 1. Comeback No. 1 --
Bears win huge road game: Down 16-12 with under two minutes to
go, the Bears looked to be on their way to a 2-5 start. Believe it
or not, I didn't even get to watch the final quarter of the game --
I was at a Good Twins concert in Clinton. However, what I missed was
a drive for the ages. How about Brian Griese -- not exactly John
Elway -- leading the Bears 97 yards in under two minutes with no
timeouts? How about Mushim Muhammad catching a 15-yard TD pass with
just nine seconds left on the clock? How about the Bears beating
Chicago native Donovan McNabb for the first time ever -- and on his
home turf in Philadelphia? Sounds good, eh? It sure looked sweet,
thanks to the old DVR. Now, if the Bears can beat Detroit at home on
Sunday, they will head into their bye week with a 4-4 record and can
still keep their playoff hopes alive.
2. Comeback No. 2 -- Michigan knocks off Illinois: I was
there -- in the press box at Memorial Stadium -- watching as an
electric home crowd saw the Illini take a 14-3 lead early in the
second quarter. Juice was jumping, Rashard was rushing, and the fans
were going crazy! And I began to think about how sweet it would be
to knock off scUM -- that is, Michigan. I thought of all the calls I
could make to the obnoxious Michigan fans in my life. But sure
enough, Illinois decided to take stupid penalties and fumble
"fair-catch" punts inside their own 10-yard line. Bottom line?
Michigan comes back for a 27-17 win and Illinois still hasn't beaten
Michigan in Champaign since I was a freshman in high school (1983).
3. Comeback No. 3 -- The Red Sox overcome a 3-1 deficit -- head
to the World Series: On Tuesday night, Cleveland knocked off the
BoSox and took a commanding 3-1 series lead in American League
Championship Series. I must confess, at this point, I was prepared
for a Cleveland-Colorado World Series -- I didn't think Boston had a
chance. Then, star outfielder Manny Ramirez told his Boston fans to
"chill out -- if we don't win, it's not the end of the world."
Granted, Manny is correct, but the fans lit him up like a Christmas
tree for the next couple of days. So how did Boston respond? With
three convincing victories, and Boston now finds themselves in
position to win their second title in just four years.
4. Comeback No. 4 -- Lincoln football finishes season with a
strong statement game: Friday night in their season finale,
Lincoln had absolutely nothing to play for in the minds of many --
they were not going to playoffs and their season had just 48 minutes
remaining. However, the Railers came out with fire in their bellies
and destroyed Peoria Manual 34-6 -- hopefully giving them momentum
for the 2008 season. Coach Jared Shaner and crew will spend a lot of
time this offseason looking for ways to get another couple of
regular-season victories and help the Railers return to the
postseason.
5. Comeback No. 5 -- The Cardinals will see Tony La Russa come
back next year: Three weeks ago, it looked like Tony and his
buddy Dave Duncan were gone. However, yesterday, La Russa agreed to
a two-year contract and will once again lead the Cardinals in the
2008 season. I must say this is quite a surprise to me, as I really
thought Tony was ready to leave and return to the left coast --
maybe Seattle, for instance. However, Bill DeWitt must have made the
right promises, and La Russa will be back -- and that is good news
for Cardinal fans. I know Tony is not a favorite of many in Cardinal
nation, but my guess is his replacement would have been
underwhelming at best.
[to top of second column]
 |
6. The Yankees play with fire -- and get burnt: OK, I think I
understand this. You have a manager who has led you to the playoffs
for 12 straight years. He is quite the gentleman -- the exact
opposite of the owner of the Yankees -- and you reward him by asking
him to take a $2 million cut in pay and just a one-year contract
offer. Joe Torre did the unthinkable -- he told Big George thanks,
but no thanks, and parted company with the Boss. Many say this is
exactly what Steinbrenner wanted, but I can't imagine the Yankees
are better off today with Torre nowhere to be found. And now,
superstar Alex Rodriquez is on record saying he wants to follow
Torre's example and opt out of his contract (can you say Wrigley
Field?). The Yankees may rue the day they slapped Torre in the face
and lost face.
7. Michael Jordan hysteria hits Chambana: OK, we've heard the
rumors before. First, it was Coach K buying farmland near Mahomet in
1996. Then it was Jeff Van Gundy leaving the NBA to coach Illinois
basketball. And now, WCIA is reporting that the greatest basketball
player of all time is close to buying a home in southwest Champaign
(his son Jeffery is a walk-on freshman at Illinois this year). I
don't know if this is true or not, but I can't believe the number of
people who are excited about MJ living at least part time in
Champaign.
8. The IHSA postseason is upon us: The high school volleyball
and football postseasons begin this week, and defending state
champions like Hartsburg-Emden, Sacred Heart-Griffin, Tuscola,
Normal Community and Maroa-Forsyth all attempt to defend their
titles. There is nothing quite like high school playoff sporting
events -- so get out there and support our local teams who are
chasing titles. One sour note, however -- how do you reward the
two-time defending champs from SH-G? How about a matchup with New
Lenox Providence Catholic -- probably one of the best three teams in
all of 6A despite their 5-4 record. Once again, our friends from the
IHSA have outdone themselves.
9. The NASCAR chase is heating up: That's right -- this isn't
a mistake -- I'm writing NASCAR! And with four races left, Jeff
Gordon and Jimmie Johnson are just 53 points apart in the Nextel Cup
chase. And lurking behind in fourth place? Our buddy Tony Stewart
(he's actually the only NASCAR guy I really like)! Who knows who
will win, but NASCAR nation can't wait to watch.
10. Mount Pulaski girls with seventh-grade county win:
Congrats to coach Jaime Anderson and the Honeybears on their 24-13
victory over Chester-East Lincoln Monday night at Carroll Catholic
in Lincoln. Defense made the difference for Mount Pulaski, as their
pressure defense held C-EL to just three first-half points. Led by
Jessica Awe, Ericka Leaver and Cade Lowery, the Honeybears rolled to
the county championship.
Have a great week, everyone, and don't be surprised if Saturday
or Sunday brings the first snow-out in the history of the World
Series when Colorado hosts games 3 and 4 in Denver. Also, Illinois
returns to action at Memorial Stadium with an 11 a.m. game Saturday
against Ball State. The game will be televised by the Big Ten
network -- bad news for many in Lincoln and Logan County without
DirecTV or Dish Network. Hopefully, the Big Ten Network and big
cable can get together soon and let Illinois fans see their favorite
team in action!
[Greg
Taylor] |
