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.
The White Sox, who lost 102 games and finished last in 2025, won the opener of the showdown series to push their lead over the Guardians to 1 1/2 games.
The owners of a bar in southwest suburban Frankfort say they were hit by burglars again, and they left behind a huge mess.
Hundreds of municipalities had to find new supplies after a state procurement process hit a roadblock because they couldn't find anyone to sell them salt.
Three years after becoming a first-time homeowner, a Chatham woman has achieved another life's dream, becoming a teacher after graduating from Chicago State University.
Providence Catholic High School in southwest suburban New Lenox has fired football coach Tyler Plantz, despite the team's 4-0 start to the season.
The case stems from a Cronobacter bacterial contamination at one of Abbott Laboratories' Michigan plants.
Roger Simon, a celebrated political columnist who worked for the Chicago Sun-Times and Tribune, Politico, and other news organizations, died last week.
This week on The Angle, CBS Chicago's Chris Tye sat down with Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias to dive deeper into his campaign to become Chicago's next mayor.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson addressed his supporters at the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center Sunday afternoon, officially announcing his bid for a second term.
The congressman thanked the pilot and first responders for coming to their aid, and expressed his gratitude at only having sustained minor injuries.
Nicor customers will get a break on their bills this fall after Illinois Attorney General Kwame Roul reached an agreement with the utility to cut $140 million from its requested rate hike.
Drivers in Chicago and beyond were paying the highest gas prices ever recorded for the Labor Day holiday as millions of Americans were making their way home on Monday.
Around 115 million domestic and international tourists visited Illinois last year, pushing visitor spending past $50 billion for the first time and generating more than $88 billion in total economic impact.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul filed a lawsuit Thursday against ABC Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electric Inc., alleging deceptive business practices.
Cook County homeowners are again facing a sharper increase in property taxes this year than businesses, the Office of Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas announced Monday.
Cardinal Blase Cupich and a group of Catholic nuns have joined a federal lawsuit challenging Illinois' Medical Aid in Dying law, which is set to take effect in just over a week.
Flies have been everywhere this summer in the Chicago area, and some of them bite. But why is this happening?
Prime Healthcare is drawing criticism after announcing it will stop obstetrics services at three Chicago-area hospitals.
The Chicago Department of Public Health on Tuesday announced two human cases and one death from the West Nile virus in the city this year, and one of those two people has died.
The Jackson Chance Foundation supports the lives of families with babies in the NICU by removing the financial burden of finding parking near hospitals.
Plans for a new Chicago White Sox stadium in the South Loop have residents near the existing ballpark in Bridgeport concerned, not just because the team might be leaving, but also what might be coming nearby.
A new report from the University of Illinois Chicago said federal immigration enforcement led to $1.26 billion in unspent money at retail establishments and restaurants in Cook County.
Around 115 million domestic and international tourists visited Illinois last year, pushing visitor spending past $50 billion for the first time and generating more than $88 billion in total economic impact.
A new Whole Foods Market is coming to Chicago's Old Town neighborhood.
More than 100 Black-owned businesses were showcased at Soldier Field Sunday for Black on the Block.
Dubbed the "Designer to the Stars," Bob Mackie won nine Emmy Awards, a Tony Award and was nominated for three Oscars.
The stage was set and the air was humid as rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, took the stage for the first of two Chicago concerts at Soldier Field Thursday night.
James Fulton Engstrom, now a healthy teenager, was born without a pulse in 2010 — and his survival is the miracle the Catholic Church credited to Fulton Sheen's intercession, clearing the way for beatification.
The Met's decision to highlight the work by designer John Galliano sparked widespread controversy due to his history of antisemitic and racist comments.
The Edgewater Music Festival was under way this weekend on Chicago's north lakefront.
At Joliet Junior College, there's a new program for students looking to become a first responder. A 16-week fire academy gives students vital skills to become a firefighter and helps them earn their firefighting certificate.
Police said a 12-year-old boy grabbed the gun from an unattended bag on the bus, found it and fired a round that hit the bus. The school's assistant principal said the student had disabilities and the man, who the bag belonged to, was a bus aide.
The owners of a bar in southwest suburban Frankfort say they were hit by burglars again, and they left behind a huge mess.
The Chicago-born pontiff turns 71. He celebrated the occasion with cake during an event at the Vatican's Apostolic Library.
Osiris arrived at the Shedd Aquarium in July. She was relocated from a now-closed marine park in Canada. The Shedd says the 26-year-old beluga is receiving fluids and medication.
A school bus window was shot out when a student with disabilities grabbed a gun belonging to the aide and fired, the assistant principal of Minnie Miñoso Elementary said.
Three people were taken to the hospital from the scene of a fire in Chicago's Portage Park neighborhood early Monday.
The owners of a bar in southwest suburban Frankfort say they were hit by burglars again, and they left behind a huge mess.
Hundreds of municipalities had to find new supplies after a state procurement process hit a roadblock because they couldn't find anyone to sell them salt.
Three years after becoming a first-time homeowner, a Chatham woman has achieved another life's dream, becoming a teacher after graduating from Chicago State University.
Chicago police crime data show 255 reported crimes in the last two years on the two blocks where the former Hard Rock and Rainforest cafés sit vacant. Neighbors have been calling the city about the alley between them for six years.
A three-year effort by the Cook County Sheriff's Office to help bring down crime on the Magnificent Mile in downtown Chicago appears to be working.
Several lawsuits are challenging Illinois' medical aid in dying law that is set to take effect on Sept. 12, including one in federal court arguing the law discriminates against people with disabilities.
Back in 2023, ISP got a $10 million grant from the Illinois Secretary of State's Illinois Vehicle Hijacking and Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention and Insurance Verification Council.
Two years before dozens of decomposing bodies were found inside the South Chicago Chapel funeral home, police in nearby Evergreen Park found two bodies in the owners' minivan outside their home.
The White Sox, who lost 102 games and finished last in 2025, won the opener of the showdown series to push their lead over the Guardians to 1 1/2 games.
Providence Catholic High School in southwest suburban New Lenox has fired football coach Tyler Plantz, despite the team's 4-0 start to the season.
Before the Chicago Bears beat the Carolina Panthers 59-37 in a wild NFL season opener, quarterback Caleb Williams gave some young fans a special gift to help them get ready for the occasion.
The White Sox, who have lost 10 of their last 14 games, begin a three-game series Monday in Cleveland.
The Pirates (75-75) closed out a 4-2 stay in Chicago. They swept the White Sox before dropping two of three against the Cubs.
A $30,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and indictment of the person who shot and killed a 911 dispatcher in the Back of the Yards neighborhood last week.
A 15-year-old girl returned to court Monday to face murder charges, after authorities said she was one of a few people responsible for pushing a man out of a moving Chicago Transit Authority Red Line train.
An 85-year-old man from Crown Point, Indiana, was arrested this past weekend on accusations of shooting his wife.
Chicago police this past weekend issued a warning about a man who grabbed a woman at a CTA Blue Line station in Wicker Park.
CPD says six people were standing outside near an alley when two unknown vehicles approached. Multiple armed suspects got out and fired shots at the victims.
