A-Rod: Consider this your invitation to Chicago

All Rodriguez has to do is show up, draw some of attention away from the White Sox, their colorful manager and that gleaming World Series trophy, and he'll be revered in Wrigleyville. Put up his usual numbers, and they'll be referring to the corner outside Wrigley Field as Clark and Alexson.

Don't worry if you get off to a slow start or go through a slump, either. These are the same folks who stood behind Sammy Sosa after he got caught with a corked bat. And those postseason struggles New Yorkers make so much of? Please. As if the Cubs and their fans have any room to talk.

Off the field, Chicago doesn't quite have New York's hustle and bustle. That's not necessarily a bad thing, though.

Traffic here is merely annoying, not mind-numbing. Even in rush hour, the drive from Wrigley to downtown is only about 20 minutes. Real estate is a whole lot cheaper, too. A swank new place with views of the lake, skyline and Millenium Park would only set him back a couple of million, instead of the several it would cost in New York.

And it's not as if Chicago is a cultural backwater. You think "The Producers" went straight to Broadway? Nope. It got its act together here first. There are museums to visit, concerts to hear and plenty of good restaurants.

If it's the sun A-Rod seeks, he's got his pick of parks. Better yet, there are a couple of beaches right in the city, and nobody will think twice if he took off his shirt for an hour or two.

A-Rod never seemed comfortable in New York's fishbowl, but we'll let him breathe in the Windy City. There are only two big newspapers here, and the headlines are nowhere near as harsh. Page Six is simply the one that comes after page five.

Oprah and Michael Jordan think enough of Chicago to call it home, and Jeremy Piven and Vince Vaughn never stay away for too long. Jennifer Aniston isn't really one of ours, but we claim her now anyway.

When it comes down to it, the only thing A-Rod wouldn't find in Chicago that he did in New York is Jeter.

And that might be reason enough to move.