As distractions go, this was a busy Bears preseason
A (pre) season to remember:It's already been an entertaining Bears season and it hasn't even begun,Let's review:Draft night snafu.Olin Kreutz goes bye-bye.Matt Forte asks why.#8220;Family Fest#8221; debacle.Roy Williams' hands.Lance Briggs' demands.Chester moves, Lovie soothes.Really, how can they top that?The answer:By not starting out the regular season 0-3.And ... here we go again:New sod will be installed at Soldier Field over the weekend in preparation for the Sept. 11 season opener.Man, those guys go through more grass than Harold and Kumar.Showdown in Motown:This is it White Sox.Hate to say Friday is a must-win, but Friday is a must win.What could've been:They fall behind the Twins by 6 runs in the first inning Wednesday but slowly chip away and have a chance for glory in the ninth, but Adam Dunn strikes out swinging and Alex Rios goes down looking to end the game.Absolutely fitting, isn't it?Dropped coverage:When it comes to hurricane coverage, why don't they just go ahead and use stock footage from 1975 because we know exactly what we're going to see.It'll start out with a couple of goofs surfing, lines at the hardware store, plywood being hammered, cars crossing the only bridge out of town and the one dork who refuses to leave despite all the warnings.Be safe, people.The big O:How ironic would it be if the Bears offense proves to be more than adequate this season but it's the defense that proves their downfall?It could happen, especially if Briggs and Double A are injured worse than we are being led on. A baseball guy to watch a ...:Tom Ricketts just had a second secret meeting with Ed Lynch.Geesh, could you imagine?Just asking:If the NBA lockout drags on and there's no continual switchovers from Bulls to Blackhawks, does that mean the ice at the UC will be more consistent? We can only hope.Man on a mission:And his name is Richard Duchossois. Just watch him in action over the next month or so.A Rose by any other name:Item: Taiwanese fans, in online voting, recently bestowed Bulls guard Derrick Rose the nickname #8220;Biao Feng Mei Gui,#8221; which means #8220;speedy stormy Rose.#8221;Little known fact: the Taiwanese also presented me with a nickname, which roughly translated means #8220;enormous Jupiter-headed dork.#8221;Wait #8230; what?LoVin' it:Vin Scully announces he will be back in the Dodgers booth in 2012:For. His. 63rd. Season.End of the road?Though I believe there's a place for the occasional fight in pro hockey, I'm thinking it's a topic that is going to get some serious scrutiny with news this week that former enforcer Wade Belak died ... at age 35. He is the third enforcer, or former enforcer, to die this offseason.Not that fighting necessarily contributed to any of the deaths, but you know people will jump on this.Hmm:What is Big Z up to right now?The Obtuse angle:Dennis Rodman in his heyday or the man formerly known as Ron Artest?But you gotta love Artest, er Metta World Peace, for donating all his winnings from #8220;Dancing With The Stars#8221; to cancer research. Free advice: No one asked, but I would have Earl Bennett and the kid from Ohio State out there as much as possible.And that's probably why I'm not a coach, nor do I play one on TV.He said it:#8220;No one in this league has a livelier bat than Dayan Viciedo.#8221;#8212; White Sox play-by-play man Hawk Harrelson#376; Mike Spellman's Scorecard column appears Fridays in the Daily Herald. Contact him at mspellman@dailyherald.com.