Muller: 2011 -- The Year of The Paper Champion
2011 was the year of the "paper champion" in professional sports, and I have to admit, I have enjoyed watching every moment of each collapse.
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2011 was the year of the "paper champion" in professional sports, and I have to admit, I have enjoyed watching every moment of each collapse.
Who deserves the chance to face the Tigers for a chance to hoist the crystal ball come January? Well, that is the million dollar question.
Don't blame the owners for the lack of professional basketball in the middle of November. Don't blame the players for nixing the latest offer earlier this week, thus extending the delay until at least mid-December, and quite possibly, until the 2012-13 season.
I'm sorry that all the pro-Ryno Cubs fans aren't going to get their wish, but it is time to put the Kleenex box away and start putting a little more faith and trust towards Epstein and his crew.
Instead of getting excited to watch the defending league MVP Derrick Rose and his Bulls comrades begin their march towards redemption, I was stuck moping around my apartment while my wife watched re-runs of Sex and the City and whatever "breaking news" in the ever-important Kris Humphries Kim Kardashian divorce "saga" was becoming public knowledge.
$2,000 in extra spending money for student athletes, huh? I can live with that.
The NCAA conducted over 80 interviews, four former players admitted to receiving improper benefits, and Cecil Newton came clean about shopping his son to the highest-bidder (roughly $200,000) for his football services. Then, 13 long months later, the boobs in Indianapolis could find no wrongdoing by Auburn University?
The Big Ten has been classified as being "weak" for a couple of years now, and I for one, am getting tired of hearing about it.
NBA commissioner Davis Stern has drawn a line in the sand.
"Pathetic" is the only word to describe the collapse of the Boston Red Sox. And they won't get any sympathy from Chicago Cubs fans.
Any college football fan on the planet knows that none of the crap these bowl executives from the Fiesta Bowl and the Sugar Bowl would exist if the BCS system was scrapped in favor of a playoff system.
Before the college football season began, I felt that Ron Zook and his University of Illinois football team had the most to prove in the Big Ten in 2011.
I don't know if the pressure of being the head coach at Notre Dame is already getting to you or what, but your act is getting really old, really fast.
With college football starting last weekend and the NFL officially getting underway last night up in Green Bay, we are nearing that time of year when we put away the shorts and flip-flops and begin preparations for another cold and miserable winter in the Windy City.
For as much as it pains me to say so, I believe the defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers will -- once again -- be the class of the NFC in 2011.
Since Forte entered the league, statistically, he is one of the top five running backs in the NFL yet, he is only due to make a little over $500,000 this season. He has proved his worth on the field and should be paid like it.
No two players trying to make their NFL dreams come true this season epitomize these polar ends of the spectrum more than Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton and Oakland Raiders quarterback Terrelle Pryor.
Everywhere you look, it seems like more and more children are giving up their only shot at being kids, for hopes of stardom on the playing field.
Scout.com's Allen Trieu took a moment to discuss the recruiting landscape for Illinois and Northwestern and the top prep talent in the Chicago area.
It's no secret the Bears have some holes to fill, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. Who do you want to see the Bears sign?
Tuesday July 12th, 2011, should go down as one of the best days ever for baseball lovers in the Brew City, and I must admit, as a lifetime member of the long suffering Cubs Nation...it stings.
In my 31 years on this planet, I have witnessed some pretty entertaining sporting events.
Former University of Illinois basketball star Deron Williams may just become a trend setter with NBA basketball players IF the NBA lockout lasts for an extended period of time.
If you are a professional athlete and you were associated with Canadian Dr. Anthony Galea in the past, you are probably feeling a little uneasy right about now.
Well, it is now the beginning of July and the NFL owners and the current players are still trying to agree to terms on a new collective bargaining agreement that would end what has become a ridiculous standoff between the two sides.
A $7 billion project is breaking ground at the United Center on Wednesday.
A car was found after it was stolen with a 1-year-old inside early Wednesday morning.
Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza announced her campaign for Mayor of Chicago on Wednesday morning.
Three people were rescued from a house fire in Chicago's Roseland neighborhood early Wednesday morning.
It's been nearly two years since Chicago's ShotSpotter contract expired, and the city has yet to find a replacement.
The Supreme Court cleared the way for Alabama to use a House map that is more favorable to Republicans, despite a lower court finding that the plan intentionally discriminated against Black voters.
This Pride Month, a first-of-its-kind change is under way in Chicago, as Mayor Brandon Johnson has made his director of LGBTQ+ affairs an executive-level position.
"We are not moving forward with the fund. Period," Blanche told House lawmakers.
In an exceptionally rare move Tuesday, U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros published a "special report" containing the transcript of a nearly four-minute speech he gave to a grand jury in October that would go on to indict the "Broadview Six" later that day.
An Illinois law banning "swipe fees" on taxes and tips — already delayed twice by lawmakers — appears to be on life support after a federal judge that once permitted it issued a permanent injunction against it this week.
An Illinois law banning "swipe fees" on taxes and tips — already delayed twice by lawmakers — appears to be on life support after a federal judge that once permitted it issued a permanent injunction against it this week.
A new study from the Cook County Treasurer's office underlines growing concerns about the impact the Illinois megaprojects bill could have on the county's property tax base and overall fiscal health.
As thousands of Chicagoans wrap up road trips over the Memorial Day holiday weekend, gas prices in the city have reached the highest levels seen in four years.
