The death of George Floyd has sparked an inferno of emotions throughout the nation. Stuff like this brings out the good, the bad, and the just ugly in humanity. Protesting to demand change. Some have other motives as peaceful protests, which hope to get your message across, go haywire. Rioting, looting, injuries, property damage, burning wrecks, and death have ravaged this nation because of what went down in Minneapolis. These things also bring in people that were probably not even involved in it. Sure they have watched from the sideline. Mayhem has a way at times of showing up at your front door. Playing Call of Duty, a former NBA star got the call. The call was to go outside as some of the ugliness was not very far away from J.R. Smith’s home in Los Angeles To open the door to find someone breaking your window on your truck, this has brought Smith from the bench once again and into this game that is not a game.

J.R. Smith was the 2012-13 sixth man of the year to be called into action at the spur of the moment is very familiar with the veteran. Smith chased the looter down. Smith played 16 seasons in the NBA and toured 4 different cities in his playing career. New Orleans to Denver, and then to New York finishing in Cleveland. As a Cavalier he was part of that  2015-16 championship team with Lebron James. J.R. Smith was released in July of 2019 and has not played in the NBA since. Still in game shape I imagine, he caught up to him and in his words said, “I WHOOPED HIS ASS.”

I remember being a younger lad and throwing snow balls at moving cars. It was a time of innocence back then because it was about the thrill of the chase. We were not going out looking to damage someone’s car. Bad things, yes could have happened, so I would not recommend it to youth these days. Every snow ball or egg thrower never would expect a former athlete to chase you down. I remember if you did get caught, you always had a made up name to confess did it. Good ole imaginary Jack McCormick was the blame for everything gone wrong in the neighborhood where I grew up. Worst thing when you got caught would be if they found out where you lived and told your parents. No cell phones back then. That left out the Police. They could not drag you inside their car and take you to the Police station. They did not beat you up. We were kids.

In the heat of the moment J.R Smith did something that many have envisioned they would love to do. To catch a person stealing or looting or doing something to your home or the property of family or friends. To punch their lights out and wait for help to arrive. Makes you feel like Spiderman or Batman. But that feeling gets quickly stale if you have kids. J.R. Smith has kids, 4 gals. No kid wants to see their father turn into a monster. Turn into something like the Incredible Hulk. Something that will be etched in your children’s minds for the rest of natural lives. To become so dark and twisted and to stoop to a level lower than the thief or looter. J.R. apologized for that. Again it was the heat of the moment. But calm, cool, and collected in all situations is the best way. This guy who got beat up by J.R. Smith is not a very good looter. Before this incident, this guy was probably not very good at his day job either. Where do failures at looting go from here? Hope they have some kind of 12 step program to get them into a trade or something. J.R. Smith can go back to his game. Not on the court looks to be more Call of Duty or John Madden. What ever happened to Missile Command?

 

Jerry Reinsdorf, the chairman of the Chicago Bulls and the Chicago White Sox, has 7 championships under his belt. The six pack collected by Michael Jordan and the Bulls, during the 1990’s. The one World Series trophy, in 2005, by the unexpected Chicago White Sox that year. Since the 1980’s, the Bears have won one Super Bowl title. The Cubs finally snapped an over 100 year rebuilding campaign, in 2016. The Blackhawks won three lord Stanley Cups with a young superstar tandem, in Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews. Out of the 4 major sports in the Windy City, Reinsdorf’s teams have 7 titles compared to the 5 the other franchises have collected in the four major sports. Since 2000, that would be one Championship won from the Reinsdorf teams compared those the 4 other teams in Chicago won. If Michael Jordan did not come to Chicago and play for the Bulls, Jerry Reinsdorf as an owner would be looking very pathetic with only one title from the White Sox while the rest of town would have had 5 titles. You could say Jerry Reinsdorf got very lucky with one player that put him on the map.

Before Jerry Reinsdorf and his investors purchased the Chicago Bulls, the sport of pro basketball in Chicago was surrounded by dark clouds with no sign of sunny days in the forecast. The Bulls were established in 1966. Before the Bulls, Chicago had other basketball teams in their town history. They had teams such as the Chicago Bruins and the Chicago American Gears. They even had Packers in Chicago. Bears fans will cringe. Chicago Packers who now are the Washington Wizards. Before the Bulls, it was the Chicago Stags that played on the hardwood. The Bulls in the early 1980’s were being outdrew by the Chicago Sting indoor soccer team. My mother-in-law would say the best thing about the Bulls of the ’70’s was their short shorts. Did Jerry Reinsdorf or Michael Jordan take the Bulls and put them on the map in the NBA and around the world?

The thing I hate most is the amount of loyalty Jerry Reinsdorf has with some of the wrong people. Former players in high up positions in the front offices for both organizations, should have been terminated in my book. John Paxton and Kenny Williams still have jobs when they should have been shown the door years ago. How many squabbles in a front office from both these organizations do we have to deal with on a regular basis with both the White Sox and Bulls? In The Last Dance, the series was defined by Jerry Krause giving Phil Jackson an end date. John Paxton punching a former coach he hired in the heat of the moment. Then let’s not forget the All My Children episodes of Ozzie Guillen and Kenny Williams that went way too long. Not like Gar Forman and John Paxton tandem biking that finally ended as Forman is out the door. While John Paxton has another role. Both Paxton and Williams still have their hands in the organization, which leaves dark clouds that still follow both franchises.

