By JERRY RILES

I thought Mount Ozzie was Ready To Erupt…REALLY!

After the White Sox were embarrassed by the Yankees in New York 10-0 on Saturday afternoon, committing more errors than hits, the manager of the Southside club I thought, was ready to blow a gasket.

Following the Saturday butt whuppin’, Ozzie undressed his beleaguered bunch during the post game press conference.

“I’m embarrassed, and everybody in that room should be embarrassed. If they’re not embarrassed they got the wrong job and they’re stealing money from baseball,” Guillen said after the Sox dropped their fifth game in six tries on this East Coast road trip.

After the Sox were swept by the Yankees, Guillen didn’t blast off, he simply implied that his ballplayers just enjoyed the hotel stay in New York and really had a great time admiring the new Yankee Stadium digs.

Next stop for the White Sox, the Metro-dome in Minnesota. Game 1 of the final series against the Twins turned out to be just like the last 15 of 17 games in that dreaded place. Another “L” for the Sox and Guillen. Believe me they are thankful the Big Hefty-bag is being dumped at the end of the season.

Fifteen downtown CTA bus routes temporarily will be rerouted due to the closure of Michigan Avenue between Wacker Drive and Ohio Street for the taping of the Oprah Winfrey Show. The reroutes are in effect from Sunday, September 6 at 10 p.m. until approximately 6 a.m. on Wednesday, September 9.

CTA recommends that customers traveling in the Michigan Avenue corridor allow extra travel time. The Red Line offers a convenient, nearby alternative to bus service.

The reroutes are as follows:

An International Olympic Committee document assessing the bids of the four cities vying for the 2016 Summer Olympics this morning noted several problems with Chicago's bid. But problems also were found with Rio de Janeiro, Madrid and Tokyo.

Read the full report here.

The folks down at the Tribune Tower have a pretty good view of this Oprah Block Party on Michigan Avenue.

Looks like the fans are having fun. Check out the view after the jump!

Oprah has made an appearance on Michigan Avenue! She's on the Michigan Ave. bridge taping interviews on top of a double-decker bus. Who is Oprah interviewing?

The picture is below!

Are you a little nervous about getting a flu shot? Or maybe you're worried that taking the time to get inoculated will interfere with your social life?

If so, Dr. Scott Hanlon can help. The board-certified family practice physician hopes to ease needle anxieties with the unlikely pairing of flu shots and wine tasting.

The event runs from 7 to 9 p.m. Sept. 17 at the South Loop Wine Cellar, 1442 S. Michigan Ave.

Click here for more info.

CLTV Producer Afua Owusu is braving the crowds and fans, and is attempting to view the Oprah Show taping on Michigan Ave. She is live blogging from the filed.

WOOOOOO! I am back at work... seems like I've spent the last 13 hours in a dream. But really, I got the opportunity to experience the Oprah Factor in all its glory. Yesterday, I began my journey from the WGN TV Studios in Roscoe Village all the way down to the Michigan Avenue Bridge -- after a full work day which began at 3am to see the one and only Oprah Winfrey. Those of you that know me well- know she is my hero.

SWEET HOME CHICAGO
AFRICAN AMERICAN WEEK CHICAGO STYLE

By JERRY RILES

It’s ALL about being number one!
Or should I say JUST about being #1?
It, or they, come in the form of Oprah Winfrey, Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan and Pres. Barack Obama.
What a week of #1s making a national splash in the swimming pool of America/Chicago to closeout the Labor Day weekend.

Talk about these African Americans who have labored for years to gain the prestigious honor of being called number one in the respective fields they represent.
And believe me you can’t forget the Chicago/African American honorable mentions this week. How about, Jennifer Hudson, Jay-Z, and Serena Williams. Did I mention Pres. Barack Obama?
In a nutshell, the incredible impact of these extraordinary individuals making a powerful impression upon this city and the nation this week was impeccable.
Oprah blocked off the Magnificent Mile of Michigan Avenue to host her 24th Anniversary broadcast in front of an estimated crowd of more than 40,000 Chicagoans. A feat never accomplished before in one of the greatest cities in the world.
Pres. Obama addressed the nation’s students on their first day back to school to encourage them to work hard, set goals, and to go for it. That was on Tuesday of this week. The next day, on Wednesday of this week, 09/09/09, the president went after the big boys and pretty much told them and the country in a nationally televised speech that his Health Care Plan was going to work here in these United States.
Yes “you” can, Mr. President!

Hillenmeyer Takes Over At Middle Linebacker

By JERRY RILES

The Bears and Lovie Smith should be able to survive without the services of middle linebacker Brian Urlacher after it was announced on Monday that the 10 year veteran will miss the remainder of the season because of a broken wrist.

