Some basketball teams look like winners
February 21, 2012 5:36PM
Coaching third base for the Milwaukee Brewers again in 2012 will be No. 6, Ed Sedar (Waukegan West High School, Class of 1979).
BLAST FROM THE PAST...
Coaching third base for the Milwaukee Brewers again in 2012 will be No. 6, Ed Sedar (Waukegan West High School, Class of 1979). That’s the present. Way back in the day, Sedar — who was good enough to be drafted as an outfielder by the White Sox and spent several years in the minor leagues — actually was an ace pitcher for the North Shore Baseball League Colt Division (players age 16-under) all-star team that won the Colt World Series in 1978. Some of Sedar’s teammates on that championship team were Dan Magnuson, Vince Pierce, Mike Strawn, Bill Dow and Ralph Strathmann.
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Updated: March 23, 2012 8:09AM
Points pondered that don’t seem nearly so pointless when compared to the Vegas line on winning the 2012 World Series is out and it has the Cubs as the No. 6 best-bet out of 30 teams at 6-1.
Yes, No. 6.
■ Speaki ng of odds ...
What were the odds of our area’s four best prep boys basketball teams — Warren, North Chicago, Waukegan and Mundelein — all losing games in a span of 18 hours?
■ And here’s an even stranger parlay: Warren hoops coach Chuck Ramsey was in the house at Gordon Tech on Sunday, getting a chance to scout, in person, THREE of the next five teams his Blue Devils are likely to play without leaving the gym:
1) North Chicago in Wednesday night’s North Suburban Conference Championship Game.
2) Waukegan in the sectional semifinals at faraway Barrington.
3) Mundelein in the sectional finals, again at faraway Barrington.
■ Warren hoops fans needn’t stress out over the Blue Devils’ loss to unbeaten Proviso East last Saturday, in what could be a preview of a Class 4A state semifinal-round game in Peoria.
If there is a rematch, it will come in the Class 4A state semifinals in Peoria.
And while the guess here is that Warren is likely to be playing in that game and Proviso East is likely to be watching that game on TV, let’s say that the rematch does, in act, take place.
Best was to explain the feeling is like this: If you turn the way-back machine way back to 2009, during the regular season, Zion-Benton’s powerhouse team thumped Waukegan in a game at the Dog Pound (Jereme Richmond’s junior year at Waukegan and Ronald Steward’s senior season/Lenzelle Smith’s junior year at Z-B).
A month later, the teams met in the sectional, and Waukegan’s coach, Ron Ashlaw, made the necessary adjustments so that Waukegan was able to prevail in the rematch.
That’s exactly what will happen if Proviso East makes it to Peoria to play Warren again.
As coaches, guys like Ashlaw and Warren’s Chuck Ramsey are chess players. They’re thinking five moves ahead.
So, if there is a rematch, it will be check and mate for the Blue Devils.
As for Simeon in the state-championship game?
Different topic.
That said, don’t be shocked if Proviso East is watching the state-semifinal game on TV.
■ There’s one fundamental difference between area 4A hoops power Warren and area 3A hoops power North Chicago.
And we’re not talking about Wednesday’s North Suburban Conference Championship Game that Warren will win handily.
We’re talking March Madness.
When Warren brings its “A” game, it wins by 25 and no other team in the 4A sectional has a chance.
When North Chicago brings its “A” game, it also wins by 25 and no other team in the 3A sectional has a chance.
But when Warren shows up with its “B-minus” game, it still wins by 12. Every other team in the sectional knows it.
When North Chicago shows up with its “B-minus” game, the drop is so great that it brings Grayslake Central, Lakes and Ridgewood into play as possible sectional winners.
When you read or hear that Grayslake Central or Lakes will win the sectional this March, it’s not saying that those teams have anywhere close to the talent of North Chicago.
It’s a guess that somewhere along the tourney trail, North Chicago will leave its “A” game at home and get caught by a less-talented team.
Last year, that didn’t happen and the result was a tremendous tourney run for the Hawks.
This year?
Let’s just say Sunday’s loss to Morgan Park from Chicago has us a bit worried.
■ The upcoming prep softball season will have a different look with dominant pitchers/hitters Olivia Duehr (Antioch) and Megan Mattera (Lake Zurich) having graduated.
The ace back in place is Vernon Hills’ Megan Meline.
■ Uniforms we like ... and some we don’t.
Like the NBA’s Phoenix Suns orange jerseys with the big letters “PHX” on the front.
But, don’t like the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks red jerseys with the big letters “ATL” on the front.
Like the colors and designs of just about all high-school wrestling jerseys/singlets.
Like Grayslake North’s basketball team’s black/gold road jerseys. Like Libertyville’s basketball team’s black/orange road jerseys.
Don’t like to see Lakes wearing “red” or Waukegan wearing “green.”
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