Jerry Reinsdorf had the best basketball player on the planet, Michael Jordan. Yes, six titles, but Jordan is obviously not happy in the end of his time with the Bulls. Jerry Reinsdorf is the head honcho, so could he have stepped in and pushed Michael Jordan and  Jerry Krause aside? Get them to repair both their egos and be on the same page? Uncle, you’re the owner for Christ Sake. This should have been done years prior to the last dance with the Bulls winning their second three peat. What about the mishandling of Scottie Pippen’s contract? No wonder Scottie was referred as No Tippin’ Pippin’ by the locals. I know Pippen signed the original deal. If Jerry would have stepped in and came up with something both can agree on, you would most definitely have a different ending. Maybe the Bulls win seven. I thought they should have went out on their own terms and then start the rebuilding process. Then at least you don’t have egg on your face when you watch a ten episode documentary about your team in the 1990’s with the best player ever, having an axe to grind with your ways of thinking. Yes, Uncle Jerry is shocked at what Michael said about him.

With the White Sox, things jump out at me as well. In 1994 the White Sox had a great team. They either were the best in the entire league or a close second. Some say the 1994 team was better than the 2005 team. The baseball season was never finished due to the strike year. Good ole Uncle Jerry Reinsdorf as an owner was a big part of why the strike even happened. His cheapness left a stench in the negotiations with players that left after 1994.  In 1995, to let pitching ace Black Jack McDowell walk away in free agency and thinking a has-been Chris Sabo will somehow save the day.  In 2006, trying to repeat or just getting into the playoffs for the second straight year does not happen. Big egos of Ozzie Guillen and Kenny Williams prevail as a talented team wins 90 games and does not make it back to the playoffs with a team stacked with talent. Uncle Jerry does not step in to get his family on the same page. Instead this feud lingers on for years with a messy divorce. Only way it seems in Jerry’s book is people shown to the door kicking and screaming. Why not Kenny Williams?

Overall with Jerry Reinsdorf at the helm, I’ve seen a lot of second place finishes with the White Sox. If you subtract Michael Jordan from the Bulls organization. Before it was grim and even after it was even grimmer. The Bulls organization just did some retooling. The new guys they brought in have said the Bulls front office over the decades has been outdated. Not talking about the paint job on the walls. The whole unit as a whole is not up to snuff as other NBA teams of the future. The Bulls’ ways were still in Bedrock chiseling out scouting reports on stone tablets. Look at both teams in free agent history. I like to say some of the White Sox teams may have been a big type of free agent away from being solid. Instead, Uncle Jerry settles for the dollar bin style rather than opening his wallet to get his teams over the top. They never get the big fish on the market. Don’t say Albert Belle because he was doomed before they even signed the contract with more out clauses than in. Look in the mirror, Uncle Jerry, and don’t be shocked on the next documentary when someone else throws you under the bus. Just where you deserve to be.

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The character David Puddy from Seinfeld, you can call him a face painter. Painting his face and wearing his team’s jersey to root on his New Jersey Devils versus the rival New York Rangers in a playoff series. Puddy even painted a red D on his chest as he took his shirt off to reveal the beginning of the spelling of Devils, with others with letters painted on their chest to make up the word. The face painting, taking off your shirt, plus yelling and screaming at the opposing team so their children’s children can hear you. Puddy outside the stadium even scared the Jesus out of some priest in a car screaming, “Devil, devil!”

Dave Puddy turns into a possessed homicidal maniac when it comes to watching his favorite team, the Devils. A totally different character than the germaphobe auto mechanic he is by day. Plus David Puddy is just a character on TV. In real life, everyone has been to a ballgame and seen a super fanatic fan. Make sure you don’t have a hang over and sit next to one during the game. The screaming would make your head explode. While we are talking about Dave Puddy from the 1990’s a super fanatic fan, what about the Indiana Pacers super fan from the Last Dance documentary? Kathy Martin Harris was the David Puddy of the Indiana Pacers and she did not like Michael Jordan and the Bulls in her house. The documentary showed her in the stands yelling at the Bulls 22 years ago when they talked about the Pacers and the Bulls playoff series that went the distance all the way to the deciding game. Game seven.

Sometimes the past has a way of catching up with you. Last Sunday night was the awakening of the super fanatic Indiana Pacer fan who may have walked away from fanatic ways, like Michael Jordan retired from the game. Kathy Martin Harrelson did not walk away from the game, as her father, Ed Martin’s, car dealership still has Pacer season tickets. The Martin family has had season tickets for 44 years. Their season tickets go back to when the Indiana Pacers played in the ABA before they merged into the NBA.

NBA rules these days prohibit the style of banter Kathy Martin had 22 year ago behind the bench of the visitors team in her home stadium. Kathy Martin Harrelson can’t berate these NBA cry babies these days like Lebron James. She may tear a referee a new one once in awhile, but she has toned down at present times. On Sunday, after the airing of the Last Dance and ever since, her phone came to life with lots of people commenting about her wild antics from the pass. Stuff she put to bed for good in her mind. Lots of people have been twittering with likes for Kathy Martin Harrelson. Many news media outlets have conducted interviews with Kathy Martin Harrleson since the airing of her grievances against Jordan and the Bulls.

