Sports Shorts

While much of our collective sports attention is forcused on the White Sox, Chicagoist hasn't forgotten that we have a few other teams in this city, and they don't come to a screaching halt just because one of 'em's in the playoffs. So here's what's going on with the others:

Bears Dump Brien
Remember when the Bears cast off Paul Edinger this past summer? They did so not long after signing former NY Jets kicker Doug Brien, who the Jets released after he missed two key field goals during the playoffs. One of the 10 most accurate kickers of all-time, the Bears brought him in and he won the job away from Edinger, who quickly landed with the Vikings. Seems the Jets knew something the Bears did not, as Brien made only 1 of 4 kicks this season. Last week, the Bears added rookie Robbie Gould to the roster and this week cut Brein, meaning Gould's now their man. Meanwhile, the Bears face their former kicker Edinger this weekend when they play the Vikings.

Nomar's a Hero
Last Firday night, Nomar Garciaparra and his uncle Victor were chilling in their shared Boston condo when they heard people laughing down below followed by a loud splash. Nomar and his uncle took off to help. Upon hearing a hearing a second girl fall in as well, Victor jumped into the water off a balcony to help.

"By the time Victor Garciaparra got close to the second woman, he said he reached out for her only to find Nomar already in the water with both women in his arms. Victor said Nomar swam with them several feet to the edge of the river before the men pulled them onto the deck."

One of the women kept asking if he was Nomar upon recognizing the former Red Sox star. He just told her she'd hit her head pretty hard.

But others without cranial injuried recognized him, too. "A bunch of us came running over and, sure enough, pulling the two girls from the water was Nomar," O'Hara told the Herald. "It was crazy. Nomar was like jumping over walls to get to the girls, and the other guy leaped off the balcony. It was unbelievable."

Just because athletes aren't heroes on the field doesn't mean they can't be when off the field. Nice job, Nomar!

Bulls Begin Preseason
The Bulls kicked off their pre-season schedule this week with loses to Detroit and Memphis. The team is trying to adjust to new lineups that don't include Eddy Curry. Half the team is nursing some sort of injury that has resulted in a missed game or two. Yet coach Scott Skiles isn't happy with the team's play. Chicagoist thinks it's a little too early to get worked up over sloppy play with so many key players out and new guys learning to mesh into the system. Let's see how things go a little closer to the start of the regular season. Bulls open against Charlotte at home on November 2nd. Chicagoist will give our season outlook a bit closer to that date.