Thank God it's almost over...

Source: NBC Sports

It's been a miserable year, at least if you're a Cubs fan.

Going in, we all knew it would be bad. Many of the stars from the last 10 years such as Aramis Ramirez, Derrek Lee, Carlos Zambrano, Sammy Sosa are long gone, either retired or shipped off to other destinations. The division winning years  of 2007 and 2008, not to mention the 2003 season where where the Cubs were an Alex Gonzalez error and five outs away from their first World Series since 1945, are distant memories.

No, with the new regime of Theo Epstein and company, it was going to be a rebuilding year, and no promises were made. Sure, we still have Alfonso Soriano roaming left field at Wrigley Field, but he never lived up to the promises of the 8-year, $126 million contract he signed before the 2007 season that has him making $18 million a year now through 2014. That fact alone scared off any trade prospects unwilling to take on even part of that salary, even with him having 29 HR and 101 RBIs following Tuesday's 3-1 loss to the Reds.

That has led to the Cubs not being able to draw 3 million fans to Wrigley Field for the first time since 2003, according to the Chicago Tribune. Besides a dreadful 58-90 mark with 13 games left (nine of them at home) that in a normal year would have left them in last place (see the Houston Astros, who won't even be around to beat up on as they move to the AL West), the Cubs kept the third highest average ticket price in the majors at $46.30, behind the Red Sox ($53.38) and the Yankees ($51.55).

Will things improve in 2013? The Cubs' youth movement showed some signs of life. 1B Anthony Rizzo, called up mid-season from AAA Iowa, has hit nearly for a nearly .300 average and 14 HR in just 73 games. SS Starlin Castro kept up his hot career, hitting about .280 after leading the NL in hits (207) last year. The rise earned him his big contract last month as he signed a 7-year, $60 million extension. And his double play partner, 2B Darwin Barney, has been consistent as well.

Is Epstein the genius everyone says he is? It's a game of wait and see as year 104 since the 1908 World Series champs ends without another title.

Remembering Steve Sabol (1942-2012)

Source: DailyInterview.net

As somebody who grew up on NFL Films and still likes watching them today, it was sad news when it was announced that its president Steve Sabol had died this morning of brain cancer. He was 69 years old.

The work of Sabol, who took over as president of NFL Films in 1985, included greatly helping to expand the game of football to a new generation after starting out at the company as a camera operator. He continued the tradition of the Football Follies, including several starring comedian Jonathan Winters. Over the course of 50 years, he kept the film and video record of the league as it grew into the behemoth it is today.

Simply put, Steve Sabol will be missed.

Another 'This is SportsCenter' winner

For however many years they've been doing the spots (at least since the days of Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann), ESPN's "This is SportsCenter" spots have consistently been among the funniest commercials on television (with the Y2K parody featuring Charley Steiner the leading contender for the best one of the bunch).

Recently, they scored another winner, this time with football analyst John Clayton.

Iowa fans party in Chicago

Iowa football fans have a reputation for being hard partiers, and they brought that rep with them to Chicago this past weekend for the Hawkeyes' game against Northern Illinois at Soldier Field. A grandmother-type woman partied hard against the Hawks squeaked out an 18-17 win over the Huskies, taking a 24-ounce beer bong in her fan before being driven off. (Thanks to SI.com's Hot Clicks for the link.)

Is Brian Urlacher ready?

Source: Sports Grind Entertainment

"It's nobody's business."

That was the response of Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher to a question on ESPN Radio 1000 's Waddle and Silvy this morning in response to whether he had secret surgery on his knee in Germany during the offseason. The knee has been a source of constant problems for the 12-year veteran during this training camp, even causing speculation that he is washed up and the Bears need to replace him.

Let's start with that speculation: Despite the argument of the Sun-Times' Rick Telander that the Bears could have cut him before Sunday's season opener against the Colts, he needs to hang around, even if he isn't the same guy he was five years ago. He still plays hard. He is still the leader of a highly ranked defense, and he still contributes in much of the same way he has in the same tradition of great Bears middle linebackers going from Bill George to Dick Butkus to Mike Singletary.

He has been cleared to play by the Bears' medical staff. Even if he was blowing smoke on Waddle and Silvy by saying the sunburn he got the other day while out boating hurts more than his knee, he still knows his body better than anyone out there. There is a certain amount of trust one has to give a player to know when to say to when.

Plus, despite the good play of Nick Roach in his absence and the coverage of Lance Briggs, Urlacher still provides that spark that powers the Bears' defense. No Urlacher, and the Bears start falling even more than they did at the end of last season.

That said, the Bears' brain trust should perhaps bring Urlacher along a little slowly to start the season. If the Bears wind up blowing out the hapless Colts Sunday at Soldier Field, then he should be the first player to leave the game early. This will keep him fresh and ready for the big games, including the Thursday nighter in Green Bay on September 13.

The Bruce Lee bobblehead has no fear...

This might arguably be the best promotion of the baseball season.

Courtesy of the San Francisco Giants, it will be Bruce Lee Tribute Night this upcoming Tuesday for their game against the Diamondbacks at AT&T Park.

Break out the tissues...

Videos of reunions of returning soldiers and their loved ones always are something special to see. This is one of the latest, featuring a soldier returning home from Afghanistan and providing a surprise for his mother, courtesy of the Greenville (NC) Drive, a Single A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox in the South Atlantic League.