Spellman’s Scorecard: Time for some dressing down of NBA, NHL

Hope you’ve been enjoying the time of year I like to call “what day is it again?”

Wearing me out:The Bulls did it on Christmas.The Blackhawks will do the same when they take on the Penguins at Soldier Field.Scrooging it up:Past Me wasn#146;t digging it Wednesday, and I know Future Me won#146;t be either come March 1 on the lakefront.My beef?Alternate jerseys.Ugh.Save #146;em:For midweek games in Charlotte and Columbus.I know, I know:It#146;s all marketing, but when you have the best sweater in the NHL and one of the coolest jerseys in all of hoops, why not reinforce the brand in front of an expanded, often captive national audience?Bottom line:It#146;s just weird rooting for a team when they don#146;t look like the team you#146;re rooting for.What?You know what I mean.Tis the season:Among my favorite things this time of year is getting tapped on the shoulder by a clerk opening a new checkout lane and seeing Bob Frisk#146;s mug gracing the front of our Sports section again.What a treat.All for the grater good:Here#146;s hoping we see a lot of those cheese grater hats Sunday.I can#146;t believe it took this long to mount a proper response to those cheesehead hats, but, man, it was worth the wait.Question:Who has been talked about more the past few weeks: Jay Cutler in Chicago or Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay?Follow-up question:Win or lose Sunday, who will be talked about more in the days, weeks and months to come?Answer:That#146;s a no-brainer.Feeling your pain:While I#146;m ambivalent about Cutler, I totally understand what it#146;s like to watch Bears games for those fans who despise the guy.Same thing happened to me with the Cubs the year Jim Hendry outbid himself for Milton Bradley.It#146;s not fun.Thinking warm thoughts:The Hyundai Tournament of Champions #133; from the Plantation Course in Kapalua #133; tees off Jan. 3.Doing the math:I thought I was sensing a trend, so I did a little homework.The premise:In the last handful of games it seemed like the first play from scrimmage by Bears opponents was a run of least 10 yards.Actual results:Close, but no cigar. It turned out to be either the first or second play from scrimmage.Here#146;s the rundown of runs to start the last six games: Eagles, 19 yards (first play), Browns 10 (second), Cowboys 19 (first), Vikings 39 (second), Rams 11 (first) and Ravens 47 (second).Worth the wait:The Winter Classic at the Big House.Perfect.Just wondering:Why is it taunting when you stand over an opponent and wave a finger, but performing an elongated sack dance isn#146;t?Briefest year in review ever:The good: The Hawks winning the Cup.The bad: Picking the Texans to battle Seattle in the Super Bowl.The heartwarming: Batkid saving the day in San Francisco!From the heart:Happy New Year!mspellman@dailyherald.com