This must be prefaced by the following: I love football. I have always liked and respected Joe Paterno. Since these horrific developments at Penn State University have become public I have changed my opinion on Paterno and I have felt physically sick for obvious reasons. The alleged actions of a perverted monster who allegedly abused many boys for years while others may have turned a blind eye has become the most disgusting, awful story I have ever had to deal with in sports or news. From Monday through Saturday my emotions on this case have poured out. I have recorded many of them. I will now share them.

I’ve been a big Paterno fan for years. That said, is there really any other course of action than to force him out? A guy was raping boys in the shower and they told school officials? YOU CALL THE COPS AND SAY ‘A CHILD IS BEING RAPED COME DOWN HERE AND SHOOT THIS GUY’!

Paterno to retire at season’s end

You know what would have helped the victims more than a prayer? The most powerful guy at Penn State stopping it when he had the chance.

Pedophile Supporting University

And honestly I think this is a horrible decision. You either fire him NOW or keep him. You don’t say ‘due to not doing enough to stop child rape, Coach will retire after the season.’!!!

Joe will be cheered on Saturday. Again football is bigger than dog killing and football will be bigger than boy rape. Especially if they root for the dog killer who has no ties to his team and has never won a thing. Joe has been there forever and is a winner. They’ll surely give a long, raucous, standing ovation. Here, here for child molestation! Disgusting.

Not reporting even the slightest possibility of child rape is wrong. Period.

Goodbye Joe. Next time you hear of possible child rape, report it.

This PSU board of trustees clown is a horrible spokesperson. The only reason he’s the spokesperson I assume is because the rest of the board is right out of The Night Of The Living Dead.

No one likes sports more than me. That said, IT’S JUST SPORTS! It doesn’t trump dog killing, it doesn’t trump the mistreatment of women, and it certainly doesn’t trump child rape! Joe Paterno is a football legend. I have always respected him and liked him. Now we are finding out that he was apparently told of child rape and only did the bare minimum! Sorry old man. That doesn’t cut it. Sandusky is the real monster here of course but Paterno and the rest of these people need to pay too. Dearly. And these idiot ‘fans’ jumping around etc. don’t even know what they’re talking about. They just can’t see through their football haze. Take the names out Penn State fans…if coach X knew about coach Y raping child Z …you’d all say he’s gotta go…but when you insert people’s favorite team they don’t think clearly! Or put the names in. The names of your son or brother or cousin or nephew. Get it??? Stupid, stupid people.

We’re all too aware of race discrimination and sex discrimination but let’s not forget age issues. If Joe Paterno was 39 years old EVERYONE would say ‘He didn’t call the cops???? Fire him.’ But because he’s grandfatherly it’s only natural to think there must be an explanation. Wrong is wrong. If you do not protect the weak when you are 18, 39, 70, or 100 you have failed and you are wrong.

Its just like these Philly people who would hate Vick if he were a Cowboy or Giant. If this were Tressel or Bowden or Spurrier, Penn Staters would want him fried. Stop putting football ahead of morality.

Feeling sorry a football coach is fired? He’s lucky he’s not going to jail like his colleagues or getting raped like the little boys! I’d say losing your football job is pretty light if that’s all you get for failure to report child rape to police.

They didn’t fail to report stealing from the bake sale till or cheating on a test…they failed to report child rape. Disgusting. All of them.

How a grown man that actually saw an innocent child being molested and turned around and walked away gets a pass is beyond belief! That McQueary guy should not only be fired but should be held accountable for the rape of that child and any other child who was molested by that monster after that incident.

AND YOU DON’T STOP THIS????? Mike McQueary, a graduate assistant coach who testified that he went into the locker room one Friday night and heard rhythmic slapping noises. He looked into the showers and saw a naked boy about 10 years old “with his hands up against the wall, being subjected to anal intercourse by a naked Sandusky,” according to the grand jury report.

Jerry Sandusky Rumored To Have ‘Pimped’ Boys To Donors! 

I’m starting to think over 50 percent of men are sick, evil bastards and/or really stupid. Males. You don’t see women doing this. Every once in a blue moon a woman is caught molesting a kid but it’s rare. This Sandusky case is certainly extreme but look at all these other men always grabbing the niece or nephew or neighbor. These priests and scout masters and camp counselors. These people are the devil. Pure evil. Satan. This is another reason I like women better.

So I’ve been Facebook unfriended by a Penn State grad. Wow! Dumped for my opposition to CHILD RAPE. God speed.

The current players at Penn State are innocent and deserve no vitriol. Plenty of fans and students are also seeing this clearly and I feel bad for all of them. Those people are not Sandusky etc. THAT SAID- can we put away the Penn State shirts and flags and Penn State default pictures for a little while? We get it. You still like your school…but right now it’s a slap in the face to the victims. Of course not everyone associated with the team or school is not a sicko but showing your support for a school or a football team is really very insignificant right now. Put on a friggin regular shirt for a few days.

Enough with this – ‘Joe Paterno did so much for so many players and charities’. That is absolutely true! He also failed to report to cops that one of his assistants reported to him NINE YEARS ago that he witnessed a naked man anally raping a boy. So the fact that he’s done good for many has nothing to do with this failure.

Nebraska should not be subjected to these rioting fans. It may be appropriate to go Cornhuskers 1-0 here.

Huskers win! Good.

So there it is. Now that a few days have passed I have been able to calm down and think more with my head and less with my heart. I have felt feelings of hate for Sandusky. Feelings of disgust for Paterno and McQueary. Feelings of outrage toward fans and students that rioted. I have stepped back and I can say now with a clear head I FEEL STRONGER THAN EVER about my initial take on the whole thing. Sandusky if guilty deserves death. Paterno’s record of football games means nothing compared to the boys who were assaulted. Students who resorted to that idiotic behavior over a football team are a disgrace. You do not look the other way when a child is being harmed. You have all failed. You are the worst the world has to offer. The worst.

Oh so close.  One win away from the Super Bowl.  The Bears almost pulled it off, after many ‘experts’ picked them to finish well under .500.  But in the end it’s Green Bay moving on and the Bears left with a bitter hibernation ahead.

Before we get into the game itself, I have to address all of this Jay Cutler garbage.  That’s what it is.  Pure trash.  The man was injured during the ball game.  It was determined that he would not return.  This is something new in pro sports?  Guys get hurt all the time and do not come back in a particular game.  Cutler’s early exit from the NFC Championship however, set off a firestorm like I’ve never seen.

Let’s first address the cowards.  You know, the NFL players who were already eliminated and sitting at home watching the title tilt on the boob tube.  They tweeted away about Cutler.  They said he let the Bears down, that he should have kept playing, that he quit.  This is the type of behavior you expect from wimpy journalists who obviously would be crushed by Cutler if it came down to a physical altercation.  Instead this slimy behavior came from fellow NFL players.  Big, bulky men who figured they’d take a shot at the quarterback from their smart phones and computers.  Why?  Well, for some it’s to get their name in the paper and on ESPN.  If you noticed, many of the tweethearts aren’t exactly household names.  The unfortunate and biggest reason they did this however, is that they truly believe Cutler didn’t ‘man up’ or whatever dumb moniker you want to give it.  Interesting.   A man who has only missed one game due to injury and has been sacked more than anyone the last couple seasons is suddenly having his toughness questioned.

