A very brief blog. I attended last night’s Blackhawks – Las Vegas game, one of the most embarrassing games I’ve ever attended, especially since Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane were drafts. An 8-3 debacle, and over the past three games, the Hawks have been outscored 11-1 in the first period. The record has not improved since the team surprisingly fired Coach Joel Quenneville, the man who led the team to 3 Stanley Cup Championships.
The story has been that there was friction between Quenneville and GM Stan Bowman and that both men were on the hot seat to be fired and that Bowman had won the power struggle. Many fans and pundits, myself included have generally not been very happy with Bowman’s draft picks; other than Alex DeBrincat and Artemi Panarin (who is now of course with Columbus), the other picks have not panned out. Firing Quenneville and installing Jeremy Colliton as the youngest coach in the league has not produced much in the way of sustained solid play, much less victories.
Hockey is a sport in which players will tank to get rid of coaches. It is always much easier to fire a coach than an entire team. However, there are a number of players in that locker room who were coached by Quenneville for 10 years, 3 Cups and nine playoff appearances. They may have nothing against Colliton, who seems to be a much better communicator than Quenneville, maybe they’re stinking up the joint to seal Bowman’s fate?
Stranger things have happened.

I posted on Facebook but never here about the Christian missionary who was killed by a remote tribe on India’s remote North Sentinal Island. John Allen Chau decided to break the law by going and trying to minister to the people there. It is against the law because these people have limited exposure to the outside world and any foreigners are probably a health risk since modern people have antibodies to diseases that these people have never encountered. When he arrived, the man was reportedly killed in a hail of arrows.
The response to this has been mostly predictable – religious groups have hailed him as a martyr, dying for Jesus, and some have suggested going to the island to “bring these people to justice.” (Whatever justice would be to a people whose sense of justice would be that they fired on an interloper – in many states, black people are shot and killed just for being around all the time, and there’s rarely any justice.) On the other side there are people like me – sad at anyone’s death, but to a certain extent, Chau’s death has a certain karmic justice to it. Like religious people of many faiths, they have gone out to convert people to their religion over the centuries; perhaps seeking to convert, but more often than not, to use religion to enslave people.
Technology, the Internet and mass communications has made the world a much smaller place. Words and images fly around the globe at the speed of light. There are very few people who cannot be reached somehow, and let’s admit it Christianity has been very successful – according to a 2013 study, there are an estimated 2.4 billion Christians in the world, approximately 33% of the world’s population. Back when Christianity was in its infancy, it needed converts to survive. It is natural that the followers want to do anything to allow the faith to survive. It has done so, very well over the past 2,000 odd years. In fact, 76.2% of the world’s population adhere to one of the main religions: Islam 1.8 billion – 24.1%; Hinduism – 1.15 billion – 15%; and Buddhism 521 million – 7%.This does not even count Judaism. (To the positive, nonreligious, secular, agnostic and atheists make up 1.2 billion, the third largest group and 16% of the world’s population.)
The problem with Chau and too many people is that everyone isn’t going to pray/live/love the way you do and even if they don’t, it won’t affect your belief system one bit. It isn’t a zero sum game where if we all aren’t “saved” no one will be. If there is a “god” wouldn’t he/she/it be smart enough to pick out the believers from the nonbelievers? If people are willing to bet on praying a different way or not at all then going to Hell, isn’t that our choice? Religious people, you’ve won, 84% of the world worships some religion, now go out and celebrate.
If you still must go out and look for more people (“suckers”), then let them come to you. There’s a group of religious people who have set up stands at many CTA train stations in Chicago and the suburbs, and they use to irritate me a little bit just being there, but, to their credit, they make little noise and they aren’t there preaching to the masses. If you’re interested, they’re there. If not, just ignore them. Which is where this Chau person crossed way over the line. To preach HIS form of Christianity, he was more than happy to risk killing them, which, to my memory, is one of the Ten Commandments – thou shalt not kill.
