The Bears Should Develop Their Own Celebration Moves

...instead of mocking those belonging to Packers' players.  How many more times was Jay Cutler sacked by Clay Matthews after a Bears player mocked his beast move?  Matthews didn't need to do the move again; his attitude was summed up when he nonchalantly examined his fingernails after sacking Cutler yet again.

The Lambeau crowd could be clearly heard chanting "The Bears Still Suck" (although the NFL Network broadcast team ignored it, and they quickly went to a commercial).

A couple years ago, in the run-up to the Superbowl, a Bear mocked Aaron Rodgers' championship belt move after sacking him.  Not long after, B.J. Raji got a pick-six and added his own flourish to the same move.

Taunting is a sign of weakness.  A confident team has no need to publicly disrespect their opponents.  I hope Jay Cutler remembers that the next time he's tempted to spout off and diss the defensive backs that he is about to face.  How'd that work out for you, Jay?

What a Jackass

A student at the U. of Colorado-Boulder paid his tuition in $1 bills as a form of protest against high out-of-state tuition.  Does he believe that Colorado taxpayers should subsidize his education?  Does he think a prospective employer will be impressed by the amount of time and energy he spent inconveniencing other people?  Clearly, he needs to spend more time studying (or working) and less time on useless stunts.

Sam Kennedy, Loser of the Week

The media mentioned today that more than 30 States' Governors (including Wisconsin's own Jim Doyle) received letters calling on them to resign within three days or they would be removed. The letters came from a "group" calling itself the "Guardians of the Free Republics."  The letters were not directly threatening violence, but there was some concern that they might incite violence.  Mostly, they were considered crank letters, although security was somewhat tightened around the nation's statehouses.

When I first read the story, I assumed the letters were a hoax perpetrated by the kind of geek who creates chain e-mails warning of phony computer viruses.  The name "Guardians of the Free Republics" has a vaguely sci-fi/fantasy air about it.  I figured that the geek in question wanted to finally create a hoax that his grandparents would hear about.

However, the letters are now being connected to Texas radio host Sam Kennedy.  The manager of  Republic Broadcasting Network, John Stadtmiller, is not amused.

On Friday afternoon, Mr. Stadtmiller, reached by phone, said, "I talked to Kennedy a half-hour ago and ... I told him I'm getting a lot of heat, that you stirred the pot here, and that your plan for how to deal with the media and let them know what is going on has failed miserably."

Congratulations, Mr. Kennedy.  In a week that saw the arrests of several Midwestern militia wing-nuts plotting to murder police officers in order to spark violent insurrection, you've managed to make right-wing insurrectionists look ridiculous and incompetent again rather than dangerous and scary. 

You know, your letters might have been taken a little more seriously if you hadn't sent them so close to April Fools' Day.  I'm just sayin'.

Real Men of Genius Awards

It's only a matter of time before Bud Light's Real Men of Genius commercial campaign includes a salute to "Mr. Petty-Crime-Documenting YouTube Star."

There are a number of potential muses right here in Wisconsin. The most recent, three teenagers who maxed-out their speedometer at 155 mph outside Verona, will need to wait a few years, since the perpetrators are too young to drink.

My personal favorite is the father-and-son team from Waukesha who stole a taser from the police officer who rescued them from a ditch, then posted a video of the two of them firing the taser at each other. I'll bet they're fans of Reno 911.