If you were a Bear fan in 1991, then you no doubt still have fond memories of Bears' receiver, Tom Waddle, and his series of unbelievable catches in a playoff game against the Cowboys, catching a series of passes thrown across the middle and getting absolutely creamed over-and-over.   I just watched his highlights again, and the poor guy was slow to get up after some of those hits, looked really woozy and disoriented, and was given smelling salts and sent back out on the field.  He caught what was then a Bear record for receptions with a late fourth quarter touchdown, but he just didn't look excited about it.  In fact, something looked very wrong with him.  As it turns out, he doesn't remember getting that touchdown or anything else that happened in the fourth quarter.

Waddle is a sports radio host here in Chicago, and when the often talked about NFL head injury issue came up, Tom's co host, Mark Silvernman, asked him about the concussions he had during that famous game.  Tom said that he not only forgot that quarter, he scared the hell out of his wife when they were driving to the hospital for tests together and he had no idea who she was.  Despite the fact that Waddle and "Silvy" have worked together for a number of years, seem to be friends, and have no doubt talked about this very game on and off the air numerous times, Silvy admitted on the air today that it's the first time he ever heard that story about him not knowing who his wife was.

Waddle was then asked if knowing what he knows now about traumatic brain injuries and their lifelong effects, if he would take that game back.  He seemed unsure, admitting that it didn't matter that much because they lost the game anyway.  But he did say that at 46-years-old, he can now put his ego aside and admit that the right call is for a doctor to make the call that a player can't return to the field in times like those because now what is important to him is spending time with his wife and kids and being able to have the brain capacity to have the memories of his family's life events.

Today was one of those days where I parked my car but stayed inside to listen to the end of this piece because I was so moved.  Waddle was a hero of mine as a kid.  He was a slow, blond, white guy around 6'1" and 185 pounds.  About the same description as me when I watched him play that game as a kid on my television in Chicago's suburbs, only now I'm an inch taller and afraid to say that I'm a little on the wrong side of 200.  I still idolize his gutsy performance from that playoff game, but like Waddle, now that I'm a little older and wiser, I now see the importance of protecting the players.  The game wasn't that long ago, and just give it a look.  Is there any way in hell in today's game that he would have been allowed to keep getting back onto the field taking those licks and looking the way he did?  I sure hope not.  Yes, I consider him a hero, but I'm also very thankful his brain weren't more damaged, and he still has that wit to make me laugh on my ride home from work in the afternoon.

Cup Chaser

My beloved Chicago Blackhawks are playing for a Stanley Cup tonight, and we're headed over to one of our old watering holes where we used to watch Chicago Bears games back when we still could get away with drinking heavily on Sunday nights.

The thing is, this city has really gotten behind their Hawks, which you would think would be surprising, since hockey isn't as popular as some other sports. But this has more to do with a city that needs a winner. Let's look at the facts:

Chicago Blackhawks: Last Stanley Cup: 1961. They made it to the cup in 1992, and then they traded away the three or four best players, guys who are some of the all time greats, and they've sucked ever since.

Chicago Bears: Last Super Bowl: 1986. Yes, Dr. Ken was in the 3rd grade. We played in one a few years ago, but Indianapolis beat the crap out of us.

Chicago Bulls: Last NBA Title: 1998. Number of NBA titles during Jordans periods of retirement: That's a big zero. He won three, sat out for two to let the Rockets win 2, came back to win three more, and then retired again. He came back for the Wizards to play for a stint, but let's just not get into that.

Chicago Whitesox: Last World Series: 2005. Yes, that's only a few years ago, but nobody cares because they are evil.

Chicago Cubs: Last World Series: 1908. Yes, that's over 100 years ago. One hundred. Civil War veterans could very well have been at that game. The last time they even played in a World Series was 1945, the same year that WW2 ended and Dr. Ken's father was born.

Chicago Governors: We sent around 4 out of last 5 to jail.

Chicago Olympics: Our mayor pumped in a ton of money to try to get the 2016 Summer Olympics here, and we lost out to Rio. Some say that it's because of all of our murders, but it turns out they have a bunch of those too. If they wanted the place with the most murders, they might as well have the thing in Detroit.

Chicago Parking Ticket Amount Paid By Dr. Ken: $3,048. This is a rough estimate. I know it's not good. They make signs in this city that are intentionally B.S., and even these pictures that you get in the mail of the automated things from the stop lights are crappola because you'll get one showing you doing a right turn on a red, which is okay on that intersection.

Now I'm just bitching, but my point is that we are sick of losing, and we're sick of bullshit. It's time to win tonight. It's time to "commit to the Indian." It's time to get my ass to the bar and reserve a table before all the other Chicagoans tired of losing get in there and drink all the beer.

These Dreams Go On When I Close My Eyes (A Flipping, 80's, Heart Reference???!!!!)

Don't you hate when someone tells you about a dream he/she had? It's never as interesting to the listener as it is to the dreamer, right? They're always like, "I was at work, but it WASN'T work." Yeah . . . That's fucking creepy! Let me free up my schedule so you can regail with all the boring-ass dreams you've had all WEEK! It's not like they're recommending a movie, and you can go out and rent this dream and see it for yourself. More accurately, it just sucks up a little time of your life you've now had to devote to listening to some meat head talk about crap going on in his subconscious mind, which is stuff HE/SHE needs to figure out, not you.

So . . . I had this dream the other night in which I was working on a campaign for a Black Republican running for a political position of some kind. Let me tell you right now that I HATE most everything Republicans stand for, and I don't think I'll lose any of my seven readers by saying that, and if I do, so be it. Actually, don't go Republican reader! I can get past the fact that you like Republicans, so long as you like what's important: ME.

Anyway, I find myself saying to this politician hopeful, who looks EXACTLY like Lovie Smith, current head coach of the Chicago Bears, "You barely won last election, but this time you're going to win by a LAND SLIDE!" All the while in the dream I'm thinking, 'What in the blazes am I doing here? I don't support anything these people stand for,' yet at no point in the dream did I get up and leave.

IMPLICATIONS: I tend to coast and flounder through life bitching about things, but rarely take an active role in changing matters, especially when it comes to making changes in my OWN life.

Now that I've sufficiently wasted your time, I feel I should make a recommendation, so that you've gotten something for your time.

LISTEN TO: The Misfits - I've been loving Danzig era Misfits stuff so much lately that I wore a Misfits shirt to a Christmas party, just because I got in the mail and was excited to wear it.
WATCH: Best Week Ever on VH1 - It catches you up to speed on all the shows, movies, celebrity gossip, and funny internet stuff for the week.
DRINK: 7 and 7 - I'm having a resurgence in this cocktail.
EAT: Pequod's Pizza in Chicago - They recently classed it up a little with some remodeling, which lost them some favor in my book, but they do still serve up one helluva slice of 'za.