Consumer and environmental advocates said Monday that they found overcharges buried in the most recent rate-hike request by Nicor.
One week away from Memorial Day weekend and the unofficial start of the summer travel season, with gas prices remaining high, negotiations were set to resume Monday at the largest oil refinery in the Midwest.
While 330 Ebola infections are confirmed in central Africa and huge challenges remain, hundreds more suspected cases "have been cleared out," the WHO says.
June is World Infertility Awareness Month, and Northwestern Medicine on Monday shared the story of a woman who is celebrating the birth of her second child after a tumor disrupted her fertility.
The Centennial Park Aquatic Center in the southwest Chicago suburb of Orland Park has been closed to the public after two recent cases of E. coli infection.
Menopause can feel like a major turning point for millions of women, with symptoms like fatigue, weight gain, and brain fog can make women feel like their bodies aren't their own.
The head of the World Health Organization says Ebola has killed at least 7 people in Congo, but the U.N. agency says it knows the epidemic "is much larger."
The owners of Gene & Georgetti steakhouse are suing a concessions operator over their expansion at Midway International Airport.
DraftKings announced Monday that it is closing its sportsbook operation at Wrigley Field after only about two years.
After more than 80 years, there will be no Ann Sather restaurant location in the 900 block of West Belmont Avenue in Chicago's Lakeview community, effective in June.
Flight attendants at Chicago-based United Airlines have approved a new labor contract, marking their first pay increases in six years.
The Chicago Fire FC announced Wednesday morning that its new stadium in the South Loop will be named McDonald's Park.
Peabo Bryson, a two-time Grammy-winning singer and songwriter known for Disney movie hits "Beauty and the Beast" and "A Whole New World," has died at age 75.
You may never have heard about it, but before Bob Dylan got to Manhattan and blazed his trail to fame, he spent about a month on and around the University of Chicago campus.
Joe Negri, known to many as Handyman Negri on "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood," has died at the age of 99, just days shy of his 100th birthday.
President Trump said he is considering replacing the Freedom 250 concert series with a rally after many artists dropped out.
Sonny Rollins, the legendary tenor saxophonist known for his bold tone and constant experimentation, has died at 95.
Three people were rescued from a house fire in Chicago's Roseland neighborhood early Wednesday morning.
It's been nearly two years since Chicago's ShotSpotter contract expired, and the city has yet to find a replacement.
Meteorologist Kylee Miller has the extended forecast.
Chief Meteorologist Albert Ramon has the latest First Alert Weather forecast.
If you're talking about changing jobs, where to invest, or what industry to push your kids toward, the topic right now is artificial intelligence. CBS News Chicago political reporter Chris Tye had a rare opportunity to go one-on-one with Austan Goolsbee, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, whose job it is to keep tabs on where this is all headed.
Three people were rescued from a house fire in Chicago's Roseland neighborhood early Wednesday morning.
It's been nearly two years since Chicago's ShotSpotter contract expired, and the city has yet to find a replacement.
Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza announced her campaign for Mayor of Chicago on Wednesday morning.
A former professional MMA fighter came to the rescue when an unruly passenger tried to open a Frontier Airlines door mid-flight on the way to O'Hare.
A $7 billion project is breaking ground at the United Center on Wednesday.
A driver in Carol Stream says a band of hungry squirrels caused nearly $30,000 in damage to three different luxury vehicles because of plant-based parts they view as a tasty snack.
Legislation protecting Illinois customers receiving professional massages from sexual assaults and harassment is now on its way to Gov. JB Pritzker for his signature.
Could banning cell phones make Illinois classrooms better places to learn? State lawmakers are betting on it, sending a bill to Gov. JB Pritzker's desk to do exactly that.
Feel Free, a kratom drink, is easy to buy and increasingly popular, even as doctors and medical experts grow more concerned about its health impacts, addiction rates and deaths.
A long stay in the neonatal intensive care unit can be one of the most difficult journeys a parent can face, but starting next week, Illinois becomes only the second state in the nation to offer NICU-specific leave for moms and dads.
Luke Keaschall and Tristan Gray drove in two runs apiece in a bottom-of-the-order attack for the Minnesota Twins in beating the Chicago White Sox 6-4 and delivering right-hander Davis Martin a rare loss.
Gage Jump pitched seven effective innings in his first major league win, and the Athletics beat the Chicago Cubs 2-1.
Tristan Gray hit a grand slam in the fourth inning and the Minnesota Twins added four more runs in the fifth on the way to a 9-4 win over the Chicago White Sox on Monday night.
A last-minute push in the Illinois Senate passed to keep the Chicago Bears stadium in the state failed, at least for the moment, when the House adjourned without a vote. So what's next?
Matthew Liberatore took a shutout into the sixth inning and Masyn Winn hit a two-run single as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Chicago Cubs on Sunday night.
The family of a 17-year-old honor roll student who was shot and killed in Chicago's Back of the Yards neighborhood late last month has called for justice as police continue to investigate.
Cook County Crime Stoppers on Tuesday offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in an arson that killed four family members in Chicago's West Englewood neighborhood.
Chicago police on Tuesday were looking for the people responsible for a series of smash-and-grab burglaries in the Garfield Ridge neighborhood on Chicago's Southwest Side.
Chicago police on Tuesday were searching for a man they said sexually abused two children in the Northwest Side's Portage Park neighborhood.
Authorities in Iowa are investigating the fatal shootings of six people they believe were killed by a relative who took his own life when confronted by police.