Here’s the most disturbing part.  NFL players are notoriously loyal to their union and its members.  So, when Mike Vick did what he did to dozens of innocent dogs and Ben Roethlisberger had his bathroom etiquette in question, we saw no tweets, no postings, nothing.  But now Cutler is crucified because they think they know how hurt the man is.  Wow!  What a bunch of hypocrites.  By the way, if this same situation unfolded and Vick was the player in question, we wouldn’t of heard a thing.  Except of course the same sickening show of support for him from his peers.

Another reason Cutler is being bashed is simply his position.  If Brian Urlacher or Lance Briggs left the game no one would blink an eye.  It would be chalked up as an unfortunate blow to the Bears at the worst time possible.  Quarterbacks are always under the microscope.  Too much praise when teams win.  Too much credit when teams lose.  Yet, that misconception that QB is always the most important position on the field is still there.  Sometimes it is the top reason a team succeeds.  Yet for every Montana or Aikman or Elway that has won it all, we also have our McMahons and Rypiens  and Dilfers and Johnsons etc.  So long story short, stop and think before you fly off the handle about a situation you don’t even really know about.  That goes for milquetoast journalists and muscle bound athletes alike.

If you want to talk about the real quarterback controversy, let’s consider why Todd Collins was the man backing up Cutler.  Not only should Collins not have been the number two, he shouldn’t even be in the league.  Collins was an absolute disaster in his relief appearance against the Giants and not much better when he started in Carolina.  If he was a third-stringer because you thought he had something to offer as a ‘coach in pads’, I could maybe see that, but to even let him sniff the field is ridiculous.  I don’t know that the Bears would’ve won if Collins never came in, but I do know Chicago wasted two drives with him. Drives that perhaps Caleb Hanie may have done something with.  Heck, I’d rather have Earl Bennett under center instead of Collins.  I’d even give Matt Toeaina or Anthony Adams a few snaps before I’d bring Collins in.  It was hard to watch him in New York and in Charlotte, but just down right painful, on so many levels in the NFC Championship.

Now, let’s examine the real reasons the Packers won.  They earned it.  Green Bay shut down Devin Hester and dominated the field position battle, especially in the first half.  Cutler’s lack of success had little to do with his fortitude or his injury.  It had to a lot to do with the fact that the Bears were starting drive after drive in their own red zone.  The playbook gets smaller and smaller back there.  By the time Chicago had a little breathing room on the field, Cutler’s day was long over.  Another thing that will haunt Bears backers even more than the ‘what if they didn’t waste two drives with Collins?’ question, will be the thought of ‘what if Cutler played the whole game?’.  I think many believe the Bears would’ve pulled it out.

For all the talk coming in, about Aaron Rodgers, Cutler, and both defenses, the player of the game was clearly Tim Masthay.  The Packers’ punter neutralized Hester and continually placed the Bears in horrible position.  Just if one time he didn’t come through, if just once the Bears got a touchback instead of another impossible starting point, perhaps Chicago would be getting ready for the Steelers.  Masthay is no doubt the reason Green Bay won.

With good reason, many fans feel the Bears would’ve completed their frantic comeback if just a few things bounced differently.  The defense looked terrific all second half.  They bloodied Rodgers and came up with huge stop after huge stop.  Urlacher’s interception was the stuff legends are made of.  However, on a day that every bounce seemed to come up green and gold, you just knew that when 54 didn’t take it to the house, that it just wouldn’t be enough.

It’s an old cliche, but you could also argue that the Bears ran out of time.  All momentum was swinging the Windy City’s way until Hanie threw his second pick ending the Bears run.

The Packers won this game fair and square and they deserve to be heading to Dallas.  To be fair though, the Bears got a very tough whistle in this one.  I understand the refs had to call the Julius Peppers penalty because that’s the rule and even though every other hit in the NFL used to look like that a mere few years ago, it is what it is.  The pass interference on Tim Jennings however was awful and the Hanieintentional grounding was about as bad as it gets.  This same officiating crew called 18 penalties against Green Bay back on September 27 when the Bears won 20-17.  You have to wonder if there was any make-up call mentality here.  That’d be unfortunate for both squads because the Packers earned the victory and the Bears played with the heart of winners.  I never thought that crew should’ve called this game in the first place.  It put everyone in a weird situation.  Whatever the reason, some calls against the Bears down the stretch were terrible.

Hanie was super.  Imagine if he pulled it off.  What a story we almost had.  He may have even been the Super Bowl starter depending on Cutler’s health.  Coulda, woulda, shoulda.  You can’t criticize the kid for his two picks.  He has virtually no experience and then to be thrust into this epic battle is asking a lot.  Yet he handled it with great poise.  He looked like he belonged.  His energy and effort canceled out the errant throws.  He was valiant.

Everyone is criticizing Lovie Smith’s decision to pass up on a 49-yard field goal attempt early in the game and punt instead.  While I could see going for it on fourth down, I can’t be too down on the call.  I would have went for it or punted.  I would not have attempted the three.  One, in my mind Gould would not have made it.  Two, everyone would say it was brilliant if the Bears downed the ball at the inch line, which they almost did.   

Here are some things I didn’t like.  The Bennett reverse on third down, the next to last Bears offensive play, was inexplicable.  To reverse there is a head scratcher.  To do it with anyone but Hester is a down right travesty.  A different play call there, may have averted the Hanie pick and may have set up the tying score.  I also was disappointed that the Bears didn’t take a shot down field to Johnny Knox or Hester in the closing minutes.  Hanie could have made the throw and if he had enough mustard on it, even if it was covered it would have likely been just an incompletion.  It would’ve been worth the risk.

The Bears had a tremendous season.  We get greedy as the wins pile up.  If I told you 9-7 in the beginning of the year, most of you would’ve signed up for that.  If I even whispered about a wild card, virtually all would have gobbled that up faster than the Fridge could down a turkey.  To win the North, secure a bye week, and come within one touchdown of the Super Bowl is truly a great year.  The problem is, the final loss was to THEM.  If the victors on Sunday were just about anyone else, the Bears’ accomplishments would serve as great comfort, but because it was the Packers it is a bitter pill.  A very bitter, cheesy, nightmarish pill.  I’m with you Bears fans.  The Navy and Orange Blues has set in.  I too will have cold sweats thinking of that massive B.J. Raji backside wiggling and jiggling all spring and summer long.  It was a horrific end.  No pun intended.  But, it was a successful season.  There is plenty of hope looking forward as well, with most key players and coaches signed.  Hang in there fans.  We were in this together and we will be back.  Bear down.

Oh how I was hoping Hanie could’ve been the Don Beebe to Raji’s Leon Lett.  He nearly was.  Nice hustle by Caleb.

Hanie shaved his mustache before talking with the press after the game.

The new NFC and AFC Championship trophies are hideous.  Why were they changed?  Unnecessary.

It was nice to see all of the other Chicago clubs supporting the Bears.  The Bulls, Blackhawks, Cubs, and Sox all sent their well wishes the Bears’ way. 

