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On March 20, 2004. Chicagoans were still coming down from their annual St. Patrick’s Day hangover, but the best medicine was about to set in. That antidote wasn’t a cold Old Style, extra-spicy Bloody Mary or a mimosa. Rather, it was DePaul University men’s basketball getting ready to tip off in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
Now, 20 years or a generation later, DePaul sits at 1-7, including losses to traditional Midwest powerhouses at Fort Wayne and Northern Illinois.
For the nation’s largest Catholic university, the last few years have felt different. Actual change has been taking place. First in 2017, with the opening of Wintrust Arena. In 2020, when DePaul hired away the University of Kentucky’s assistant athletic director for its own athletic director role. (The Kentucky Wildcats are a program that knows a thing or two about sustaining successful basketball programs and not simply relying on a storied past.) Now in 2023, there is the commitment to build best-in-class, on-campus athletic facilities.
But do we really need to wait every three years for something exciting to happen off the court, let alone on the court? The sobering reality is likely yes.
The 2024-25 season (yes, we are already talking next season just one month into the current one) will most certainly bring a new head coach, roster turnover and, yet again, renewed optimism among the faithful few that this time is different. But why should the average Chicagoan care about DePaul?
The Loyola run was fun, right? Yes, it was, and DePaul’s would be more fun. While DePaul has no Sister Jean, what it does have is a place in arguably the best basketball conference in the country, in one of the nicest neighborhoods in the country and many of its 200,000-plus alumni residing in Chicagoland. Oh, and DePaul has a pretty cool-looking mascot, DIBS (Demon in a Blue Suit), with no Harry Potter motifs needed. In other words, it just means more.
If conference foes Marquette, Butler, Xavier, and Creighton all figured out how to find success recently, then why can’t DePaul? All are private, urban universities with a far smaller enrollment in Middle America.
If there is anything Chicagoans can all gather around, it’s that no other city, including Milwaukee, Indianapolis, Cincinnati and Omaha, Nebraska, can hold a candle to Chicago.
— Dylan Plachta, Chicago
Chicago’s first crime boss
In one of his less-lighter moments, Mark Twain said, “History is strewn thick with evidence that a truth is not hard to kill, but a lie, well told, is immortal.”
One of those lies — I prefer the less-loaded term “flabby truths” — is the immortal notion that the history of organized crime in Chicago began with Al Capone. Historians worth their salt know that history begets history; that is, it stretches backward. And yet, as per the Tribune’s piece of Dec. 3 on illegal gambling in Chicago, those blinders remain firmly in place (“Operating under mob rule”).
The first big organized crime boss in Chicago wasn’t Capone but Michael Cassius McDonald, whose “Store,” the name of his huge gambling emporium in the 1870s, turned him into Chicago’s “shadow mayor.” McDonald’s millions, both legal and illegal, allowed him to pay off politicians, police officers and judges. His influence was so vast that, during a visit to the White House, he persuaded President Chester A. Arthur to pardon a friend of his.
McDonald was followed by Jacob “Mont” Tennes, who earned the moniker “King of the Gamblers.” Tennes went a step further than McDonald and paid police officers to raid his rivals’ gambling joints. Predictably, his rivals didn’t appreciate this. In the early 1900s, Chicago became known for what the press called the “Gambling Wars.” Bombs flew in the air like confetti.
After Tennes, there was Ike Bloom, who ran the Levee district, a hotbed of gambling and prostitution. Bloom had a colorful nickname as well: “King of the Brothels.” Bloom’s millions likewise kept justice at bay. One of his activities wasn’t colorful: white slavery, what we refer to now as sex trafficking. Sadly, even madams like the Everleigh sisters participated in it.
Even more so than Bloom, Mike “The Pike” Heitler and Jake “Greasy Thumb” Guzik turned white slavery into big business. So did Jack Zuta. All three lawbreakers made sure that local politicians and law enforcement were paid well to leave them, and their rackets, alone.
A few years later, Guzik befriended a newcomer to Chicago named Alphonse Capone and showed him the lay of the land. A Brooklyn native, Capone quickly capitalized on Guzik’s advice. The rest, as they say, is history.
The historical lesson: Behind every successful crook are more successful crooks.
— Bill Dal Cerro, Chicago
Speeding rampant on I-294
The speed limit on America’s highways is being ignored on a regular basis, and this puts the lives of average Americans in daily jeopardy. The simple act of merging on Interstate 294 today is perilous. The quickest way to reach a destination is often the one I can’t take because I can’t keep up with drivers going 10 miles over the speed limit while texting or on cellphones.
It is time to lower the speed limits or figure out ways to slow drivers down. The higher the speed, the more horrific the accident and lives lost.
— Sue Atkenson, Frankfort
Keep the mayor on the ball
As a Chicago resident, I am thankful that several aldermen have voiced their concerns about Mayor Brandon Johnson’s failed policies.
It is time for a coalition of aldermen to come together and do their due diligence in overseeing the machinations of plans emanating from the fifth floor. As members of an elected body, it is their responsibility to be accountable to their constituents. We cannot continue to see the flip-flopping, backpedaling and failures of the plans Johnson puts forth.
We are all in this together. Please watch over his office and offer guidance.
— Cathleen Bylina, Chicago
Chicago museums’ free days
Chicago Tribune Opinion
Howard Mandel in his letter of Dec. 3 (“Supporting downtown scene”) makes interesting suggestions. I might suggest that he check the websites of the various museums before criticizing them. They have frequent and well-coordinated free days for Illinois residents.
A quick look at the various websites shows that all have free days weekly, generally Tuesday. Additionally, most make reference to free admission for school and/or church groups. Most of the musical venues also have very nice packages for student, senior and nonprofit groups.
Chicago is one of the world’s great cultural powerhouses. Institutions give access (often free!) to all. Taking advantage does require, however, that someone do the research to be able to take advantage of those freebies.
— David Umlauf, Deerfield
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