By Dan O’Shea

Random thoughts on Week 2’s fantasy football implications:
So many starting RBs were hurt that “zero RB” draft strategies may pay off big this year: Adrian Peterson, Doug Martin, Jonathan Stewart, Arian Foster, Danny Woodhead, Ameer Abdullah – all injured in Week 2, with Peterson and Woodhead definitely done for the season, and the others likely to miss multiple games.
If you consider that Jamaal Charles and Chris Ivory also have yet to play this year, and that Thomas Rawls has played hurt, almost a third of the top 30 RBs have or will require replacements in the first half of the season.
So, if you played the “zero RB” game in your draft and ended up with PPR specialists Theo Riddick and Charles Sims – both projected outside the preseason top 100 – as your starting RBs, you’re already a winner. Both are starting this week.

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Posted on September 23, 2016

By Carl Mohrbacher

As in, “Awwwww! That’s cute! You guys think you’re a professional football team!”
For the second week in a row, the Bears seemed to have something cooking in the first half only to come out of the locker room for the second half and show us that whatever was on the stove causes diarrhea.

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Posted on September 22, 2016

By Jim Coffman

What kills me the most about the Bears – and there are many nominees – is all the stuff they have done in deference to Jay Cutler in the past year, i.e., in deference to the quarterback who led them to a thrilling 6-10 finish last year. This is also the quarterback who is less annoying than he used to be but still struggles mightily to avoid fits of pique and to lead teammates well, if at all.
First, there was this year’s offensive coordinator search: oh wait, there was none. When Adam Gase moved on, the Bears had two choices, A) Do a comprehensive survey and bring in the best offensive mind they could find or B) Make the comfortable hire from within the organization who would appease the quarterback.

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Posted on September 21, 2016

By Justin Angle/The Conversation

For years, many have said that sports teams with Native American mascots – the Cleveland Indians, Chicago Blackhawks and Florida State Seminoles, to name a few – perpetuate stereotypes against Native people. Others have argued that these mascots are harmless; if anything, they symbolize reverence and respect, while honoring the history of Native Americans.
At the epicenter of the debate have been the Washington Redskins, a football team worth nearly $3 billion. But as the Redskins kicked off their season on Sept. 12, there was hardly a mention of the name controversy that has, in recent years, elicited boycotts, lawsuits and protests.

Perhaps it’s due to the Washington Post survey from last spring finding that 90 percent of the Native Americans polled weren’t offended by the Redskins name. Since then, defenders of the name – including team owner Daniel Snyder – have considered the controversy over and done with. The “sticks and stones” argument suggested by the poll makes complete sense from a self-preservation standpoint; after all, Native Americans have had to persevere through worse offenses than mascots.
But that stance ignores the dangerous possibility that such ethnic names and imagery affect how other people view Native Americans – possibly in subtle and damaging ways.

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Posted on September 21, 2016

Bears, Crestwood Store Take Big Dumps

Highlights, lowlights, notes and observations from the Bears disaster on the lakefront before a national Monday Night Football audience.

Hey, @MattForte22, @MartysaurusRex and @BMarshall, what up?

— Beachwood Reporter (@BeachwoodReport) September 20, 2016

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pic.twitter.com/8hWqVYP5DH

— Beachwood Reporter (@BeachwoodReport) September 20, 2016

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Posted on September 20, 2016

By Gary Mikel/Sports Information Director, Clarkson University

POTSDAM, NY – Downers Grove, Illinois native Savannah Harmon, a standout on Clarkson University’s Division I Women’s Hockey team, has been named a co-captain for the Golden Knights in 2016-17.
A highly skilled offensive defenseman entering her junior season, Harmon tallied 22 points on four goals and 18 assists in 2015-16. Through 78 career games, Harmon has recorded 11 goals and 32 assists to go along with a very impressive +41 plus/minus rating.
Harmon was named to the ECAC Hockey All-Rookie Team in her freshmen campaign in 2014-15.

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Posted on September 20, 2016

By Marty Gangler

Geez, guys. Just when you thought the Cubs did something unthinkable, like ruin this great season by losing the clincher and having to wake up the next day and see that the Cardinals lost, they go ahead and give everyone what they wanted the next day anyway.
And sure they wouldn’t of “ruined” the season, but you did feel a bit screwed. Like, when you are watching the Time/Life highlight DVD of the World Champion 2016 Chicago Cubs, do you really want part of it to show the end of that Cardinals-Giants game that technically clinched it? No. You want to see Miggy Montero hit that walk-off homer in extra innings the game after. The Cardinals losing the game late the night before will be just a footnote to that Miggy celebration. So, whew . . . Thank goodness. Because really, what else is there besides watching the Time/Life highlight DVD of the World Champion Chicago Cubs?

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Posted on September 19, 2016

By Roger Wallenstein

I’m hearing increasing calls for a Sox rebuild this offseason. “Blow it up” seems to be the consensus of opinion as the South Side contingent heads into the last two weeks of the season with faint hopes of finishing .500.
But I’m not so sure for a few reasons.

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Posted on September 19, 2016

By Jim Coffman and Steve Rhodes

Pedal to the metal. Plus: Exclusive! The Bears Have Only Played One Game; Chicago Sky Again Picks Up Slack Without Delle Donne; Consider The Chicago Fire Source!; White Sox Mandated To Continue Playing Games.

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Posted on September 17, 2016

By Dan O’Shea

Questions on Week 1’s fantasy football implications:
As anthem protests increase, will owners cut ties with fantasy-relevant players who take a knee?
I was part of at least one fantasy draft in which team owners dared one another to draft Colin Kaepernick, in the wake of his initial anthem protest.

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Posted on September 16, 2016