Setting the stage for a Bears fan's ideal showdown

Think you've had all you can stand of Bears hype?

Trust us. We'll make more.

Maybe there are some folks out there who don't see any value in the growing clamor surrounding the Bears' march to — dare we say it? — the Big Show. And, I'm sorry to have to tell those folks, turn the page. There are plenty of other news and features stories in the paper. You can still get a fix of talk about political crises, budget deficits, tax increases, wars and death and mayhem.

But for so many more suburban Chicagoans in the midst of a long, miserable winter still two weeks shy even of Groundhog Day, this happy, unexpected wading into the deep of the NFL playoffs is a welcome interruption. And, to be facing our football team's archrival to determine which team gets to cross the Jordan into the pro football season's Promised Land is just too much drama to pass up.

Of course, we could be faulted for our greed. We are, after all, barely six months beyond claiming professional hockey's Holy Grail, the Stanley Cup. But that celebration may give us only more cause for excitement; we know how much fun this can be.

So, the Daily Herald heads into the weekend in that spirit, fully intending to help you enjoy Sunday's crucial game against the Packers to the utmost — hype and all.

Throughout the season, sports writer Mike Spellman has helped fans, rabid or mild, reflect on each Bears game with wit and insight through his front-page Bears Bites column. This week, we added a Packers joke of the day from Chicago comic Tim Walkoe to help stir the rivalry.

We've introduced you to suburban families affectionately split by competing internal loyalties. We've taken you to the Crystal Lake restaurant that teases Packers fans with a facetious double-the-price offer and we've dissected the “controversy” over whether Mount Prospect native and American Idol Lee DeWyze would sing the national anthem. Today, we tell you about a friendly rivalry that got a Packers fan duct-taped to a stop sign, the Crystal Lake family rooting for son Brian Bulaga, who'll be playing for the Packers, and, in Burt Constable's column, the frigid 1986 Bears playoff game attended by a 12-year-old Daily Herald newspaper carrier who would go on to his own 11-year-career in the NFL. Of course, we also talk about a little something called The Game, with our sports writers and columnists interviewing key players, coaches and other experts to generate more excitement and provide the engaging analysis that's key to enjoying a showdown like this.

We have even more such stories already up our sleeves through this week and heading into Sunday's game, and we're constantly looking for more. Serving as your Bears Central throughout the playoffs, our Sports page on the dailyherald.com website will be constantly packed and updated with interesting details that not only examine Sunday's game from the usual human interest and analytical points of view but also add a suburban touch you'll get nowhere else.

“This game — it's like how often is this going to happen?” Dave Faccone, the Packers-teasing restaurateur, told our reporter Lenore Adkins, and that pretty much puts the whole event in perspective.

Packers. Bears. The prelude to the Super Bowl. Can suburban Chicagoans really ask for anything more?

Well, of course, you can. And, we're going to do our best to give it to you.

Jim Slusher, jslusher@dailyherald.com is an assistant managing editor at the Daily Herald.