The recent news of Jay Cutler’s injury, which will likely sideline him for the rest of the regular season, has hella bummed me out. I do my best not to take athletics too seriously because in the grand scheme of things the winner or loser of a game isn’t that big of a deal when one considers the other maladies of society. But alas Cutler’s injury, and the diminishing hopes of the Bears’ playoff chances got me down.

Cutler has pulled off the possible during his brief tenure in Chicago: he has made the Bears a legit passing threat for the first time since Sid Luckman was taking snaps during the Franklin Roosevelt administration.

I am a Jay Cutler fan. As a matter of fact I was wearing his jersey today while I was traveling from Arizona to Santa Rosa, CA. I didn’t get a lot of compliments for the jersey but the guy that served me my lunch at Wendy’s offered his condolences for the Bears loss of their starting quarterback.

Cutler is polarizing, not as much as Tim Tebow, for somewhat vague reasons. I assume that the disdain towards Cutler is that he comes across as aloof and many folks think that he is the new millennium’s Jeff George.

…in ESPN The Magazine’s 2009 NFL preview mentioned the uncanny comparisons between Cutler and George: two can’t-miss, Hoosier-born QBs with golden arms and rotten ‘tudes. Then, in December, former Ravens coach Brian Billick mentioned that Cutler, who led the league in picks, was starting to feel a little “Jeff George-ish.” Pretty soon everyone was wondering if Jay Cutler was indeed the reincarnation of Jeff George, the No. 1 pick overall in 1990 whose attitude and leadership led him to three winning seasons in 12 years with five different teams. – David Fleming of ESPN.com, 10/28/2010

DavidPatrickCastro.net is a Pro-Jeff George website.  As of 11/23/2011 I have nine Jeff George based postings on this blog. To put that in perspective my favorite band is Oasis, I have been a fan since 1995 and I own approximately 30 of their CD’s, and the lads from Manchester only have five postings dedicated to their former glory.

I am a devoted fan of Jeff George and even though he is in his 40′s I still hold onto hope that he will resurrect his NFL career. Last season I wanted the AZ Cardinals to take a chance on Jeff George because their QB carousel had less talent the former first pick of the 1990 NFL Draft.  This season the Bears unfortunately find themselves in a similar quagmire as the aforementioned Cardinals during  their 2010 campaign: Both teams are QB challenged and George could be the savior of a floundering offense.

Yes, I realize that Jeff George will be 44 next month but he is a savvy veteran with something to prove and a recent workout film shows that he can still make all the throws.

But maybe I am delusional and my admiration is too strong because I have based my being a fan of the former University Illinois QB on his domination in Madden. In Madden franchise mode my offense is loosely based on the Oakland Raiders’ Vertical Stretch and with the vertical game you need a strong armed QB and Jeff George fulfilled that requirement. That and he was always cheap and great for the salary cap. So like Bo Jackson in Tecmo Bowl my view of Jeff George is somewhat askew because he dominated a video game.

But having Jeff George replace the injured Cutler would of course be quite ironic. Like I mentioned before, with the aid of David Fleming, Cutler has been compared to George on numerous occasions and these comparisons are in a negative manner.  I believe that both signal callers are extremely talented and blessed with skills that most of their peers lack. Unfortunately both QB’s are have stigmas that have tainted their respective careers and give them the persona that they are gifted malcontents that will never fulfill their prodigious wares.

But like I mentioned ad nauseum I am fan of both QBs and I believe that Jeff George is a viable replacement in the interim  for the Bears as they wait for Cutler’s triumphant return. Of course George resurrecting his career in Chicago is a pipe dream and I know that the Bears are calling in Caleb Hanie to fill in while Cutler heals.  Sadly George has a bad reputation to many pundits and coaches alike but one has to admire a guy who put together a video to showcase his talents, despite his age and lack of prior interest in NFL circles. Simply put I would like to see a team, preferably Chicago, take a chance on George. Yes, I realize that he was once thought of as a malcontent and that he was quoted as saying, “That leadership stuff is overrated.” But I think he has matured as a player and we need to put that sideline argument in 1996, with head coach June Jones, behind us. It’s been over a decade and unfortunately that is how George is perceived. As a fan of George I hope he gets one more shot, whether it’s with Chicago or even with a UFL franchise. It’s time to forgive George for past mistakes and realize that he wants to play. Now he just needs an opportunity from a squad that needs a QB, like my beloved Chicago Bears.

Last night I went to the Montreal Canadiens vs. Phoenix Coyotes game and in the process I knocked off another task on my bucket list.  Also I recently listened to Noel Gallagher’s solo endeavor, which was another facet of my Bucket List, so I need to revise my original list.

