Top Ten Chicago rivalries

These Western Conference Finals got us thinking: Chicago sports is loaded with fierce rivalries, but which is the most heated? This list caused some disagreement amongst the staff (Ha! Staff.) so feel free to voice your opinion below.

10. Illinois-Northwestern

Chicago sports pretty much revolves around the pro teams, but Illinois-Northwestern is as good as it gets for the colleges. In football, the two teams have played the last 63 years for the Sweet Sioux Tomahawk, which was retired this year. From now on, the Land of Lincoln Trophy will be what's at stake. In basketball, of course, this is usually a mismatch. There have still been some exciting moments though, including Illinois' improbable road comeback last season that ended any chance the Wildcats had at making the tournament.

9. Bears-Vikings

In recent years, Bears-Vikings has produced perhaps the most competitive games in the NFC North. If Brett Favre winds up in Minnesota next season, this rivalry has the potential to jump a few spots up this list.

8. Illinois-Indiana

Enjoy Indiana while they're down, Illini fans. It won't take Tom Crean many more years to turn that program around. As far as the rivalry goes, I'm told Lou Henson and Bobby Knight used to get into it back in the day, but the Eric Gordon saga took it to another level. With solid recruiting classes coming in for both teams in the next few years, expect this rivalry to only get more intense.

7. Bulls-Knicks

In the 90's, there wasn't a more perfect foil for MJ and Co. than the Knicks. These teams produced a bunch of great games, but the two moments that stick out in my mind are Hugh Hollins' phantom foul call on Scottie Pippen in 1994 playoffs, and, of course, the Charles Smith Game.

6. Bulls-Pistons

These teams produced some of the roughest and toughest games around in the late 80's. We forget it now, but even MJ had to pay his dues, losing three times to Detroit in the playoffs before finally conquering the Pistons in 1991, en route to his first NBA title.

5. Sox-Twins

This has been a flat out war for the last decade. Only twice in the 00's has a team other than one of these two taken the AL Central. Tensions may have reached an all-time high last season when the two teams slugged it out in September, culminating with a Sox victory in Game 163.

4. Cubs-Sox

This is where the debate gets interesting. More than one TTCS'er placed Cubs-Sox in the top spot on their ballot. If rivalries are about the fans, it's tough to top the venom that Cubs-Sox brings out. But I'm putting this at No. 4 because nothing has ever really been on the line. Six games in the middle of the summer just don't really mean that much. Now if they ever played for a World Series.....

3. Cubs-Cardinals

I recently asked a kid at school what baseball team he roots for and this was his response: "Well I had to choose a team, so I went with the Cubs".

I explained to him why that was a bad choice, why the Sox are waaaaaaay cooler, and then he looked at me like I had three heads.

"Well, it was Cubs or Cardinals."

Oh.

We're so head over heels here for the Cubs and Sox that sometimes we forget just how big Cubs-Cardinals is elsewhere. Of all the rivalries on this list, Cubs-Cards might have the widest national appeal.

2. Blackhawks-Red Wings

Upon declaring I was putting this in the two hole, the most common response was, "where would you have put it this time last year?". It's a valid argument, but I honestly still think that 'Hawks-Wings would have come in second. This rivalry has everything you look for: history (two Original Six teams), passionate fan-bases that don't like each other (Detroit suuuucks!), and - hey now - two pretty damn talented teams (currently).

1. Bears-Packers

Obvs. You know this thing is real when 'Beat the Packers' was the first of Lovie Smith's three goals after becoming Bears head coach.

Agree? Disagree? Let's hear it.

Top Ten Chicago connections remaining in NBA Playoffs

The Bulls season may have ended, but Chicago’s connection to post-season hoops has not. Here are ten ways - some more direct than others - that the Windy City is still alive in the NBA Playoffs.

