I had a horrible nightmare last night. the bears lose to the eagles and then beat the packers next week while the scum sucking lions beat the giants & minnesota to march into the playoffs. ugh.

but if both the bears & packers win today, the lions are toast and we'll be treated to a repeat of the 'gunfight at the ok corral' next sunday. great theatre and i hope it happens.

if ever a player needed a kick in the balls, it's TONY ROMO. "hey jag bag, we're up two scores so when i send in a running play, run the damn thing and stop calling audibles!"  MR. INTERCEPTION struck again last week and handed the packers new playoff life with consecutive interceptions.  turns out the coach was sending in running plays but........

COACH JASON GARRET needs to be done. how hard is it to tell your QB to just run the play with no checkoffs allowed?

STARLIN CASTRO claims the lawsuit against him in the dominican republic is what caused his bad year. ok, here's a hint: honor your contract with the baseball academy and the lawsuit goes away. duh.

gotta feel bad for LINSEY VONN, the world's best female skier. she reinjured her surgically repaired knee in november and had to withdraw from a race on saturday when her knee buckled. the olympics are just two months away and they don't allow 'do-overs' in the games......unless you're the russian basketball team in 1972.

the BULLS are just dreadful because of the injury bug. i went to a game recently and they were missing NOAH, HEINRICH, DENG & JIMMY BUTLER, not to mention mr. rose which means that bench warmers 6 thru 9 joined CARLOS BOOZER and became their starting lineup. really sad to see this team crumble. the bright spot is that IF they don't break up the team, the rookies are getting an awful lot of valuable playing time

speaking of injuries, the BLACKHAWKS do need COREY CRAWFORD to get healthy but they're doing it the right way by allowing him all the time he needs to heal properly. of, course, it helps when you keep on winning with the backup goalies.

bowl games abound and i love it. doesn't matter when you turn on the tv, there's football!  35 bowl games, division 2 & 3 playoffs and of course, the nfl. wunderbar.

hope santa is good to you.  go bears!

FINALLY!

well, it took a while but NORTHERN ILLINOIS finally stumbled friday night which means we won't have to watch another snooze-fest like last year's orange bowl against FLORIDA STATE. niu has a cute program against mediocre competition but they don't belong in a major bowl. this is no different than the years we suffered with BOISE STATE.  how tenuous is the position of a mid-major team? well, after just one loss, the huskies dropped from the FIESTA BOWL in arizona against OKLAHOMA STATE on january 1st in prime time down to the POTATO BOWL on december 21st against UNLV played on the tundra in freaking boise, idaho, but it's EXACTLY where they belong. thank the football gods that we will NEVER have to see another mid-major in a big time bowl after this year when the BCS is dissolved and legitimate playoff teams are chosen by committee.

the BEARS check out of the playoff race last week with one of the dumbest coaching decisions in a long time but the fact of the matter is that they weren't going to the dance anyways. PLAYOFFS??? with a "defense" that allows almost 200 rushing yards per game??

i will have to say that JOSH McCOWN has been a pleasant surprise after cutler's injury a month ago.  you have to remember that he was coaching high school football last year after bouncing around the league for 10 years. if mccown doesn't desire a permanent starting qb job, he could have a very comfortable 4 or 5 years as cutler's backup and draw a very healthy paycheck.

DERRICK ROSE has now started down the same road as former nba stars PENNY HARDAWAY & DANNY MANNING. once you have that second surgery on the same knee, father time begins to run after you rather than walk. just a hair short with your jump shot, a 1/2 step behind on defense and sitting out every fifth or sixth game because your knee is swollen & achy. i hope not but we'll see.

where in the world did the blackhawks find backup goaltender ANTEE RANTAA? this guy is terrible! he constantly loses his stick when a crowd gathers around the net and flops like a fish during shootouts.  he's be perfect in rockford.

hey cub fans: feeling juiced now that RICK RENTERIA is on board as the new manager?? that's what i thought.

the WHITE SOX are keeping pace with the north siders. they 
re-sign PAUL KONERKO and now they have THREE guys to play first base. two of them can't hit and none of them can run and only one can field. swell,  just swell.

if we don't talk again, HAVE SAFE & HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

BITS & PIECES

so let me see if i have this straight. a female packer fan in tinley park bets her husband '3 seconds of tasing' if the bears beat the packers. so when the bears win, he zaps her and how does she react?  she calls the cops who charge him with a felony.  i guarantee this will be reduced to no jail time and he should walk directly from criminal court to divorce court. what a bitch.

and while we're on domestic situations, a husband in china was awarded $120,000 after he sued his wife for producing an ugly daughter.  turns out the wife had lots of cosmetic surgery before they met and quite frankly, the 'before' pictures of her clearly indicate that she needed all the help she could get. the courts ruled 'deception' on the woman's part.

were they all irish?  nine skydivers & one pilot all survived a mid-air collision in wisconsin and they parachuted down when their plane broke apart. the second pilot was able to land his damaged plane.  methinks the FAA will be checking this one out closely.

i see all these tributes to chef CHARLIE TROTTER after his unexpected death last week.  truth be told, trotter was a jerk who treated people like scum on a regular basis. he had great culinary skills but zero people skills. as an example, he recently threw a handful of high school students out of his closed restaurant for absolutely no reason. they were visiting to see the kitchen set up and trotter, who had approved the field trip, suddenly erupted and ordered them out.

how sweet it is that dirtbag KEVIN TRUDEAU was found guilty of criminal contempt and immediately taken into custody. trudeau is, or was, the informercial king who ripped off thousands of people with phony diet books and has refused to pay back a single penny of his 38 million dollar fine. let's see how long he keeps smirking.

ELTON JOHN is in rosemont on 11/30. if you're a fan and you haven't seen him in concert, now's the time. ej is 67 and has been touring for over 40 years and the rumors of his retirement continue to grow louder so this might be your last local chance to see him. 

later.

ODDS & ENDS

the fans of the CHICAGO BULLS  are finding out that serious injuries are not very easy to recover from as they've watched DERRICK ROSE stumble through the early stages of the season.  he looks uncomfortable and is getting 'blown up' by other point guards which can't be good for his confidence.  the shooting will come around and the turnovers will disappear but maybe, just maybe, he's lost a step?  we'll see.

some pleasant news for chicago ears with the resignation of CUBS radio analylst KEITH MORELAND, one of the worst in my lifetime.  he was on the job three freakin years and still called STARLIN CASTRO............ "STARLING."   now if we could just get rid of BOTH radio guys on the south side. they suck.

i said it before but it bears repeating.  best announcers in chicago? a tie between PAT HUGHES & PAT FOLEY, who both do a wonderful job for the cubs and BLACKHAWKS. and the best analyst is STEVE STONE for the WHITE SOX. 

MNF was a nice surprise but don't drink the kool-aid just yet. the BEARS still can't tackle anybody and my mother could gain 4 yards off tackle.  this is a REALLY bad defensive team.  changes have to made at the safety positions but the bears have no one except CRAIG STELTZ on the roster, who would lose a foot race with PAUL KONERKO.

speaking of konerko, it's time to say good-bye to one of the classiest players to ever play in this city. the recent signing of JOSE ABREU to play first base pretty much sealed the deal because the sox are stuck with ADAM DUNN as their dh and there's just no room on the roster.  look for konerko to sign a one year contract out west, near his phoenix home.

and how about that MIAMI DOLPHIN situation?

more later

the ultimate game of chicken

so you want to play chicken, eh? cubs owner TOM "show me the money" RICKETTS has told WGN that he is looking to opt out of their television contract after the 2014 season in search of the golden goose, which is probably located on the cable side of the tv world but that causes a major problem for wgn.

pre-cable, wgn was the king of the world on both tv and radio and on a clear night, their radio signal could be picked up in atlanta, new york and denver and tv broadcasts were routinely picked up (although a little fuzzy) in indianapolis, milwaukee, northern wisconsin and downstate illinois. that's exactly how CUB NATION was formed because it certainly wasn't due to the quality of the product. they were the only game in town.

TBS out of atlanta gave viewers their first option back in the early 80's and since then, cable tv has grown quicker than PRINCE FIELDER'S waistline and on any given night, you can watch 4 games with just a basic cable sports package. and believe me, there's big time money lurking in the cable weeds and i believe tom ricketts has his lure ready to cast.

so what's the problem?

maybe none but i can tell you that many inner city families do not have cable and many parts of rural america have the same problem so you immediately have to subtract them from the equation. 

i can also tell you that when the white sox switched from wgn to what was then called UHF, their attendance fell drastically because not everyone's tv had uhf capability. and when the sox tried a pay per view channel known as SPORTSVISION, it was a total disaster from which they have never recovered.

maybe it might just be easier if wgn antes up the big bucks and then everyone can relax.  a final thought:  think the cubs would buy their own channel like the yankees and the braves???

