Note: I am going to attempt to do some more opinion based articles in more of a blog style than article style. How will you differentiate? The "The Young and the Restless" at the beginning of articles in this style. These articles will generally jump around a lot between multiple sports and topics and deal with all things Chicago.
When I started watching basketball, this was the Michael Jordan that I was shown (above).
I started to become a sports fan around the turn of the millennium. I'm post-Jordan, post-Payton, post-Santo, post-every-great-player-my-teams-have-ever-had.
I've been reading the book "Now I Can Die in Peace: How ESPN's Sports Guy Found Salvation, with a Little Help From Nomar, Pedro, Shawshank, and the 2004 Red Sox."
The book was written by Bill Simmons, a great writer whom I enjoy reading and do so with frequency. He has talked about being a Boston Red Sox fan and of all the bad moves from all of his teams in general.
However, he was able to happily enjoy the great Larry Legend Celtics and a few good Patriots teams in the process of his Red Sox losing generally every season.
My team is mainly the Bears. I got one good season out of them (2006) and that was really a great year. I was able to attend upwards of eight games that season, including every playoff game since they had home-field advantage and my grandpa had season tickets.
There is no better bonding experience than going to a game with someone in your family. Me and my grandpa have countless great memories, and even though the seats aren't great (we sit directly below the scoreboard) but we have made friends with everybody around us who has season tickets and that we get to see throughout the year.
Unfortunately, the Bears lost the Super Bowl. Why did they lose? The same reason the Bears lose every season, no quarterback. They have been on a perpetual revolving door of bad quarterbacks that just makes you cringe. Some of the highlites? Rex Grossman, Craig Krenzel, Jonathan Quinn (who is my personal favorite), Chris Chandler, Henry Burress, the list goes on and on and on. We even thought we were saved with Chad Hutchinson, thats how starved we were. Maybe that's why I don't get the Eagles' fans perpetual hatred of Donovan McNabb.
Recently, I was reading a Bill Simmons article at ESPN.com about how NFL stadiums have sucked all of the home-field advantage out of football games. I have to agree with him on that, as in the past few seasons I have seen fewer and fewer people standing with me during big downs at Bears games.
As for the Bulls, I was able to just miss the Jordan Era, which really sucks for me. Instead, I got years of mediocrity. Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, all the Chicago Bull greats I missed.
Look on the bright side, I've gotten an up-close look at Joakim Noah, Eddie Curry, and good 'ol Michael Sweetney.
And then there are they lovable losers, the Chicago Cubs, I may have missed about 90 years of the supposed curse, but my Cubbie teams have been giving me false expectations for years.
12 comments Last one added 7 months ago — Leave a Comment
Joe G 7 months ago
Nice article Joe. I started paying attention to basketball at the height of Jordan-mania, when the Bulls looked like the best team on the planet. I'm really sorry that most of your memories of him involve the Wizards. He was still good in Washington, but really he was only a shell of his former self. At best.
No love for the Fire? Come on man, they've got Brian McBride!
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Joe Willett 7 months ago
The only player I know on the Fire is Spanish Name Blanco.
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David Arreola 7 months ago
Cuahtemoc Blanco!
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Joe G 7 months ago
McBride is an American legend. Do yourself a favor, and go see a game at Toyota Park. I guarantee you'll appreciate the beautiful game a lot more after that.
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Joe Willett 7 months ago
I knew how to say his first name, just not sure how to spell it. Thanks David!
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Joe Willett 7 months ago
Also, Joe, seeing as the season is over now, I have to wait a while to make my way down to Toyota Park for a few games.
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daniel cox 7 months ago
joe,
okay. let me start by saying in terms of coming up with creative ideas for series-style articles, i think you're one of the best around. i always enjoyed your monday afternoon qb, even though you don't do it anymore. i understand why. it's tough sometimes. i thought it was so cool that a 17-year old kid ( i mean no disrespect with that term, believe me) was like in the top-5 of nfl writers. i've been busting my hump for 12 weeks and i'm at like 17. i guess that's what happens when you write only two nfl articles a week, one of which is about a specific team.
so having said that, i'm glad to see you striking up something new. i've always had a soft spot in my heart for chicago. love the city. used to go there a lot. yes, it had to do with a girl.
grew up watching the cubs on wgn every afternoon after school. grew up listening to carry and watching sandberg, andre dawson and shawon dunstin. the lovable loser thing is getting old. seriously.
so anyway, it sucks that you missed the jordan era. i grew up watching jordan. i'm a big unc fan and i'm from wilmington, nc so the links are obvious. my dad's not a HUGE sports guy, but he always LOVED jordan. if mj was playing, my dad would always sit and chill and watch.
one of my best memories was when jordan and the bulls were playing the jazz in the finals. i don't remember all the details, if he'd come out of retirement, etc, all that jazz...i just remember it was a great series, i think it went seven games.
well, i was home from college and honestly, was having a really crappy summer. i'd done pretty poorly in school and was feeling the brunt of it and i was working a sh*tty job that i hated. i was trying to figure out what to do next. basically every day sucked. anyway, those few nights i looked forward so much to coming home and chilling with my dad and watching jordan play. the finals were amazing, jordan was legendary and i have one of the best memories with my dad, in light of all the junk that was going on around me.
what that has to do with anything is beyond me. hopefully you've not moved on to the next comments, and hey, i'm not trying to dominate your article here.
it kinda sucks about wood. sorta thought they'd throw HIM a bone and resign him. but i guess they felt like they'd stuck with him long enough. i'm thinking they go after k-rod. i could live with that.
keep me posted on your new work. love your attitude, your approach and your voice in your articles.
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Joe Willett 7 months ago
Thanks for the love Daniel!
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Scott Glisson 7 months ago
Hey Joe,
Of course you can be jaded!
See, I am only a lover of the Bulls. I am a Cleveland fan for everything else. When the Browns are out (always) and if the Indians are done, I root for the Bears and the White Sox sometimes too.
Being almost 22 I came around right in the middle of the Jordan/Pippen/Rodman era and I loved them. Even though Cleveland had Mark Price and what not, my youth minister at church was from Chicago and so I did what he did. But I am not fare weather! I love the Bulls. Still do. Always will.
I understand your pain, but no one knows it better than a Cleveland fan, trust me. Ha-ha. It hurts.
Cleveland and Chicago should just merge everything I think. That might work, haha.
Thanks,
Scott
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Joe Willett 7 months ago
If Cleveland and Chicago were to merge it would be Mediocrity with History merging with just plain Mediocrity. I'll leave it to you to figure which.
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Andrew Kneeland 7 months ago
Embrace the Blackhawks, Joe. That's my only advice. ;)
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Joe Willett 7 months ago
Yea at least they are decent with Kane and Toews.
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