It's time to officially announce my first foray into sports blogging.
I briefly mentioned this last Sunday night, but now it's time to officially introduce Da' Bears Blog.
I'm a Chicago Bears fan and had the idea to start a blog a few months ago. I've since recruited two friends to help me write and we officially launched for business last week. After a week of working out the kinks and a big Bear's win today against the Detroit Lions, it seemed like a good idea to start spreading the word to the world.
So if you're a Bears fan, or just a football fan in general, pop over to Da' Bears Blog and enjoy yourself. (And if you've got any comments, let me know.)
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The Chicago Bears are 4-5 going into week 11. I know this may not seem overly impressive and I also know that I don't normally write about sports, but this is too exciting to pass up. The Chicago Bears of the NFC North are 4-5 after rattling off three wins in a row even with a quarterback whose only pass seems to be a 40 yard bomb to Bernard Berrian. They're 4-5 despite the fact that the offense could only muster three points in yesterday's 19-17 overtime win. They're 4-5 despite being down by 14 points and looking like a dead fish agains the New York Giants in the Meadowlands. They're 4-5 despite losing their starting quarterback in Rex Grossman (not Jewish for those who wondered), their starting safety and captain with hands of glue, Mike Brown and arguably their most exciting young player, shutdown cornerback Charles "Peanut" Tillman.
Despite all this, the Chicago Bears led by Lovie Smith are getting it done on the field. The Bears have won the last three weeks with defense and I just want to throw some public support out for them. Yesterdays game was won with a safety in overtime, only the second time ever. The defensive line of Alex Brown, Tank Johnson, Tommie Harris and Adewale Ogunleye with Michael Haynes and Ian Scott subbing in, have been spectacular. Finally the Bears have a pass rush after years of wondering if it was normal for the opposing teams quarterback to have 10 seconds in the pocket.
Of course, we're coming into a game against the Indianapolis Colts at home. They're the team that throw touchdowns at will, as many as five a game thanks to the arm of Peyton Manning. We probably won't win this week. But at least it's fun to watch again. In sports, isn't that really all you want a team to do? I just want to be excited for Sunday and I definitely am again. I'm trying not to get too excited, but it's hard not to. Jay Mariotti, Chicago Sun-Times sports writer, writes this in his Monday article titled "It's unconventional, but Bears' success is success nonetheless":
So the Bears are official members of the NFL's parity party. If you're a sophisticated fan, you won't be sucked in by a 4-5 record as much as you'll sit back, enjoy the run and realize Peyton Manning is coming next weekend. If you're a goofy fan, you'll start making playoff plans and tell me the rookie quarterback is 3-0.
I'm trying to stay sophisticated, but it's tough. The fact that I spent about three hours on the phone last night breaking down yesterday's game and trying to find any morsel that could swing this Sunday's game against Indy our way. We examined everything from weather to who the states that the Colts won in vote for. Alas, it looks like patterns aren't going to win this one. I understand that most likely nothing will win this one, but it's fun to believe anyway.
UPDATE: I just posted the following call to arms on Craig's List:
Calling all Bears fans. This Sunday the 4-5 Chicago Bears will meet the Indianapolis Colts at Soldier Field. New York Bears fans will be watching the action live at Josie Woods. Be there at 1. Come ready to Bear down and destory Peyton and the Colts. Let's do this. If you've got any questions email me.
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It's been a couple hours now since we all witnessed the end of the Dynasty: A team that won 4 World Series between 1996 and 2000 and played in two others in
2001 and 2003. Paul O'Neill stands out in my mind as 'the guy' from that
era. He played hard every day, practiced his swing non-stop in the outfield
and threw his helmet after every at-bat, even if he hit a home run. He was
pure heart and he is responsible for the single most incredible sports
moment I have ever been a live witness to. In game 5 of the 2001 World
Series, the Yankees were down 2-0 to the Diamondbacks in the top of the 9th
inning. Yankee fans, rather than sulking in their seats got up and starting
chanting Paul O'Neill, eliciting what my friends who were watching on
television claim was tears from number 21. Of course, the Yankees ended up scoring two
runs in the bottom of the 9th with what must have been the longest home run
Scott Brosius ever hit (he was another heart guy). The Yankees ended up winning
the game in the bottom of the 12th as homegrown talent, Alfonso Soriano,
singled in the winning run.
Soriano is now a Ranger, gone in the trade for the 'best player in
baseball,' Alex Rodriguez. The same guy who tried to slap the ball out of
Bronson Arroyo's glove on the way to first base in game 6 of the ALCS after he couldn't hit the ball out of the infield.
Rodriguez is one of many new members of the 2004 Yankees without half the
heart that those guys like O'Neill, Brosius and Tino Martinez had. Today's
Yankees have 4 homegrown guys left from that Dynasty run, Jorge Posada and
Bernie Williams along with Jeter (the heart) and Mariano (the soul). Those
guys know what it's like to win, and more importantly to win right. They
were a classy bunch of hard-working guys. They were a group from whom Jeter
learned everything he knows about being a leader.
For all his faults, both at shortstop and at the plate, Derek Jeter
represents everything that a baseball player should be. Although he often appears to
have a non-chalant attitude, he is always the first guy at the top of the
steps to congratulate someone on a home run. He always runs hard, plays hard
and cheers on his team. He was a kid in 1996 and through that run we got to
see him become a man. Now, unfortunately, he's surrounded by a bunch of guys
who, while great players, hardly have that workhorse swagger that went along
with those Dynasty players.
Call it nostalgia, but I miss those guys. I realized just how much this afternoon when it dawned on me that I wouldn't give the following trade a second thought: Sheffield and Rodriguez for O'Neill and Brosius. I asked some friends and everyone agreed, they all said they'd much rather see those guys on the team. What does it say when you're willing to trade two guys who hit 36 home runs each for two guys who in 2001 combined for 34 (21 by O'Neill and 13 for Brosius). Those guys knew what it was all about to wear the pinstripes. So much so that one person I asked responded, "I'd trade Sheff and A-Rod for just O'Neill." Of course, with the size of contracts today, these guys aren't going anywhere, but neither are the Yankees anytime soon.
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Excerpt from the Sports Guy's new mailbag:
"Q: If an animal attacks a PETA supporter, do the rest of the PETA people have to stand there and watch it happen so as not to hurt the animal? Or, would the attackee even want to be saved because if he was saved, he would be interrupting the animal's meal?
-- Ronnie, Edmonton, Canada
JK: This is a great question -- particularly considering the fact that PETA supporters are frequently naked. One can only imagine the joy that would be derived from seeing a wild boar simultaneously drive both his tusks into Pamela Anderson's breast implants -- like a saline shish kabob -- while Paul McCartney looked on helplessly, wondering if his new bride's remaining leg would be the crazed boar's next meal. Ronnie -- if you are younger than 25, I'd like to adopt you.
BS: I'm afraid to say anything right now. Those PETA people are like Scientologists -- you don't even want to look cross-eyed at them. They're terrifying."
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