Korver Coat Drive Body- & Heart-Warming

Kyle Korver, the Bulls and Operation Warm will hold a coat drive before Saturday’s (Jan. 21) game at the United Center. Fans are urged to drop off new winter coats at UC admission gates beginning at 5:30 p.m. to provide new outerwear for youngsters from Mercy Home for Boys & Girls and Victor Herbert Elementary School.

The first 250 fans who attend the game and donate a new children’s coat or donate $15 or more will receive a ticket for an autograph from Korver after the game.

Persons not attending the contest against the Charlotte Bobcats may make donations at Bulls.com/korvercoatdrive. Donations also may be made through Saturday t other Bulls drop-off locations:

* United Center – Gate 4, 901 West Madison Street, Chicago, IL 60612 (Friday 9 a.m.–5 p.m.)

* Sheri L. Berto Center, 550 Lake Cook Road, Deerfield, IL 60015 (Friday 9 a.m.–5 p.m.)

* Bulls/Sox Academy, 6200 River Bend Drive, Lisle, IL 60532 (Friday 9 a.m.–5 p.m.)

* Bulls/Sox Academy, 536 East Ave, La Grange, IL 60525 (Friday 3 p.m.–9 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m.-6 p.m.)

* Bulls/Sox Academy, 800 Charles Rd, Glen Ellyn, IL 60137 (Saturday 9 a.m.–6 p.m.)

* Bulls/Sox Academy – Omni Health and Fitness, 221 US HWY 41, Schererville, IN 46375 (Friday 3 p.m.–10 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m.-3 p.m.)

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The Chicago Bulls handed out posters of the Luvabulls at Tuesday’s game. For those who were not fortunate enough to obtain one, here is the next-best thing. Or maybe the next-next-best thing. Or … Anyway, here is the poster in three parts (for those ingenious enough to print out and paste together). OK, actually the first part is located slightly above, but you probably figured that out already:

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As those of you who stayed up into the wee hours of Friday already are aware, the Lingerie Football League’s Chicago Bliss lost to the Los Angeles Temptation 42-26 in Ontario, Calif. If it’s any conslation to Bliss fans (and the guess here is that it is not), the Bliss scored the game’s first touchdown, led 12-0, 12-6 and 18-6 before Los Angelesrallied to reach the postseason while eliminating the Bliss from the playoffs for the first time in the league’s three seasons.

The game was available on UStream.com, although it wasn’t much in the way of a broadcast. Next time, the LFL might try using a tigher shot rather than show a virtually empty upper deck at the arena. Just a thught. Free advice generally is worth what you pay for it, so the editorial staff at elliottharris.com won’t be offended if the league fails to follow such a brilliant idea.

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Hall of Famer Andre Dawson will be the featured guest for the the 66th Annual Awards Banquet held by the Pitch and Hit Club of Chicago. The event will be Jan. 29 at the Carlisle Banquet Hall at 435 E. Butterfield Road in Lombard.

The banquet is the longest-running and only industry-wide winter baseball banquet in the Chicago area. Proceeds from the festivities benefit worthy baseball-related organizations, including Cubs Care, White Sox Charities and the Professional Baseball Scouts Foundation.

Emcee for this year’s event will be comedian/actor Mike Toomey, aka “Skip Parker” on WGN’s morning news.

Award winners other than Dawson:

* Lou Boudreau Hall of Fame Inductee -David Dombrowski, President and General Manager, Detroit Tigers
* Chicago Area Major League Player of the Year – Curtis Granderson, New York Yankees
* Jerome Holtzman Award presented by The Chicago Baseball Museum – Minnie Minoso, Chicago White Sox
* Dizzy Trout Baseball Ambassador Award – Roland Hemond, Arizona Diamondbacks
* Mary Frances Veeck Woman of the Year – Mrs. Jenny Dempster, Chicago Cubs and Dempster Family Foundation
* Harry Caray Sportscaster of the Year – Dan Roan, WGN Television
* Nick Kamzic Scout of the Year – Kris Gross, St. Louis Cardinals
* Bill Gleason Sportswriter of the Year – Scott Merkin, MLB.com
* Major League Executive of the Year – Doug Melvin, Milwaukee Brewers
* Minor League Executive of the Year – Bill Waliewski, Joliet Slammers
* Chicago Area Minor League Player of the Year – Casey Crosby, Detroit Tigers
* Chicago Area College Player of the Year – Jeff Holm, Michigan State University
* Chicago Area Amateur Coach of the Year – Justin Fleener, Teutopolis Wooden Shoes
* Bo Jackson Courage Award – Jack Deheer, Roy Hobbs Baseball
* Len DiForte Amateur Baseball Service Award – Al Budding
* Charlie Hum Club Service Award – Jim Hall
* Pitch & Hit Club President’s Award – Old Timers Baseball Association of Joliet

The event also will feature a silent auction of sports memorabilia and other prizes, current and former professional athletes signing autographs beofre the dinner and a raffle of items signed by Dawson.

Tickets are $100 each or $1,000 for a table of ten 10 and are available:

E-mail: Bridget Venturi-Veenema, Ticket Chair, bventuri@aol.com
Phone: Bill Motluck, Club Treasurer (708) 805-1928
Mail: Pitch & Hit Club – P.O. Box 1047 – Lombard, IL – 60148 (mail orders postmarked after Jan. 23 will be held at will call)

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One of your correspondent’s favorite neighborhood joints, O’Donovan’s Pub & Restaurant at 2100 W. Irving Park Rd. in Chicago, will hold a Super Bowl party on Feb. 5 (which coincidentally is the date of the Super Bowl) with food and drink specials to go along with 20 54-inch plasma televisions. Among the food gooides from executive chef Victor DeLeon will be $5 sloppy joes, $9.95 for a rack of barbecued baby back ribs or for 14-ounce prime rib, and $1.99 pints of bacon with dipping sauces. More information is available at (773) 478-2100.

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OK, how about some April Rose in her “Maximum Exposure” feature that she runs Monday-Thursday online:

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For those who were unable to tune in for Thursday’s “Sports & Torts” with David Spada and Elliott Harris that featured meteorologist (and former track star) Cheryl Scott and legendary actress Marion Ross plus Oakland Raiders great Willie Brown, you can find it by clicking here.

Once again, it was an outstanding program (through no fault of the co-hosts, of course). Among the highlights: Cheryl said a big snowstorm was coming to Chicago; Marion talked about her prowess on the baseball diamond as part of the “Happy Days” barnstorming team, and Willie spoke of the Davis family making the Raiders players feel like family.

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If things go as planned (and occasionally they actually do), a couple of Hooters Girls will be in studio for next week’s “Sports & Torts.” So the least we can do around here is run some more video from the Hooters Dream Girl 2012 contest. Here is Alexa Devine, who is not scheduled to be in studio:

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