The Daily Tar HeelWednesday, September 13, 19897
Sports
Chicago fans lose big
By MARK ANDERSON
Staff Writer
Some of the hot air went out of the
Windy City this summer. It seems as if
Chicago's sports enthusiasm bubble has
had a slow leak for the last three months.
. After years of losing at everything,
Chicago has finally become a winning
sports town. The fans are starting to get
over the notion that their teams are
actually out to lose games and that any
success is just an accident thatwill be
dealt with immediately.
So while they savored the fact that
the Cubs were in first place (a rarity),
Chicago fans put the Bears and Bulls on
the back burner, only awaiting the
quality seasons sure to follow. But as
soon as they let their guard down, got
complacent as coaches like to say, that
old loser logic ("If it ain't broke, break
ft") struck again.
The reason sports are successful is
because every so often they create a
"feeling." Fans are on a never-ending
search for these highs. They can come
from a victorious moment or a whole
season, but just as often they come
solely from the beauty of the game.
" Chicago fans were robbed this sum
mer of two men who gave them those
"feelings," Doug Collins and Jim
McMahon.
Collins' only crimes were that he
took the Bulls farther than they had
ever been and compiled the best win
ning percentage of any Bulls coach in
history. Bulls' owner Jerry Reinsdorf,
who had obviously been studying at the
Dallas Cowboys Firing Camp, shocked
everyone with first Collins' firing and
then his lack of explanation. "Philo
sophical differences" was the only thing
he could say.
"What? Collins wanted to win and
Reinsdorf didn't?" fans said. It took
several weeks of explaining (by the
press, not the management) to make the
move seem sane. It may actually make
the Bulls a better team.
But the point is, by replacing the
excitable Collins with the laid-back
Phil Jackson, Reinsdorf robbed the fans
of those "feelings." The happiness of
seeing the Bulls beat Cleveland in the
playoffs went to a higher level when
television showed Collins racing around
the court in sheer joy.
He was a public relations darling: a
hometown boy (All-America at Illinois
State), a snappy dresser (he introduced
fish ties to the NBA) and an articulate
speaker (Bulls' biggest endorser be
hind Jordan). He was also young and
energetic (How many coaches could
show at the NBA Old-Timers game
that they could still beat most of their
players one-on-one?).
Collins was a winner outside the
record column, which made it harder
for Chicago to say good-bye.
McMahon's story is similar. His
major crimes were winning 32 of the
last 35 games he started for the Bears
and leading them to a Super Bowl vic
tory. Coach Mike Ditka's only remarks
on the trade hardly satisfied anyone.
"Jim can still play championship
football. I really think he needs a change
of scenery. I think he needs to get away
from Mike Ditka," said Ditka.
That kind of evidence makes it even
harder to rationalize the trade. Eventu
ally, the facts and figures guys ex
plained that McMahon probably would
have left after this year and both parties
will be better off this way. But McMa
hon was more than just a name in the
transactions column.
Leaving plenty of shell-shocked
Mormons in his wake, he stepped off
AP Top 25
Last
Week
1
2
3
4
5
8
10
9
7
11
14
17
13
23
19
Record
1. Notre Dame (37) 1-0-0
2. Michigan (15) 0-0-0
3. Miami, Fla. (5) 1-0-0
4. Nebraska (3) 1-0-0
5. Auburn 1-0-0
; 6. Oklahoma 2-0-0
7. Clemson 2-0-0
8. Colorado 2-0-0
9. Arkansas 0-0-0
10. Illinois 1-0-0
11. Syracuse 1-0-0
''. 1 2. West Virginia 2-0-0
1 3. Southern Cal 0-1 -0
14. Pittsburgh 2-0-0
15. Washington 1-0-0
16. Alabama 0-0-0
17. Tennessee 2-0-0
.18. Houston 1-0-0
19. N.C. State 2-0-0
"20. UCLA" - 0-1-0
21 . Louisiana State 0-1 -0
22. Texas A&M 1-1-0
23. Washington State2-0-0
24. Iowa 0-0-0
25. Mississippi State 2-0-0
Points
1,463
1,440
1,360
1,303
1.249
1,121
1,073
1,065
1,035
953
900
713
647
598
514
508
492
470
394
365
310
168
157
135
120
T"
Legal Problems ?
call
OrrinRobbins
Attorney at Law
968-1825
Ha
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the plane as a brash rookie with a full
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head of hair. Soon, he lost the hair and
added a headband and a distinctly
unquarterback-like flair for throwing
his body around. Then came head butts
with his lineman, an earring and a Super
Bowl ring.
But most of all, he spoke his mind
and acted from his heart. In a sports
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with Collins, McMahon departures
with drugs and deception,
It was sad to
he was a refreshing presence. Unlike
many outspoken figures, he rarely hurt
others with his actions; more often,
they were an inspiration. He was a
constant at charity events and usually
served to fire the Bears up rather than
disrupt them. His impact on the team
was immeasurable.
small way. The 1985 Bears would have
been fan favorites if they had finished
8-8 because they were one of the most
exciting combinations of personalities
football has ever seen.
Yet, it seems as though Ditka has
slowly dismantled that squad by re
moving those who would steal the
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see him go in such a
spotlight from him. McMahon mav have
been Ditka's final triumph.
But no matter what he does, Ditka
will never be able to be what McMahon
was: the soul of the Bears in the 1980s.
Fortunately, Chicago fans were able
to give back some of those "feelings"
McMahon gave them over the years.
When he returned to Soldier Field as a
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Charger, he was the center of what
Sports Illustrated called "a giant love
in. So as two "feelings" ceased to be
felt by Chicago fans this year, the search
continues. Where will the next one
come from? Who knows? Maybe the
Cubs will finally win the pennant ...
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