Bearing Down for a Harsh NFL in January From A Team No One Respects

“I've taken my bows
And my curtain calls
You've bought me fame and fortune
And everything that goes with it
I thank you all
But it's been no bed of roses no pleasure cruise
I consider it a challenge before the whole human race
And I ain't gonna lose
And I need to go on and on and on and on

We are the champions, my friend
And we'll keep on fighting till the end
We are the champions
We are the champions
No time for losers
Because we are the champions of the world…”

We Will Rock You/We are the Champions--Freddie Mercury of Queen


The Chicago Bears have five members of the team going to the Pro-Bowl. That is fine, and not meaning to complain, BUT…

There should be SIX!

Brian Urlacher is a perennial Pro Bowl player, and in my opinion (biased as it is), he deserves it. He delivers tough hits, he has the speed of a cat against an unsuspecting prey, and he has football savvy. Enjoy Maui or wherever they play, Brian. Good for you. He controlled the Falcon game, the Panther game, and the first Packer game.

Lance Briggs—also a linebacker—is going for the first time. No problem here because the NFC has a drop-off concerning outside linebackers and with that aside, he hits hard. He has a nose around the football, he knocks the living hell out of the opponents and he is consistently following the action. He reminds me of Wilbur Marshall of old and the Bears would not be successful without him.

Another perennial Pro Bow player is Olin Kruetz. He is quick, blocks hard, is willing to smack a teammate if need be, and he is probably the best fighter on the team. You need an Olin Kruetz to give a nod to the old days. He plays hard, he is the anchor of a vastly improved offensive line, and he has secured a position for years. Opponents actually draw up defenses around him, so more power to him and the respect he deserves.

Mike Brown has deserved this spot for years as a safety, but injuries have kept him out of contention. He is the heart and soul of the Bears and let’s face it, they play so much better with him in the game. He will knock people out; opponents are afraid to throw downfield because if he does not intercept the pass; he certainly will clean the clock, the snot, and the crap out of anyone who catches it. I would argue, and “safely” (pun intended), that he is the best pure player on the team.

Nathan Vasher deserves to go because as a cornerback, he has more interceptions than some teams have. His 108 yard runback for a touchdown (NFL RECORD) also is relatively tough to ignore. That position has been a thorn in the side of the Bears since the LA Mike Richardson days, so more power to the Bears for making people think about throwing the ball downfield. He was brilliant in so many games this season.

Tommie Harris—nice to see the newcomer get a chance. He is a force and has been a force for disrupting plays. He does not receive a great deal of press, but Harris is a kid who plays the position right and causes others to look better. The average NFL fan perhaps does not recognize his contributions, but the players and coaches do and I think this was a vote from his colleagues. Good for Harris and after he won the Pro Bowl berth, it was altogether logical to see why.

And now who should have gone—Alex Brown. He has dominated the defensive line like no one’s business. He plays injured, he controls games, and he has made many a quarterback feel pain. I doubt he was snubbed as much as I think he is less of a household name with the fans. Besides, other defensive linemen on other teams have more press, but the man will now play like a demon possessed through the playoffs as if to say, “I told you so.”

And I hope Thomas Jones, Charles “Peanut” Tillman, John Tait, and “Wally” (spelled completely by nickname because there is no way I can spell it correctly) have the same attitude as I suspect Brown will have.

I promised one of my students, who is a huge Bear fan and her father is one as well who runs a local bar—which they owe me a steak by the way, that I would not mention the “SB” words until the NFC Championship is won, but watch The Bears in January. This could be fun.

'Tis The Season...

"Jingle Bells, Batman smells;
Robin laid an egg.
Batmobile lost its wheel
and the Joker got away..."
by Some annoying kid somewhere, "Jingle Bats."

Here is my annual Christmas Gift List. Now I cannot really afford to send these out, but if I could; you can bet I would. I have many pent up aggressions here, so have fun.

For My Wife—My devotion and the new White Stripes CD (let’s see if she really reads this blog!!!!)

For Family and Friends, Coworkers and Neighbors—Peace and Love

For my cats—The house redecorating to be completed.

For Batman: An evening with Catwoman—complete with Cat-O-Nine-Tails and a Bat-pole.

For Superman—a Lump of Kryptonite in his stocking (Batman is so much better)

For DC Comics fans: a resolve with the Infinite Crisis that makes sense and better stories for Batman, Flash, and Superman--noting JSA, JLA, Hawkman, and Green Arrow have been great--oh and while I am at it--kill Hal Jordan again--how dull is Green Lantern now you Jordan fan boys!

For Spider-man: a new life as a truly "spider-man."

For the X-Men and fans of the series: A great new movie and some sense to the book.

For the Other Marvel books: a better life for Thor, cancellation of Hulk, a writer for Iron-Man, and the begging of Bendis to continue as the writer for Daredevil.

For Chicago Bears: an offense and the PLAYOFFS!

For The Chicago Cubs—Beating the Cardinals in the playoffs followed by beating the White Sux in the World Series. Hey I can dream, right?

