Ron Clements is a Wisconsin native and Green Bay Packers fan who married a Chicago Bears fan from Peoria, Illinois. Despite the rivalry, Ron and Patti make it work and have been living fulltime in an RV since March, 2018. They travel the country in search of new adventures and love attending baseball games and exploring national parks. They visited all 30 MLB stadiums in 2018 and have taken their RV to each of the lower 48 states. Ron is a veteran journalist of more than two decades and a summa cum laude graduate of East Carolina University, which he attended following his service in the United States Marine Corps. Ron has written for USA Today, Sporting News, CBS Sports, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Omaha World Herald,  The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Fresno Bee, the Montgomery Advertiser, and many other media outlets. Ron and Patti have two adult sons, RJ and David, and a four-legged travel companion named Maverick. While Ron’s home base is in Florida, he is on the road in his RV twelve months a year.

On the 5^th of each month, Ron posts an article about current events and historical lore he discovered during his recent travels on the Mother Road.

A Sports Fan’s Guide to Route 66  is now available in  bookstores, online and wherever fine books are sold.

“From its first pages, rambling through the streets of Chicago, then through the heartland of America, and on to the “End of the Trail” in Santa Monica, Ron takes you on a journey that explores the soul of sports and a nation. You cannot help but become engrossed in his tale, while also conjuring up your own memories from road trips you’ve taken. Ron includes everything you need to know — the places, the people, the history — and yes, even bars and inns. Kick back and get your kicks with Ron on his Sports Fan’s Guide to Route 66″.— Rich O’Malley, author, One Lucky Fan: From Bleachers to Box Seats, Chasing the Ultimate Sports Dream to Visit All 123 MLB, NBA, NFL & NHL Teams (06/25/2021)

“The book is something to keep in the car for reference — a personalized handbook that can deliver more than what you could find with even the best of Google searches.”—Nickolaus Hines, Matador Network (08/16/2021)

“Each vignette is a gem, giving you a chance to learn about these locations, some well-known and others off the radar. The stories spin a rich fabric of American culture and one-of-a-kind personalities woven together by Route 66. This is a perfect book for the beach or your vacation. It’s also a great gift idea for your favorite sports fan.”.—-Dave Nershi, Vino-sphere.com (07/05/2021)

“This is the ultimate Road Trip book for sports. I love the smaller-time teams that are highlighted like the Joliet Slammers and the bigger ones like the Cardinals and Busch Stadium.”.—-Russ Cohen, Sportsology.com (08/01/2021)

“As a fan of both the American road and American sports, I’m happy that someone has skillfully expanded the Mother Road’s purview to include not just its dinosaur statues and burger stands, but also its Mickey Mantle Museums and high school gyms incubating greatness. Ray Nitschke and Mario Lemieux might have worn the number with pride, but Rt. 66 remains the original.”–Mike Wilkins, coauthor, Roadside America, and co-owner, Pittsburgh Steelers. (03/13/2021)

“By blending Route 66 with a keen and tireless eye for sports history, Ron Clements has created a book that is so mind-bogglingly interesting, entertaining, and informative, that it makes you want to pack a bag and hit the road within the hour. For me, that’s the mark of a great travel/history book; how fast it makes you want to hit the road. Exhaustive in scope and brimming with passion and detail, A Sports Fan’s Guide to Route 66 is a home run, touchdown, goal, slam dunk – you get the idea – thoroughly wonderful.”–Chris Epting, best-selling author of 30 travel/history books, including Roadside Baseball and Hello, It’s Me, (03/13/2021)

“As someone who has traveled Route 66 many times, chronicling every bend and fork in the road, I was surprised to discover new insights thanks to Ron Clements. At first glance, it seems that A Sports Fan’s Guide to Route 66 is all about sports. And it is. But it’s also a thoughtful look at how sports unites communities, spotlighting those communities — big and small — that knit together the people and places of Route 66. Ron brings a unique perspective to one of the most epic roads in America. I love this book!”-–Jessica Dunham, author of Moon Route 66 Road Trip and The Open Road: 50 Best Road Trips in the USA, (04/06/2021)

