Have you ever had a moment of pure vindication?
Come on, you know the feeling. That feeling you get after someone's been criticizing something you've done, or something you've said, or something you believe in. Endlessly. The taunts don't stop. They just keep challenging you and challenging you, and for a long time, it looks like they're right. Eventually, you start doubting yourself: Maybe I'm wrong.
And then, in one blazing moment, the truth comes and smacks them in the face, knocks them to the ground, and you get to stand there, gloating. Vindicated.
Yeah, you know that feeling.
After tonight, so does Blake Griffin. And so do the Los Angeles Clippers.
That other team
I won't say that I called the rise of the Clippers. They've had chances before now, with Elton Brand and Corey Maggette. Heck, I think they even went to the playoffs one year. But that could've been the Dodgers, I don't really care.
That's how L.A. feels about the Clippers: they just don't care. And why should they?
The Lakers are going to be the team in Los Angeles. Too many stars on and off the court. Too many championship banners in the rafters. Too much cash, too much glitz, too much Kobe. Before this year, more people recognized DJ Mbenga than Eric Gordon.
The Clippers aren't even L.A.'s bastard child. They're more like the confused and angry kid from the wrong side of the tracks you feel sorry for, so you them stay at your house, like Benjamin McKenzie's character on The O.C. (sorry, had to do it.) Think about it: the Lakers just kind of let the Clips play at Staples, never mind that their red, white and blue colors are less-suited to the L.A. aura than Vinny Del Negro.
Worse than that, the Clippers have just had a lot of bad luck. Elgin Baylor squandered draft pick after draft pick for them, and Don Sterling has probably become Al Davis-lite watching the Lakers use Staples as a trophy room.
Still, I was the only guy in my house to call Blake Griffin a high-quality basketball player (Clark in particular still hates him), and I was the first guy in my house to call the rise of the "Clip Show".
To the test
I make no qualms about my hatred of the Miami Heat. I despise the fact that three all-NBA players basically decided "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" and grouped up in Miami. I was never the biggest LeBron fan on the block, but after the Decision and the commercial, I stopped giving him any credibilty (by the way, his Cavs tweet was just the icing on the cake). Even after things leveled out and Dwyane Wade carried them through the first few months of the season, I still find myself hating the Heat, wishing them to get blown out whenever possible.
I realize the Heat are the best team in the East. That doesn't mean I will give them the chip right now.
So tonight was a perfect moment for my predictions to sink or swim. The Heat beating the Clippers didn't mean much, aside from the margin of victory; the Clips were 12 games under break even. But the Clippers beating the Heat meant a whole lot. Like I said, the Clips were 12 games under break even.
Either I was right about the Clippers or totally wrong about the Heat.
A six-point, wire-to-wire L.A. victory later, I feel like I was right.
And for the future?
This was the Clippers' biggest victory in a looooooong time. Eric Gordon said it was probably the best win in his two years with L.A. But it's a great sign that most of the players and coaches weren't putting too much into this. As Vinny Del Negro put it, "we've still got a game Friday night."
Yes, LAC is an exciting basketball team, but they realize being exciting and making highlights hasn't changed the fact that they're losing a lot of games. Their number-one focus is with changing that mindset. Whether that means clearing out Baron Davis soon (yes), letting go of Vinny soon (probably), or even a change of ownership (wouldn't doubt it), the players are conscious of who they are, who the Clippers are: the second team in Los Angeles.
But for one night, for all the Heat-haters in the world, the Clippers were the best team on the planet. No, "The Clip Show" is not here yet to take on the fabled "Lake Show". But like any clip show, you can bet it'll be here soon.
And for me, that's vindication enough.
JS
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Monday, January 10, 2011
Can Bradley Do More With Les?
The song was born on a cold night in downtown Peoria. The Bradley Braves were fighting an uphill battle against Southern Illinois for the chance at their first conference victory. Early in the game, their star shooting guard connected on a wing three, evening the score.
Suddenly, a burst of song came from the back row of the Bradley basketball band. Specifically, the tuba section.
"There's only onnnneeee Andrew Warren...only onnnneeee Andrew Warren...we're singin' our song, dancin' along, walkin' in an Andrew Warren-land."
Yes, Andrew Warren has been lighting up the Missouri Valley Conference this season. Save for a down performance that night against SIU, the young man from central Indiana is shooting as well his hometown Pacers used to. But as the song says, there's only one of him, and he can't get Bradley wins by himself. With two preseason All-MVC conference picks out for the season, the Braves are up against it, and the frustration is beginning to set in.
Boiling point
This past Friday night, I braved the blowing snow and headed to a local spot to watch the Bulls game with my boy Craw. As it happened, Bradley was on the road against Drake (AKA Drizzy, as Zach Berg would say) and the game was on local TV. After the Bulls slothed their way to a loss against Philly and I put away a half-pound of beef with fries, we switched our attention to the Bradley game. A few BU fans were in the bar, including some friends of ours, and we traded laughs about Anthony Thompson's effort and Jake Eastman's billed height (I forget that he's 6-4 sometimes). Craw had to get back to his house and help his sister out, so we left the bar and ran through the wintry weather to his car.
At this point, Bradley had just gone up by two with about 3:30 to go after Dyricus Simms-Edwards converted a fastbreak layup. The time it took to run from the bar to his car, pull out of the parking lot and pick up the game on local radio was about a minute. In that minute, Bradley went from being up two points to losing by five.
You know when you stub your toe and there's a nanosecond of nothing where you suck in your breath and get ready for the pain to hit you in the stomach? That's what happened when I turned on the radio and realized Bradley was down by two possessions.
As Dave Snell reiterated for those of us who'd had our coverage self-interrupted, Jim Les drew a technical foul after Will Egolf didn't draw a foul on a drive to the hoop. Drake sank the two foul shots, then picked up a three-point play after a Thompson foul. As expected, the seven-point swing effectively swung the momentum to Drizzy (try saying it, it's fun) and they iced the game at the free-throw stripe.
Les' untimely T might have broken Bradley's back, but can you blame him? With the way the season's going, it's hard not to be upset. Bradley's scoring options are limited, and the starting point guard is sitting on the bench with a clipboard. So is there any way to stop the downward spiral?
It's easy to be a great coach from the comfort of your computer chair
The answer to the above question: not really. Bradley was already deficient in some areas (consistent low-post offense, consistent low-post defense, too much coaching staff hair gel) and the injuries to Taylor Brown and Sam Maniscalco exposed those flaws even more. However, there's a couple of ways for Bradley to right the ship.
1. Move Dyricus to starting PG
Having Dodie run the point lessens his scoring and makes it easier for teams to focus on Drew. If Dodie drops off into a spot in the corner of the floor, there's nowhere for him to go if he tries to drive the lane. DSE's learning curve is quicker than most, and last year, he made a name for himself as a player not afraid to take a big shot in clutch situations; his game-tying trey with less than 10 seconds to go at Indiana State was no fluke.
