So maybe the NHL season started on October 2nd. And maybe I even went to a preseason game in the middle of September. (Hint: it did, and I did) So perhaps there should have been some mention of the Blackhawks season in my blog before now. But dammit, I'm paid to be an architect. Not a fucking beat writer, so you'll get my opinion when I damn well please.

Since this is the first post of the season, you'll want to know the nicknames of some of the newer players (and other nicknames in general).
Besides Kaner and Tazer, (and Steeger and Eager) we've got "BOOM", "Soup", "The French F-Bomb", "Suck", and "The $60M Injury". Maybe I'll adjust Hossa's nickname once he actually suits up and plays.

Anyway, after tonight's fantastic 3rd period where I'm 99% sure the Hawks scored more goals than the Kings got shots (3-2 I believe) Thomas D and I are now 4-0 on the season for games we've attended. Unless you count that shitty preseason loss, but we don't because we left right before the overtime to go get wasted on a pub crawl. I'm still sure we made the right decision.

In the essence of time I'll just give a quick thought or two from what I can remember of each game I've attended.

Game 1: Calgary @ Hawks Oct. 12, 2009
If the Bears woulda been on Monday night football, we would have left. The French F-Bomb lived up to his name, allowing 3 early goals, and Niemi gave up 2 more in the first. All of that was just the set-up for the greatest comeback in NHL history (look it up, it tied a record) as the Hawks came back from down 5-0 to win 6-5 in OT, in the second greatest game I've seen in person. (Trailing last years playoff wins over Detroit (sucks))

Game 2: Edmonton @ Hawks, Oct. 14, 2009
The return of Khabibulan, the goalie I wish the Hawks still had, instead of the French F-Bomb. The Hawks won 4-3 in a game that didn't seem that close and got really out of hand at the end. There was a fight near us in the stands, some fights on the ice, and the game ended up with a 4-3 and an empty net. Weird game.

Game 3: Minnesota @ Hawks, Oct. 26, 2009
The return of Martin Havlat, the leading point scorer from last year's team. It's a wonder why the Hawks were picked to do so well this year without the key guys from last year. Anyway, this game was actually kind of forgettable as a the Hawks beat a bad Wild team 3-1. I honestly don't remember a thing about this game. (I even had to look up the score and the date) And I wasn't even drunk b/c it was a Monday.

Game 4: Los Angeles @ Hawks
Tazer was lost to a concussion back in mid-October. He joined the concussed Eager as well as Burish (torn ACL) and "The $60M Injury" while Bolland played with a bad back. The rag-tag Hawks were treading water, and tonight, Eager and Tazer came back. The Captain made the most of his return with a goal, and The French F-Bomb has actually put together a few decent games recently. As I mentioned above, the Hawks scored 3 goals in the 3rd to take the win, 4-1, over a Kings team I was stunned to find out had 10 wins thus far.

Current Record/Standings: 9-5-2, 20 points. 1st in Division, 3rd in Conference
Next up for the Hawks: Home against Toronto Maple Leafs, Friday Nov. 13
Next up for Me and Thomas D: Home against San Jose Sharks, Sunday Nov. 15

Cedric Benson likes boys/NFL Update

Ok, this blog update is well past due. I mean, if this were a steak, it'd be so overdone you could use it as charcoal for your next fire. I mean, I got into a good rant about why Cedric Benson is a worthless fuckstick about 2 weeks ago, right after he and the Bengals embarrassed my Bears, and I didn't even get around to posting it til now. So instead of formulating some intelligent argument as to why I and all Bears should hate this boner-for (what's a boner-for?) I'm going to post what I wrote in a couple of messages right after the fact.

In response to Benson no longer being a bust....

All it took was years of suckitude in Chicago, followed by 2 arrests for alcohol related issues, followed by his release for him to get motivated to do something about his career... I guess being a #4 overall pick and being paid millions isnt enough motivation to try to occasionally break a tackle or run past someone... seriously Benson can go lick a big fat dick

After being baited into one more solid rant....

