I always enjoy getting up-to-date news from Robert Feder regarding local area news stations and related journalists, however, I was quite dismayed at learning that Mike North is going to be profiled nationally.

According to Robert Feder, Mike North (WSCR 670 AM) is going to be profiled on “Bob Costas Now” on HBO.

A crew from HBO’s “Bob Costas Now” will turn up today in the studios of Mike North’s morning show on CBS Radio sports/talk WSCR-AM (670). North is being profiled among the most influential sports talk show hosts in the country.

Really? Most influential? Obviously, Bob Costas didn’t ask people in Chicago. If he did, he’d find quite the contrary. Its amazing that Mike North is even on the air anymore.

Back in the day, I used to listen to the guy (mostly due to the fact that the SCORE was really the only dedicated sports station around in Chicago on 820 AM) and thought it was a nice touch having a “Chicago Guy” reflecting on Chicago Sports. It didn’t take long to realize that this was simply a guy with limited education, an embellished Chicago accent, and someone filled with racial and gender specific overtones.

To be fair, Mike North is simply a guy who got lucky. He went from being someone wearing an apron and dishing hot dogs, while giving his side of the story of Chicago sports, near Schurz High School to a well-known (unfortunately) morning sports radio host.

Unfortunately, things started to go downhill for North starting in 2002 after he signed a million dollar plus contract. The mega contract further inflated his ego his deameanour on the air got even worse. In 2004, he moved to mornings to compete with ESPN (Mike and Mike) which was a huge failure due to the fact that no co-host was even remotely able to keep him on track and with anything relevant to sports. In 2006, North decided to make a racial slur referencing Cubs pitcher Jae Kuk Ryu. North tried to defend himself (in his most usual, uneducated, and non-politcally correct way) and even got his former high school involved when they were trying to recognize his attendance by naming a field after him.

“I don’t get it,” he said. “I grew up in the streets, and we used to say that all the time. I’ve got buddies living in Chinatown who are Italian. Wait, can I say ‘Chinatown’?

That’s right. Mike North never gets it. In May of 2007, he even went a tad farther to stir the pot with White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen. To North’s defense, he was dead on for reprimanding Guillen for his tirade and vulgar language; however, North went out of bounds declaring that Guillen “show him respect”. Not to say that Guillen is anybody special, but who the heck is Mike North? Unfortunately, he forgot that he’s just a guy that got lucky after a stint selling hot dogs.

Add North’s “Jagbag” and “Who Ya Crappin’” to the mix and its clearly easy to see why his show is simply nothing more than just a complete waste of time to any Chicago Sports fan.

Unfortunately, I’m sure Bob Costas and his crew had a hard time finding another sports radio host to pick from in Chicago, but I just don’t see how a bumb like Mike North can even sit in the same room as an accomplished professional like Bob Costas. Obviously, North was picked due to being the most controversial in Chicago, not the best or most influential.

In either case, North continues to laugh all the way to the bank, regards himself as a local “celebrity” in the Edison Park neighborhood, and brags about his days as a pretty good 16″ softball player back in the day (just ask anyone who remembers him when he played for Furman Funeral Home:).

I’ll make sure to miss his usual chance to look stupid on television and make Chicago look bad when he’s on HBO.

Technorati Tags: Chicago Radio, Mike North, WSCR, 670 AM

As crazy as it sounds, I remember September 20th, 1992 quite vividly. I was in the hospital that no longer is operational (Ravenswood) for what appeared to be an Asthma attack. It was my freshman year of high school and there I was stuck in a hospital room. As you can imagine, there’s not much for a 14 year old kid to do besides watching TV. So there I was watching Green Bay vs. Cincinnati. Don Majikowski, a Wisconsin favourite with his blonde mullett and Polish descent, goes to the turf with an injury. No one knew then that the guy replacing him would probably go down as one of the best quarterbacks the NFL has ever seen. I recall my dad saying, “That Favre (FAV-REY) guy is going to be good someday..”. My response was, “Yeah right dad, who is this guy anyways?”. The Packers, led by Favre, come back to beat the Bengals on a Favre touchdown throw to a guy named Kitrick Taylor. Once again, Dad was right and I was wrong.

