighth inning. The fan was corralled before he could cause further trouble, which is more than could be said for the Cubs." Har har. The Daily Southtown went into much more detail after interviewing Ramirez, who was apparently concerned for his safety:

Aramis Ramirez said he was "in shock" when a fan ran onto the field during his eighth-inning homer Friday. The fan, who came out of the left-field seats, was running toward center when a security guard caught up with him. Ramirez was rounding first when he saw what was happening. "I didn't know what was going on," Ramirez said. "I noticed it when I was running to second base and the (guard) was grabbing him. I was shocked. I wasn't nervous because security was holding the guy." Still, as Ramirez headed for third and then home, he looked back to make sure the fan hadn't broke free. "I was watching because he wasn't supposed to be there on the field," Ramirez said. "I don't know what happened or when he came out."

It's not hard to imagine how differently the Tribune would have played that incident had it happened on the South Side.