In an offensive explosion of a game, the San Jose Sharks scored two unanswered third period goal to edge the Blackhawks 6-5 on Sunday night. The two teams exchanged goals in the first period to a 2-2 tie and the Sharks opened the second with two straight for a 4-2 lead. The Blackhawks struck back for three consecutive goals to take a 5-4 lead, but the Sharks got a pair of third period goals and San Jose goalie Brian Boucher stopped all eight Blackhawks shots in the third to hold on for the victory. Cristobal Huet started in goal stopped 25 of 31 shots in the loss. Kris Versteeg netted two goals for the 'Hawks while Campbell, Barker, and Kane contributed the other three. Said Campbell of a game when five goals isn't enough for a win, “It’s pretty frustrating. We’ve given away a couple of points in our last few games and we’re not happy about it. That was why tonight’s game was so important.” more ›

Brett Favre is retiring after 17 seasons, 16 with the Packers. He says he's too mentally tired to return, but that physically, he's fine, which is why discussions of his possible non-retirement abound. [ESPN, Trib] more ›

Too bad Brian Urlacher's monster game on Monday night came too late in the season for it to impact Pro Bowl voting by coaches and players. While he won the fans' vote, the Bears' middle linebacker was not selected to February's Pro Bowl for only the second time in his career — and the first in which he played the whole year. more ›

Last week, that majority of football fans were unable to see what was perhaps the best NFC game of the year -- Chicagoist included. In the Thursday Night Football -- which airs on the NFL Network -- match-up of two one-loss teams, the Dallas Cowboys beat the Green Bay Packers 37-27. With the Bears playing in this week's Thursday Night prime time game however, the NFL Network's broadcasts will be carried locally. For those of... more ›

If you watched Sunday's Bears-Vikings game, you know — without a doubt — who the two most exciting players in the NFL are. The Bears have one of the guys on their roster, but the Vikings have the other, and he led Minnesota to a 34-31 victory. Devin Hester started the scoring by returning a punt 89 yards for a touchdown — his third return TD of the season. Hester also scored the Bears' final... more ›

When Lovie Smith came to Chicago, he guaranteed victories over the Green Bay Packers. And four years into his tenure as Bears head coach, Lovie has lived up to his promise — at least at Lambeau Field. Sunday night, he took his 1-3 Bears into Green Bay to face the 4-0 Packers and came away with the 27-20 win. The Packers seemingly dominated the first half, racking up 341 yards of offense. Two key forced... more ›

Things are not looking very good for the Bears. With Sunday's 37-27 loss to the Detroit Lions, the Bears showed their weaknesses on both sides of the ball. The first game of the Brian Griese era was no more successful than the Bears under Rex Grossman. Supposedly the safe game manager, Griese threw three interceptions — two while the Bears were in the "red zone." The other one was returned 64 yards for a touchdown.... more ›

Why should billionaires have all the fun? Pretty much any sports fan has fantasized about how they'd run their favorite team if they owned it, and lots of people consider the Cubbies to be their favorite team. A number of them are using the Cubs' impending sale to try to get a piece of the team, even if they don't quite have a 10-figure bank account. Eric Majeski formed 4 Fans Sake, through which he... more ›

"Joe Ma Ma!" via kudzuplanet. more ›

Chicagoist is more uneasy about the Bears' chances in the playoffs than ever after the Packers gave them a thumping on New Year's Eve. It was another chapter in the Jekyll & Hyde performance of Bears quarterback Rex Grossman. A look at Grossman's quarterback rating throughout the 2006 season has more ups and downs than an amusement park ride. Unfortunately, the Bears don't seem to have a method of determining which Grossman will show up... more ›

Mayor Daley continued his efforts to make Chicago the "greenest city in America" yesterday, announcing two environmentally-friendly public works pilot projects. Starting next year, the city will install 100 solar-powered bus shelters that could save the city $20,000 in electricity annually. The shelters will be easier to install because they won't require digging to plug their lights into the grid. The city will also be testing sidewalks made out of recycled rubber to see if they can stand up to traffic and weather conditions. The material is supposedly more durable than concrete, less prone to cracking and shifting, and easier to maintain. more ›

There are lots of ways to process the news that the NFL moved the Bears-Packers game from the afternoon to the evening. For those who had tickets and party plans for NYE, and angered the gods by celebrating their good fortune a bit too early (including yours truly), it’s like an end-of-the-year George Constanza moment. We’re up! Then we’re down! For those who are Soldier Field employees, members of the Chicago Police Department and toiling... more ›

Rickshaw(?) in Oak Park via Michael DaKidd. more ›

We can understand if the Bears were more focused on their Christmas plans than their game against the lowly Lions. Especially since there was nothing to play for, with a first round bye and home field advantage throughout the playoffs locked up already. But we figured they'd still have little difficulty beating the Lions. While they did end up winning the game 26-21, they had to work a little harder than expected. The Bears took... more ›