THE WORLD WE LIVE IN

WHAT is all the uproar over halloween costumes? actress JULIANNE HOUGH, dresses in black face and pig rolls to depict a character in the online show "orange is the new black." sounds like halloween to me. 

but noooooooooooooooooooooooo! the black community is up in arms that a white person had the gall to dress up as a black woman. hough felt the pressure and apologized .  for what??  having fun and dressing up??  

anyone remember BILLY CRYSTAL wearing blackface and performing as SAMMY DAVIS JR. on the academy awards show? or SARAH SILVERMAN dressing as AUNT JEMIMAH?? silverman bluntly told critics to 'pound sand' because she was a comedian and the skit was to get laughs, which it did.

quick question: why can members of an acting group in a black church paint their faces white ON A REGULAR BASIS and mime gospel songs but whites can't use blackface to entertain??? repeat after me.....HYPOCRITES.

JESSE JACKSON, JR. got his sense of entitlement shoved down his throat this week when he showed up unannounced at federal prison to begin his two year term. sorry, jesse but that's not the way it works. you'll report to the judge like every other convict and get an official arrival time from the government. THEN you show up at our gates. no special privliges for you. get used to it.

i see where they had a bad fire in the city which took down a large building just three blocks from wrigley field. if only the wind had been blowing harder and sent the fire to clark & addison, we wouldn't have to look at that eyesore any longer.

PENN STATE UNIVERSITY (aka pedophile state) has agreed to pay sixty million dollars to 26 young men who were abused by coach jerry sandusky and there's still another six suits pending. think the university will ignore reports of misconduct next time?  they deserve to pay every penny for ignoring an obvious problem and scarring these boys forever.

somebody's head has to roll for the obamacare computer snafu and it appears to be the secretary of human services KATHLEEN SEBELIUS. the prez turned down her offer to resign but be assured the  guillotine will fall as soon as the program is repaired.

the republicans are beating their drums that the snafu will ruin the fabric of america when people can't sign up by the deadline.  psssst, here's a secret.  watch for the president to extend the deadline by 60 days.

feeling lucky? 67 year old JAMES BOZEMAN JR. won ten million dollars last year in the florida lottery. then he backs that up by winning three million more this summer.  wonder if he needs a best friend?

want to reduce crime in the city of chicago??? just spend ninety-three million dollars in ovetime. wouldn't it be better to just hire more cops?

i see where the FAA has finally recinded one of the dumbest rules in the history of aviation. now you don't have to shut down your IPOD prior to takeoff & landing. apparently, they've decided that me listening to BON JOVI won't affect 
the control tower communicating with the pilot.  duh.

finally, the DEA has discovered another underground tunnel which led from TIJUANA to SAN DIEGO and confiscated 8 tons of marijuana and 325 pounds of cocaine along with arresting three suspects.  in case you ever question whether the cartels really make THAT much money, the tunnel was equipped with electricity, cameras and high tech ventilation  to go along with a rail system to transport mini-boxcars of dope. by the way......this was the 75th underground passage discovered in the san diego area since 2008.

bye for now.

odds & ends

the insurance website for obamacare has proven to be about as useless as corned beef at a vegetarian's table and the REPUBLICANS finally have something to smile about after being on the wrong side in the recent 'gunfight at the o.k. corral.' both sides are calling for someone's head and that will happen soon enough but for now, they just need to get the damn thing fixed.

three years ago, two girls were attacked by DIRTBAG HERIBERTO VIRAMONTES who hit both of them in the head with a baseball bat which left one of them unable to walk or speak and the second survivor with constant headaches. "i probably hit the other bitch once" was part of a taped coversation played for the jury who returned a guilty verdict for 10 felonies, including two counts of attempted murder.  the dirtbag is eligible for 120 years in prison and seeing as how the girlfriend who stayed IN THE VAN during the attack got 22 years, i think we have seen the last of the dirtbag. screw him.

the 9 year old who snuck on to a flight for las vegas has been taken away from his parents, who never reported him missing. a judge has ordered therapy for the parents, which we all know will end up being a total waste of taxpayer dollars.

here's a big surprise:the chicago police department issued just over 1100 tickets in 14 months since the city decriminalized marijuana in august of 2012. better yet, they've only collected 20% of the fines.  exactly how do you force a pothead to pay his fine?  he probably ate his copy of the ticket long ago and doesn't even remember the citation.  "wow dude, why are you giving me this piece of paper?"
the officers on the street have better things to do than write pot tickets. then they have to go to the station and record the evidence after weighing and testing it. all for a hundred dollar ticket.  lose, lose.   just legalize pot. problem solved.

and now we discover another moron holding elected office in chicago and calling for bicycle riders to buy a $25 license for their bikes AND take a one hour safety course.  WHAT???? let me see how this works.  my ten year old nephew is stopped by the cpd and asked for his license from the city.  the nephew says 'huh'? and is promptly taken into custody and his bicycle impounded.  now there's crime fighting at it's best. ALDERMAN PATRICIA DOWELL....i KNOW you have better things to work on when you represent the south side of chicago.  how about taxing cigarettes or liquor or cable tv if you want some extra money?  leave my nephew alone.  idiot.

did you see where U.S. JUDGE ROBERT GETTLEMAN has had informercial king KEVIN TRUDEAU 'up to here' and sent him to jail 'indefinitely' for failure to pay a penny of his 38 million dollar fine from 2008.  trudeau was cited for false claims in a diet book and ordered to pay the fine to reimburse victims who bought the book. trudeau, who drives a bentley, goes to casinos, has a personal chef and gets $180 haircuts claims he has no money. i believe the bullshit light just went on.

enough. have a good week.

AN INTERESTING TWO WEEKS OF POLITICS

REPUBLICANS learned a valuable lesson this month.  don't ever play 'chicken' with a second term president who has nothing to lose because you can't win. the right wingers fractured their party and the american people when they forced a shutdown of the government and then were taken to the woodshed for a solid ass beating when they blinked first accepted the same basic package the president offered six months ago.

did it hurt the elephant party? national polls indicate that while the president's approval rate is below 50%, republican approval is in the teens....with an election year coming up. i hope those people who voted for the shutdown have job skills other than politics because i think they're going to need them next november.

in NEW YORK politics, private parts tweeting expert ANTHONY WEINER stated that if there was no internet, he would probably be mayor of new york right now. and if there was no gravity, i'd be flying. but there is and i can't.  go away anthony.

and on to CHICAGO.......LAURA FOXGROVER, a former park district official  improperly helped her married lover MATTHEW O'MALLEY and the father of her child secure a THIRTY YEAR DEAL to operate the PARK GRILL in millenium park. in addition, the restaurant receives free water, heat and garbage collection for the duration of the lease and operate rent free until they recoup their initial construction costs.  sweet. and the tidbit which may send some people to jail? the bid that would have given the park district the biggest slice of cash belonged to BRUCE RAUNER, a very close friend of current MAYOR RAHM EMANUEL, who is currently in court trying to break the lease and spending bunches of taxpayer dollars in lawyer fees, almost 3/4 of a million dollars to date.  stay tuned.

kudos to NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR CHRIS CHRISTIE for withdrawing his legal challenge to gay marriage, citing that recent high court decisions make it "impossible to win this battle and we have other places to spend our money." christie has become a common sense leader for the republican party although many view him as too liberal for the national platform. his lauding of PRESIDENT OBAMA after the hurricane rankled some leaders but christie's retort was 'fair is fair. his agencies did a great job helping our state."

and congratulations to NEWARK MAYOR CORY BOOKER, who won a special election and became the first black senator from new jersey. booker is a graduate of the yale school of law and a rhodes scholar. one of the first politicians to embrace the social media, he has over 1.4 million followers on twitter.  that's it for now.

OUCH

KAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-BOOM! that was the sound of the bears' season bottoming out with 9:50 remaining in the first half when JAY CUTLER suffered a torn groin muscle that was so painful, the tough guy couldn't finish the walk to the locker room.

as one who has been on both sides of this coin, i can tell you that he would need a minimum of three weeks IF i was only a pull BUT a tear means that cutler's season is basically over.  torn groins heal very slowly without benefit of sugery so don't expect cutler to be back until after thanksgiving if he ducks the knife.

even if it was "just" a pull, those injuries tend to linger and affect the way you walk and run which normally results in other injuries. a perfect example: PEANUT TILLMAN hurt his groin 4 weeks ago and he continues to favor it while playing but now he's dinged up with both knee & ankle issues and i guarantee you they're related. COACH MARC TRESSMAN said yesterday of cutler's injury "it's just a groin." he's about to learn about understating a injury.

and today we also learned that LANCE BRIGGS is gone for six weeks with an injured shoulder. with one of the worst defenses in the league, losing your best player spells absolute doom for the season. at the end of the game, did you know every name mentioned on defense?  me neither. they finish at 6-10 and a whole bunch of free agents at the end of the season.

JIM LEYLAND was woefully outmanaged in the ALCS and announced his retirement today.  the game has passed leyland by and it was definitely time to hang em up.  how do you pull MAX SCHERZER with a 2-1 lead in a 'go home' game? the answer is ....you don't.  you stick with your stud. send the chain smoking leyland a carton of cigarettes as a retirement gift.