10. Michael Jordan’s shadow

Since he was in high school, LeBron James has been hailed the next Michael Jordan. This year, while winning his first MVP award, the comparisons continued. But until you win an NBA championship, the best a player can do is become the next Charles Barkley. I’m guessing LBJ knows which team MJ and the Bulls beat for their first title, knowing he may do the same.

9. Never-used backups

On the Nuggets roster is Steven Hunter, who played at DePaul before bouncing around several NBA teams. The Rockets have Brian Cook, who was Big 10 Player of the Year at Illinois before going pro. And Boston has Chicago-native Tony Allen, whose most note-worthy accomplishment this post-season was bricking two jumpers in Game 6 of Bulls-Celtics which helped the Bulls comeback to tie it in regulation. There is one native who is making an impact off the bench…

8. Shannon Brown

Not only is he a former Bull, but the Lakers backup point guard was also the 2003 Illinois Mr. Basketball during his senior year at Proviso East. In the 2009 Playoffs, he’s averaging seven points in 16 minutes a game, providing nice energy off the LA bench. He wasn’t good enough to play for Jim Boylan last season though.

7. Doug Collins

How would the Bulls have done in 2008-09 if Jerry Reinsdorf had decided to pull the trigger and hire Collins for his second term as head coach? That’s a question that will never be answered. The question that does have an answer is who is the best basketball analyst out there, and it’s Doug Collins on TNT.

6. Ben Wallace

Big Ben signed with the Bulls in the summer of 2006, was a disappointment for a season and a half, then traded to Cleveland in February 2008. The four-time Defensive Player of the Year is now a role guy on the Cavaliers, playing 11 minutes a game, averaging two rebounds a game during the post-season. Those stats aren’t great, but then again, the Cavs haven’t had a full 48-minute game yet during the playoffs.

5. Aftermath of Bulls-Celtics

It ended nearly two weeks ago, but the seven-game classic is still resonating in the playoffs. Rajon Rondo punching Brad Miller in the face and throwing Kirk Hinrich into the scorers table started a run of flagrant fouls in other series’. The length, including all the overtimes, has fatigued Boston at times versus Orlando. And more squads are going to the small lineup that the Bulls used for several key stretches in round one.

4. JR Smith

He never played a game for the Bulls, but Denver’s sixth man was actually on the team for about a week in the summer of 2006. After signing Ben Wallace, the Bulls traded center Tyson Chandler to the Hornets for PJ Brown and Smith. Because the team already had Kirk Hinrich, Ben Gordon, Chris Duhon and the recently drafted Thabo Sefelosha in the backcourt, they cut Smith. He signed with the Nuggets and is now averaging 16 points a game during Denver’s playoff run.

3. Ron Artest

The 2002 trade the sent Artest, Ron Mercer, Brad Miller and Kevin Ollie to the Pacers for Jalen Rose, Travis Best and a draft pick changed NBA history. It meant the man who wound up going into the stands to fight a fan was wearing an Indiana uniform and not a Chicago one, and it also set the Bulls back a good four years in their re-building plan. Now with the Rockets, Artest has developed into an all-around player, adding some scoring ability to go along with the tenacious defense he’s brought since he came into the league.

2. Doc Rivers

The head coach of the Celtics was born and raised in Chicago, attending Proviso East before starring at Marquette. He then went on to play 13 years in the NBA before becoming a coach. His Boston squad won the NBA Title last season and despite missing their best player, sort of Chicago-native Kevin Garnett, they are within one win of heading back to the Eastern Conference Finals.

1. Phil Jackson

No matter how long he coaches the Lakers, no matter how many Finals he appears in with LA, he’ll always be a Bull. The Zen Master is still running the triangle offense, though it’s isn’t having as much success as some expected, considering the Lakers are now starring Game 7 in the face versus the Rockets. Maybe it’s me, but I say the offense doesn’t work as well without Michael and Scottie.

Top Ten commercials featuring the 1985 Chicago Bears

They were the most popular team in Chicago history. Perhaps the most dominant defense in NFL history. And even the greatest single season team of all time.

