This Sporting Life: End It Already

And now, a review of this year in Chicago sports, whether you want to look back on it or not:

The Bears. They started the year by going to the Super Bowl and losing to the Indianapolis Colts, but all signs pointed to continued success, even after head coach Lovie Smith fired defensive coordinator Ron Rivera so Smith's longtime friend Bob Babich could have the position, and general manager Jerry Angelo traded the team's number-one running back, Thomas Jones, so Angelo's first-round draft pick, Cedric Benson, could be the lead back. Both decisions turned out to be disastrous, but the team had many other problems, including inconsistent play by quarterbacks Rex Grossman and Brian Griese, too many turnovers, an offensive line that became ancient seemingly overnight and was unable to either open up holes for Benson or effectively protect the quarterback, and a defense that couldn't compensate for injuries to key players. Consequently, the team went from first to worst and was painful to watch most of the time. (Side note: Rivera was hired by the San Diego Chargers. The Chargers are going to the playoffs. Coincidence, I'm sure.)

The Fire. I...don't care about soccer. Next.

The Cubs. They made the playoffs for the first time in four years. They also got bounced out of the playoffs immediately. Still, they went from worst to first (see, Bears, that's how you're supposed to do it) and have tried to make improvements in the off-season, like signing Japanese outfielder Kosuke Fukudome. Unlike, say…

The White Sox. It's not fair to say that the Sox haven't tried to make improvements in the off-season. They have tried. Really. And they needed to after coming off a lousy season. But general manager Kenny Williams has missed more than he's hit, with free agents like Torii Hunter and ex-Sox outfielder Aaron Rowand spurning Chicago for longer, more lucrative deals elsewhere. The only major trade Williams has managed to pull off is a befuddling one: In-his-prime starting pitcher Jon Garland for aging shortstop Orlando Cabrera. There's a lot of time before spring training for Williams to make some more deals, but it's a bad sign when the biggest news of your off-season is not an addition to your lineup, but to your broadcast team (former Cubs color commentator Steve Stone). On the bright side: Manager Ozzie Guillen has never been quieter.

The Bulls. They made the playoffs for the third season in a row and even won their first-round series, sweeping the reigning champion, the Miami Heat. They lost in the second round of the playoffs, but things were looking bright going into this season, even with contract talks broken off with Luol Deng and Ben Gordon and trade talks regarding superstar/malcontent Kobe Bryant going nowhere. Then, unfortunately, the season started, the Bulls played listlessly and, after a 9-16 start, general manager (and former Bulls forward) John Paxson axed head coach Scott Skiles--on Christmas Eve. (Nice holiday spirit, fella. Downright classy.)

The Blackhawks. It's sad when some fans believe that the best thing that could happen to a sports franchise is the death of the owner, but that's how some--perhaps many--felt about William Wirtz, who had done about as much as one person could do to drive away fans without threatening them with physical harm. He raised ticket prices, refused to spend money to keep talented players (or to bring other talented players here), and wouldn't allow home games to be televised. When Wirtz died in September, some fans actually cheered. Everybody else sat back and waited to see what new team president Rocky Wirtz (William's son) would do. One of his first moves was to get as many home games on TV as possible--only seven this season, but that's seven more that we've had in decades. He also promises more for next season and going forward--maybe even games on broadcast TV like when I was a kid (and, back then, a big hockey fan). This bodes well for a team with a nucleus of good young players that is already better than in recent years. Not only will it be easier to see the Blackhawks, but they might actually be worth seeing.

What will 2008 bring for our mighty sports metropolis? More trauma for the Bulls? Improvement for the Bears and White Sox? The first World Series win in a century for the Cubs? Playoffs for the Blackhawks? More fans for the Fire--or, at least, a coach to last the whole season? To quote Doctor Who (specifically Sylvester McCoy's Doctor): "Time will tell. It always does."