The wars, murders, sexual assaults and other misdeeds of the past are done – we cannot correct them, but isn’t it LONG past time for us to put religious texts into context and realize that the world is much different than the 1st Century, and maybe the teachings should evolve with it? And if people don’t agree with you or wish not to be bothered, leave them alone. I have a feeling that unfortunately, more of these bozos are going to be making their way down there to finish Chau’s mission. Some may die, but I have a feeling that this poor tribe will never be left alone.
At least until they catch something and die.

As I’ve written here many times before I have been fired/laid off. It isn’t fun; in fact, it sucks. Even for a job you don’t necessarily like, being ousted is upsetting. In sports, coaches, players, GMs and other front office people get fired all of the time. It’s the “win now at any cost” philosophy that is prevalent in college and professional sports. These teams generate big revenue and also have big payroll and other expenses. If fans start staying home, the bottom line can be a garrote line for people who are involved in the losing. That said, the money that these people make are many orders of magnitude higher than we make ladies and gentlemen, so we cannot feel too sorry for them.
What is very upsetting to fans is when people don’t win games but they remain on the payroll (and no, I’m not going to mention Mick McCall here – I promise). The poster boy for this was former Lions Coach Wayne Fontes. Despite having a Hall of Fame rusher in Barry Sanders, the Lions weren’t very good, and with the fans and media clamoring for Fontes’ job, late owner William Clay Ford was sign him to an extension.
This week’s winner of the Wayne Fontes “Can’t Lose for Winning” Award goes to University of Illinois Head Coach Lovie Smith. Yes, the Illini have been bad for a very long time, and while Smith was the last Bears Head Coach to take the team to the Super Bowl making him a big local name, Smith had never been a college head coach before and with his cool, almost laconic demeanor, it isn’t surprising that Smith has not set the recruiting world on fire, and the on field results have shown that, especially a 63-0 loss in Iowa City 9 days ago. Of course, Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald should be getting at least a holiday Christmas ham this year for resting many starters and pulling other starters out after 3 quarters in NU’s 24-16 win on Saturday. I thought coming into the game that Smith was guaranteed another season because Illinois would have had to pay him a $12 million buyout if he was fired now, but could pay him for one more season, then only have a $4 million buyout after next season. The only way I thought Smith would get fired would have been if NU pasted another 63-0 rout on Illinois. He’d get $3.5 million for next season, and if there wasn’t improvement, Illinois pays him $4 million and starts over.
Despite posting a 9-27 record and 4-23 in the Big Ten, surprisingly, Illinois didn’t just keep Smith, they signed him to a two-year extension, terms being finalized. Smith is signed through 2023!
But Lovie Smith isn’t the only coach who is lucky to have work. The Bengals’ Marvin Lewis has been head coach since 2003 and has amassed a 130-118-3 record over that time. In the 16 seasons, he has led Cincinnati to seven playoff appearances, unfortunately, he is 0-7 in those games. This season, the Bengals are 5-6 and lost yesterday to Cleveland AT HOME. The Browns had not won a game on the road in over 3 years, and the Bengals were decisively beaten. Last season when the Bengals went 7-9, it looked like the end had finally come. Reports circulated that Lewis was going to resign rather than being fired, but then reports surfaced that Lewis was asked to stay. I know that the Bengals are in the same division and constantly compared with the Steelers, who have had three head coaches in decades, but the Steelers have won many Super Bowls under those Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin, so they deserve(d) long tenures. Cincinnati has never won a Super Bowl, only been in two, lost them both and never got within smelling distance of the big game under Lewis.
One might be surprised at an African-American writer all but calling for the firing of two African-American head coaches, a fraternity that has never been that large to begin with. I say however, true equality is being hired and fired on one’s merits and if someone is not doing a good job, they should be fired, black or white, Asian or any other background, religion, sexual orientation, sex, whatever. I’m sure that there are plenty of hot assistants of many races and backgrounds salivating for a chance to turn Illinois or the Bengals around.
