The
Tribune did a nice story the other day on Joe Rau, a wrestler with next to no
degrees of separation from Clare. Rau
went to St. Patrick High School, along with one of Clare’s Berwyn baseball
teammates, and he graduated a year ahead of her at Elmhurst. I think they knew each other enough to say
“Hey, how ’ya doin’?” in the hallway.
And
Rau is just like my daughter in that he found his true calling early on. For Clare, it was hitting a few months shy of
her fourth birthday. For Rau, it was
wrestling by the time he was six. The
two are also similar in flying below the radar until they suddenly break
out. The softball player and the
wrestler had very good high school careers, except when they didn’t, and then
blossomed yet again at that D-III mecca of Elmhurst. Oh, and they’re both nuts about the Chicago
Flag with its four red stars positioned between two blue stripes. (Let the deciphering of said symbols and
colors begin.) Between them, they
probably can dress head to toe—as in socks—with flag-adorned gear. So far, only Rau has the flag tattoo, though.
Next
week the NFL draft comes to town, and with it all the wannabe stars. But I don’t think Joe Rau will be around for
it. This week he was at the Olympic
trials in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. And
Clare just called to tell me now he has to go to Istanbul for a last chance to
qualify as an individual wrestler. I
wonder if ESPN will televise his matches?
I think the stripes were Sox and Cubs. i.e. North / South
ReplyDeleteStars are Meigs field, Comiskey Park, Soldier Field and Wrigley. All of them torn down or defaced from the beautiful originals.
Or will we have a new fifth Star for the new Star Wars home and think of old McCormick? Built, Burnt, Built again and now to be torn down.
Century of Progress, the Columbian Expo, the Old Wooden Fort and A Great Fire are the real Stars. Just like our favorite soccer Team jerseys "Chicago Fire". Let us not forget Navy Pier…. from abandoned waterfront warehouse to today’s touristy city mousetrap.
We could post the Cook County seal on the flag.. … but that would incense the two branches of TAXING governments. Both who cannot meet the needs of the region in their existing budget(s)
So let’s develop a “new” Chicago Flag. And just what would we replace it with? The best part of the City of Chicago…… a beach pix just watch out for what’s in the water.
http://www.meetpenny.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/beach-flag-awareness-education-meanings.pdf