In 1985, the Bears were the toast of the city and had plenty of endorsement opportunities coming their way. The original intent of this list was to present the ten best commercials from only 1985, which proved to be impossible.

Most of these commercials do qualify under the original guidelines, but the rest were shot shortly after that magical season.

Here are the Top Ten commercials featuring the 1985 Chicago Bears.

10. Jim McMahon - Gotcha

How many of you forgot about Gotcha, the precursor to modern day paintball?

I know I did, but it didn't take me long to remember that it was absolute garbage.

9. Mike Ditka & Dick Butkus - Protector Rust Proofing

Is this the best mustache duo in commercial history?

8. Walter Payton - KangaROOS

I highly doubt that in present day, Walter Payton would be rocking KangaROOS.

He'd be more of the Nike kind of pitch man, starring in the same commercials that LaDanian Tomlinson is in these days. But back in the 80's, ROOs were no joke and Payton rocked a headband with their logo that any Bears fan would recognize in an instant.

7. The Fridge - McDonald's

Can you imagine what that man would do to a buffet line?

6. McDonald's Playoff Payoff

It was nice to see the B-List stars of the 85 Bears get a little face time.

Who knew this little vocal ensemble was just a tune up for their masterpiece, The Super Bowl Shuffle.

5. Jimmy Mac and the Fridge - Coke

I have absolutely no doubt that the Fridge could still pound a six pack of beer that fast.

That both amazes me and frightens me at the same time.

4. Dan Hampton - Walker Mufflers

Hampton looks like he's ready for the sequel to Tango and Cash.

3. The Fridge - GI Joe

'You better watch out Cobra, The Fridge is coming through'

Classic.

2. Steve McMichael and The Fridge - Tire America

Would you look at the size of those shorts?

They make the NBA players of the 70's and 80's look like they were straight outta Compton.

1. Jimmy Mac - Honda

Ah yes, the Punky QB at his finest.

Between the ridiculous 80's ensembles and the fact that he actually took his shirt off to hawk a scooter make this an instant classic.

Was he really that cool?

Top Ten Chicago sidekicks

The hardest part about coming up with a list like this is defining roles. Take this year's Blackhawks, for example. Patrick Kane and Jonathan Towes are more 1a and 1b than leading man and supporting actor. For this this list, we're looking for guys that were clearly Robin to another star's Batman. Below are 10 guys we think fit the criteria.

10. Henry Rodriguez

From Moises Alou to Rondell White, it seemed like the Cubs were in an eternal search in the 90's to find the perfect compliment to Sammy Sosa. Rodriguez arguably filled the role better than anyone during his two and a half years on the North Side. He was never better in Cubbie blue than in 1999, when he hit .304/.381 with 26 homers and 87 RBI.

9. Steve Larmer

On the powerhouse 'Hawks teams of the early 90's, Jeremy Roenick and Chris Chelios established themselves as the alpha dogs. It was Larmer, though, who provided another pivotal option. He was at his best in 1991, when he finished with 44 goals and 57 assists.

8. Ted Lilly

Carlos Zambrano has received all the headlines in Wrigleyville the last few seasons, but Lilly has been arguably even more dependable. Lilly has pitched over 200 innings in both seasons as a Cub and averaged has averaged 16 wins and an ERA under 4.00 a year. He's the definition of solid but unspectacular.

7. Luther Head

Deron Williams and Dee Brown shared the marquee during their time in Champaigne, but Head was just as valuable to the Illini. He was the 2005 team's best defender, and developed into a three-point sniper during his time at Illinois.

6. Jermaine Dye

Dye always seems to be the forgotten hero of the White Sox. In 2005, despite winning World Series MVP, he played second fiddle to Paul Konerko on offense. Even last year, when he was spectacular at age 34- OPS'ing .885 and hitting 34 homers - Dye was overshadowed by Carlos Quentin.

