As bad a year as this has been, there’s still plenty of time for things to get worse.
So as we count down the weeks before the end of 2024, here are a few things to ponder while playing out the string.
Should the Bears employ the Garrett Crochet plan for quarterback Caleb Williams and let him play for one quarter every week before sitting him the final three quarters to protect his arm, legs and the rest of his body parts? Might be worth a look since the season is already a bust.
Former New England coach Bill Belichick ripped into the Bears after their brutal loss to his former team: “They can’t protect, they can’t move the ball, they can’t score any points. In Chicago, they have this all-star quarterback, these all-star receivers, the greatest skill players in the history of football. And the offensive line is a problem. They can’t run the ball, they can’t protect.” Sounds like a perfect candidate to replace Matt Eberflus.
As bad as the Bulls are, they’re much more interesting to watch. Last year they averaged 11.5 3-pointers per game, the fourth-worst in the NBA. Going into Wednesday’s game against the New York Knicks they’re making an average of 15.3 3s per game, ranked sixth in the league. True, they’re allowing 120.2 points per game, which is fourth-worst, while they’re sixth from last in turnovers at 16.0 per game. Every possession is an adventure, but you can’t turn away. We’re all rubberneckers on the Bulls’ highway to a play-in spot.
Former Blackhawks star Jeremy Roenick had one of the great Hall of Fame speeches of all time Monday, telling a story of going to the bathroom on the night he was drafted and standing at a urinal next to Hawks coach Mike Keenan: “Mike says to me ‘you got any balls kid’? I said ‘yeah, enough to play for you’. Thank goodness he didn’t look over the divider. But I thank him for bringing out the toughness in me.” That’s gold, Jeremy.
In light of the end of NBC Sports Chicago after September, Comcast is issuing an $8.85 credit to its customers who pay $19.20 per month for the regional sports fee. That still means we’re paying $10.35 for two channels — the fifth-biggest Big Ten football game that airs Saturday on the Big Ten Network and reruns of Cubs games on Marquee Sports Network. Not worth it.
Not to sound redundant, but Pat McAfee might be the dumbest sports analyst on ESPN since Rush Limbaugh.
Boxing legend Mike Tyson fights Jake Paul on Friday on Netflix, a battle between a 58-year-old former champion and a YouTube star/actor. Everyone is going to watch because it’s not pay-per-view, but part of the Netflix subscription. Just be careful, people. The possibility of losing brain cells just from watching this fight is real.
How many more Dallas Cowboys games do we have to watch before the networks realize they’re not worth putting in the prime viewing slots?
The Los Angeles Angels signed Kyle Hendricks for $2.5 million, which is chicken feed by today’s standards. The White Sox could’ve helped their young staff immeasurably by bringing Hendricks in at that price, even if he’d probably be dealt at the trade deadline. Instead, they’ll probably bring back Mike Clevinger again, just to spite their fans.
Those mini-commercials on CHSN touting smaller neighborhood joints across the city are the best thing about the network so far.
San Francisco 49ers linebacker Nick Bosa was fined $11,255 by the NFL for wearing a MAGA hat while crashing a TV interview, which is pitiful when you consider former Bears quarterback Jim McMahon was fined $5,000 for wearing an Adidas headband nearly 40 years ago. McMahon’s salary was only $650,000 back in 1985. Bosa signed a five-year, $170 million deal last year. No wonder Bosa said it was “worth it.”
Thanksgiving at the Rickettses on the North Shore should be live-streamed this year so we can watch siblings Laura Ricketts and Todd Ricketts discuss the election results.
Being fired after nine games doesn’t sound like much of a shot for former Bears offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, but it’s still five more games than Clevinger pitched for the Sox this year.
Kudos to White Sox manager Will Venable for agreeing to let Grady Sizemore stay on the coaching staff despite the fact many Sox players wanted Sizemore to stick as manager.
Embarrassed to admit I got tipsy just thinking about Shaboozey playing at halftime of the Bears-Detroit Lions game on Thanksgiving.
