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.

Vegas here we come!

I'm sooo far behind on blogging - I've got about a million things I want to write about, but most of it will have to wait until this weekend, when I will most definitely catch up. Anyway, just a few quick posts this morning.

I'm pretty excited to say that we are going to Vegas at the end of January; it will be my first trip to Las Vegas. I'm going to be speaking at the Far West Popular Culture & American Culture Association Conference the weekend of January 26-28.

In case you're curious, here's what I'll be speaking about:

Title: American Idle: How Pop Culture Pap is Hindering Real Debate in
U.S. Elections

Abstract: National U.S. elections are increasingly driven by pop culture, specifically reality shows. Election coverage, as well as campaign ads, are rife with examples of reality TV's influence on American political discourse. Gone are the days when the issues mattered most; contemporary elections are now dominated by superficial non sequiturs. This tilt toward the mundane is a decades-long movement, but reality television and pop culture have conspired to dramatically increase this troubling trend.

**
It will also be my first time speaking at a conference, so I'm pretty excited about that, too. I'm really look forward to writing my paper, too; anyone who spends five minutes on this blog knows how passionate and driven I am about politics.

We are also going to wedge in some time for a short trip to the Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam. I've never been to either one, and neither has Vandra.

So, this promises to be a pretty big trip. Oh, and you know that I'll be sharing lots and lots of pictures on here when we get back.

Psst - while I'm there, I'm going to be putting a few greenbacks down on the Cowboys winning the Super Bowl (if they are still in it by then!) and the Oilers winning the Stanley Cup. Hey, why not? I think both teams have a shot.