The Chicago Sports Pessimism with Mark

I'm sorry in advance if that title is copyrighted. I claim ignorance.

So let me call it instead, "A Guy in DeKalb Making Observations About Chicago Sports"

But I just need to comment on a few things from this past week:

1) The Cubs hire Lou Piniella- That's it? That's your solution for curing a nearly 100-year World Series Championship drought? Lou Piniella? Look, the man has won one, count 'em, ONE World Series title, and that was before he just plain went psycho.
Pinella is not the answer. The answer is forming a cohesive team unit with strong pitching and competent hitting that doesn't constantly get injured. There, I'm instantly smarter than Jim Hendry (WHO INEXPLICABLY HAS KEPT HIS JOB!)
And now the Cubs are talking about getting A-Rod? Have you seen what he's done in New York? So let me get this straight: he'll face LESS pressure in a city whose media predominantly comments on baseball, on a club that hasn't won a championship in 98 years. Right.
I know what the Cubs are thinking: Cubs fans don't have patience to wait another year for a championship. That may be true, but the Cubs fans will be forced to have patience. Piniella will not get the Cubs to the World Series. No one will do so until the Cubs make a consistent effort toward winning, and Piniella was bribed to come to Chicago under this exact false pretense. Throwing money at the 7th-highest payroll in baseball is NOT making a consistent effort; it's just that: throwing money at the 7th-highest payroll in baseball. 99 years come next Fall, Chicago.

2) Bears fans drunk and ecstatic over beating Arizona: No, the Bears are not going to the Super Bowl. Playoffs? Sure. But is Rex Grossman a consistent-quality QB? Not by a longshot, if his performance against Arizona is any indication. I'll give them this: their defense is good. But the Bears' defense was good last year, and look how that turned out. I just don't buy that this team is good enough to win a championship, and I don't BELIEVE that Bears fans are actually saying that they'll go UNDEFEATED. Get off the Crack! The Bears are not going undefeated- not with three games against the Giants, Jets, and Patriots (all away games) and with inconsistencies remaining on offense.

3) The Bulls: yeah, I don't really care about the Bulls.

4) The White Sox: Hey Ozzie: aren't you glad you refused to play worthy players in the All-Star Game this year? I mean, since you obviously went back to the World Series like you planned...oh...right. Maybe you should have given those starters some rest last year, huh? Overrated manager says what?

5) The Blackhawks: Well, nice to see that they're in first place for the moment. Will it last? Yeah, that'd be nice. I'll give GM Dale Tallon this: he at least made the Hawks more exciting to watch by adding Martin Havlat and Bryan Smolinski. But he obviously overpaid for Khabibulin, and though Nikolai has been stout in goal so far this year, I don't buy that any among this trio has the power to stay healthy...or in Khabibulin's case, good. Good luck anyway, Hawks.

6) The Fire: Sorry, I don't drive a minivan with a soccer logo on the back, so I can't comment on this.

That's your Chicago Sports Pessimism...I'm Mark.

UPDATE: And...adding Alan Trammell to the Cubs' bench doesn't help anything...