Who ever would have imagined that the following week would start a streak that lasted 17 years and 253 games at starting quarterback? I never did, but over that time, I (a Chicago Bears Fan) became a glutton for punishment for 2 weeks of each NFL season. As a Bears fan, you knew you were doomed when Favre was on the field. At any point of the game or anywhere on the field, he could change the game.

What I liked most about Brett Favre was his ability to excel no matter who was around him. Think about some of the receivers, lineman, and running backs he had at his disposal. He looked great throwing to a guy like Sterling Sharpe or Donald Driver, but would complete the same throw to guys like Ruvell Martin, James Jones, and Robert Ferguson. He had one of the premier tight ends to block and catch for him in Mark Chmura, but also had to depend on guys like David Martin, Tyrone Davis, and Donald Lee. He had a good running attack with Ahman Green and Dorsey Levens, but still excelled in the passing game with Samkon Gado, Vernand Morency, Edgar Bennett, Noah Herron, DeShawn Wynn and Brandon Jackson. He made offensive lineman like Mike Flanigan, Frank Winters, Mark Tauscher, and Chad Clifton better and relied on them when they were still developing. Take guys like Donald Driver, Greg Jennings, and Ryan Grant and he made what looked like average careers and entries into the “Where are they now?” category into premier NFL athletes.

More importantly, Favre respected every aspect of the game and was a “guys guy” on and off the field. If you think about it, here was a guy from one of the most rural towns in Mississippi and transplanted into the desolate reaches of the Midwest. You’d think it be quite difficult to adjust and go from eating crawdads and mud bogging to a place where everyone wears bright orange in November and the daily diet consists of cheese and brats. Not only did Favre adjust, he became one with the fans and the town. He never seemed to get too involved with annual rivalries against Minnesota or Chicago, yet played the game as he would play any other while still understanding the importance as the fans understood it. He also had a great relationship with his former head coach (Mike Holmgren) and placed credibility for guys like Steve Mariucci and John Gruden in their attempts for future head coaching jobs. While his relationship was tense at times with Holmgren and it wasn’t often uncommon to see Holmgren’s approach model the approach a parent would use with a child, they were both successful as Favre developed into one of the best. Comments like “No more rocket balls please?” eventually led to “Its your offense, run it”.

Not only was Favre a great ambassador for Wisconsin and the Packers, he was human. He made a position that is considered one of the toughest in all of professional sports seem like it was just another day at the park. He stepped onto the field like a guy who just woke up from a massive hangover and toss 4 TD’s on a team like it was nothing. When he scrambled, it looked like something any father would do when playing a quick touch football game in the yard as 5 kids were on the chase. Sure, his free-style personality led to excessive drinking and addiction to pain medication, but he overcame the issues and took full responsibility for them. He even was able to go out and throw for 399 yards and 4 TDs the day after his father passed away..

Favre always had the advantage when it came to his arm and even though this led to “gunslinging” (as he called it) and a high interception total, he still got the job done and encompassed 275 total wins. To Favre, 60% of the time worked all the time.

I won’t miss Brett Favre when it comes to a Bears vs. Packers matchup, but beyond that I’ll miss the guy for all his accomplishments and what he was able to do on the field. While most fans (especially in Chicago) are happy to see him depart, I’d bet that the flipside of that coin has some sorrow attached to it.

Technorati Tags: Green Bay Packers, Brett Favre

According to Jay Glazer of Fox Sports, Brett Favre is calling it quits. Here is the story hot off the press.

Technorati Tags: Green Bay Packers, Brett Favre, Mike McCarthy

I have to say I was a little disappointed with the Bears not getting a bonafied shot at Michael Turner. Turner gets a six year deal worth 34.5 million (15 mil guaranteed), but more importantly knows he’ll be the primary back before camp even starts. Had he come to Chicago, he would have shared duties and competed outright with Cedric Benson who is Jerry Angelo’s project. I’m sure he knew about the relationship Benson had with Thomas Jones and how that worked out. Unfortunately, the Bears never got a chance to meet with Turner in person as his first visit with Atlanta was his last visit. Just seeing these comments makes any Bears fan wonder what it would be like to have Turner in a Bears uniform.

