Griffey, Bowman... Favre?

Michael Jordan. Scottie Pippen. Bobby Hull. Stan Mikita. Walter Payton. Gale Sayers. Dick Butkus. “Shoeless” Joe Jackson. Frank Thomas. Andre Dawson. Ernie Banks.

Chicago is not “TitleTown USA.”

But the “Second City” takes a backseat to no other location when it comes to great players that have called it home. Chicago would be the first choice to have a “Legend’s Lane” right near the “Magnificent Mile.”

On the last day of July, two more legends joined the list and a third may not be far behind.

Numerous text messages and voicemails vibrated my phone with news that the Chicago White Sox had acquired Ken Griffey Jr. in exchange for relief pitcher Nick Masset and minor league second baseman Danny Richar.


No, Junior Griffey is no longer an elite player but he’ll still look great in black and white. Hitting in the launching pad known as U.S. Cellular Field, Griffey could make a big difference in a tight division race.

Hitting at .245, Griffey can’t possibly be worse than the .214-hitting Paul Konerko. He will take over in center field, thus allowing Nick Swisher to move to first base. With Konerko still on the roster, Ozzie Guillen can give Griffey days off periodically and bring Brian Anderson in late as a defensive replacement.

Griffey also makes the lineup one of the most balanced in the league with three lefties and a switch-hitter. His desire to win a championship before he retires should fit in great with a focused but fun-loving group.

Sitting at 608 career home runs, Griffey will soon pass Sammy Sosa (609). Doing so with the Sox logo on his helmet will thrill fans.

The Chicago Blackhawks welcomed Scotty Bowman into the organization as Senior Advisor of Hockey Operations.

While the NHL’s all-time leader in coaching wins with 1,244 and playoff wins (223) won’t be adding to those totals, it is a great business move to have his name associated with the franchise.


Not only does Bowman know hockey talent, his name still holds great weight around the league. And who knows, should the team get off to a terrible start under Denis Savard, maybe he’ll have a desire to get back behind the bench.

With those Hall of Famers already relocating, another may be joining them.

According to the Milwaukee-Journal Sentinel, the Green Bay Packers are warming to the idea of trading Brett Favre within the NFC North division. Most likely, this means the Minnesota Vikings or Chicago Bears.


I’m as sick of the Favre saga as anyone. Everyday at work for the last 3 weeks, I’ve had to make small 10-second clips of Favre called bumps; using some combination of the same video over-and-over-and-over-and-over-and-over… you get the point.

Now, it just got interesting.

My expectations for the Bears this season can’t be much worse. Somewhere between 2 and 6 wins, while making a serious run at the modern era record for fewest points scored in a season.

But Favre, even at the age of 39 when the season is in full swing, is better than Rex Grossman and Kyle Orton combined. He could potentially vault the Bears into the playoffs and give them a few quality seasons—something no QB has done since before World War II.

The real question for Jerry Angelo is how much better does Favre make the current roster? The team still has no legitimate running back and lacks quality wide receivers. Though it would be fun to see which gets down field faster—Devin Hester or a Favre Hail Mary?

If Angelo doesn’t believe Favre would make a drastic difference then it’s not worth the risk. If the Bears are one of the worst teams in the league, they can land Georgia’s Matthew Stafford or trade the pick for an established signal caller.

It would be very strange seeing Favre in a Bears uniform, but regardless of what transpires I just want the whole thing to end already. It’s no fault of the Packers; they offered Favre $2 million every year for a decade to watch games from his HD-TV at home.

QUICK NOTE: The Bulls currently lack a legend and will have another miserable season because their general manager has no idea what he’s doing. John Paxson overpaid to retain the above-average Luol Deng while the extremely athletic Josh Smith waits for a contract offer. Smith plays better defense and is more athletic than Deng, and appears ready to become a superstar and team leader.

FUNNY SIGHT: As I watched the White Sox beat the Minnesota Twins on FSN North I fell to the ground in laughter when Anderson, Jermaine Dye, A.J. Pierzynski and Jim Thome gave Konerko a standing ovation after a single late in Wednesday’s game to raise his average to .214. Anderson promptly got the ball from the umpire as Konerko stood at first while shaking his head with a smirk on his face. At least in the middle of a pennant race and a big series, they’re still having fun.

For great analysis on the NBA's off-season visit Naismithlives.com