Jay Cutler

So it turns out he really was hurt. Tore or sprained his MCL. And I can tell you, from experience, that he was right to come out of the NFC Championship Game.

I tore my ACL in my left knee about 9 years ago. It took almost a full year for me to recover and get back on the softball field.

So ... I'm sure the mea culpas will be coming from players like Maurice Jones-Drew and Darnell Dockett, and ESPN analysts like Mark Schlereth, who questioned whether or not Cutler quit.

What ever happened to the player's fraternity? If I were Cutler, I'd say screw all you guys. And when he does lead us to the Super Bowl next year, I can see Cutler giving the big middle finger to all those who doubted him -- players and fans alike. I mean really? Calling him Quitler? Burning his jersey?

As for me, I'll welcome back Jay Cutler with open arms.

Cutler photo courtesy AP

Back to reality

So ... what is there to say about the Bears-Packers game yesterday? Other than the fact that I still think the better team LOST. Ditto the Jets-Steelers game.

The bigger question is whether or not Jay Cutler quit on the Bears or not. If he did, he'll never be able to play quarterback in Chicago again. Fans won't stand for it.

On the other hand, we now know that Todd Collins IS NOT an NFL quarterback and that maybe Caleb Hanie is the guy who should lead the Bears next year.

I'd say get rid of Lovie too, but he'll get an extension since he got the Bears into the NFC Championship Game for the second time in five seasons.

But really -- Steelers-Packers? When I tune in to the Super Bowl on Feb. 6, it won't be to watch football. Commercials, commercials, commercials. Thank God for the DVR.

So for me, football season is over. Finished. Done. One for the books. Time to put my Blackhawks wheel cover on the car and cheer on the defending Stanley Cup champions until baseball starts.

Valentine's Day can't get here quick enough. That's the reporting date for Cubs pitchers and catchers. Can't wait.

New layout/design

So what do you think? I figured it was time to do something different, though I really did like my previous format. But that one was so old I don't even think they offer it anymore.

Gotta take Josh to get his new iPhone today. No, not the 4. Ed and I would both kill him if he got it before we did. He's joining the real world today by getting a 3GS. He's still using the original iPhone. An iPhone geek once made fun of him by saying something along the lines of "You still have that?" There's no reason to get an iPhone 4 now anyway. The 5s will be out before you know it.

And I've decided that since I'm taking him to get his new toy, he has to take me to lunch. I'll figure out where along the way. Five Guys? Quiznos? Who knows?

Now, for your enjoyment, please enjoy today's gratuitous anti-Packers photo.

Poop patrol ... and today's gratuitous anti-Packers pix

*The weather has been so heinous lately -- either it's snowing, sleeting, raining, it's foggy -- that I haven't been able to get out in the yard and clean up after the dogs. Needless to say, with the sun shining today, I should probably get my butt out there and get some work done, especially with snow in the forecast again.

Update: Holy crap that was a lot of poop!

*Please enjoy today's gratuitous anti-Packers photo at left. Really? This Packers fan is in need of severe intervention. The next thing you know their fans will be putting cheese on their heads. Wait, what?

*With all this talk about the Bears-Packers game Sunday, I've neglected/ignored the other game Sunday between the Jets and Steelers. It's no contest who I'm rooting for -- Jets by a long shot. Especially since I live with somebody who was raised on Long Island (Ed). His brother Chris is a huge Jets fan. And I just really hate the Steelers. A Jets-Bears Super Bowl would make a lot of people happy, including Fox, which would broadcast the game with two of the biggest markets in the USA.

*Gotta get that motivation for a P90X workout today. No weight training, so I'll pick something else -- I'll probably do Cardio X again, but Plyo and Kenpo are possibilities too. I'm in Round 3, Week 2 and can tell a difference again already. And softball is right around the corner.

Today's gratuitous anti-Packers photo ...

Plucked out of the air ...

... The theme of this blog is random thoughts, so that's what I'll give you today.

*Packers fans rank right up there with Steelers, Redskins and Cowboys as possibly the most obnoxious in the NFL. Like I said in a previous post, crown their asses already. It'll be nice to see all those Cheeseheads crawl back into their holes when the Bears knock Aaron Rodgers on his ass Sunday. (If the Bears lose, I take all that back. Except the part about those four teams' fans being obnoxious.)

*Speaking of Dennis Green (from above), please enjoy this compilation of wig outs.



