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Are the Bulls troubles on and off the court wearing them down? Yesterday's win  93-82 over Philadelphia quiets those thoughts for a day. But the strife still seems to be there.

The team denies that the swirling talk about Derrick Rose is not a factor. Is he coming back? Is he sitting out the season? Reading comments by Derrick’s brother opened a big can of worms.

While Rose continues to be silent, what the media gets to see and hear is limited. At practice we watch him shoot, just like he does before games. Coach Tom Thibodeau is repeatedly asked about the former NBA MVP's progress. 

No one knows, except Rose and Bulls management, when or if he will be announced in the starting line-up of a game. Reporters are getting tired of asking about it. However, they get orders from their editors to stay on top of the story. 

So when ESPN.com gets quotes from Derrick's brother Reggie, it set off a firestorm. Reggie expressed that the team needed to get better players at the trade deadline to surround Derrick and added it may impact his brother's return the Bulls.

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Weaving watching sports and viewing my favorite non-sports event of the year (the Academy Awards) was like Danica Patrick trying to maneuver the Daytona 500.

Here were the sports winners and losers…

Hawks' streak continues

Topping the winners list is the Blackhawks. It wasn’t pretty, but they beat Columbus 1-0 at the United Center. They are now 15-0-3, extending their NHL record for starting a season. You know things are going well when goalie Corey Crawford earns a shut-out after sitting out two weeks with an injury.

Crawford stopped 28 shots, but credits the work done by his teammates in front of him.

“Everyone's playing hard, making the right plays, not turning pucks over and guys are coming back to help out our ‘D,’ he said. "Our ‘D’ has been so good this year in blocking shots, sticks in lanes. It's just another solid victory for us."

This was the second shut-out for Crawford this season.

The only goal of the night was scored by 21-year-old Andrew Shaw in the waning moments of the second period.

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Does anyone really care who is singing the 7th inning stretch at Wrigley anymore? The Cubs think the fans care. But I have yet to hear one person say they are going to Wrigley for the stretch.

When Harry Caray sang "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" it was part of the experience at Clark and Addison. Now you get the occasional interesting celebrity, former player or coach to belt out the baseball tune. Sometimes a performance gets national attention. W(ho could forget Mike Ditka’s rendition in 2008?) In between, there are many uninteresting performers.

The club says it is going to be more selective about who gets in the booth for the 81 home games.  The singer will have connections to the city and be more familiar with the Cubs and the Harry Caray tradition.

Will the possible candidates have to take a test, or maybe a Cubs 101 class? (Not because of the 101 losses). Can you imagine if you don't pass the class or fail the test? That would be full humiliation.

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Blackhawk fans have forgotten about the long NHL lock-out and for good reason. They have the best team in the league and have history on their side to prove it.

Last night the Hawks beat their arch rivals, the Vancouver Canucks, 4-3 after Andrew Shaw tallied the go-ahead score in the shoot-out.

The Blackhawks record is 13-0-3- tying an NHL record for getting a point in every game to begin the season. Coach Joel Quenneville commented on the accomplishment after the game, “It’s a remarkable start, were very happy and pleased the guys should be proud of this achievement, especially in a 48-game season.”

Hawks win:

It was a wild start in the first period when five breakaway chances were stopped by the two goaltenders for Vancouver and Chicago. Vancouver’s Daniel Sedin managed to tally the only goal in that period.

The Blackhawks came back with more firepower in the second period. Two players considered to be in a slump scored goals. Patrick Sharp tallied the first goal for the Hawks and Marian Hossa scored twice, once on a power play and another unassisted goal as he danced along the goal line and slipped it past Canuck goalie Cory Schneider.

Hossa was on the receiving end of a nasty forearm to the back of his head by Vancouver’s Jannik Hansen in the third period. The Hawks winger had no chance as he was brought down from behind and crumbled to the ice. He left the game and did not return.

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It's been nine years since the Bears had this much upheaval with its coaching staff. Last week, new head coach Marc Trestman made the new staff available to the media for the first time since they were hired. Here are some of highlights from the session:

Trestman's main buzz word is teaching. Like a newly-assembled band, some of these coaches have worked together before, but others are still trying to blend their talents. A wide receiver coach is the only vacancy.

Since the majority of staff has been together just a few weeks, getting the play book, not evaluating players, has been the focus. 

Quarterback coach Matt Cavanaugh briefly spoke of his main pupil, Jay Cutler. Explaining why he has not yet evaluated the Bears' quarterback, Cavanaugh said, "It’s not fair not to get to know the person, not to get to work with him personally and base everything from film." But Cavanaugh has worked with Trestman in the past, and said they are on the same page with most of the offensive schemes.

Defensive coordinator Mel Tucker may have the most difficult job ahead.

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Sunday there is a big event being celebrated in the NBA. You would think it is the All-Star game in Houston. Nope. Everyone is writing and talking about the biggest NBA star reaching his 50th birthday: Michael Jordan. MJ was born on February 17, 1963 in Brooklyn, New York. I knew that date the minute he was drafted by the Bulls in 1984 and would never forget (an explanation will be forthcoming).

People this week are scrambling to come up with highlights and doing interviews about the man that changed the NBA on the court and in the world of endorsements. He transcended a sport from the hard court in the U.S. to become an international showcase. Some of us were on the journey early on and throughout his career in Chicago.

For me, it was a great ride because the Bulls were fortunate to grab him as the third overall pick, since Hakeem Olajuwon and Sam Bowie went one and two. NBA basketball in Chicago would never be the same, the rafters at the United Center are filled with six NBA Championship banners and jersey #23 is retired because of Michael.

Everyone knows about the games he played and his stellar career.

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Will there be more Chicago Bulls connections this weekend when the Naismith 2013 Basketball Hall of Fame finalists are revealed during All-Star weekend? The class of inductees will be announced during the NCAA Final Four weekend.

This year there are four on the list with Chicago ties. Do they deserve it?  Let's take a closer look at each contender.

John "Red" Kerr

Younger Bulls fans think of the late John Kerr and his broadcasting days with the team. His passion for the team was infectious and endeared him to the local listeners on radio and television. His credentials on the court and the sidelines should give him a place in the Hall.

This Chicago native began his career at Tilden High School, then played at the University of Illinois. With the Illini, his team won the 1952 Big Ten Championship and made the NCAA Final Four. Kerr was named to the school's "All-Century Team" in 2004.

His NBA career began in 1954, he was the first selection (sixth overall) of the Syracuse Nationals. His team would win the NBA title that year.

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