Chicago update:In yet another attempt for attention and love, America's Second City—which is actually third if you count population but first if you consider per capita intake of pork—unveiled a bronze-relief tribute to those who died as a result of the Irish Potato Famine. Plans are already under way for similar bronzes in other American cities that will pay tribute to those who died of heart disease by eating the beef that comes through the Chicago stockyards.
Washington update: The team is regularly derided for its nickname, the most derogatory in American sports. Those who know this southern city argue that the nickname is in keeping with its long and continuing segregated history. The line between black and white is so clear and rarely crossed in Washington that anyone who's ever been to a smart dinner party on the white side of town can tell you that conversations regarding the black side of town are like something lifted out of colonial Rhodesia. In keeping with that, the team now plays in Maryland. Fightin' Irish:The Potato Famine did cause millions to emigrate; many of them ended up in Chicago, where they went into law enforcement. In fact, Chicago police were recently paid tribute by a local jury, which awarded $28 million to Joseph Regalado after he was paralyzed in a beating by Chicago police officers Jose O'Garcia and Manuel McAcevedo. The Name Game: Many of those who criticize the Redskins nickname say it is indicative of outmoded ideas and attitudes and suggest more modern monikers, such as Big Phat Wops, Jiggy Belgian Bastards, Whack-Ass Krauts and The French. Consensus: Violent, smelly and desperately seeking love, Chicago made a star of moneygrubbing icon Michael Jordan and currently rests its civic hopes in rookie quarterback Cade McNown. McNown is best known locally for playing at UCLA, where he used forged handicap-parking plaques to get around the Westwood campus. When he was caught, he called the resulting furor “a distraction.” Of course we'll root for Chicago. Did we mention that Washington is a southern city?