Former White Sox slugger Robin Ventura was on hand at the United Center Saturday to watch the Bulls gore the Cavs.  Staley was in attendance as well.

Ozzie has his own web site now.  Get ready.

The Blackhawks wee beaten by the Flyers on Sunday.  In Philadelphia they were calling it revenge for the Stanley Cup defeat.  Right.  Because a regular season game in January erases losing in the Finals.  Please!

I am definitely watching the Puppy Bowl and Lingerie Bowl.  Super Bowl?  Not sure yet.  Anything good playing at the movies?

The Chicago Bears are playing for the NFC title Sunday.  But you wouldn’t know it if you listen to most in the media.  It’s been wall to wall Packers coverage all week.  Plenty of Jets exposure as well.  A little Steelers sprinkled in.  The Bears?  They’re kind of an afterthought.  If you listen to most, a Green Bay-New York Super Bowl is already set in stone.

Last time I checkedthrough all of the Green Bay cheerleading, the Bears have a chance to go to the Super Bowl for the second time in five seasons.  Standing in their way is their arch rivals.  The Packers will surely not be an easy out.  However, it’s not an impossibility either like some have led us to believe.

The nation’s collective man crush on Aaron Rodgers has many Bears fans throwing up in their mouths a little.  Yes, Rodgers was lights out against Atlanta.  His stats were historic.  What that has to do with this week though, is beyond me.  Rodgers buried the Falcons in a climate controlled dome.  He was super.  That day.  Now he faces the Bears, a team that held the Pack to 17 points back in September and a measly 10 points a few weeks ago in a game the Bears didn’t even need.

Green Bay is red hot.  Perhaps their performances against Philadelphia and Atlanta warrant their ‘favorite’ status in the NFC Championship.  That said, why can’t the Bears win?  Chicago will in fact win if they prevail in the field position game.  If the Bears can force Green Bay to start the bulk of their possessions deep in Packers territory and if Chicago can use the Hester factor to attain good field position of their own, Lovie Smith’s crew will move on.  

The biggest slap in the face this past week comes from the pompous Peter King.  King had the Bears FIFTH in his cute little Power Rankings.  There are four teams left, the Bears are one of them, yet they rank fifth?  Perhaps if they win the Super Bowl they can move up to fourth.  Another guy craving attention, so he writes outlandish things. 

This match-up with Green Bay and the lack of love for the Bears nationally is very reminiscent of the 2006 playoffs.  If you recall EVERYONE picked the Saints to beat Chicago in the title game even though the Bears were home and the one-seed.  Now the Bears are home again and the defacto top seed and EVERYONE is picking the Packers.  The New Orleans selection was the trendy thing to do.  It was post-Katrina and the country was pulling for anything NOLA.  They saw the dangerous Brees and Bush but forget to consider the less than stellar Saints defense that Rex Grossman and the Bears ultimately defeated.  This time around the Packers are the flavor of the month.  Rodgers’ super performance against the Falcons has everyone picking Green Bay.  In the process, they are forgetting that the Bears are a division rival that know the Packers so well.  They are forgetting that the Bears downed the Packers once this year.  They’re forgetting that Lovie Smith has fared quite well against his foes from Wisconsin.  Sunday the Bears have a chance to serve up a big slice of remember pie.

The Packers are an outdoor, cold weather team just like Chicago, but there is no way Rodgers would prefer playing in the brutal conditions that are sure to greet him Sunday as opposed to say, the Georgia Dome.  That would lead me to believe his performance will be something less than what he did to the Falcons.  The Soldier Field footing will slow down Rodgers’ receivers as well.  This is a winnable game for Chicago.  If the Bears are able to win the turnover battle they could do something very special in this one.

Jay Cutler can not afford to flirt with disaster against Green Bay, like he did in the Seahawks game.  A couple of near interceptions, one that would have likely been a pick-six, could’ve turned the game against Seattle upside down.  Cutler can not make errant throws against the Packers.  Unlike Seattle, Green bay will make you pay.

It’s funny how everyone always whines about the turf conditions in the Windy City yet Devin Hester and Matt Forte rarely slip.

It’s stunning that the Bears and Packershaven’t met up in the playoffs more often.  1941 and tomorrow.  That’s it.  Meantime, we’ve seen other divisional rivals play each other in the postseason again and again.  Just this season the Jets met New England and Baltimore collided with Pittsburgh.  In recent years the Eagles have battled Dallas and the Giants in the postseason.  The 49ers used to clash with the Los Angeles Rams in the playoffs.  Even Bears longtime adversaries have met in the playoffs.  Since 1970, the Packers and Lions have tangled multiple times in the second season, the Vikings have also played Green Bay and the Bears.  Considering Chicago and Green Bay are historically the most accomplished teams in the division, you’d think they would’ve hooked up more.

Enough with these nerdy reporters crying about Cutler’s perceived lack of friendliness toward them.  Leave the quarterback who’s trying to win a world championship alone.  Guys like Cutler didn’t like you in high school and they don’t like you now.  You know why?  Because you keep trying to tell them how to act to meet your needs.  Stop ruining this wonderful Bears run with petty nonsense.  Cutler has done every press event he is obligated to do and he answers every question.  You shouldn’t let jealously creep into your reporting.

So it’s almost kickoff.  The fans have been great this year.  Super, in fact.  Perhaps the Bears will return the favor with a super achievement Sunday.  I think they just might.

If you need something to wet your sports loving whistle before the NFC Championship contest, the Blackhawks game will be nationally televised Sunday.  Chicago skates against Philadelphia, the team they downed in the Stanley Cup Finals last season.

Carlos Boozer expects to play when the Bulls host the Cavs.

The White Sox have exercised Ozzie Guillen’s option for 2012.  I love that move.

GO BEARS!

Wow!  One more win and the Bears are going to the NFC Championship game.  Not many of the ‘experts’ predicted that.  In fact,  many had the Bears in third place in the division.  Some had them last.  The best part about it all is watching them all reach for excuses.  None of them are wrong.  Of course not.  They point to the Bears being lucky, or the unforeseen drama in Minnesota, or the new Zodiac sign.  They point to anything except themselves.  Man up.  Admit you were wrong about the team and the coach.  You look pathetic otherwise.

Shockingly, everything worked in the Bears favor the last couple of weeks.  Yes, losing to Green Bay was somewhat disappointing.  We all would’ve liked that final drive to end in a score, a two point conversion, and an 11-10 Bears triumph, instead of a Cutler pick.  All in all though you have to take it.  The Packers win allowed Green Bay to erase the overrated Eagles and set up the Saints-Seahawks showdown which in the end brings the Bears a losing opponent in the divisional round.  Yes, Seattle beat the Bears earlier this year but remember that was a long time ago.  The Bears went the whole game without a third down conversion.  Now, the offense has more balance.  Lance Briggs did not play.  Tomorrow Briggs will be there.  That game was in October.  This is January.  The Seahawks deserve to be in the playoffs and their victory over New Orleans proves it, but the Bears should be able to grab a win at Solider Field if they stick to a balanced attack on offense and make their tackles on defense.