For the Apprentice Shows—Cancellations

For the Illinois Government—lots of money to pay those bills of BS that the politicians waste for no decent reason and still have the balls to ignore education.

For Green Day—More accolades on creating the best Punk Album in 15 years.

For my loyal eBayer buyers—more great deals—buy buy BUY! No seriously, BUY this stuff…

For President Bush: a copy of the song and the lyrics to Elvis Costello’s (What's So Funny About) “Peace, Love, and Understanding.”

For Vice President Cheney: A copy of the song and lyrics of Elvis Costello’s (What's So Funny About) “Peace, Love, and Understanding” so he can answer all the questions that the President will have.

For my waistline: More Weight Watchers.

For my Cable Company: Dish Network for everybody!!!!

For the Rolling Stones: Geritol and a FINAL GREAT BLUES ALBUM (and then--with all due respect, a long RETIREMENT!)

For The Surviving Beatles: Long life and the 53 million dollars you are asking for (not that anyone needs that much money, but if anyone does, the Beatles do). Oh and a trip to the insane asylum for the rest of her life for Yoko Ono.

For Clash fans: a long lost album hidden away in the CBS vaults that highlight the greatness of Joe Strummer.

For Ramones fans: a box set that DOES NOT rehash every other thing they have done and offers something new (let's face it, they played over 1200 shows--there has to be a stereo show out there somewhere that is different).

For the members of THE JAM: Kiss and makeup already and put out a new album (hint to Paul Weller: your solo stuff sucks!!!!)

For my fellow Jethro Tull fans (who I hold especially near and dear to my heart: a new album that rocks and only has a few acoustic compositions.

For Kinks fans: a speedy recovery for Dave Davies and a new album that gives a "nod to mod."

For The Who fans: Roger and Pete finally complete the decade-long album and the additional wish that it does not contain "A Friend is a Friend" type of God-awful compositions.

For Led Zeppelin fans: John Paul Jones "gets over" his disdain for the others and plays with them for one last show with Bonzo's son.

For Pink Floyd fans: a pay-per-view of Richard Wright beating the living hell out of that jackass Roger Watters. Let Nick Mason and Dave Gilmore "officiate" and they can kick the crap out of Watters, as well (uh no bias on THIS blog site).

For Yardbird fans: another "lost" concert found--the last year version was great.

For Traveling Wilburys fans: Petty, Lynne, and Dylan join up with Kelter and give a tribute to their lost friends in Harrison and Orbison. They can ask Dave Edmunds and Ray Davies or Brian Setzer or Pete Townshend or Elvis Costello to sit in.

For XTC fans: A new album--it has been way too long.

For Cure fans: a new "dark" album.

For Dave Edmunds fans: any sort of material at all.

For Nick Lowe fans: a new album that does not make Nick sound like he’s on downers.

For Rush fans: a new album that is NOT live.

For Blue Oyster Cult fans: another great album that hearkens back to the past in their 1970s heydays.

For The Oil Companies: A new type of energy resource--then we can stick it to you for once.

For the Pets at all local Animal Shelters: A spay or neuter treatment and a good home.

For Rudolph: Less red nosing it so he can have a year off.

For Santa: Less cookies (what are we trying to do, kill that fat bastard?)
For TBS viewers everywhere: less “Wonderful Lives” and less “Christmas Stories.”

For Beer fans: more Schlafley Winter ESB and the new Bell's Wheat ales--those are incredible.

And for all of you: “A Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night” or if you are an employee of politically correct places, “A Happy Holiday (which includes Christmas, Kwanza, Hanukah, and non-denominational festive celebrations) to every living creature and the sky and the earth and to every living creature and the sky and the earth a pleasant evening, later afternoon, and time period from dusk to dawn.”

Forty-Two Years of Reflection...

“Dearly beloved, are you listening?
I can't remember a word that you were saying,
Are we demented? Or am I disturbed?
The space that's in between insane and insecure”

“Jesus of Suburbia” by Green Day.


On this, my 42nd birthday—here you go with my thoughts on life.

Here are some simple rules that I have learned during my forty-two years of existence on this Earth.

Share Your Toys—We should be a society that gives and we should share the wealth. Share that which you have and all will feel better.

Eat Your Veggies—Yep, Ma was right. Veggies can add vitamins and nutrients and are not really fattening. Granted, it is best to avoid peas and Lima Beans, but the rest are OK

Houses Were Built Better A Long Time Ago—My old house is much better than many newer houses, even if it does have some drafty areas. There is character in an older home and there is a charm that otherwise does not always exist in newer construction.

Never Be Afraid To Ask For Help—People everywhere can help and they are usually never asked.

Never Go To Bed Angry—Learn to forgive and learn to be forgiving. Anger before sleeps causes restlessness and bad dreams.

When You Stoop To Aid A Child You Have Done Society A Great Favor—Teaching is a rewarding job. The Generativity in helping the future is quite rewarding.