• Seeing my namesake graduate from The U or USC. Essentially any school besides my beloved Nevada.  Like any father, I want a better life for my child. Specifically I want him to go to a college with a better football team. Except Penn State, which is coached by pederasts.
• The Super Bowl. Regardless of teams involved, except the 49ers.
• MLB Playoffs. The Cubs picked up Theo Epstein recently, so in theory I may get the opportunity to see them in the playoffs. I am doing my best to be optimistic.
• NBA Slam Dunk Competition
• Tiger Woods playing in a Major. Tiger has not been Tiger since his marital fiasco but he may be the most dominate athlete of my lifetime. Yes, I consider golfers athletes, except Craig Stadler.
• Daytona 500 and the August race at Bristol.
• Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. I have seen them three times. At San Francisco (Jerry Rice Day, which was the low point of my life) Arizona (The Devin Hester Game, which was the greatest sporting event I have seen in person) and at Oakland.
• The Nevada Wolf Pack in a Men’s NCAA Tournament basketball game. The Pack is rebuilding so it could be a few years until they qualify for The Dance.
• The Wolf Pack in a bowl game. Hopefully without Coach Ault at the helm.
• Revisit London, Amsterdam and Dublin from my study abroad odyssey. Due to excesses of every kind I have a vague recollection of being in Europe and studying Art History and English Literature.
• Visit Graceland. It always time to TCB in Memphis, TN.
• See the NFL Draft.
• Marion Motley getting the statue and recognition he deserves at the University of Nevada.
• MLB retiring Roberto Clemente’s number 21.
• A bowling league championship. I didn’t spend three-semesters in bowling class at Nevada for no reason.
• See New York City. Convenient since my main man Our Kid resides there.
• Visit all the locations that Dazed and Confused was filmed at in Austin, Texas.
• Visit the Astrodome and Olympic Stadium. This will be difficult because the Astrodome has been open to visitors since Hurricane Katrina.
• See a Montreal Canadiens game in Montreal. Last night’s game was cool and the realization of a long held dream but there were very few Habs fans in attendance. I’d like the opportunity to be amongst my peers. I use the term peers loosely since I am not Canadian but I feel there is a cosmic connection among fans of the same team.

According to Randy Moss’ agent the 34-year old wide receiver is in “freakish shape”.

“He is determined, motivated and quite frankly has a huge chip on his shoulder. Whatever team ends up getting Randy, they’re going to know they’re getting the old Randy Moss,” Moss’ agent Joel Segal told NFL.com. “He’s not just coming in to be on the team, he’s going to be Randy Moss — a difference maker.”

It has been noted a few times on this website that I want the Chicago Bears to make a run at the soon to be unemployed wide receiver. The Bears need some height to augment their vertically challenged receiving corps. If Moss comes to training camp in shape and motivated for one final contract, he’s 34, then the Bears get an outstanding wide receiver.

One must remember that a motivated Moss stretched the field for the two greatest offenses in the history of the NFL in the Super Bowl era. In 2007 the New England Patriots set an NFL record when they averaged 36.81 points per game and the 1998 Minnesota Vikings were second all-time when they average 34.75 ppg.

I am not saying that the Bears would be getting the younger Moss that was a defensive coordinator’s nightmare. What I am saying is that they have the opportunity to enhance their depth chart with a known commodity that is motivated. In reality he won’t be the Randy Moss of old, despite the best intentions of his agent, but he can help the Bears in a very competitive NFC North

I am a Chicago Bears fan. I’ve been one since my inception in Evergreen Park, Illinois (also the hometown of The Unabomber) in April of 1978. In my 33-years the Bears have had two legit quarterbacks: Jim McMahon (whose career wasn’t a total triumph because of constant injuries) and Jay Cutler, the Bears current signal caller.

It’s safe to say that Cutler is the best Bears’ QB since Sid Luckman, who was at the helm for the Monsters of the Midway from 1939 – 1950, and as a result I am big fan of the former Vandy Commodore. He has thrown for 3,000 yards in each of his two-season in Chicago and has thrown a total of 42-touchdowns. Those may not seem like staggering numbers when compared to his peers. But keep in mind I lived through the Cade McNown and Rex Grossman eras.

This past Christmas I ordered a Cutler jersey from Shanghai. It was a good price, though there were some language issues in our communiqué. But alas the jersey showed up and it was a size XL. I am 5’8” and 170 pound and wear a size medium. I really couldn’t send it back to China so my Uncle got a surprise Christmas gift.

I was bummed out about it. I support Cutler, even after the NFC Championship Game debacle, and he is my QB in Madden Franchise Mode but I didn’t have his number six in my closet. (*Random Tangent: Cutler may have replaced Jeff George as my favorite Madden QB. This is due to the simple fact that George, as great as he was, hasn’t taken an NFL snap since 2001 and as a result he isn’t in Madden 11. It hurt to replace George but he will always have a soft place in my heart. He is my prototype QB and all others are measured against him.)