Dyricus has two more years at the college level, and this would be as good a time as any for him to get experience as the floor general. That would give Bradley a starting lineup of DSE, Warren and Dodie at the guard spots, with young Walt and Jake coming off the bench and Dodie running the point for the second unit.
2. Act like Jordan is...well, Jordan
Of course Jordan Prosser's not MJ. He's white, for goodness sakes.
Now disregard that awkward silence in your ears and listen: Jordan's a great low-post talent. He's a got a soft touch around the basket, great footwork and his jump hook has the Walrus Guy in Section 9 dreaming about the mid-'70s. He's easily a guaranteed 9-5 every night and I wouldn't be surprised if he averages double digit scoring by the end of the season. So do like Andrew Bynum and give him the *#&%(% ball.
3. Throw Sticks in the fire
The unintentional pun aside, Anthony Thompson is the tallest guy on the team and that counts for something. Like most of his games this season, he combined shining moments on defense with missed bunnies and dropped passes on offense, but the kid is trying. What gets lost in all the ESPN coverage, millions of dollars handed out under the table and up-to-the-minute updates on Coach K is that these are still 20-year-olds still learning the finer points of basketball.
With that, Sticks has many areas he can improve upon, and the best way to get better in college basketball is on the floor. A semester at Hard Knocks University should give him better footwork around the basket and more strength going up for boards and layups.
A little off the top, perhaps
It's easy to write this season off as lost and look ahead to next year, barring a miracle run in the conference tournament and another dot-com startup convening another random postseason tourney. However, it's no secret that water cooler talk has centered around coach Les' job security for some time now. And those whispers are not undeserved.
I'm probably the only person in basketball band with firsthand memories of the NIT run in 2007. Unfortunately, Jim felt he could work the same offensive magic with slower guards and less-skilled forwards, so we were subjected to the three-man weave for about two years. It was the most excruciating thing on earth to watch the ball get handed off at the top of the key while the opposing defense basically stood still.
Added to the success of Illinois State in the annual rivalry games and the absolute disgust I felt watching the college basketball world pick Northern Iowa as the chic mid-major team of last season's March Madness, and I finally couldn't offer full support to Hersey's best friend anymore. Maybe the time had come for new direction.
To be fair, you can't lay the current problems on Jim Les. Taylor's injury was Murphy's Law working at it's finest. (I mean, a baseball player unexpectedly dies, leading to mandatory testing of all athletes, which leads to the finding of a heart defect in the second-leading scorer on the basketball team, possibly saving his life but ending his season prematurely? M. Night Shyamalan (consecutive post references!) couldn't write that twist.) And Sam's ankles will probably always be a bother for him. But Jim Les let Patrick O'Bryant go forth into basketball oblivion and has yet to replace him with a solid big man that can defend the Eglseders and Lawson Juniors of the MVC.
Maybe Bradley can still succeed with the current staff. Or maybe, just maybe, it's time for a change.
JS
Suddenly, a burst of song came from the back row of the Bradley basketball band. Specifically, the tuba section.
"There's only onnnneeee Andrew Warren...only onnnneeee Andrew Warren...we're singin' our song, dancin' along, walkin' in an Andrew Warren-land."
Yes, Andrew Warren has been lighting up the Missouri Valley Conference this season. Save for a down performance that night against SIU, the young man from central Indiana is shooting as well his hometown Pacers used to. But as the song says, there's only one of him, and he can't get Bradley wins by himself. With two preseason All-MVC conference picks out for the season, the Braves are up against it, and the frustration is beginning to set in.
Boiling point
This past Friday night, I braved the blowing snow and headed to a local spot to watch the Bulls game with my boy Craw. As it happened, Bradley was on the road against Drake (AKA Drizzy, as Zach Berg would say) and the game was on local TV. After the Bulls slothed their way to a loss against Philly and I put away a half-pound of beef with fries, we switched our attention to the Bradley game. A few BU fans were in the bar, including some friends of ours, and we traded laughs about Anthony Thompson's effort and Jake Eastman's billed height (I forget that he's 6-4 sometimes). Craw had to get back to his house and help his sister out, so we left the bar and ran through the wintry weather to his car.
At this point, Bradley had just gone up by two with about 3:30 to go after Dyricus Simms-Edwards converted a fastbreak layup. The time it took to run from the bar to his car, pull out of the parking lot and pick up the game on local radio was about a minute. In that minute, Bradley went from being up two points to losing by five.
You know when you stub your toe and there's a nanosecond of nothing where you suck in your breath and get ready for the pain to hit you in the stomach? That's what happened when I turned on the radio and realized Bradley was down by two possessions.
As Dave Snell reiterated for those of us who'd had our coverage self-interrupted, Jim Les drew a technical foul after Will Egolf didn't draw a foul on a drive to the hoop. Drake sank the two foul shots, then picked up a three-point play after a Thompson foul. As expected, the seven-point swing effectively swung the momentum to Drizzy (try saying it, it's fun) and they iced the game at the free-throw stripe.
Les' untimely T might have broken Bradley's back, but can you blame him? With the way the season's going, it's hard not to be upset. Bradley's scoring options are limited, and the starting point guard is sitting on the bench with a clipboard. So is there any way to stop the downward spiral?
It's easy to be a great coach from the comfort of your computer chair
The answer to the above question: not really. Bradley was already deficient in some areas (consistent low-post offense, consistent low-post defense, too much coaching staff hair gel) and the injuries to Taylor Brown and Sam Maniscalco exposed those flaws even more. However, there's a couple of ways for Bradley to right the ship.
1. Move Dyricus to starting PG
Having Dodie run the point lessens his scoring and makes it easier for teams to focus on Drew. If Dodie drops off into a spot in the corner of the floor, there's nowhere for him to go if he tries to drive the lane. DSE's learning curve is quicker than most, and last year, he made a name for himself as a player not afraid to take a big shot in clutch situations; his game-tying trey with less than 10 seconds to go at Indiana State was no fluke.
Dyricus has two more years at the college level, and this would be as good a time as any for him to get experience as the floor general. That would give Bradley a starting lineup of DSE, Warren and Dodie at the guard spots, with young Walt and Jake coming off the bench and Dodie running the point for the second unit.
2. Act like Jordan is...well, Jordan
Of course Jordan Prosser's not MJ. He's white, for goodness sakes.
Now disregard that awkward silence in your ears and listen: Jordan's a great low-post talent. He's a got a soft touch around the basket, great footwork and his jump hook has the Walrus Guy in Section 9 dreaming about the mid-'70s. He's easily a guaranteed 9-5 every night and I wouldn't be surprised if he averages double digit scoring by the end of the season. So do like Andrew Bynum and give him the *#&%(% ball.