“Sports has played a major role in the life of our Mother Road. And now we have a book that chronicles this important element of the roads history. From minor league baseball to the majors this book is full of interesting, informative and enjoyable stories of the players, teams and fans that are associated with Route 66. Set back, get comfortable and get ready for a road trip like none you have ever taken. No other book has addressed, in such detail, the history of sports and the road. Kudos to the writer, publisher and team that put this book together. Another GREAT addition to anyone’s collection.”-–James Conkle, publisher of Route 66 Pulse and host of Route 66 TV (06/17/2021)

“A great resource, not only for sports fans, but anyone checking out The Mother Road!”–Gary Herron, New Mexico Route 66 Association (05/28/21)

“Just when you think it’s all been covered, here come’s A Sports Fan’s Guide to Route 66. It’s all here, from rodeo to rugby, from landmark locations and legends of sports to the glory of local high school athletics. Loaded with fascinating trivia, roadside attractions, and eye-popping photographs, this book is a grand-slam!”–Jim Ross, author of Oklahoma Route 66 and Route 66 Crossings. (02/26/2021)

“Have you ever dreamed of visiting the birthplace of Oliver Gibson? How about meeting Illinois’ winningest high school football coach? Wanna step foot in Mickey Mantle’s boyhood back yard? Play hard-core rugby in Tulsa? Ron Clements’ A Sports Fan’s Guide to Route 66 is a joyful who’s who of where’s where; a guidebook to seeing all the sports landmarks you’d never thought to see. It’s pure fun.”–Jeff Pearlman, New York Times, best-selling author of nine books, including Boys Will Be Boys, Three-Ring Circus, Football for a Buck, The Rocket that Fell to Earth, The Sweetness, The Gunslinger, Love Me, Hate Me and The Bad Guys Won. (02/26/2021)

“As a testimony to his skills made manifest in A Sports Fan’s Guide to Route 66, I was inspired to add a few new stops to our next Route 66 odyssey and I do not qualify as a sports fan.” –Jim Hinckley, Route 66 historian and best-selling author of Travel Route 66: A Guide to the History, Sights, and Destinations Along the Main Street of America (03/13/2021)

“I’ve often dreamed about driving U.S. Route 66 from end-to-end, 2,448 miles from Santa Monica, California to Chicago, Illinois. Now Ron Clements’ unique book, A Sports Fan’s Guide to Route 66, has brought America’s most iconic highway to life for me, with details on everything from sports venues and historic landmarks to must-stop eateries along the Mother Road. This colorful collection of facts, figures, and photos is the ultimate travel guide for fellow fans, nostalgia buffs, and foodies, whether you just want a bite of Americana or, like me, you are ready to hit the road and eat the whole enchilada!” –Kirk Richardson, author of Craft Beer Country: In Search of the Best Breweries from the South Pacific to the Pacific Coast (03/14/2021)

“Ron Clements reminds us that sports and the Mother Road go together like hot dogs and ballparks. After all, Route 66 first made a name for itself by staging the 1928 Bunion Derby footrace. This unique perspective on America’s favorite highway has something for everyone. I love this book!”–Shellee Graham, author of Tales from the Coral Court and Secret Route 66. (03/01/2021)

“Clements’ accessible and thoroughly enjoyable book offers a genuinely unique insight into a previously ignored aspect of life along the Mother Road: the sports enjoyed by the people who live and work along its 2,400 miles.”–Peter Thody, Thody.net and RoadTripAmerica (03/08/2021)

“Ron has done an outstanding job of traveling, visiting and reporting on the myriad sites in New Mexico, which has the longest stretch of the Mother Road!! As a member of the New Mexico Route 66 Association, I’ll make it a point to recommend this book to fellow members, as well as other visitors to New Mexico and anyone seeking a cool way to travel Route 66.”–Gary Herron, Sports Editor of the Rio Rancho Observer. (03/02/2021)

ILLINOIS

The Illinois segment of Route 66 may not be as scenic as the portion that runs through the fabled landscape of the American Southwest, but it has a little bit of everything for travelers. Beginning and ending in major cities, the 301 miles through the Land of Lincoln are dotted with small towns that embrace their Route 66 heritage. You’ll also find a lot of sports diversity with NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB teams, as well as auto and horse racing tracks in addition to a slew of high school and collegiate sports along the way.

