Spellman’s Scorecard: What to do with Bears off this weekend

The waiting is the hardest part:Since the beloved Bears don#146;t return to the field until a week from Sunday, let#146;s focus on sports other than pro football.OK, here we go:Crickets.Nah, it#146;s not that bad:In fact it#146;s all about the chase.There#146;s the White Sox#146; chase for the AL Central title, the Cubs#146; chase for 100 losses, NASCAR#146;s Chase, which kicks off Sunday in Joliet, and, last but not least, the chase for the $10 million first prize at the FedExCup Playoffs finale in Atlanta beginning Thursday.There, that should satiate Bears fans until Sept. 23 at noon, right?Yeah, I know, probably not.Things we don#146;t want to hear:#147;And #133; starting at center for HC Dinamo Minsk #133; No. 23 #133; Jonathan Toews!#148;Doomsday:The NHL just doesn#146;t get it.Miller time:I could listen to NBC golf analyst Johnny Miller talk all day. All day.For example, here#146;s Miller#146;s take Wednesday on the importance of veteran leadership on Ryder Cup teams:#147;I#146;m not a big believer in doing anything historical because historically, we suck. #133; I like when the young guys get paired together instead of throwing them in with a veteran that#146;s lost five straight Ryder Cups.#148;Amen.Ad nauseam:Kerry Wood-Andre Dawson commercial: 212,389 airings #133; and counting.Way back machine:Kudos to the Cubs#146; television crew for its montage this week highlighting the endless trips to the mound by Astros pitching coach Doug Brocail, all to the soothing sounds of the Benny Hill theme song.Hilarious.The numbers:Courtesy of the Houston Chronicle comes this gem: The Astros-Reds game Sunday produced an 0.05 rating, which means it was viewed by an average audience of 1,092 households.Houston has 2.1 million TV households.This Day in history:Twenty-three years ago Thursday, Hall of Fame jockey Pat Day celebrated his biggest day at Arlington Park when he won eight of nine races and finished second in the only other race of the day at the newly rebuilt facility.Feeling old? Just a titch?Hmm:The Illinois Lottery announced yet another new gambling game this week.Meanwhile video poker machines are just about up and running in a number of Illinois towns and cities.Guess we#146;re only the Reno of the Midwest now, huh?Are you ready for some actual hockey?Chicago Wolves single-game tickets go on sale Friday.Hanks for the memories:If you can be pulled away from watching those Gangnam dance videos for a minute, check out the short clip of Tom Hanks speaking at the funeral of actor Michael Clarke Duncan.The guy simply gets it.He said it:#147;His swing is like Michelangelo playing golf.#148;#151; David Feherty describing red-hot golfer Rory McIlroy.mspellman@dailyherald.com