Maybe it’s time to give them a chance??

How should a fan feel when one’s team wins despite being flawed, or losing games that they probably should have won? I have felt this way for years about my beloved Northwestern University football team. They have done very well, having a couple of 10 win seasons, some bowl victories. This is despite having a woeful offensive scheme, but being saved by a good to great defense. (See the next blog for more.)
I root for Northwestern no matter what – I’ve had season tickets since the year after the 1996 Rose Bowl Game (current Head Coach was a player on that team, but was hurt for the bowl game). People who talk to me on a regular basis know that my favorite term for teams that I root for is that I have “cautious optimism.” The Blackhawks were in the playoffs, I had cautious optimism. I current have the same feeling for the Bears. For the White Sox, I claim dubious optimism up to now.
That is my standard comment for Northwestern. I want them to win every game, but I was in school when they had the longest losing streak in what was called “Division I” back in the day. My friends and I have watched some abhorrent football over the years. Winning however raises expectations, and mine are simple – we should always be competitive in the Big Ten and we should hardly ever beat ourselves. Some years, youth and injuries may cause losses, but some years, everything will fall into place and we will do well.
Sometimes, though, we have both. The Wildcats have already clinched the Big Ten West title, going 6-1 in the conference while other teams who were predicted to be the class of the division: Wisconsin, Purdue and Iowa have struggled. No one expected NU to win, much less clinch the division so early with division games against Minnesota and Illinois remaining. Especially after going 0-3 in non-conference play. A loss to number 3 ranked Notre Dame is no surprise, but losses to Duke 21-7, then a 39-34 loss to Akron after having a 21-0 lead, both games at home is no recipe for success. Surprise wins against Michigan State, Wisconsin and at Iowa have salvaged the season. (Their only Big Ten loss was a 20-17 come from ahead loss to Michigan, currently rated 4th in the country.)
People are asking whether I will be making the trip to Indianapolis for the Big Ten Championship Game, and I honestly say that the jury is out. As happy that I am that they are winning, I fear the prospects of playing an improved Michigan team that defeated us already, or playing an angry Ohio State team may not be very good. Plus, there are two more games left: Minnesota has a very powerful offence, especially at home. NU could put it on cruise control. Then comes Illinois, a bad team who don’t like us because of the “Chicago’s Big Ten Team” advertising. They have nothing to play for other than knocking us off. Illini Head Coach Lovey Smith may need this game to keep his job.
My opinion is that the defense is really good; the special teams are inconsistent (in great part due to injuries); and the offense alternates between fair and horrific.
Go Cats. But…

Long time readers here and on Facebook know all too well that I believe that Northwestern football’s Offensive Coordinator, Mick McCall is one of the worst in the nation. (I’m even tired of hearing my rants.) His play calling is unimaginative at best; he calls excessive plays for his running backs (formerly Justin Jackson, who had the most carries in the FBS for two seasons, and currently freshman battering ram Isaiah Bowser) risking injury; and while the players are ultimately responsible for what happens on the field, the quarterback play has been inefficient. McCall has been with NU coming up on 10 years, and he has distinguished himself by being the most hated coach on the North Shore.
As a season ticket holder, as the first down runs of 2 yards or losses of 2 yards set up our regular 2nd down and 8, or 2nd down and 12, frustrates me and most of my fellow season ticket holders that sit around me. When I can sit in the East stands, at the northern 40 yard line, and can call out the next run off the right tackle and be right most of the time, it’s ridiculous. I firmly believe that in McCall’s mind, all the players have to do is execute and eventually, the play will work. So, let’s run it numerous times as though this is practice. He never seems to get that you have to fool the defense to help succeed. If a defense knows what’s coming and your offense is always in 2nd and 3rd down and long situations, the line needs to block well and longer, the receivers need more than ever to get separation, and the quarterback needs to make the right read and throw.