3. Throw Sticks in the fire
The unintentional pun aside, Anthony Thompson is the tallest guy on the team and that counts for something. Like most of his games this season, he combined shining moments on defense with missed bunnies and dropped passes on offense, but the kid is trying. What gets lost in all the ESPN coverage, millions of dollars handed out under the table and up-to-the-minute updates on Coach K is that these are still 20-year-olds still learning the finer points of basketball.
With that, Sticks has many areas he can improve upon, and the best way to get better in college basketball is on the floor. A semester at Hard Knocks University should give him better footwork around the basket and more strength going up for boards and layups.
A little off the top, perhaps
It's easy to write this season off as lost and look ahead to next year, barring a miracle run in the conference tournament and another dot-com startup convening another random postseason tourney. However, it's no secret that water cooler talk has centered around coach Les' job security for some time now. And those whispers are not undeserved.
I'm probably the only person in basketball band with firsthand memories of the NIT run in 2007. Unfortunately, Jim felt he could work the same offensive magic with slower guards and less-skilled forwards, so we were subjected to the three-man weave for about two years. It was the most excruciating thing on earth to watch the ball get handed off at the top of the key while the opposing defense basically stood still.
Added to the success of Illinois State in the annual rivalry games and the absolute disgust I felt watching the college basketball world pick Northern Iowa as the chic mid-major team of last season's March Madness, and I finally couldn't offer full support to Hersey's best friend anymore. Maybe the time had come for new direction.
To be fair, you can't lay the current problems on Jim Les. Taylor's injury was Murphy's Law working at it's finest. (I mean, a baseball player unexpectedly dies, leading to mandatory testing of all athletes, which leads to the finding of a heart defect in the second-leading scorer on the basketball team, possibly saving his life but ending his season prematurely? M. Night Shyamalan (consecutive post references!) couldn't write that twist.) And Sam's ankles will probably always be a bother for him. But Jim Les let Patrick O'Bryant go forth into basketball oblivion and has yet to replace him with a solid big man that can defend the Eglseders and Lawson Juniors of the MVC.
Maybe Bradley can still succeed with the current staff. Or maybe, just maybe, it's time for a change.
JS
Playoffs? You Kiddin' Me? Playoffs??
(Ed. note: There are other fans in the cheap seats, and like all of us, they have an opinion to share and know the right words to share it. With that said, this post was written by my good friend Brian S. AKA LeBomb James. Enjoy.)
It feels like the Twilight Zone.
Or at the very least, the part in one of those bad M. Night Shyamalan where he just makes up a ridiculous plot twist that leaves the audience with an awful taste in their mouth.
(Alright, I know. "Bad M. Night Shyamalan movie" is redundant.)
But I'm not talking about "The Happening 2: Now Birds or Some Shit are After Us." I'm talking about the NFL playoffs, specifically what happened on Wild-Card Weekend, and what it means for the rest of my January and first week of February. I'm going to have to do what I swore I never would.
I'm going to have to root for the NFC. Even if it means rooting for (gulp)...Da Bears.
Let me say this. It's not my betting side that wants to jump over to the enemy. At this point, almost any NFC team is Super Bowl underdog to almost any AFC team. Who do ya got?
The Seachickens, who STILL aren't at .500 and (get this) with a win over the Bears and a Packers win over the Falcons, which is a very plausible scenario, will host a second playoff game?
The Falcons, who looked like the best team in NFC until playing paper tiger against the Saints two weeks ago?
The Packers, who, as a 6-seed, are playing the best football in the conference right now after beating an Eagles team I thought was the most dangerous team in the league?
(Side-note on the Eagles: In mid-November, right after they beat my Colts, I thought the Vick-led Eagles were going to be the team no one wanted to face in the play-offs. Then they lost a critical game to Chicago, beat the New York Football Giants with a collective kick to the crotch that will probably be felt by Eli Manning's offspring, and then somehow choked away a game to the Favre-less Vikings that could have put them in the #2 spot. I had a feeling that they might have peaked 3 or 4 weeks too early and was right.)
That leaves us with the Bears, a team with an improved defense and Matt Forte, who apparently only kills his fantasy owners every other season. They put up a lot of points the last month of the season, which has been just enough to make every Bears fan forget that their quarterback can turn into Jeff George 2.0 at any time. Do I trust them? Not really. But do I really trust anyone in the NFC right now? Hard to say.
I can say one thing definitively: I don't wanna root for anyone in the AFC.
Not the Patriots, who I'm required to hate, regardless of what they do. They could donate their entire 2010 team's salary to charity, adopt every stray pet in Boston, win the House of Representatives back for the Democrats, go back in time and stop Spider Man 3 from happening (the 2010 San Francisco 49er's of movies: tons of hype, good director in charge, more than enough talent on set, and still somehow unspeakably terrible) and I would still hate the Patriots. But they have an almost certain bye into the AFC championship by virtue of playing the Jets (The Sanchise is still too young/inconsistent, and the Patriots won't somehow think it's 2008 and let LT run all over them like the Colts did).
The other two possibilities? The Steelers, whom I've resented since they beat the Colts in the 1995 AFC championship game. The same Steelers the Colts choked against when they beat us as a 6-seed in 2005 (still the most talented Colts team I've ever seen). Besides, I can't shake the thought that if Ben Roethlisberger wins his third title (which is entirely possible; he's got more talent around him now than he did in 2008) we'd be just 10 weeks away from him showing up on "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew" in the ultimate ESPN/TMZ convergence.
Then there's other team left in the AFC. The one whom I won't even refer to by name, because their fans are so petty they refuse to call Indy the "Colts" because they're bitter to this day. (Although they don't seem to have a problem with, ya know, stealing Cleveland's team.) Well, while I think they have the best defense in the playoffs, with Ray Lewis continuing to play despite the fact that he's 48 years old, I don't see "The Professional Football Franchise from Baltimore" being able to match points with New England, and that's if they can get past a tough game with Pittsburgh.
If I were a betting man (ya know, if gambling was legal and all), I'd have to say my top-three Super Bowl favorites are from the AFC. And the distance between #3 and #4 is pretty big. So why cheer for the NFC? Why do I, as a football fan with my horse out of the race, want to see an NFC team win it, even if it has to be the Bears?
'Cause it'll mean more to their fans.
Look, we all know losing sucks. And losing the Super Bowl is downright painful. I still can't watch replays of last year's game (though Visa and seemingly every other NFL sponsor is trying their best to make sure I don't forget) because it hurts thinking about all the emotion, everything I had invested in that season crashing down. But, I gotta admit, after winning in 2006, it hurt a little less than it would have if I had never seen us win it. Those old stories you hear Cubs fans tell and used to hear Sox fans tell about being worried their older family members, or sometimes even themselves, would pass away and never see their team win a championship, they didn't apply to us last year.