For my birthday I ordered another Cutler jersey, from another vaguely reputable website in Asia, and the results were equally confounding. They sent me a jersey in the right size but it was 3” too long. Testing my loyalty to Cutler and the Bears the jersey is currently at an alterations shop in the West Valley getting a few inches cut off. Let’s hope this works because I really don’t want to get another Cutler jersey. Two is enough

I saw a recent headline that indicated that the Chicago Bears were interested in Moss. It turns out the article was referring to Washington wide receiver Santana Moss and not Randy Moss.

 Needless to say I was quite bummed by this development because, like I have mentioned on a few occasions, I want the Bears to pursue Randy Moss. It seems unlikely that they will go after him but a guy can dream. I also need to realize that running an NFL team is not the same as Madden Franchise mode.

Happiness
More or less
It’s just a change in me
Something in my liberty
Oh, my, my
Happiness
Coming and going
I watch you look at me
Watch my fever growing
I know just where I am
But how many corners do I have to turn?
How many times do I have to learn
All the love I have is in my mind? – Verve “Lucky Man”

Since I can remember I have always maintained a depressed demeanor. Clinically speaking I suffer from severe depression and this diagnosis seems apt. I can’t explain why I am such a downer but the sad reality of this matter is that I am perpetually bummed out.

 It makes no sense why I am perpetually sad. I have a good life. I have a lovely wife and a beautiful son. I have a career that pays the rent and I even write on my blog when the mood suits me. Simply put, I live a good life. I am healthy, despite smoking and never exercising. We have a lovely home in a nice neighborhood. Each Sunday I am free to go to the movie of my choice to relax (last week was X-Men First Class and then the Hangover 2). If I wish I could join a bowling league and use those three-semesters of bowling I took at the University of Nevada. I get to go to Arizona Cardinals and Phoenix Coyotes games when I wish.

 But despite all of the aforementioned blessings (and there are others that I won’t bore you with)I am bummed out, sad and down. It needs to stop. I need to make a conscious effort to focus on the good as opposed to the bad and I need to realize that, like Richard Ashcroft said, “I am a lucky man.”

 I think part of my sadness is my sense of isolation. “Alone with everybody,” like Charles Bukowski said. I am gone 12-hours a day. I leave the house at 5:45 a.m. and get back home at 6:00, Monday through Friday. My work day consists of a 112-mile commute on the 101 and then 8 hours in the cubicle. I am away from my family 60-hours a week and when I get home I bum around, eat dinner and I am sleeping by 9. There aren’t many opportunities to relax with my wife or play with my son during the week.

 Despite all the good things in my life I can’t function without heavy doses of Efexor, my anti-depressant of choice. Without it I am doomed. One would think that psychiatric drugs geared towards combating depression would make the patient happier. But they help me function and don’t make me happier.

 I think it’s my outlook on life that has lead to my perpetual doom & gloom. I am pessimistic by nature and the glass is not half empty, it’s just empty. I have the unfortunate tendency to focus on the negative in all of my actions and as a result I stay down. My Mother always taught me to expect the worst, because anything less than the worst is a good thing, and as a result I see a lot of doom and gloom on a daily basis. I head to work and I assume my car will break down. I get to work and I assume that I’ll be fired. Cramp in my calf and I have a blood clot. Coughing more than usual and I have lung cancer. This mindset is heavy and weighs me down but I can find victories if something moderately goes my way.

 Another reason that I am down all the time is because I was raised as a Chicago Cubs fan. They’re loveable losers and in my lifetime they have broken my heart a few times. In the 1989 NLCS they were dominated by the San Francisco Giants. My disdain for the Giants stems from that defeat. 2003 the Cubs were about to knock off the Marlins and head the World Series but choked it all away. On top of all that their best player, Sammy Sosa, likely used PED’s and bleaches his skin.

The Cubs are doomed. They haven’t won a World Series since 1908. It’s been 103-years of futility and that weighs me down. Being raised as a Cubs fan get you used to disappointment and even when they’re winning (Steve Bartman and 2003) you know that fate will damn them to lose again. There is no upside to being a Cubs fan except it gets you used to losing and handling defeat.

 But not every team I root for are doomed to the bottom of the standings. The Nevada Wolf Pack football team finished 11^th in the AP rankings last season. The Chicago Bears played in the NFC Championship Game. I’ve seen Nevada men’s basketball ranked as high as 11 in the AP and in 2004 they made a run to the Sweet Sixteen. The Montreal Canadiens have made the Stanley Cup playoffs the last two-years. Juan Pablo-Montoya is 15^th in the latest NASCAR Sprint Cup standings.