BOSTON-ST. LOUIS.....two old time teams. i love it. more later.

OCTOBER MADNESS!

what a baseball game in boston last night! no matter your like or dislike for the teams, the RED SOX pulled the proverbial rabbit out of the hat with a miracle rally highlited br DAVID ORTIZ whacking a grand salami that was missed by just inches at the wall by TORI HUNTER who left the field like superman. i do have one question: how do you throw david ortiz a first pitch fastball? JIM LEYLAND was outmanaged sunday night and we'll have to see if a hangover exists in detroit tuesday night.

on the other hand, the LOS ANGELES DODGERS are on life support, trailing 0-2 to the CARDINALS and facing ADAM WAINWRIGHT tonight. ouch. every team slumps at the plate but it better not be in the playoffs.

get ready for the NFL MATCHUP OF THE YEAR next monday night! the NEW YORK GIANTS 0-6  host the 1-4 MINNESOTA VIKINGS.  put plenty of coffee on because you'll need the caffeine to stay awake.

almost time for the BULLS to play for real.  anyone else concerned that DERRICK ROSE sat out saturday night with a sore knee? it looks like a healthy bulls team can be pretty competitive.

the BLACKHAWKS have set off on a very long road to defend the STANLEY CUP, which is the most difficult piece of hardware to win in all of professional sports but they are loaded with talent and have a legitimate shot at winning it again. four years ago, they had to break up the team because of the salary cap but not this time. the roster has only 4 new players and the core stayed intact.

the CHICAGO BEARS are not going to make the playoffs. they barely survived a terrible NEW YORK GIANTS team at home and still have two games against the PACKERS and solos against the LIONS, EAGLES, COWBOYS and RAVENS, six possible losses.  players are falling like ducks on opening day of the hunting season and even i don't recognize the people who are being signed as reinforcements. JAY CUTLER still can't be trusted and the defensive line couldn't pressure the local high school quarterback which is a recipe for disaster.

oh, the WNBA has a new champion!  sorry, never mind

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, CUBS FANS!

there is so much to write about every year during the month of october but once again, i'm drawn back to the woebegone baseball franchise on the north side of chicago because the hits never quit coming.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY STEVE BARTMAN!!! on this date in history ten years ago, 10-14-03, i spent one of the happiest nights of my life sitting in wrigley field and watching BARTMAN screw up any chance that left fielder MOISES "i piss on my hands for toughness" ALOU had to catch a foul ball during the eighth inning of a game that would have send the hapless cubs to the world series.......if they had won.  we all know what happened. as it always does on the north side.

10-14-03.  the anniversary still makes me smile.

FYI......BARTMAN is the only person who's name is capitalized EVERY TIME it appears in this column, not just the first time.  he is truly a hero to me and has a standing invitation to attend any party at my house.

that loud SWOOSH noise you heard recently was the cubs striking out when JOE GIRARDI told the cubs to pound sand regarding the manager's job. god like figure (glf) THEO EPSTEIN took a major hit in the administrative office because girardi is the guy that owner TOM RICKETTS really wanted and epstein couldn't deliver.  DALE SVEUM, count your blessings and enjoy kansas city, a team with a future.

so now who to run this shipwreck? most of the names mentioned aren't even on the B list of baseball names with the exception of BRAD AUSMUS, who is currently the manager for Israel's World Baseball Classic team and a special assistant for the SAN DIEGO PADRES. he knows the game, having played 18 years and is ivy league educated, just like the glf. the obvious drawback is that he is a former recipient of the DARRYL KILE AWARD FOR 'INTEGRITY & COURAGE', two traits that normally don't fit in very well on the north side of chicago.

speaking of ricketts, he's having a tantrum and refusing to start construction on various projects approved by the city last july UNLESS the roof top owners drop their lawsuits against the cubs.  now tom, before you choke on your silver spoon, the city doesn't care what the rooftop owners do and ok'd the various projects around and outside the stadium because you said it would 'improve the wrigley experience." what does their litigation have to do with your outside construction which includes a new scoreboard?  YOU'VE BEEN APPROVED so quit pouting and start turning some dirt so you can improve that junkyard of a stadium.

what a beautiful organization.

JUST THE CUBS

and so the beat goes on with the chicago cubs.  hire a guy to manage a bucketful of crap and then SURPRISE! when the team embarrasses the city and MLB once again, dump the manager and blame him for 'a lack of development' with the young players.  add DALE SVEUM to the sacrificial lambs list which includes MIKE QUADE, BRUCE KIMM, TOM TREBLEHORN,  JIM RIGGLEMAN, DON BAYLOR, JIM ESSIAN, JIM LEFEVBRE and on and on and on and on.  they were all given teams with just two or three major leaguers on the roster and told to win.

only four cub managers in my lifetime had any player talent to work with and they were LEO DUROCHER, DON ZIMMER, DUSTY BAKER and LOU PINIELLA and we all know how they fared under the heat of the playoff spotlight. melted like a cheap candle.

but is it time now for JOE GIRARDI? the cubs will pay dearly to get him from the yankees and if ROBINSON CANO follows as a free agent, the cubs will have instant credibility in the eyes of the fans but remember one thing, turtleneck wearers:  you need a TEAM to compete.  girardi would be very smart to take the television job and decompress for a while.  the yankee team is in a downward spiral and the cubs speak for themselves.  

speaking of the cubs, attendance was down for the FIFTH year in a row and what was once one of the hardest tickets in baseball has now become a situation where you walk up to the window at game time to buy your ticket.  cubs now sell only 80% of the available tickets and i would love to se the 'no show' numbers.  CUBBIE BLUE, which is a pro-cubs publication, guesstimates an AVERAGE of 10,000 no shows per game.  any idea how much that affects the bottom line? if each person spends fifteen bucks inside the park, thats about 12 million dollars in lost concessions.  not much when considering player salaries but it would probably pay all of the general office staff.

i warned every cub fan about TOM RICKETTS the day he bought the team.  he knows how to make money with hotels, real estate, building management, stocks, commodities, development and urban planning. do you see the word baseball anywhere in that last sentence?

MY MAIN MAN!

many years ago, i walked away from everyday participation in the catholic church because of what i perceived to be their hypocritical teachings. they  pounded it into our heads (sometimes literally) in grammer school that we should 'love our neighbor' but in the same breath told my father he couldn't receive the sacraments any longer because he & mom divorced and he was no longer a 'recognized' catholic. oh, he could come to church and make his cash contributions and donate his time but for the rest of his life, he would be a second class citizen of the church. in the years that followed, it was obvious the church would NEVER bend in their attitudes so i walked away.

then the revelations came as i got older that the catholic church was running an underground railroad for pedophiles, simply transferring the priests to other parishes while leaving a thousand mile trail of victims. did the leaders take a microphone and apologize for their careless leadership? nope. "we counseled the offenders and they continue working in the church today." WHAT???? payoffs were the norm if someone protested loud enough.  finally, arrests started happening and priests went away to prisons.  better.....but still no admission of wrong doing by the leaders.  the vatican was mute, the hypocrisy continued and quite frankly, they disgusted me.

BUT every once in a while, a world leader steps up to the plate and knocks one out of the park which is exactly what POPE FRANCIS did this week when he told the cardinals & bishops to get off their high horses and become understanding of abortion, birth control and homosexuality. "we're not here to condemn people but rather to love and guide them and WELCOME THEM to our faith." how cool is that?  now don't get the big guy wrong....he still thinks that those three are sins but he also thinks that it's also wrong for the catholic church to turn their backs on the situation and the people involved with them.

I COMMEND HIM FOR HIS VERY BRAVE STANCE on these issues which just might bring the catholic church into the 21st century.  i can't imagine the look of disgust on the face of that facist intolerant CARDINAL GEORGE, who to this day tells "those people" that they are going to hell and they're not welcome in 'his' church ant any time for any reason.  look for a letter of retirement soon.

AND A GOOD WEEKEND TO THE POPE!!!

SPORTS OF ALL SORTS

it appears that the only teams that can beat an SEC team is another team from the same conference so i have an idea to save the post-season bowl system. when the SEC championship is decided in atlanta in december, just award the NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TROPHY to the winner of that game because the SEC represenative is probably going to win it anyhow.  this will save all the bowl games and they can sign up the different conferences like they did before the BCS.  big 10 vs pac 12 in the rose bowl, big 12 vs. ACC in the orange bowl and so on. seems pretty simple to me.

what a good weekend.  bears win. packers lose. notre dame throats yet ANOTHER big game.  if i was them, i'd cancel the michigan series too!

does the NCAA need to break up the FIGHTING ILLINI??? obviously in line for a piece of the national championship, right? the long downtrodden illini are 2 and freakin zero! 2-0! next victim is the WASHINGTON HUSKIES in champaign. enjoy it while it lasts.

does anyone play a weaker non-conference schedule than WISCONSIN?  check these teams out: MASSACHUSETS, TENNESSEE TECH, BYU & ARIZONA STATE. how can you not be 4-0 going into big ten play? and they wonder why they get no respect for the pollsters. can't wait until they go to OHIO STATE on 9/28 and host NORTHWESTERN a couple weeks after that..

after tuesday's action, the cubs have taken a 4 game lead over the white sox in the battle for the BEST BAD TEAM (BBT) in chicago.  the magic number for the cubs is 15.  ANY COMBINATION of 15 cub wins or sox losses and the cubs clinch. who says baseball is dead in chicago??

