New Payton book can't sour my view of Sweetness
Yeah, I read some of the excerpts from the new book about Walter Payton.
Well written. Interesting.
But then I stopped.
Sure, Payton had issues. We all do.
My memories of him are going to be the good ones. Memories like him punishing every would-be tackler, soaring over the goal line, high-stepping, stiff-arming, handing the ball to his linemen to spike, his smile, his heart.
He was a hero of mine growing up and I may be so naïve it's ridiculous ... but I want to keep it that way.
What's going on?
The league fines, it suspends, but still the NHL seems to feature more headhunters than LinkedIn.
Brendan Smith's shoulder to the head of Blackhawks' forward Ben Smith on Wednesday night was just the latest in a preseason that's been out of control.
Little nervous:
A former coach with something to prove.
A No. 1 pick with talent out the wazoo.
The memory of Steve Smith's playoff domination.
Just a little uneasy about Sunday's game against Carolina.
Yawn:
Bill Haas wins the FedEx Cup playoffs.
Light it up:
Now that we've been teased about night racing at Arlington Park, track officials say there might not be enough money in the budget to afford lights after the Illinois Racing Board's dates hearing didn't go as they wanted.
Three words: Find. The. Money.
You've got a little momentum going, don't stop now.
Kane do:
When Patrick Kane finally works himself into game shape, the guy is going to have a ridiculous year.
Filling the void:
With Ozzie off to the Marlins, I'm trying to figure out: who's going to provide us with interesting things to talk about?
It's certainly not going to be Tom Thibodeau, unless you're only interested in the minutia of basketball.
Joel Quenneville has his moments, but he's pretty much a by-the-book hockey guy. Pleasant enough, though and he's got the 'stache.
Lovie Smith? Puhleeze. Name the last even borderline interesting thing he's said.
The winner:
As of right now, it's got to be Mike Quade. Regardless of what you think of him as a manager, the guy is well-rounded and will talk about almost any topic.
But will he be around next season?
What about Bob?
Is it just me, or does it seem like former Fire coach Bob Bradley has had a gazillion jobs since leaving Chicago?
I never, ever thought I'd recognize the name of the new coach of the Egyptian national soccer team ... but I do.
Final call:
You have until 10 p.m. Friday to submit a ticket application for the Random Drawing for the 2012 Ryder Cup at Medinah Country Club.
Visit rydercup.com for more information.
It should be an amazing week.
He said it:
“We'll go down in history as one of the worst collapses in history, so it definitely doesn't feel good to be part of that.”
— Boston's Carl Crawford, after the Red Sox failed to make the playoffs.
He said it, Part 2:
“To have it slip away in late September, it's cruel. It's really cruel.”
— Atlanta's Chipper Jones, after the Braves failed to make the playoffs.
See, Chicago?
Isn't it just easier to never really be in the playoff race in the first place?