Chicago already wants to forget Bears 2021 free agency
What is the textbook definition of a sports disappointment? Is it a critical loss in one game…or should one’s disappointment be judged on a full season? Or seasons?How do draft picks fit into that equation? Some thought-to-be bad draft picks end up having great careers. And celebrated ones fall by the wayside (see Kevin White).And can a major disappointment happen away from the playing surface? Say…free agency season?Thankfully, Kyle Brandt of "Good Morning Football" put some of this in perspective. On Wednesday’s edition, he stated that the Bears’ failure to land Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson in a trade — and how the Bears pivoted to sign Andy Dalton instead — was one of the most disappointing moments in Chicago sports over the last quarter century.And judging how Bears Twitter completely melted down on Tuesday, he’s not wrong.But that got us thinking: What would be on the list of the greatest disappointments in Chicago sports history over the last 25 years?This list was not an easy one to make. And the crazy part is that we left several moments on the cutting room floor. So here goes…
There’s a certain unintentional comedy aspect to this one because a lot of Chicagoans didn’t really want the Olympics to begin with. Chicago’s Olympic bid was projected to cost a reported $4.8 billion. Barack Obama and Oprah Winfrey backed the cause. But on Oct. 2, 2009, Chicago made a prompt exit from the hoopla — they were the first city in the final round to be eliminated from the voting process. The bid went to Rio.
Or should we call it the Fernando Tatis Jr. trade? There were a few White Sox moments we could have included on this list. But this one is painful and disappointing all at once. The South Siders landed James “Big Game” Shields in June 2016 from the Padres for Erik Johnson and a generational superstar talent — Tatis Jr. Shields went 16-35 in a White Sox uniform — his 16 losses in 2018 led the big leagues. Tatis is one of the fresh new faces of baseball with a 14-year, $340 million contract to boot.
With respect to Brandt’s suggestion on "Good Morning Football," we’re not sure the 2021 Bears free agency season lands in the top three of Chicago’s sports disappointments over the last 25 years (read on and you’ll see why). But when you have a bona fide chance to land an elite quarterback and end up with, well, Andy Dalton, it’s a disappointment. And given how Chicago sports fans have clamored for an elite quarterback for 70+ years, it deserves a spot on this list.
The body collective of the ’04 Cubs, on paper, wasn’t all that bad. 89 wins. Four players (Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez, Moises Alou and Sammy Sosa) hit 30+ home runs. But this supposed to be a World Series team. A mid-season trade with Nomar Garciaparra didn't serve as a catalyst. And in the end, a lot of egos got in the way — none more so than with Sosa, who left the clubhouse early on the final game of the season. Sosa's reputation, and his boombox, suffered greatly.
Some people will argue, fairly, that this should be at the top spot on the list. Or at least in the top five. But we’re going to pump the brakes on that…slightly. We all know that the Bears’ drafting of Trubisky ahead of Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson in the 2017 NFL Draft was…an epic miss. And that’s where the disappointment lies. Sure, Trubisky did help guide the Bears to a playoff game. But for the rest of the body of work… ::shudders::
We’re getting really, really analytical here. Is the Bears "Double Doink" playoff loss to the Eagles a disappointment, or is it just simply a bizarre way to end a football game? What if Cody Parkey makes the kick on a single-doing, or otherwise? We’re probably celebrating that team, right? At least a little? Who knows what would have happened after that. But given the Bears went into the game as 12-4 NFC North champs and came away with that finish? Yes…we’ll chalk it up to “bizarre disappointment.”
2008 was supposed to be The Year for the Cubs. The stars aligned. It was the 100-year anniversary of the team’s last title. And Lou Piniella’s team rocked the baseball world. At least in the regular season. They took the NL Central lead in early May and never looked back, winning 97 games. Then came the NLDS against the Dodgers. And the cameras. And the ghosts. And the pressure to win. James Loney’s Game 1 grand slam was the de facto end to the season.
This was the last Bears playoff game before the aforementioned Double Doink game…so the disappointment here resonated for several years. There were so many things working in the Bears favor. They came in as a No. 2 seed to the Packers’ sixth-seed. It was a home crowd. Rivalry game. But the Bears offense couldn’t get going until it was too late. A pair of Packers touchdowns put the Bears in an early hole, and Jay Cutler’s third quarter knee injury didn’t help matters. A late comeback failed and disappointment remained the word of the day. And then some.
This was more than disappointment. It was a gut punch. Derrick Rose captured the heart of the city at an early age, dazzling fans at Simeon High School, becoming the No. 1 draft pick by the Bulls and later winning Rookie of the Year and MVP honors. But on April 28, 2012, in a first round game against the Sixers, Rose suffered a torn ACL in his left knee. The top-seeded Bulls (50-16 in the regular season) went on to lose the series. Rose was traded to the Knicks in 2016.
Disappointment? It was quite simply the pinnacle moment of a century of losing. If you’re a Cubs fan, what’s the most disappointing thing about Game 6? Is it because a random fan reached over to grab a catchable foul ball? Is it Dusty Baker not going to the mound to settle down Mark Prior? Is it Alex Gonzalez’s error? Was it the ensuing meltdown in Game 7? It is, without question, the most disappointing moment in Chicago sports history. Thankfully…2016 made up for it. Right? All good now?
