A pretty damning Wednesday at Halas Hall as outlined by Bears beat (Battlestar Galactica) writer Dan Wiederer’s Twitter timeline this afternoon. If you’re too lazy to click that link, here are a few highlights:
Starting left tackle Braxton Jones is heading to IR with a potentially season-ending neck injury.
No one knows who the fuck the actual defensive coordinator is now or moving forward.
When asked about the reason behind his thus far “robotic” play, Justin Fields said “coaching.”
Well at least they have a nice easy matchup coming up Sunday…
Against the Chiefs…
In Kansas City.
But it can’t really be that bad in Chicago, right?
Who cares if, as an organization, you’ve only made the playoffs six times in the last 28 years. It shouldn’t matter that the highest your offense has ranked since 2019 is 22nd. In that same period, a franchise with heavy hitters like Brian Urlacher, Dick Butkus, and Mike Singletary…the highest defensive ranking has been 15th.
Some more bright spots? The best quarterback in the Bears’ 103 year history is Jay Cutler! Of the top five leading receivers of all-time, one of them came after the year 1987! Your all-time leading scorer is a kicker who hasn’t worn your uniform in eight years!
So chin up, Bear Down, and go shock the world Sunday…no way facing Patrick Mahomes at home will be a disaster.
The week has ended, the sports have sports’d. Sunday State of Mind is here to recap.
The champs are still alive, won another game seven Steph and Klay both continue to be a gift from heaven The Kings were fun all year, a young and good fun team This won’t be the only year that they will light the beam
Some major big man pains, showing in round two Joel Embiid, Julius Randle both have bad boo boos Neither one will play in either of their game ones When they both come back, will help their teams a ton
All the picks are in, the NFL has drafted A slew of brand new rookies, rosters been recrafted Only a few surprises, always some feel good stories Will your team’s boom or bust? The two big categories
Hard to comprehend, a team with that much skill A double digit losing streak, major fire drill Something needs to change, think outside the box A terrible beginning of the year for the White Sox
This week’s SSM has it all; mystery absences, crumbling baseball teams, and pro-am basketball.
The GOAT of quarterbacks, Mr. Tom Brady Has been away for some time now, kind of seems shady Assuming everyone is fine, the best theory has come That he’s been filming Masked Singer, if true how great and dumb
Speaking of TB12, what could’ve been in Vegas Apparently the deal was done, not much more to discuss Jon Gruden nixed a package deal for Gronk and the QB Would’ve had two more Super Bowls by now, maybe three
Whose fans feel the worst right now, the White Sox or Yankees Yanks can’t win a game, La Russa’s brain is filled with bees New York is at least still leading a tough AL East Every day Chicago’s playoff chances just decrease
Pro-am basketball has become a hit this summer The latest was The Crawsover, event was not a bummer LeBron, Tatum, Holmgren, the lineup was real deep A cool environment to get to see the big boys leap
We’ve got our first pink slip handed out in MLB The Angles fired Joe Maddon during a losing spree The Halos started strong this year, formerly first place Twelve straight losses gets you canned, an unfortunate case
Another manager made waves, and not the calming kind Tony La Russa made a move and seemed to lose his mind Gave Trea Turner a free base, the count was 1-2 Any way you look at it, that call really blew
The NBA Finals are tight, all tied at two a piece Both teams are two wins away from making the series cease Steph Curry’s a monster, but we all knew that He’s all the Warriors have, rest of the team’s been flat
The battle for Lord Stanley is now set in stone Lightning and the Avalanche for the hockey throne Tampa Bay will go for their third straight championship Colorado’s young, could be champs in their first trip
Another week come and gone, another Sunday State of Mind.
An always touching tribute, a statue was revealed This week in Oklahoma this one should have stayed concealed Poor Baker Mayfield, guy can’t catch a break If I were him that statue would have ended up in a lake
Big loss in Chicago, Eloy Jimenez Out for up to two months, so the doctor says Add another name to the White Sox injury list Tough break for a good team, that bat will be missed
A happier baseball note, it’s Miguel Cabrera Joined the 3k hit club, maybe the last in this era Only 32 other players have reached that career mark Miggy one of the greatest to do it at the ballpark
NBA playoffs are here, and some teams are in trouble Raptors, Bulls, Nets and Nuggets are all on the bubble Mavs and Jazz, Grizz and Wolves both sitting at 2-2 We get action everyday as the games continue
If you’ve ever read this blog, you know we love NASCAR Driving for 500 miles but not going far The most famous track in all of motor sports The Talladega Speedway, running today of course
Hope springs eternal. It’s finally here, folks; it’s baseball season. Summer is around the corner, and we’ll all soon be sitting in the sun at our favorite ballparks inhaling hot dogs and ice cold beer.
Everyone is doing prediction content, we know that. But our official 2022 prognostications will be coming via the reminiscing route.
