Random thoughts while wondering what ever happened to Lou Angotti:

For all of those whining about the Bears-Packers game being moved to Sunday night, please shut up.  If the NFL had to schedule a game on New Year's Eve, this was by far their best option for several reasons:

1) It may be Brett Favre's last game (it won't be, but we won't know for sure until May when Favre makes up his mind for next year.)

2) The Bears will not lie down against the Packers

3) The Packers may still have a shot at the playoffs at game time.

So, NBC gets the one game that may attract a few viewers (Brett Favre, Brian Urlacher, Bears, Packers) and the one game that won't be one team resting everyone for the playoffs and one team calling in their tee times.  It was clearly the only move they could make.

What it does to downtown Chicago tomorrow night ought to be a hoot.  And, you couldn't pay me enough to be on 94 around midnight on the Wisconsin side.  The Racine country sheriff's office will probably make enough money to buy several police cars from the take they will get as people head back up here. 

As for the game, I like the Bears in a close one.  But never count Brett Favre out in a night game at Soldier Field.

Tom Coughlin, if you think you are taking heat, it could be worse.  Just ask Saddam Hussein.

So, God's sitting in the big throne and up walk James Brown, Gerald Ford and Saddam Hussein.  Think he isn't asking St. Peter for a cocktail right about now?

Speaking of former President Ford, people discount the impact that he had on the country during his term of office.  Issuing a pardon to Richard Nixon took guts, but Ford made the right move.  Not pardoning Nixon would have been a circus for weeks, months and years afterward.  No matter what you think about Nixon, he certainly never did the things the guy who got strung up last night did.  Plus, at that point, had he not gotten the pardon, Nixon, who was in frail health at the time anyway, would have wound up like Ken Lay. 

Isn't it amazing that ESPN, the network that will rip Bob Knight if he looks at somebody wrong, jumps on the bandwagon to be there when Knight sets the record for most victories by a men's basketball coach?  If I see the highlight of him tossing the chair one more time, I think I will puke.  And then, on some of their "entertainment" fodder, you get guys like Stephen A. Smith ripping the guy (because, it's fashionable for the younger generation to rip older, established disciplinarians.) 

Pat Riley needs to shut his tater trap before Scott Skiles jams a tube of mousse somewhere Riley hadn't counted on.  I'd be glad to help.

Why does ESPN allow Chris Fowler to do football games.  He's a great anchor but not a play by play guy.  I don't think dabbling should be done on national television. 

Even though there are way too many bowl games and few with marquee matchups, the Sun Bowl, Liberty Bowl and Sports Bowl were definitely interesting yesterday.  Hopefully the cotton bowl and the Capitol One Bowl will live up to the hype.  And who isn't ready for that big Oklahoma-Boise State Fiesta Bowl? 

My dog understands what the words "dinner", "outside", "no" and "cage" mean.  That's three more words of English than a lot of illegal aliens.