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North: Hard to root for DePaul, LeBron, NFL Pro Bowl

It's time for some random thoughts.

• The DePaul men's basketball (7-13) continues to underwhelm me. I watched a game Wednesday night for the first time in a few years, and they lost to the Butler Bulldogs, 67-53. The winning ways of the late 1970s through the mid-1980s under legendary coach Ray Meyer are a distant memory. This basketball program has gone the way of some other Catholic institutions such as St. John's, Georgetown and Marquette. They just don't have the same juice as in the past.

• The good news is the 1985 Chicago Bears, winners of Super Bowl XX, are being featured in what promises to be a great documentary in the 30 for 30 film series on ESPN. The bad news is it reminds us how long it has been since the Bears won. I wish the Super Bowl was this Sunday.

• When do the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs begin?

• I'm done trying to root for LeBron James.

• Look out for the Detroit Pistons as the dark horse team in the NBA.

• In NCAA men's basketball, it's Clemson.

• The reigning NBA Champions, the Golden State Warriors, (42-4) could possibly beat our beloved Bulls' record of 72-10 from the 1995-96 season. If that happens, the Warriors will have to be considered the greatest one-season team in NBA history and all Chicago fans will have to shut our traps.

• So the Cubs want to shut down Clark and Addison during home games. Please win something first, then we'll see about your other demands.

• The White Sox are putting in some new scoreboards including what will be one of the biggest video boards in the majors. Here's hoping they will make some noise.

• The AFC-NFC Pro Bowl is this Sunday in Hawaii, but even a winter trip to paradise hasn't stopped players from turning down the invitation in record numbers. To date, 133 players out of a league totaling 1,696 have been invited, and with almost 8 percent of the players receiving invitations, it dilutes the honor in my book. Without stars such as Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers choosing to attend, I don't care to watch, but it still is football and the kids will watch.

• Everyone who thought the Carolina Panthers would be in the Super Bowl please stand up. Just as I thought: no one is standing.

• I confess I watched some professional bull riding. I'm sorry, but these guys are crazy!

• It was sad to hear of the passing of Walt "No-Neck" Williams, 72. He was one of my favorite White Sox players.

• Condolences to former WSCR and ESPN honcho Jeff Schwartz and his family on the loss of his mother, Sylvia, who was 101.

Program notes:

Follow me on Twitter@ north2north, and listen to Fox Sports Daybreak with Andy Furman and myself from 5-8 a.m. Monday through Friday on Fox Sports radio, and check me out on iHeart radio or Foxsportsradio.com. Listen to my postgame Bears show on The Drive 97.1-FM every Sunday.

• North's column appears each Tuesday and Friday in the Daily Herald, and his video commentary can be found Monday, Wednesday and Thursday at dailyherald.com. For more, visit northtonorth.com.

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