5. Tex Winter

Phil Jackson gets all the credit for managing egos and making his players read books during the championship years, but where would he be without Winter? Winter's legendary triangle offense was as big a reason as any MJ and Co. won six titles.

4. Robin Ventura

Frank Thomas is perhaps the most underrated hitter of 90's. The Big Hurt couldn't have put up those insane numbers without Ventura though, the slick fielding third baseman who gave the Sox a second potent bat in the lineup. Ventura's best year on the Sox may have been 1996, when he won the Gold Glove, OPS'd .888, and finished with 34 homers and 105 RBI.

3. Lance Briggs

At this point, it's probably foolish to consider Briggs a sidekick. Though teammate Brian Urlacher has the bigger profile, Briggs has unquestionably been the more productive player the last two seasons.

2. Buddy Ryan

The picture tells the whole story. How many other assistant coaches can you think of that were carried off the field after a championship? What Tex Winter was to the 90's Bulls, Ryan was the '85 Bears.

1. Scottie Pippen

When we came up the idea for this list, we knew Pip was No. 1, we just needed to think of nine more guys. One of the NBA's 50 Greatest Players, one of the league's greatest defensive forwards ever, and the perfect compliment to MJ, Scottie Pippen was everything and more you could ever hope for from a sidekick.

Top Ten reasons to be both a Cubs and White Sox fan

It’s never easy for me to talk baseball with someone for the first time, because eventually I’ll get asked the dreaded question: “so are you a Cubs or Sox fan?” When I quietly reply “both,” usually the person will just look at me strangely, as if I just admitted to being a follower of Satan. Then, one of two things inevitably happens: they’ll lecture me about how you have to pick a side, or they’ll go “oh” and quickly change the subject.

Meanwhile, tonight I’ll be equally as interested in how Clayton Richard does in his first start of the season as I will be with which Cub hitters will pick up the slack for Aramis Ramirez.

10. Broadcasters

Cubs fans hate Hawk because he’s a homer/complainer/know-it-all. Sox fans don’t like Len and Bob because they work for the Cubs and they’re not Hawk. In reality, both announcing crews are great in their own way. Hawk is entertaining, brutally honest, and his catch phrases, all 50 or so of them, never get old. Steve Stone knows the game of baseball inside and out, and serves as the perfect compliment to Hawk. Len and Bob are as solid as they come, and know how to let the game come to them without forcing it.

9. Enjoy both ballparks

Wrigley has the ambiance and tradition, while the Cell has convenience and comfort. Plus, if you go to both ballparks frequently enough, you can decide for yourself which team has the better fans, and not go by what Barack Obama thinks. Although there’s nothing like seeing the Cubs win a day game at Wrigley, I’d give the advantage overall to the Cell for three main reasons: you actually have room to move around, the food is a lot better, and parking is way easier.

8. Crosstown Classic World Series

While there’s zero likelihood it will happen this year, or probably any year for that matter, what if it did? To die hard Sox fans, losing to the Cubs would seem like the end of the world. There’d be no getting over it. Same goes for Cubs fans if they lost to the Sox. For someone like me, I’m covered either way. In fact, the big party would be the day both teams clinch spots in the World Series, because then I can’t lose. If I had to pick a side, I’d root slightly for the Cubs, but only because the Sox won it all just four years ago.

7. Screw loyalty

Why should I keep cheering for a team if they continually suck? So I’m a bigger bandwagon jumper than a lot of current Blackhawks “fans.” You know how many Sox or Cubs players I’ve ever spoken a word to or have gotten within 50 feet of in my lifetime? Zero, which is probably the same answer for most of you reading this. I have no connections or close affiliations with either team, so I don’t owe it to one particular team to remain loyal through the down times. At the end of the day, a good percentage of these same players we root for care more about how much money they make than what name is on the front of their jersey.