I’m so sick of hearing people cry about the Seahawks making the playoffs at 7-9.  The whining has subdued a bit after their wild Wild Card round win but still people need to get a grip.  They’re calling for re-seeding, for no home games if you’re under .500, for not allowing losing teams in at all.  CALM DOWN!  It happened once.  EVER.  Their division was weak this year and they did what they needed to do to get in.  I could see if this happened year in and year out.  It doesn’t.  In the NHL, the success of six, seven, even eight seeds is the norm.  Losing teams qualify for the NBA playoffs almost annually.  Everyone thought it was cute when the just over .500 Mets won the pennant in 1973.  It was even cuter when the 1987 Twins and 2006 Cards won it all after barely posting winning marks in the regular campaign.  Again, CALM DOWN!  Stop trying to change the great National Football League.  Enough damage has already been done.  You can’t hit anyone, you can’t play in snow, you can’t celebrate a touchdown, you can’t have sudden death overtime.  Can we at least allow division winners in the playoffs?

How great was it to see Desmond Clark playing special teams for the Bears?  The classy veteran wants a ring and he’s doing whatever the team needs to help get it.  Clark was a main target in the Rex Grossman-led offense of 2006 that went to the Super Bowl.  Age and injuries often lead Chicago to place him on the inactive list this season.  Clark, a true pro doesn’t sulk.  Instead he finds ways to help the Bears win. 

Speaking of doing something we’re not used to seeing, how about Rashied Davis stepping in front of that ball the other week on the fake punt?  How about skill players throwing extra blocks down field?  How about injured players cheering with all their might from the sidelines?  This team wants it from top to bottom.

The Bears say they don’t care who wins the Packers-Falcons game tonight and I tend to believe them.  There are pros and cons to both possible outcomes.  If you get Green Bay you get a home game and a team you already beat this season BUT it is the Pack and they beat the Bears too.  If you get Atlanta you get to play on artificial turf which would bode well for the likes of Julius Peppers and Brian Urlacher BUT you play on the road against a quarterback and coach that are almost perfect in their place.  Pick your poison.  Either way we know this much.  No matter what team stands in the Bears way, assuming the Bears take care of business against Seattle, everyone will be picking the Bears to lose.  You can bank on it.  It’ll be just like the 2006 title game when the world picked the Saints, even though the Bears were home and favored.  Remember how that turned out?  Bear down.

The Bulls face the Heat tonight.  I really hope they beat Miami.  The game may not mean the world in the long run but any time anyone can knock off that smug group from South Beach, you have to pull for it.  I was impressed that Chicago made short work of so-so Indiana last night and didn’t look ahead to the Heat game.

A Ficus Tree sends more creative tweets than LeBron James.  Play basketball.  You’re embarrassing otherwise.

Derrick Rose is now second in all-star voting.  Stuff those boxes.

DePaul got crushed by 20 today.  I do think they’ll get a couple of Big East wins this season but none will come easy.

The Patricks are all-star bound.  Sharp and Kane join Duncan Keith and Jonathan Toews as Blackhawks reps in the fans’ game.  Hopefully they’ll really shine in the second half of the regular season.

The Chicago Bliss has made the playoffs in the Lingerie Football League.  The team will play Los Angeles for the Western Conference crown.

Securing a bye week was far from a sure thing a week ago.  The Bears needed to beat the Jets, and still it’d be a long shot to wrap up a bye before Week 17, because that would mean the Eagles would have to lose to struggling Minnesota.  Well, so much for odds makers.  Chicago used a high octane offense to outscore New York and Philadelphia fell on their faces, losing to the Joe Webb and the Vikings on Tuesday night.  The win by the two touchdown underdog Vikes served as a belated Christmas present for the Bears.  Thanks to the exciting win over the Jets and the Eagles loss, Lovie and company can be no worse than the two seed.

So, the equation for today is simple.  If New Orleans and/or Atlanta win today, the Bears are locked into the number two slot before their game at Lambeau even kicks off.  If somehow the Saints and Falcons both lose, the Bears can claim the top seed in the NFC if they can beat the Packers.  A Packers win and they’re in as a wild card.  If Green Bay loses they’re out, unless Tampa Bay and the Giants lose.

What’s not so simple is how the Bears approach today’s contest.  Do you go all out?  Do you go all out only if you can get the one-seed?  Do you rest most of your starters no matter what?  History would point to the Bears resting many core players today.  Then again, you never know.  In 2005 after wrapping up the Northand the two seed, Chicago sat most of their key players.  Rex Grossman did not play.  Instead, Coach Smith went with a Kyle Orton-Jeff Blake combo at quarterback.  The Bears lost.  Two weeks later, Steve Smith and the Panthers invaded Soldier Field and walked away with an upset divisional round victory.  The following year, the Bears actually wrapped up the topseed with two weeks left.  After beating Detroit, the Bears played more starters than expected in their finale against Green Bay.  Still, the Bears lost.  But, two weeks later they knocked off Seattle and then went on to down the Saints in the NFC title game.  So, the answer is…there is no right answer.  I believe the most important thing today is to not suffer any injuries.  The Bears have been remarkably healthy this year.  They’d like to continue that trend going into the postseason.

Of course you’d love to eliminate the Packers today on many levels.  They are the Bears’ arch rivals and they could potentially be a dangerous opponent in the playoffs.   A win would also give the Bears a sweep of the division.  However, if Green Bay does qualify, that may not be the worst thing in the world for Chicago.  A Packer win would set up a Green Bay-Eagles match-up in Philadelphia next week.  The Pack could absolutely win that game.  That could bode well for Chicago because it would keep the dangerous Eagles from coming to Soldier Field.  Plus, the Packers would then head to Atlanta, so the Bears wouldn’t have to worry about facing them either, at least not right away.

I expect the Bears to play today with a lot of gusto and play to win.  That said, I’d be shocked if many key players like Cutler, Hester, Urlacher, Peppers, and Briggs play for very long.  It just wouldn’t be smart.

Last Sunday’s win showed us many things.  First the negative:  the Bears tackling must improve in the postseason.  Perhaps slippery Soldier Field played a part, but Chicago hasn’t tackled consistently for a few games now.  Hopefully that will be corrected.  If it is the field though, perhaps the two seed is better than the one.  Maybe a Bears game in Atlanta favors Chicago, not the Falcons, because of the playing surface.  The biggest positives from the Jets win are these:  Mike Martz’ offense is really starting to take shape.  Earl Bennett and Johnny Knox are starting to show they can be big play guys when Cutler needs them.  Most importantly, the win is a sign that the Bears can beat you in many ways.  After a plethora of defensive battles this year it was nice (and rare) to see Chicago score 40 and 38 points in back-to-back weeks.  

