Congratulations Packers Fans

Although it was heartbreaking to see my Chicago Bears lose to the arch rival Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game, I am able to at least stomach it by remembering that faithful fans of Green Bay have been rewarded.

There was a really bad dry spell in major Chicago sports championships while I was growing up -- a HUGE dry spell from December 29, 1963 to January 26, 1986. The Bears won both those championships, but there were none in between -- no White Sox, no Cubs, no Blackhawks (in fairness, the Hawks won in 1961), no Bears, and no Bulls. The Chicago Sting won North American Soccer League (NASL) titles in 1981 and 1984, but soccer has never been considered one of the major professional sports in the United States.

Remembering how difficult it was to root for teams year after year and never see success, I would certainly like to see some long-suffering fans rewarded in the next few years. I feel sorry for fans in Cleveleand who have been without a title in so many years. If the Blackhawks can not win in 2011, I would actually like to see the Vancouver Canucks fans be rewarded.

All dedicated sports fans deserve a winner sometime. Tonight the Packers fans have their day. Congratulations!

Twitter Twits and Internet Morons: In Defense of Jay Cutler

The hottest topic in sports today is Jay Cutler. As much as I hate to admit it, many supposed "Bears fans" completely turned on Cutler, calling him a wimp, a pussy, not even knowing much about the injury he suffered. Did Cutler play a crappy first half? Sure. But did he deserve the crap he caught for sitting out the second half when injured? No way. No way in hell. And the moronic tweets from some current and former NFL boneheads?

A major issue, of course, is that Cutler is just a different kind of guy. He disdains the media and tries to stay out of the limelight. He has rejected lucrative advertising opportunities. People talk about the sour look on his face. He is not a rah rah type of guy. But toughness? How can people even question it? He was sacked nine times in one half against the Giants. He was sacked 52 times during the regular season. Compare that to players like Eli or Peyton Manning, who were each sacked only 16 times each during the season!

Did Cutler ever whine, gripe, hang out his terrible and porous offensive line to dry? No, no, and no. He sucked it up and came back for more. He had 57 starts in a row before getting a concussion in the Giants game, causing him to miss one start, the next game against Carolina.

And this is not to even mention that Cutler has the added challenge of playing while managing Type 1 diabetes. And people question his toughness?

It kills me that all these fucking soft couch potatoes across the U.S. are quick to call Cutler a pussy. What a bunch of fucking life losers.

And everyone is a fucking doctor or expert on injuries. "I hurt my knee and I did stuff (or played)." Like they know the extent of Cutler's injury. Or would be able to play against a fierce NFL rush on a frigid field with a Super Bowl berth on the line.

And the NFL players? Calling out Cutler on Twitter? What a bunch of egomaniac asshats. Guys (Maurice Jones Drew) who missed games due to injury when their teams were fighting for playoff spots are taking shots at him. And showing such a lack of class and professionalism and lack of unity when the owners are wanting to crush them in the upcoming collective bargaining talks? Are they fucking stupid?

And how about Deion Sanders, the original Mr. Turf Toe, who missed almost two complete seasons worth of games because of his toe. Yeah, he was great on coverage, but he averaged only 2.6 tackles per game. Pussy stats. Shut the fuck up, egomaniac.

The Bears did not help the situation by saying that Cutler was questionable to return to the game. How about saying he is seriously injured and unable to return?

So now ... surprise -- we find out that Cutler has a grade 2 tear of his MCL. Sure -- play quarterback and try to pass when you can't plant your leg. He would have been worse than he was in the first half. The team doctors kept him out.

Strangely enough, if you couldn't tell, I kind of like Jay Cutler. He isn't your usual bozo jock. He doesn't kiss ass. He doesn't seem to give a crap what people say.

So ... all you faux Bears fans who immediately threw Cutler under the bus, all you know-nothing asshats in cyberspace who live for trolling discussion boards with worthless contributions, all you "experts" who formed stupid opinions without having any facts, and any of you stupid NFL players or former players who live to see your own uninformed drivel on Twitter --

GO SCREW YOURSELVES.

da Bears!

HUGE win vs. a great Eagles team today, 31-26. Jay Cutler was great, special teams -- especially the kick and punt returners Devin Hester and Danieal Manning -- did their usual excellent job, Matt Forte had a big game, Earl Bennett made some big catches, and the defense did a good job of making Michael Vick and the Eagles work for virtually every yard they got.

Yeah -- the Bears may have gotten some breaks early in the season and had some games when they looked terrible, but today they showed what they can be when playing well and supported by good coaching decisions.

