Maybe even sharks were showing Nyad respect
“You yell barracuda, everybody says, ‘Huh? What?' You yell shark, we've got a panic on our hands on the Fourth of July.”
— Mayor Larry Vaughn, Amity Island
C'mon, admit it:What Diana Nyad accomplished was pretty amazing.Swimming from Cuba to Florida?At age 64?Without a shark cage?Sure she had an entourage alongside, but if you were swimming in the ocean night and day, wouldn't you want one, too?I'd need a bigger boat:Since freaking out to #8220;Jaws#8221; in that summer of '75, I've been strictly a swimming pool guy.Strictly.Just jumping into shark-infested waters in the first place, much less swimming for days with those things lurking beneath #8230;No. Way.Question:How do you categorize what Nyad accomplished?Is it somewhere between that guy who jumped out of a balloon from outer space and any of the Wallenda no-net adventures?A relative said he'd rate her feat right up there #8220;with the 84th person to climb Mount Everest.#8221;That's a little harsh.However it's classified, though, it's still pretty cool.BTW:Never, ever thought I would be writing about Diana Nyad.Oh, you're ready for some football:And so am I, but I do have some Bears questions heading into Sunday's opener:#376;Why is it just assumed the left side of the O-line is going to be solid?#376;How are all those season-ticket holders who didn't attend any preseason games going to react to the new NFL rule where they have to fit all their belongings into a small, clear plastic bag?#376;Linebacker James Anderson. Think he's going to be good but just want to be sure.#376;How will the NFL's initiatives for improving the in-game experience actually work out for the fans at Soldier Field?Cream of the crop:Have you seen the field of 70 that will be playing in the BMW Championship next week at Conway Farms?Holy cow.It's a tournament organizer's dream; just about everyone who's anyone in the game will be there.If you've always wanted to visit Lake Forest, next week is definitely the perfect time.The good/the bad:I have to admit, I'm kinda liking this Premier League soccer on the NBC family of networks, but I'm really not liking that the announcers are about a half-second ahead of the action.That's just messing with my mind.BTW:Calling yourself the Premier League is a little boasty, isn't it?Eh, I guess it's no worse than the Super Bowl or the World Series.Expanding the core:Interesting moves by Stan Bowman to sign Corey Crawford and Niklas Hjalmarsson to long-term deals.Even though no one is sure how much the salary cap is going to go up in the next few years, the Hawks' GM must have a good feeling it's going to increase by quite a bit.Hey, two Cups in four years? Who am I to question his methods?Good call:Remember when the Bulls were deciding between selecting Derrick Rose or Michael Beasley with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2008 draft?Nicely done, Pax.The Phoenix Suns this week released Beasley, who now hopes to catch on with his fourth NBA team in six years.The Cub effect:The Kane County Cougars, despite setting a franchise record for losses in a season, nevertheless saw their attendance spike by about 15,000 in their first year as a minor-league affiliate of the Cubs.Wait, what about ...:All these projections of what the Cubs' lineup might look like in 2015 or '16 are missing one big piece of the puzzle.Who's gonna be their catcher?And now back to football:Enjoy the game.mspellman@dailyherald.com