One thing that everyone seems to decry in others (but not ourselves alas) is the lack of personal responsibility. Everyone has an excuse; everyone is a victim; no one is truly at fault; the buck stops nowhere. This is usually not the case in professional sports; people are held accountable – don’t win, you don’t return. Coaches, general managers, even players are given the heave-ho if the results aren’t positive. Which is troubling when it comes to the Chicago Bears.
The Bears have almost always been, historically, a team that plays tough defense. The Bears’ Hall of Famers and most beloved stars played defense. It was defense that was the cornerstone of the team’s 1986 Super Bowl win, and its 2005 Super Bowl appearance which the team lost. But the Bears haven’t been the Bears over the past two seasons: since the Super Bowl appearance (a season in which the defense was the fifth best rated squad), the Bear defenses have ranked 28th and 21st last season, both years in which the Bears didn’t make the playoffs. And all this occurred after the Bears allowed defensive coordinator and former standout player Ron Rivera to leave so that the Bears could hire one of Lovie Smith’s best friends, Bob Babich.
So, what have GM Jerry Angelo and Head Coach Lovie Smih done? Has Babich been marched unceremoniously out of Halas Hall and told to never return? No, but the defensive position coaches have all been fired or found work elsewhere (and Rivera’s San Diego defense is playing in the playoffs this weekend after having held off NFL MVP Peyton Manning). Babich has lost the support of the team, and his squads are no longer the fearsome bunch that brought the team to the Super Bowl just two seasons ago, despite the team spending much more money in salaries on the defensive side of the ball. Has the defense aged all at once? Is Brian Urlacher washed up? Have teams figured out the “cover 2”defense? And if it’s the latter, shouldn’t the scheme be revised or scrapped altogether? But the scheme is Smith’s and Babich remains employed. How can this be? Does he have incriminating pictures of Smith? Angelo? If that isn’t it, why is this guy still drawing a Bear paycheck?

Tonight is the BCS Championship Game between Florida and Oklahoma, and personally, I don’t care. It’s not that the teams aren’t deserving, or that players such as Tim Tebow aren’t compelling. It’s just that to us older folks, the college football season ends on or around New Year’s Day.
I know that seasons have a way of expanding: the NFL season used to end in January, but it now stretches into February before declaring a champion; baseball starts earlier and earlier each season. But I’ve put college football on the mental “shelf;” pro football is winding down; hockey and the NBA are in full swing; and we’re just about five weeks from the pitchers and catchers arriving at spring training.
If the powers that be want to have a national championship game that matters to those of us who didn’t attend the schools participating, the game should be held no later than January 4th. After that, most of us will assume that the main college sport right now is basketball.

I have bad news for you Chicago Cub fans: I don’t think the Cubs will win the World Series in 2009. The biggest reason: signing a lunatic to play right field.
The Cubs have blamed their postseason collapse in 2008 on the lack of a left handed hitter (no one seems to mention that Kosuke Fukidomo “hits” {and misses} from the left side. It was a high priority in the Winter Meetings for the Cubs to spend more money that they aren’t sure they should be spending to get a left-handed hitter for the middle of the lineup.
The best player on the free agent market is Milton Bradley. Besides being the name of a board game company, Bradley is not likely to hit .350 like he did last season because hardly anyone performs at the same level the year after they are going into free agency and are now making the big money.
But most important, Milton Bradley is nuts. Certifiable. The 30-year-old outfielder has been suspended for throwing a water bottle at fans. He has gotten into trouble for going up to the broadcast booth and having words with announcers. Bradley got into an argument with an umpire once so severe, he could barely be pulled away by his own team.
Add to that the fact that Bradley is injury prone – never having played more than 101 games in five years – and has been run out of every team he has played for. If Bradley finishes the reported 3-year, $30 million deal with the Cubs, it will be the longest stint he has had with any team in his career.
So, the Cubs have traded a quality player and quiet leader in Mark DeRosa and gotten a nutcase in return. Between Bradley and Carlos Zambrano, who also has severe anger management issues, I don’t think Manager Lou Pinella will make it to Independence Day before having an aneurism.

I have never been a big fan of Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany. While he does a decent job I guess on most things, the conference has done little to move beyond the days of Woody Hayes and Bo Schembechler. Under his stewardship, the conference added a completely unnecessary basketball tournament; done little to improve the officiating in football and basketball; and is presiding over a conference who has posted a woeful 1-6 record in this season’s bowl games.
Delany said in a telephone interview before the game that he wasn’t dreaming of a 40-point Ohio State victory in the Fiesta Bowl. “What about Ohio State 2, Texas 0? I’d be happy with that. I’m just looking for a win.”
There is ample evidence that the Big Ten has been had a down season this year with the end of Michigan’s 38 year string of bowl appearances and the results of the games the conference representatives have posted this year. But the poor performance has gone on longer than just this year: not only are they 1-6, but the Big Ten is 9-19 over the last four years and has lost five consecutive Bowl Championship Series games.
The Buckeyes fought hard but ended up losing on a last second touchdown to Texas, but while there are no moral victories, Ohio State did come closer than the other teams. Penn State was destroyed by USC in the Rose Bowl. Florida State stomped Wisconsin 42-13 in the Champs Sports Bowl, and this wasn’t a great FSU team by any means. Kansas quarterback Todd Reesing went 27 of 35 for 313 yards and four touchdowns in crushing Minnesota 42-21 in the Insight Bowl. Michigan State failed to take advantage of several Georgia mistakes, to fall in the Capital One Bowl 24-12.
Only Iowa won, defeating South Carolina 31-10 in the Outback Bowl, and my alma mater, Northwestern, played Missouri even in the Alamo Bowl before succumbing in overtime 30-23. (It should be said that Iowa jumped over NU to go to the Florida Bowl because “they travel better,” despite a worse record and losing to NU. We could have beaten South Carolina, but instead we get a pissed off Big 12 team with the sixth best offense in the nation. It sucks being small – and Delany did nothing to try and steer us to a better bowl game – and more money.)
Many observers want to get Big Ten teams out of the BCS. Since it often lands two teams in the five BCS bowl games, Big Ten teams are often playing a slot higher than they would otherwise. This season, they were underdogs in six of their seven bowl games.
But as I can vouch for being from NU, just making bowl games is not enough. But Delany sees the coffers of the schools continue to grow, so all is well, even if they get drubbed in game after game. I would rather play to the level of my competition, but that would mean accepting that what the Big Ten loses in on-the-field performance, we pick up in athletes who actually go to class (except maybe Ohio State and Iowa). Maybe that’s enough, or perhaps the pendulum will swing back the other way.

