"Chicago has a strange metaphysical elegance of death about it" -- Claes Oldenburg

I guess I'm just in a Chicago state of mind. My previous post mentioned in passing Lee Elia's sale of an autographed baseball displayed on a pedestal that plays a 20-second apology to Cubs' fans for his iconic tirade against them in 1983.

A Chicago website, The Chicagoist, pooh-poohed Elia's earmarking of 10% of each $89.95 sale for helping with the fight against cancer. But Elia's no carpetbagger here: He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1997. His father died of prostate cancer in 1987. And Elia is very active in fund-raising efforts. Still, he gets no slack from Chicagoans for offering up what he has.

Now, raising money for prostate cancer seems generally worthy only of snickers or snideness on its best day. The battle against prostate cancer is more or less a grass-roots movement because "no major scientific or medical organizations, including the American Cancer Society (ACS), American Urological Association (AUA), US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), American College of Physicians (ACP), National Cancer Institute (NCI), American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), and American College of Preventive Medicine (ACPM) support routine testing for prostate cancer at this time." Seems like Elia's work here has actually been to raise awareness, even beyond raising funds.

Anyway, keeping in line with the Chicago tradition of perpetually lauding Mike Ditka (whose résumé, found deep in the "What Have You Done for Me Lately?" file, includes bringing Chicago NFL championships in 1963 and 1985), The Chicagoist goes to bat for Ditka and his work to raise money for disabled NFL players who aren't covered by insurance.

Ditka's organizations (the Mike Ditka Hall of Fame Assistance Trust Fund and Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund) have raised around $1.3 million, and "meted out over $100,000 in financial aid and services to former players in need" according to The Chicagoist, and not the $57,000 reported in USA Today.

$715,000 was spent on three celebrity golf tournaments. Now, I'm no mathematician, but wouldn't the retired NFL players be better off having been directly given the $715,000 Ditka had raised instead of using that tidy sum as an excuse for a bunch of millionaire celebrities to play golf and raise $100,000 for the old, uninsured guys?

Dishing out "over $100,000" out of $1,300,000 in monies raised sounds suspiciously like it's... um... let's see, around... uh... 10%! And "Iron" Mike gets plaudits!

Lee Elia dishes out 10% off the top for cancer? Elia gets brickbats from the Windy City. Check out the classless headline the Chicago Tribune pinned on this Elia story.

Chicago has always been a city of great paradoxes. But they're part of its "charm", Chicago's essential allure. They even prompted late 20th century politician and philosopher Dan Quayle to declare, "It is wonderful to be here in the great state of Chicago."

I'm just in a Chicago state of mind...