Next Bears coach might as well be a cartoon character

A McCaskey in the box:

After the bold moves made this week by the White Sox and Cubs, the Bears are officially now the lone residents of Chicago's Island of Misfit Franchises.

After all:

Who would want a GM who is a sketchy drafter?

Or a team president who isn't a football guy?

Or a QB and a coach who can't win together?

Or a defensive coordinator who can't … well, coordinate a defense?

Bottom line:

The Bears need a Yukon Cornelius to come in and run the show.

And they need him soon.

Did not know that:

OK, one more “Rudolph” reference.

After years of being questioned about why the seemingly-fine “Dolly” was included on the Island of Misfit Toys, the Contra Costa Times revealed that producer Arthur Rankin finally came up with a back story for her: she suffered from depression and self-esteem issues.

Geesh, that's a little deep for a 5-year-old.

FYI:

If the NFL draft were held today, the Bears would pick 10th.

Let's see if we can get it up to the sixth spot or so.

Random thought:

Do dogs get ticked when their owners spend an entire walk just chatting away on the phone?

Good stuff:

How cool was it to see Jon Lester replying for hours to fans on Twitter after signing on with the Cubs?

Fine and dandy, but:

We'll see if that continues after a late July game where he lasts just 3 innings after giving up 7 hits, 5 walks and 4 earned runs in a 12-5 loss to the Reds.

Lost in all the hoopla:

The key acquisitions of Adam LaRoche and Miguel Montero.

Was it him?

In a recent edition of Golf Digest, there was a statement made that really struck me.

It was by an anonymous golf pro who said, in essence, that there's a big-name player on tour who simply can no longer chip from 40 yards and in.

Anyone else witness Tiger's chipping woes last weekend?

Still takin' it easy:

Kind of amazing, but good to see the Eagles third on Forbes' list of the world's highest paid musicians.

Three words: Seven Bridges Road.

Racing fans:

Hawthorne's Peter Galassi is closing in on his 65,000th career race call this month.

It just so happens that his idol, Phil Georgeff, capped his storied career 22 years ago this month by spinning them out of the turn for the 86,131st time.

Bowled over:

The Big Ten has 10 teams playing in bowl games this year.

All 10 are underdogs.

Discuss.

The more you listen:

The more you get the sense that Joel Quenneville might just want Scott Darling to remain with the big club when Corey Crawford returns.

Hey kids, play baseball!

Jason Hammel will reportedly make around $10 million next season with the Cubs.

In other words, roughly the same amount as Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane will each make next year.

Doesn't seem right, but hey, good for him.

Pure class:

Wow, did the Canadiens ever put together a fantastic tribute to the late great Jean Beliveau.

And rightly so.

Check it out if you have time.

Follow Mike on Twitter @dhspellman