Who doesn’t love a good baseball name from from the 90’s or early aughts? So that’s how we’re giving our picks, via our favorite throwback name from each team.
AL East
Toronto Blue Jays – Gregg Zaun, C
Boston Red Sox – Trot Nixon, RF
Tampa Bay Rays – Miguel Cairo, 2B
New York Yankees – Scott Brosius, 3B
Baltimore Orioles – Jerry Hairston Jr., 2B
AL Central
Chicago White Sox – José Valentín, 3B
Minnesota Twins – Matt Lawton, CF
Cleveland Guardians – Carlos Baerga, 2B
Detroit Tigers – José Macías, 3B
Kansas City Royals – Mark Grudzielanek, 2B
AL West
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – Scott Spiezio, 1B
Houston Astros – Julio Lugo, SS
Seattle Mariners – Mike Cameron, CF
Texas Rangers – Royce Clayton, SS
Oakland A’s – Matt Stairs, DH
NL East
Philadelphia Phillies – Mickey Morandini, 2B
Atlanta Braves – Ryan Klesko, RF
New York Mets – Benny Agbayani, LF
Miami Marlins – Hee-Seop Choi, 1B
Washington Nationals – José Vidro, 2B
NL Central
St. Louis Cardinals – Fernando Vina, 2B
Milwaukee Brewers – Jeromy Burnitz, RF
Chicago Cubs – Ron Coomer, 3B
Cincinnati Reds – Pokey Reese, 2B
Pittsburgh Pirates – Tony Womack, SS
NL West
Colorado Rockies – Dante Bichette, RF
San Francisco Giants – Benito Santiago, C
Los Angeles Dodgers – César Izturis, SS
San Diego Padres – Mark Kotsay, CF
Arizona Diamondbacks – Lyle Overbay, 1B
God, that was amazing…I think I need a cigarette. So many great names, so much boring baseball to have on in the background until October. Let’s go.
We saw anything and everything this week in sports. We look back fondly in the latest edition of Sunday State of Mind.
A rarely seen building raid, in the NFL Washington Football Team, what in the actual hell? Head trainer got busted, DEA involved Wonder what the charges are, once this all gets solved
Another rarity in sports, a big time title fight Fury/Wilder III, a boxing fan’s delight Fury did his job, retained the title belt A crushing blow to Wilder, to whom defeat was dealt
Number three vs. number four, in college football Nittany Lions and Hawkeyes, big defensive brawl Iowa losing early, came back from down 14 Huge win over PSU, a storming the field scene
Another storming happened, down in College Station Texas A&M pulled the upset for Aggie Nation Such a rarity to see Alabama lose Anytime it happens it’s legit breaking news
Playoff time in baseball, division series round Most series are tight, good matchups can be found At the time of writing, only the White Sox down 2-0 Getting swept after their year would be a major blow
It’s been a great week in sports. We look back at the greatness in this week’s SSM.
Big name rookie QBs, getting their first wins Zach Wilson and Justin Fields, weekend winning twins Few and far between good days, for Jets and Bears fans Both fan bases should be glad, they both may have their man
Other end of the spectrum, Big Ben’s very old The end seems very close, his story has been told Hard to see a scenario in which he won’t get benched Steelers have a hard decision, need their QB thirst quenched
Baseball season’s winding down, and it’s playoff time Time for the big boys in the show to start their World Series climb Dodgers, Giants, and White Sox, among the other teams Will do whatever they can to win, by any and all means
We’ve arrived at an incredibly important edition of “Who Wore It Best.” In our latest, we’re digging into the roaring 20’s. Let’s find out together who made the cut in this extremely paramount, career-defining list.
His athletic excellence barely surpassed that of the rec specs. Dickerson put together the greatest single season rushing the football in 1984, going for an NFL record 2,105 yards. He wasn’t just a one season wonder, however. Before being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1999, Dickerson was a five time first team All-Pro, four time rushing leader, has his number 29 retired by the LA Rams, and is in the Indianapolis Colts Ring of Honor.
Honorable Mentions: Adrian Beltre, Ken Dryden, Marc-André Fleury
Back to back running backs who played for the Rams and Colts. Much like Dickerson, Faulk both has his number retired by the Rams as well as being a member of the Colts Ring of Honor. Unlike Dickerson, Faulk has a Super Bowl ring. He also tacked on a MVP, three offensive player of the year awards, as well as three first team All-Pro selections.
Honorable Mentions: Bert Blyleven, Curtis Martin, Darrell Green
Vlad the Impaler was a 2018 Hall of Fame inductee. He earned his spot in Cooperstown after winning the 2004 MVP, hitting 449 career home runs while maintaining a .318 career batting average, and winning an incredible eight Silver Slugger awards.
