One by one, we emerge from the chat. Seems like standard protocol here to introduce myself, so here we go go go.
Like my fellow BLNTs, I’m a life-long Chicago sports fan, and times are TOUGH, but it wasn’t always this bad. Let’s start with (unfortunately) my personal favorite and the worst team in any major sport right now, the White Sox. At 26, I’m the perfect age to have been completely duped by the biggest ___ in sports, Jerry Reinsdorf. The Sox caught lightning in a bottle when we were in 2nd grade. We were +2200 in the 2005 preseason to win the World Series, which was tied for 15th. This group of leftovers and castaways lead by Ozzie Guillen defied the odds, had the best record in the MLB from start to finish, and lost only one game enroute to the franchise’s first World Series since 1917 (in one of the most dominant postseason performances in sports history). 2005, by some sort of divine intervention, was the first year my family had our season ticket package, so I was lucky enough to attend game 2 of the World Series at the Cell, seeing Paulie’s grand slam and Scotty Pods’ walk-off with mine own eyes. Almost 20 years later, this is still one of the best moments of my life. Unfortunately, since Jerry found the ultimate success with this “ballin on a budget” group of overlooked talent, they have looked to employ that same strategy as I’ve grown into an adult. Spending on “big-name” free agents like SMELLY JOE KELLY at the peak of our contention window. The hope for the Sox future is, well, not great. Sox fans are patiently awaiting a change in ownership by any means…
Another Chicago team finds itself in a precariously similar situation. Patiently awaiting a change in ownership to modernize the team for the current era: the Chicago Bulls, owned & operated (again) by the ultimate ___, Jerry Reinsdorf. Jerry might be the luckiest owner in all of sports. Caught lightning in a bottle with the 2005 White Sox and lucked into Michael Jordan, the league’s most influential player, with the 3rd pick in the draft winning 6 championships in 8 seasons. Which is harder to replicate? T-15th preseason and running the table for a year, or lucking into the league’s next generational talent with a top pick? Well, it seems like Jerry is content taking the middle of the road option with the Bulls. I mean, why not? Fans are excited about making the playoffs, right? Even if it is the 7th seed vs the 10th seed play-in, right? What a joke. Anything to sell tickets and get fans to buy jerseys. The NBA has some major league-wide issues. It’s borderline impossible to become competitive unless you find a Nikola Jokic that you draft during a Taco Bell commercial in the 2nd round. In the Bulls defense, the economics of NBA contracts is complex and the anti-tanking measures are fierce, so I don’t even know how they pull themselves out of mediocrity. As a start, it would be nice if the association’s 5th most expensive team was even a top 10 free agent destination. I guess we just wait until we draft the next D-Rose.
Last team, but certainly not least: da Bears. Da Bears are the one Chicago team that has a light at the end of the tunnel and some hope for big improvements in the immediate future. 2024-2025 was a disappointing, frustrating year for da Bears. We weren’t as good as we looked on paper and our O-Line was DOGSHIT, and yet we were a hail-mary, blocked field goal, and an OT drive away from being right around .500. These moments highlighted some serious flaws in the lineup construction, coaching staff, and the attitude of our team’s “leaders”, but never Caleb. Caleb was a true professional all season, keeping us in games and even DEFENDING the play of his horrendous O-Line. Don’t worry Caleb, you’ll have 3 or 4 new O-Lineman to work with, and it’s borderline impossible to put together a group that’s as incompetent as Ryan Bates, Coleman Shelton, and the rest of the practice squad talent we had out there. Wydo is saying McCarthy to the Bears. Cakes is holding out hope for a BJ (aren’t we all?). Whichever of the twenty (20) candidates ends up with the job, I just hope they bring an identity to the offense. Da Bears need a reliable, consistent way to get 4+ yards on 1st and 10, opening the playbook for our gunslinger. Stay tuned for more content on da Bears from all the boys. A lot to be excited about.
While sports are my main interest, this down period of the past 10 years in Chicago sports has inspired me to dedicate my time to a more consistently enjoyable hobby, watching movies. Not going to call myself a cinephile because that sounds really fucking weird, but I enjoy watching and talking about movies. I’ll be looking to populate our “Everything Else” section with some good movie recommendations, reviews, analysis or whatever feels right.
As I said, more to come, and a lot to look forward to for Chicago Sports and BLNT. Thank you for taking the time to visit our site and read my intro blog. I know it’s not perfect, so hoping I can have Better Luck Next Time.
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