Falcons’ Hester Set to Run Into Ex-Teammates

October 9, 2014 @ admin → No Comments

Thursday thoughts (OK, the closest we get to thinking on a good day — waiting to figure out whether this is a good day):

The Atlanta Falcons cheerleaders have a calendar (pictured here). The Chicago Bears don’t even have cheerleaders.

* Former Chicago Bears return man extraordinaire Devin Hester will be on the field for Sunday’s Bears-Falcons game in Atlanta. That Falcons are the team Hester signed with after the Bears had no interest in retaining him. Come Sunday, the Bears will have to contend with restraining him — on returns and as a pass receiver. It’s tough to fault the Bears for not wanting to pay him the money Atlanta did (three-year, $9 million contract). It might be tougher to stop him.

* Although the Chicago Cubs’ 2014 season is a mere memory (and not especially a pleasant one for the team’s fans), Comcast SportsNet Chicago continues to run highlights of Wrigley Field to celebrate the ballpark’s 100th anniversary. Then again, maybe the folks at CSN thought the Cubs would be playing this late in October. Either that or they’re trying to torment Cubs fans. Not that Cubs fans need to be tormented any more than they already are.

* If you’re looking for a walking, talking definition of mixed emotions, you might have the perfect person in St. Louis Cardinals reserve catcher A.J. Pierzynski. His team is in the National League Championship Series. The Cardinals are playing one of Pierzynski’s former teams, the San Francisco Giants. The former White Sox catcher was not on the roster for the National League Division Series, and it’s unlikely he would be on the roster for the NLCS. So one has to wonder (yes, they do) how he weighs all that with missing out on the opportunity to be a studio analyst for baseball’s postseason. Current employer vs. potential future employer. Something says a partial World Series share would pay better than a part-time TV gig — not that he necessarily should be in need of money. Something also says he has more days ahead of him as a broadcaster than he does as a player.

* Speaking of baseball, there was a rainout in the Arizona Fall League where some White Sox and Cubs prospects are playing. Not sure whether the weather has pushed back the timetable for either big-league ballclub in their quest to be mediocre in 2015. Mediocrity being an improvement for both organizations.

* Speaking of football (well, we were a few paragraphs ago), former NFL defensive lineman Dexter Manley will be the guest on Thursday’s “Sports & Torts” with co-hosts David Spada and Elliott Harris at noon Central time on Talkzone.com. The 60-minute program also will become available later Thursday at the Talkzone.com web site.

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