Earlier in the week, it was announced that Scribner would be paying a reported $8 million to soon-to-be-former-First lady Laura Bush. Mrs. Bush’s memoir will reportedly discuss her recollections of personal and historical moments, especially her eight years in the White House.
Mrs. Bush’s attorney, in an interview, said that she has yet to begin writing, but she reportedly wants to begin as soon as she leaves the White House. Like most of the country, publishers have a much higher regard for the first lady, a former schoolteacher known as a passionate reader, than for her husband, President George W. Bush. (Bush says that he wants to write a book too, but first someone has to expand his vocabulary beyond that of “My Pet Goat.”)
Anyway, I don’t really wish to read this book unless it discusses why she married a drugged out, born again idiot, and apologizes for the huge mess this country is in on account of her moronic spouse.
One day later, Ann “the bitch” Coulter released “Guilty” another frenzied attack on the “left wing” liberals. Since I have never read one word this woman has committed to paper, it’s easy to guess that I wasn’t at Borders today getting a copy. I only have one last question: are we near the end of this sick woman’s 15 minutes of fame?
Now I root for book publishers. I personally spend much of my excess income on books (much to The Indignant Wife’s chagrin because of all of the room they take up). Eventually, I would like one of the publishers to put my musings to paper. but I con’t help hoping that they take a gigantic bath on these two books.

I admit to being a late comer to Facebook, but it is a nice tool to find old friends and keep in touch. However, they are now being prudes, as the “PC Police” are out in force. What do I mean?
The website has begun to censor pictures posted to the site from women in the process of breast-feeding if the picture shows any of the areola around the nipple. Now, The Indignant Wife is in the middle of breast feeding and while she does cover up when feeding in public, doesn’t give a shit who sees. But in this overly sexually repressed country we live in, someone complained that this is provocative, and so the website pulled any pictures of this nature. Now that I have two children, both of whom were breast fed, not to mention all of my nieces and my nephew, it’s healthier for children, and to be honest, it isn’t at all sexy (unless you have some fetishes that I would rather not know about).
I envy Europeans with their history, architecture, etc. But mostly, I’m envious of their complete nonchalance about sex and the human body. Sex is natural; a part of life. Unlike the Europeans who act like grown ups, Americans treat sex like it’s something to peek at; titter and look at like little kids. It’s sad and juvenile.

It was a great disappointment to not be able to root on Northwestern University in this year’s Alamo Bowl in San Antonio Texas, but The Indignant Wife and I had been there for the Alamo Bowl the last time NU played, back in 2000, and coming off The Indignant Wife’s surgeries, and the lack of things for the children to do; we didn’t make the trip. Now that the game is over, with NU losing another bowl game, but much closer than expected and in overtime, let’s take stock of the positives of going and the negatives of staying home.

Positives
Warm weather
Very good Tex-Mex food
Watching the game live and seeing the ‘Cats play a competitive bowl game

Negatives
Saved at least $1,500 by staying home
Had three season ticket holders come over to the house where we could yell with impunity
Watching the ‘Cats losing a very winnable game in overtime.

But the worst thing about staying at home was the inept, incompetent, director for ESPN. One of the stories the network focused on was Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel; finalist for the Heisman Trophy in 2007; didn’t make the cut in 2008. Maybe a decent pro someday; but not a compelling story. No illnesses, no great overcoming of adversity. Pretty average life story. But not to the moron who directed the Alamo Bowl broadcast for ESPN: either he was related to Daniel; was a Missouri alum; or desperately wants to have sex with the quarterback and wanted to make points.
What did he do? He showed Daniel’s parents every play Missouri had the ball, and multiple times per play in the fourth quarter and overtime. They got more television time than Sarah Palin, Lindsay Lohan, and Paris Hilton put together. Besides not being a compelling story, Daniel’s father had all of the charisma of a cigar store Indian; and Daniel’s mother was an average looking white woman; nothing special. But the cameras stayed on them time after time after time. I’ve worked for sports television shows, and I know he was going from field camera, to parents, to another field camera, back to parents, over and over again. One of my fellow NU fans in my home asked where were NU quarterback C.J. Bacher’s parents. He is of Caucasian-Korean ancestry and his parents moved from California to be closer to their son. Where was the shot of his parents?
It is probably sports journalism suicide to criticize “The Worldwide Leader in Sports” (and this is at least the second time I’ve done so since starting this cite) but the coverage wasn’t even and the incessant shots of Chase Daniel’s parents was infuriating to NU fans; and worse, unprofessional and boring.
If you don’t believe me, watch (five times the Daniels are shown in 4:37 of tape):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jReidr6LpGs