6. No jealousy

It had to be very painful for Cubs fans to see the Sox go on their magical 11-1 run through the playoffs in 2005, just like it would be for Sox fans if the Cubs ever break their 101-year curse. At the moment, Sox fans are able to laugh at Cubs fans because they have something the Cubs don’t, a recent championship. When the Sox lost in the ALDS to the Rays last fall, South Siders could at least take great pleasure in the Cubs’ complete collapse against the Dodgers. Rooting for both teams totally eliminates the jealousy factor.

5. Managers

Having Ozzie Guillen and Lou Piniella manage in the same city is awesome. There hasn’t been a better combination in Chicago since Jordan and Pippen. If I could sit down and meet any two current sports figures in Chicago, players included, I might choose these two, Guillen for sure. The day the Cubs signed Piniella, they became serious contenders. The day the Sox signed Guillen, they became relevant and fun to watch again.

4. Have something to watch in the summer

From the end of the NBA Finals the first week in June to the start of the NFL season in early September, there’s nothing going on in that three month window besides baseball. So if the Cubs were 10 games out already by the time school let’s out, it’s going to be a pretty boring and depressing summer sports wise for Cubs fans. It makes for a lot more interesting summer overall when your baseball team is in contention, and, last year obviously being an exception, that’s usually only been the case for one of the two teams. The Cubs were all but eliminated from contention by summer in 2005 and 2006, the Sox in 2003 and 2007.

3. Root for good stories on both sides

So far, most of the surprises on both sides of town haven’t been good, when you consider Geovany Soto, Milton Bradley, and Alexei Ramirez’s batting averages, all the Cubs’ injuries, and the fact that Scott Podsednik has started eight games in the outfield for the Sox. But last year, there were a bunch of great stories for both teams, the big two being the emergence of Carlos Quentin and Ryan Dempster. However, many Cubs fans wouldn’t appreciate or even acknowledge how great Quentin was before he got injured, because they were too caught up in all the “this is the year” talk, and also were jealous that Kenny Williams stole him from Arizona while Jim Hendy shelled out big money for Kosuke Fukudome. Likewise, a lot of Sox fans didn’t cheer for Dempster because he came out of nowhere to give the Cubs one of the best rotations in baseball, while the Sox staff was terrible the last two months and almost cost them the division.

2. Double your chances

Okay, this one is pretty simple, even though I suck at math. If you root for two teams instead of one, you have a better chance each day of seeing at least one of them win a ballgame. Let’s say the Sox lose a tough game, like last week’s extra-innings loss to the Royals for example. Sox fans are going to be pissed off the rest of that night, and probably still thinking about it until the next day’s game. But if the Cubs were to win on that day, well, you may get over the Sox quicker, and therefore have second thoughts about emailing Guillen (ozzieguillen13@hotmail.com) to tell him how much his team sucks.

1. Lack of success in Chicago sports

Since the Bulls dynasty ended in 1998, other than the White Sox World Series title, the Bears' trip to the Super Bowl and the Cubs’ 2008 regular season, there hasn’t been much to get excited about from any of the city’s five professional sports teams. That’s a shame too, because Chicago is a huge sports market with some of the greatest fans in the world. We’ve suffered through so many bad seasons here, that when we finally saw both teams reach the postseason last year for the first time since 1906, I was on cloud nine (unfortunately that feeling lasted all of five days). May I remind you also that the Cubs haven’t won a World Series in 101 years, and up until 2005, the Sox had gone 88 years without one. Not that you probably needed the reminder.

Top Ten reasons to keep watching Chicago baseball

To put it simply, Chicago baseball has been difficult to watch right now. The Cubs were supposed to run away with the poor NL Central and while the Sox expectations were not high, the sporadic hitting has made it frustrating to pay attention. But it's times like these that separate the real fans from the phonies. Real fans are going to pay attention while fake fans are going to continue to file into Wrigley. (BOOM... ROASTED!) But there are a ton of reasons why you the fan should continue to watch, Below are the top 10.

