Part VI, December 21-December 27

The 2005 Pro Bowl rosters were announced today, and much to my delight the Bears will be sending six players to Honolulu. Brian Urlacher and Olin Kreutz will each make their fifth trip to Hawaii, while Mike Brown, Lance Briggs, Tommie Harris, and Nathan Vasher were honored for the first time. Long time coming for Mike Brown. That one makes me happiest of all.

Unlike the all-star games in the other big four, I rarely watch the Pro Bowl. Never have, really. The subbing ruins the flow, and nobody really wants to hit because nobody wants to screw up their career or someone else’s in an exhibition game.

Still, it’s a great honor, and if your players are going to the Pro Bowl (only the Colts had more players chosen than did the Bears), it means your team is good. And that’s what is most exciting: six Bears in the Pro Bowl is another reminder that our club is having a wonderful season. We haven’t had this many Pro Bowlers in one year since 1990, and it was six that year too: Neal Anderson, Mark Bortz, Jay Hilgenberg, Richard Dent, Mike Singletary, and rookie Mark Carrier. Furthermore, the Bears haven’t sent this many defensive players to the game since ’85. (Dent, Dan Hampton, Singletary, Otis Wilson, and Dave Duerson.)

It’s been an interesting week in Chicago sports. Along with the Pro Bowl announcements, we saw significant developments for the Cubs, Sox, and Bulls:

The Bulls put a hurt on Boston Saturday, and then followed that up yesterday by losing big at home to freakin’ Charlotte. They’ve bounced around .500 this whole season and currently sit at 12-12, last in the Central but eighth in the East.

As far as the Bulls’ place in the playoff scheme right now, I figured early on that they’d be close to where they are, what with Detroit, Indiana, Cleveland, and Milwaukee all being playoff caliber. I still feel that it is realistic for Tyson to put up 10 and 10 every night, but he’s been hampered by, of all ailmants, a breathing problem. Sweetney has been solid but inconsistent. He’s scored ten points or more in fifteen of the team’s 24 games this season, including four games in the 20’s, leaving him in single digits for the other nine. Six players are averaging double figures—Luol, Ben, Kirk, Sweets, Noce, and Du—but the highest of those six is Deng with 14.5. The Bulls have the offensive tools; now they need to utilize them fully.

The Cubbies continued their outfield revamping project by signing Minnesota Twins right fielder Jacques Jones yesterday. Jones hit a career low .249 last season, thirty points below his career average, and while he has never been the standout that fellow Twins outfielder Torii Hunter is, I’ve always thought Jones was a solid guy. This move gives the Cubs an outfield of Jones, Juan Pierre, and some combination of Jeromy Burnitz, Matt Murton, and the soon-to-be-gone (it seems) Corey Patterson.

Meanwhile, Nomar signed with the Dodgers two days ago to play first base, which means that Triple Crown wannabe Derrek Lee will probably keep his job. I’m kidding. What it means is that the Cubs are still loaded in the infield with Lee, Todd Walker, Neifi and Aramis. Of course, I am twisted by the fear that Nomar will regain his bat in L.A., win the NL batting crown, make the All-Star team, and lead the Dodgers to the playoffs and beyond. But that’s to be expected. (The fear, that is.)

One of the Cubs’ biggest problems last season was not losing Sammy and Moises, but rather not seeming to have a plan to replace them. Instead of challenging for the Central, the Cubs languished in mediocrity with their goo-ball outfield grab bag of Patterson, Burnitz, Jerry Hairston, Hollandsworth, Jason Dubois, Jody Gerut, Matt Lawton, and Matt Murton. Now the Cubs have Juan Pierre in center, Jacque Jones in right (presumably), and either Murton or Burnitz in left with the other coming off the bench.

Most people seem to think that Corey’s career with the Cubs is done. Either they won’t resign him, or he’ll sit on the bench. I don’t see either of those scenarios. My guess is that they’ll keep Corey, and with Pierre solidifying the leadoff spot and center field, all of the pressure will be off of Patterson to dominate at those two spots. Now they can move him over to left and leave him low in the order; bringing Pierre in might have a similar effect on Corey that the Cedric Benson drafting had on Thomas Jones. Corey has pretty much bottomed out with the Cubs, and most of us have given up on him, which means that from here on in anything we get from the man is bonus. I think he knows that, and with the pressure off I wouldn’t be surprised to see Patterson have a solid year. Look for .280/20/80 with right around 100 strike outs.