BEARS WIN but admit it....at any time during that game, did you feel comfortable as a bears fan? when JAY CUTLER threw that 2nd half interception and no bear player was within 5 yards, didn't you say "here we go again.?"

right guard KYLE LONG shoved it down smarmy know-it-all analyst HUB ARKUSH'S throat as he played well beyond his years in his first real game in the NFL.  the owner of pro football weekly, arkush uttered the famous "the bears blew that pick" when long was selected in april.  arkush has looked like a fool from the start and gets more than a little prickly when it's brought to his attention.

the bears' defensive line was not good.  hope they can fix that before the vikings get to town this sunday.  PEANUT TILLMAN had a hot & cold day with two early interceptions but then was taken to the woodshed by all world receiver A.J. GREEN for 9 catches  and 162 yards and two touchdowns. ouch.

ROBBIE GOULD is simply the best.

saw DERRICK ROSE playing around in japan and he looked smooth as silk but it looks like the bulls and LUOL DENG wll be parting company because deng is pissed they won't negotiate a new contract until after he becomes a free agent after the upcoming regular season. that's normally the home team's way of saying adios. tough business.

now i'm REALLY confused!

a very close friend of mine says "boots to the ground and whack ASSAD" while my long time softball buddy says "NO GO. who cares what they do six thousand miles away. they hate us and we have bigger problems at home" and then PRESIDENT OBAMA calls a time out and hopes that russia can convince syria to lay it down before they get hurt. i was o.k. with the time out until i learned that syria & russia are best friends. one wouldn't lie for the other, would they?

people have accused me of being racist when i speak of 'the jungle' but i guarantee you it's for people of all colors. a few recent examples of people who could move into the jungle at anytime:

they find the body of a seven year old girl in downstate illinois and arrest the uncle. white.

they find a mother in rockford standing over her 8 year old son holding the knife she just used to kill him.  white.

a newlywed pushes her husband over a cliff a week after they marry.  white.

these people are perfect candidates for the jungle and more prime examples of why the death penalty should be in effect across america.

where is the jungle?  for the most part, it's located in the inner cities across america and inhabited by uneducated, animalistic 'people' who live by the credo 'survival of the fittest.' most carry guns and will shoot you at the drop of a hat and will NEVER cooperate with the police.

they kill their own, rob their own and are way too lazy & stupid to work a job. they EXPECT public aid their entire lives and wouldn't take a job if it was offered to them.  THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS who are stuck in that enviroment but not very many. most are very comfortable in the jungle and will live & die there.

more later.

bits & pieces

JOHN BOEHNER & PRESIDENT OBAMA agreeing on something? wow. i know all the verbal posturing and sabre rattling is part of the process but if i lived in syria, i would be heading out of town about now. IF THE HOUSE COOPERATES, i think things are going to go BOOM real soon....... god speed to our military people.

how UNGRATEFUL can a communtiy be? for 30 years, the ENGLEWOOD neighborhood has complained about not having a food store with access to fresh fruits & vegetables. a fair concern.     corporations may have hesitated to build because of the 50% board up rate and the third highest crime rate in chicago and the largest homocide rate. also a fair concern.  

but after WHOLE FOODS CORPORATION announced it's plan to open an 18,000 square foot market in 2016 and create at least a hundred new jobs, what was the reaction? "they're too expensive" and "that's too long to wait."  you just can't please certain people.  maybe if the corporation delivered the food to their front doors for free? and cooked it for them?   naw, thay'd still find something to complain about.  if i was the ceo of whole foods and got that reaction, the jungle project would have been canceled immediatley. ungrateful bastards.

anyone shed a tear for that maggot ARIEL CASTRO hanging himself? after just one month, he couldn't take not having his freedom.  now he knows how his captives felt for ten years.

did you hear about the 50 year old einstein breaking into the edison storage yard to steal copper wire? unfortunately for the rocket scientist , the copper he grabbed to steal was hooked up to real electricity and toasted him like a s'more.  feel sad for him?  a little background......4 prior theft related prison terms and released on parole just a month ago.  you can take them out of the jungle but you can't.....well, you know the rest.

CHICAGO FOP president MIKE SHIELDS missed not one but two contractual deadlines and cost his officers between three & seven thousand dollars in retroactive pay EACH! anyone want to be his campaign manager when he's up for re-election? ugly

more cop stuff.  file this in the head scratch file. a father of three in gary, indiana was found dead in the trunk of his cadillac.  that's right, the trunk. gary police released a hasty statement that probably wasn't double checked....."there is no indication that a crime was committed" suggests the dead guy jumped into his own trunk and died of natural causes.  uh.....no.

if you were ever arrested by LT. JOHN BURCH of the chicago police department, take the time to hire a civil rights lawyer.  to date, the city has spent 64 MILLION DOLLARS settlling law suits filed by his arrestees. add to this 31 million in legal fees.  wow. get in line.

denver mass murderer JAMES HOLMES has an interesting defense team.  in an effort to spare their client from the death penalty, they have asked the court to NOT ALLOW the surviving victims to speak at the sentencing hearing and they only want opponents of the death penalty to sit on the jury!WHAT??????
 ok, this guy shot you but you can't talk about it....but he can if he wants to do that. and this is exactly why the courts drag on and on and on.........

finally.........remember when the members of the jungle were up in arms over school closings and 'safe passage' for their kids?  remember how they stated they would be part of the 'corner security' guards to protect the little ones? well, 40% of the new hirees QUIT after the first week.  i guess it's pretty tough to work 4 hours a day, especially when you get a THREE HOUR BREAK between shifts.
but i have the solution.  bring back all of LOUIS FARRAKHAN'S thugs who passed out brochures last year in the jungles and let them man the street corners. they can continue to pass out literature and bring peace to the community.

gotta go. have a great weekend!

a tough decision

when i first read the report about the problems in SYRIA, i have to admit my first reaction was "man, don't get involved with another problem overseas because we have enough problems here" and then i saw the photos and reports of poison gas killing 1400 people including 200 kids and my thought process changed to "that bastard ASSAD needs to die." WHICH WAY DO WE GO? i wish PRESIDENT OBAMA godspeed with this decision.

ILLINOS POLITICS are starting to warm up as the four republican candidates have begun to announce their running mates for the upcomong  gubernatorial
primary. does any of it really matter? can any of them defeat BILL DALEY for governor? the four candidates all have a history of losing.

speaking of the state, it's broke and we all know it. programs are cut, budgets reduced and bills aren't paid.....BUT........ the state capitol building is undergoing a FIFTY MILLION DOLLAR renovation.  excuse me? pick fifty schools and give them a millin each to improve buildings & textbooks.

cogratulations to DIANA NYAD, who completed the 111 mile swim from havana to key west in just 53 hours. imagine that....swimming two miles an hour for over two days. that's freaking incredible. i have a problem DRIVING 46 miles from grayslake to the united center in chicago.

again....GRACELAND is the best new summer series on television.  the problem is there's NO WAY they can sustain that level of writing in season 2.  the best new series last winter was HANNIBAL but they have the same problem. how many people can know the killer's identity before someone speaks up? they can't ALL have a secret to hide, can they?

congrats to the FORT HOOD military jury who sentenced NIDAL HASAN to death for slaughtering thirteen innocent people in 2009. i say again & again.....if you want to kill and get caught....then you deserve to die...... because then you'll never kill again.... and don't mess with my family & friends because i will end your life when i catch up to you. promise. and i'm willing to pay the price.

going to see MICHAEL BUBLE soon & i can't wait.

want a good getaway WITHOUT the kids?  head to MEMPHIS & BEAL STRET for a long 4 day weekend. plenty of music, food & hotels so you don't even have to use your car. make sure you visit elvis' home while you're there. tacky but worth the price of admission.  i think i had the 'jungle room' in one of my early apartments.

everyone ready for the bears to start the season?? yeah, me too.

enjoy our september weather. it doesn't get any better than this.

bye for now

world news

so now we kill a baby and put him in a backpack and drop him in a dumpster?? my parents taught me that all people are equal but i think not. WE ARE NOT ALL ALIKE and people of the jungle live by a different set of rules. they are animals who don't hesitate to kill their own and the recent scenario in ZION says it all.

speaking of the jungle, parents are walking with their kids as school opens in the city and 'safe passage' routes are monitored heavily by 'concerned' parents.  trust me....as soon as the weather turns, these parents will return to smoking crack and drinking gin and not giving a damn about their kids.  will there be violence along the 'safe passage' routes? OF COURSE THERE'S GOING TO BE VIOLENCE! there was violence in almost every school district for the last twenty years and it will continue. BUT NO ONE WILL SNITCH on the shooters and life.....and death..... will simply go on in the jungle.  

