By Jim Coffman

In the midst of the bye week, please allow me to be the last to weigh in on the arrival of The Savior on the North Side.
There is no arguing with Theo Epstein’s credentials to run the Cubs, and it is clear he has brought in able lieutenants to assist in the procurement of maximum talent.
The big problem with Theo is the curse factor, i.e., the belief, which I’m sure has already gained tremendous purchase in Cutesy Cubbie Nation, that because Theo was able to deliver Boston from the Curse of the Bambino, he surely is the man to save the Cubs from the Curse of the Goat.
Please.
Here’s Chicago comedian Jeff Garlin, best known as Larry David’s sidekick on Curb Your Enthusiasm, on the rank stupidity of the Billy Goat curse:

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Posted on October 31, 2011

By Thomas Chambers

Random thoughts that must find the light of day before the heavy golden doors of the monastery seal behind us as we solemnly vow ourselves to pace and speed contemplation and wagering enlightenment just a week out from the 2011 Breeders’ Cup World Championships:
Will Goldikova add even more to her brilliant legacy with a fourth straight victory in the Breeders’ Cup Mile (Grade I, turf)?
Be thankful for another visit by the truly great Irish-bred as the now six-year-old daughter of Anabaa returns to the scene of her scintillating 2010 Mile victory, the turf at Churchill Downs.
She’s due to arrive in Louisville Saturday – Goldikova’s certainly used to the trip by now – and trainer Freddy Head has already pronounced her “better than ever.”

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Posted on October 27, 2011

By Dan O’Shea
Finally, officially, Theo Epstein is joining the Cubs, not as GM, but president of baseball operations. It might be the ideal position for a proven winner with a proven system, but who might need others on his management team to balance his recent willingness to risk big deals on big free agents.
You see, the best part of this deal might be the deals to come – the likelihood that Epstein cohorts Jed Hoyer and Jason McLeod could be joining the Cubs, too, as GM and assistant GM, respectively.

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Posted on October 26, 2011

By Dan O’Shea

The three fantasy football performances people are talking about the most after Week 7:
* Tim Tebow, QB, Denver: 161 yards passing, 65 yards rushing, 2 TDs, 1 2-pt, 0 INTs
* DeMarco Murray, RB, Dallas: 253 yards rushing, 1 TD
* Plaxico Burress, WR, San Diego: 25 yards receiving, 3 TDs
What these performances have in common – in addition to the fact that none of these guys had been among weekly fantasy leaders before Week 7 – is that match-ups, and how coaches reacted to them, played a significant role.

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Posted on October 26, 2011

Thank You, Chicago Fire!

By local Chicago musician Nick Vitogiannes before the club’s 2011 season finale on October 22 vs. the Columbus Crew at Toyota Park.

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Posted on October 25, 2011

By Jim Coffman

The Bears took advantage.
They tortured their fans all through the fourth quarter, but the team took advantage of a road game played at a neutral site, pulling out a 24-18 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to take a winning record into the bye.
The halfway point of the season arrives a week and a few days hence, so it certainly isn’t too early to start speculating about a possible wild card playoff spot (especially since the Packers show no signs of allowing the Bears even a glimmer of hope for a repeat division title). And the Bears’ 4-3 mark ties them for second-best among the non-division leaders in the National Football Conference, only a game in back of the top such team (Detroit).

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Posted on October 24, 2011

By Carl Mohrbacher

How’s The Meriweather Up There?
No seriously, how is he up there on the safety depth chart and Chris Harris is prowling the sideline in his Bears onesie pajamas? Are 15-yard personal fouls a new wrinkle in the cover two shell? The move is an active roster allegory to a Lovie-thrown challenge flag, though since it didn’t cost the Bears any timeouts, you could make the argument that it was less detrimental.

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Posted on October 20, 2011

By Steve Rhodes

Let me say first that – in a sports fan kind of way – I hate the St. Louis Cardinals. Not because I follow the Cubs (I decided I was no longer a “fan” a few years ago), but because I have long found the Cardinals (like the White Sox) to be unlikable in so many ways, starting with manager Tony LaRussa. What a whack job. Truly one of major league pricks of the game and – if you read Three Nights in August you know this – sort of a psychopath (like so many “successful” people).
So it’s kind of a big deal for me to admit that I finally have to give in and give LaRussa and, indeed, the entire Cardinals organization the props he and they deserve as they get ready for the opening game of the World Series tonight.
Damn. The last time the Cards won the World Series was in 2006 with an 83-win team – one of their worst teams of recent vintage. Sounds familiar. The 2011 Cardinals made the World Series? I still don’t even know how they got into the playoffs, but I’m quite certain that LaRussa – and more obviously general manager John Mozeliak – must have had something to do with it.

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Posted on October 19, 2011

By Dan O’Shea

The only thing less frequent than a fantasy football trade is an actual NFL trade, and we’ve had two big ones in the last couple days: Semi-retired/exiled QB Carson Palmer is headed from Cincinnati to Oakland for first- and second-round draft picks, and WR Brandon Lloyd is going from Denver to St. Louis for a late-round pick.
Both of these deals have some strong fantasy implications, especially the Palmer deal. It’s unclear how soon he will start, and he certainly will need a couple games worth of reps to make an impact, but he’s a terrific waiver wire pick-up to stash on your roster for the second half of the season – he will have at least five solid targets in WRs Denarious Moore, Louis Murphy, Darrius Heyward-Bey and Jacoby Ford, plus a pass-catching TE, Kevin Boss, who wasn’t really on the same page as Oakland’s previous, now-injured QB Jason Campbell.

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Posted on October 19, 2011

Paging Jerry Maguire!

“The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have arrived in London ahead of their NFL game against the Chicago Bears,” AP reports.
And, apparently, it’s insanity!
“To celebrate,” the Telegraph reports, “this weekend sees a variety of NFL events occurring in London, starting with the first ever NFL Friday Night Lights Film Screening of Jerry Maguire in Trafalgar Square.
“The event will be attended by the Oscar winning star of the film, Cuba Gooding Jnr himself, who will be discussing the making of the film directly before the free screening. Also in attendance will be NFL superstar Terrell Owens, talking about the realities of NFL and its portrayal in Hollywood. ”

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Posted on October 18, 2011