BOTTOM LINE: The Cubs have a terrific infield and are solid defensively up the middle. Derrek Lee won't have another season like he did in ’05, but he is a legit player who should easily put up .300/30/100 for the next five years. Aramis is a stud, Michael Barrett is terrific, Neifi/Todd Walker is solid, and Pierre is a great leadoff hitter and center fielder…

…but none of that will matter if Prior, Wood, and Zambrano cannot be the three aces that we need them to be. The Cubs’ rotation has been the reason that they’ve been NL favorites since 2003; they’ve also been the reason the team has missed the playoffs the last two years.

The White Sox rewarded the play of catcher A.J. Pierzynski by giving him a three-year extension, but the bigger news is that they bolstered their pitching staff by sending Orlando Hernandez and others to the Diamondbacks for Javier Vazquez. Vazquez was 11-15 last season with a 4.42 ERA, leaving him with astounding career numbers of 89-93 and a 4.28 ERA over eight seasons.

Alright, maybe I’m being a little bit harsh on Vazquez, a solid pitcher and certainly a viable fifth starter. Actually, he’s probably the best fifth starter in the Bigs, and with Brandon McCarthy waiting around, the Sox have definitely retained their most important unit. With the Vazquez acquisition, some people were asking if this was now the best rotation of all-time. The best rotation of all-time? These people are idiots. Just more A.D.D. fandom and sports reporting. The ’90s Braves, anyone? The three-peat Orioles? Buehrle, Contreras, Garland, Garcia, and Vazquez/McCarthy cannot yet touch these teams.

However, the Sox do have the best rotation in the majors, as I can’t think of any other staff that A. is rock solid from 1 to 5 with a true ace, and B. threw four straight complete games in the ALCS. The only mistake that I think they made was shipping El Duque—quality starter, could become a terrific set up man, and a wonderful postseason performer—instead of Garland, who I’m betting will never again have a year like 2005. I’m not saying that he’s going to tank, but I’m not expecting him to repeat what he did last season. Regardless, that’s small potatoes assuming I’m right, which I may not be, and even if I am the Sox are still the favorite to win the AL Central.

I am not rooting for them any more than I rooted for them in the playoffs (which is to say, I wish them and their fans the best), but I am hoping that they stay competative and go back to the playoffs because it’s always good for any sport when its defending champion is just as hungry a year later. That SI cover story in ’97 about “ARE THE BULLS SO GOOD THEY’RE BAD FOR THE NBA?” was absolute nonsense. Every league needs a top-dog to chase.

Johnny Damon signed a four-year, 52 million dollar deal with the New York Yankees today, and in the immortal words of Chris Farley, Boston fans are "Aaaaan-greeee."

“Reverse the curse! Break the curse! Curse this freakin’ curse! We haven’t won a World Series since 1918 because of this stupid curse! Curse, curse, curse.”

And even if there were Boston fans who weren’t curse-crazy, even if the majority of Red Sox fans thought that the possibility of a curse was foolish and absurd, they were still World Series crazy, with 1918 weighing on them daily. As a Cubs fan, I can appreciate that, but there’s more to the Cubs than our thirst for a championship. It always appeared, at least from afar, that Boston fans focused on the World Series and that alone.

Nothing about Teddy Ballgame, Yaz, Rice, Dwight Evans, Fisk, Rocket, Pedro, or Nomar. Nothing about the chance to watch great players play. Nothing about those first four guys on that list who played their entire careers in Boston, save for Dwight Evans’ final season when he was in Baltimore.

So along come the 2004 Red Sox, a year removed from their brutal 2003 playoff defeat. The ’04 team got back to the ALCS, and once again found the Yankees waiting for them. New York jumped on top, winning the first three games; it looked like it would, once again, be a sad season of Red Sox baseball...