Onto Lance Briggs and Bernard Berrian. It was almost certain the Bears were going to keep one and let the other go from the start. I think since that was the case, they made the right decision. It doesn’t appear that David Haugh (ChicagoSports.com) agrees. Of course, the Bears were ranked 28th in total defense last year with Briggs on the field. Still, the Bears losing a pro bowler like Briggs would have been deplorable in comparison to keeping Bernard Berrian, especially at the price tag he got from Minnesota ($42 million over 6 years). In my opinion, Berrian lost his luster this past season with the multitude of drops and the moniker of having “alligator arms” over the middle. Even with those issues, the primary reason he’s not in a Bears uniform is mostly due to issues he couldn’t control (no running game, quarterback issues, etc.). He had great catches against Washington, Denver, and Oakland, but seemed unreliable in the standard passing schema the Bears employed throught the year. He’s always been a deep threat for the Bears offense, but based on other issues at the offensive line, running back, and quarterback positions, Berrian never really got a chance to establish his true ability downfield in 2007. He’s a good receiver, but not at that type of money, especially since the Bears need to rebuild at the interior of their offense all the way from play calling to being able to run the ball. Even with the bare bones type roster at wide receiver, I still wasn’t upset to see him or Muhammad depart. Both guys are replaceable in my opinion and I’m hoping that the Bears can pick up a special WR in the draft and get what they paid for from Mark Bradley.

I’d like to see the Bears obtain the services of guys like Limas Sweed and/or Mario Manningham (if available) in the draft (although if Mendenhall were available I’d opt for him). Both ran 4.45 in the 40 and have good hands. Sweed is the more attractive receiver with his height, but Manningham is one of the premier route runners coming into this draft. I’d like to also see the Bears opt to use Mike Hass as their possession receiver on short to mid routes. He hasn’t gotten a chance in the regular season, but stayed on the team due to proving his abilities in the pre-season. Don’t laugh…he’s a 2005 Biletnikoff winner and may be able to fit the mold of guy like Wes Welker. If all that would hold true, you’d have Sweed/Manningham as your eventual premier receiver, Hester in a multiple receiver set, Bradley (if he finds his way and stays healthy), Hass as your replacement for Muhammad in terms of a possession receiver, and the combo of Clark/Olsen and tight end. That could help make things more promising in 2008.

The bigger issue will be on the offensive line. It didnt look as if Alan Faneca was really sought and you had to know the Bears wouldn’t offer that type of money to a guy at that age. The problem is that both Rueben Brown and Fred Miller are gone and John Tait and Olin Kreutz are aging like a fine Merlot. Looking at the depth chart, you’re replacements for Brown/Miller are Terrance Metcalf and John St. Clair. Yes, that’s a fearful big gulp for any Bears fan. The Bears should be able to pick up a decent and developmental offensive tackle/guard in the later rounds IF they focus on offense in the draft. One of the predictions is Jeff Otah from Pitt, but that might be a dicey decision for a guy who many think is still raw.

The Grossman/Orton debate. Finally, there will be an open competition for starting QB in training camp. This should have been done going into the 2006 season. Most Bears fans would have liked to see a guy like Derek Anderson picked up in free agency, but you have to believe if that were to have been the scenario, any free agent would have suffered due to the other offensive issues the Bears currently need to sort out going into 2008. Grossman’s lost his ability to depend on his first round pick status to maintain being a starter and Orton has shown the ability to run the Bears offense and be somewhat effective. It’s early, but my pick is Orton will be the starter in week one. Maybe we’ll finally be able to peg all the offensive issues on Ron Turner’s play calling.

And finally, the 2008 draft. Its uncertain what the Bears and Jerry Angelo will do (in terms of staying put at their picks, trading picks up/down, or trades) in this year’s draft, but the focus definitely needs to be on offense. The biggest pick will be their first one (#14). A lot of things need to change for this team, especially on offense, but the 2008 draft could help deliniate a lot of majour issues going into next season.

Technorati Tags: Chicago Bears, Jerry Angelo, Bernard Berrian, Lance Briggs, Brian Urlacher, Rex Grossman, Kyle Orton, Devin Hester