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The choice: Watch the Chicago Bears play the Carolina Panthers or spend time with Loop Rock Girl Tricia. Hey, why not both? And so, your humble correspondent took in the first half of the Bears game before leaving the comfort of the couch to journey to Hawthorne Race Course, where Trish was posing for photos as part of her 2012 Loop Rock Girl calendar.
What some of us call work (if we're really lucky): Interviewing Loop Rock Girl Tricia.
Sheer brilliance, no? OK, well what passes for brilliance as far as some of us are concerned. A former Lingerie Football League player for the Chicago Bliss, Tricia soaked up the sunshine on a beautiful autumn afternoon while some track patrons at her private party soaked up refreshments.
As long as we’re talking about Hawthorne (and even if we weren’t), in case you’re interested here’s some of what’s going on at the track that opened its three-month thoroughbred season over the weekend:
* $2 Fan Friendly Fridays: Admission is $2 on Fridays through Thanksgiving with a 3 p.m. post time. Also featured will be $2 16-ounce draft beers and $2 hot dogs.
* Gold Cup Stakes: Oct. 8 is the date for the $500,000 Grade II GOld Cup that has produced sever Breeders Cup starters in recent years.
* Camel and Ostritch Derby: Mark down Oct. 16 for these non-wagering races with professional jockeys aboard the exotic creatures.
* Joel Quenneville Party: The Chicago Blackhawks coach and horseplayer will sign autographs on Oct. 23.
* Headless Horseman Stakes: A non-wagering race on Oct. 29 between the aforementioned Headless Horseman and Ichabod Crane (Google him if you have no idea what this all is about). There’s the chance to win $666 in free bets, too. Also featured will be the debut of a pumpkin catapult.
Some football factoids, courtesy the NFL:
* Chicago’s Devin Hester had a 69-yard punt-return touchdown in the Bears’ 34-29 victory against visiting Carolina. He has a record 11 punt-return touchdowns, one more than Eric Metcalf Hester has 15 kick-return touchdowns (11 punt, four kickoff), the most all-time.
* Bears running back Matt Forte rushed for a career-high 205 yards and a touchdown. He joined Hall of Famers Walter Payton and Gale Sayers as the only players in franchise history to rush for at least 200 yards in a game. Forte is the first Bear to rush for 200 yards since Payton’s 275 yards on Nov. 20, 1977.
* The Detroit Lions erased a 27-3 second-half deficit to defeat Dallas 34-30. Last week, the Lions trailed 20-0 and rallied to beat Minnesota 26-23 in overtime. Detroit is the first team in NFL history to win consecutive games in which it trailed by at least 20 points in each contest.
* The San Francisco 49ers rallied from a 23-3 deficit to defeat Philadelphia 24-23. This is the second week in a row that two teams overcame 20+ point deficits (Week 3: Buffalo, 21 points; Detroit, 20 points). It marks the first time in NFL history that two teams have overcome 20+ point deficits in consecutive weeks.
* Lions receiver Calvin Johnson had eight receptions for 96 yards and two touchdowns at Dallas. He is the first player in NFL history to have at least two receiving touchdowns in each of a team’s first four games of a season. Johnson and Cris Carter are the only players in NFL history to record at least two touchdown receptions in four consecutive games.
* Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers passed for 408 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for two TDs in the Packers’ 49-23 victory over Denver. He is the first player in NFL history with at least 400 passing yards, four passing touchdowns and two rushing TDs in a game.
* New England quarterback Tom Brady had two touchdown passes in the Patriots’ 31-19 victory at Oakland. Brady has at least two passing TDs in 13 games in a row, tying Peyton Manning for the most consecutive games with multiple touchdown passes in NFL history. Brady has 274 career touchdown passes, the ninth-most in NFL history and one more than Hall of Famer Joe Montana.
* New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees completed 31 passes for 351 yards in the Saints’ 23-10 victory at Jacksonville. Brees has at least 20 completions in 24 consecutive games, the longest streak in NFL history.
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And now for some video with Loop Rock Girl Trish: