HAPPY... HARPY... HARPER New Years, Cubs.

Sorry.
Except for the Bears, this Bryce Harper thing seems to be the Headline of the End of 2018.
I'm actually still all in on let's just update the bullpen and I'll be plenty happy with that.
There is some real anxiety and anger out there about this Hot Stove being sort of... WE'RE BEING LEFT BEHIND THE ONLY THING THAT CAN SAVE US IS HARPER. 
Sometimes I miss the days before the internet and the off season was just called "Football Season".
"Hot Stove" was something general managers talked about.
If an important trade happened, it showed up in about two column inches of black type on page 7 of the Sports Section.
If someone along the lines of Kendall Graveman signed, you wouldn't hear about it until Harry said something like, "... here comes Gruh... Grave-Man. The Cubs picked him up over the winter. He used to be on the A's and now he's here. Hey, Graveman spelled backwards is Name-Arg!"

But it's not then, it's now, and like I said there's Harper Angst all over the place.

Oh well, how 'bout them Bears?
I could not be happier for any human than I am for Kyle Long.
His first season, 2013, was Marc Trestman's first, and the 8-8 record that year would be the best on any Bear team Long played for.
Until now.
It was so painful to see him head to the DL at the start, and extra super sweet to see him come back just in time for the playoffs.
Yesterday's impressive 24-10 W to knock out the Vikings was amazing.
Yeah I was screaming at the tv when Trubisky was running with the ball at the end there.
Had he gotten hurt, I can't imagine the Collective Scream.
The injuries that did happen were to wide recievers - Anthony Miller with a shoulder (he dislocated it in September, didn't need surgery and was back after a week off), and Taylor Gabriel with a rib injury (luckily that's not painful or anyth... WAIT IT IS TOO!)
And the defense is just so damned good.
It's so great that the offense has the great line, amazing backs and an actual QP with talent, promise and brains.
But nothing makes me happier than this Bears D.
I just looked at the Pro Football Reference Bears Team Encyclopedia page.
See the top 12 players with their pics up top?
7 are from the '85 Superbowl team.
Then Butkus, Urlacher, Briggs, Forte, and Olin Kreutz.
Hard to argue with those names, but I bet there's a re-structuring of that list in the near future.
And I've got nothin' but confidence in their chances come next week.
When they play the Eagles at Soldier Field in the Wild Card game.
Playoff football.
I completely forgot your face.

Okay.
Happy New Year everyone.
And Go Bears!