The cancellation of the Eagles-Vikings contest last week was ridiculous.  Football should be played in all weather except lightning.  There was a major snow storm no doubt.  So what?  The players for both sides were there and ready to go.  The public safety argument is a legitimate one.  But, must you attend the game as a fan if your life is at stake?  If you feel the conditions are unsafe, stay home and watch it on TV.  The game would have been so memorable if it took place as scheduled.  People in Philadelphia would have looked back years later and said ‘remember when we had to stay home and huddle around the TV because of that storm?’ and people across the country would have said ’remember that crazy snow game in 2010?’  Instead, the league where you can no longer hit the quarterback or hit anyone in the way we were all taught as children decided to postpone the game due to snow.  What kind of a precedent does this set?  When do you call NFL games now and who makes the call?  Do we play in seven inches of snow but not eight?  Kudos to Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell for ripping the NFL on this one.  Papa Bear Halas would’ve never let this game be moved.  The good news for the Bears is, it all worked out in their favor anyway.

Northwestern has dropped eight straight bowl games following a 45-38 loss to Texas Tech in the TicketCity Bowl.

After a Christmas Day dud against the Knicks, the Bulls are running again.  Chicago has posted wins over Detroit, Milwaukee, New Jersey, and Cleveland.  Not a championship contender in the bunch, but that’s the point.  The Bulls are beating the teams they are supposed to beat this season.  They are focusing night-in and night-out.  That hasn’t always been the case in recent years.  The Bulls are also playing well in Noah’s absence, the same way they did sans Boozer.  Imagine when Noah returns.  Imagine if Chicago can acquire a shooting guard.  A deep playoff run may be on tap.

DePaul is 0-2 in Big East play after losing to Georgetown yesterday.  That’s the club’s 15th straight Big East setback.  The building process is a long and difficult one.  The effort from the Demons is there however, and that is a great sign.

The Blackhawks closed out 2010 with two clunkers, losses to St. Louis and San Jose.  But remember, the champs have been beat up.  Every time one star returns from injury, another seems to go down.  Despite the so-so start to the repeat quest, keep in mind that Chicago currently sitting tied for the nine hole is only five points from the three seed.  It’s a long season and there is a lot of hockey to be played. 

After being inexplicably snubbed last year, Robbie Alomar is up for the Hall of Fame again on Wednesday.  The former White Sox second baseman is one of the greatest to ever play his position and arguably the very best.  It is a travesty that he did not qualify last time around.  It’s unfortunate that writers are holding grudges and hiding behind their notebooks and failing to realize the accomplishments of one of the best ever.

They created web sites calling for Lovie Smith to be fired.  Reporters wrote  it wasn’t a matter of if he’d be let go, but when.  The 0-4 preseason added fuel to the blazing fire under the coach’s hot seat.  Well, guess what?  He’s not going anywhere.  Thank goodness.

Coach Smith has led the Bears to the playoffs three times now after Monday’s postseason clinching win over the Vikings.  He has forged ahead through criticism from fans and the press.  He was shrewd enough to realize when things weren’t working and wholeheartedly welcomed in Mike Martz and Rod Marinelli to give him a hand.  Now after times when it looked like the Bears offensive line was one of the worst ever and that Jay Cutler wouldn’t survive the season, Smith is suddenly sitting pretty piloting these Monsters of the Midway into playoff football.  Kudos to Lovie, a good man on and off the field.

Even though a postseason spot is all wrapped up the Bears  have plenty to play for these next two regular season games.  There is a huge difference between the two seed and the three seed.  The Bears chances to go to the Super Bowl for the second time in five years will increase dramatically if they have to win one less game to do so.

If the Bears win out they are the two seed and will earn a bye week.  If the Bears split however and Philadelphia wins out, the Eagles would earn the two.  The Giants could also steal the second slot.  The Bears have an outside shot at the one seed, but that would require an unforeseen meltdown in Atlanta.  The Bears can be no worse than the three seed.  Chicago could wrap up a bye tonight with a win and Philadelphia and Giants losses.

Today the Jets come to Soldier Field.  Let me get this out of the way.  The only feet I care about are those of Robbie Gould and Brad Maynard.

This should be a good one between two teams with championship aspirations.  The Bears would love to put a victory on the board ahead of the Eagles game with Minnesota tonight.  Mark Sanchez is expected to play for New York.  The Bears hope to stay solid on defense and as effective as they were on offense against the Vikings.

Cutler says he intends to throw to  Darrelle Revis’ side.  Let’s just hope he doesn’t intend to throw to  Darrelle Revis.

Here’s to your health.  One of the major reasons for the Bears double digit mark in the win column this season is health.  Chicago has stayed remarkably in tact.  Quite the contrast in places like Green Bay, Minnesota, and Detroit where Rodgers, Favre, and Stafford among others, have had a painful 2010.

Devin Hester, Julius Peppers, and Brian Urlacher have all earned Pro Bowl selections.  More honors may be heading the Bears’ way.

Former Bear Rex Grossman shined against Dallas last week throwing for over 300 yards and 4 touchdowns.  Unfortunately for Grossman he can’t do much about the Redskins pathetic defense.  The Cowboys won in a high scoring affair despite the efforts of the former Chicago signal caller.

The Bulls were very generous on Christmas, gift wrapping a win for the Knicks in New York.  The refs certainly lent a hand too, but the Bulls have no one to blame but themselves for some ice cold stretches that allowed the very poorly coached Knicks to grab a win.  It won’t be easy while Noah is on the shelf but Chicago will be just fine.  The heated exchanged between Derrick Rose and Amare Stoudemire was a sight for sore eyes.  It made me think of Scottie Pippen dunking over Patrick Ewing, MJ dropping a double nickle in his Garden return, Xavier McDaniel cursing out Phil Jackson.  Re-energizing the Bulls-Knicks rivalry would be great for basketball.

Don’t look now but here come the Hawks.  The Stanley Cup champs have posted three straight wins ahead of a little break from the ice.  With banged up stars set to return the team is poised to really turn it on now that the season is about to “really” start.  In fact, playing without some of the top scorers for some time may have actually been a blessing in disguise.   Other players have had to step up their game in the absence of the likes of Kane and Hossa.

Bobby Jenks will not be going to the Hall of Fame, nor will he be remembered as one of the greats.  But for all his imperfections, the big guy should be remembered fondly by White Sox fans.  Jenks who signed with Boston earlier this month was one of the core guys onthe 2005 World Series winning club.  I’ll always remember when Ozzie Guillen signaled to the bullpen by putting his arms out, referring to Jenks’ girth.  Jenks did a commendable job in one of the toughest roles in sports and he never made excuses.

Chicago teams have really come through this Christmas season when it comes to charity.  The Blackhawks delivered toys in Evanston’s pediatric wing,  the White Sox and Guillen continue their great efforts to battle childhood cancer, the Bulls and Luol Deng provided  meals to the hungry, and the Bears’ Peppers works tirelessly for Big Brothersand Big Sisters.  Trust me, these are just a few examples of the wonderful work Chicago athletes are doing in the community at Christmastime and year round.  A Beary Merry Christmas to all!

Take the game film from the Patriots game and bury it deep in the snow.  The Bears were humbled by New England at Soldier Field last week, and while some say this may be a red flag as far as Chicago’s postseason legitimacy, I say it doesn’t mean much at all.  In fact, the New England rout may bode well for Lovie Smith and company as the season moves forward.

