Fear the Chicken

By Aimless Rambler

So I’ve been thinking that I need to revise my writing. Well, not actually revise it so much, but actually proof read what I write, check my spelling, not have every post be a small novel, try to have full complete thoughts - you know that sort of thing. And then I realized that I have received blows to the head recently that would have completely altered my personality and so none of those things are actually going to happen.

Similar to how I don’t let facts and data get in the way of my point, I’m not going to let a little thing like a full coherent thought break my stream of consciousness stride (quick side note, for 30 years I actually thought that song was sung by a woman).

Where am I going with that. Ah yes. 2010 was a pretty freaking kick ass year for sports if you’re name happened to be Aimless Rambler.

1. Fear the Chicken:

I think you hear me knocking Georgia Southern and I got me, my Michigan knock-off helmet and the Wing T with me (thank you Denis Leary). That’s right, it’s playoff time! Now I know what you are saying – playoffs? In college football? Isn’t that like the Yeti – heard of, and believed to exist, but in reality a figment of our imagination? Oh no Virginia – there is a college playoff system, but you have to travel away from the sexy metropolitan areas of Boise State or the Horned Toads of TCU and kick it low-brow to Division I-AA. Delaware is in the semi-finals of the Div I-AA playoffs taking on the powerhouse that is Georgia Southern this Saturday at noon. It’s on the Ocho ESPN8 – I suggest you turn in to see how a real national champion is determined.

2. Da Bears
I will be the first to admit – this Bears team is just not that good. What’s their record? 9-4? How the hell did they ever win nine games? It’s a miracle. Offense ranked 26th in the passing and 25th in rushing. Defense ranked 18th in passing and 2nd in rushing. Great. 2nd in run defense in a pass happy league – that will get us far. But if you really look at it, 9-4 is probably the right record for this team. I mean they’ve won two games they should have lost (Detroit and Green Bay), but then they lost two games against teams they are better than (Seattle and Washington, both by three points). And they beat the Eagles, playing pretty well – so we’ll give them that one. So this team is basically an 8-8 team, but Minnesota sucks this year (wow, that’s fun to write, let’s write that again…. Minnesota sucks!) – so if they win this week at Minn. they’ll probably end up at 10-6, and might even sneak in as a 3 seed thanks to Green Bay crapping the bed against the Lions and face the NFC West champs. I like those odds. Basically this is the 2006 Bears team four years older and their record reflects that. Compared to expectations at the beginning of the season I’ll take it.

3. White Sox resign Paulie K.
I don’t particularly care for Jerry Reinsdorf. I think the way he and Krause handled the ’98 Bulls team was a disaster (yeah – crap like that sits with me for a long time, I’m still pissed), but the way he and Williams handled the Kornerko contract was nothing but class. The exact opposite of how the Yankees managed the Jeter situation. I know last year was a contract year and his numbers will go down next year, but he’s been the face of the franchise for the last ten years and I would have hated to see him in another uniform. I realize it’s a business, but I appreciate the way they handled it. And with he and Dunn in the middle of the line-up, this is setting up to be a pretty good AL Central race next year.

4. The Bulls
The Bulls are young and really really good. They are also really likeable (and yes, I’m including Noah in that statement) and fun to watch. I was going to write 9000 more words on why you should jump on the Bulls bandwagon, but I just came across a Wilbon article that essential does the same thing. Read this instead, because that man is a paid professional, and I’m just a jackass with a keyboard. Here’s my final point with the Bulls – this isn’t their year. I think they’ll go pretty far in the playoffs this year, like Conference Finals – but next year they are going to win it all. You heard that shit here first, get on board early and find a seat.

5. Your Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks

In reality this should be listed as number 1, 2 and 3, but then I couldn’t tie in the cool title Fear the Chicken. Here’s the deal; I have cried four times on my adult life that I can recall. The birth of both of my boys, when I hugged my dad on my wedding day, the time I took a slapshot of a frozen tennis ball to the nuts, and when the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup.

2010 turned out to be a really really good year.