He was worthless... and him being a crybaby bag of douche cost the Bears their starting RB from their super bowl run (Thomas Jones) and set the franchise back a couple of years at that position...
(maybe, just maybe if the Bears had their back who was running for like 1200+ yards still, they wouldnt have to spend future, 4th & 2nd round picks on RBs and also sign a Free Agent, and then I don't know, we could help the offensive line with picks and free agents, which was & is the biggest fucking need on the team)... but crybaby Ced bullying his way into the starting position and forcing Jones out of town set us back, just so he could be a dick and not even try to be a good running back for us.

Benson is a fucktard and I hate that steaming pile of dog shit.

I think that gets my point across. By the way, he's now on my fantasy football team, which all but guarantees his awful second half of the season. You're welcome Bears fans.

Are QBs good or something?

Ok, this was supposed to be a massive blog about Scrubs. I was ready to post with crazy links (the idea I stole from Sean) and thoughtful insight. I was gearing up for it all season and ready to go nuts, but then today the unthinkable happened. Jerry Angelo made a trade. For a quarterback.

Holy hell, I never thought I'd see this. This man recently said he was committed to Kyle Orton as our quarterback. Which I was ready to try to talk myself into for another year. Because, honestly when you break down the miserable run of Bears QBs over the years since they won the Super Bowl with Jim McMahon, Kyle Orton looks decent.
See this list: Mike Tomczak, Doug Flutie, Jim Harbaugh, Peter Tom Willis (if that's not the name of an assassin or serial killer, i don't know what is) Will Furrer, Erik Kramer, Steve Walsh, Dave Krieg, Rick Mirer, Steve Stenstrom, Moses Moreno, Shane Matthews, Cade McNown, Jim Miller (who might have been the best on this [pathetic] list), Chris Chandler, Henry Burris (the poor-man's Kordell Stewart), Kordell Stewart (the poor man's Slash Stewart), Jonathan Quinn, Craig Krenzel, Chad Hutchinson, Rex Grossman, Brian Griese

So naturally trading for Jay Cutler seemed highly unlikely. I thought it was possible we'd see a 4th round draft pick wasted on a QB destined to make the list above, a list that's not exactly a roster of Pro-Bowl caliber QBs, which incidentally, Jay Cutler is. So that's a good thing.

So let's break down the trade.
Bears get: Jay Cutler.
Broncos get: (Who the fuck cares, we got Jay Cutler!)
First round pick in 2009 (#18), first round pick in 2010, Kyle Orton.

Simple math here: Jay Cutler > Kyle Orton. That's a win.
As for the #1 picks, well the only thing more depressing than the Bears list of quarterbacks is their list of first round draft picks under Angelo. (see Benson, Cedric) Plus, the Bears traded the 11th pick to acquire Rick Mirer, so as long as Cutler performs better than Mirer (a bling semi-retarded monkey could) and manages not to get cut next year, he's exceeded that lofty expectation. So it's basically a can't lose situation...


Speaking of can't lose.
The Bears also managed to sign Orlando Pace today. Sure he's old. Sure he hasn't been healthy. (sounds like a good fit) But is he honestly any worse than any of the Bears lineman. I'm going to say no. He's lost more talent than most of the line ever had, so I'm ready to welcome him with (big) open arms.

Suddenly, I wish it was football season already!

The Big-time Needed Update Edition

Ok, I've been slackin about getting this one updated. I explained why in my personal blog, but basially I was tired and lazy. I'll refund your money, so quit bitchin.

Anyway, the Bulls started their season. I'll break into full thoughts later, but first I attempted another running diary. Again I failed as I had driven 600 miles and spent 4 nights drinking before the opener. Not a smart idea but here's where I ended up with.

Bulls Opener Running Diary 10/28/08

The start of the NBA season has prompted me to do another Bill Simmons-esque running diary. I have no idea what happened in the preseason, other than Derrick Rose dropping 30 points once. I’m excited to see how he plays (and if he starts) and how he gels with my boy, Tyrus Thomas. If I don’t get a big season out of Tyrus this year I’m not going to be happy. I’m also interested to see how this Vinny Del Negro guy is gonna work out as a coach since I don’t know anything about his coaching style. With that said let’s get this thing going.

7:37 During the starting lineups I learned that Austin Croshere is on the Bucks. This must make Sean very happy. Meanwhile the Bulls have a new introduction video montage for the season. You’d think they finished a lot better than just the 9^th best record in the league if this was all you’d seen of last year.