But wait! This team was different! Led by All-Time Great Boston Red Sox Heroes like David Ortiz (2 years in Boston), Curt Schilling (1 year), Kevin Millar (2 years), Mark Bellhorn (1 year), Keith Foulke (1 year), Orlando Cabrera (since July), and Johnny Damon (3 years), the Red Sox rallied to beat the Yankees in seven games before sweeping the Cardinals to win the World Series.

The curse was dead. The Red Sox had done the impossible, and guys like Ortiz and Damon had become Boston heroes with names that seemed (at the time) to be synonymous with Russell and Bird. Damon in particular became something of a cult favorite in New England. He was the self-proclaimed “idiot,” the caveman Jesus centerfielder who helped loosen up the team and lead them past the Yankees.

Johnny Damon was a hero. And Boston would be forever in love with him and the 2004 Red Sox.

Having already lost (in one way or another) Pedro, Lowe, Mientkiewicz, Cabrera, Bellhorn, Embree, and Mendoza, the Red Sox are now saying bye-bye to Johnny Damon. Now the words we are hearing out of Boston about their beloved Damon are words like “traitor” and “Judas” and “idiot,” though that final one is no longer endearing. This man sold his soul to a pin-striped devil! CURSE HIS NAME!

Last I checked, the Red Sox still won the 2004 World Series. Bud Selig has not thrown a big, fat asterisk up next to it. It’s still on the books. The curse is dead.

It’s been less than 15 months since the Most Important Goal in Boston Sports was reached. Shouldn’t these people be happy?

What is more important to sports fans? Having your team win a championship, or having lifetime players to hang your hat on?

This is a question I’ve tossed around with lots of friends, and nobody has really been able to say. So, just imagine it happening to your team...

What if the Cubs win the 2006 World Series, and a year later Derrek Lee signs with the Cardinals?

What if the Bears win Super Bowl XL, and a year later Brian Urlacher signs with the Packers?

What if the Cavaliers win the 2006 NBA Finals, and a year later LeBron James signs with the Lakers?

What if the Cardinals win the 2006 World Series, and a year later Albert Pujols signs with the Cubs?

What if the Colts win this year’s Super Bowl, and a year later Peyton Manning signs with the Ravens?

Barring current contract situations, are these scenarios so far fetched? I’d like to say “yes,” but if they were then Johnny Damon would still be in Boston.

TO MIAMI DOLPHINS FANS: Would you trade your time with Dan Marino for two Super Bowls with John Elway?

TO UTAH JAZZ FANS: Would you trade your time with Malone and Stockton for MJ and Scottie and six championships?

TO HOUSTON ASTROS FANS: Would you trade your loyalty to Biggio and Bagwell for two World Series victories with the Marlins?

TO CINCINNATI BENGALS FANS: Would you trade the Ickey Shuffle and Boomer Esiason for a ring with Montana and Rice?

I don’t think that there are too many fans who would trade their title-less heroes for other players just to experience a championship. And I don’t think that there are too many fans who would rather have a championship than a lifetime player who becomes a city-legend. As humans, we are what our lives have been. I loved watching the Bulls win six titles, but it wasn’t just about the thrill of a championship. It was about creating memories with Michael, Scottie, and everyone else. Would I trade those two guys for Magic and Barkley, even if I got to keep the titles? Of course not. Jim McMahon is not a Hall of Famer, but would I trade him for Joe Montana? No. McMahon was a key part of what we loved about the ’85 Bears. This is my life, and as random as life is, once you’ve lived it, that’s what it is, and you wouldn’t want it any other way. We are what our lives have been.

When you really stop and think, what do you value and cherish most as a sports fan? Championships or people?

The curse is dead, yet Boston is angry. Maybe a championship wasn’t the most important thing after all.

Of course, there’s a flip side to that coin. We may care most about the players, but the players care most about the money. Of course they do. Baseball is a ballplayer’s job. We always say “Man, I would play for free!” But even if we could somehow get our favorite ball clubs to let us play for free, we would still have to figure out a way to make money for rent, food, and all of life’s other expenses. Ballplayers are ballplayers, and for most of them—particularly the most talented ones—that’s all they know. That’s their skill. If you had a choice between cashing in on your skill at the expense of fans you’ve never met against taking a few years to develop some other skill in some other faction of life, what would you do?