*Yay! Russell and Rob are going to be on Survivor: Redemption Island. Two of the most hated/loved competitors to ever be on the show. I can't wait. It starts Feb. 16. The Amazing Race starts up again Feb. 20.

*I gotta work out today. Shoulders & Arms. Gotta find the motivation. One good thing though -- I'm into Round 3, Week 2 of the P90X program and the soreness is already starting to go away. I should be able to find my motivation from the softball pictures below. Yup. That'll do it.

Update: Workout complete!

I agree wholeheartedly ...

What a great weekend ...

... capped off by the Bears putting it to the Seahawks 35-24. Now those juggernaut Packers -- and I use the term juggernaut lightly -- have to play in Soldier Field for a trip to the Super Bowl.

And the Packers open as three-point favorites. Really? Why even play the game? Like former Arizona Cardinals coach Dennis Green once said about the Bears: "If you want to crown them, then crown their ass!" Just go ahead and send the Packers off to Dallas for the Super Bowl now. Play the AFC Championship Game and call it a day.

And speaking of the AFC, how's about Rex Ryan putting his "foot" in Bill Belichick's behind last night? I think the Jets will beat the Steelers and play the Bears on Feb. 6 at Cowboys Stadium.

As for today, gotta get a workout in. It's supposed to be a Plyometrics day, but I may go for the Cardio X or Core Synergistics instead. That's the one thing about doing P90X twice already -- you can follow all the weight training on workout days while mixing and matching on cardio days.

Update: Cardio X workout complete.

Time to get on Facebook for a while and pester all my Packers friends. But, by being Packers fans, are they really my friends?

Of course they are. Just not this week.

Dinosaur arms

So I did P90X Chest & back today. Push-ups and pull-ups. Which means I won't be able to move from the waist up tomorrow.

That's OK I guess. Have to work anyway. Even while my Bears are sending the Seahawks back to Seattle. And so far the Ravens are looking good too. I really hate the Steelers.

But my weekend will be complete if the Falcons rip the Cheeseheads tonight and the Bears win tomorrow.

Let it be so.

Only 75 days until ...

... Baseball's opening day. I should be thinking about the Bears-Seahawks game Sunday, or even the Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks (I miss you Dustin Byfuglien). But somehow, it all comes back to the Cubs.

Trust me. If the Bears don't win Sunday, I'll be in mourning until pitchers and catchers report in February. But until then I can revel in the trade for Matt Garza and the other offseason moves they made -- signing Carlos Pena and bringing back fan favorites Kerry Wood and Reed Johnson. The Wood signing was especially sweet -- he can still close if Carlos Marmol falters. And Johnson is one of the guttiest players in baseball.

And thank God the Cubs did make some moves. The Brewers got Zack Greinke and they still have Fielder and Braun. The Cardinals still have Pujols. The Reds won the NL Central last season despite Dusty Baker. Notice I didn't mention the Astros or Pirates.

And watch out for the Nationals this year. They probably aren't going to the playoffs, but they are going to have a say in who does. Who woulda thought Jayson Werth would want to play in D.C.? Oh ... forgot about that $126 million check they flashed in front of him.

Oh well. No P90X workout today. I tweaked my right knee and I'm pretty sore from the last couple of days. Week 2 of Round 3 starts tomorrow.

And I might as well go ahead and make a prediction about Sunday's game.

Bears 31, Seahawks 9.

Please.

Back to the blogosphere ...

... Well, I've decided to start blogging again. I think it will help me as I get cranking on Round 3 of P90X.

I'll still have my usual commentary on a lot of other stuff going on in the world too -- like Chicago sports (Cubs, Bears, Blackhawks and a bit of Bulls, NO White Sox) -- movies and reality TV (can't wait for new episodes of The Amazing Race and Survivor: Redemption Island).

So away we go. P90X for today is: Legs and back.

Kyle Orton is the man

People scoffed, even laughed at me when I said the Chicago Bears should give Kyle Orton a chance at quarterback. And of course the Florida fans at work are still scoffing, giving me the "when Orton leads you guys to a Super Bowl, then he'll be as good as Rex Grossman" crap.

Well, Orton may yet have the last laugh. Orton has the Bears on top of the NFC North. They are only 4-3, but could easily be 7-0 -- and you can blame the vaunted defense for the three losses.

