I’m just gonna be honest. I don’t really know how to start this blog. I’ve deleted probably 8 different iterations of the perfect way to start because there is no perfect way. And that is definitely my problem sometimes. I need to let go.

I’ve always admired the way Adam Rank can just roll right into a show or a segment. Sometimes you’re not even sure if you’re live with him, he can be that casual about it. So I’m taking the Rank approach here and we’re gonna roll right into it.

What I’d like to start doing, if you’ll have me, is to write a weekly blog in some form or fashion. Something where I can try to put my thoughts to paper and not just into a microphone. Somewhere I can expand my thoughts. So hopefully, this is the start to something where we can find a connection that is deeper than the one I have with you on our live shows. Sometimes it will be about me. Sometimes it will be about you and yes, sometimes it will be about the Bears.

What I wanted my first article to be about is Family. I wanted to start this piece with some profound statement about how special sports can be when it brings families together. But I couldn’t find the words. I guess this is harder than it seems?

Family can come in many forms. It’s not always designated by bloodline. And when a team in Chicago is good, it brings people together in a way that electrifies this city. When a team in Chicago is great, it creates a euphoric atom bomb of love and emotion.

Think about my generation. We grew up on the 90s Bulls and Michael Jeffrey Jordan. Our friends and families would all come together for nearly every game as an event. It was a big deal. And I get so many are tired of hearing from my generation about just how great those days were but I think I’m feeling those vibes once again. But it’s been a minute since those days so bear with me. (Is that the name of this weekly blog?!?)

Last year was incredible for us as Bears fans. What a season. I think I truly enjoyed watching the videos of the people celebrating these euphoric moments with their friends and families than the actual moment itself by the team. I loved all the authentic reactions and moments of hysteria. I loved seeing the joy, the tears, the families hugging. It was such a beautiful thing to see.

I remember last year a video that Kevin Kaduk made that had all the different reactions to the game winning dagger from Caleb Williams to DJ Moore with some wholesome Christmas music attached to it. I balled my eyes out watching it every time. Still do. Not just because the Bears were doing something we waited so long for, that was definitely a big part of it. But also because I felt a deep sense of jealousy that I couldn’t share that moment with the people I love as well. Those are the moments I’ve been chasing my whole life! We spent all those years together with bad teams, bad coaches, bad QBs and now it’s finally here and I’m not with any of them!

Don’t get me wrong, covering the Bears and being at the studio with former Bears LEGENDS is a privilege and an honor. They are hilarious and awesome to be around. You should’ve seen the look on their faces as I told them on Sunday that we don’t need defense anymore. They weren’t buying it. Being able to sit alongside Adam Hoge, Adam Jahns and yes, even Mark Carman on a Postgame Show that is being viewed by hundreds of thousands of people is truly a miracle for me. It’s unbelievable. And I fully acknowledge how lucky I am. So let’s make that very clear.

That being said, I had never watched a game with my daughter. It never really bugged me until last year. Why would I subject her to such torture?! But also, if there is any downside to this job, it’s that. I get it. We’re not allowed to complain about this amazing job we have so I won’t! Maybe I did a little. I’m human. Forgive me. Moving on.

Addy doesn’t really like sports all that much. And that’s fine. She’s much more into the creatives and we do a good job of pushing her in those directions. But I can’t help but think my absence at the house on gamedays has played a role in that.

It used to be, on Sundays, the party was at my house. Usually on Saturdays too. And Thursdays and Mondays and so on and so forth. But Sundays were always a big day at my house. All my friends and family would come over, I’d start my day at Welshs Meat Market, pick up some Drago Bobs and start pregaming for the day! It was something we all looked forward to. My mom, my friends, my family, my neighbors. We’ve gone our separate ways from the old gameday traditions that we did for the last 20 years. If they wanna hear what I thought about the game, they gotta tune into the postgame show like everyone else. If they wanna have a get together, they gotta go figure it out themselves.

And that upsets me for Addy. I had those memories. The 90s Bulls wasn’t just about Championships and MVPs to me. It was about all those get togethers with the family at the house. The food everyone brought over. The pickup game outside as we’d run in and out of the house between timeouts. The multiple conversations going on. The laughter you could hear from the other room. The vibe.

And that’s where I feel we’ve entered a different era in Chicago. Similar to the one in the 90s with Mike and the Bulls. A team that is so special that it brings EVERYONE together. People you haven’t seen in years. People you don’t get along with. People who don’t even like sports suddenly all come together with the Diehards because of the gravitational pull that is a great sports team in Chicago. Grab a chair. All are welcome!

It wasn’t in the cards at the end of a crazy season last year to watch a game with Addy. But that was going to change this season.

Fortunately, Week 1 lined up for us where it wasn’t a home game, so a) no tailgate and b) no watchalong (coming soon) so I took that opportunity to watch my first ever game with my daughter. And man did I pick a good one!

Or did I? Before the game, I thought of ways to keep her engaged. How can I make it fun for her. Well, first I had to take her to where the diehards go. So naturally, I took her to a bar in Chicago! We posted up with the good people at 3rd Rail Tavern. I wanted her to be in an environment where she could see all sorts of different types of people who are just as passionate and crazy as I am about the Bears. I wanted her to see all the cheering and the high fiving and how contagious that can be.

Next, I wanted to figure out how I can keep her engaged in 4 quarters of a game she will not understand. How do you do that with an 8 year old? Well, money talks! So I came up with this idea that she gets 2 dollars for every point the Bears score but she loses one dollar for every point the Panthers score. And if the Bears win, she gets 20 extra bucks!

I’m thinking before the game I’m likely to owe her maybe 30 bucks, 40 tops. I GOT CLEANED OUT! Ben Johnson and Addison Braggs hustled the shit out of me! And I couldn’t have been happier! The look on her face as the Bears scored touchdown after touchdown after touchdown was priceless. She definitely loved even more the state of shock washing over me as the dollars kept going up and up and up. She thought it was hilarious. How do I break it to her that this isn’t how every game is? Maybe it will be…

The final thing I wanted to accomplish was trying to really lay out what I do for a living to her. She understands I’m on TV (as she says it) she understands that I love sports but I don’t think she understands the level of it. She was just old enough before I walked away from bricklaying that I would take her on jobsites at times while I would set up the scaffolding on the weekend to get ahead because I wanted her to see what I did then too. And at that time, she very plainly understood that dad built houses. When we drove by houses, she understood that dad built those. But with this, it’s hard to explain to her.

Imagine asking your 6 year old daughter to help you color a sign to take to the bleachers to watch a Cubs game and explaining to her how that is work for me while mom is walking out the door to be a nurse and take care of sick people all day long.

So I asked my wife Jenny to hang for the first couple segments on our Postgame Show so Addy could see the transition from watching game with fans to talking about the game to fans. And it worked! She definitely came away from the day with a much larger understanding of what it is that I do. I may not be as big a K-Pop Demon Hunters but she definitely came away with a greater understanding of what it is that Dad does. I was very grateful for Sunday. And I was very grateful for that 60 burger.

The next step is to take Addy to a game at Soldier Field this year. I’ll keep you updated on which one.

But I’m excited for this next generation to have their own 90s Bulls. To have their own Michael Jordan. To have their own memories that they will cherish and annoy the next generation of how great the Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams Era Bears was. Oh the memories we will have.

So that’s it, I googled, “what is the amount of words a weekly sports blog should be” and it said 1,000 words. Apparently after that your guys brains melt or something. Unfortunately for you, I suck at math. But I enjoyed the purge. Hope you did too. See ya next week. Maybe more condensed. Maybe more Bears. Maybe more Braggs. Who knows. Bear Down.