I listened to Kathy Martin Harrison interviewed on a local Chicago radio station this morning on ESPN 1000 with Dave Kaplan. Kathy Martin Harrleson explained she was tired of the Bulls coming to her house and beating her Pacers. How her stadium seemed to get invaded by red Bulls jerseys. Plus Kathy Martin Harrelson thought it was Reggie Miller’s turn to discard the Bulls for good. It was one of the best Pacer teams the Martin family had ever seen. Her husband was telling her that The Last Dance documentary was going to have footage of the Pacers and Bulls games back then. She was not interested. It was not until she heard Reggie Miller being interviewed that she wandered into the room to watch the Last Dance with her husband. Then she saw herself yelling and screaming like a blast from the past. The thoughts of the cameramen having her and the family sign those releases came to mind. The cameramen said they would be doing a documentary some day. It’s been so long. A thought about a documentary slipped their minds since those days when the Bulls and Pacers tangled in the playoffs.

The seats were so close that the players would hear all the rants that would come out of the Martin family, especially Kathy. Kathy Martin Harrelson said on the radio interview that Michael Jordan was aware of her. Jordan would smile and shrug at her once in awhile. Dennis Rodman threw comments back at Kathy Martin Harreslon. Rodman said her wedding ring was fake. The Bulls were not the only ones who got bombarded by Kathy’s banter. Patrick Ewing was called Patricia by her. This got under the skin of Ewing. Patrick and Kathy did have a moment and called a truce as they touched hands in the friendly gesture of a high five after a game. Joe Dumars even recognized her at the airport and they had a friendly conversation about basketball in between flights.

Sometimes you can not run from the past. Some super fans, even fanatics, are interesting people watching. People will take pictures of them for their shenanigans during a game. I could see if you lived with a super fanatic and sat next to them at the game I may have to walk away at extreme levels to get a beer. Relaxing at home especially with a super fan that is fanatic, they might need some downers in their food. Otherwise them jumping up suddenly screaming at any point in whatever you’re watching might make your heart skip a few beats. I don’t want to be a part of the practice run. I may not want to be part of the dry run at the game. You will be someone else’s story for a lifetime. It’s like getting a tattoo. Looks great in present times. As you get older the body makes the tattoo look similar to Droopy the dog.

I would be able to at least walk into the stadium with Kathy Martin Harrison, rather than a David Puddy with his face paint on. It’s like the person who came with the guy or girl in the costume when it’s not Halloween. They always feel sorry for the guy or girl that the Super Fan fanatic is with. Like you get the head nod like they feel your pain. I can see people giving the look as if to say, “Can you do something about that?” Like I can just press the button and turn off the super fan like a remote for the car alarm. Playoff games I can see. But to go to every game with the person jumping up and screaming like a banshee would lose its luster. I do love the passion by Kathy Martin Harrison. That is her house and she is protecting it. I’m more the type that may need some beers to get out on the dance floor at a Wedding. Beer helps my regular jogging in place look better on the dance floor with more suds. I may need more beer just screaming at the million dollar babies that are rivals to my own team. As they try to invade.

Everyone is so touchy these days with words. I’d be in jail for some hate crime because I said something about the food. Those darn Chinese American hot dogs I knew would not be to kind to my insides. The Super fanatic fan may yell out, “My arse is on fire!” My personal issues or if I’m in trouble your female companion as a super fanatic might not be so understanding if you get on the wrong side of their yell or try bringing them back in a sitting position. Maybe it would not be so bad if security hauled them off. Pick them up at the end of the game and enjoy a nice beer while you watch the remainder of the game in peace. Can I pick her up next season.?

Could the Chicago Bulls have won a 7th championship if they kept the band back together? Was the Bulls ownership and management too quick to pull the plug on this dynasty? If management knew what was in store for the Bulls organization after the 1998 season, would they have scratched their itch to keep from pulling the plug? Phil Jackson coined the Last Dance speech to the team, knowing that General Manager Jerry Krause did not want him in the building beyond the 1998 season. Imagine if Phil Jackson and all the players knew they were welcomed back with open arms until the run was completely over. Would this team have won their sixth championship without the Last Dance motivation? Seems like Michael Jordan can find an axe to grind with anyone big or small and use it for motivation, at least that’s how he was portrayed in the ten episode documentary, THE LAST DANCE. When the Bulls won their sixth championship to complete the second three peat, it was so typical of Jerry Reinsdorf to call and try to bring Phil Jackson back into the fold. Reinsdorf you think would a be a smart businessman, but the words “a dollar too late a dollar too short” are what describe the Bulls owner.

The Chicago Bulls had an aging roster after the the sixth championship to deal with. This makes things a challenge for the Bulls general manager. Jerry Krause has done some really great things as GM for the Bulls. Like bringing in Dennis Rodman for the second three peat, Rodman’s rebounding and defense were the missing ingredients. Krause found a way to replace Horace Grant, who did that stuff Rodman gives you. Rodman gives you better defense then Grant. Grant gives you more scoring then Rodman. The Bulls were up in terms of age, but the idea of having the best player on the planet, Michael Jordan. who was not running on fumes was there. If he was willing to continue to take one year deals, that may be like holding the ACE in the deck of the cards. Having the biggest domino in check, the rest would have fallen in line as Steve Kerr, Dennis Rodman, and Ron Harper would have followed Michael back for another run. The Scottie Pippen contract, that followed him around like dark black clouds, should have been dealt with years prior. Michael Jordan said in “The Last Dance” that Pip would have not missed that chance to go for lucky seven. It would also depend on whether head coach Phil Jackson was still in charge. If Phil Jackson was not told he would be shown the door after the 1998 season, he would probably easily have been there until the Bulls were knocked off their high perch. Instead you have some sneaky weasel GM looking into the future. How is that Tim Floyd hire that you spent years on, thinking he be the right guy that gave you egg on the face? Jerry Krause should have been looking for ways to keep the current team on the floor. Not be a “Sneaky Pete” trying to improve your damaged ego.