Can the Bears make a deep run? Yes, they have the potential to do so. The regular season still has some tough games -- New England, the New York Jets, Green Bay, and even an improving Lions team and a still-dangerous Vikings team. Things make look a little different five weeks from now, but right now things look pretty good.

Bear down Chicago Bears!

Rooting Against Michael Vick -- For One Day Only and Friends Fighting Cancer

I know that everything has already been written about Michael Vick. No need to review his ascention to the top of the pro football world, his criminal and cruel behavior, his conviction and punishment, and his chance for redemption. Ahh ... but I must write a little.

Compared to other athletes in recent memory, Vick has received more punishment, suffered more loss, and dealt with more humiliation. Yes, his behavior was reprehensible, and although it may sounds like I am in some way condoning what he did, we have to face the fact that his crimes dealt with animals, not people.

He spent time in prison, lost virtually everything, and paid one heck of a price. But ... he has paid his debt, or more correctly, is still paying it. What more do people want?

Truth be told, I am almost always a guy who roots for the underdog. The fact that Michael Vick went through everything he did, got back into the NFL, and is now the best and most electric player in the game? What a story.

Unfortunately, Vick's Eagles are playing my Chicago Bears this Sunday. Although the Eagles are favorites and by reasonable thinking should win, I'll still believe in da Bears and predict a Bears victory this weekend.

As for Michael Vick? I'll root against him this weekend, for sure, but I'll be rooting for him the rest of the way.

Sad News About Friends Fighting Cancer

I joined a great online poker forum, Cardschat, in May 2005. One of the other members who joined in these early days was a guy named buckster436, a former truck driver who was always a big Cardschat supporter, a friendly guy at the tables, and a straight shooter in forum threads. You always knew where buck stood, and over the years he became one of the foundations of the forum.

Two weeks ago, buck posted that a colonoscopy showed he had a malignant tumor and he needed surgery. As buck continued to give updates, it became apparent that things were not going well. His doctors found that cancer had done major damage to his liver and buck seemed to be getting worse. The last report from buck's family was that it looks like the end is near. I will be praying for him tonight.

In my last post -- Revisiting the Old Neighborhood -- I gave an update of a co-worker who had been bravely fighting breast cancer. In fact, I wrote "The cancer has stopped spreading, and all her supporters are hoping that somehow she can make it through this."

Unfortunately, two days after I wrote this I received her latest CarePages update, which included this depressing news: "Due to increasing back pain over the past several weeks I requested a full body scan. I got the results which showed the main tumor in the breast is growing AND there is a new spot in my spine. What this means in layman's terms is the chemo I'm on isn't working anymore."

More terrible news for this Thanksgiving. So sad to have friends fighting for their life against cancer. More prayers tonight before I hit the sheets. More reminders of how precious life is.

On Chicago Bears, Barely Winning, and Unbearable Future ...

Since it looks like the Chicago White Sox are all but dead in the water in their quest to make it to post-season play (and the Cubbies -- haven't even watched them in several weeks), it is time to shift the focus toward football. In this area of the country, pro football is king, and the biggest kings are the Chicago Bears.

As I write, the Bears sport a 1-0 record, but it sure doesn't feel like I root for an undefeated team. Some observations from yesterday's 19-14 "victory" over the Detroit Lions:

1) "The Call" was correct as far as the rules regarding pass completions currently stand. But the rules sure do suck. The NFL, in an attempt to make the rule as black and white as possible, set up a very high standard for what classifies as a catch when the receiver hits the ground. Let's face it -- officials are there in part to make judgment calls. By making this convoluted rule, the NFL took judgment out of the hands of the officials, but in a way that just seems wrong. Johnson deserved the catch. The Lions deserved the comeback victory (unless the Bears pull off a miracle finish). The NFL looks foolish.

2) The Bears had a first down at the Lions one yard line late in the game. They decided to run Matt Forte straight into the line three times and attempted a botched pass another. Did they even consider a fast count quarterback sneak? And how about going for it on fourth down when they were behind? Wasn't there any thought to actually kicking a field goal to take the lead and then depend on the defense, which had shut down Detroit's back-up quarterback all second half, to close the door?

3) The defense, which has always been the trademark of the Bears, played a good game. The offensive line wasn't as offensive as it had been last season. However, running plays straight up the middle just won't be happening, and Jay Cutler had better keep his feet moving since roll outs will become a way of life if he doesn't want to get sacked several times a game.

4) I am certainly willing to give the new offense a try. However, Lovie's call on fourth down and one to go will not be adding any new people to his already small fan base. Sadly, I do not think this team will go anywhere until Lovie Smith and general manager Jerry Angelo are both history. I have a hard time seeing them win more than seven games this season. I hope I am wrong.