10. Cub Milestones
Both Carlos Zambrano and Ted Lilly are shooting for their 100th wins of their career. Big Z is on 99 while Lilly is not too far behind with 95. Both TV announcing crews do a great job honoring marks like that, making the games that much more fun to watch.

9. Gordon Beckham
Beckham will most likely be up in the bigs by mid-June, and he is surely the most anticipated prospect to be called up for the Sox in the last 10 years. Where he will play is interesting also, as he has ties to play third, short, second and even played a little center in spring training. How sick would it be if he created an Evan Longoria-like spark and didn't miss a beat in the move to the bigs?

8. Slumping stars
Derek Lee and Alexei Ramirez have been downright pitiful this season. Neither are hitting over .210, and both need to succeed if the team is going to win. Both have been rightfully benched. Alexei should turn it around within the next few weeks while a veteran like Lee just needs to find his stroke. Regardless, these make for interesting story lines, as Ramirez and D-Lee are key components for their respective teams.

7. Carlos Quentin



Quentin went into the season with something to prove after the should-have-been MVP broke his hand. And Carlos hasn't let himself down. While his average has dipped to .245, his on-base is .352. He had an early lead on the home run title but Carlos Pena has just been on a tear (yay for fantasy baseball). If he can up up the average there is no doubt we will see numbers similar to his 2008.

6. Pitching
There are so many interesting story lines with the pitching for both teams. Buehrle has been awesome while Floyd and Danks have both looked good too (Danks needs to turn things around though), but the senior citizen duo of Colon and Contreras have been subpar. Meanwhile on the North side, the big four have done enough, but Zambrano and Dempster have not lived up to expectations. Oh, and both bullpens have been disastrous.

5. What else you going to do?
Alright, the Hawks are still playing, so it's hard to make this argument, but they play once every three days. And all ESPN talks about is Manny, A-Rod and Brett Favre so by default I have steered clear of that.

4. Milton Bradley
This might be unfair because I have never met Bradley (or any major leaguer for that matter), but he is out of his mind. All of the fan's fears have come true, almost as if he is trying to be an idiot. It's only a matter of time before he does something even more ludicrous than he has already done and I want to be there when it happens.

3. Two explosive managers



The only good thing about both teams not playing well is the fact that the likelihood of a manager rant escalates. And as we have said a million times before, Ozzie and Lou are baseball's two greatest "ranters." We're coming up on the one-year anniversary of Guillen throwing Ken Williams under the bus for lack of offense. I'd just settle for another blowup doll incident at this point.

2. Red Line series
Now the games don't start until mid-June, but it's never too early to start discussing Chicago baseball's most anticipated regular-season games. Last year was one of the more memorable six-game sets, with the Cubs taking the first three at Wrigley followed by a Sox sweep at the Cell. While you cannot ever expect another Michael Barrett punch, something outlandish along those lines would make for interesting contests.

1. It's May
As long as you can the games back to a minimum, come August, if you're playing good ball, that's all that matters. The Sox are three games out in a division led by the Royals while the Cubs -the most talented team in MLB on paper- are 2.5 games out and should turn it around. Almost anybody can win both divisions, and even if both teams were 10+ games out right now, I wouldn't be worried.

Top Ten reasons Brett Favre to the Vikings would be good for the Bears

Rumor has it that Brett Favre is out for revenge. Even though reports came out yesterday that he’s going to say retired, chances are he’ll change his mind by next week. John Madden’s man-crush was supposedly talking with the Minnesota Vikings about joining their team so he can get back at his old team, the Green Bay Packers, who told him to go away last summer. Which team benefits most from this? Da Bears. Here are ten reasons why Bears fans should be excited about the possibility of having #4 back in the division.