The former owner of the Blackhawks once said a Stanley Cup would cost way too much money. Making the playoffs was good enough for the fans wanting more. I think Jerry Reinsdorf kind of walks a similar line to this nonsense. Yes, Jerry Reinsdorf has gotten six NBA championships and a World Series title as the owner of the White Sox. That is seven championships for the city of Chicago. Reinsdorf says regarding the 7th championship try on the Last Dance documentary, “it would’ve been suicidal at that point in the careers bringing back Pippen, Kerr, Harper because their market value was going to be too high.” They weren’t going to be worth the money they were going to get in the market.

The look on Michael Jordan’s face in the Last Dance documentary tells you Reinsdorf missed the bus on this. To have the best player on the planet in your town on your team, a meeting of the minds could have easily got them both on the same page. Seem like Jerry Reinsdorf had one foot in, wanting Phil Jackson back after the sixth title. Is that just a curtsy call Reinsdorf was doing with one foot out? Seem like Jerry Krause took all the heat for breaking up the dynasty. As owner of the team with fannies packed in the stadium every game and making money off the best player on the planet. If Jerry Krause was told to keep this team rolling and find players to replace ones that were done, could this have been a different story all together? Then the handling of the Scottie Pippen contract is just mind boggling. Scottie Pippen is the dumb fool that signed the original deal. Reinsdorf could of renegotiated with Pippen’s people and came up with something that both parties could accept. These things show you what GREED is all about when it comes to players and owners. The bigger picture is letting this Bulls run out of gasoline by itself, but trying to keep it going by patching any holes. Could we have waited another year for that great Tim Floyd ERA to start? It is hard to win championships in general. Back in 1919 with the Black Sox scandal, would paying those eight men out been worth winning the 1919 World Series after winning the 1917 title. Instead they throw the World Series. Could the Chicago Blackhawks have done a better job with their salary cap during their three cups they captured? Maybe they could have had four. In 1994, the strike year in baseball, it looked to be one of the greatest World Series chances in a very long time for the Chicago White Sox. Reinsdorf let some of those players get away and in 1995, the White Sox were relying on the Chris Sabo move to save the day. What happened to the Cubs after 2016? It’s a shame that it takes one idiot’s thought process to ruin a chance at multiple titles. Jerry Krause should have done his job that he was capable of doing, instead of sticking it to Phil Jackson with not inviting him to his daughter’s wedding. Jerry Reinsdorf is too loyal to some of the brain trust he hires. When he steps in, it’s always a dollar too late a dollar too short.

Cevher Toktas, an amateur club soccer player, should be seeing a Turkish prison very soon. Toktas will probably be seeing a lot of grown men naked inside the walls of his cell. Tokas killed a five year old boy. A five year old who was brought to the hospital with symptoms of the Covid 19. This was not just some random five year old, this was Cevher Toktas’ son, Kasim. Inside the mind of Toktas being isolated with his son in hospital, he was not thinking of kicking the ball in the net on the soccer field to score a goal. In a moment of pure evil, Toktas’ thought process and goal became ridding himself of a mistake he made five years ago. Taking a life from an innocent boy by smothering his face with a pillow and using the Covid 19 virus as the cover up.

The child’s death originally was not ruled in any way suspicious. After the 32 year old coward went down to the level so low, he put on an act to probably earn him a Oscar nomination. Doctors rushed in to try to save the five year old, whose only problem was a cough and high fever. In trying times, these are symptoms of something entirely bigger, and at the end he tested negative for the Coronavirus. However, he died in intensive care two hours later after what his father did to him with that pillow, probably soaked in tears. The father put on a show in a performance so believable that it fooled everybody including his own family and friends. Results were, he got away with murder.

Like the Edgar Allen Poe story, The Tell Tale Heart, 11 days after this cowardly act towards his son Kasim, the dead beat father turned himself in to authorities. His mind could not take it anymore. Cever Toktas, the monster, will not be returning to his team, Bursa Yildirmspor. He awaits trial as he confessed to eliminating his son from this world. The motive was he never loved the boy. Even the day the boy popped out of the womb, he never had a chance to get his father’s love.The 32 year soccer player was set in his mind to never give the boy a fair chance. It never had to come down to this being a guy with no mental issues. Toktas could have just walked away from his family. Pay them to go away and play your sport; this way he’d be just a bad father. Now you are a monster that will rot away in a Turkish prison because of your hatred for something you created. Something that would be a miracle to many. Toktas, a selfish person, is a coward to take away a precious innocent life away from somebody who never asked to be on this Earth. Never had a chance in life to see what this world is all about, even during it’s grim stages. Covid 19 did not do this. This guy was messed up before this virus even arrived. It does show you what the virus can bring out in many of the rotten apples in this world. For people like this, they should bring back being stoned to death. All the townspeople gather in the center of the village, watching them throw rocks at this garbage.

I have been watching the Chicago Bulls ESPN ten episode series on Sunday nights called, The Last Dance. It’s about that final year of Michael Jordan in a Bulls uniform.The last year where the team won their sixth title and earned their second three peat. The series flashes back to the past and tells you how the Bulls got to the level they did. How the Detroit Pistons were a team that the Bulls had to overcome in the Eastern conference. That’s where Isaiah Thomas comes in.The leader of those bad boy teams which was nicknamed for what they did on the court in the two championships the Pistons racked up. Michael Jordan respected Isaiah Thomas’ game on the court but threw the word HATE when it comes to his arch-rival. Then in an interview with Isaiah, he plays the card of how Jordan’s comments are shocking. Isaiah Thomas has that baby face and he comes off innocent. Deep down, Isaiah is just a bad dude like some Batman villain who got shafted in life and seeks retribution.