Orton's come a long way. From a guy who managed the offense while starting 15 games in 2005 -- for an injured Grossman, no less -- leading them to the playoffs. He didn't play much in 2006 or '07, biding his time until he got his opportunity. And boy is he taking advantage. He has a passer rating of 91.4 and has thrown 10 touchdown passes with only four interceptions.

The boy also loves to party, as this picture of Orton at an Iowa City bar (borrowed from Deadspin a couple of years ago illustrates. But that just adds to the charm.

So take that Gator fans. See you in the playoffs.

Thank God for Da Bears

Seriously, if I didn't have my Chicago Bears to help me take my mind off the disappointment of the Cubs, I'd probably go crazy. I still can't believe the baseball season is over.

But my Bears are 3-2 (they could easily be 5-0) after yesterday's 34-7 win over the Detroit Lions. My boy Kyle Orton had the best game of his career, the defense is again a monster and rookie running back Matt Forte has been a fantasy football find. Are they Super Bowl-worthy like they were a couple of years ago? Maybe not this year -- I think the NFC road to Tampa is going to end up going through the NFC East (God, please don't let it be the Redskins). But the Bears lead the NFC North, which ain't the strongest division in the NFL. Check out the new Bears widget I've installed at right.

And could there be a funnier commercial than Brian Urlacher ad (at top) for Old Spice Swagger?

The NHL season also begins this weekend (in America anyway) with my Blackhawks in town to face the Washington Capitals. The Capitals are all the rage this year in D.C., so getting a ticket or two to Saturday's game is going to be almost impossible, unless I want to pay like $150 a ticket, which ain't happening. I love hockey and the Blackhawks, but these days I barely have enough money for a six-pack of beer let alone hockey tickets.

So it's a new day and two new sports. The Cubs? Dead to me until the tease begins again in February ...

Where have I been???

Umm, away? Hell I don't know. I just know I haven't blogged since Sept. 30, 2007. Good God, that was last year!

A lot has happened since then, and maybe that's why I just haven't had the desire. First and foremost, the Cubs were 3 and done in the playoffs. To the Arizona Diamondbacks. Bastards.

The Bears' season just ended, though on a good note, with a 33-25 win over the New Orleans Saints (take that JW or whatever the hell your name is now). But by winning their final two games they actually screwed themselves a little bit. Now instead of fifth or sixth pick in the draft they get No. 14. Please, if you are reading this, DRAFT A QUARTERBACK WHO CAN ACTUALLY WIN IN CHICAGO. PICK A RUNNING BACK WHO ISN'T CEDRIC BENSON. Sorry. Had to vent.

My sister Sue is OK I guess. She had her lung cancer surgery and then proceeded to start smoking again. She seems to think that since they cut part of her lung out that all the cancer is gone. Sure. And I'm going to win Powerball this week too.

She does like the doctor she's currently seeing, though, and he may be just the one to change her mind about chemotherapy. We'll see.

In reality TV land, Survivor: China has come and gone, with Todd, our little cutie mormon gay flight attendant walking away with the million bucks. He deserved it. Kid Nation is also over and probably won't be back. I liked it, but it raised a lot of concern over child labor laws and such. Pshaw.

And last but not least, we're down to the final four on The Amazing Race 12: Grandpa Don & Nick, Nate & Jen (please let them lose this week, please, please, please), Ron & Christina (Asian father and daughter -- he really treats her like crap), and the hippies, Rachel & TK.

I'm pulling for the hippies and grandpa & Nick. It's been a great year so far. Too bad the Goths are one. They were pretty funny.

Alfred E. Newman courtesy MAD Magazine

Just Jack

This is Jack Munz with his dad Chris. They live in Maine with mom Julie Munz. Chris is Ed's little brother. I can't wait to finally meet Jack, who I of course consider my nephew.

Jack appears to be a very happy child, though I know he -- and his father -- would look much better in Bears shirts. The Nationals hat Chris is wearing is a good one, though it's sad that the Nats are probably going to have a 100-loss season in 2007.

Pitchers and catchers are only 7-10 days away from reporting. It's 18 days, 21 hours, 10 minutes until the first spring game and 50 days, 19 hours, 16 minutes until Opening Day. This information courtesy www.bleedcubbieblue.com, the best Chicago Cubs blog on the planet.

And check out Chris' blog at www.therecreationist.blogspot.com.