Jesse Johnson, who sings and plays guitar and harmonica for Post Historic, traded emails with me, and the resulting interview is after the jump.

Ready to hit the road for an extended tour after a summer playing festival dates, Backyard Tire Fire will play the first of several record release shows around the Midwest tonight at the Highdive. Doors open at 9 p.m. with Golden Quality and Tractor Kings opening, and admission is $7 for the 19 and over show.

Check back in tomorrow morning on Smile Politely for a show preview and interview with Tire Fire frontman Ed Anderson. Click Continue Reading to see the rest of the Tractor Kings preview.

• Sporting News thinks the Illini will definitely be back in a January bowl.
• ESPN (need to be an Insider) gives the defense and intangibles high marks.
• FanIQ thinks the season hinges on Juice.
• Deadspin would be happy with a trip to the Motor City Bowl.
• FOX Sports says Zook is trying to prevent the Illini from making any assumptions about the season.
• USA Today is pretty circumspect, but they leave open the possibility that Illinois could be better this season than last.

It seems like most prognosticators have the Illini slated somewhere between #10 and #30 in the Football Bowl Subdivision (rolls off the tongue, doesn't it?). What do you think about their chances? Will they continue their improvement, take a step backward or stay put?

The Bottle Rockets - 1000 Dollar Car (Live in Heilbronn / Germany July 17, 2005)

Brian Henneman has made a solid recording career by realizing these subtleties of working-class life. His band, Bottle Rockets, is only playing 15 shows this year to celebrate their 15th anniversary as a touring outfit, and one of those will be Saturday at the Highdive. Doors open at 6 p.m., opener Otis Gibbs will come on at 7 p.m. and Bottle Rockets play at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15, and it's a 19-and-over show.

Stay tuned after the jump for an interview with Henneman.

Lurking in a converted basement of an unassuming house in old town Champaign is the motor that drives some of the best-respected bands in indie rock. Bob Andrews, who runs the local office of Undertow Music Collective, keeps things running smoothly for such artists as Centro-Matic, David Bazan, Jesse Harris and Bottle Rockets. Bottle Rockets will be playing at the Highdive on Saturday, August 15 16 (check out Smile Politely's preview on Thursday).
Pictured are (left-to-right) Adam Klavohn and Bob Andrews.

If you know someone who would be a good subject for this feature, email me at joelgillespie@smilepolitely.com

Chinese Crested Dog and A.J. Pierzynski (Catcher, Chicago White Sox)

Since his ill-advised dye job a couple of weeks ago, A.J. has looked even more obnoxious. According to Wikipedia, Chinese Crested males "can become slightly aggressive as they age." A.J. has been slightly aggressive since he passed age seven, as Miguel Olivo of the Royals can attest. I'd love to link to video of the "fight," but MLB has shut down all of the YouTube links for copyright claims.

This is Angie's second concert this summer at Biaggi's. Of her June 24 show, she said, "It was great! Lots of friends, and lots of new faces." For those of you who haven't been to see live music at Biaggi's before, she added, "People can eat or drink and enjoy music on the patio. It's important to make a patio reservation to ensure seating. Come hungry!"

Soon after their follow-up album, Soup, was released in 1995, lead singer Shannon Hoon died from a drug overdose. Now, after a long hiatus, the band has returned with a new lead singer, Travis Warren, and a new album, For My Friends, on Adrenaline Records.

It's a 6:30 p.m. showtime with Underpaid Packy opening. Tickets are $15.

It's going to be pretty tough to get an accurate picture of what really went down from those stories. After spending a few days in Seattle, though, I can see where commuting tension would be high. There's a ton of traffic of both the car and bike variety, and even a lot of the arterial roads are narrow and curvy.

According to a press release from CCB, "20,000 copies will be made available at local bike shops, fitness centers, other retailers, and public buildings throughout the communities. 10,000 copies will be distributed on the University of Illinois campus."