First let’s take into consideration who the Bears lost to.  The Pats have been great of late, picking apart opposing defenses with regularity and torching other top teams, most recently the Jets.  Also, New England has always been quite patriotic in the snow.  You can go all the way back to the plow game when the Patriots controversially downed Don Shula’s Dolphins 3-zip.  More recently we have the infamous tuck game victory over Oakland and plenty of other Belichick snowy success stories.

In 1985 the Bears quest for perfection was quashed in Miami on a Monday night, but Chicago went on to win Super Bowl XX.  In 2006, a meaningless Packers finale, in which the Bears underperformed and overdressed, donning the navy jerseys and navy pants (please don’t ever wear that combo again) was met with criticism by naysayers.  The Bears went on to erase Seattle and New Orleans and reach the title game.

Long story short, the Bears need to take the New England game and chalk it up to losing to the best team in football.  Chicago is still 9-4 and in control of their postseason destiny.  The Lions victory over Green Bay was the real story last week.  That result gives the Bears a chance to wrap up the NFC North Monday night.  A New England win over the Aaron Rodgers-less Pack coupled with a Chicago triumph over the Brett Favre-less Vikings would give the Bears the division crown for the first time since 2006.

The Bears and Vikings will play at the home of the Golden Gophers.  This, after the Metrodome proved what most of us book learnin’ folks already realized.  A roof made of glorified Hefty bags is probably not the best defense against Minneapolis snow.  The Giants got to take on Minnesota in Detroit nullifying home field advantage.  The Bears will have to deal with the home crowd and the expected brutal conditions.

If the Bears can focus this week and get a little help in Massachusetts they could do what not many people gave them a chance to do back in August.  Let’s hope they can wrap up the North and then play for seeding the rest of the way.  A loss to Minnesota would put the Bears playoff hopes in jeopardy.  Chicago ends the season with games at home against the Jets and at Lambeau.  No gimmies there, especially with New York and Green Bay possibly fighting for their playoff lives come game time.

Former Bears quarterback Rex Grossman will get the start under center today when his Redskins take on the Cowboys.  It’s about time Grossman gets another chance.  The last time he played a full season he took his team to the Super Bowl.  Everyone who has started instead of him since then (Orton, Cutler, Schaub, McNabb) has failed to make the playoffs.  I wish Rex luck and hope he has success in these final three games.  Perhaps next season he can land some place where he would be appreciated.  San Francisco and Arizona come to mind.  I believe either of those squads would’ve run away with the NFC West this season if they had tabbed Grossman.

Just when the Bulls were starting to really come together, the team has been hit with a setback.  Joakim Noah is on the shelf for 8-10 weeks, following successful surgery on his hand.  The Bulls muddled through the first portion of the season without Carlos Boozer.  With Boozer back, the team looked even better than expectations, beating the teams they were supposed to beat and notching some surprising victories like the one over the Lakers.  Now Chicago will have to rely heavily on Derrick Rose and Boozer until Noah returns.  Taj Gibson is a capable player and should be able to fill the void admirably.  It’s good that Noah is going to be full strength when he finally does return.  The team should still be firmly in first place once that happens.

The Bulls 7 game win streak was snapped last night.  The Clippers hung on for a one point win after Rose missed a free throw that would have sent the contest to overtime.  Rose’s brief Memphis free throw flashback gave Los Angeles coach Vinny Del Negro a little revenge against his old club.

The Chicago schedule looks favorable in the near future and barring any more bumps and bruises along the way,  the team should be able to distance itself a bit more from divisional foes even without Noah.

No Kane, No Hossa, no problem.  The Blackhawks got a much needed quality win over Detroit Friday night.  The 4-1 decision showed how good the Hawks can be even when they are not at full strength.  The team broke it’s three game skid with the dispatching of the Wings and Corey Crawford was super in goal snapping his personal three game  winless streak.

DePaul and  Loyola-Chicago hooked up for the 54th time Saturday but just the first time since 2003.  The Demons won to inch within a game of .500.  Meantime, UIC shocked Illinois.  Call it December madness.

Enough with the weird colored college football fields.  Eastern Washington’s red turf looked like the Kool-Aid guy exploded all over the stadium.  Boise State’s Smurf turf isn’t exactly pretty but at least it’s their thing.  Other than Boise, keep your fields green!

The Bears are for real.  Many of the doubters became deafeningly quiet after last week’s big win over the high octane Eagles at Soldier Field.  Others, however, are still not sold.  Former Ravens quarterback Trent Dilfer scoffed at the idea of Chicago doing well in the postseason.  When asked if the Bears were the team to beat in the NFC, Dilfer chuckled and then explained why he thought the Bears will not do much of anything come the playoffs, if they even make it at all.  If you want to say the Bears are not the best team in the conference, that’s fine.  If you want to argue that the Saints or Falcons or another club may be better suited for January football, that fine too.  But to snicker as if the Bears are an amalgamation of the Clippers and Pirates is wrong and really kind of weird.  Dilfer was a big supporter of Chicago’s Super Bowl run in 2006 when many had doubts.  That team also relied heavily on defense and Devin.  Why he has a problem with this group must go deeper.

Big time teams follow up huge wins over tough opponents at home with victories on the road over lesser foes.  The Bears will try to do just that today.  The plan is to have the same focus they had for much of the game against Philadelphia for all of the game in Detroit.  Right now, Lovie Smith’s club controls their destiny.  A loss in Detroit would basically throw the spirited effort over Philly down the tubes.  In many ways a solid performance today could be just as impressive as last week.  It’s not hard to focus for a top team like the Eagles.  Getting pumped and remaining completely focused through the week when your upcoming opponent is the Lions is a bit more difficult.  A big win today will solidify the Bears standings in the NFC even more and show they are a true contender whether Trent Dilfer knows it or not.

Jay Cutler did not turn the ball over once last week and look what happened.  The Bears beat a top club largely thanks to Cutler’s four touchdown passes.  Chciago was also able to run the football and thanks to Hester control field position all day.  If Cutler can continue to protect the football, the Bears become a much better squad than they were just a few short weeks ago.

The biggest key to winning today is to remember you’re playing the Lions and that’s who you need to worry about.  The Bears can not look ahead to New England as tempting as that may be.

While the Bears are in Michigan, Chicago is snow covered.  Save some of that weather for when the Bears are home and can use it to their advantage.

Drew Stanton, Detroit’s number three signal caller will start today.  The last time the Bears faced a third string quarterback on the road things went quite well.  A 16-0 blanking of the Dolphins in Miami last month.

It was refreshing to see that the Bears weren’t in the business of helping up any of the Eagles during last week’s tilt.  In a day and age when players from opposing teams basically engage in a kissing contest after every game and are often quite cozy during games as well, I enjoyed the old school approach by Chicago’s defense.  Let’s see if they’re just as surly with the Lions.

Here we go again. Oregon and Auburn won so that means Texas Christian is not allowed to play for the national title even though they are undefeated. If these teams are not able to compete for a championship then stop calling them division one. Every pro sport decides things on the field. Every other college sport, even division two and three football decides it on the field.  Not this garbage tough.  This is just figure skating with helmets.  Judges decide.  The only problem is we don’t have Tonya Harding and Jeff Gillooly around to break the system’s legs.

