CHICAGO -- A big-league clubhouse is a place where you can eat candy for breakfast and where pants are optional, so it's not like the White Sox dropped a pair of inflatable dolls in the middle of St. Patrick's Cathedral.
CHICAGO -- Brian Roberts understands that uncertainty is simply part of the job, that right now trade rumors shouldn't even be classified as distractions.
CHICAGO -- The matrix that forms the Major League Baseball schedule is essentially a collection of self-interests. Factors can range from the demands of ESPN, to the preservation instincts of Chicago aldermen negotiating night games at Wrigley Field, or a historic visit by the pope.
CHICAGO -- Northern Illinois will always be the place where Scott Lawler met his wife, where the new assistant took classes with some of his players, where he swerved onto his professional fast track.