That said, the problems arise when players do not realize how much money is enough, all while not realizing that, indeed, “there is more to life than a little bit of money. Don’tchyou know that?” Johnny Damon gave up a 40 million dollar contract with the Red Sox in favor of a 52 million dollar one with the Yankees. If he had a beef with the Red Sox management, then fine. But if it was just about the money—and in my time watching sports, I’ve learned that it’s nearly always JUST about the money—then Damon is foolish. This isn’t like walking away from 1.5 mil and the team that gave you your first big break to take 20 mil from the highest bidder. This is 40 million dollars. Even if you’re a person who likes to live an extravagant lifestyle, doesn’t 40 mil cover that?

Damon had a chance to become a legend in Boston. Who needs an extra twelve million when you won’t be paying for meals the rest of your life? Damon is now just another well-paid gun for hire in New York, and perhaps the worst part for him is that he won’t solve any of the Yankees’ problems. Damon isn’t the missing link; he’s just another link that makes the chain longer. Yankee fans booed Jason Giambi and Alex Rodriguez…they’re gonna have a field day with Damon.

I understand that professional athletes are trying to earn a living, and that their window to do so is relatively small. In the words of the big time band manager in Almost Famous: “You have to make what you can, when you can, while you can, and you have to do it NOW.” I can dig that. Pro athletes do not have the same priorities that fans have, and that is understandable. But have some perspective. Don’t discount the near-endless benefits of being a city or state legend.

When you’re a Jewish kid growing up in America, you learn pretty quickly that most of the country does not celebrate the same holidays that you do. This is most apparent during December, when Christmas dominates American life. Of course, I grew up in the P.C. age, so along with Christmas I saw numerous public displays of menorahs and occasionally even a Jewish star. And then Kwanzaa joined in, and the holiday season became a trio, kind of like the old Bowl Alliance or something.

But even with the guilt-ridding multi-culturalism, there is no doubt that Christmas is and will always be the top dog. I mean, the country is like 75% Christian. We’re damn sure not getting two weeks off of school for some kooky “festival of lights.”

It is Sunday, and so all but two NFL games have been shifted to Saturday in order to have as few players playing on Christmas—and as few fans having to attend games—as possible. Other than the Monday night game, the two games remaining are Minnesota at Baltimore and Chicago at Green Bay, also known as Da Bears and De Packers at The Frozen Tundra of Lambeau Field.

Mike, Mom, Dad, Nana, and I went to Cathy and Mike O’Hara’s house tonight for a celebration dinner, the celebrations being Christmas (today), Hanukkah (sundown), Bears-Packers (late afternoon), and the overwhelming joys of friendship and family, something Cathy and Mike have always cherished. It’s probably the reason that we are such good friends.

In an unforeseen turn of events, I’ve received Hanukkah well wishes from five people—Meg (and family), Luke (and family), Sven (and family), Tony the Packers fan, and my old friend Heather—all of whom are not Jewish. I spoke with all five of them today, with me calling Luke to wish him and his fam a Merry Christmas, and Sven calling me before I could do the same. The funny thing is that I had no idea that Hanukkah was today. I knew it was soon, since December is nearly over, but I didn’t know it was today until Luke told me. You’ve got to hand it to the Christians: they’ve got their shit together. Nobody wants to be the un-P.C. jackass who forgets to wish his Jewish friends a Happy Hanukkah. Thank goodness they’re here to remind us.

