Column: 15 things in sports to think about as we wrap up a terrible year

As bad as this year has been, there’s still plenty of time for it to get worse.

So as we count down the weeks to the end of 2024, here are a few things to think about as we strike the strings.

1. Should the Bears hire? the Garrett hook plan for quarterback Caleb Williams and let him play one quarter every week before sitting him out for the final three quarters to protect his arm, legs and the rest of his body parts? Might be worth watching since the season is already a failure.

2. Former New England coach Bill Belichick torn in the bears after their brutal loss to his former team: “They can’t protect, they can’t move the ball, they can’t score points. In Chicago, they have this all-star quarterback, these all-star receivers, the greatest skill players in the history of football. And the offensive line is a problem. They can’t run the ball, they can’t protect.”

Sounds like a perfect candidate to replace Matt Eberflus.

3. No matter how bad the Bulls are, they are much more interesting to look at.

Last year they averaged 11.5 three-pointers per game, fourth-worst in the NBA. Going into Wednesday’s game against the New York Knicks, they are making an average of 15.3 3s per game and rank sixth in the league. It’s true that they allow 120.2 points per game, which is fourth-worst, while turnovers of 16.0 per game put them sixth from last.

Every possession is an adventurebut you cannot turn away. We’re all rubberneckers on the Bulls highway to a playground.

4. Former Blackhawks star Jeremy Roenick had one of the great Hall of Fame speeches of all time Monday, telling a story about how he went to the bathroom the night he was drafted and stood at a urinal next to Hawks coach Mike Keenan.

“Mike says to me, ‘Do you have balls, boy?’ I said ‘yes, enough to play for you’. Thank God he didn’t look over the partition. But I thank him for bringing out the toughness in me.”

That’s gold, Jeremy.

5. In light of the end of NBC Sports Chicago after September, Comcast will issue an $8.85 credit to its customers who pay $19.20 per month for the regional sports fee. That still means we’re paying $10.35 for two channels: the fifth biggest Big Ten football game airing Saturdays on the Big Ten Network and replays of Cubs games on Marquee Sports Network.

Not worth it.

6. Not to sound redundant, but Pat McAfee might be the dumbest sports analyst on ESPN since Rush Limbaugh.

7. Boxing legend Mike Tyson fights Jake Paul Friday on Netflixa battle between a 58-year-old former champion and a YouTube star/actor. Everyone goes to watch because it is not pay-per-view, but part of the Netflix subscription.

Be careful, folks. The possibility of losing brain cells just watching this fight is real.

8. How many more Dallas Cowboys games Should we watch before the networks realize it’s not worth watching on first viewing?

9. The Los Angeles Angels signed Kyle Hendricks for $2.5 million, That is chicken feed according to today’s standards.

The White Sox could have helped their young staff immensely by landing Hendricks at that price, even if he was likely to be dealt at the trade deadline. Instead, they’ll probably bring back Mike Clevinger just to spite their fans.

10. Those mini commercials on CHSN Promoting smaller neighborhood connections in the city is the best thing about the network so far.

11. San Francisco 49ers linebacker Nick Bosa was fined $11,255 by the NFL for wearing a MAGA hat while crashing a TV interview, which is pathetic considering former Bears quarterback Jim McMahon was fined $5,000 nearly 40 years ago for wearing an Adidas headband.

McMahon’s salary in 1985 was only $650,000. Bosa signed a five-year deal worth $170 million last year. No wonder Bosa said it was “worth it.”

12. Thanksgiving at the Rickettses on the North Shore should be live-streamed this year so we can watch siblings Laura Ricketts and Todd Ricketts discuss the election results.

13. Getting fired after nine games doesn’t sound like a good opportunity former Bears offensive coordinator Shane Waldronbut it’s still five more games than Clevinger threw for the Sox this year.

14. Kudos to White Sox manager Will Venable for agreeing to let Grady Sizemore remain on the coaching staff, despite the fact that many Sox players wanted Sizemore to remain as manager.

15. Embarrassed to admit it I got drunk just thinking about it Shaboozey plays during halftime of the Bears-Detroit Lions game on Thanksgiving.