7:40 Christ, this really drawn out. And I’m very disappointed in some of the Luv-a-Bulls. Their talent level has dropped a little. (or the camera man sucks at life)

7:43 Thankfully, the Bulls kept the traditional video tribute and the Alan Parson Project’s “Sirius” for the starting lineup intro. Maybe that other video was a one-time deal. The Bulls are running out a starting lineup of Luol Deng, Tyrus Thomas, Drew Gooden, Thabo Sefolosha, and Derrick Rose. Gotta say I’m a huge fan of this lineup. It’s about time Thabo gets his due. And of course, I’m very happy to see Noah, Hinrich and Gordon all starting on the bench.

7:48 F-Bomb. I want to quit already. Rose turns it over. And Redd scores for the Bucks. That sucks.

7:51 I see Derrick Rose hasn’t worked on his free-throws since Memphis. He missed his first. But a turnover by the Bucks and a nice play to follow is a little redemption. In case you hadn’t noticed, I’ll be focusing on the Bulls I like and am interested about more than a play by play. And Tyrus had a nice assist to Deng as I typed that last sentence.

7:53 I have to admit. Rose may have had some jitters early. But he’s handling the ball well. And he also picked up a steal on the defensive end.

7:57 Tyrus has a couple of boards, an assist and a made free throw. I’m also seeing Derrick Rose really push the pace when he gets a chance. I’m liking this. By the way, Bulls lead 13-9 about halfway through the first.

7:59 A pretty nice lob from Deng to Tyrus gets wiped away because the ball was in the cylinder. Bogus call. But still good things from this lineup (minus Thabo picking up 2 quick fouls and getting yanked in favor of Hinrich).

8:06 We’ve hit a little boring stretch, and my exhaustion from the weekend is starting to sink in. It feels like I’ve hit a wall and I’m starting to second guess my decision to do this. It’s currently 17-13 Bulls as Andrew Bogut is kicking their ass right now. Deng however seems to have life in his legs. Half of what he’s doing isn’t counting right now, but he looks better and sharper than this point last season. Maybe he’s earning that contract.

8:11 Tyrus missed a shot after a good move inside, but is showing a lot of hustle and forced a jump ball. I like that. He’s a freakish athlete if he’d go hard every game. (By the way, he won the jump… are you surprised I’m not. His legs are spring loaded)

8:15 First quarter is over. Tied at 26.

8:18. Noah is in the game. I’d rather not watch. I truly hate that man. I’m very disappointed Roy Hibbert decided to eff up his draft status and go back to school. If he ends up being good for the Pacers this year I’m going to go nuts as I really wanted the Bulls to draft him in ’07.

8:24 I’d say the Bulls bench looks like shit. But that might be insulting to shit. They’re boring, inefficient, feature Joakim Noah, and are now losing to Milwuakee. At least Tyrus is out there and he picked up another nice assist.

8:30 Tyrus hits an open jumper to tie the game at 34. Then he follows it up with a nice drive. During the replay I learned he was in the top 3 in the league in the preseason in blocks and rebounds. That’s good to know. He missed another free throw though (now 2-4) and only has 4 points.

8:34 I’m not observant. I just noticed that Johnny “Red” Kerr isn’t announcing. I don’t know if this is permanent or not. I sure hope it isn’t. I don’t mind Stacey and the other guy, but Kerr tied it together.

8:41 Eh, I’m bored. This game has been moving pretty slow since the beginning. It’s now tied at 41. I’m falling asleep and actually really need a shower and a shave. I think I’m calling this update complete. I know this one sucked a little, but now that NBA is in full action with the NHL and NFL already rolling along you can expect a few more updates.

Ok, sound good. The Bulls won the opener, then embarrassed themselves at Boston, and are in the process of embarrassing themselves at home against Memphis (in the first half as i type this) tonight. The starting lineup looks god awful over the last 2 games. Missing shots, turning it over, basically not caring.
Kirk Hinrich seems to be a sulky, whiny, little bitch when he doesn't get his way, (i.e. get to start)
Someone is going to have to get traded when Hughes comes back b/c the Hinrich/Gordon/Rose/Sefolosha/Hughes backcourt clusterfuck is not gonna cut it.
Tyrus Thomas has shot the ball like a blind-retarded midget and would probably be better served by attempting to shoot full court shots. He'd probably make the same percentage.
Ben Gordon has looked worse than Tyrus. He sucks. I really didn't want him to come back. He dribbles forever, shoots often and erratically, and worst of all is taking the ball out of the hands of the only bright spot.....

