What a long, cold, crappy winter its been!  Especially in the world of Chicago Sports.  This year with the Bulls playing like a D-League team, and the Illini waiting on a big recruiting class to come in somewhere around 2012, since we recruit 8th graders now, I've been watching the transaction list and spring training baseball more than any normal human should. So as I sit here trying to warm up from letting the dog out Im just going to get a few things thats been bothering me off my chest......  Friends, let me know if Im off course or if anyone else is sharing some of my frustrations!

1.  Da Bears:  Marty Booker, are you serious?  I like Marty Booker, I really do.  I like the signing, I really do.  But...  Not as a #1 reciever.  When I heard he was cut I liked the idea of signing him as maybe a 3rd option type guy, a veteren leader who you can count on in a pinch, and Marty Booker is all of these, but what he isnt (and hopefully he proves me wrong) is a featured #1 reciever and this is apparently what our offensively-challenged GM views him as.  The Cards are dangling Larry Fitzgerald?  Why are the Bears no where near these discussions? They have plenty of cap room yet dont seem to be interested, mind boggling!  I just hope they let Booker know that out of his top two counterparts, 1-Mark Bradley will probably play a max of 5 games this season because of injuries, and 2- Devin Hester although the most electric player in the NFL or at least in the NFC needs to be shown where to line up half the time.  Folks, if Rashard Mendenhaull is still there at #14 like most predict he will it will be a monumental mistake to pass him up, I know we need a left tackle but this draft is so deep on lineman we can get an NFL ready OT in the 2nd round, please dont pass on Mendenhaull, he is going to be a very good RB, mark my words.  If we fail to draft a playmaker we could have the greatest line in history, and right now all we'll have to show for it is a healthy QB with no one to throw to and an over paid baby RB who will still trip over the line of scrimmage.

2. The cubbies:  As I sit here waiting for my opening day tickets to arrive, all I can think of is why dont we have Brian Roberts yet?  From what Ive heard, and Im no insider, they've agreed pretty much on a package of players but the O's want Jose Ceda and the mighty Coo have deemed him untouchable, and are showcasing him to everyone in spring training giving up runs faster than George W. Bush fumbles around with words and the O's probably dont want him anymore.  The Cubs have some very good players, but as I just voted in a throwdown about what is the most important positions in baseball, defense up the middle (SS, 2B) and CF the Cubs are weak in most of these catagories.  Yes Ive heard the Cubs should repeat as division champs with their current team and I agree, but Im sick of watching the longest season in pro sports to win the division and then lose in the playoffs, Im sorry but I want more, am I alone?  How about giving the O's what they want and get Roberts here already, then for good measure, trade Boston Jason Marquis and a prospect and bring in Coco Crisp, that would be a team to contend with in October, wow that would be something.

3. The Bulls:  I liked the trade for nothing more than to get rid of Ben Wallace, $60 million rebounder who wasnt getting rebounds and was becoming a cancer in the locker room.  I hate to say it but we are in total rebuild mode once again on the west side, not cool.  I really dont even have any suggestions at this point, but man Kobe sure is looking good these days isn't he?  Firing Scott Skiles was a mistake because he was losing control of a locker room being ran by two old bums who are now gone also.  Skiles was a good coach who was accomplishing things with a below-average, overrated team.  Ive heard on radio shows Skiles might be better served as a college coach because of his ability to work well with younger players, aren't the Bulls the youngest team in the NBA? If they start a re-build like is being talked about wouldn't they become younger?  Im not even going to point out the irony here.

4. Last but not least...  Brett Favre:  You know, Ive been told I need to like Brett Favre because he is one of the greatest of all-time. True,he is,  but I dont have to like anybody.  Ive never really cared for him, partly because Im a Bears fan whose life he made miserable for so many years, and Im told: You would love him if he was wearing a Bears jersey!  Probably true, but to my knowledge he never did, and to be honest I've gotten a little tired of the act the last couple of years.  Now I dont want to question the King of Packer Nation, maybe I do, but a couple of things struck me as odd about the retirement.  From what I could watch of the sob-fest press conference, and the odd, weird, voice mail he left Mortenson, are you telling me he was too busy to answer his cell phone when Brett Favre called? I heard him say that after last year anything short of a title would be a dissapointment and that was too much for him to handle. Question: Didnt we go through the same act last year when he was going to retire, then he wasn't? Wouldnt anything short of a title last year be a dissapointment? Isnt anything short of a title  a dissapointment any year? Did he forsee the year they had last year? Did he see Ryan Grant's  break out season? Was Ryan Grant on the team when the season started? Gee, I wonder if breaking those records had anything to do with it? Im not sayin Im just sayin.  Im already looking ahead to find out if the Bears play on Sunday night next year so I can figure out which games to listen to the radio or at a bar so I dont have to listen to John Madden profess his never ending love and manly desires for Brett Favre.....  They are talikng about which TV network will go after Favre, maybe it will be NBC and they can have a 3-man booth to call the games, I can hear it like its going on right now, Al Michaels stops talikng for a minute and in the back ground you hear Brett saying:  John quit touching my leg!

Since I havent wrote in a while my thoughts and prayers go out to the families, students and ulumni of NIU.