Of the three AFC contenders (I'm admittedly not giving the Jets a shot, unless they somehow get the luxury of continuing to play teams that have 20% of their squad on injured reserve) all have one championship and two of them have multiple titles in recent years. Of the four remaining NFC teams, only has even been to the Super Bowl since the various AFC "dynasties" took hold, and the Green Bay days are far enough removed that this is a completely different team and a new generation of Packer fans (a good majority, I'd be willing to bet, would say "Desmond who?") who have seen their team win it.
They've never known what it's like to have that full season of fan-devotion, countless hours watching games and crunching playoff scenarios finally pay off with a ring. Their team's seasons are never described as 'magical' or 'destined.' There's just a painfully long segment waiting for them on ESPN so Trent Dilfer can praise the other team's quarterback and tell you why your wideouts never had a shot.
But I hope that this year, for one of those dogged NFC teams, everything changes. Even if it is the Bears, their fans deserve to know what that feels like. Don't get me wrong, whichever team loses this February, their fans are gonna feel a strong punch to the gut, regardless of who it is.
But for fans of those AFC teams, it'll hurt just a little bit less.
It feels like the Twilight Zone.
Or at the very least, the part in one of those bad M. Night Shyamalan where he just makes up a ridiculous plot twist that leaves the audience with an awful taste in their mouth.
(Alright, I know. "Bad M. Night Shyamalan movie" is redundant.)
But I'm not talking about "The Happening 2: Now Birds or Some Shit are After Us." I'm talking about the NFL playoffs, specifically what happened on Wild-Card Weekend, and what it means for the rest of my January and first week of February. I'm going to have to do what I swore I never would.
I'm going to have to root for the NFC. Even if it means rooting for (gulp)...Da Bears.
Let me say this. It's not my betting side that wants to jump over to the enemy. At this point, almost any NFC team is Super Bowl underdog to almost any AFC team. Who do ya got?
The Seachickens, who STILL aren't at .500 and (get this) with a win over the Bears and a Packers win over the Falcons, which is a very plausible scenario, will host a second playoff game?
The Falcons, who looked like the best team in NFC until playing paper tiger against the Saints two weeks ago?
The Packers, who, as a 6-seed, are playing the best football in the conference right now after beating an Eagles team I thought was the most dangerous team in the league?
(Side-note on the Eagles: In mid-November, right after they beat my Colts, I thought the Vick-led Eagles were going to be the team no one wanted to face in the play-offs. Then they lost a critical game to Chicago, beat the New York Football Giants with a collective kick to the crotch that will probably be felt by Eli Manning's offspring, and then somehow choked away a game to the Favre-less Vikings that could have put them in the #2 spot. I had a feeling that they might have peaked 3 or 4 weeks too early and was right.)
That leaves us with the Bears, a team with an improved defense and Matt Forte, who apparently only kills his fantasy owners every other season. They put up a lot of points the last month of the season, which has been just enough to make every Bears fan forget that their quarterback can turn into Jeff George 2.0 at any time. Do I trust them? Not really. But do I really trust anyone in the NFC right now? Hard to say.
I can say one thing definitively: I don't wanna root for anyone in the AFC.
Not the Patriots, who I'm required to hate, regardless of what they do. They could donate their entire 2010 team's salary to charity, adopt every stray pet in Boston, win the House of Representatives back for the Democrats, go back in time and stop Spider Man 3 from happening (the 2010 San Francisco 49er's of movies: tons of hype, good director in charge, more than enough talent on set, and still somehow unspeakably terrible) and I would still hate the Patriots. But they have an almost certain bye into the AFC championship by virtue of playing the Jets (The Sanchise is still too young/inconsistent, and the Patriots won't somehow think it's 2008 and let LT run all over them like the Colts did).
The other two possibilities? The Steelers, whom I've resented since they beat the Colts in the 1995 AFC championship game. The same Steelers the Colts choked against when they beat us as a 6-seed in 2005 (still the most talented Colts team I've ever seen). Besides, I can't shake the thought that if Ben Roethlisberger wins his third title (which is entirely possible; he's got more talent around him now than he did in 2008) we'd be just 10 weeks away from him showing up on "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew" in the ultimate ESPN/TMZ convergence.
Then there's other team left in the AFC. The one whom I won't even refer to by name, because their fans are so petty they refuse to call Indy the "Colts" because they're bitter to this day. (Although they don't seem to have a problem with, ya know, stealing Cleveland's team.) Well, while I think they have the best defense in the playoffs, with Ray Lewis continuing to play despite the fact that he's 48 years old, I don't see "The Professional Football Franchise from Baltimore" being able to match points with New England, and that's if they can get past a tough game with Pittsburgh.
If I were a betting man (ya know, if gambling was legal and all), I'd have to say my top-three Super Bowl favorites are from the AFC. And the distance between #3 and #4 is pretty big. So why cheer for the NFC? Why do I, as a football fan with my horse out of the race, want to see an NFC team win it, even if it has to be the Bears?
'Cause it'll mean more to their fans.
Look, we all know losing sucks. And losing the Super Bowl is downright painful. I still can't watch replays of last year's game (though Visa and seemingly every other NFL sponsor is trying their best to make sure I don't forget) because it hurts thinking about all the emotion, everything I had invested in that season crashing down. But, I gotta admit, after winning in 2006, it hurt a little less than it would have if I had never seen us win it. Those old stories you hear Cubs fans tell and used to hear Sox fans tell about being worried their older family members, or sometimes even themselves, would pass away and never see their team win a championship, they didn't apply to us last year.
Of the three AFC contenders (I'm admittedly not giving the Jets a shot, unless they somehow get the luxury of continuing to play teams that have 20% of their squad on injured reserve) all have one championship and two of them have multiple titles in recent years. Of the four remaining NFC teams, only has even been to the Super Bowl since the various AFC "dynasties" took hold, and the Green Bay days are far enough removed that this is a completely different team and a new generation of Packer fans (a good majority, I'd be willing to bet, would say "Desmond who?") who have seen their team win it.
They've never known what it's like to have that full season of fan-devotion, countless hours watching games and crunching playoff scenarios finally pay off with a ring. Their team's seasons are never described as 'magical' or 'destined.' There's just a painfully long segment waiting for them on ESPN so Trent Dilfer can praise the other team's quarterback and tell you why your wideouts never had a shot.
But I hope that this year, for one of those dogged NFC teams, everything changes. Even if it is the Bears, their fans deserve to know what that feels like. Don't get me wrong, whichever team loses this February, their fans are gonna feel a strong punch to the gut, regardless of who it is.
But for fans of those AFC teams, it'll hurt just a little bit less.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
The Kukoc Conundrum
Set aside everything you know about Toni Kukoc. Forget about the slick passes, the mop of hair, the streaky shooting. Forget about the Sixth Man Awards, the funny accent, the three rings. Forget all of that.
