White Sox

So, some doofus at City Hall actually scheduled a NATO summit the same weekend the Cubs are hosting the White Sox. No worries for me. I was planning a weekend of protests anyway. Mine, however, were relegated to more important issues regarding baseball in Chicago. Here's a brief rundown of this weekend's events. All times are CST and approximate, and may in fact never happen. We'll see. Friday 9 a.m., Clark and Addison: Protesting the fact the Cubs can't hold a lead.

Robert DeNiro said it best in "Goodfellas": "It's gonna be a good summa!" He was referring to your 2012 White Sox. Game on, red-hot winners of eight straight. First, no wimps please. For those concerned about Chris Sale's pitch count, stick it in your you-know-what. He's a kid. He's fine. And besides, if his arm falls off, the Sox will reclaim him and rehab him - it's what they're best at. Questions? See Philip Humber and Jake Peavy. In fact, I can't wait to see Sale after the arm surgery.

Yeah, getting ready for that Bears Super Bowl run. Can't wait. But something happened this week that bugs the bejeesus out of me. They basically gave the left tackle job toJ'Marcus Webb. Hardly a fight put up by Chris Williams. Always makes me nervous when there's a shaky position and there's no competition for the job. It tells me someone - or perhaps both - are not up to par. Williams, a first-rounder from Vanderbilt (thank you, Jerry Angelo), can't unseed the seventh-rounder from West Texas A&M, where I believe football was an intramural sport.

The N.Y. Yankees have it so easy. They have a global fan base, never a lull in publicity, and lots of chances to be on TV. Must be nice. They're also pretty good at baseball, as they boast the most wins in the American League. As the Yankees take on the White Sox in a potential playoff preview this week, here are our favorite TV appearances by current Yankees.   1) Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez , "Entourage," 2011 The two superstars - not to mention Amare Stoudemire and Michael Strahan - put Turtle (Jerry Ferrara)

Good times for the Bears, but we must do some police work first. Time to go all "CSI" on the White Sox. It's a funny thing. If a team blows a three-game lead on Sept. 18 but there's no one there to witness it, how do we know it happened? Shame on you, you lazy, apathetic, uninterested White Sox fans of which I am a card-carrying member. I wasn't there, but I'm wondering at which point Ken Harrelson went stone cold silent. Here's the worst part. It's not like that was a great beginning.

EAT Finch's Beer Dinner Pl-zen 1519 W. 18th St. 312-733-0248 Local brewery Finch's is the star of a four-course dinner - served all night - featuring duck carnitas tacos paired with Finch's Threadless IPA; short rib sliders with garlic chips, caramelized onions and horseradish mayo served with Fascist Pig red ale; and more. Stick around for free Finch's educational presentations at 7 and 9 p.m. 5 p.m.-midnight. $30. RSVP recommended: plzenrest@gmail.com . Ramp Menu Sola 3868 N. Lincoln Ave. 773-327-3868 Ramps - a spring onion variety - are the highlight of this Hawaiian-fusion menu made with locally raised ingredients featuring ramp kimchee with crispy pork belly; seared scallops with quinoa, fava beans and ramp-macadamia pesto; and ramp sorbet with fresh raspberries.

As the White Sox continue to try and purge Detroit from the standings, one of the Tigers' biggest fans has become a prominent presence at U.S. Cellular Field. Michigan native and Tigers die-hard Kid Rock's hit "Bawitdaba" has served as Sox closer Addison Reed's entrance music all season. While most closers take pride in choosing an intimidating tune to walk out to, Reed swears "Bawitdaba" wasn't his choice. "I've never picked my entrance music, so I told them to pick whatever they thought would be good so that's what [the Sox]

With their blistering start, the Blackhawks have the feel of a Stanley Cup contender. Here's how other Chicago teams started in championship seasons.   2005 WHITE SOX Started: 16-4 Finished: 99-63 The Sox made a habit of winning series early in the season and led the AL Central from Day 1. They struggled in September, but what matters is they went 11-1 in the postseason. Boom.   1996-97 BULLS Started: 12-0 Finished: 69-13 Believe it or not, the Bulls' best start without a loss was not the year they won an NBA-record 72 games.

It won't be a World Series ring, but the White Sox will still let you put a ring on it - for the right price. Deal site Gilt City is offering Sox fans a chance to propose to their significant others onU.S. Cellular Field on a non-game day for $5,000. The deal, which includes a limo ride and two VIP tickets for a future game, ends Friday. Sox spokesman Scott Reifert said the offer is new and unique to Gilt City, though the Sox "have had a number of marriage proposals" over the years including some before games, some during games and some on non-game days.

There is something about White Sox opening day each year that leaves me in complete Soxtasy, a made-up word in Soxman's dictionary used to describe the sense of anticipation, elation and renewed proclamation of undying loyalty to the team I love. Anticipation in knowing that the first snap of Chris Sale's fastball, swing (or swing and miss) by Adam Dunn or put-out by Tyler Flowers forecasts what Sox fans can expect to see over the 161 games that follow. Anticipation over seeing what's new at U.S. Cellular Field teases my imagination while putting my salivary glands into overdrive.