Iasiah Thomas was born in Chicago, Illinois and played high school basketball at St.Josephs. Perhaps in his younger days, the bad seed did not sprout. Thomas went on to Indiana University. In 1981, Thomas led the Hoosiers to a NCAA Championship. Isaiah Thomas was drafted number two overall in 1981 from the Detroit Pistons. From 1981-1994, Isiah Thomas was a 12 time all-star. One of the best point guards in the game of basketball on the highest level in the NBA. Thomas was named one of the 50th greatest players in NBA history. Thomas helped win two championships in Motown. It’s the way the Pistons won those championships. It’s the way Thomas and that team conducted themselves, on and off the court. With a roster Detroit had, with Dennis Rodman, John Salley, Joe Dumars, Mark Aguire, Vinnie Johnson, Rick Mahorn, Adrian Dantly and with Isiah Thomas… did they need all the cheap shots on the hard fouls they gave to be effective? Maybe Bill Laimbeer did.

The dirty dozen assembled in Detroit in the late 1980’s, led by head coach Chuck Daly who believed in hard fouls, “if you dare try to score on us down in the paint.” Hard fouls were part of the game in those years.The Detroit bad boys took hard fouls to a whole other level. A slap or a punch in the face. The ole rabbit punch to the kidneys. The quick elbow to groin were extra stuff the Pistons needed. The extra and the hard foul combination that brought you down to the hard wood of the court needing to get back up and ailing. Isiah Thomas resembled a character from the Bad News Bears, Tanner Boyle. Tanner in Bad News Bears was never scared of anyone and was the smallest kid on the field. Tanner would take on the opposing team by himself. Isaiah Thomas had his rag tag bunch behind him, especially Bill Laimbeer, his henchman. Thomas got in the faces of all the superstars in the league like Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan. No wonder he did not get an invite to the dream team in 1992 to play for his country in the Olympics. No one wanted to play with him on the same team. As a villain, this would irritate Thomas and send him deep into the sewers of Gotham, plotting and planning. I give credit to Isaiah because he did not need to be at the country club sipping champagne with the big dogs. This dog ran his own pack. However deep inside, this did not fit right with Isiah Thomas as he all along wanted the respect from the best in the league.

Isiah Thomas has a list of things he has failed at after his play on the court was over. Some of the things he has done on the court and off the court make you scratch your head and sum him up as just a scum. In 1992, with 7.9 seconds left on the clock in the elimination game as the Bulls were about to finally prevail versus their arch-rival, the Pistons walked off the court. Only Joe Dumars and John Salley stayed behind. As a leader of your team this is what you do? You can’t take defeat so you retreat without shaking hands. What happened to sportsmanship? Shows what a class act Isaiah Thomas is. The Bulls when they lost to the Pistons over and over, stayed, swallowed their pride and shook hands with their nemesis.

After his playing days, Isaiah did everything basketball related from coaching to being a General Manager to even owning a league. Isaiah Thomas owned the CBA, the Continental Basketball Association, and ran that into the ground. Filing bankruptcy. Isaiah failed as a coach. Ruined a pretty good Indiana Pacer team and suffered quick exits from the playoffs in round one. When Isaiah stepped in to coach from his executive position as head of the New Knicks, he went down in flames. Thomas’ strategy of hard fouls in the paint, led to a big brawl between the Knicks and the Nuggets. All of Thomas’ executive decisions, which included control over the roster, brought New York Basketball to the lowest level of mankind. When Thomas was finally fired by the Knicks, I still to this day think the whole organization has not recovered from his butchering. Then the sexual harassment suit filed against Isaiah Thomas in 2006. Anucha Browne Sanders, a female executive for the Knicks, settled for 11.5 million dollars because Isiah was being frisky. That is a lot of reasons to feel guilty with that kind of cheddar. Then you had the paternity case before Isiah Thomas tied the knot, as another pay out in the 1980’s. Perhaps Thomas’ best best hire was bringing in thug Bill Laimbeer to coach the women’s New York WNBA team. Those poor women in general dealing with both Thomas and Laimbeer.

After the Detroit Bad boys finally broke up, most of the players on their roster are likeable guys. Dennis Rodman’s time in Chicago helped with the Bulls’ second three peat. I respected how hard Rodman worked. To do all the dirty work that hardly ever shows up in the stat columns. John Salley came off the bench for the Bulls during that three peat and helped them win some games with his play. Joe Dumars had a very nice career in the NBA and now is doing great things in the front office in the league. Vinnie Johnson, AKA the microwave, scoring points off the bench. A spark plug type of player that was fun to watch. I think Isaiah Thomas and Bill Laimbeer are in the same boat as guys that you will always hate except if you’re a Pistons fan. Laimbeer might be the better citizen than Isaiah Thomas over time. Isaiah still playing his politician style in front of the camera. Bill Laimbeer still blunt at what spews out of his mouth and may want to fight you after school by the bike rack. While Thomas is just a worm who slithers around in the soil these days. Just don’t turn your back, he may shiv you from behind after you think he’s your friend.