Unfortunately, winning seasons and overblown loyalty seem to have blinded Head Coach Pat Fitzgerald and Athletic Director Jim Phillips to the job that McCall has done. He has had two NFL caliber quarterbacks (McCall is also the QB coach), and one of which was a surprise that he would end up in the NFL based on what McCall did with him (Trevor Siemen). The jury is still out on current signal caller Clayton Thorson. A couple of years ago, after a dismal offensive season, Fitzgerald announced that all of the coaches would stay, and I was so incensed that I call Fitzgerald’s office, and eventually sent him a letter saying that McCall had to go (and used one of Fitzgerald’s favorite comments – he is teaching his young men accountability, but not very well, because McCall is a disaster and he keeps his job).
Northwestern is still winning (see earlier blog), but sometimes, winning is not enough. In football, you have three squads: the offense, the defense and special teams. At NU, we’ve had decent to great defenses, average to excellent special teams, and woeful offenses. I have been ranting for years about firing this man, but it has mostly been anecdotal evidence. I don’t know why I never did this before, but today, I looked online for college offensive rankings and I found up-to-date team rankings for the top schools, and look at the data I’ve found.
Through last week’s games, Northwestern’s offense ranks 109th out of 129 schools. Need more? Yards per completion – 121st out of 129; Scoring offense – 102nd; red zone offense – 106th; passing efficiency – 114th. This is why I have been pushing for this man to get out of Evanston. As I also say, as one who’s been fired or laid off, I know how tough it is emotionally and often economically. However, coaches get paid one hell of a lot more than most of us, and sports coaches are hired to be fired (see Joel Quenneville and the Blackhawks).
It is LONG past time for this incompetent man to be fired. It’s time for new blood – younger blood. Complacency allows for underachieving. I know that Fitzgerald bleeds NU purple; I know that Phillips was just named AD of the Year by Sports Business magazine because of the new football training building and renovation of Welsh-Ryan Arena). But at a certain point, they have to be held accountable for this assistant’s poor performance, or their jobs are forfeit.

There are people who have an impact on your life: your parents, teachers, friends – people that you know. There are people who you meet who have had an impact, good or bad, but directly, personally. Then, there are people who have impacted you who you have never met, or only met in passing. For me, there are tons of those types of people, especially in the arts. For me, one could easily list Graham Parker, Elvis Costello, Bruce Springsteen Pete Townshend and an almost never ending list of people in music; Stephen King, among so many other writers; Stanley Kubrick, Orson Welles, Hitchcock, and Martin Scorsese in film.
As a “comics guy,” the list is just as long, and just as impactful: Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, Gil Kane, Jim Starlin, Howard Chaykin and of course, Neal Adams. No one however has had a bigger impact for as long as Stan Lee. I think my first comics memory was buying comics from a machine in the old Hillmans grocery store that was in the basement of Sears at 63rd and Halsted in my Englewood neighborhood. Comics were 12 cents, and you put a dime on one side and two pennies on the other and you pushed in the money, and out came your comic. I would want to rush home to read my latest adventure; to read it over and over, to savor it; to be absorbed into it. My parents figured I was reading, and the vocabulary was much beyond what the other kids were reading.
At that time, me and my friends thought that DC – Superman and Batman was kind of corny (it got better and I’ve been hooked on them too); but Marvel was too cool. The locales were real; the heroes had real life problems and always, an Achilles heel, a weakness that could be exploited. One of my first comic memories was Fantastic Four #52 – the first appearance of the Black Panther – a black super hero, who was a king – rich, dashing, regal. Sometime around then I saw that this comic was written by this guy Stan Lee. It seemed like this Stan Lee wrote everything from Marvel, which he did along with major help from his artist/collaborators. In the letter’s columns, Stan spoke to all of us about Marvel being like a big club; we were all in a society (The Mighty Marvel Marching Society) of fans. It was cool; it was hip; and our leader was Stan.
