January 27, 2019: Only 33 Years Ago

So I’m a day late of the anniversary of our one and only Super Bowl.  Yeah, the Bears are the last of my teams for review.  The Bears are the team with the longest drought right now; it’s not like it’s 100 plus years… it was only 33 years ago.  Still, all things considered, I really want to see another Super Bowl win.  Now that the Cubs have won theirs, I’d rank another Bears Super Bowl slightly ahead of another Cubs World Series title.  I’d like to see both… heck, I’d like to see all four in one year; how cool would that be?  But let’s be realistic.

I was young when the Bears won their one and only.  Although it was that long ago, I still remember details of that season, and of the big game, very well.  Some people get sick of hearing about this team, but there’s a reason why we’ll never forget.  Besides the fact that it’s our one and only Super Bowl, the fact that they were one of the best teams in NFL history may have something to do with it; they’re #1 in my book.  The memories of that team, watching them week in week out, seeing them dominate… those will NEVER fade.  We have been lucky like that.  We may not have the same number of titles as some other cities (we’ll get into that), but the ones that we do have… one of the best teams in NFL history with the best RB of all time, an NBA dynasty with the best player in NBA history, a 3 Cup run in this decade, and of course, seeing the longest drought in MLB history broken… yeah, my heart and mind are full of those memories.  There’s always room for more.

The last 3 playoff losses rank up there as the worst of all time.  The loss to the Eagles a few weeks back was a rough one, but that is the least of the past 3 playoff losses.  The 2nd worst is the one that preceded this one; the loss to the Pack in the NFC Championship was sickening.  But that is topped by the playoff loss before that one; the Super Bowl against the Colts.  Losing in the ultimate game is the worst, no question.  Yes we did have some playoff wins sprinkled in there.  The win over Seattle before the GB debacle.  The wins over Seattle and New Orleans on the way to the Super Bowl were great, but before that year, it was 3 consecutive playoff losses.  Since the Super Bowl XX win, the Bears playoff record is 6-11.  17 playoff games in the past 32 years doesn’t seem like a whole lot; 11 out of 32 years with a playoff appearance.  And now you can understand why I hate the Patriots…

But all that is going to change, right?  The loss this year is just the start of things, not an end to a lucky run.  Yes, the 9 championships in total for the Bears franchise is great, but 8 of those were before the Super Bowl era, meaning, I didn’t see them.  They still count of course, and it makes for our great history as a franchise, as we are 2nd on the all time list after you know who, yet, I still feel a bit empty.  If I were alive for a couple of those NFL Championships… at least for the one in 1963, then maybe I’d feel a bit better.  But having only seen one in my lifetime… Although, some franchises have never seen one, I’m ready for another.  Will 2020 be the year the Bears win it all again?  Well, next year’s Super Bowl is on George Halas’ birthday…  Bear Down!