In 1.8 seconds in 1994, Toni Kukoc converted the most important shot in Chicago Bulls history.
The Croatian Sensation
In 1991, Kukoc was one of the top players in Europe. With the success of Vlade Divac and Drazen Petrovic, NBA teams were frantically scouting across the Atlantic for the next Euro star, and as Sam Smith detailed in The Jordan Rules, former Bulls GM Jerry Krause was absolutely fixated on Toni Kukoc.
Unfortunately, this made Kukoc the second-most hated man for Chicago that season (just behind Krause himself). With John Paxson and budding star Scottie Pippen both lobbying for new contracts and Michael Jordan considering retirement, no one on the Bulls wanted to see Kukoc make his Bulls debut.
That year, of course, Kukoc stayed in Europe and the Bulls won their first NBA championship. But the stars of Kukoc and Pippen had become intertwined.
Life after Michael
In 1994, Kukoc finally signed with Chicago as the Bulls prepared for life without Jordan. With a couple of new additions and Pippen able to shine in his own right, it appeared they might be all right without MJ. Three Bulls made the All-Star team, and the Bulls finished with 55 wins, only two less than the previous season. Pippen led the Bulls in points, steals and assists per game and finished third in MVP voting.
As for Kukoc, he averaged 11 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists per game—and hit a few shots like this one.
To the surprise of some, the Bulls appeared set to defend their championship after sweeping the Cavs in the first round. However, a familiar foe awaited in Round Two: the New York Knicks.
The Refusal
In Game 3, the Bulls were down two games to none and Patrick Ewing had just made a hook shot in the lane to tie the game at 102. Chicago's lead had dwindled away and with 1.8 seconds left in regulation, Phil Jackson knew the Bulls couldn't afford overtime. The obvious choice to take the final shot was Pippen, the superstar, the team leader. But Jackson, the ever-cerebral coach, called the play for the rookie Kukoc.
Pippen, angered beyond belief, sat on the bench and refused to go back into the game.
The rest is history. Kukoc made the improbable shot for the win, Pippen famously posterized Ewing in Game 6, the Knicks won Game 7 and went to their first Finals since the '70s, and Jordan came back midway through next season to continue the Bulls dynasty.
So what happens in Kukoc's shot doesn't fall?
I wonder...
Pippen's heart and toughness had always come into question over his career. The Pistons routinely took Scottie out of the game by knocking him around during games, and Dennis Rodman's taunting of Pippen was as important to Detroit as Isiah Thomas. When the Pistons fell, the Knicks imported their strategy and drafted Xavier McDaniel to get inside Pip's head. But Scottie's refusal to go back into the game was on a different level. Lifetime Bulls fans who had watched Jerry Sloan and Norm Van Lier play undoubtedly were appalled.
This whole idea was borne from the mind of a Peoria friend of mine name Rodger, who said that the Bulls were considering trading Pippen after this stunt. Hard to believe after the Hall of Fame nod, but back in '94 with Jerry Reinsdorf at the reins, anything was possible. So consider Kukoc misses and the Bulls let go of Pippen. Here's some scenarios to consider:
1. With no Pippen to take the pressure off, Michael Jordan flirts with a permanent retirement.
2. No Jordan and no Pippen obviously means Dennis Rodman stays in San Antonio.
3. No Bulls nucleus = no Bulls dynasty. Chicago stays in the top eight of the Eastern Conference, but the Knicks, Heat and Pacers rise to the top.
4. Oops, forgot something: with no Jordan revenge in '96, Shaq stays in Orlando and matures with a healthy Penny Hardaway, giving the Magic a likely shot at a championship.
5. Knicks' "beat-'em-up" basketball stays in vogue without the Bulls' finesse game to beat it, meaning the rules enacted in the 2000s to open up the game (the no-charge circle, defensive 3 seconds, the modified illegal defense) probably are written even earlier. (In an unrelated story, a 22-year-old Kobe Bryant scores 103 points on the Vancouver Grizzlies.)
6. Speaking of Kobe, what does he do without legit superstar like Shaq to give him a cover to mature under?
7. Phil Jackson's 11 rings and "best coach ever" title? Gone. Phil's good, but he learned as much from his second three-peat players as they did from him. That experience of winning with an aging squad was absolutely necessary.
8. As for Scottie Pippen: he plays well for another team, then another team and maybe another team, none of which is Chicago. Hall of Fame is not a lock and neither is his title as "top all-around forward of all-time".
9. Finally, think of all the top players who either had to wait 'til after their prime to get a ring or never got one because of the Bulls: Barkley, Ewing, Malone, Stockton, Miller, Mourning, Starks, Payton, Drexler. Imagine that.
And to think, all because Toni K was a little off on his stroke.
Revisionist history
Without Kukoc's shot, the Bulls don't stretch the Knicks to seven games, the image of Pippen standing over Ewing after that epic facial never occurs, and Kukoc's star doesn't rise to Sixth Man of the Year potential. After the shot fell, people mostly glossed over the incident.
So even though all this is a stretch, it's always fun to ask "what if...?"
Just ask Bill Simmons.
JS
In 1.8 seconds in 1994, Toni Kukoc converted the most important shot in Chicago Bulls history.
The Croatian Sensation
In 1991, Kukoc was one of the top players in Europe. With the success of Vlade Divac and Drazen Petrovic, NBA teams were frantically scouting across the Atlantic for the next Euro star, and as Sam Smith detailed in The Jordan Rules, former Bulls GM Jerry Krause was absolutely fixated on Toni Kukoc.
Unfortunately, this made Kukoc the second-most hated man for Chicago that season (just behind Krause himself). With John Paxson and budding star Scottie Pippen both lobbying for new contracts and Michael Jordan considering retirement, no one on the Bulls wanted to see Kukoc make his Bulls debut.
That year, of course, Kukoc stayed in Europe and the Bulls won their first NBA championship. But the stars of Kukoc and Pippen had become intertwined.
Life after Michael
In 1994, Kukoc finally signed with Chicago as the Bulls prepared for life without Jordan. With a couple of new additions and Pippen able to shine in his own right, it appeared they might be all right without MJ. Three Bulls made the All-Star team, and the Bulls finished with 55 wins, only two less than the previous season. Pippen led the Bulls in points, steals and assists per game and finished third in MVP voting.
As for Kukoc, he averaged 11 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists per game—and hit a few shots like this one.
To the surprise of some, the Bulls appeared set to defend their championship after sweeping the Cavs in the first round. However, a familiar foe awaited in Round Two: the New York Knicks.
The Refusal
In Game 3, the Bulls were down two games to none and Patrick Ewing had just made a hook shot in the lane to tie the game at 102. Chicago's lead had dwindled away and with 1.8 seconds left in regulation, Phil Jackson knew the Bulls couldn't afford overtime. The obvious choice to take the final shot was Pippen, the superstar, the team leader. But Jackson, the ever-cerebral coach, called the play for the rookie Kukoc.
