Hey ... Hawks?

I might be the only person who cares, but the Blackhawks, after a promising start, have lost five games in a row and have not scored in the last 10 periods. The latest embarassment was a 3-0 setback to the Philadelphia Flyers, who picked up only their third win of the year and who started the season losing seven of eight, causing the axe to fall on the GM and head coach.

Despite having been a huge Blackhawks fan throughout the 1990s, I’ve found myself pushing them far down on my priority list in the last few years. Major contributing factors to this development are the team’s longstanding ineptitude, the aggravation of the Wirtz regime, the lockout of 2004-05, and my acquisition of a life. So I don’t really know what all the issues are, although I did hear offhand about an injury to Martin Havlet, which would be a big blow.

Therefore, I am now pledging before you, my loyal readers – yes, all three of you – to renew my fandom of the Blackhawks. I’m starting tomorrow night, when I’ll actually be able to watch them because they’ll be on the road. (Not sure how that works? See Wirtz Regime, aggravation of the.) I’m planting myself on the couch and watching the entire game, no matter how depressing it gets. Check back here later in the week for a full report on the state of the Blackhawks.

Recap: Defense Leads The Way Again

That was a very satisfying football performance to watch.

That game was over with 1:02 left in the first quarter, when the BEARS scored their third touchdown of the game. They went on to tie their franchise record for points, held San Francisco to two first downs, and didn’t allow the 49ers across midfield until three minutes remained.

The defense played with Super Bowl-caliber ferocity, flying around the field and forcing three turnovers. On a third-down play at midfield with less than two minutes remaining, Alex Smith threw to Arnez Battle short of the first-down marker, and the defense swarmed at snapped at him like testosterone-injected pit bulls enraged by hot pokers in the eyes. They stopped him a yard short, setting up a fourth down that ended in a 49ers fumble.

But “that” was all in the first half. Then a funny thing happened: A 49ers team that managed only 73 yards in the first half while giving up 41 points, actually went out and WON the second half. That’s right, 10-0.

On top of not scoring a single point the rest of the way, the BEARS gave up double digits at home for the first time since Carson Palmer visited on Sept. 25, 2005. (Well, first time in a regular-season game, anyway.) For the record, the 49ers ended up with 262 total yards and 11 first downs; the BEARS had a total of five takeaways (three on defense and a fumble recovery by the special teams in the first half; another defensive fumble recovery late in the game.)

Certainly, this is most likely due to let-ups and second-string replacements from a team that had a victory assured for a long time. And in a game that was closer than 41 points, Lovie Smith probably would have settled for the field goal to get something out of an 89-yard drive that stalled at the end zone. So overall, it’s hard to call a 41-10 win “disappointing”; it’s just that the second half took some of the style points off of a dominating victory.

What I saw more than anything in this game, though, is that when the BEARS defense is in top form it has enough desire and talent to choose not to lose a single game. After all, despite the 41-point offensive explosion, the game was really won on defense, and to a lesser extent, special teams.

Just check out the BEARS’ five touchdown drives: a 15-yard drive following a fumbled kickoff; a 41-yard drive following an interception; a 13-yard drive resulting from a fumble recovery; a 24-yard drive set up by a 42-yard punt return, and a 70-yard drive that started with 1:12 left in the half. Granted, that one was impressive – but it came when the game was well in hand, and it started after another BEARS interception. Other than that, the offense basically took advantage of the gifts handed to it by a relentless defense.

It wasn’t just about forcing turnovers. San Francisco’s first-half drives that didn’t end in turnovers were all three-and-outs; the 49ers gained 6, 0, and 2 yards on those series. And the intensity was still present in the second half – such as when Danieal Manning chased down Frank Gore on his 53-yard run late in the game to prevent a touchdown, at least momentarily – it just wasn’t turned up quite as high as in the first half.

The game ball has to go to someone on defense, although it was such a total team effort that it's tough to single one guy out. But I'll go with Todd Johnson for his two forced fumbles and five tackles.