SECRETARY OF STATE JOHN KERRY says syria used chemical warfare and it's a "moral obscentity." ok, now what???  i thinkk he's a pussy and will do nothing. the president MUST get involved. another country that needs to be nuked.

is MAINE WEST HIGH SCHOOL the worst school to send your kids??? yet ANOTHER COMPLAINT  of sexual assault has been filed by a soccer player. there's comes a time when you shut down the athletic programs and make it an all academic institution.

would you feel safe if your kid was a student at MILLIKIN UNIVERSITY and his professor of psychology had been convicted of slaughtering his family 45 years ago? JAMES ST. JAMES is a convicted murderer at that university and is supported by the university.  second chance program?  wow.

 the roof top owners outside of wrigley field have to be to biggest whiners in recent years. they signed a contract several years ago which gives the cubs the right to add any signage at any time and now they're complaining about the fact the cubs intend to add several signs along the outfield walls.  owners....you had a good run and made a lot of money.  now shut up.

finally, CARDINAL FRANCIS GEORGE stepped on his penis this week by trying to defend his position against gays.  let me say this straight out:  cardinal george is a hypocrite who should be relieved of his duties in chicago..."the catholic church accepts everyone" has been his credo for years BUT NOW he speaks out aginst gays and their involvement in the catholic church. for years, the catholic church has been an underground railroad for pedophiles but he thinks gays pose a problem??? stop it.

i'm done. bye for now.

all about sports

WHO SAYS there's no baseball excitement in  chicago?? the WHITE SOX and the CUBS are locked in a battle to determine the BEST BAD TEAM (BBT) in the city and as of tonight the sox have taken a 1/2 game lead over the hapless north siders.  BBT is the same as being declared the tallest midget but it does contain bragging rights over the winter. three weeks ago , the cubs had an ELEVEN GAME LEAD over the south siders but in typical fashion, it disappeared just like the classic el-fold-o of the cubs in 1969.

JOHNNY MANZIEL gets a 1/2 game suspension from the ncaa because they can't prove he took money for signing forty freakin thousand autographs! STOP YOURSELF! this kid is as dirty as the PENN STATE FOOTBALL PROGRAM and should be disqualify from further competition.

should ncaa atheletes be allowed to make a few bucks for their signatures? OF COURSE THEY SHOULD! the pending legislation by ED O'BANION of UCLA will dictate the future of players making money.

the CHICAGO BEARS?  watch for a 6-10 season.

is BRANDON MARSHALL ok? i think not.

JAY CUTLER will not be a member os the bears next year.

if the WHITE SOX pick up a slugging third basemen AND one primo outfielder in the off season, ggod times will re-appear on the south side. JEFF KEPPINGER is the classic utility infielder.  any position, anytime.

CONGRATS to ALFONSO SORIANO, who has resurrected his career with the NEW YORK YANKEES and recently hit his 400th home run.and with 20 more steals, he will be one of the few members of the 400/300 club and should receive serious consideration for the hall of fame. it's a shame he wasted all thse years on the north side.

is CHRIS SALE  the best pitcher in chicago?  i think so.

kudos to the cubs for trading MATT GARZA.  if you're truely rebuilding, then do it all the way.

a HIGH FIVE to RYAN DEMPSTER for drilling that prick ALEX RODRIGUEZ. rodriguez is playing out the string and will lose his appeal during the off season. 

RYAN BRAUN?  another dick.  what the fuck kind of admission was that? "someone" gave me the clear and a throat lozenge?  ok, who was it?  it's a good thing he plays in wisconsin, where the mental capacity of the fans is limited at best. watch for a standing ovation next year on opening day.

adios for now.

CUBS VS SOX

the white sox began their rebuilding phase back in july when they moved MATT THORNTON to the red sox and followed that with plane tickets for JESSE CRAIN, JAKE PEAVY and ALEX RIOS, dumping 37 million dollars in the process and making their team so young that ADAM DUNN at 33 is now the senior leader along with ALEXIE RAMIREZ & GORDON BECKHAM.  if PAUL KONERKO retires and they can dump GAVIN FLOYD (remember him), the sox will be SIXTY FREAKIN MILLION DOLLARS lighter in the budget for 2014 and their average age will fall almost five years.

will they pursue a free agent to get back in the chase? the wish list would include JACOBY ELLSBURYin center and BRIAN McCANN would certainly look nice behind the plate and both will be affordable, as will outfielder SIN-SOO CHOO and they're all under 30. ROBINSON CANO will probably be re-signed by the yankees and that wraps up the big time free agents unless you count MATT GARZA who is going to ring the register big time with his new contract. as a realist, you have to hope the sox get at least one of the above but as a fan you'd like two.

as mentioned in an earlier blog, the cubs are doing it the correct way and have decided to play the youngsters and HOPE something good happens but now they have to bite the bullet and get the crap beat out of them for the next two years. no way around it and they have to keep their fingers crossed that a handful of their prospects grow up fast. even the cub diehards realize that the cupboard is bare and they need the kids to come through big time plus their pitching is dismal compared to the white sox.

the white sox have solved part of the puzzle already with a superior starting pitching staff that has 5 studs all under the age of 28 and in fact have been lights out all year but the sox couldn't hit and buried themselves. JOHN DANKS has an e.r.a. of 4.2 and he is the WORST of the starting staff. no one else is higher than 3.7 and this is the american league.

the cubs?  not so much. TRAVIS WOOD is the best at 3.1 but SAMARDZIJA is a run higher at 4.1 and EDWIN JACKSON is 4.9. and this is the national league where the 8 & 9 hitters are almost always automatic outs. (still can't figure out the jackson signing--FIFTY TWO MILLION over 4 years for a thirty year old pitcher with a losing record. wow)

the advantage is clearly with the white sox because two players might put them right back in it but the cubs look like they're not going to participate in the major free agent market until the kids are ready.   and so it goes............

hello to all.

BASEBALL & MORE

RYAN BRAUN IS A CHEATER. we all know that by now but his cheater's club is about to get a few new members. i hope ALEX RODRIGUEZ gets his balls cut off by MLB and maybe that will wipe that smug grin off his face. what would make it even better is if they voided the remainder of his contract. 

 

i have an idea to end the PED problem. remember when PETE ROSE got a LIFETIME BAN for gambling back in the 80's? in the last 25 years, have you heard ONE WORD about a MLB player gambling on games? the answer is a resounding NO. why? because the players know their careers are over if they do that.  hellllloooooooooo? even if you have to mollify the union with a second chance program, make the first violation a 162 game suspension and the second time means you disappear from the sport. it seems simple to me.

 

FYI....ALL MLB PLAYERS have a protocol in place via a 1-800 hotline run by the league office and you can call anytime to ask if a supplement is ok and the league then sends you the answer via phone, email AND text. players have no excuses. and even the most innocent of pills sometimes contain banned ingredients which can get you whacked.  for instance:  

 

in the NFL, bears' quarterback JIM MILLER caught a 4 game suspension for USING a LEGAL SUPPLEMENT he bought at the local GNC store. he openly admitted that he didn't use the 800 system which is also available to all nfl players and it turned out that the supplement contained a banned substance. had he called and read the ingredients to the league, he could have avoided the problem. again, no excuse.

 

the players in MLB all say they want to get rid of the cheats.  we'll see.

 

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CHICAGO CUBS

they are absolutely doing it the correct way by dumping the many pieces of crap who have collectively stunk up the north side for years and receiving young talent as they openly use the R word and continue to rebuild.

getting rid of garbage like SORIANO, FELDMAN, GARZA, MARMOL & STEVE CLEVENGER opens up spots for the prospects who you know will be trying 100% to win a major league spot. with the trade of soriano, the no longer have any no-trade contracts and that's the way you can pull the trigger any time you like a trade.  i don't know if he's going to make it long term but you have to love JUNIOR LAKE, who plays at full speed and is even exciting when he makes a mistake.  that's EXACTLY the type of player they need to fill the seats again.

the cubs payroll will be around 75 million in 2014, the lowest since 2002, and i don't believe they will chase any big name free agents...............yet. but beware the market place after the 2014 season. they'll be free of all the garbage contracts and have 50 million in the coffers from the league tv revenues.

but does TOM RICKETTS want a winner or a nice hotel and fun street outside the park? exactly where are HIS prioities?

have a good weekend.

A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING

GOVERNOR QUINN signed the medical marijuana bill today. suddenly, i'm not feeling very well.i think i need a prescription from my doctor.

 

gotta love the governor stopping the paychecks of the legislators who won't do their job and hammer out the pension/budget problem. good for him.

 

when LISA MADIGAN anoounced she wasn't going to run for governor, the large sigh of relief that eveyone heard was from BILL DALEY, who was going to get crushed if she ran. he now looms as the favorite against quinn.

 

i would say that JUDGE MICHAEL RUSSO  did his job when he sentenced kidnapper/rapist/molester ARIEL CASTRO to life PLUS a thousand years for keeping three young ladies prisones for eleven years. well done.