Pippen, angered beyond belief, sat on the bench and refused to go back into the game.
The rest is history. Kukoc made the improbable shot for the win, Pippen famously posterized Ewing in Game 6, the Knicks won Game 7 and went to their first Finals since the '70s, and Jordan came back midway through next season to continue the Bulls dynasty.
So what happens in Kukoc's shot doesn't fall?
I wonder...
Pippen's heart and toughness had always come into question over his career. The Pistons routinely took Scottie out of the game by knocking him around during games, and Dennis Rodman's taunting of Pippen was as important to Detroit as Isiah Thomas. When the Pistons fell, the Knicks imported their strategy and drafted Xavier McDaniel to get inside Pip's head. But Scottie's refusal to go back into the game was on a different level. Lifetime Bulls fans who had watched Jerry Sloan and Norm Van Lier play undoubtedly were appalled.
This whole idea was borne from the mind of a Peoria friend of mine name Rodger, who said that the Bulls were considering trading Pippen after this stunt. Hard to believe after the Hall of Fame nod, but back in '94 with Jerry Reinsdorf at the reins, anything was possible. So consider Kukoc misses and the Bulls let go of Pippen. Here's some scenarios to consider:
1. With no Pippen to take the pressure off, Michael Jordan flirts with a permanent retirement.
2. No Jordan and no Pippen obviously means Dennis Rodman stays in San Antonio.
3. No Bulls nucleus = no Bulls dynasty. Chicago stays in the top eight of the Eastern Conference, but the Knicks, Heat and Pacers rise to the top.
4. Oops, forgot something: with no Jordan revenge in '96, Shaq stays in Orlando and matures with a healthy Penny Hardaway, giving the Magic a likely shot at a championship.
5. Knicks' "beat-'em-up" basketball stays in vogue without the Bulls' finesse game to beat it, meaning the rules enacted in the 2000s to open up the game (the no-charge circle, defensive 3 seconds, the modified illegal defense) probably are written even earlier. (In an unrelated story, a 22-year-old Kobe Bryant scores 103 points on the Vancouver Grizzlies.)
6. Speaking of Kobe, what does he do without legit superstar like Shaq to give him a cover to mature under?
7. Phil Jackson's 11 rings and "best coach ever" title? Gone. Phil's good, but he learned as much from his second three-peat players as they did from him. That experience of winning with an aging squad was absolutely necessary.
8. As for Scottie Pippen: he plays well for another team, then another team and maybe another team, none of which is Chicago. Hall of Fame is not a lock and neither is his title as "top all-around forward of all-time".
9. Finally, think of all the top players who either had to wait 'til after their prime to get a ring or never got one because of the Bulls: Barkley, Ewing, Malone, Stockton, Miller, Mourning, Starks, Payton, Drexler. Imagine that.
And to think, all because Toni K was a little off on his stroke.
Revisionist history
Without Kukoc's shot, the Bulls don't stretch the Knicks to seven games, the image of Pippen standing over Ewing after that epic facial never occurs, and Kukoc's star doesn't rise to Sixth Man of the Year potential. After the shot fell, people mostly glossed over the incident.
So even though all this is a stretch, it's always fun to ask "what if...?"
Just ask Bill Simmons.
JS
Monday, December 27, 2010
Dr. Strange-Lovie (or How I Learned to Stop Hating and Love the Bears)
My mom always hated Dave Wannstedt.
A little back story: my mom has lived in Chicago her entire life (except for being born in Gary, which I never let her forget). In all those years, she has never really cared about sports, save for three things that never fail to make me laugh:
1. She's called Scottie Pippen "The Whiner" after Game 3 of the '94 Eastern Conference Semifinals. A surprise, since she never watched the Bulls unless I was.
2. She doesn't really remember much from the Super Bowl Shuffle, except that Otis Wilson was called "Mama's Boy" Otis. I have a feeling that this is a very fond memory.
3. She absolutely HATED Dave Wannstedt.
I never really understood why she hated Wannie so much. She didn't watch sports except soccer, since she was coaching me. But when Dave Wannstedt came on TV, she was always four words away from changing the channel. She even called me during the Bears-Patriots game just to tell me he got fired from Pittsburgh.
This is 12 years after he left the Bears, mind you. (She didn't like Dick Jauron too much either, to be fair.)
How far we've come
Still, it's not hard to see how my sports-indifferent mother could hate the man so much. He guided the Bears to a 41-57 record in five years and one playoff berth. During those years, the top Bears quarterback was Erik Kramer; the #1 receiver was Curtis Conway; and the "next great" Bears running back? Rashaan Salaam.
Suffice to say that after Super Bowl 31, I almost became a Packers fan.
After DW, there was Dick Jauron; the "dink-and-dunk" offense; Gary Crowton and the wide receiver screen; Paul Edinger; Todd Sauerbrun's ego; the (short)rise and fall of Cedric Benson and Jerry Angelo's controversial decisions. In my 22 years on the planet, the Bears have gone to the playoffs seven times. In that same span, the Packers visited the postseason 12 times (with a Super Bowl win).
But this year, there's something different. The Bears aren't obscenely lucky, like they were in 2001. They aren't just a one-dimensional team, like 2006. This year, they're something more.
A little Lovie in your heart
I'm not here to recap and analyze; you can go to ESPN and your local newspaper for that. The important stat for me is this: the Bears are 7-1 after the bye week. Going into the break, they were 4-3 and had more question marks around them than the Riddler.
All that's left is a primetime date with the Packers next week at Lambeau. Ordinarily, I'd expect the Bears to rest starters with a playoff spot locked up. However, a first-round bye is still on the line, and the Packers need a win to make the playoffs.
Say it again: the Packers need a win to make the playoffs. Against the Bears. At Lambeau Field.
Remember what Lovie's goals were when he was introduced as Chicago's coach? In reverse order: win a championship, win the division, and....beat the Packers.
Even with an 11-win season in the books, I guarantee you Lovie guns to keep Green Bay at home this postseason. If he succeeds, the coach everyone thought would be fired come January might be planning a trip to Texas come February.
Taking shape
Yes, our quarterback still has baby fat (which his playoff beard does a decent job of hiding, by the way). Yes, the offense is very inconsistent. Yes, the Bears have had mad amounts of luck since Week 1.
But are they in the playoffs? Yes. Have they won two of the three statement games in the second half of the season? Yes. Which means we can't discount this Bears team. To paraphrase Dennis Green, the Bears are not who we thought they were.
They're actually (gulp) good.
JS
A little back story: my mom has lived in Chicago her entire life (except for being born in Gary, which I never let her forget). In all those years, she has never really cared about sports, save for three things that never fail to make me laugh:
1. She's called Scottie Pippen "The Whiner" after Game 3 of the '94 Eastern Conference Semifinals. A surprise, since she never watched the Bulls unless I was.