Derrick Rose. Thank God for him. I strongly believe he'll be the best player from this draft within a few years, but I really didn't think he'd be so good so early. He can get into the lane at will, and if he learns to knock down that mid-range jumper he'll be near unstoppable.


Shifting gears over to the ice now.
I've missed alot of the Blackhawks games on tv recently as I've either been out of town, forgetting to watch, or enthralled in episodes of the Office or something else.
However, I've been to 2 of my 10 games so far.
I'm not going to bother recapping the game against Phoenix as that was back on Oct. 15, and that seems like forever ago.

But Oct. 25, was the marquee game on my schedule. The Dee-troit (SUCKS) Red Wings. This game was off-the-charts fun.
-The Hawks set an attendance record.
-The bags of douche behind my $15 seat in the standing room only area paid $20 (score one for me)
-Did I mention DEE-TROIT-SUCKS? Because it was heard often. And loudly.
-There was alot of scoring. 5-5, so I saw my first ever overtime. Followed by my first ever shootout.
Granted the Hawks lost, but it was insanely fun, and shootout losses are still with a point. So who the hell cares, I had fun.

Well, that'll wrap up my sports update. Tomorrow I should be back with final thoughts on tonight's Bulls game (probably will skip a Hawks recap since I only caught part due to the Bulls- but the Hawks did win 4-3 in a shootout) and a recap of the Bears game.

0-fer the weekend

Well fuck me in the goat-ass. Not exactly what I was hoping for in the wide world of Chicago Sports this weekend.

Blackhawks start the season, I continue drinking.

Admittedly I don't a lot about hockey strategy and rules and things like that. But I'm pretty sure when you pull your goaltender, (something Huet (pronounced Who-A, I did learn that much)) who was your big free agent acquisation, in favor of a guy you waived but no one wanted, halfway through your team's first game, you're more or less fucked. 'Fucked' of course being the technical hockey term. Another bad omen is that I feel asleep on the couch watching this game. Though I blame that on being exhausted all week and finally Ovechkin displays bad-assedness while Kane summarizes the
just unwinding on Friday evening. I pray the Hawks weekend
Rangers are good (and apparantly they are) because otherwise the 4-2 beatdown would be really bad.

But lucky me, the Hawks played again on Saturday. This time I managed to stay conscious. The Hawks however didn't. Sure they started strong, scoring twice in the first period, but so did I on Friday. The rest of the game was not as good. Khabibulan (I may have spelled that right), proved why no team wanted him as a goaltender, and the Hawks lost again 4-2. This leaves me hoping the Capitals are a good team, because otherwise it'd be another embarrasing loss. I do know that Alex Ovechkin is a badass, and he proved such status by scoring as much as the entire Blackhawks team.

I guess not all was a wash though, as Duncan Keith looked good, and elevated his status to 'One of the 5 Hawks' names I know' status alongside the aforementioned Huet and Khabibulan, and the young guns, Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews (pronounced Tays- i'm freakin on fire).

Bears steal a win, then snatch a loss
I can't really say I'm surprised. In fact I picked Atlanta to win in my pick 'em this week. But that doesn't mean I didn't want the Bears to win. Naturally the offense looked like trash most of the game, and the defense perfectly executed the 'bend but don't break' strategy. But Kyle 'Fuck Rex Grossman' Orton led the team down the field with a hurry up offense (who knew?) and the Bears took the lead with 11 seconds left. Orton now leads the league in the coveted 'Times his picture appeared in Err's Blog'. Then Jason "I thought he was dead" Elam got a second life after a short kickoff and one deep pass to the sideline set him up for the game winner with 1 second left
on the clock. I'd swear that as the ball went through I couldn't find a pic of Orton from today's game so here's the one
the uprights that Elam missed the ball and instead from last week.
directly kicked Bears fans straight in the nuts.
On to thoughts of the game (only one this week)

Thought 1.
FUCK



Fight, Cardinals Fight.
Since I don't have whatever channel would actually show the Ball State Fighting Football Cardinals, I really on ESPN.com. Here's what they said Ball State goes to 7-0
That's good enough for me. Pretty sure they're the best team in Indiana. So suck on that Notre Dame.