The Chicago Bears 2020 draft, I have mixed feelings about. I can say good, bad, and ugly to describe my thoughts on their picking this year. I know coming in the Bears did not have a number one draft pick. The Bears used that pick as a part of that Khalil Mack trade with the Raiders. The recent Bears history with a number one pick is just frightening. Bears used picks this year and went after players to help fill some of the holes on their roster. Which is a good philosophy, not drafting a project like a Shea McClellin and hoping they fit in somewhere. Like a bad jigsaw puzzle forcing a piece in a spot that does not fit.The Bears did not go after a quarterback in the draft which this team has had ongoing problems about for decades. They trade away draft picks like they’re candy. Did I miss the headlines that the Bears were in the playoffs last season?

The Bears first pick was in the second round of the draft and landed yet another tight end. Cole Kmet, a local kid from Notre Dame, some say was the best tight end on the board. Kmet is a big target with great hands that can run over people. Matt Nagy needs a tight end in his offense that has too many moving parts. The Bears have a shit load of tight ends on the roster even with releasing Trey Burton, who was not worth the money they paid him. The Bears stayed the course with this pick and have gotten someone that can help this team this up coming season. I like this pick a lot. I think Kmet can turn into a weapon of mass destruction on opposing teams.

Still in the second round, the Bears go defense with their second pick. At number 50 the Bears get a corner back from the University of Utah, Jaylon Johnson. The Bears released veteran corner back Prince Amukamara so this was a position in need. Johnson was second All-American who tallied six interceptions and 21 pass break ups which tells you he can get the job done. All of this done with a torn labrum in his right shoulder. Obviously you have to like this kid who can play through big time pain and be very productive. However this move raises a red flag with me. When the Bears drafted Kevin White, he had injury baggage that he brought to Chicago. White turned into a first round bust. Jaylon Johnson may be the exception. However we have been down this road and Ryan Pace’s higher picks turn into stone.

After the second round, the Bears next picks came in the fifth round. With the lack of picks coming in, the Bears baffle me by wheeling and dealing yet again future draft picks. Again, did the Bears make the playoffs and I missed it? The Bears trade away a 2021 4th round pick to the Minnesota Vikings to move up eight spots in the fifth round to land a defensive end from Tulsa in Trevis Gipson. Now next year’s draft will be depleted with picks you have traded away. Plus you are helping a division rival, Minnesota Vikings, who did make the playoffs last season and had an arsenal of draft picks in this year’s draft, like some guy hoarding toilet paper in the pandemic crisis. Trevis Gipson is a guy that can get to the quarterback as he had 8 sacks last season for Tulsa. Gipson is a a 6’3 261 pound guy who can line up on the edge or be that outside linebacker. Gipson can learn from the best in Khalil Mack. Plus with the addition of Robert Quinn from Dallas in free agency, you can use him in a package of plays with fresh legs coming off the bench to kill the quarterback on the opposing team. Why did Gipson fall to the 5th round and is he worth trading away a future draft pick? Did Ryan Pace gamble against himself like moving up the one spot to get Mitchell Trubisky back in 2017? Maybe Gipson would have been there for the Bears’ taking, standing still without mortgaging the future. Good grief Charlie Brown has struck again.

Still in round five, the Bears took another corner back out of Georgia Southern in Kindle Vildor. Vildor is most likely destined for special teams. Some say Vildor could be a feisty in your face type of corner, a good defender in the nickel role. Then the Bears took a flier on a speed guy at wide receiver. Darnell Mooney from Tulane University will be a fifth round project that cost the Bears once again this time with the Eagles. Mooney has blazing speed as he can run the 40 yard dash in 4.38 turbo. Bears released Taylor Gabriel and Mooney is the same type of guy at 5’10 and 176 pounds. Ryan Pace has done well late in rounds with guys like Mooney and Vildor.

The Bears did not address a glaring weakness on their roster until the final round of the draft. It took the Bears until the 7th round to land two projects at offensive line. Arlington Hambright, a big specimen at 6’5″ from Colorado, a former Buffalo. Maybe he is a Bison. Then another big guy from Tennesee State, Lachavious Simmons. Simmons is another monster standing at 6’5 and can play multiple positions on the offensive line. Bears have found diamonds in the ruff before with the 7th round on offensive line, where Charles Leno came from in 2014.

It very hard to determine if the Bears got this year’s draft class right. It will take a few seasons to actually see how it plays out. I would have preferred a project and taking a flyer on a quarterback late in the rounds. Would have liked an offensive lineman higher up in the draft if possible. It was a draft loaded with wide receivers and we get the project speed guy. I think Cole Kmet and Jaylon Johnson will be the cream of the crop. I think Kmet will thrive on the field being local. Kmet will be a nice target used in the red zone is my gut feeling. I like Utah players. It seems the draft was loaded with guys from the Universities of Utah and Utah State. What else is there to do in that state besides concentrate on your game and master your craft? I like guys that battle through injuries and show up every week to play and still be productive like Jaylon Johnson was. The draft picks bother me. Ryan Pace has given away picks like he has a warehouse filled with them boxed up. Seems like Ryan Pace is out-dueling Ryan Pace for certain players. Stop listening to the voices in your head and quit trading away the cow for some beans.