2. She doesn't really remember much from the Super Bowl Shuffle, except that Otis Wilson was called "Mama's Boy" Otis. I have a feeling that this is a very fond memory.
3. She absolutely HATED Dave Wannstedt.
I never really understood why she hated Wannie so much. She didn't watch sports except soccer, since she was coaching me. But when Dave Wannstedt came on TV, she was always four words away from changing the channel. She even called me during the Bears-Patriots game just to tell me he got fired from Pittsburgh.
This is 12 years after he left the Bears, mind you. (She didn't like Dick Jauron too much either, to be fair.)
How far we've come
Still, it's not hard to see how my sports-indifferent mother could hate the man so much. He guided the Bears to a 41-57 record in five years and one playoff berth. During those years, the top Bears quarterback was Erik Kramer; the #1 receiver was Curtis Conway; and the "next great" Bears running back? Rashaan Salaam.
Suffice to say that after Super Bowl 31, I almost became a Packers fan.
After DW, there was Dick Jauron; the "dink-and-dunk" offense; Gary Crowton and the wide receiver screen; Paul Edinger; Todd Sauerbrun's ego; the (short)rise and fall of Cedric Benson and Jerry Angelo's controversial decisions. In my 22 years on the planet, the Bears have gone to the playoffs seven times. In that same span, the Packers visited the postseason 12 times (with a Super Bowl win).
But this year, there's something different. The Bears aren't obscenely lucky, like they were in 2001. They aren't just a one-dimensional team, like 2006. This year, they're something more.
A little Lovie in your heart
I'm not here to recap and analyze; you can go to ESPN and your local newspaper for that. The important stat for me is this: the Bears are 7-1 after the bye week. Going into the break, they were 4-3 and had more question marks around them than the Riddler.
All that's left is a primetime date with the Packers next week at Lambeau. Ordinarily, I'd expect the Bears to rest starters with a playoff spot locked up. However, a first-round bye is still on the line, and the Packers need a win to make the playoffs.
Say it again: the Packers need a win to make the playoffs. Against the Bears. At Lambeau Field.
Remember what Lovie's goals were when he was introduced as Chicago's coach? In reverse order: win a championship, win the division, and....beat the Packers.
Even with an 11-win season in the books, I guarantee you Lovie guns to keep Green Bay at home this postseason. If he succeeds, the coach everyone thought would be fired come January might be planning a trip to Texas come February.
Taking shape
Yes, our quarterback still has baby fat (which his playoff beard does a decent job of hiding, by the way). Yes, the offense is very inconsistent. Yes, the Bears have had mad amounts of luck since Week 1.
But are they in the playoffs? Yes. Have they won two of the three statement games in the second half of the season? Yes. Which means we can't discount this Bears team. To paraphrase Dennis Green, the Bears are not who we thought they were.
They're actually (gulp) good.
JS
Monday, December 20, 2010
New England's Evil Empire
If the NFL was Star Wars...
(I can hear you out there: "Wait. Stop. If the NFL was what?" Just go with it, okay? I know it sounds a little goofy, but this has a point.)
So if the NFL was Star Wars, the Patriots would be the Evil Empire. Iffy (and nerdy) at first, but consider the following:
-New England hasn't won the Super Bowl since 2005, but they've always been the team to watch in the AFC East. However, the Browns and Jets both had convincing wins over the Pats, while New England barely escaped the Ravens at home. Remind you of the "Rebel Alliance" a bit?
-Since halftime of the Thanksgiving game against Detroit and prior to tonight's contest with Green Bay, the Pats had outscored opponents 116-21. This is the NFL equivalent of freezing Han Solo in ice and cutting off Luke Skywalker's arm.
(Following this analogy, the Bears are Han Solo and Mark Sanchez is Luke Skywalker. Really only works if Rex Ryan is Chewbacca.)
-Remember how after the 'Spygate' scandal three years ago and the controversy swirling around Foxboro, the Patriots decided to absolutely murk the entire league? Of course, the Pats lost to the Giants in a great Super Bowl, but not before they blew up Alderaan....I mean, thrashed the Redskins 52-7, leading to complaints they were running up the score.
Sure, the comparisons were better two years ago, but with the Patriots on their current roll, many NFL fans are questioning who can stop them. Which leads to my main point of this article:
Bill Belichick is Darth Vader.
(All right, stop rolling your eyes and give me a shot at this.)
He always wears that same hoodie with the cut-off sleeves, just like Vader's omnipresent suit. He never shows any emotion, win or lose. He even killed Mace Windu! (All right, that last one isn't true, but he did basically throw Lovie Smith out the window, if the Bears don't win the division.)
All that's really missing is a red lightsaber and a breathing machine.
Lord Vader or not, Belichick is steering the Patriots toward home-field advantage come the playoffs. With the Bills and Dolphins the only teams left on the schedule, there's good odds that say they'll be in prime position to do just that. And with the Colts looking lost, the Steelers and Ravens little competition and the NFC a shambles, Darth Belichick may just be victorious this time.
So don't be surprised if you see Danny Woodhead wearing a Stormtrooper suit after next Sunday's game.
JS
(I can hear you out there: "Wait. Stop. If the NFL was what?" Just go with it, okay? I know it sounds a little goofy, but this has a point.)
So if the NFL was Star Wars, the Patriots would be the Evil Empire. Iffy (and nerdy) at first, but consider the following:
-New England hasn't won the Super Bowl since 2005, but they've always been the team to watch in the AFC East. However, the Browns and Jets both had convincing wins over the Pats, while New England barely escaped the Ravens at home. Remind you of the "Rebel Alliance" a bit?
-Since halftime of the Thanksgiving game against Detroit and prior to tonight's contest with Green Bay, the Pats had outscored opponents 116-21. This is the NFL equivalent of freezing Han Solo in ice and cutting off Luke Skywalker's arm.
(Following this analogy, the Bears are Han Solo and Mark Sanchez is Luke Skywalker. Really only works if Rex Ryan is Chewbacca.)
-Remember how after the 'Spygate' scandal three years ago and the controversy swirling around Foxboro, the Patriots decided to absolutely murk the entire league? Of course, the Pats lost to the Giants in a great Super Bowl, but not before they blew up Alderaan....I mean, thrashed the Redskins 52-7, leading to complaints they were running up the score.
Sure, the comparisons were better two years ago, but with the Patriots on their current roll, many NFL fans are questioning who can stop them. Which leads to my main point of this article:
Bill Belichick is Darth Vader.
(All right, stop rolling your eyes and give me a shot at this.)
He always wears that same hoodie with the cut-off sleeves, just like Vader's omnipresent suit. He never shows any emotion, win or lose. He even killed Mace Windu! (All right, that last one isn't true, but he did basically throw Lovie Smith out the window, if the Bears don't win the division.)
