Gameday Notebook: Bears-Packers; Sky Looking To Clinch Title
Don’t know how much of a notebook this will be, it may be more of a continued screed against short-minded thinking and limited viewing options than anything else…
Before all that, a few words on the Chicago Bears, who are returning to the field in the third quarter against the Packers, who maintained a 10-7 lead going into halftime:
Nothing too distasteful about the first half, the team has been as competitive as you’d like against the Pack. Things definitely could be better, but the team is continuing to do the things that have helped make it successful over the past couple weeks — Khalil Herbert continues to impress and he’s being given a chance to do so because the Bears are running the ball.
Fields is looking like a rookie, nuff said. Time to time there are flashes of his potential brilliance but his overall control of the game is gonna be undermined as long as he has the inconsistent blocking that the team’s front office provided for him. Even more than that, Fields has to simply play more to get the right feel of his abilities in relation to the competition he’s getting at this pro level.
He’ll be fine eventually, those wild downfield throws will be reeled in enough for them to actually hit more often than not and the Bears will see the offensive improvement that it expects from getting this gifted young player, but the Bears offense is in the “Blue Origin” stages of development right now — it can give you a glimpse of space, but it’ll be a while before Bears Nation is kicking it on Mars.
The Sky Quandary
Look to the Sky…where?
As I write this it is 2:02 and on the channel where Game 4 of the WNBA Finals is supposed to be they are still wrapping up an MLS game. That’s a problem.
Meanwhile on ABC, both nationally and on Chicago affiliate ABC-7, reruns of the 30 for 30 miniseries on the ‘86 Mets are airing. That’s definitely a problem.
A little later I’ll go in on why this potential deciding game being bumped from free national TV and overlapping with the Bears game (and the middle of another week of NFL action overall) is a complete insult to the sport of women’s basketball, the WNBA, the and anyone who stood to be inspired by what is becoming one of the best pro sport stories of 2021.
As of now I’ll explain my decision to stay home this afternoon to watch both the Bears and Sky instead of going to the Bears game, which I was credentialed for, or trying to finesse my way into the Sky game, of which I may have been credentialed for but never received a confirmation.
While I take very seriously my newfound status as a credentialed member of the press covering the Bears, I felt obligated to do as much as I can to cover the Sky the rest of this season - I’ve long admired the team, I have several colleagues who have devoted time to covering and supporting the team and its just a fucking great, potentially historic story.
The way that Chicago has responded to this team and how it has packed Wintrust Arena through the last two playoff rounds can tell you all that you need to know about the Sky’s playoff run and its potential as a game-changing moment for both the WNBA and women’s sports in America. Of course, its potential climactic moment being buried on an NFL Sunday very much undercuts all that, but again, I’ll save that for later…
As for my personal dilemma - its not much of one, even though I knew I only had access to one of the events. I could simply have gone to the Bears game and kept up with the Sky online, but the idea of doing that for a potential championship game and likely spending the second half of that game in traffic while trying to rush home didn’t appeal to me.
On the other hand, I could have just gone to the Sky game, but that allowed me to risk the embarrassment of my name not being on “the list” at the door and then realizing just how plugless I am compared to the growing list of celebs who are choosing to be seen at Wintrust for these games.
No, I’d rather sit out both and live out the potential victorious moments at home like I’ve lived through so many in my life, last Sunday’s trio of victories being the most recent highlight as a fan/viewer.
It certainly stings to miss any game or event that you feel you should be at, though, a game or event that you worked your ass off to be at the level to be credentialed for. Part of this also has to do with the feeling that I’ve long held that I had to be everywhere at all times for WARR to be represented appropriately as an outlet. That’s not the case either today — in actuality, Chris Pennant is credentialed for the Sky game under WARR Media. There was no comparable replacement available to sit in at the Soldier Field press box, but it wasn’t for lack of trying.
Either way, I don’t plan on missing any more Bears homes games this season, I’ll even try to make up for missing what should have been my first live Bears/Packers game by traveling up to Wisconsin for the second clash on Dec. 12.
In the meantime, the Bears are still in it with the Pack after their second successful scoring drive (17-14 in the 4th) and the Sky are litarally scrapping to a 25-25 lock with the desparate Mercury. Make that 28-25 Phoenix at the end of the first. Cold blooded shot there, Sophie Cunningham.
My remote is working fine, I’m doing the best I can to observe both these games at once and I’m still pissed that I and so many others had to be put in this situation. But, again, that’ll come later…
Final: 24-14 Packers
The Chicago Sky are the 2021 WNBA Champions
More to come…