Of all the sports figures Quick Hits is thankful to have met, one stands out -- by leaps and bounds.

Kaspar Heidelbach has taken the story of Gretel Bergmann to new heights.

Despite the Bears' record, the team did get the quarterback spot right when it acquired Jay Cutler. Now all general manager Jerry Angelo has to do is fix most of the rest of the positions. Which puts him in an unenviable position -- although not as unenviable as being out of a job or being the Bears quarterback.

Random thoughts while wondering if Charlie Weis might be interested in returning to the NFL as an offensive coordinator (and if it's the Bears, could he bring Golden Tate with him?):

The Eagles do travel well. Well, as far as Philadelphia fans are concerned. As far as the football team is concerned, you can make your own assessment.

It was quite a cool Saturday night.

After his autograph chores were finishesd at the Sun-Times Collectibles Show Saturday in Rosemont, Mixed Martial Arts fighter Georges St-Pierre took some time to chat with Quick Hits.

Brian Urlacher's ability to pursue never has been questioned. On or off the field.

With nothing better to do on an overcast Wednesday, Quick Hits slowly concocted a quick quiz to pass some time today before the Bulls beat the Lakers (OK, it might be a while before that occurs). Uh, make that before the Bears play the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday night at Soldier Field.

The 39th annual Sun-Times Sports Collectible Convention promises ‘‘rollback prices’’ for the event that is to run Friday through Sunday at the Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont.

There's no statute of limitations for a statue with limitations. Or something like that.

For those of you who have read the Quick Hits item about Ashley Bond,  the reigning Miss Illinois USA, and want to read more — and even for those who have not read the item — here is more from her post-puck performance Friday at the Blackhawks game.

Among the headlines in the November issue of the satirical publication the Heckler:

Random thoughts while wondering how long it will take White Sox fans to get over their beloved Gordon Beckham not being named American League rookie of the year and whether the next time the team has such a solid prospect he actually will start the season in the major leagues:

After a climactic penalty-kick shootout loss by the Fire on Saturday at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, the presentation of the Eastern Conference trophy to Real Salt Lake seemed a real anticlimax.

For those of you who read Thursday's item regarding the NFL banning the Captain Morgan pose, here is the latest in that saga.

Sammy Sosa will land a skin-cream endorsement deal and go on to form his own cosmetics company, which will become a proud sponsor of Major League Baseball -- until the products are revealed to contain banned substances, thereby ending Mark McGwire's deal with Sosa to endorse a vanishing cream.

No nudes is good news.

Sobering.

White Sox left-hander Mark Buehrle wins the Rawlings Gold Glove. To celebrate, he will have it bronzed. Just kidding. Although with him, you never know.

Random thoughts while wondering whether the 49ers would be willing to trade Mike Singletary to the Bears for Lovie Smith:

Nothing quite like the wonderful warm weather Sunday to have a baseball fan yearning for the start of a new season. Come to think of it, nothing quite like Sunday's showing -- especially the first half against the Arizona Cardinals -- to have Bears fans yearning for the start of a new season, too.

In the never-ending quest for the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service, Quick Hits approached the new Ricketts family ownership of the Cubs.

The ''Top Ten Revelations In Chad Ochocinco's Autobiography'' read by the Bengals receiver in-studio on the CBS ''Late Show'':

Watching football from the sidelines is not the best perspective for a top linebacker. Just ask Bears star Brian Urlacher, whose season ended in the opening game with a broken wrist.

Random thoughts while wondering whether it's time to rethink the Quick Hits prediction of the Philadelphia Phillies winning the World Series in seven games and left-hander Cliff Lee being the MVP:

As far as the Philadelphia Phillies are concerned about the World Series, there is a fine line between taking the Fall Classic and taking a classic fall. Or not so fine.

In Scottie Pippen's view, the Los Angeles Lakers could win 72. Along with Michael Jordan, Pippen was part of the 1995-96 Bulls team that won a record 72 games. Only three teams (including the 1996-97 Bulls with 69 victories) have reached 67 since the Bulls' superlative season. ''The Lakers have a chance,'' Pippen told SI.com of the team led by superstar Kobe Bryant. ''They have the luxury of a young center like [Andrew] Bynum, a young power like [Pau] Gasol and even Josh Powell is a guy who deserves minutes. ... If anybody can challenge [the record], it's them.''