Before two gut-wrenching losses to the Boston Red Sox the past couple of evenings (thanks, bullpen!), the Minnesota Twins were the hottest team in baseball, having won 18 of their last 21 games dating back to June 13. The Twins' offense has been surprisingly good this season despite having only a couple of players (Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau) whose names would be recognized by more than a few people outside the Land of 10,000 Lakes. One of the keys to their offensive resurgence has been the play of two rookies, Carlos Gomez and Alexi Casilla. They have added speed on the basepaths and on defense, giving the team a dimension they lacked last year.

Alex Voitik worked for Jimmy John's last winter, and he was kind enough to answer some questions about the life of a delivery rider.

Joel Gillespie remembers Carlin, after the jump.

This coming Sunday, authors Jeffrey St. Clair and Joshua Frank will be hosting a discussion of their new book, Red State Rebels: Tales of Grassroots Resistance in the Heartland, at the Illini Union Bookstore at 2 p.m. Red State Rebels is a collection of essays from various authors describing modes of activism in middle America. St. Clair kicked off their book tour with a date in Bloomington, Indiana on Wednesday night. He and Frank were kind enough to answer some questions:

Smile Politely: How did your first appearance go in Bloomington last night? Any significance to that being the site of your appearance on the book's release date?

Jeffrey St. Clair: Is there a better place for opening day than summer in Bloomington, where rednecks and eggheads converge in hop-induced harmony at Nick's on Kirkwood? Besides, I'm from Indiana and two of our contributors and one of our subjects resided there.

The Detroit Tigers finally are showing signs in the past week of emerging from their first-half malaise, and outfielder/DH Marcus Thames has been a big part of their resurgence. Thames has eight hits in the Tigers' last seven games, which wouldn't normally be that unusual, except for the fact that all of those hits have been home runs.

(Ed. Note: Marcus Thames actually hit his eighth home run in this streak as this article was being posted.)

For the second summer, a group of (mostly) University of Illinois students are bicycling across the United States to raise money for cancer research, as well as other causes. The Illini 4000 is making its way from New York City to Seattle, and they took time out in Urbana on Tuesday night for a reception at the Alice Campbell Alumni Center. They began their trek on May 23 in New York City, and had just passed the 1,000-mile mark on Monday, according to Matt Cillick, who will be a sophomore in Aerospace Engineering at U of I.

At the beginning of this season, the Chicago White Sox thought they knew what to expect from the heart of their order. Jim Thome, Paul Konerko and Jermaine Dye have powered the lineup since Thome arrived in 2006. Joe Crede was expected to return from a back injury, which ruined his 2007 campaign. Two high-profile trades brought in center fielder Nick Swisher and shortstop Orlando Cabrera, who had built successful careers on the West Coast. But the player who has had the biggest impact on Chicago's offense — and cemented himself in the third spot in the batting order — in the first third of the season, was an afterthought as spring training began: left fielder Carlos Quentin.

During this past off-season, AL Central teams were involved in as many significant trades as any division in baseball. There are many new faces in the division, some of whom have performed better than those they replaced, and some who haven't. In honor of the one-third mark of the season, we're going to make the newcomers to the neighborhood welcome by providing them with between one and five tasty, home-baked casseroles, depending on their impact and performance thus far.

(Ed. Note: These casseroles are meant to be for your imagination. Author Joel Gillespie wanted to put clipart photos of digital casseroles into the post. No, he is not on drugs.)

Have you wanted to bike to work, the grocery store or your favorite restaurant, but can’t figure out a route that doesn’t result in semi trucks whizzing past you at high speed? Well fear not, hypothetical cyclist - help is on the way. The League of Illinois Bicyclists will soon be releasing a map which rates the bikeability of local roads by comfort level.

It’s been almost two months since I kept a running diary of the Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox’ opening day tilt, so it’s about time to check back in with the clubs and see where they’re at. On Memorial Day, Paul Byrd squared off against Javier Vazquez, and Smile Politely was there (in front of the TV, with finger poised over the mute button as CSN‘s coverage began).

