Chicago Sports Fans Are Not As Die Hard As They Think......

With not too much going on in Chicago sports, one's attention turns to what is going on nationally. All the past few days' news has been all about USC and what is going on with their head coaching position. The only professional football team in Los Angeles of course lost their captain in Pete Carroll and gained their new leader in former Tennessee head football coach Lane Kiffin.

I do not want to get into a debate of whether what happened was right or just. Keep in mind, players leave schools early for the NFL just like coaches change schools for better opportunities. Either way you look at it, the idea of moving on whether your a coach or player is just the nature of college athletics and more so football than any other.

If you are honestly upset that Lane Kiffin left Tennessee (maybe the fifth best job in the best conference in football) for the best job in college football at USC (Los Angeles, endless funding, great location, more exciting football conference, less pressure from fan base, etc.), then get over it.

If you work for Circuit City as a sales clerk and Best Buy comes in with a sweet deal plus you get a free IPod, you would leave to. If ESPN Radio were to come my way with a syndication hosting deal, I love the 670 The Score but adios amigos!

What I was more interested in was the reaction of the fans in Knoxville when they heard the news of Lane Kiffin leaving. Rioting, burning mattresses, and ultimately defacing the cherished "Rock" (photo NSFW) with all kinds of lovely goodbye wishes for their departed head coach. Their reaction was juvenile and un-necessary but let's look at it from a local angle.

Obviously in Knoxville it's all about Tennessee football and that is what they live, breathe, and die on. Here in Chicago we are blessed to have five professional sport teams on top of a few NCAA programs. It's almost an oversaturation of sports here in the "Windy City."

The question is there a coach or player in this town that fans feel so connected and attached to that if that coach/player were to leave, would there be a similar reaction to what happened in Knoxville on the Tennessee campus?

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Mark McGwire Is Not The Only One Who Could Have Taken The Blame Yesterday......

So what did we learn from Mark McGwire's admission yesterday that indeed he took performance enhancing drugs? How did we expand the story about how baseball's biggest black eye in it's 141 years of existence is still lingering in its record books?

Anyone? Take your time.....

That is my point.


Of the hour long special on the MLB Network which featured Bob Costas searching for answers we all knew already, the media and fans learned nothing. So what does this say about baseball and the steroid era?

The notion of innocent until proven guilty no longer applies to Mark McGwire, but then again in the eye of public opinion "Big Mac" was already guilty. What happened yesterday was not done to satisfy the media where they can finally say "WE TOLD YOU SO." What happened yesterday was not done to satisfy the fans of "America's game" where they can finally say "HA! WE KNEW IT ALL ALONG." What happened yesterday was nothing more than another attempt by the media and fans alike to put the blame on someone else besides ourselves.

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The Cubs Show Why They Think They're The Most Important.....

Although my previous note from last week cites that I do not believe that Andre Dawson "The Hawk" is a true hall of famer, the fact is he did get elected. I guess the ninth time was the charm after all for the "hall of famer."

However what I read today just shocked me. Not as a White Sox fan, but as a baseball fan.

This morning, I read the following post on ChicagoBreakingSports.com about the possibility of the Chicago Cubs retiring "The Hawk's" number eight.

I would like you to read this and see if you had the same reaction I had.

"Besides many more thousands of marketing dollars, Dawson has been promised by the Cubs to have his No. 8 uniform number retired if he goes into the Hall of Fame as a Cub, a source close to Dawson said on Sunday."

That sounds to me like the Cubs are putting pressure on Dawson to make sure he persuades the hall of fame to honor him as a Chicago Cub instead of a Montreal Expo. By making the promise that Dawson's number eight shall never be worn again by a Chicago Cub, that is putting Dawson in a position where he need not be put.

If this story is indeed true, shame on the Ricketts family and the Chicago Cubs.

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Andre Dawson Joining The Hall Of The Average.....

Andre Dawson will be the 232nd player to be inducted into baseball's hall of fame on July 25th in Cooperstown, NY. The 1977 NL rookie of the year and eight time all star received 420 of 539 votes in results announced by the Baseball Writers' Association of America, 15 more than the 75 percent necessary to gain election. This was the 9th year "The Hawk" was up for enshrinment beating out favorites Roberto Alomar and Barry Larkin for the honor in 2010.

However rather than focus on why Dawson is a hall of famer or compare to him the legends that have already made the way to Cooperstown, the discussion is what hat will Andre Dawson wear headed into the hall.

"The Hawk" played for four different teams (MON/CHC/BOS/FLA) in his 21 season career, yet here in Chicago the emphasis is he should wear the Cubbie blue because without his 1987 MVP season with the north siders....Dawson probably would not make the hall. The sad reality is that we are more focused on the lid Dawson will wear rather than the numbers themselves and if the meet the requirements of the hall of fame.

I believe Andre Dawson is NOT a hall of famer. Just like Jim Rice, Goose Gossage, Bruce Sutter, Gary Carter, and Billy Williams.

Here's why......

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A Double Standard In This Year's MLB Hall Of Fame Voting....

Working as a producer in sports talk radio, you get into a lot of conversations about random things in sports. For my entry today I would like to discuss a conversation Dustin Rhodes (Executive Producer Mully And Hanley Mornings) and myself had before we closed out our show today. The discussion was about the probable induction of Roberto Alomar into baseball's hall of fame.

The conversation began because as Roberto Alomar's image flashed on the television screen this morning, it opened the door to the bitter hate Dustin had for the former White Sox second baseman. Dustin told me that Alomar should not be allowed into the hall of fame because of the famous September 27, 1996 spitting incident where Alomar indeed sprayed umpire John Hirschbeck with some hot saliva over a called third strike.

Of course I was the contrary because when I am asked about whom belongs in the hall of fame, I always go to the stat sheet.

However my partners argument dawned a thought on me on my way home this morning.

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The Bottom Line Means More Than Winning With The Chicago Bears

Bear Fans!!

We suffered, discussed, debated, and now we know that what most Bear fans did not want to hear. Lovie Smith will indeed be back for a seventh season as head coach of the Chicago Bears. This decision however comes with some changes however but ones that really do not make sense to me.

The Chicago Bears along with keeping Lovie Smith decided to fire six offensive coaches including Ron Turner (Offensive coordinator), Pep Hamilton (QB), Harry Hiestand (O-Line), Rob Boras (TE), and assistants Luke Butkus and Charles London. However the Bears also did fire someone on the defensive side of the ball....that would be Lovie Smith who relinquished his duties as defensive coordinator.

So Lovie was fired, but he is still the head coach.

Jim Zorn anyone??

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And So Chicago Bear Nation Waits......

Welcome to "Black Monday"

The one day in the NFL where the expected happens around 100% of the time and once in a while a surprise happens. Today the expected happened with Jim Zorn out as well as the entire Buffalo Bills coaching staff and yet most Bear fans are waiting for the "surprise." This is the first year in the last six where Bears fans are waiting to hear the fate of their organization and most hope that it includes the firing of Lovie Smith.

The most debated topic in Chicago sports will finally end when Jerry Angelo heads to the podium to do the best sell job in his tenure as General Manager of the Chicago Bears. Although the season is a total disappointment finishing yesterday with a win at lowly Detroit, the fans are not happy with a 7-9 record and demand change.

So we sit and wait....

What can be gained by firing Lovie Smith?

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