CHICAGO

Chicago is one of just 12 U.S. cities to have at least one team in each of the four major North American professional sports leagues, but only two play near Route 66. Major League Baseball’s Cubs make their home at venerable Wrigley Field, but it’s seven miles north of the Route 66 starting point. The White Sox are at Guaranteed Rate Field five miles to the south. The NFL’s Bears are a little closer, two miles south of the Chicago Art Institute at Soldier Field. But the home of the NBA’s Bulls and NHL’s Blackhawks is United Center, and it’s only two blocks off the Adams Street portion of Route 66.

With your starting point on South Michigan Avenue in front of the Chicago Art Institute, head west down Adams Street about 3 miles before hanging a right on Damen Avenue. Before you even get to Monroe Street one block north, you’ll see United Center towering over Madison Street.

Larger-than-Life United Center

The first impression you get as you approach United Center is that it’s enormous. With a spectator capacity of more than 22,000 for sporting events, United Center is the largest NHL and NBA arena. Because of its size, it’s also a popular venue for NCAA events and a regular host for the Big Ten men’s basketball tournament in March.

United Center opened in 1994 and replaced the old Chicago Stadium, which opened in 1929. The Blackhawks were the first tenants of Chicago Stadium with the Bulls moving in for the 1967–68 NBA season. Known as “The Madhouse on Madison,” Chicago Stadium could cram 18,000 people into tight seats and steep rows and was known as the loudest arena in the NHL and NBA. Blackhawks team historian Bob Verdi said United Center is the new “Madhouse on Madison,” except with “suites and dessert trays.”

“One of the theories is that the noise at the old Chicago Stadium, one of the great old buildings, would never translate across the street to United Center, which is about three times as large,” Verdi said. “But there’s no lack of atmosphere at the United Center.”

Jordan and the Bulls’ Kingdom

Two decades—the 1990s and the 2010s—were especially raucous at United Center. Michael Jordan led the Bulls to three straight NBA championships twice. Chicago claimed the NBA crown from 1991 to 1993 and again from 1996 to 1998. The gap between the three-peats occurred when Jordan stepped away from basketball for two seasons to pursue a baseball career with the Chicago White Sox. Jordan never rose above Double A and returned to the Bulls in 1995.

“Michael Jordan helped build that building,” Verdi said. “There’s no doubt about it.”

A 12-foot statue of a soaring “Air Jordan,” known as “The Spirit,” was unveiled in 1994 outside the arena, but was moved into the United Center atrium in 2015. It’s now a popular meeting spot for fans before finding their seats. The atrium is lined with shops, cafes, ticket offices, and bars with “His Airness” in the center of the 190,000-square-foot space. Even for the casual sports fan, United Center is a can’t-miss experience.

“You can go to a game at any of these arenas now, never see a minute of the game, and still have a great time,” Verdi said. “It’s not just a game; it’s an event.”

The Bulls and Blackhawks do a wonderful job of paying tribute to the franchises’ respective histories. Photos, plaques, and signs line the concourses on every level. Banners of each team’s retired numbers as well as their championship banners are draped from the ceiling—Bulls on one end, Blackhawks at the other.

Blackhawk Wins through the Decades

Like the Bulls, the Blackhawks have won six championships. While the Bulls won all six of their titles in a single decade, the Stanley Cup championships are spread across more than 80 years. The Blackhawks won their first title in 1934—the club’s seventh season of existence when the NHL had just 10 teams. Another championship followed in 1938 and again in 1961 with Hall of Famers Stan Mikita, Al Arbour, and Bobby Hull leading the way. The Blackhawks didn’t win another Cup until the 2009–10 season, but won two more in 2013 and 2015.

Mikita and Hull are immortalized with bronze statues outside of United Center. The 7-foot-tall bronze sculptures, unveiled in 2011, show the two in full color with red sweaters and leggings, sticks in their hands, and skating in still-motion atop 5-foot-tall black granite pedestals.

The Blackhawks were one of the NHL’s “Original Six”—along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, and New York Rangers. Verdi said that distinction is still recognized by today’s young players.