Coming into the 2008 season, Curtis Granderson’s Detroit Tigers were the odds-on pick to win the American League Central. With their addition of Miguel Cabrera, Dontrelle Willis, Edgar Renteria and Jacque Jones, the Tigers were expected to pummel opponents into submission with an offense that some commentators predicted would score over 1,000 runs. Granderson was poised to propel that offense from his leadoff spot.

What’s big, yellow, and wants you to share the road? If you’ve seen the C-U Mass Transit District’s new Share the Road bus, it’s no mystery. The bus, which travels on various routes throughout the area depending on the day, made its debut a few weeks ago.

Now that we’re nearly at the quarter pole of the regular season, the flukes of April should be fading away to reveal something more concrete in the American League Central. Instead, it’s a muddled race to the middle, with only 4.5 games separating first place from fifth, and no team with a winning percentage over .530 or under .400. Any analysis based on a given team’s spot in this crapshoot could be completely irrelevant by this time next week. But hey, that’s why I’m here.

Since I completely jinxed last week’s feature subject, Brian Bannister (3 IP, 7 ER, 3 HR allowed in his start last Wednesday, ERA jumped from 2.48 to 4.04), this week we’ll test the extent of my jinxing powers with Cliff Lee, who will be starting tonight for the Cleveland Indians versus the New York Yankees. The game’s on ESPN at 6 p.m., so if you have cable and some free time, check it out.

Champaign County Bikes will be hosting their second annual BikeFest this Sunday, May 4, at Hessel Park in Champaign. Whether you’re an avid cyclist or merely curious about what’s going on in the local bike community, there’s something for everyone.

Starting at 9 a.m., you can choose between four different routes from 10 to 51 miles long in the Pedal Power ride, with proceeds benefiting the Center for Women in Transition.

Continuing with the acclaimed series, Caucasian Darlings of the Blogosphere, this week we’ll take a closer look at Brian Bannister of the Kansas City Royals. Many of you White Sox fans probably remember Bannister’s father, Floyd, who went 50–49 for the South Siders from 1983 to 1986. Both father and son are starting pitchers who are a shade over six feet tall and around 200 lbs, but that’s where their similarities on the diamond end. The elder Bannister was a left-handed power pitcher who led the league in strikeouts with the Seattle Mariners in 1982, while the younger is a righty induces outs with a fairly pedestrian high-80’s fastball. In fact, Brian had one of the lowest strikeout rates in the league last year, his rookie season, when he struck out just a hair over 4 batters per 9 innings pitched.

Most middle relievers are faceless automatons, marching in from the bullpen to a generic nu-metal dirge to face a few hitters and disappear into the dugout. Take Mike Stanton, for example. He’s been in the major leagues since 1989, but if you asked me to pick him out of a police lineup, I’m pretty sure I’d guess Curt Leskanic by mistake. That’s what makes Pat Neshek so special: he’s turned a thankless role in the Minnesota Twins’ bullpen into a sort of cult celebrity status in less than two full years in the big leagues.

Two weeks into the season, and everything remains convoluted in the AL Central. Up is down, white is black, and the Royals are decent. Let’s make a run-through of the standings from top to bottom:

Chicago White Sox (8–5): The Sox are using the same combination so far this season that led to their World Series title in 2005: pitching and the long ball. Gavin Floyd was effectively wild on a frigid Saturday afternoon, taking a no-hitter into the eighth inning against the Tigers before combining with a couple of relievers on a two-hit shutout. A.J. Pierzynski is still tearing things up to the tune of a .412 batting average and .737 slugging percentage, both of which lead the AL. Joe Crede has also come back from back surgery to get off to a great start, hitting two grand slams already this season.

It’s a topsy-turvy AL Central after one week of play. Here are the standings as of this morning:

Chicago White Sox 5–2
Kansas City Royals 5–2
Cleveland Indians 4–4
Minnesota Twins 3–5
Detroit Tigers 0–7

The biggest surprise in the standings above is, of course, the Tigers. Detroit went into the season as the prohibitive favorite in the division, after upgrading at third base (Miguel Cabrera > Brandon Inge), shortstop (Edgar Renteria > Carlos Guillen), first base (Carlos Guillen > Sean Casey), and fourth starter (Dontrelle Willis > cracked bat > Mike Maroth). It’s much too early to give up on the Tigers, but frustration is clearly mounting in Detroit.

