Even Dream Jobs Have Their Challenges

Author’s Note:

I was originally going to write this post last Thursday when these events took place, but I ended up putting it on the backburner because of all the other writing that I had to do. Last night at the softball game I was covering, however, something happened that hammered home that I needed to write this blog.

Brian's Song: Thoughts on Urlacher's Departure from Chicago

There haven’t been a lot of times in my life as a Chicago sports fan where a truly paradigm shifting athlete has been let go by a team I love. Jeremy Roenick getting traded by the Blackhawks was one of those moments. The Cubs letting Kerry Wood leave was another. On Thursday, another roster move made its way into that rarified air, as the Bears announced that they would not be bringing back Brian Urlacher.

Ever since the Bears drafted him in 2000, it has been an absolute joy watching him play football. Whether it was his penchant for interrupting plays with his lightning quick reflexes, or his touchdown that he scored on a fake field goal against the Washington Redskins, or even that image of him hoisting the NFC Championship trophy at a snowy Soldier Field, there are so many memories that I will carry of Urlacher even after today’s announcements.

Despite these big time moments in my sports viewing life, this is a day that I will remember with more acceptance than either of the two other moves I mentioned in the opening to this post. When Roenick was dealt by the Blackhawks, it was just another reminder that “Dollar Bill” Wirtz was out to only make a quick buck and didn’t give a flying crap about Hawks fans, so there was plenty of animosity there. When the Cubs announced that they weren’t bringing back Wood, despite his expressing a desire to stay, it amounted to much the same thing: looking at an organization whom I felt was being disloyal to someone who embodied what fans feel about their role with the franchise: undying loyalty to Cubbie blue.

With Urlacher, however, the emotions I’m feeling are way less ones of anger and more of “well, it’s about time.” Urlacher’s frequent injuries and random attacks against fans and the media had me fed up with him to a degree, so today’s announcement is viewed more through a prism of what is good for the football team, as opposed to “what does this mean for me as a fan?”

Would it have been nice to see Brian retire as a Chicago Bear? Absolutely, but the fact of the matter is that Urlacher wasn’t destined to go out on top like Ray Lewis did with the Baltimore Ravens this year. Instead, he was going to be a much less vital cog in a brand new system that Marc Trestman and company will be employing this year, and to watch him be an after-thought instead of one of the greatest middle linebackers in league history is insulting not only to him, but also to the memories that I hold in my heart of #54.

Even though it will be incredibly odd to see Urlacher running onto the field next year, whether it’s Minneapolis or Seattle, the memories I have of his 13 years with the Bears will remain fond. They could have easily been jaded and dampened, just like Michael Jordan’s were during his ill-advised comeback attempt with the Washington Wizards, but instead he will join the pantheon of guys like Ryne Sandberg and so many others who I view favorably as I continue to get a bit more gray hair on my scalp.

Good luck to you Brian, and I look forward to seeing you continue your career, even though it won’t be in the Windy City. 

Is Barack Obama Really Person of the Year?

In what is perhaps one of the most overhyped stories of the year, Time Magazine named their 2012 Person of the Year on Wednesday. With all of the compelling stories that happen on a yearly basis, there are always going to be plenty of candidates to choose from, but this year’s winner ended up being President Barack Obama. It marks the second time that he has captured the honor (the magazine seems to have a thing about calling it an “award”), having also done so in 2008 when he became the first African-American elected President.

Great Performances, Timely Reminders Make Lincoln an Instant Classic

Around this time of year, you are going to inevitably get an influx of movies that are designed with only one purpose in mind: gaining Oscar nominations and wins for their stars and directors. A few years back, you had "Atonement", a movie that wouldn't have found release at any other time of year. You have also had movies like "Dreamgirls" (Eddie Murphy) and "Push: A Novel by Sapphire" (Mo'Nique) that featured comedians dirtying themselves up for dramatic effect in an effort to win statuettes.

Future and Past Blend for a Great Ride in "Skyfall"

Author's Note: When I first created this blog earlier this year, I did so with the intention of flexing the various writing tools in my arsenal. Movie reviews were supposed to be part of the gig, but this is actually my first one, so I beg and plead with you to be open with criticism, but also forgive me if the piece isn't exactly a great piece of writing. :) 

Before Daniel Craig took over the role of James Bond in 2006’s “Casino Royale”, the common assumption about Bond was that he was a globe-trotting, martini swilling, gun firing debonair with a passion for women, fast cars, and always getting the mad genius that he was after. Whether it was Sean Connery or Pierce Brosnan, the character of Bond was about cleaning up nicely and dressing to the nines.

A Personal Post on Struggling With Writer's Block

For those of you who are familiar with my work, there are several things that I hope you have noticed. Whenever I have an opinion, I try not only to make every effort to express it in thought-provoking ways, but also to make reference to the opinions that run contrary to mind. This fair-minded approach especially comes in handy when it comes to my political polemics, and even if I feel passionately about something, I take great care to emphasize that my opinion is mine, and not necessarily the “correct” one.

Obamacare Upheld: Why This Bill is Better than You Think

On Thursday, the Supreme Court handed down one of its most important decisions in recent memory. In a stunning 5-4 vote, they elected to uphold the Affordable Care Act, which has been arguably the biggest piece of legislation that President Barack Obama has helped shepherd through Congress.

The bill, controversial thanks to many provisions including the requirement that all individuals buy health insurance or suffer fines, was saved by a vote from Chief Justice John Roberts, a conservative appointed by President George W. Bush who stunned observers by changing his vote at the last minute.

Political Musings: Gabrielle Giffords A Symbol We All Must Emulate

On January 8th, 2011, a little known United States Representative named Gabrielle Giffords went from being just a Democrat in a hotly contested district to being the victim of an atrocious act of violence that had the potential to reshape the civil discourse throughout the country.

A gunman opened fire at a shopping center in Tuscon, Arizona on that fateful day as Giffords was addressing voters at an event, killing six people and wounding thirteen others, including the Congresswoman. She was shot in the head during the chaos that followed, and her prognosis looked bleak as newscasters across the country laid out the shocking details for a stunned public.

Political Musings: Thoughts on Scott Walker's Recall and Rick Perry's Demise

For two of the more controversial governors in the United States. the last few days have been particularly eventful. They may be in the headlines for different reasons, but Scott Walker (R-Wisconsin) and Rick Perry (R-Texas) both are worthy of examination, and seem to make a fine pair to kick off this blog's political coverage as we gear up for yet another election year (it certainly feels like these happen more than once every two years, right?).

Introducing the Blog

Since I'm an incredibly lazy person with little money or initiative, I decided that instead of going through the hassle of buying a domain name and setting everything up with great care, I was going to set up a Blogspot account and post some stuff on here.

The only question worth asking here, of course, is what you can expect here. As you probably know, I write for a bunch of different websites, so I'll be posting the links here to those pieces, along with a little background information if the situation calls for it. I'll also be posting some unique stuff on here, whether it's a travelogue, a movie or book review, or something political that will likely get me ostracized from most of my circles of friends.

Unfortunately, I don't have much to write about tonight, but with the weekend ahead of us, I'm sure that I'll get serious about this and post some stuff. Until then, au revoir, and thanks for stopping by what hopefully is the start of a really cool side project.