Under the lights...
A bonus update this week. Saturday night, after the embarrasment known as a Blackhawks game, the Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets played an outdoor game. I didn't really follow the action of the game because it's preseason and who cares, but I still had a couple of thoughts from the game.

Thought 1.
The temperature got down to the mid-60s by the end of the game. Apparantly, these people (including the athletes) out west are pussies. Fans in attendance bundled up with hooded sweatshirts and Charles Barkley, Reggie Miller, and Marv Albert (more on this) kept talking about how cold it was while fighting over a scarf, despite wearing suits.
Seriously, how weak are these people. It was 60s... That's shorts and t-shirt weather. You don't see football fans acting like a bunch of wimps. Even when the weather turns to the negative degrees you'll always find at least a few people going shirtless.

Thought 2.
Reggie Miller and Charles Barkley are a fantastic color analyst dual. I was immensely entertained throughout the game. Especially when Barkley got on his rant about Obama becoming the first black president, which lead to this exchange.
Sir Chuck: "When we have a black president we're not getting $700 billion in debt." (we're 10+ trillion in debt for the record)
Reggie: "Like you're one to talk"
Charles: "I didn't lose that much"
Good stuff. These guys need to be at every big game on TNT for the entire season. TNT found gold during this game.

That's it for this week. I'll be at the Blackhawks game Wednesday, so we may have our first "Drunken recap" of the year.

1 more game, 100 years and #25

Home sweet home. After a great start to the week, the Sox faced some tough times down in Tampa. However, another great start by Danks (Tuesday's hero) gave the Sox offense a chance and Dewayne Wise came through. Seriously, this guy to the left. After 3 games, he's the offensive hero for the Sox. How much could you have made on that bet? I could probably quit my job and afford tickets to Monday's game 4. Still as long as someone gets it done, I don't care who it is. Plus, who says the Sox can't run? Wise, Brian Anderson and Juan Uribe all stole bases, and the sox scored all 5 runs without the use of the longball. Promising signs. On to thoughts of the game.

Thought #1.
The power of the blackout. I wish I could have been to either game, but the Sox are still playing, and with one more (blackout?) at home this might just go back to Tampa.

Thought #2.
Harold Reynolds is an awful in-game analyst. He completely contradicted himself countless times (I seriously lost count. I was drinking, it was tough when i got past 5). Sometimes in the same inning. I always thought Hawk and DJ were awful, but at least they stand their ground in their mindless ramblings. Reynolds is a moron.

Thought #3.
Dewayne fucking Wise. Seriously.
We have Dye, Thome, Konerko, Griffey, and even Mr. Grand Slam Alexei Ramirez, and it's been the Dewayne fucking Wise show. I don't even know what to say.


In other sports news, there's always next year.....
I have to take a stab at some Cubs fans (who let me know frequently this year that they'd be playing baseball longer than the Sox). How does year 100 feel? Does it take the sting off, knowing that the Sox are still playing ball?

Oh, it doesn't? Huh.
I also thoroughly enjoyed this article on Sox and Flubs fans: Sox fans are better



#25 in the AP
So the Ball State Fighting Football Cardinals, led by QB (so good they have to be paying him to be at bsu) Nate Davis are now ranked #25 in the AP poll. Pretty impressive. I never thought I'd see a relevant Ball State football team, but these guys keep winning, and keep winning big.

Here's part of ESPN.com's story:

"The Cardinals are off to their best start since going 9-0 to begin the 1965 season. They won their sixth straight game Saturday night, shutting out Toledo 31-0 to improve to 3-0 in the Mid-American Conference...

...Led by Nate Davis, the latest in a long line of talented MAC quarterbacks, and running back MiQuale Lewis, the Cardinals are 11th in the country in total offense at 472 yards per game.

Davis is 10th in passer rating (164.6) and has thrown for 1,662 yards and 11 touchdowns. Lewis is eighth in the nation in rushing at 134 yards per game."