All that's really missing is a red lightsaber and a breathing machine.
Lord Vader or not, Belichick is steering the Patriots toward home-field advantage come the playoffs. With the Bills and Dolphins the only teams left on the schedule, there's good odds that say they'll be in prime position to do just that. And with the Colts looking lost, the Steelers and Ravens little competition and the NFC a shambles, Darth Belichick may just be victorious this time.
So don't be surprised if you see Danny Woodhead wearing a Stormtrooper suit after next Sunday's game.
JS
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
In These Marvelous Times
It's a great time to be a Chicago sports fan.
Incredible, isn't it? I don't think that sentence has ever been said out loud without dripping sarcasm or an immediate tongue-lashing from the nearest person. As a matter of fact, there would probably be some backhanded response even now...
"Yeah, a great time. The Bears are the worst first-place team in the league, the Hawks are nothing compared to last year, and the Bulls are one injury away from falling through the floor. And don't get me started about baseball!....."
And so on. My mom has made an art form of this; she never ever says any Chicago team is doing well until they actually win a championship. Before that, in her words, "oh, they're mediocre."
(You've never heard anyone say "mediocre" until you've heard my mother say it. I almost want to put up her phone number so you can call and ask her to say it for you.)
Nontheless, it's still a great time to be a Chicago sports fan, no matter which of the teams is your favorite. And if you don't believe me, check it out.
1. The Bears are in first place, and it's after Week 3.
It's easy to be in first early in the season, but the Bears are still top of the division as we move into the final quarter of the NFL schedule. Granted, they've taken care of some easy marks (Bills, Cowboys, Panthers) and had some games handed to them (Packers, Lions), but hey—they still freakin' won. That's all that matters.
2. The Bulls are in first place, and hanging with the championship teams.
Year in and year out, after the MVP awards have been handed out and ESPN has finished jocking all the name players (Kobe, LeBron and *ugh* Rondo), the anchors talk about the importance of "That Guy".
You know him. He's the guy who put up 12 points and 8 rebounds every night and never got any press. He's the guy who came off the bench late in the season after a starter got injured. Either way, he's always the guy that gets credit for "keeping the team together until the star could take over". No one knows who he is before and no one really remembers him afterward. Classic example: Leon Powe for the Celts in '08.
The Bulls' "That Guy"? Taj Gibson. He was the lower draft pick last year, behind James Johnson. After his successful rookie season last year, he was supposed to move to the bench behind Carlos Boozer. But with Boozer out for the first month of the season, Taj was in the starting five, and he's delivered to the tune of 11-7 and almost two blocks per game.
Much like Greg Jennings in Madden, "he puts the team on his back, doe."
3. The Hawks are second in the division, even with half of last year's squad gone.
My erstwhile roommate (we'll call him Clark) has been keeping me updated on his St. Louis Blues and how they're poised to make a run at the playoffs this year. (He's also a Packers fan. How we coexist is a mystery to me.) Unfortunately for Clark, I'm going to shower him with insults later as I see the Hawks sitting in second behind Detroit—two places ahead of the Blues.
To be fair, NHL statistics are misleading, and since the Hawks have played at least three games more than any other division team, they are going to have a chance at more points. Still, the Blackhawks have won six of their last eight contests. Before last night's high scoring affair with St. Louis, they hadn't allowed more than two goals in any game, which means Corey Crawford might get the nod over Marty Turco in the near-future.
And why is it great to be a Sox or Cubs fan right now? Simply, it's winter. No disappointments if they're not playing, ay? (Although Cubs fans have to be feeling a little salty about that Theriot trade to St. Louis.)
Yeah, it's a good life right now in the Windy City. But just like the weather, you should probably check back tomorrow. Things might have changed.
See you in the cheap seats.
JS
Incredible, isn't it? I don't think that sentence has ever been said out loud without dripping sarcasm or an immediate tongue-lashing from the nearest person. As a matter of fact, there would probably be some backhanded response even now...
"Yeah, a great time. The Bears are the worst first-place team in the league, the Hawks are nothing compared to last year, and the Bulls are one injury away from falling through the floor. And don't get me started about baseball!....."
And so on. My mom has made an art form of this; she never ever says any Chicago team is doing well until they actually win a championship. Before that, in her words, "oh, they're mediocre."
(You've never heard anyone say "mediocre" until you've heard my mother say it. I almost want to put up her phone number so you can call and ask her to say it for you.)
Nontheless, it's still a great time to be a Chicago sports fan, no matter which of the teams is your favorite. And if you don't believe me, check it out.
1. The Bears are in first place, and it's after Week 3.
It's easy to be in first early in the season, but the Bears are still top of the division as we move into the final quarter of the NFL schedule. Granted, they've taken care of some easy marks (Bills, Cowboys, Panthers) and had some games handed to them (Packers, Lions), but hey—they still freakin' won. That's all that matters.
2. The Bulls are in first place, and hanging with the championship teams.
Year in and year out, after the MVP awards have been handed out and ESPN has finished jocking all the name players (Kobe, LeBron and *ugh* Rondo), the anchors talk about the importance of "That Guy".
You know him. He's the guy who put up 12 points and 8 rebounds every night and never got any press. He's the guy who came off the bench late in the season after a starter got injured. Either way, he's always the guy that gets credit for "keeping the team together until the star could take over". No one knows who he is before and no one really remembers him afterward. Classic example: Leon Powe for the Celts in '08.
The Bulls' "That Guy"? Taj Gibson. He was the lower draft pick last year, behind James Johnson. After his successful rookie season last year, he was supposed to move to the bench behind Carlos Boozer. But with Boozer out for the first month of the season, Taj was in the starting five, and he's delivered to the tune of 11-7 and almost two blocks per game.
Much like Greg Jennings in Madden, "he puts the team on his back, doe."
3. The Hawks are second in the division, even with half of last year's squad gone.
My erstwhile roommate (we'll call him Clark) has been keeping me updated on his St. Louis Blues and how they're poised to make a run at the playoffs this year. (He's also a Packers fan. How we coexist is a mystery to me.) Unfortunately for Clark, I'm going to shower him with insults later as I see the Hawks sitting in second behind Detroit—two places ahead of the Blues.
To be fair, NHL statistics are misleading, and since the Hawks have played at least three games more than any other division team, they are going to have a chance at more points. Still, the Blackhawks have won six of their last eight contests. Before last night's high scoring affair with St. Louis, they hadn't allowed more than two goals in any game, which means Corey Crawford might get the nod over Marty Turco in the near-future.
And why is it great to be a Sox or Cubs fan right now? Simply, it's winter. No disappointments if they're not playing, ay? (Although Cubs fans have to be feeling a little salty about that Theriot trade to St. Louis.)
Yeah, it's a good life right now in the Windy City. But just like the weather, you should probably check back tomorrow. Things might have changed.
See you in the cheap seats.
JS
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