 

castro will have to spend his life in solitary confinement because releasing him into general population would surely mean death for him. prison officials, however, do have the right to 'experiment' with him in general population.  sounds like a good idea to me.  experiment and then take your lunch break.

 

speaking of prisoners.....the luckiest man in the world, O.J. SIMPSON, was granted parole on a few of the charges that sent him to prison and although he has more time to serve on some gun related charges, he might be released in just 4 more years.  why??? because simpson HAS NO PRIOR CONVICTIONS, that's why.  isn't that enough to make you vomit? only an incompetent prosecution team spared him the gas chamber for murdering his ex-wife.

 

FYI.....simpson receives $25,000 PER MONTH from his nfl pension and that money can't be touched in a civil suit. simpson can't receive the money while he's in prison so if he walks out after 8 years, he'll have 2.4 MILLION plus interest waiting for him. gag me.

 

girls, if you're overweight....don't wear red pants. or bright yellow ones.

 

and a reminder....if your shorts are still too tight in august, you're NOT going to lose the weight you gained last winter so donate them to goodwill and go buy clothes that fit. sheeeeeeeeesh!

 

guys....avoid your ten year old t-shirts from 40 pounds ago. nobody wants to watch your belly non-stop

 

ok, let's play "guess the population makeup" of detroit.

a few clues for you to piece together the puzzle. here we go.

they recently filed bankruptcy

the city is 18 BILLION in debt

1/2 of all property owners didn't pay their taxes in 2011

population has declined with every census over the last 60 years

 the  city has been labeled "the world's largest ghetto"

33%  of all mothers are unmarried

there are 78,000 abandoned buildings

16% unemployment

ranked #2 in homocides per capita

and 83% of the population is

a)black

b)white

c)hispanic

i trust you to pick the correct answer.

 

have a great week!

 

 

 

ODDS & ENDS

tell me that ANTHONY WEINER isn't the most appropriately named person on the face of the earth.  what a dick. it wasn't enough that he had to resign as a congressman  a couple of years ago for being involved in a 'sexting' scandal but now, while leading in the polls by 5% for mayor of new york, he gets caught again (i was going to use the word 'exposed' but i thought that would be overkill)
playing with another dozen women. now he trails by 9%. big surprise.

remember two years ago that weiner DENIED any wrong doing and stated that someone had hacked his account.  yeah, that story worked really well. he finally admitted his involvement and resigned from congress. personally, i could care less if he is sexting every day but JUST BE HONEST ABOUT IT. he should be withdrawing from the mayoral race very soon because the big time democrats will muscle him into oblivion if he doesn't.

and what's with his wife, HUMA ABEDIN? what the hell is she thinking????
 i understand giving your partner a second chance but THIRTEEN more chances? sweetie, wake up and hire a good lawyer because weenie boy is NOT GOING TO CHANGE.

a sad good-bye to DENNIS FARINA, who passed away suddenly this week. i had met farina on several occassions at charity events and he was always gracious AND interested in me being a cop. farina was a chicago cop for 18 years before leaving the job for hollywood and he insisted on reality for the many cop roles that he played but check him out in MANHUNTER, the pre-cursor to 'SILENCE OF THE LAMBS.'  godspeed, my friend.

pro basketball player DWYANE WADE has to pay his ex-wife FIVE MILLION DOLLARS plus she gets 4 cars and their mansion BUT SHE'S UNHAPPY because the judge says she can't say anything bad about wade from this point on.
five million dollars and she's unhappy??????? she's a whack job who hired AND FIRED 14 different attorneys during the divorce proceedings and the judge finally told her to SHUT UP and he approved the settlement because she wouldn't approve anything.  her stupidity also cost her custody of the two children. she'll be broke in three years and return to the jungle.

CONGRATULATIONS to the juror in the GEORGE ZIMMERMAN case who went public with her opinion that she felt zimmerman was guilty but she followed jury instructions to reach a fair decision. "they didn't meet the standards for murder so i voted NOT GUILTY but i think he committed murder."
good for her.

 so prince george has arrived.  do any of us really care?

ok, i'm done.

ALL STAR BREAK

THE CUBS will be interesting to watch over the next two weeks as they try & maximize trade value for MATT GARZA & KEVIN GREGG. what are the cubs waiting for? garza to get hurt again or a last minute deal to fall thru so he walks away at the end of the season and they get nothing? they should pull the trigger right now before CUBLUCK sets in.

p.s. what's with the love affair for JEFF SAMARDZJIA? one winning season,  five games under .500 in his career and his team is 3-10 against playoff contenders in games which he startedthis season.  at 28, HE would bring some heavyweight prospects in a trade. he'll be 31 before the cubs are competitive. think about it.

here's the fairest bet for cubs/sox fans that i've seen in a long time: which team will win more games in the 2nd half? can't get fairer than that.

THE WHITE SOX are a mess. they HAVE to be sellers and i don't see why ADAM DUNN isn't already wearing yankee pinstripes. MARK TEIXEIRA is out for the year and dunn would be a perfect fit with the sox eating most of the salary. they started the parade with MATT THORNTON. NOW FINISH IT!!!

ALEXEI RAMIREZ, JESSE CRAIN, MATT LINDSTROM, JAKE PEAVY AND ALEX RIOS. just pull the trigger and rebuild NOW. ask PAUL KONERKO if he wants a trade to a contender and grant his wish.  it's over. and every true fan knows that. attendance, which has never been great, is plummeting like a duck on the first day of hunting season and it's only going to get worse.

the sox are operating at 55% capacity and ONLY ONE TEAM has worse overall attendance and that's the lowly MIAMI MARLINS. being 18 games under .500 spells disaster for second half crowds and the sox will be hard pressed to reach 1.5 million which is a disaster in today's baseball economy. ouch.

DERRICK ROSE says he's 100% and ready to go. finally. the BULLS will be one of the top 5 teams in the east but who can beat the heat? the bulls might not even win their own division because INDIANA is a monster with DANNY GRAINGER coming back from his injury.

let's hope the BLACKHAWKS don't come back with the same hangover they had in 2011. i think it will be ok because the team is basically intact.

DANIEL 'car wreck' CARCILLO left town after two terrible years in chicago. plagued by injuries and stupid penalties, he needed a fresh start and he'll definitely get that in los angeles. another crazy man on the west coast.
who will notice?

and gets what starts next week? OPENING DAY OF TRAINING CAMP FOR YOUR CHICAGO BEARS!!! yessssssssssssssssssssssssssss!

later, dudes & dudettes

ZIMMERMAN FLACK

so now the attorney general of the united states, ERIC HOLDER,  is throwing a temper tantrum because GEORGE ZIMMERMAN was acquitted in the justified florida shooting of the dope smoking, sign flashing, pot smoking, gang banging TRAYVON MARTIN. holder, an african american, has stated that HE'S not satisfied that justice was done. screw him. holder himself stated in april of 2012, "For a federal hate crime, we have to prove the highest standard in the law."

in order to prosecute zimmerman federally, they have to find that the incident was racially motivated and, AT NO TIME DURING THE TRIAL, was any EVIDENCE introduced that it was a racial thing with zimmerman.  you can yell & scream that it was a racial killing but the FACTS are:

 zimmerman reported to the police a hooded subject walking through a area in which several thefts & break-ins had recently occurred. when he continued to follow him as he was trained in the neighborhood watch program, the punk attacked him. if anyone violated someone's rights, it was the other way around.
the game is over, mr. holder. move on.

in another "racial incident" that makes most of us roll our eyes, an 18 year old college student got her front teeth knocked out during a police involved incident at a DENNY'S restaurant in bloomington, il.  "i didn't have anything to do with the incident at denny's.  i was just attacked by the police for no reason." hmmmmmm. let's roll the video............which shows the 'demure' young lady pushing and then punching a police officer. she then resisted arrest which required a second officer to assist in the arrest. 'attacked for no reason'? i think not. the young 'lady' was indicted last week on two felony charges.

THIS IS EXACTLY WHY most people don't believe a word that comes out of the jungle. EVERYTHING is "racially motivated" and EVERYTHING is "because i'm black" and EVERYTHING happens because the police acted "unprofessionally and racist."  it's like repeat loop of music.  same tune every day.  you get tired of it.  i know i do.