The Chicagoist offices are alive with the sounds of schadenfreude as we turn our attention to television’s biggest losers. The first bit of news that had us chortling with glee was the mercy killing of that ersatz-Chicago Fox sitcom “Happy Hour,” which we ranted about last week and has been cancelled. Technically it’s only been put on “hiatus,” so it’s more life support than euthanasia. But we all know what that means. It’s the approximate... more ›

Did anybody bother to ask Roy Williams what the payoff would be if the Lions didn't live up to his guarantee? Because Chicagoist has learned that sometimes, when a guarantee is hyped, that the payout ain't all that great. When our bicycle wasn't ready in an hour? A kickstand. When our suit alteration wasn't right? A free pair of dress socks. Maybe a hanky would be an appropriate payout, given that the Lions were killed... more ›

Chicagoist better than to expect to win when betting on football, especially when the Bears are involved. The last time we were in Vegas, we saw the Bears lose and miss covering the spread by 1 damn point after a Grossman endzone interception with 0:18 left in the game. Rather than a celebratory cocktail before heading to the airport, we left town with our wallet somewhat lighter. more ›

Well, that sure looked easy! Opening up at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, the Bears made it perfectly clear who controls the NFC North this year, shutting out the Packers 26-0. This was the first time in Brett Favre's career that the Packers had been held scoreless. The Bears put together a complete effort, winning this game because of their offense, defense and special teams. Rex Grossman looked like a real QB, compiling a 98.6... more ›

The Bears open their 2006 season on Sunday against the Packers up in Green Bay. What a way to kick the season off! While the Bears look to figure into the playoff picture, the Packers are focusing on the Brett Favre farewell (maybe) tour. The Bears should open with a key road victory against a division opponent, but in these big rivalries, one never knows. So just how good are the Bears this year? That's... more ›

Chicagoist knows better than to read too much into the preseason games. The starters play only a couple of possessions and don't suit up at all if nursing even minor injuries. The guys getting the bulk of the plays are those just looking to make the roster. So we take whatever happens with more than a grain of salt. Nonetheless, we certainly do prefer to see the Bears win, even when it is meaningless. They... more ›

Anyone who's watched the Bears first two pre-season games knows who should be the Bears QB when they open their regular season against the Packers on Sep. 10th. And anyone who's read or listened to anything about the Bears also know who will be the starting QB in that game. And the answer isn't the same guy! In spite of two sub-par preseason outing by Rex Grossman, Lovie Smith stands firm that Rex is his... more ›

Chicagoist is a baseball fan, first and foremost, but the "national passtime" now officially takes a back seat to football in the hearts and minds of most American sport fans. Especially the NFL. And for that, the NFL can thank the incredible leadership of Pete Rozelle and Paul Tagliabue. Rozelle lead the league from 1960 until 1989, when the outgoing Taliabue took over. During their combined tenure, the league became the most successful pro sports... more ›

David Schwimmer just won a $400,000 defamation lawsuit, proving he doesn't demand 2 Rolex watches to attend his own charity events after all.. An older suburban couple with a lawn cluttered with ornaments had some of them stolen. A ransom note was discovered. It told the couple to leave $25k in fake money and some Boone's Farm wine "at the White Hen behind the Twist-N-Shake (ice cream parlor)." Hey Cubs fans, "Let's hug it... more ›

The NFL released the 2006 schedule today, so we thought we'd take a first look at the Bears' 2006 schedule. The Bears open the season against their biggest rivals -- the Green Bay Packers. Will Brett Favre still be their QB then? He has yet to indicate whether he's returning or retiring. Either way, the Bears can expect a win their opening game because the Packers will be pretty bad. Is it really a Bears-Packers... more ›

Chicagoist always thought that right up there with death and taxes, Monday Night Football on ABC was one of life's certainties. But the NFL's recently negotiated new television deals that move the league's flagship game to a new home with an entirely new broadcast team. Yup, after 35 years on ABC, Monday Night Football is moving to cable. more ›

Chicagoist's prediction for the Bears - Packers game was pretty spot on, as the defense lead the way to a 19-7 victory. Friday, we predicted [T]he Bears defense renders Favre ineffective, picking off a couple and running one back for a TD. The offense adds another 13 or so, so we're going to say Bears win 20-3. Was Favre ineffective? While he did complete 31 of 58 passes for 277 yards, he failed to throw... more ›

While we fear certain members of the staff might be hiding giant triangular hunks of yellow foam in their closets, Chicagoist is getting excited for Sunday's Bears - Packers game. The Bears enter the game riding a 7-game winning streak and an 8-3 record. The Packers limp in at 2-9. So it should be a Bears romp, right? more ›