On the other side of the ball, Rex Grossman and Thomas Jones had nice days. Grossman was 23 for 29 for 252 yards, 3 TDs and no picks; Jones set the tone early and often, running like he wasn't hitting resistance while picking up 111 yards. For the 49ers, Gore had a great game on paper: 111 yards for a 9.3 average per carry; even if you take away his late 53-yard run, he's still over 5 yards a carry, which is Jim Brown territory.

One last note of interest: I was away from TVs on Sunday afternoon, so I Tivo’d the BEARS game. With heavy use of the remote, I got through it in one hour, seven minutes, without missing a single play – even extra points! And that includes a couple minutes to check out a little halftime jabbering and some sweet replays. On the down side, by the end of the game I had not been made painstakingly aware of every single minute of that evening’s FOX programming, but then again, as down sides go that one isn’t really that far down. I adjusted by simply keeping the TV on in the background so I would be sure to catch any random Simpsons reruns. (And BTW – mission accomplished!)

KotH Week 8 Notes

-- Apparently it's not enough that Cubs fans haven't seen our team win a World Series in anybody's memory. Now, we have to watch our two biggest rivals win it in back-to-back years. Feb. 4 can't get here soon enough.

-- In a second half in which Illinois was outscored 20-0, gave up two fourth-down conversions on pass plays, and gained a paltry 73 yards on offense to piss away a two-touchdown lead against a ranked Wisconsin team, nothing screamed out "Fire Zook" quite so much as the trick play that went for a loss with 3:15 left and Illinois trailing by six.

-- You all know that I refuse to discuss a certain player by name in this space, but I love the fact that NFL players voted him The League's Most Overrated Player. I don't know that I agree, but I love it. And I definitely don't agree with Brian Urlacher at No. 2 or Ray Lewis at No. 3. This sounds more like a list of Players Who Other NFL Players Are Sickest Of Hearing About, which is not at all the same thing as overrated.

-- So let's think about who is overrated in the NFL. Why are Chad Pennington and Byron Leftwich supposedly saviors of their teams? They have OK numbers, but they've never won anything. Between them they have one division title, on Pennington's 9-7 Jets in 2001. What about Edgerrin James, now that we see how much he can't do with no talent around him? Randy Moss was miles and miles of hype with several milimeters of production. Heck, we don't even have to go outside T.L.M.O.P.'s locker room -- the Cowboys are going to finish 5-11 if they stick with Tony Romo. That's what "overrated" is all about, people!

-- Last thought on this: Buy Giants safety Brandon Short a steak for the hit he put on T.L.M.O.P. late in the second quarter Monday night.

-- Awfully nice of Taco Bell to offer a free taco for everyone in America if anyone had hit a home run in Game 3 of the World Series. Or, it would have been awfully nice, if that hadn't been the game Chris Carpenter was starting. Why not at least give us a sporting chance, like a free taco every time Kenny Rogers punches out a cameraman?

-- Hey, Al Davis: When someone questions in print whether your health is failing, the proper way to convince him otherwise is not to wield your walker and tell him that if you were 20 years younger you would a-whoop him.

-- Anyone else have an uneasy feeling about the BEARS againt the 49ers? I mean, there's no reason the BEARS should lose to anyone at home. Still, they're playing a team that tore them up in the preseason in their first game after they needed a miracle to beat another very poor team that played them tough in the preseason. I know in my head that the BEARS will win by 30, but something in my gut won't believe it until I see it.

One Man's Private Super Bowl Dream

Well sure, it’s not so private anymore. And of course it involves the BEARS winning the Super Bowl. That’s just the context. Here’s the story …

Late in the season, possibly through injury, possibly through personnel moves, the BEARS find themselves with an open roster spot. They offer it to a specific former NFL running back. As the new 53^rd man, he dutifully stands on the sidelines with his comrades for every play of every game the rest of the way.