“We all assume the millennials don’t have an appreciation for what came before them, but for some reason, the ‘Original Six’ is implanted in the new players,” Verdi said. “If you’re a 25-year-old and you get traded here or to the Toronto Maple Leafs, that’s a big deal.”

Verdi said ending the 49-year championship drought in 2010 was similar to when the Hawks ended their 23-year drought in 1961.

“When Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita arrived in the late ’50s, it kind of rescued the Blackhawks from a dark period,” Verdi said. “They were drawing nobody and played neutral-site games because the crowds were so bad. They played in St. Louis, Omaha, Indianapolis, and Minneapolis.

“At one time, the situation was so bad, the NHL talked about moving the Blackhawks to St. Louis. But obviously it never happened.”

Winning fixes everything, and Verdi said the Blackhawks now have one of the best game environments in the NHL. Since 2008, the alternative rock song, “Chelsea Dagger” by the Fratellis, has been played after each Blackhawks goal and victory.

“You’ve got standing-room-only crowds,” Verdi said. “They’ve made the in-game experience and presentation really spectacular.”

It doesn’t get much better than when the Blackhawks are playing the St. Louis Blues because of the cities’ natural sports rivalry. When the Blues entered the NHL in 1967 as an expansion team, they went to three consecutive Stanley Cup Finals with a roster full of former Blackhawks players led by Arbour. Verdi said United Center is “very intense” and “rocking” when the Blues and Blackhawks face off.

Before seeing a game at United Center, you can have dinner at historic Berghoff Restaurant on Adams. If you’re staying in Chicago for the night after a game, grab breakfast at Lou Mitchell’s on Jackson on your way out of the Windy City.

HINSDALE

From Interstate Highway 290 in Chicago, rejoin Route 66 at Harlem Avenue and head south four miles to Joliet Road. Joliet Road winds through the villages of Lyons and McCook before intersecting with 55th Street. Located just three miles west of where Route 66 splits from 55th Street and turns south onto Brainard Avenue in Countryside is the Hinsdale high school with more state championships than any other school in Illinois.

The gymnasium at Hinsdale Central is impressive with banners for the 103 state championships (through 2020) in the 31 sports in which the Red Devils compete. The entirety of the gym is encircled with banners from each of the school’s state titles. The school’s most prosperous sports are tennis and swimming, which won a combined 70 titles from 1955 to 2019. Central set a state record with state championships in eight events during the 2014-15 school year.

“We’re in an area where both [tennis and swimming] are very popular with parents and the community itself, so the kids get involved at an early age,” said Dan Jones, Hinsdale Central’s athletics director. “We have a lot of clubs in the area that give lessons. We have three swim clubs that feed into our school.”

Olympic gold medalists John Kinsella and John Murphy came out of the Central swim program, and Olympian Robert Nieman was also a Red Devils swimmer. The Central tennis program helped Marty Riessen become a professional player. Former Chicago White Sox owner Bill Veeck, who was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991, also attended the school when it was simply known as Hinsdale Township High School.

The Red Devils’ primary rival is Lyons Township High School, four miles northeast on Brainard Avenue in LaGrange.

“It’s a heated rivalry in every sport,” Jones said of the Central-Lyons rivalry. He added that basketball and football games are standing-room-only events when the two schools face off. “It’s heated, but competitive. There isn’t a lot of tomfoolery. There is some good-natured ribbing and pretty good student chants.”

Central and Downers Grove North also have a friendly rivalry, and the two teams have played for “the Old Oaken Bucket” every year since 1935. The scores from each of the games are written on the bucket and its wooden pedestal.

When it comes to big-time high school sports in Illinois, it really doesn’t get any bigger than Hinsdale Central.  Three miles due south from Central is the iconic Dell Rhea’s Chicken Basket on Route 66, which again merges with Interstate 55 along Highway 83. Six miles later, take exit 268 for Joliet Road and head west for three miles until you connect with Illinois Highway 53.

Paperback with Reinforced cover and flaps : $25.95 US      ISBN: 9781945501739 — First Edition: August 2021
ePUB: $16.99 US      ISBN:  9781945501746