This guy has more balls than Bears D

AP Photo

Talk about a bet with balls.

Chicago Bears superfan Scott Wiese (above) was so confident his Bears were going to win the Super Bowl, in front of a bar full of people in Decatur, Illinois last Friday, he vowed to change his name to Peyton Manning if the Bears lost.

Oops.

Yesterday, he began the process of living up to his bet. He has to advertise his intentions for several weeks in the newspaper, then he needs permission from a judge to make the change. His lawyer is taking care of the paperwork.

Hey Scott, have you ever seen Rex Grossman play? I take it you have, since you are such a big Bears fan, but I can't believe you had that much faith in a defense that was showing cracks back in December, or in a QB who at times late last season looked like he could screw up a two-car funeral.

Not that I'm putting down fan enthusiasm. I'm a Cowboy and Oiler superfan, as readers of The Journey know, but I dunno if I could commit to a bet like that.

I can't see vowing that I'd change my name to Jarome Iginla, the best player on Edmonton's arch rival, the Calgary Flames, or Donovan McNabb if the Cowboys lost to the Birds.

Again, I'm crazy about my two favorite teams - hell, I even have a Gretzky tattoo (left), but I dunno about a name change. A tattoo can be covered up, but your name can't.

"I made the bet, and now I've got to keep it," said the 26-year-old, who lives in Forsyth, just north of Decatur.

The men have little in common, Wiese acknowledges.

Indianapolis Colt Peyton Manning is 30, stands 6-foot-5 and has a contract worth more than $100 million, while the soon-t0-be Manning is 5'11" and works for Staples, for just a few dollars less.

While he's making good on his bet, Wiese isn't sure how long he'll remain Peyton Manning.

Hopefully for him, it won't be until the Bears reach the Super Bowl again - prior to last week's game, Chicago last played in a Super Bowl in 1985.

"I mean, well, it may be another 21 years," Wiese told AP.

Something tells me that Wiese will be modifying his betting enthusiasm when the NFL begins play again in September.

The quotes and some info. from this piece are from an AP story.

Da Bears go marchin' in

I defy you to try and sit through the whole six minutes of this video, the Super Bowl Shuffle, from the '85 Chicago Bears. At the three minute mark, I said to Vandra,"Okay, that's enough!"

Anyway, watching this video brought back lots of memories from the 80s.

Today's Bears/Saints game absolutely sucked. I'm happy for the Bears and their fans, but I was really pulling for the Saints, and I thought they'd run away with it.

But, you can't turn a ball over as many times as the Saints did today and expect to win a conference championship. I really hope the Bears offense looks better next week than it did today.

Chicago was opportunistic, and sometimes that's good enough, but the Bears were going against Sean Payton, a good but first-year coach. In two weeks, they'll face the Colts and Peyton Manning, and that's an altogether different animal. If the Super Bowl were based strictly on merit, it would be Saints QB Drew Brees (above, right) going to the show, and Bears QB Rex Grossman (above left) staying home, but, as we all know, it's never that simple. The best team and the most deserving players don't always get to go or get all of the accolades.

I am very happy for Lovie Smith, though - the first black coach to reach the Super Bowl. Congrats to the Bears - now give us a good Super Bowl!

Bears super linebacker Brian Urlacher lifts the appropriately named George S. Halas Trophy following the Bears' win.

It's been 22 long years for Chicago since the Bears last won the Super Bowl. They are one win away from re-livin' the Super Bowl Shuffle.