When I was in grammar school, the best way of following the Chicago Blackhawks was reading about them in the local newspaper. If you did not have cable, you were not seeing your team on ice. Of course you could have been one of the lucky people with tickets to Chicago Stadium during the 1980’s. It was a very hard ticket to get. The Blackhawks did not have their games telecast on the local free channels for every Chicagoland household. Only the road games made their way on Sportsvision from your cable provider. The Blackhawks were a playoff team almost every year. In the 1990’s, the Blackhawks even made it to the Stanley Cup and came way with a loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Then nothing but crickets took over Chicago Blackhawk home games. Sure the Blackhawks still had some fans, but the whole organization sunk into a deep abyss down to the LA Clipper level. It is very hard to bounce back from being ranked at the bottom of the 4 main sports in the states and seeing your team next to the Clippers, a franchise in disarray for decades. Things did change. Uncle Scrooge Bill Wirtz passing for the Blackhawks to resurrect.The son, Rocky Wirtz, took over and made a big hire bringing in John McDonough from the Cubs organization, making him the President of Hockey Operations for the Chicago Blackhawks. For John it was simple he had to raise the dead. Revive the whole Blackhawk organization.

In 2007, John McDonough took the job and immediately got his hands dirty. Remember the words of Uncle Scrooge as Bill Wirtz said “Stanley Cups cost too much money.” Getting to the playoffs in his mind mattered much more than a Stanley cup. If they lost in the playoffs, the fans would still want more. Basically keep stringing them along. Yes, John McDonough definitely might be in too deep. McDonough rebuilt the front office from scratch. All the Blackhawks games were available to watch on television. Uncle Scrooge would be tossing and turning hearing that. The most important thing was he created a winning culture. What helped John McDonough and the Blackhawks being so bad for so long was they made the right picks. Especially having high draft picks which they used on Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews. Add some key trades to the mix which resulted in three Stanley Cups. Besides bringing back winning hockey, McDonough was savvy on the business sides of things. Stanley Cup championships should make a franchise more money than cost the franchise money. Little things like adding the Blackhawks convention in the off-season for the fans. McDonough hooked, lined and sinkered the Blackhawks fans into the boat like a fishing vessel. Uncle Scrooge alienated the fan base. In 2019, Forbes has the Blackhawks at number 4 in the NHL for the most valuable franchise. That explains the 531 consecutive sell outs at the United center.

I remember giving my friend a VHS tape. Asking him to tape a Blackhawks game for me. This was when the Blackhawks road games were only on cable and he had it. My family was always last to the party when it came to cable and call waiting. I wanted to see Dave Manson just obliterate some opposing player on the boards. The friend taped the game and I watched it the next day. As I watched it, all of a sudden other channels would come in. My friend was channel surfing through the taping so only bits and pieces came in. My point is I hope the Blackhawks are not headed down another Clipper road. First getting rid of you can say the best coach in the entire NHL, Joe Quenneville. Now you axe John McDonough after all he brought to the table. The Blackhawks perhaps do not see that the problem is Stan the Man Bowman. He’s the one who needs his head scalped from the organization. All his moves he has made the last few seasons have been disastrous. Rocky Wirtz could be sending a message to his organization that change needs to happen or more heads will roll. Wirtz better have a plan ahead. A good replacement not named Bowman. I’m still trying to figure out the DVR world if we go old time hockey again.

The Buffalo Bills continue their collection of X-Carolina Panther players. This X- Panther has a very familiar name that will make Buffalo fans cringe. They might get excited, but only in anger hearing the name Bryan Cox. The same name of one Buffalo Bills nemesis in the 1990’s. Bryan Cox may be public enemy number one in the Bills mafia book for all-time. The former Miami Dolphin linebacker was never gun-shy about his hateful feelings towards Buffalo and the Bills. The Bryan Cox the Bills just signed is the son of the biggest Cox that ever came into the beloved city of Buffalo. Bryan Cox Jr. playing for the Bills, a team his father hated. His father’s arch-rival. Are the Bills fans expected to root for the son who comes from the father that they loathed?

In 1993, Bryan Cox Senior’s words echoed all over the air waves about his opinions about the Bills. Cox Sr. said, “I don’t like the Buffalo Bills as a team.” “I don’t like them as people.” “I don’t like the city.” I don’t like the organization.”

In the 1990’s Bills and the Miami Dolphins was a very intense rival. It was Jim Kelly versus Dan Marino twice a year plus they met in the playoffs. The hate was pure like it is today with the Evil Empire, New England Patriots. You had two masterminds coaching on each team. Don Shula earned himself a chain of steak houses with his X’s and O’s. Then the great Marv Levy, one of the greatest historians of the game. Levy could rally his troops even with the great falls with four Superbowl losses. Bryan Cox Senior knew on that day the Buffalo faithful would greet him with loud boos after he shared his thoughts to the media. He double saluted the fans with the flip of the birds walking in like some kind of Wrestlemania as foul language spewed out of his mouth before the Dolphins faced the Bills that Sunday. The jeers from the fans became louder then a heavy metal band playing inside a small room.

Bryan Cox Sr was caught on camera and was fined. Cox that day was jacked up as he had one sack and five tackles. Miami ended up winning that game and Cox had the last laugh of the day. It was not just one incident with Bryan Cox Sr. and the Buffalo crowd and the football team. Bryan Cox was ejected for fighting with Buffalo Bills running back Carwell Gardner and while being ushered off the field as he was ejected from the game, he spat towards fans and may have hissed at them. Bryan Cox Sr spent 12 seasons in the NFL. Besides the Dolphins of course, he played for the Jets and Patriots, both being other teams in the Bills division. When he was not in the AFC East he played in Chicago and New Orleans.