There’s only going to be one Opening Day this year, so that calls for a running diary of the White Sox vs. Indians clash, straight from Jacobs... er... Progressive Field. Here we go…

Pregame: Comcast brings the Nickelback the opening and Illinois couldn’t be more thrilled. Something about “The Show,” so it’s major league-ready.

Top 1st: Indians are rocking the throwback uniforms, or perhaps just a new look this season. They even have a new cap design with 100% less racist caricature. It’s good to see that C.C. Sabathia didn’t let a little thing like a Cy Young award change his conditioning program this offseason. He may have even put on a few pounds. Orlando Cabrera walked and stole second, and then Jim Thome followed with an absolute bullet into the right-center seats. No further damage for the Sox, and we’re 2-0 after a half-inning.

By the time this column runs next week, the regular season will be in session, so it’s time to make your predictions for the 2008 American League Central. Take your best shot in the comments below. Here is my blind guess:

1. Detroit Tigers (99-63)
2. Cleveland Indians (98-64)
3. Kansas City Royals (82-80)
4. Minnesota Twins (75-87)
5. Chicago White Sox (70-92)

The Minnesota Twins and Detroit Tigers, two teams headed in opposite directions, each locked up a player to a long-term contract this past week. The Twins, on the decline after a run of four AL Central titles from 2002 to 2006, signed closer Joe Nathan to a 4 year, $47 million deal. The Tigers, who have had two straight winning seasons (including a World Series trip in 2006) after twelve straight losing seasons (including a 119-loss disaster in 2003), locked up third baseman Miguel Cabrera for $152.3 million over 8 years.

Will Kansas City Royals third baseman Alex Gordon become a star? This is, to me, one of the defining questions for the near to medium future of the American League Central. While the Kansas City Royals are not ready to contend with the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians for Central supremacy in 2008, they have a chance to emerge from the Central cellar for the first time since 2003.

After last week's column went up, I realized that I had done White Sox fans a huge disservice. Even though Chicago is definitely one of the blandest teams around, I totally disregarded the fact that they traded for outfielder Nick Swisher, one of the most colorful players in the game, over the winter. So, to let you Sox fans know just what you're getting, here's some fast facts on Swish:

1. He seems to be totally unable to appear in a photograph where he does not look completely goofy. His official photo on MLB.com last year is a classic, and he had the misfortune to get this picture taken during what I hope was a rookie hazing stunt.

I'm going to level with you. I'm a Twins fan, so if you're looking for fair and balanced AL Central reports, you may want to move along, dear reader.

If you have room, however, for just one more baseball column in your weekly surf, I hope that I can earn your trust and loyalty. I have no idea what sort of sports coverage you are looking for — after all, this is a primarily local arts and entertainment website — but please, use the comments section to subtly nudge my attention in the right direction.

Will Leitch, editor of the sports website Deadspin and former sports editor of the Daily Illini, will be appearing at the Illini Union today, Tuesday Feb. 12 at 4 p.m., to speak and sign copies of his new book, God Save the Fan. He was kind enough to speak with us by phone last Friday before his book tour appearance in Seattle, Wash.

Smile Politely: How was the Super Bowl?

Will Leitch: I had a lot more fun at the tour stop. Phoenix was not too much fun, it’s like you’re at the center of the corporate beast. They’re selling the NFL and a lot of other stuff, it’s so corporate, everyone has something to sell, so it’s like a big accountants’ conference.

Although he often self-deprecatingly describes his occupation as “typing about sports,” Will Leitch has a better sense of perspective than most of his colleagues in American sports journalism. In the introduction to his new book, God Save the Fan, he lays out the uneasy line that the thinking sports fan must walk: collegiate and professional sports serve as an escape from our everyday lives, but the more you see how the machinery of the sports industry operates, the less of an escape it is. It’s a tough quandary he’s found himself in, and he fills almost 300 pages trying to work his way out of it.