Sundays Without Bears Games Can Suck (Leaves)

November 4, 2013 @ admin → No Comments

Monday meanderings: The Chicago Bears against the Green Bay Packers on Monday Night Football means Sunday was a great day to take advantage of that extra hour of sleep provided by switching to Daylight Saving Time — although there are some of us here in cyberspace who like to think those leaves we should be raking somehow will accumulate in neat, curbside piles to be sucked up by some governmental body.

* Speaking of bodies (non-governmental variety), congratulations to good friend Lariyah Daniels for bringing home trophies in the bikini and model divisions at the Fitness Midwest Championships over the weekend.

Congratulations to good friend Lariyah Daniels for her Fitness Midwest success.

* Speaking of government (yes, this is not the smoothest of transitions, but it’s a Monday, so what do you want?), fresh off a 3-2 overtime home loss Sunday against the Calgary Flames, the Chicago Blackhawks will be at the White House on Monday with President Barack Obama honoring the 2013 Stanley Cup champions. Comcast SportsNet will provide live coverage beginning at 1 p.m. Central time. CSNChicago.com also will have a live video stream of the ceremony. It’s purely speculation but chances are will find the Canadian natives on the Hawks more engaging than another Canadian-born fellow who is a Texas senator (bonus points for those who can come up with Ted Cruz’s actual first name; well, assuming Donald Trump can locate Cruz’s birth certificate).

* Speaking of the Bears (well, we were a couple of paragraphs ago), quarterback Josh McCown will have a chance for a prime-time performance for the ages at Lambeau Field — although something says the Packers defense might have something to say about that. The real upside for the Bears is injured QB Jay Cutler doesn’t have to worry about being sacked. Again and again. And … well, you get the idea.

* Anyone expecting Cutler to come back from a torn groin sooner than anticipated (and, yes, that means Bears receiver Brandon Marshall) either does not understand the nature of a groin tear or understands the injury is not what has been put forth by the Bears and the media. One version — though we have yet to see it in print or the electronic media — has Cutler’s injury involving something other than a groin tear, although in the same vicinity. Sounds nuts (or nut, as the case may be). But who knows? Well, other than Cutler, the Bears, some medical folks, etc.? If Cutler is back — as Marshall said he would be — for the Nov. 10 game against the Detroit Lions, Cutler either has a bionic groin or some other more easily healed medical issue that does not have an injury that would call for a minimum four weeks on the sidelines.

* With former big-league catcher Brad Ausmus taking over as manager of the Detroit Tigers, the Chicago Cubs can cross him off the list of candidates to replace Dale Sveum as manager. It’s unclear if Ausmus was Plan A in the Cubs plans. Heck, it’s unclear if the Cubs have a Plan A or B or any other letters. What is clear is that managerial candidates would rather take over a talented team than a last-place ballclub. About the only thing that makes the Cubs job attractive — OK, other than the ivy on the walls during summertime — is there are only 30 major-league teams.

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* Still speaking of timely decisions, the polls remain open for voting for your favorite sports podcast. OK, my favorite sports podcast. And David Spada’s, too. Namely “Sports & Torts,” which airs Thursdays at noon Central time on Talkzone.com. The program — coincidentally co-hosted by David Spada and Elliott Harris in the top 10 final for best sports podcast. We are asking for your support. All you have to do is go to podcastawards.com and vote. After you vote you will receive an email confirming your vote. Your vote will not count unless you respond to the email. If you don’t see the voting verification email, check out your spam or junk email folder (that’s where mine went — trying to send me a subliminal message?).

And thank you in advance for your vote or votes. As with any election involving anything Chicago-related, you are encouraged to vote early and often. The main difference between this and an actual Chicago election is multiple votes from a person (presumably still living) is permitted for the Podcast Awards. You are allowed to vote once a day. To vote, click here. Among our competition are sites from ESPN and CBS, so we need to battle the behemoths and we feel good about doing so. Stay tuned. Voting continues through Nov. 15. And thank you once again.

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Here is where to go for a daily dose of non-gratuitous video (thanks to the efforts of the editorial and video departments at elliottharris.com):