On Feb. 4, for one day, the BEARS unretire a specific jersey. That day, in Miami, the BEARS roll to a comfortable but far from conclusive lead. Somewhere in the third quarter, the offense drives to the 2-yard line. The 53^rd man, Jarrett Payton, runs out into the huddle, the blazing orange trim burning his uniform number into the eyes of all onlookers. The players break huddle and take their formation. Rex Grossman takes the snap and drops back. The linemen drive their opponents backward with the fury of a man fighting for survival. Jarrett accepts the handoff in his only play of the year. He darts forward and crosses the goal line, and after 21 years of patient waiting, a deserving city finally sees its beloved No. 34 Payton scoring a Super Bowl touchdown.

In the fleeting, reverent hush that follows, Jarrett humbly, gracefully, flips the ball to the referee. He and this moment are now etched forever in the yang of a city. An organization has filled the void in the heart of a city that loves it unconditionally. And a city whose identity is the struggle to keep its virtues just slightly more beautiful than its blemishes are ugly, erupts in wild celebration.

Ron Rivera is there to mark the occasion, perched high above the field in his post as defensive coordinator. Mike Singletary gives witness from the stands. Jim McMahon raises a beer and flashes his deranged, gap-toothed smile in a bar somewhere. Mike Ditka howls in the ESPN studio, finally granting himself the forgiveness that the city gave him long ago.

I know it could never happen. But it’s a dream that sure is fun to dream.

KotH Week 7 Notes

-- Dude! I can't believe I forgot to tack this line onto the Monday night email. When I was preparing the notes in my head at the bar, it was my favorite one! And now the window of comedy might be closed on it forever. But, just in case it still gets a chuckle from someone, I'm going to throw it out there anyway: So, do you think Matt Leinart and Brian Urlacher hung around after the game and traded "How I Nailed Paris" stories?

-- Seriously, though, I wouldn't want to be the Raiders this week. And I mean this week more so than usual. And not just because I'd be in Oakland.

-- Realistically, the BEARS probably would not have gone undefeated even with Mike Brown. But I'm going to predict that in his absense, they will lose at least one game that they otherwise would have won.

-- Hey, Juan Uribe: Just because your team's fans are criminals doesn't mean you have to be.

-- Lou Pinella? Are you serious? On top of being older than lines like "and not just because I'd be in Oakland", he doesn't have the temperament to manage a bunch of coddled multi-millionaires to the postseason. Bob Brenley was available. Joe Gerardi was available -- and will make his mark somewhere else, because that guy can flat-out manage. Pinella's antics crossed the line from comedically motivational to disturbingly embarassing years ago, right around the time he had to maintain an anger-meter reading of "furious" for like an hour and a half to get that stupid base out of the dirt. I'm opposed to the whole thing. In fact, I'm damn opposed. Damn, damn, damn opposed!

-- Unless he brings A-Rod with him. Then it would be OK.

-- So the Cardinals are in the World Series, and I can't help thinking, that's still a division that the Cubs could have won. Go, Tigers!

-- So ... Mike Tyson wants to fight a woman in the ring. That's plain creepy. Normally there's not much harm in two professional boxers, fully aware of the danger, deciding to face off, even if they are different genders. It has been done before, and it's a gimmick at worst. But to involve Tyson, who has gone to jail for punching women who could not fight him back, takes a lot of the humor value out of it. I think Tony Kornheiser got it right when he said the next time Mike Tyson gets into a boxing ring he should be fighting a lion.

-- Oh big whoop, Michigan State came back from 35 points down against Northwestern. Now everyone's talking like this is the greatest comeback ever, forgetting all about the true greatest comeback ever even though it happened only five days previous. And that punk John L. Smith is still going to get fired. Coaches can get fired just for losing to Illinois no matter how many 35-point comebacks they pull off, especially if they have to come back from 35 points down a lot.

-- Lastly, I want to mention to all of you that I've started a blog to expand my thoughts on sports. I very much enjoy writing these notes, and I hope that shows through. The blog will focus on the Chicago sporting scene, and you can check it out at http://sweethomesports.blogspot.com. I'm still figuring out the site mechanics, so you have to click on "October 2006" under "Archives" to see the whole thing. If you like it, tell your friends. If you think I suck -- well, you should probably tell your friends anyway, because if they're like my friends they like to laugh at things that suck. I'm going to post the KotH notes there (unadulterated for at least the first few weeks, to see how they translate from email to blogosphere) but will probably also continue to email them every week, because, well, I'm just that egotistical about my writing. Hope you stop by the blog!

The Very First Entry: '06 vs. '85 BEARS!

Hi everyone!

As you probably know, this is a spot devoted to my thoughts on Chicago sports. (For our purposes, "Chicago sports" will include Big Ten football and basketball, because I went to Illinois, and Notre Dame football, because my high school was affiliated with Notre Dame. Deal with it.) This grew out of a weekly email I send out for a football pool that I run. I send out a bunch of notes and observations each week that I like to think are clever and that I hope entertain the players. It's kind of funny, really, considering how dreadfully dry and boring this intro is so far.

Anyhoo ...

Given that this town is always, first and foremost, a BEARS town, and given the success that the current iteration is enjoying, it seems fitting to make the greatest BEARS team ever the subject of the first post. Before the incredible comeback against Arizona on Monday night, ESPN had its broadcast crew compare the 1985 and 2006 BEARS in three key areas: quarterback, middle linebacker and head coach. I'm going to kick things off by giving my own take, as well as a comparison of the overall teams. As always, you're free to disagree.

Quarterback: This is very much of a tossup, but I had to give the nod to Grossman. That was certainly true before he laid an egg Monday night, and I think I still like him even after that game. These guys are basically the same player: Above average but unspectaclular talent, possessive of leadership qualities, and an annoying propensity to get injured. If Grossman goes on to have another good year beyond 2006, he will have more good seasons than McMahon. But the real reason I had to pick Grossman is that he is consistently level-headed whereas McMahon was a head case and a troublemaker. Advantage, Grossman.

Middle Linebacker: Singletary, and it's no contest. Mike Singletary is quite possibly the manliest man to ever play the game of football, on and off the field. In 1987, he lost a fingertip in a game at Minnesota, went to the sidelines, got bandaged up, and returned to the field to spearhead a goal-line stand that preserved a BEARS victory. In 1998, after his retirement (and enshrinement into the Hall of Fame), when former BEARS lineman Alonzo Spellman went on his gun-toting rampage, it was Singletary who took it upon himself to drive up to the scene of the incident and calmly talk down the bipolar Spellman -- even though Singletary, who dwarfs mortal men, was in turn dwarfed by Spellman. Nobody who ever played the game of football has all of that on their resume. Brian Urlacher is a fine player who deserves his own bust in the Hall of Fame, but there is only one Mike Singletary.

Coach: OK, so I pussied out and voted "present" on this one. I recognize that anyone reading this blog could have coached the 1985 BEARS to a Super Bowl victory, but Coach Ditka is too much a part of Chicago lore. Even when my head says Lovie Smith, my heart says Da Coach.

Overall team: To look at the three categories ESPN picked out, you might think this is a dead heat. But let's look at the rest of the field. The overall linebacking corps on the 2006 team is simply not in the same class as '85. Ditto the offensive line. The defensive line in '06 might be as talented as their forebears, but they are not nearly so maniacally (nor do they have as much personality) as The Fridge, Mongo, The Sack Man and Danimal. The defensive backfield has a slight edge in 2006, but the '85 receiving corps was more solid. And the running game? Please. I'll take an aging Walter Payton over Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson combined. Bottom line is, even some experts outside of Chicago think the 1985 BEARS are the greatest football team of all time. The 2006 BEARS are worthy of returning the Vince Lombardi trophy to its rightful place at Halas Hall, but they'll be far below the 1985 team when history ranks its champions.

Thanks for reading,

Kevin