Blackhawks rookie goalie Antti Niemi stood in front of his goal as Jim Cornelison belted out the national anthem before the Blackhawks defeated the Kings 4-2 on Sunday.
It was a spine-tingling show. That Niemi, the rookie goaltender from Finland, was making his first NHL start made this his "Welcome to the NHL" moment. How cool would it be to be him, I thought to myself, which prompted another question: If I could be any Chicago athlete, who would I choose? It’s a tough call. I’m not sure if that’s because Chicago currently has so many athletes who make you want to walk in their shoes or because there’s currently not one Michael Jordan, Walter Payton, Bobby Hull or Ernie Banks who would be the overwhelming choice.
It would be fun to be Brian Urlacher on an autumn Sunday afternoon at Soldier Field, even if his star is fading. Matt Forte is not a bad choice, either. The second-year Bears running back played a huge role in the offense last season and that should continue into the future. It would be fun to run as fast as Devin Hester. Greg Olsen is handsome and possesses the talent to become one of the league’s top tight ends. If you believe the Kyle Orton we saw before he injured his ankle last season is an indication of the quarterback he can be, it might be an easy choice. Who wouldn’t want to be the quarterback Bears fans have waited generations for?
The White Sox have two exciting young players in Alexei Ramirez and Carlos Quentin. If you were Ramirez you could eat whatever you wanted and not worry gaining weight, which would be a bonus. If you choose Quentin, remember to smile once in a while. You were a MVP candidate in your first full season, after all. It doesn’t take a Stanford education to predict big things ahead.
As a player, it would be fun to play day games at Wrigley and soak in the scene. How would you like to be the player who gets the big hit that wins the first World Series in 101 years for the Cubs? The problem is, which Cub would you be? Alfonso Soriano? Derrek Lee? Aramis Ramirez? Carlos Zambrano? I thought about being Rich Harden, who has the nastiest stuff of any starter on either side of town, but my shoulder began to hurt. What about Geo Soto?
Derrick Rose would be an obvious choice. What’s not to like? The Chicago native is already the Bulls’ best player and should develop into one of the best players in the NBA. He has a chance to be a rare hometown hero whose popularity may approach Jordan’s if the Bulls start making deep playoff runs again.
That’s the only downside to choosing Rose. The Bulls are a collection of pieces that don’t seem to fit together and that hasn’t changed since the last championship banner was raised. Everything from their execution to their effort varies from game to game. It’s tough to know what to make of them.
Forty-seven seconds into Sunday’s game, Jonathan Toews, fresh off his first career hat trick against Pittsburgh on Friday night, scored his 26th goal of the season and I had my answer, or answers.
Wouldn’t it be cool to be part of the Chicago’s hockey renaissance? Nothing could compare to the Cubs winning a World Series. But being the first Blackhawks team since 1961 to win a Stanley Cup would be a blast, too.
They are famous but not too famous. Personally, I don’t know if I would want to be gawked at everywhere I went like Jordan was and Urlacher is. Sun-Times columnist Greg Couch spotted Toews and Kane at O’Hare after the All-Star Game chatting amiably, without so much as a passerby stopping to shake hands or ask for an autograph. But they are famous enough to be drop jaws when they surprised a youth hockey team recently in Northbrook. You should have seen those kids’ faces when the Hawks’ stars skated onto the ice.Once upon a time we all wanted to be like Mike. It’s a testament to how far the Bulls have fallen, and how quickly the Blackhawks have ascended, that now at least some of us would rather be like Toews and Kane.