10. May lead to less rushing from Vikings

Adrian Peterson is a running back, probably the best in the NFL. If the Vikings and coach Brad Childress were smart, he’d get the ball to AP 30 times a game. Brett Favre is a quarterback whose best seasons were a decade ago. If the Vikings and coach Childress were smart, he’d throw the ball as little as possible. Thankfully Childress isn’t smart and signing Farve is sure to make Minnesota a pass-happy team.

9. Confused Packer fans

Imagine Derek Jeter suiting up for the Red Sox or Tyler Hansbrough slapping the floor at Cameron Indoor wearing Duke blue. That’s what it will be like if Favre plays for the Vikings. Green Bay fans won’t know if they should root for their favorite team or the greatest player in their franchise’s history. This may not help the Bears directly, but it will be hilarious watching the Cheese-heads argue with themselves about where their loyalty lies.

8. Takes pressure off Jay Cutler

Having Brett Favre back in the NFC North immediately takes the spotlight off the Bears new signal-caller. All preview stories on the division will lead with the Favre, with the second story being Green Bay’s reaction to Favre. The Bears biggest trade in decades will be pushed to the back, which means Cutler should be able to learn the offense and adjust to his new teammates without the pressure of intense media scrutiny.

7. Wasted draft picks

In the 2006 Draft, the Vikings took QB Tarvaris Jackson in the second round. A couple years later, they took another quarterback, John David Booty, in the fifth round. Then over the winter, Minnesota traded a fourth round pick for yet a third quarterback, Sage Rosenfels. That’s a lot of draft picks to use for a position that will end up going to a player that will turn 40 in October.

6. Interceptions

If you thought Rex Grossman was irritating throwing picks, take a peek at #4. No player threw more interceptions than Favre’s 22 in 2008, and only once since 2004 has he thrown more touchdowns than interceptions. That’s good news for opposing defenses, bad news for Minnesota wideouts Bernard Berrian and Percy Harvin.

5. He’s bad in cold weather

In four December games last year with the Jets, Favre threw a grand total of two touchdowns and eight interceptions; New York went 1-3. The year before, in a December game at Solider Field, Favre threw for only 153 yards and tossed another two interceptions. Call it a coincidence, but the Vikings visit to Chicago in 2009 is on the Monday night of December 28. Better pack your gloves Brett.

4. Makes NFC North must-see

The Bears trade for Cutler was the biggest NFL story of the off-season. The Lions drafting Matt Stafford #1 and giving him the biggest signing bonus in league history was pretty important too. Then you add Favre returning to the Vikigs, creating an Aaron Rodgers vs. Brett Favre / apprentice vs. teacher battle, and the black and blue division got a lot more interesting than it was when 2008 ended.

3. Brett vs. Lovie

People have this perception that Favre dominated the Bears over his career in green and gold. But since Loive Smith’s hiring in 2004, the Bears were 6-2 against Favre’s Packers. One of those losses was the 2006 season finale on New Years Eve, where the Chicago defense rested in the second half and Rex Grossman refused to prepare because he had to figure out where to party. Lovie may not be the most popular coach these days, but his ability to consistently beat the Favre counts for something.

2. Age

Of the eight division winning quarterbacks in 2008, only one - Kurt Warner - was over the age of 35. Favre is 39, set to reach the four-decade mark in October. Combine the age with the wear and tear of playing in 291 consecutive regular season and playoff games, and Brett Favre is John McCain old in football terms. If he has a season like Warner’s ‘08, the Bears are screwed. But if he acts like McCain in ’08, well, we all know how that turned out.

1. Gives us our enemy back

We might not like to admit it, but Bears fans kinda missed Favre last year. We missed the way he used to throw that bullet pass between two defenders for a Green Bay touchdown and follow it up by missing a wide open receiver and throwing a pick. We missed that little smirk of his when he would take a big hit and pretend like it didn’t hurt him. So having him back in the division will be good. Plus it buys some more time to build up hatred of Aaron Rodgers.