Stand Up For What is Right—Never fear that you stand up for what you believe in—you may stand alone at times, but at least you are standing.

Books Are Friends—The best we can offer humanity is our thoughts as they never die. Reading encourages questions, thought, and even philosophies.

Vote With Clear Intentions—Never give in to societal pressures. Vote with a clear conscience and recognize that people died for your right to cast a fair ballot.

Cats Are Better Than Dogs—They do not smell, they do not shed much, and they are smart enough not to be subjugated to mere tricks. Cats are intensely more interesting to watch and a cat shows deductive reasoning in its movements. Dogs may be “man’s best friend,” but I like an animal that tries to outwit me. There is a certain character and charm in it all.

Good Beer is Great—God gave us the taste of ambrosia when he enlightened us to create beer. Spend the extra bucks and enjoy a quality beverage.

God Does Not Waste His/Her Time “Getting Even” Or Punishing Us—I mean get real…a deity that wastes time by smoting us down and bothering decent people for errors. I assume God has better things to do, like help the Bears win.

The Bears Are The Greatest Football Team, Ever. Nothing further needed.

Get Over Yourself—Life is too short to carry grudges. Get over yourself and move on when dealing with people.

Your Government Can Only Be Trusted When Money Is NOT A Factor—Like government officials do not bulk their own wallets—uh-huh. I would trust the President’s words more if he wasn’t moralizing over my life and he had more in common with the middle class, as opposed to being born into luxury. Oh, and six years is plenty of time government officials to do the job and then join a society which has to suffer with their bullsh!t. Career politicians have agendas and something to hide. Push for one-time term limits.

Be Involved In Your Community—Help your fellow man.

Batman Is A Hero We Should Admire—Tragic loss and he has so many “issues” that he kicks the crap out of anyone who bothers him. Reminds me a bit of Jackson and Truman, only with a cape.

Thank Your Teachers—They reached out to you and you owe them for their expertise. Personal comments, but it is true. And Teachers, quit complaining about salaries—you know it going in. And general public, quit whining about teacher salaries—most teachers work over the summers.

The Best Thing A Father Can Do For His Children Is Love Their Mother. Simple truth.

Take The Path Less Traveled—Frost is right. Enjoy the Scenery.

Wear Clean Underwear—You Never Know…

Make People Think, Question, and Consider—No comments needed.

Make People Laugh—No Comments Needed.

When You Look In The Mirror, Be Proud Of What You See—If You cannot, YOU are the problem, so fix yourself.

Hate to say I told you so...(Actually I love it)

“Its something unpredictable
But in the end is right
I hope you had the time of your life”
Green Day “Good Riddance.”

I have to admit—I made a mistake in reasoning. WOW! The Bears have reached my predicted mark of at least 9 and 7. Unreal.

You may remember my post from August 14, 2005—“We are the Bears—No Shuffling Crew” I said “9 and 7 seems tough, but let’s look at some honest facts.” Well, I was correct, but I also predicted they would not go far. How wrong I was.

The Bears ARE the best team in the NFC Central and among the best (Dallas, Giants, Panthers) in the NFC. Unreal. I also wrote: “The Bears have an easier schedule. They are playing in arguably the worst division in football. The Packers are down without some key offensive line players; the Vikings are Moss-less and I hate them (which has nothing to do with how well they will play) and they do not have an established running back; and the Lions are…well…the Lions. They simply stink. I figured the Bears have the best defense in the group and with the addition of Mohammad and the new O-Line; the Bears have made some good moves in the right direction. Therefore, 9 and 7 is plausable.”

Oh how good it is to be right.

Now I am thinking the Bears could have a commanding lead in the NFC.

Whereas I am not willing to annoint them as Super Bowl Representatives of the NFC yet, I think they will be a force to be reckoned with. As I said last year, the Bears will win the NFC Central, NFC NORSE DIVISION FOR ALL OF YOU CHRIS BERMANN FANS, this year and be serious contenders for the Super Bowl next year.

Go BEARS!

You beat the (Fudge) Packers (or Lackers) this week and you are on the way, closing the door on each Demon of the past week after week. Orten (who I also predicted in August as the starting QB for the season) will only continue to grow in his role. The Defense is for real. The running game is for real. The Offensive line, which I stated, has vastly improved, has honestly gelled into the best in the NFC. Thomas Jones has emerged as a quality back.

Now you need to learn to put people away. As my good friend Mike said, “this game will be won by an interception by Hunter Hillenmeyer for a touchdown or something like that…” of the Packer game.

No Mike, his name was Nathan Vasher.

Marrying my best friend 16 years ago, two inches of snow on the ground right now, my 42 birthday next week, successful Heart Surgery a year ago, Green Day on Fuse network this weekend—Go Punk!, 12 Beers of Christmas a few days ago, and the Bears commandingly leading the NFC North. Can life get better this week—I suppose so, but I do not know how!

Comment if you wish—remember I was right and remember further to NEVER DOUBT ME!