Rod Woodson was one of the best ball hawks to ever do it; picking off 71 balls in his 17 NFL seasons. He was also a vital member of one of the greatest defenses of all time, the Super Bowl XXXV champion Baltimore Ravens. All of this (and more) cumulated in an induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009.
Even before he went to the Giants and things…changed; Barry Bonds was one of the greatest players in baseball. In his seven seasons in Pittsburgh before moving to San Francisco, Bonds was a three time NL MVP, won five Gold Gloves, and five Silver Slugger awards.
Absolute stacked number here, but Mays takes the cake. The stats are gawdy; 660 home runs, 1,903 RBI, and 338 stolen bases. Along the way Mays made 24 All-Star games, won twelve Gold Gloves, two NL MVPs, and a World Series in 1954.
Honorable Mentions: Ken Griffey Jr., Rickey Henderson, Miguel Cabrera, Manny Ramirez, Rick Barry, Champ Bailey, Chris Chelios
Emmitt Smith did it all in his 15 NFL seasons. The league’s all time leading rusher (18,355 yards) won three Super Bowls, the 1993 NFL MVP, was a four time first team All-Pro, and lead the NFL in touchdowns three separate seasons.
Honorable Mentions: Clayton Kershaw, Elgin Baylor, Roger Clemens
The swagiest swag that ever swagged. Deion was, and still is, one of the most raw athletes we’ve ever seen. He wasn’t too bad on the field either. Prime’s got two Super Bowl rings, six first team All-Pro selections, and is a member of both the 90’s All-Decade and NFL 100th Anniversary Teams. Oh, and he also played in the MLB for nine seasons. He was a .263 career hitter, with 39 home runs, 168 RBI, and 186 stolen bases. Absolute baller.
Honorable Mentions: Roberto Clemente, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, LaDainian Tomlinson, Stan Mikita, Peter Forsberg
The twitchiest running back we’ve ever seen, just absolutely stupid stuff. A combo Heisman winner and NFL MVP, the four time first team All-Pro ran for over 15,000 yards and almost 100 touchdowns. Pretty good for a guy who retired early.
Honorable Mentions: Frank Robinson, Mike Schmidt, Gary Payton, Ed Reed, Brian Dawkins
The numbers get lower, and the lists get better. How about 24 and 21 just absolutely cleaning house? All four major sports represented on each. This was a great edition of “Who Wore It Best,” and we can only assume the names will get hotter the next time around.
Hot start for hockey! Hašek was one of the greatest goaltenders to ever do it. His career spanned four decades (1980-2011), and included two Stanley Cups, two Hart Memorial trophies, and six Vezina trophies.
Demitra seemed to be on track to becoming one of the best Czech players in the game. He recorded 768 points in 847 games before sadly passing in a plane accident in 2011.
Bergeron has been a steady force for the Bruins since 2003. A part of the 2011 Stanley Cup winning team, Bergeron also made All-Star games in 2015 and 2016.
“The Bus” comes rumblin’, stumblin’, bumblin’ onto our list at 36. Bettis won a Super Bowl (in his home town of Detroit), was a two time first team All-Pro, and made six Pro Bowls.
An easy choice for what ended up being a stacked slot. Durant is potentially (based on how much you love/hate Lebron) currently the best basketball player on the planet. In a career with plenty of years left, Durant has already put together an incredible resume. The Slim Reaper has two NBA titles (Finals MVP in both), a regular season MVP, six first team All-NBA selections, and 11 All-Star appearances.
Honorable Mentions: Phil Niekro, Frank Thomas, Aeneas Williams, Tony Esposito
Another loaded number of selections here, but the most dominant big man of all time takes the cake. The Big Diesel’s career accolades are almost too much to list: four NBA championships, three NBA Finals MVPs, fifteen All-Star games, and eight first team All-NBA selections.
For as much good as Kareem has done off the court, he was as great on it. Six rings, a matching number of MVPs, 10 first team All-NBA selections, five first team All-Defensive teams, and lead the NBA in blocks in four separate seasons.
Honorable Mentions: Eddie Murray, Scottie Pippen, Zdeno Chára, Henrik Sedin, Dustin Byfuglien
Maddux is the second of the 90’s Braves big three to make the list, with Tom Glavine making the cut at 47. Mad Dog ended his 22 year career with 355 wins, 18 Gold Gloves, and four Cy Youngs.
Probably going to be our shortest career to make the list. Davis only played in the NFL from 1995-2001, but was good enough to make the Hall of Fame in 2017. In seven seasons, he racked up two Super Bowls, an MVP, and three first team All-Pro selections.
Honorable Mentions: Tim Raines, Martin Brodeur
The 30’s were by far our most expansive edition yet. Huge names and the honorable mention lists were incredible, specifically 32-35. One can only assume the list is going to keep improving into the 20’s.
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