Nothing represents the block I live on more than Mario Joe Panvino. Nicknamed "Big Joe" by my brother and probably a lot of other people, he is a Class-A hit in Portage Park. I remember not being able to walk to 7-Eleven or to the park without at least two or three cars blasting horns and yelling "MARIOOOO!!!!!" in acknowledgment of Big Joe's presence. The positive effect that Mario has had on our neighborhood is a product of what a pleasant city like Chicago can influence. And nothing has had more of an effect on him than Chicago sports teams. He is the biggest Bears/Cubs/Bulls/anything-that-has-to-do-with-Chicago-minus-the-White Sox-fan both physically and mentally. Every conversation brings out at least 10 minutes of Chicago sports related talk and at least a few mentions of Michael Jordan. Mario's back room is a bouillon cube of Chicago sports. Every inch of the wall is covered with Chicago paraphernalia (and wrestling hoz) and to experience it is truly a delight. If you aren't a Chicago fan in any way you will still be amazed at how much shit someone can put on a few small walls (I just thought of a new rap name for Paul Wall's little brother). This is just a snapshot of his room. One day I'll take a picture of the Dennis Rodman autographed framed jersey he has (and that I plan on stealing). But until then, I'm just happy that we can sit around and talk about what we're going to do when the Bulls Repeat the 3-Peat. And I'm also happy that we actually believe it's going to happen.
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