He’s never won a bowl game. His career record in the Big Ten is 26-30. Nevertheless, Pat Fitzgerald remains as popular in Evanston as the Purple Line. So, how’s that work?

Fighting Illini fans are in serious need of sunshine. Enter new hoops coach John Groce, of the gleaming scalp and glistening record, who has brightened the spirits of many an Illini supporter thus far in 2012.

The Fighting Illini football product isn’t even selling in Champaign. During the homecoming game against Indiana, attendance at 60,670-seat Memorial Stadium did hit a season high—but it was only 47,981. And that was the announced crowd, not the actual one.

University of Illinois sports have been many things to this alum, but whether it was winner, loser, or renegade they always had an identity. But as another college football season dawns, he’s not so sure.

What would it be like to go through what Dempster, Alfonso Soriano, and others are going through this week, sweating today’s trade deadline? How would you prepare? What would you need to know? And how could a trade affect you, both professionally and personally?

A top-tier college basketball game in Chicago is as scarce as a Republican alderman. It is one of the most remarkable quirks of our remarkably quirky city. But enough is enough…and DePaul may be on board.

Where have Chicago’s compelling sports figures gone? These days, big-name free agents go elsewhere, leaving the City of Big Shoulders stuck with small personalities. Does MJ’s specter still loom too large?