WHY WERE YOU ARRESTED? it's not because you're black, white, brown or red. it's because you're a dirtbag who has no respect for anyone and think the rules don't apply to you.  well, guess what? they do. and when the police tell you to move along, you have to put on a muscle show for the other members of the jungle and then you whine like a punk ass baby when the cops put the bracelets on. act stupid, get treated stupid.

on a lighter note for you lake county people, mark down ANTIOCH as your place to go next year for 4th of july fireworks. a spectacular 29 MINUTE display which is unheard of in the area. the display was book ended by a grand start & grand finale. believe me, they will both get your attention and because they're shot off from the middle of town, you can sit anywhere and enjoy them.  no festival required. we got to the grammer school around 8:00 and set up in the field with our cooler. no muss, no fuss.  give it 20 minutes after the display and traffic has disappeared.

to end this diatribe, let me give you a real life example of good luck.  a couple of weeks ago, i go to ARLINGTON PARK to enjoy the nine races and i bring home 5 winners, 3 exactas & a trifecta.  nice day but that wasn't the lucky part. after making my bets for the 8th race, i stopped to straighten out my money, tickets, pens, program and all the other stuff i carry to the track before going back to my seat.  my horse wins going away AND i also win the exacta. woooooo!  i reach for my winning tickets........................................and they're not in my left pocket. uh-oh.  after my heart reaches about 180 beats per second, i walk back into the betting concourse with hundreds of people walking around and STILL SITTING on the abandoned table are my winning tickets, twenty minutes after i left them. NOW THAT'S LUCK!!!

HAVE A GREAT DAY!

JUSTICE!

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THE CHICAGO ALL STAR TEAM

i was taking a break until after the all star game but too much is happening. this chicago all star team feature normally gets people all fired up so let's do it. i have a feeling that the outcry will be "my garbage is better than your garbage" which makes this year even better.

1B rizzo & konerko. two guys hitting .240 so they both play 4 1/2 innings. seriously, with konerko on the DL, i would take ANTHONY RIZZO but mark my words: the cubs are eventually going to be very disappointed in this young man as the 'face of the franchise."

2B no question. GORDON BECKHAM

SS again, the implosion of the uncoachable starlin castro makes this a no brainer. ALEXIE RAMIREZ

3B a close one but CONOR GILLESPIE gets the nod over LUIS VALBUENA. gillespie has more speed, is hitting .257 over .243 and they are virtually deadlocked defensively.

LF-CF-RF this group is soooooooo bad that i'm just going to pick three guys and hope thay can hit the ball because no one can catch it. ALFONSO SORIANO, ALEX RIOS (he actually does play defense) & NATE SCHIERHOLTZ. that outfield sends a shiver up my spine.

C the white sox didn't have a major league catcher on their roster until last week so DIONER NAVARRO at .291 can take his 8 HR & 19 RBI's into this all star game without question.  bonus $ for you:  he's listed at 205 pounds.  take a good look and bet the over.

THE PITCHING STAFF:
here we go. ready to drop the gloves?  the RHP has to be MATT GARZA @ 4-1 3.45, who is making the cubs smile every time he takes the mound because his value increases with each pitch. the cubs should do well when they trade him.
i know the cub fans want a sweep in the starting positions with travis wood but i'm taking CHRIS SALE. he also dominates games but gets absolutely no run support.

BULLPEN: set up man is JESSE CRAIN without question and the closer is ADDISON REED @ 22/26 saves plus a 4-1 stikeout/walk ratio. kevin gregg @15/17 with a 3-1 ratio makes it competitive but reed wins this one.

MANAGER: my nephew frank

A CHICAGO CHAMPIONSHIP!

just who was it that predicted hawks in six??  oh yeah, me! LOL!!!

whether you love hockey, like it a little bit or were just a casual observer monday night, you saw one of the greatest games in chicago history.  i can tell you from years of watching playoff hockey that when the home team takes the lead with seven minutes to play, it's almost always over..............until this year.  the CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS, time & again, reached deep into their hearts and souls and pulled games from the abyss of defeat and turned them into heart pounding victories.

think i'm overextending the hyperbole a bit?  read on.  after dismissing minnesota in five games, the hawks fell behind three games to one in the detroit series before winning three in a row, including three third period goals in game 6 and then overcoming a horrible call by the referee in game 7 which costs them the game winner with 1:49 to play in regulation but prevailing in overtime as BRENT SEABROOK pounded home the series clincher.  more???

how about coming from behind TWICE in game 4 in los angeles to win the game before going double overtime in chicago before PATRICK KANE beat L.A. after the kings stunned the united center when they scored with just 9 seconds remaining in regulation  to force extra time. 

catch your breath?  now throw in THREE overtime games in the finals PLUS two goals in 17 freaking seconds with a minute left to play to win the cup.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WORLD CHAMPIONS!

 

did you see the throng of people in wrigleyville following the game?  it upset a lot of local residents because apparently, there's NEVER been any type of championship celebration in THAT neighborhood over the past hundred years.

 

MVP of the playoffs was PATRICK KANE. my vote went to COREY CRAWFORD because the award is for the entire 8 weeks of playoffs, not just the finals.  but i'm good with kane too.

 

BRYAN BICKELL had to go for a hearing test recently because the sound of a cash register kept blasting in his ear every time he scored a goal in the playoffs. 

KA-CHING! KA-CHING! guess who's a free agent july 1st?

 

the sad part of winning is that you always have to say good-bye to certain players: RAY EMORY, JAMAL MAYERS, MICHAEL HANDZUS, VIKTOR STALBERG, BRANDON BOLLIG and MICHAL ROZSIVAL have probably worn the blackhawk sweater for the last time. and maybe bryan bickell if the club doesn't pony up with a big contract.   

 

ok, that's it for a while.  the hawks are the champs, the cubs & sox are toast, the bulls are resting in the pasture and the bears are still hibernating.  talk to you after the all-star break.

ALL SORTS OF STUFF

if you get a chance on sunday night, check out the "super moon" which showed up saturday because it is spectacular.  it's the closest the moon is going to be to  earth this year and 30% brighter than normal. i checked it out saturday night and it is very cool.

the world is screaming about PAULA DEEN using the word nigger in a deposition like it's some new revelation about her but the truth of the matter is that she has appeared to be a racist for some time now. along with admitting that she uses the most inflammatory word in the english language on a regular basis, she has long defended slavery in general conversation and recently hosted a party where she made the all-black waiters dress up in the same clothing slaves wore during the civil war. the 65 year old deen made the most insincere apology in history thru her media team on friday but to no avail as the FOOD NETWORK dumped her on her ass by not renewing her 12 year old contract worth 4.5 million annually. unbelievable.

and while i'm on the subject.......the trial started this week for GEORGE ZIMMERMAN, the neighborhood watch man in florida who shot & killed 17 year old TRAYVON MARTIN after a fight ensued when zimmerman started asking martin why he was walking thru a particular neighborhood. zimmerman is puerto rican and martin was black.  the area is split in two and the outcome in the 2nd degree murder trial might start riots if zimmerman is acquitted. "beyond a REASONABLE doubt" should come into play and i see not guilty for zimmerman.

get ready to stare at this next story and shake your head. a mother is shopping with her 8 year old daughter at wal-mart in jacksonville, florida when 56 year old DONALD SMITH starts up a conversation with mom and after just 20 minutes, he volunteers to take the little girl to the in-store mcdonalds for a treat so mom can finish her shopping. they never come back and the little girl is found murdered the next morning outside the local church. smith was arrested a short time later and has priors for molesting children.  a very sad story. AFTER 20 MINUTES, YOU LET YOUR DAUGHTER WALK AWAY WITH A STRANGER??????????

time for a drink and a cigarette but obviously, you can't go to the local bar and do that...................UNLESS........... you live in cheyenne, wyoming where residents just repealed the no smoking law for bars. "if people want to smoke in a bar while having a beer, i'm all for it. non-smokers will be fully aware of the law change and can stay home if it's a problem" said cheyenne's mayor. restaurants still stay smoke free.

finally, THE WALLENDA FAMILY have been involved in circus high wire acts for over a century and SUNDAY NIGHT ON LIVE TELEVISION at 7:00, NIK WALLENDA will attempt to walk 1/3 of a mile across the grand canyon with no net or tethers attached to him. wallenda is married with three kids and has previously walked the same distance across NIAGRA FALLS but on that occasion, ABC insisted he be tethered.  the DISCOVERY CHANNEL has no such qualms and agreed to let him walk the wire unencumbered  on a cable that's two inches wide and is suspended 1500 feet in the air, slightly higher than the EMPIRE STATE BUILDING.  wallenda thinks the walk should take him about a half hour.  and for all you ghouls out there.............just in case of a fall, they have a 10 second delay on the tv channel.  good luck to him!

A CORNUCOPIA OF SPORTS

say what you want about LEBON JAMES & THE MIAMI HEAT but when their backs are against the wall, all they do is win. granted, lbj is a whiner who should be 'T' eed up every game for his rants and raves but he apparently knows how to win. two in a row ain't easy but i say here & now that they don't make three.

was there a sadder face on the planet than that of TIM DUNCAN after he missed that finger roll late in the game? the normally stoic duncan showed anger & emotion becasue i truly think he knew that missing the chance to tie the game really jacked up the heat going into the timeout........and he was correct. 

MANU GINOBILI? please. guy turned the ball over at critical times in both games 6 AND 7. enjoy your retirement.

baseball in chicago is as bad as i've ever seen it. both the CUBS & SOX are absolutely dreadful and no matter what kool-aid you're drinking, NEITHER TEAM has a future. bad minor league systems plague both ball clubs and the cubs will have but 3 or 4 major leaguers on the roster after the july trades.

the sox are old and slow and are stuck with ridiculous contracts so they will have to eat a LOT of money if they clean house.  if i'm the GM? say good-bye to my favorite PAUL KONERKO along with ADAM DUNN, JAKE PEAVY, MATT THORNTON and ALEXIE RAMIREZ just to start the pot boiling. rebuilding hurts but this ain't baseball that we're watching this season.

