N ow that the Cubs (and White Sox) have been eliminated from the baseball playoffs, it's a great time to learn more about an era when the North Siders were actually the kings of baseball.

High school football in Illinois is so unforgiving. The players do months and months of offseason conditioning and training, all for a nine-game regular season. The carrot in front of every player is qualifying for the state playoffs in late October. However, so many of these athletes never reach that goal.