Bear Down Chicago Bears
I obviously don't know shit about preseason predictions. I said I thought the White Sox were built perfectly to go 81-81 and finish 3rd. I also figured the Bears would win 5-6 games. Well through 5, they are half-way there at 3-2. (though I did expect this one against Detroit)

Thought 1.
Forte's rushing numbers are going down every game, which is disturbing. But somehow his play seems to be getting better. And he's getting into the endzone. I think I look smart for making him a late-round pickup in all my fantast leagues.

Thought 2.
While watching the game, I kept thinking back to the preseason during the QB battle. Urlacher said the battle to be the starter wasn't an issue b/c the team had 2 good QBs. I laughed and thought he was out of his mind. Well I'm not sure I want to call Orton "good" just yet, he's been surprising. Once again hitting a new high in passing yards and completing a ton of passes while spreading the ball around. I'm pleasantly surprised.

Thought 3.
I'd like to personally nominate Marty Booker's 1 handed catch (while being interfered with) as the play of the week and possibly the season. I had no idea Marty Booker still had that in him. After all, his last good season was when the Bears traded him 4 years ago. Maybe Miami is truly where WRs go to die.

They're still playin ball on the South Side!

Ok, so I'm 4 heavy Jack-n-Cokes into this (and a celebratory beer slam that I may or may not have spilled all over my face). Needless to say there was no running diary of the Sox game tonight as I couldn't sit down long enough to not spill a drink on my face, let alone type a running diary.

Anyway, I need to get this out first......


WOOOOOOOOO-HOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
FUCK YOU TWINS!! GOOO SOX GOOO!!!


Ok, that feels better. My hatred for the Cubs is well-known, (unless you don't know me and in that case why are you reading my shit), and as much as I hate those fuckers about 7 miles north of the good team, I'm convinced I hate the Twins at least 3x as much. (Could be more, I'm no mathematician) So seeing them celebrate a division championship on US Cellular Field would have been enough for me to hang myself. Words cannot describe how big this win was for me.

Now let's get into the action.
It was a 1-0 game, so this shouldn't take long.

I don't want to say John Danks is a god, but he was god-like. 8 innings. 2 hits. Most importantly, ZERO runs. I knew this kid was going to be a good one. But I didn't think he'd be this good this soon. He's everything that Javy Vazquez isn't. That makes me even more happy.

And Mr. Incredible (have you seen a side by side pic of Thome and Incredible) hit a Moon-shot. If I had made it to the game (long story, I thought I was gonna get a ticket twice and blew it) that probably woulda hit me in the head. My dad and I love that Concession stand as we can get a Heinekin for 50 cents more than a MGD. (worth the upgrade when paying $6+ a beer) A couple of thoughts about the bomb though.

Thought #1, As much as I hate Hawk and DJ, and least when there's a moonshot like that I know its gone immediately. These TBS announcers fucked with my emotions by not letting me know it was gone til it cleared the fence by about 90 feet. That's just not nice. Don't they know I'm on the verge of a heart-ache (and half-drunk) and can't handle shit like that?

Thought #2, that's Thome's 2nd HR that hit the concourse this year that was a huge homer. The other was a walk-off against the Angels. There might not have even been another homer by anyone to hit the concourse b/c that's an incredible bomb. (I haven't researched this so I don't know for sure) To do this twice, with super-meaningful homeruns is absolutely unthinkable. If I had a vote he just got himself into the hall of fame on his first try.

Speaking of Hall of Fame. Future first ballot HOFer Ken Griffey Jr showed the defense again tonight for the first time in years. He kept the only Twins threat off the board with that gun to home to get some n0-name Twins fuck out. Griffey was always one of my child-hood favorites and to see him come up big in the field tonight was great. (I also saw his first Sox homer in person this year) He's provided some nice memories in that #17 jersey, even if its for less than half a season. I won't forget this.

And finally... Big Bad Bobby Jenks brought it in the 9th. I havent seen that 99 mph fastball since the '05 World Series. I know adrenaline is huge in closers, and maybe he doesn't get his juiced til the postseason. But I'm feeling good b/c if the Sox can get a 9th inning lead, they're gonna win.

Luckily, I've got a day off to recoup before stressing over Thursday's game (and probably swearing while listening on the radio at work). My liver needs this. Go Sox!