After a 4-3 circus trip, the Bulls followed up their 7-game swing with two clunkers.  A blowout loss at home to Orlando and another setback in Boston, a game the Celtics controlled throughout.  That put Carlos Boozer at 0-2.  The off-season big fish finally returned to the line-up Wednesday night.  Saturday, Bulls fans quickly forgot about any negatives after a thrilling win over Houston.  Derrick Rose tied the game with a buzzer beating three-pointer to force overtime.  Chicago went on to win by three.

After being benched for three games, all three ending in Blackhawks wins, goalie Marty Turco returned to the net Friday.  Turco lost to the Canucks but he didn’t get any help from his friends.  The Hawks failed to score and Vancouver skated away with a 3-0 decision.

Dunn Deal.  The White Sox are looking to be a playoff team in 2011 and possibly have a deep October run.  The Pale Hose signing of slugger Adam Dunn and re-signing of A.J. Pierzynski shows the commitment Kenny Williams and company have to returning to the postseason. Dunn will be especially dangerous if he has Paul Konerko in the line-up with him.  The Sox are reportedly very serious about making a run at keeping Konerko, despite the Orioles recent push to acquire the power hitting all-star.

Cubs icon Ron Santo is gone.  The Chicago sports community is in mourning following the death of the former player, broadcaster, and number one Cubbies fan.  Some are now pushing harder than ever for a place in the Hall of Fame for old number 10.  A worthy pursuit.  For now though, just remember the man.  If you’re a Cubs fan there are countless on-field memories to look back on fondly.  From his dazzling play at third base that led to several Gold Gloves to his timely hitting when the North Siders needed it most.  Cub lovers also remember Ron for his colorful relationship with Leo the Lip, his broadcasting, and his love for the city of Chicago.  If you root for the Sox or another team, there’s still plenty to remember and really marvel at.  This man fought disease for years.  He lost his legs.  He suffered in pain.  He did it all with a smile.  He covered his team.  That was his therapy.  Ron Santo was a true baseball man and more importantly a real guy.  He will be missed.  Say hello to Leo, Ron.  Make amends with that black cat from Shea.  Catch-up with Harry Carey.  It’s a very sad time in Chicago, but only because Ron made so many, so happy, for so long.

Saying the Bears and Eagles play a huge game at Soldier Field on Sunday would be like saying Jimi Hendrix is sorta good at playing guitar.  The contest has playoff implications galore and certainly is expected to provide plenty of drama.  Lovie Smith entered the 2010 campaign on the hot seat.  Many thought it wasn’t a question of if he’d be fired, but when.  Now the likeable leader from Big Sandy, Texas is a victory away from silencing even his harshest critics.  A win over red hot Philadelphia would give Chicago the inside track to a playoff berth and a super shot at a bye week.

On the flip side, a Bears setback on Sunday could be disastrous.  There’d be no shame in losing to the high flying Eagles, but the Bears schedule the rest of the way is not kind.  With New England and the Jets still on the docket, plus three divisional tilts, all on the road, Chicago must stockpile wins whenever they can.  They’ve done a great job at that so far.  The Eagles, however are sure to be their toughest test.

The Philadelphia resurgence has been led by Mike Vick.  The quarterback has been sensational, running and throwing for scores at every turn.  He hasn’t turned the ball over yet via interception and his performance against Washington a few Mondays ago was one of the greatest games ever played by an NFL signal caller.  Vick’s crazy good game was nationally televised, feeding the buzz about his accomplishments and fueling the talk about his MVP candidacy.  The Eagles seem to be Super Bowl contenders, a big deal for a franchise that hasn’t won it all since 1960.

What people aren’t talking about, at least not in NFL circles, is the reason why Vick had to make a comeback at all.  Vick’s long-term participation and front line role in a gruesome dog fighting operation has been absolved by most sports fans and by seemingly every NFL player, coach, broadcaster, mascot, vendor, and parking attendant.  He has not been forgiven by me.  Quite the contrary.

Vick didn’t plunk a few bucks down and watch a couple of Pit Bulls wrestle.  He personally murdered multiple animals.  He hanged dogs, drowned dogs, electrocuted dogs.  On at least one occasion when he electrocuted a dog, he wet the canine down first,  just to make sure the dog was zapped with plenty of power.  Vick and his crew removed the teeth from female dogs with pliers to prevent them from snapping at male dogs who were forced to impregnate them again and again on the so-called ‘rape machine’.

According to legal documents Vick also slammed one dog’s skull into the ground until the victim took one last breath.  People don’t talk about that anymore.  They’re too busy talking about dazzling touchdowns and lopsided scores in favor of the club Vick pilots.  They don’t talk about the dogs who survived Vick’s dog ring that continue to shake on a daily basis and live in fear.  They’re too busy talking about the shake and bake moves Vick is displaying while dodging tacklers and the fear the Philadelphia offense is putting into opposing defenders.

The NFL is a union shop.  Players have always stood by one another.  Drug charges, assault accusations, and suspensions of any kind are always appealed with much solidarity.  The NFLPA is up there with teachers unions when it comes to power.  So, it’s not that much of a surprise that the players throughout this league have been very pro-Vick since day one.  The robust, hearty, vocal nature of the support is what’s off-putting.  You want to use the tired line that Vick ‘paid his debt to society and now deserves a second chance’?  That’s fine.  It’s the onslaught of celebration that makes many people, albeit very quietly, cringe.  Some players don’t say anything on the subject.  Jason Taylor made a vague reference to his distaste for what Vick did through an ASPCA ad.  Other than that it’s been all pro-Vick, all the time.

Democrats love him.  Republicans love him.  Blacks, whites, men, women, fat, skinny, short, tall.  Pro-Vick.  LeBron James recently tweeted ’Michael Vick for President’.  Jordan loves him.  Ditka thinks he’s good for the game.  Wow.

The verbiage is probably the most troublesome part of all of this.  You’ve heard it all by now.  You know, the ‘mistake’ he made.  A mistake is when you leave the milk out overnight.  Not when you purposely kill a bait dog and laugh.

I’m also amazed at this golly gee willikers attitude over how well he’s doing on the field after he murdered so many dogs.  Why does one have anything to do with the other?  If a world class juggler raped children and then got out of prison, he’d still be able to juggle.  If a master painter embezzled millions of dollars, then served his time in the clink, he’d still be able to produce art after he was freed.  I’m sure Martha Stewart’s penchant for folding napkins into birds didn’t suffer any blow after her time away.  Vick played football at a high level before he murdered animals and went to prison.  Of course he can still play.

Nowadays people don’t even talk about what Vick did.  Those of us who beat the drum are now the pariahs in sports circles.  Back when those on board the Vick love train did still engage us, their arguments were flawed at best.  They’d say convoluted things like Donte Stallworth and Leonard Little killed people, Vick just killed dogs.  I say, while Stallworth and Little should both be locked up for life, neither intentionally got in their cars and sought to run someone down.  They did claim lives because they were stupid enough to drive drunk.  They did not however have malicious intent.  Vick purposely killed dogs for years.  We were told that Ray Lewis and Kobe Bryant are much worse than Vick.  Last time I checked, neither of those athletes were proven guilty of the crimes that were alleged.  They talked about Ben Roethlisberger and his disgusting display against a woman in a well guarded bathroom.  They’re right that Roethlisberger’s actions are as low as one can go.  They’re wrong to think Vick isn’t right there with him.

