Oh, is it sweet to be Jim Phillips today. As he walks to his new two-story home in Wilmette, just a few blocks from his office on the Northwestern campus, leaves fall gently from the soaring oaks and maples on this gorgeous fall day, drifting through the sunshine onto the sidewalk and the green grass of Phillips' front lawn.
You never want to add insult to injury. But sometimes it happens.
LOS ANGELES -- Normally you can't get away from the scene of a crime fast enough.
LOS ANGELES -- This was the worst. Those of you who read this column know that I generally try to avoid extreme or over-the-top statements. The sky-is-falling crapola that trickles out of some sports columnists' laptops on a regular basis is normally prevented from fouling my machine.
LOS ANGELES -- How joyous our city was just a few days ago with the Cubs and White Sox in the playoffs and all the wondrous possibilities lying ahead like a sunlit, open freeway.
The fans arrived in their black gear -- black shirts, black pants, black hats, black jackets, black looks of fierce determination. Even the White Sox brass was dressed in black T-shirts with the words ''SOX PRIDE BLACKOUT'' on them.
Wasn't there an easier way to do this? Of course, there was.
For a running team, the Bears sure do pass a lot. I mean, the first play out of the gate in Sunday night's 24-20 defeat of the Eagles was a pass by quarterback Kyle Orton. So was the second play. So was the third.
Nobody knows how much longer Ozzie Guillen and his White Sox will be in the news. Maybe until Oct. 30. Maybe just until this afternoon.
Was there anything lamer than the White Sox entertainment trust playing ''Na Na Na Na -- Hey Hey Hey, Goodbye'' in the eighth inning of Saturday night's game when Indians relief pitcher Brendan Donnelly was replaced by Rafael Perez?
NEW YORK -- Cubs chairman Crane Kenney didn't make this road trip with his first-place team.
NEW YORK -- Sometimes it seems the nickname ''Big Z'' should just be changed to ''Cray-Z.''
NEW YORK -- I'm not a financial whiz, but I know what a dollar is. And I can smell a rat.
I have a winning formula for these 1-2 Bears: Play a few quarters of football, get some stats, take the lead, call the game.
Rick Telander: The corks went flying into the blue, cloudless sky, outlined splendidly against a great citys skyline. The Cubs had beaten the Cardinals 5-4 to clinch the National League Central Division crown with nine games left in the season, and the players had disappeared into the clubhouse. Were they gone for good? No, they were just changing into party clothes and arming themselves.
Here's all the magic you need to know: two games. Any combination of Cubs wins or Brewers losses that equals two means your little furry North Siders are in the postseason and ready to break the shackles of the hideous 100-year spell.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Say what you want about the NFL's slide rule for quarterbacks, but when the Panthers' Jake Delhomme attempted to slide with six minutes left in the third quarter and the Bears' Lance Briggs tried to rip his head off, everything changed.
Iknow we sports scribes overstate everything -- how else can we get your X-box-damaged brains to focus? -- but this is a pretty big game for the Bears.
LOS ANGELES -- To prepare for Beanie or not to prepare for Beanie. That is the question.