While Urlacher has been a serviceable player on the defensive side of the ball, he hasn’t been overwhelming in that position.
He is a great physical specimen and a pretty decent athlete, but to think the Bears defense will falter because he’s not in the starting lineup is kind of stretching it. I like Brian, but I think he’s a tad bit overrated.
The question was asked, could the Bears continue to make a run toward the Super Bowl, after it was revealed that Urlacher’s season was over, or were they done?
There are four individuals who can answer that question, or more importantly, must answer that question. They are GM Jerry Angelo, Head Coach Smith, Defensive Line Coach Rod Marinelli, and Quarterback Jay Cutler.
There lies the answer to the million dollar question. It’s not the receivers, the corners, or special teams.

Authorities continue to search for an armed escapee who is now accused of robbing a bank this morning in Bloomingdale and hijacking a car from a woman in Hoffman Estates.

The hijacked car was described as an 2004 gray Volkswagen Jetta with Illinois license plate A392846. It was last seen headed west on Hassel toward Barrington Road, which is near an entrance to Interstate 90.

He's now been APPREHENDED!

But, if you were to watch the story of escaped bank robbery suspect Robert Maday on the big screen -- you probably wouldn't believe such nuttiness could really happen. Namely, that a little guy (he's reportedly only about 5'6", 130 pounds), could overpower not one, but TWO, armed men transporting him to a sentencing hearing? Well, 39 year old Maday allegedly did! He reportedly took their guns, one guy's pants (apparently to wear instead of his jail garb) and drove off in their vehicle!

Since then, he reportedly carjacked at least two more vehicles and allegedly robbed a bank in west suburban Bloomingdale Friday morning. Oh, and it's not just any bank; it's supposedly the very same bank he was implicated with robbing in 2008!

Meantime, cops from multiple suburbs are all over the place, trying to figure out where the little guy was -- and hoping to not be further embarrassed. At a Bloomingdale Police press conference Friday morning, police made a point of pointing out that Maday's escape from law enforcement officers -didn't- happen under *their watch!

Of course, if this *was a movie, someone would be dead by now. Maday would no doubt be a guns-blazing, bank-robbing, take-no-nonsense, bad guy. But as it turns out 'the bad guy' was caught by West Chicago police Friday around noon...after crashing the vehicle he was in.

By JERRY RILES

Stud pitcher Carlos Zambrano and just plain stud Milton Bradley.

No question these two players are the most fiery on this disappointing Cubs team this season.
Bradley was brought in to improve the outfield play and to solidify the left-handed spot in the team‘s batting order. Something the Cubs were missing from a year ago after they were swept by the L.A. Dodgers in three straight playoff contests.

The argument was the Cubs went down in the first round of the playoffs because they lacked hitting from the left-side of the plate.

GM Jim Hendry went out and acquired the volatile outfielder who was known for his outburst and violent temper. Hendry felt he could manage Bradley’s demeanor and that he was one of the missing pieces the Cubs needed to go deep into the playoffs if not all the way to the World series and winning it.

Heck, he had already dealt with the fiery personality of big Carlos Zambrano who the organization signed to a hefty $90-plus-million-dollar deal. This was supposed to be an easy task.

From the Associated Press:

Proposed rules prompted by the deaths of two
Illinois dental patients would increase the training that's
required for dentists and their staffs.

From the Los Angeles Times:

More than a quarter-century after scientists discovered the virus that causes AIDS, researchers have finally shown that an experimental vaccine can block at least some infections, marking the first small but significant step toward eventual control of this lethal pandemic.

By JERRY RILES

Heads or tails?
It can go either way.
My feelings about the 2016 Olympics here in Chicago that is.
I love the Olympics, sports, winning and definitely the City of Chicago. But I also love life and love my fellow brethren, although some of my close friends and family members may differ at times.
All in all, the life that God has given us is very precious and we should all cherish each and every day that we breathe the air and walk on this glorious planet we call home.

Unfortunately, there are too many young African American teens and young adults on the city’s South and West Sides that no longer have that chance to enjoy life anymore. They are no longer with us because someone felt that their lives weren’t important enough.
Derrion Albert became the fourth Chicago public School student to have his life snuffed out by violence this 2009 school year. Corey McClaurin, senior at Simeon High School on the city’s South Side, lost his life just five days before Albert fell victim to a senseless and brutal attack.
Mayor Richard Daley and the Chicago 2016 Olympic supporters are in Copenhagen this week in hopes of convincing the IOC to vote in favor of awarding the City of Chicago the bid. I think the city winning the bin would be an incredible honor. My question is at what expense? Better yet, at whose expense? The lives of young African American teens living on the South and West Sides? I hope not.
Chicago and the United States are being represented very well, and by very high profile and prominent African American supporters.
The list includes, Pres. Barack Obama and his lovely wife Michelle, Oprah Winfrey, an endorsement from Michael Jordan, Gold Medalists Jackie Joyner-Kersee, sprinter Michael Johnson, triple-jumper Michael Conley Sr. just to name a few.