The real brainiacs would say things like ‘dog fighting is a southern tradition’, a ‘cultural thing’.  You know what else happened a lot down south, and regrettably still does to this day?  Cross burning.  Klan meetings.  Just because it’s happened for years somewhere doesn’t make it OK.  It doesn’t make the person responsible for it free of blame because of his surroundings.  Personal responsibility must be considered.  Vick displayed none.

Andy Reid continues to be the biggest, literally and figuratively, cheerleader for Vick.  Referring to his quarterback as “kid” and “tough cookie”.  Cute names masking the real man.  Fans and reporters have thrown Donovan McNabb under the bus, saying Vick is already a better leader than McNabb etc. etc., even though the team appeared in championship game after championship game with #5 in charge.  They praise Vick, yet vilify athletes like Terrell Owens, Randy Moss, Chad Ochocinco, Milton Bradley, and Roger Clemens, even though they’ve never hurt anyone.  The frustrating part about all of this is they all love Vick too.  Everyone seems to.

Mike Vick did indeed serve his time to society and has every right to go back to work.  I agree wholeheartedly.  There’s nothing more American than that.  That doesn’t mean the Eagles had to hire him, that doesn’t mean people have to root for him, and it certainly doesn’t mean that he should be celebrated as if he beat cancer or overcame a family tragedy.  That’s what it seems like though.  The way Vick is portrayed, he is the comeback kid.  He got through his problems to succeed on the athletic field.  Those problems however were self-inflicted and dogs were brutally killed.  Darryl Strawberry and Josh Hamilton overcame substance abuse.  While their addictions surely caused distress to friends and family members, no one was intentionally hurt.  They really hurt themselves.  Their efforts toward redemption are noble.  Lance Armstrong beat cancer.  Sam Mills gave it his all to try to do the same.  Noble.  Vick murdered dogs and got caught.  He now speaks to kids about dog fighting because he has to or else.  He now on the surface stays out of public trouble (except for that little party shooting a few months back) because he has to.  Noble?  Not so much.  Just a guy who got caught and now doesn’t want to be booted out of the NFL and booted back into jail.

On Philadelphia sports radio this week the hosts and a reporter were talking Eagles and of course it turned into an I Love Mike Vick rally.  The reporter waxed poetic about how Vick has a sign in his locker that reads Walk the Talk.  The host responded in kind saying something along the lines of ‘Wow, that really shows what a leader he is’.  WHEN DID I MOVE TO ANOTHER PLANET???  So, let me get this straight.  Murder dogs for years.  Finally get caught.  Then and only then speak about your ‘mistake’ to classrooms, hang up a cute little sign, and be lauded by Fantasy Football geeks everywhere as the greatest quarterback ever, on and off the field.  Weird.  Sad.

I know there are plenty of people who loathe what Vick did.  They are not buying this ‘football success equals crimes aren’t as bad anymore’ formula.  The problem is, most of the football world is removed from this because a lot of the cerebral folks with minds, hearts, and souls are not into sports and they already knew that who wins the Bears-Eagles game on Sunday isn’t a matter of life and death.  The sports minded among us who speak out against Vick also miss the point.  The few who bother to say anything talk about how Vick ‘threw away his career’ and ‘lost money’ and ‘screwed up’.  Not that he bashed the skulls of innocent dogs.

During that same Vick kissy kiss radio fest, the hosts did a segment about who they’d like to thrown in the Spectrum, the old home of the Flyers and 76ers before it’s demolished.  They mentioned Andre Iguodala, Justin Bieber, Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, and everyone who votes for Dancing With The Stars.  Then they came up with this gem.  They said anyone who wants to argue about Vick and his dogfighting past should be thrown into this fantasy death sentence as well.  They said they were sick and tired of hearing about it.  Vick did his time.  It’s over.  No it’s not.

Imagine if civil rights leaders didn’t say a word when blacks were told they had to drink out of separate fountains and ride only in the backs of buses.  What if women kept quiet when they were told they couldn’t vote?  Those of us who care about animals and a civilized society as a whole will not give it a rest.  We will continue to talk about the gory details of what this man purposely did to innocent dogs for no reason.  It’s easy to forget when you sweep things under the rug.  Don’t fall to the peer pressure or the ‘they’re just dogs’ mentality.  You know it’s wrong.  Speak out.  He can play.  Great.  So what?  Touchdowns don’t erase sick, sociopathic behavior.  He’s back in the league and when his stats warrant it, he should be treated fairly in the press.  The sooner this over the top positive attitude toward him stops, however, the better.  We’ve had pro athletes come back from true tragedy.  Murdered family members, battles with leukemia.  Paul Pierce was stabbed over and over again, only to persevere and return to win a world title.  We don’t talk about any of that however.  After all they aren’t dog killers.

On the field the Bears have done relatively well against Vick in the past, posting a 3-0 mark against his Falcons and containing the scrambler to a point.  They’ll certainly need to keep Vick in check once again to win on Sunday, but my concern is actually on the other side of the ball.  While, the Bears should be able to hold the Eagles to under 20 points, the real question is can the Chicago offense find the end zone against the very capable Philly defense? 

The talk is all about Vick but this game is a biggie for the other starting quarterback as well.  Jay Cutler has a chance to show Bears fans that he can come though on the grandest of stages.  This is really his first opportunity to do so since coming to the Windy City.

Look for this one to come down to field position and turnovers.  If Devin Hester can give the Bears good starting points, if  Cutler protects the ball, and if Robbie is as good as Gould, Lovie’s crew could be 8-3 and well on their way.  If the Bears are sloppy though, expect an opportunistic Eagles squad to capitalize and steal one on the road.     

Many thought the NFC was weak this season, but now it appears that multiple teams with winning records when all is said and done will be outside the playoff picture looking in.  The West has lived up to the less than stellar predictions, so since someone has to come out of that division that means of the Eagles, Giants, Bears, Packers, Bucs, Saints, and Atlanta…two will not be in the postseason.  This only drives home how huge a victory would be on Sunday.

The Bulls circus trip has been better than usual with some impressive wins along the way.  Things could’ve been even sweeter if not for a Carmelo Anthony buzzer beater that gored Chicago in Denver Friday night.  Derrick Rose didn’t play in that one due to a stiff neck.  C.J. Watson filled in and then some, scoring over 30 in the loss.  

King sized coincidence.  Saturday night the Bulls were at Sacramento while the Blackhawks skated at Los Angeles, meaning both the Bulls and Hawks played the Kings.           

Blue Turkeys.  After an opening win over Chicago State, DePaul has struggled mightily.  The Blue Demons have lost three straight now including a Thanksgiving heartbreaker to Oklahoma State and a drubbing at the hands of Cal State Northridge in Anaheim. 

Enjoy the football game.  I’ll be in the Spectrum if anyone needs me.