WHO would have thought that baseball in chicago would be done on the first day of summer? basically identical records at 29-42 with the sox 10 out of first place and sinking like a stone in water and the cubs 17 out. they suck.

i see where JAMAICA'S three time gold medal winner VERONICA BROWN just failed a drug test and was suspended from competition. what a surprise in the world of track & field! ok, a question FOR EVERYONE.....how many believe that at least 75% of all track & field competitors are dirty. raise your hand please.

ok. now for those who DIDN'T raise your hand....how many believe that 75% of cyclists in the TOUR DE FRANCE are juiced up?  hands, please.

for those who didn't raise your hand to either question....maybe i should just ask you a question about professional wrestling being legitimate.

THE BLACKHAWKS are two games away from the cup both both teams are really good.  a great series after 4 games.

HAWKS WIN!

WOW! what a game and what a run it's been so far!!

the RED WING series had me groaning in agony before the BLACKHAWKS shoved it down detroit's throat three times in a row with the coup de gras being an overtime winner to send the wings packing.

AND NOW THIS SERIES.  saturday night was a special hockey game and for those who watched the entire 91+ minutes, it was high drama at it's very best with more twists & turns than a top rated soap opera and the near misses in overtime by both teams had me screaming bad words at the television. real bad words.

p.s.  WE FOUND PATRICK KANE!!!

the BOSTON BRUINS will give the hawks all they can handle but i like the hawks in six games.

the CUBS actually impressed me with their draft choice on thursday. third baseman KRIS BRYANT from san diego university is a monster power hitter who banged a homer every two games this year. bryant wasn't the popular choice but the boys in blue didn't want to take a chance on JONATHAN GRAY out of oklahoma who recently failed a drug test. the cubs have zero pitching in the minors but bryant could fill a position for the next ten years and make an impact very soon while pitchers take a few years to develop.

i still think STARLIN CASTRO will NOT be part of the rebuilding program and he'll be moved for pitching prospects.

can the SAN ANTONIO SPURS keep it up and dump the HEAT? they would put a smile on a lot of faces if they can. LEBRON might be the best player in the world but that team is made up of major league puds. look for one of the biggest puds, chris 'birdman' anderson to have negotiations with the BULLS when his contract with the heat expires next month. really.

the NBA will miss retiring commissioner DAVID STERN.

MLB will NOT miss retiring commissioner BUD SELIG.

SERENA WILLIAMS is the best female athlete in the world. period.

i hope RYAN BRAUN, ALEX RODRIGUEZ, et al, are all crushed with 100 game suspensions but i caution you on one aspect of the scandal: in a court, just because they had contact with TONY BOSCH doesn't mean they used steroids. now you & i both know they're dirty but you have to prove they USED steroids which normally takes a failed test. bosch turned witness for MLB in exchange for no litigation from the league so he obviously has something to gain.  bottom line? you say i juiced. now prove it with something other than finger pointing.

whew. more later.  GO HAWKS!

A CORNUCOPIA OF SPORTS

catching up on a ton of stuff.

BRIAN URLACHER says adios to the nfl but the door to the hall of fame will be open as soon as he's eligible. it was a pleasure watching him and i'm glad he called it quits so he can enjoy life. i will never forget the monday night game in arizona when he single handedly brought the bears back from a 23-3 deficit.

that game 7 with the BLACKHAWKS was a classic and it was great to see detroit eviscerated on national television even after we got jobbed by the referee. but can the hawks get by the defending champion kings? their speed against the bulk of the west coasters.

WHERE IS PATRICK KANE?

the WHITE SOX are absolutely terrible and i would think JAKE PEAVEY'S six weeks on the disabled list will start the breaking up of this ball club.

 it turns out that last year was the exception for ADAM DUNN, not the norm, and he needs to board a plane. soon. he's a prime example of a big dollar contract being signed at the wrong time.  eat the rest of the contract and move on.

not re-signing AJ wasn't a popular move but it was the right one because eventually his numbers will tank and you can't pay big for players in the twilight of their careers. the mistake was not trading him when he still had value. getting zip for him was one last bad move by kenny williams. and now we're stuck with TYLER FLOWERS who's very good defensively but hits like my sister.

CUBS showing signs of life. at least the youngsters are getting a chance to play but get ready to say good-bye to MATT GARZA, KEVIN GREGG, CARLOS MARMOL (it's amazing that this goof is still on the team!) and DAVID DEJESUS. the cubs will get about ten prospects for the four players and continue on with the rebuilding.  it has to be done this way because the cubs have just two possibilities in the minors and that's it.

the BULLS went as far as they could with what they had but even the return of DERRICK ROSE and a clean bill of health for the rest of the time doesn't get them past the MIAMI HEAT in a seven game series.  one game? bulls win. but a long series gives LEBRON way too many chances to beat you. the bulls are forced to make a major trade to have a chance to climb the mountain.

A LOT TO TALK ABOUT!

SENATOR MARK KIRK wants to lock up all 18,000 members of the GANGSTER DISCIPLES street gang which, to the best of my knowledge, is totally black. while i applaud his initiative, there's a small problem of where to put these thugs when you do arrest them.  COOK COUNTY JAIL is always at capacity with 10,000 inmates and the federal lockup in chicago only handles a few hundred at a time. perhaps we could send all of them to summer camp.

and before any bleeding heart liberals begin to scream about 'probable cause' and 'constitutional rights' for the disciples, let me explain one thing to you. these animals take an oath to the gang to do what they want, when they want and to whomever they want anytime they want. they roam the streets like jungle predators, preying on the old and the weak and working off of a pack mentality. like most diseased animals, they need to be put down. in my mind, they gave up their 'rights' long ago.

DAMIEN WILKERSON lives in the AUSTIN JUNGLE and proved his mettle over the weekend by beating a dog to death after the canine jumped up and tore his $3.78 shirt.  that number is correct. THREE DOLLARS AND SEVENTY EIGHT CENTS. wilkerson showed how tough he is by beating the dog to death with a combination of milk crates, sticks & rocks before choking the dog into unconsciousness and then stabbing him and stuffing it into a garbage can. ah, the law of the jungle.

parents, do not let your kids be social workers or probation officers because wilkerson is the type of scum they'll have to deal with every day and it truly is a dead end job. you can't teach them and they don't want to learn.

and further news from the jungle: think your school board has problems?? FORD HEIGHTS on the south side just found out that three of its six board members are CONVICTED FELONS. drug possession, assaults and weapons charges highlight the magnificent three. out of 2700 residents, this is the best they have?  come to think of it, maybe it is.

did you see where CONVICTED EX-GOVERNOR GEORGE RYAN , who served 5 1/2 years in the prison, wants to write a 'tell all' book?  this from a guy who still won't admit he did anything wrong. i read occassionally that ryan has 'paid a severe price' and other woe is me rhetoric but in my opinion, it always comes back to the fiery deaths of the six willis children in 1994. 

while ryan was secretary of state, he closed his eyes to systematic corruption which infected his office in the form of bribes & kickbacks, many of which were received to obtain phony driver's licenses. that system put ricardo guzman on the streets and a series of events while he was pulling a trailer on the expressway led to the deaths of those innocent children. no corruption, no bribes.  no bribes, no bad driver getting a phony license.  no license, no six funerals.
screw you george ryan. and screw your book.

anyone keeping up with chicago rapper CHIEF KEEF? this moron, who will turn 18 in august and is a prime example of the south side ENGLEWOOD JUNGLE , already has a handful of arrests for weapons & drugs and flaunts his arrests on twitter.  he thinks it's all a joke and dares the police to make something stick. i'm hoping someone takes up his challenge.

JUSTIN BIEBER, what is your problem? another punk who has the world by the tail, continues to alienate fans with continued reports of heavy drug usage, showing up late for performances, cancelling concerts and causing confrontations with members of the media.  hey dickhead! you're making a million a week and one of the reasons for that is all the publicity you receive from the media. you're already getting booed at the awards shows and at 19, you're about to lose your teenage followers over the next couple of years.  then what?

to give you an example of this jerk: bieber lives in a gated community and neighbors have asked him to slow down when driving his ferrari inside the gates. "expressway speeds" in a posted 25 mph zone brought bieber a visit from retired NFL player KEYSHAWN JOHNSON but when bieber saw the large man pull up, he scurried into the house and sent his security team out. sissy boy.

closure department: scumbag JAMES EALY was convicted of the burger king murder of MARY HUTCHINSON and will spend the rest of his worthless life in prison. ealy, a former emplyee of hutchinson's,  killed her with a screwdriver and her own tie in the early morning hours when she had arrived to do a monthly inventory. she died for $1700.  still don't believe in the death penalty?