The son of Bryan Cox Junior may have more of his mother’s side than his father in him. Bills GM Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott have always brought in guys with high character. Bryan Cox Junior has played three seasons in the NFL. Cox Junior was undrafted and signed with the Panthers in 2017. Cox Junior played his college ball at Florida University. Three seasons as a Gator he tallied up 98 tackles with ten sacks. Last year Bryan Cox Junior split his season with the Panthers and the Browns. The defensive end has played mostly special teams in his NFL career. Cox did get some starts in Cleveland on the defense. Bryan Cox Jr. is 6’3 tall weighing in at 270 and he will be competing for a back up role with the team. Cox Jr.is familiar with the new Bills defensive line coach Eric Washington who coached him in Carolina. Mario Addison and Vernon Butler, two teammates who played with Cox Jr. last season, signed with the Bills this off season from Carolina; you may have already known that. The common theme of tracing everything back to Carolina.

Most Buffalo Bills fans may not like the idea of Bryan Cox Senior’s son playing for their beloved team. In Chicago they would say on the Southside, “I’d rather my sister live in a whorehouse than be a Cubs fan.” This is how we feel about our beloved teams with the passion. We get outraged when enemies do bad things to our town, city and our team. We hold lifetime grudges. Bryan Cox Jr. is not coming in as a stud. If Cox Jr. makes a few solid plays, the boos will be less. If Cox Junior does well maybe a few cheers will be sprinkled in. If Bryan Cox Senior comes to the game perhaps he’ll be interesting in a little table slamming in the parking lot. When Dennis Rodman came to the Bulls it was hard at first. Then seeing the way Rodman played you fell in love with him in the uniform switch. This move may not materialize into anything. Bryan Cox Jr.may be on the roster for the year and not even hear a peep out of his play or lack of. Plenty of players every year on a football roster you never even know they are still on the team or have been gone for years. If Cox Junior does well, maybe he’d rather not walk the same path as his father and make up for all the bad stuff his old man did on the field especially versus the Bills. That may make Senior cringe, his own blood in Bills uniform breaking out and becoming a pretty good football player. Not some loud mouth punk like Senior spewing at the mouth and hurting his own team with wrestling theatrics on display. Overall Buffalo may win the psychological warfare and drive Senior insane in the brain.

The Green Bay Packers are not feeling the love by many critics of their first round pick on Thursday in the 2020 NFL draft. The Packers moved up in the draft with the help of the Miami Dolphins which cost Green Bay a draft pick to move up 4 spots and get quarterback Jordan Love. A quarterback you say? Yes, a quarterback. Yes and they still have an MVP quarterback in Aaron Rodgers. The Packers made it to the NFC championship and lost to the San Francisco 49ers. Many think maybe they could have used their pick to give Aaron Rodgers another weapon to throw to. Especially a draft loaded with talented receivers all over the board. Last season it was all basically Devante Adams as the only one open. Perhaps an offensive lineman since Byran Bulaga left town and signed with the LA Chargers. Can’t hurt to improve the defense with your first round pick. This is history repeating itself in Green Bay. Not in a bad way. This pick is why Green Bay has had two quarterbacks over the last few decades.

The last time the Green Bay Packers picked up an offensive skills position in the first round, was when they selected Aaron Rodgers late in the first round in 2005. A man named Brett Farve was the quarterback, in fact the greatest quarterback in Green Bay history at the time. Aaron Rodgers stood on the sidelines for years playing here and there and just learning from one of the greats. Aaron Rodgers then turned out to be one of the best in the league, and he still is one of the best in the league these days. Leading Green Bay to multiple playoff appearances. Rodgers helped Green Bay capture another Super Bowl title. Rodgers has won some trophies of his own as his play kept this big cheese log rolling year after year without missing a beat. Aaron Rodgers is under contract until 2023. Rodgers is 36 years old and will turn 37 in December and might be a guy that can play into his 40’s. It may not be with the Packers as we saw Brett Farve was in a Jets and Vikings uniform before he hung up the spikes. It’s the passing of the torch like Joe Montana did with Steve Young.

Jordan Love is from the University of Utah State and in 2018 threw 32 touchdown strikes, leading the Aggies to an 11-2 record that year. Some experts have shown Jordan the Love, saying he is the best thrower in the quarterback pool in this year’s draft. Some experts think Love is a day two pick. In 2019, Jordan Love regressed, throwing 17 picks. Love still threw 20 touchdowns and the Aggies went 7-6 with him under center. Jordan Love’s strength is his arm. Love had 65 completions throwing beyond 20 yards. Love is a guy that can sling the ball down field as he threw 25 TD strikes beyond 20 or more yards in his days in Utah State. His weakness is bad decisions. You could say some accuracy issues as well. During the modern draft era in the NFL, Jordan Love is the third quarterback taken from the Mountain West conference in the first round. He joins Alex Smith, another Utah quarterback from Utah University, and Josh Allen out of Wyoming a few years back.

As a Bears fan, I hate this move the Packers made. This will be another quarterback who will get properly groomed to take over the position behind center in a few seasons. The Packers will fix Jordan Love’s weaknesses and he’ll be the next MVP of the league. Then Jordan Love will do what Brett Farve and Aaron Rodgers have done to the Bears since coming into the league. Domination!!! The Bears will still be trying to find their franchise quarterback that will date back to the 1940’s when Sid Luckman was the guy. This move does not help the Packers presently. It will be a move people will be like, “wow that was really smart,” years from now. It does take guts to think beyond the next season, especially coming off a conference championship loss. Many teams in the league take a very long time to find a replacement for anything good they had behind center. The Packers have a lucky horse shoe so far up their rear it just sickens you. Especially when the Bears brain trust picks Mitch Trubisky out of the three choices that include Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson. The Humanity!!!