Mom and Dad were bringing food, and so Mike and I picked up Nana, who dropped the line of the evening and maybe of the year when she walked out of her house singing: “It’s beginning to look a lot like Hanukkah.” The scene was festive at the O’Hara’s; they have many close friends, and they love sharing their friends with their other friends, and even though everybody was nice and the barbeque was delicious and the beer was free, I was pretty much zoned in on the Green Bay game, and the prospect of Rex’s first regular season start since going down in the third week of last season during a road loss to Minnesota—(I can’t help but think back to that day…Dan, Marc Siegel and I getting together at a bar in Deerfield to watch the Bears and the Cubs lose…Woody giving up three first inning runs…the Cubs unable to come back…Rex’s knee exploding on the turf of the Metrodome…)

Rex’s first NFL start in fifteen months was far from perfect—11 of 23, 47.8 completion percetange, 166 yards, TD/INT and a 68.4 QB rating—but it did accomplish two important goals:

He also helped us clinch the NFC North (money.) and sweep Green Bay for the first time since ’91. In addition, he excited us to no end with an array of very unOrton like throws, including a 54-yard bomb to a streaking Berrian that sent the Bears to the Green Bay 9 and sent us out of our seats. Rex really does have a terrific arm; I’m not sure if I can say that our offense is out and out better with Rex than with Orton, but it has the potential on each play to be better. They seem longer, if that makes sense.

After winning the first half 14-7—Grossman getting his first TD pass since hitting fullback Bryan Johnson for a score a year ago…in Green Bay…funny how these things work out—the Bears scored ten unanswered in the third with a Robbie Gould field goal and a Lance Briggs pick. That one was fun; we had Favre backed up near his endzone, and he just lofted one to his right. Briggs stepped in front of the pass and immediately began celebrating as he walked into the endzone. 24-7 going into the fourth.

Green Bay made a game of it—naturally…the bastards—with Antonio Chatman going 85 yards for a score on a punt return followed by a field goal on their next possession. 24-17…but the Bears held tough with a classic final defensive stand, albeit one that began with a 56-yard pass play from Favre to Donald Driver. Whoops. But then Favre spiked the ball on first down, was sacked for a loss of nine by Tank Johnson on second, was sacked for a loss of eight by Alex Brown on third, and was intercepted for no gain by Chris Harris on fourth and 27. Simply delightful. It was their fourth pick of the game (second for Harris), and as it turned out, the sack-sack-interception combo was enough to push The Prank Monkeys over the top of Hamer’s team, giving us the 2005 North Star Staff Fantasy Football Championship, meaning that the names of Ari and Abu will be wood-burned into the NSCFF plaque that hangs in the Moose Room in the second floor of the lodge. Excellent.

As for real life: the Bears’ victory gave them a record of 11-4, a game ahead of Carolina, Tampa, and the Giants, thus securing the NFC’s second seed on the strength of our 10-1 conference record. The NFC’s playoff standings, after Week 16:

This means that the Bears will get a first round bye and will have a home playoff game in January, probably against one of these five teams: Tampa, the Giants, Carolina, Washington, or Dallas…three mediocre teams, one pretty good team in the Giants, and one potentially frightening yet somewhat injured team in the Panthers. Barring catastrophe, the Bears are now one game away from their first Super Bowl appearance in twenty years.

(…unless of course they were to lose yet another home playoff game, which would make them only the fourth NFC team to lose a home playoff game in the Divisional Round since the playoffs expanded in 1990, the other three being San Fran in ’95 (to the Packers), St. Louis two years ago (to the Panthers), and us in 2001. But no, we cannot have such pessimism. I won’t allow it. This team is better than that. I’m sorry that I even typed these words. It was foolish.)

Perhaps the most exciting aspect of today’s win was the beatdown we put on Favre. Sure he finished 30 of 51 for 317 yards, but he had no touchdowns and four picks. Rex has now played Favre twice in his career. Here are their numbers for those two games:

That’s awesome. Today’s beatdown of Favre also means that these are Favre’s numbers against the Bears in 2005: 61 of 109 (HOLY CRAP! on both counts), 56.0%, no touchdowns and six interceptions, a quarterback rating of 48.5 and two losses. This is excellent. Rex Grossman is now 2-0 against his supposed image-sake, Brett Favre. Furthermore, Favre did indeed return for the 2005 season, and we did indeed beat him twice, thus proving (as Point Number Two from March 10^th stipulated)…

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[1] It’s always difficult to get a true sense of what an out-of-state fanbase is really feeling, particularly when you’re getting your information from our current national sports media…even still, the Red Sox fans seem pretty pissed about Damon leaving/signing with the Yankees.