Stan Lee, who helped create Spider-Man, the Hulk, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men and thousands of other characters who have brought order to the printed page and now dominates the big screen, died today at the age of 95. Many people will only know him as the old man who made an appearance in every Marvel Studios film, but to many of us, he was our guide into a greater world, a world of heroes and villains and anti-heroes. A simpler world, sure, but one that was impacted by the real world: drugs, violence, racism, xenophobia, sexism, all found their way into those four color comics.
I met Stan only once – at a convention in Rosemont way back. He was a gentle being, signing one comic each for all of us in line. He was slightly tipsy, which was not uncommon back in the day, but he greeted everyone in line, spent a few minutes to speak with us. I had difficulty at first choosing which comic would be signed when my turn came. As it turned out, the choice was fairly easy – Fantastic Four #48, the first appearance of the Silver Surfer, but more important to me, he signed the last page of the issue, the first appearance of my favorite character to this day – Galactus, the world devourer. He signed the issue with a “To Tony” and a lively “Excelsior!”
RIP – to the man born Stanley Lieber, best known as Stan Lee. Join the King, Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko and Gil and so many others, knowing that you brought a lot of joy to a lot of people and I will always be grateful.

Halls of Fame are always controversial. Who should be in, who should be out? Who was overlooked; who was overrated? The problem is that one person’s Hall of fame is another’s trash. Why is ABBA in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame but Todd Rundgren not in (or Graham Parker, or so many others). Add to that the fact that sports has numbers – who has more home runs, touchdowns, baskets, or goals, and should that be the only or most important factor in induction into the “hallowed halls?” that’s the problem – the eye (or ear, or mind) of the beholder. Should critics and writers decide, or should other musicians, or the fans? Most of the time, it makes for friendly bar argument, because ultimately, it does come down to perspective.
Tonight, the Hockey Hall of Fame inducts the latest class and most of the inductees are no brainers: the winningest regular season and playoff goalie of all time – Martin Brodeur; Martin St. Louis, Alexander Yakushev from the time when Team USSR was the most dominant team in the world, and Jayna Hefford, the National women’s Hockey League’s all-time scorer. Unfortunately, there have been some people who question the induction of Willie O’Rea, the Jackie Robinson of hockey – breaking the color line in the late 1950s. He didn’t play many games or score a bunch of goals, but he faced much the same blind hatred that Robinson did. Instead of retiring and leaving hockey behind, Mr. O’Rea has become a beloved ambassador of the sport and a role model for the dozens of black hockey players currently in the NHL, minors, and juniors.
The most controversial inductee is current Commissioner Gary Bettman. To fans, he is the most hated man in the sport and there is reason – he presided over two work stoppages, including the cancellation of an entire season. Fans love to express their distaste too – I believe only NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is booed as loudly as Bettman is, and it might get worse since the shadow of another lockout linger for next season. I don’t have any sympathy for either of them – both men earn millions of dollars to be booed. I’d take the money too.
Unfortunately for us fans, the only measure is money in the owners’ pockets, and in that regard, Bettman has helped build a league worth approximately $450 million total when he took over in 1993 to a multibillion dollar enterprise today. He has expanded the sport to places as far and wide as Carolina, and Las Vegas and perhaps Seattle. The players have also benefitted greatly financially, but Bettman also stuck his head in the sand on head injuries and CTE like Goodell. However, he is the longest serving commissioner in the sport’s history and with almost all of the other commissioners in the Hall, it was inevitable.
I will be busy tonight, so I probably won’t be checking in on the ceremony, which will be broadcast on the NHL Network. I’m certain that Bettman will be booed, which he deserves, but after a few minutes of it, it becomes boring. Gary Bettman isn’t the first man entering the Hockey Hall of Fame whose induction will be questioned for years to come. He may be the most divisive, and I admit to booing him whenever I get a chance.