These are some good things in my life. And most importantly I have a lovely wife and a beautiful son. Yes life can deal me a crappy cards, making me 5’8” with abnormally small hands with the attention span of a jack rabbit on meth, but those are minor setbacks when compared to what I truly have and cherish.

In a prior post I wanted the Chicago Bears to make a run at wide receiver Randy Moss to bolster their vertically challenged receiving roster. The Bears current depth chart at wide receiver has four wide receivers listed and they top off at 6’0”.

• Johnny Knox 6’0”
• Earl Bennett 6’0”
• Devin Hester 5’11”
• Rashied Davis 5’9”

Because of the recent labor issue free agency and the rest of the NFL is shut down but there will be a few veteran receivers over the Bears current six feet reach once the league starts up again. Randy Moss, Terrell Owens and the recently released Plaxico Burress should be available to the highest bidder.

• Randy Moss 6’4” age 34
• Terrell Owens 6’3” age 37
• Plaxico Burress 6’5” age 33

Beyond lacking height the Bears lacked a legit big play threat. Both Knox and Hester are speed burners that can stretch the field but they are not legitimite number one receivers. Either of the three tall wideouts could bolster the Bears young depth chart.

Of course each of the aforementioned wide receivers carries baggage to one degree or another. Moss burned multiple bridges and ended up playing with three-teams last season. Burress just got out of prison after serving nearly two-years on a weapons related charge. Owens has been diva throughout his career and at 37 he may not be the same receiver he used to be.

If the Bears did roll the dice on any of the three they would be there to augment the depth chart and to give Jay Cutler taller options in the red zone. The Bears ended up one game short of the Super Bowl so there isn’t much that needs to be fixed, besides the offensive line.
David Patrick Castro

DavidPatrickCastro.net

“You’re never a loser until you quit trying.” – Coach Ditka

Last night, my beloved Montreal Canadiens fell to the Boston Bruins 3-2 in overtime and were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It is a sad state of affairs for the sports world in a Life In The DPC because I haven’t rooted for a champion since the Habs won the Stanley Cup in 1993.

I have a hodge podge of teams that I hold dear and collectively they have put together some good seasons since I have been a fan of them but they have been unable to win it all in quite some time. I am not a frontrunner and as a result my teams are each in their own championship drought.

• Montreal Canadiens: Twenty-four time Stanley Cup Champions. Last Championship was 1993
• Chicago Cubs: Two-time World Series Champions. Last title was in 1908
• Chicago Bears: Nine-time World Champions. Last title was in 1985
• University of Nevada: No NCAA Championships. Men’s Basketball made it the Sweet Sixteen in 2004 and the 2010 football team finished 11^th in the AP.
• Phoenix Suns: No Championships. Two trips to the NBA Finals

Rooting for a losing team probably builds character or at the very least shows some dedication when times are tough. I really can’t complain though because my teams are usually competitive. In 2010 the Habs, Bears, Wolf Pack (football) all had good showings.

The Habs made the playoffs and pushed it to a Game 7 in the first round and that final contest went into overtime before they fell to the Bruins. The Bears played in the NFC Title Game this season and were in the Super Bowl in 2006. The Wolf Pack finished their 2010 campaign with their highest ranking ever and knocked off Boise State in the process.

I really don’t know what I would do if one of my squads pulled off a championship season. When the Nevada Men’s basketball squad had they’re great run in the previous decade, NCAA Tournament appearances from 2004-2007 and being ranked No. 10 in the AP Poll in February 2007, I was on Cloud Nine and was prouder than usual to have graduated from Nevada. I searched all news sources for coverage, which was the Reno Gazette Journal and the occasional ESPN.com blurb, and spent most of my days consumed with following them.

Of course I spend a good amount of time following my respective squads and most of my outside interests are sports, so in reality there is no difference for me when rooting for a good or bad team. I follow each my with the same amount of verve.

My dream to have my favorite team, the Chicago Bears, sign much maligned wide receiver Randy Moss has taken a turn for the worse.

Courtesy of ESPN.com
“If you’re asking me where my heart and where I’m happy is, I love playing with Tom Brady. I love being coached by Bill Belichick,” Moss said Wednesday on KFAN 1130-AM in Minneapolis.

Of course this could just be some hubris by Moss as he seems to forget that the Pats dumped him and went out on an 11-1 run to end the regular season. I know he loves the Pats, because they resurrected his career after the doldrums of his Oakland Raiders campaign, but to assume that they would sign him up is a misguided notion. The Pats rarely make personnel mistakes, this is proven by three Super Bowl wins in the salary cap era, and it seems unlikely that they would recant on dumping Moss.

Do I believe that Moss can contribute to an NFL squad? Of course I do but I want him to do it while wearing blue and orange.