One step down Rocky's road
Neil Hayes: Rocky Wirtz called the Sun-Times late Monday to offer his reaction to the Blackhawks clinching their first-round Stanley Cup playoff series. He watched the game at an alehouse in Florida while attending a liquor wholesalers conference. John McDonough wasn't in Calgary, either, to witness the Hawks' 4-1 victory over the Flames. He watched at home on TV.

Danks tosses clunker after Colon's masterpiece in Sox-Mariners DH
Team batting? Eighth in the American League. Team pitching? Seventh. Record? After a doubleheader split with Seattle on Tuesday, it's 10-10. Therein lies the White Sox through the first 20 games of the 2009 season -- mediocre in every way. Nothing more, nothing less. And just when it looks like one leak in the dam is plugged, another one springs up. Tuesday offered further evidence of that.

Soriano, Cubs power up

PHOENIX -- Left fielder Alfonso Soriano sees a serious difference between this Cubs team and the ones from the last two seasons, and he doesn't like it.