I love when the true, fearless, exhibitionist meatballs dress for their moment in the sun.  You know, those brave few that happily paint the face and remove the shirt in hopes of looking so ridiculous, network TV decides an entire nation should be able to laugh at them.  Fandoms need these people, and these people seem to be having a wonderful time expressing their fire and passion with zeal.  Bless these boneheads.

Last Sunday brought us the pink-faced, bloated, seemingly hairless oaf in Bears overalls with no shirt underneath, and a Bear-head hat.  Fox gave him lots of air time.

I want more.

Here, thanks to listener Steve from The Nimble Group, is the visual representation of one man’s ultimate meatball.

Spiegel visualizes, and Nimble Steve brings him to life.

Note the items Nimble Steve helped me visualize:

1) The full body bear pelt, with blood freshly dripping from the teeth, worn as a cape.  It is of course painted blue and orange.  I would accept a bear-skin rug, but bonus points are granted for the actual pelt.

2) He is shirtless underneath, with cold-pinkened skin, and exposed moobs.  He has painted a Sweetness “34″ across his chest, with a “Green Bay Sucks” just below at belly level.

3) He wears a sausage link necklace, which is replaced weekly.  The original is tailgate fodder for a future game.

3) He sports cutoff Bears Zubas, which are shredded menacingly just below the knee.

4) He has tattooed Ditka’s face onto his own, mustache and all. The Blublockers are his own.

5) The foam finger is purchased freshly on game day.  Where the money comes from, I have no idea.

If you see this man in the wild, please capture him for the kind of museum life we deserve him to lead.  Thanks.

Omar Vizquel admitted on Tuesday that he entered last spring training with the mindset that 2010 would be his final season as a major-league player.

Thanks to some unexpected quality playing time with the White Sox, however, as well as another 1.75 million reasons to give it one more go around, Vizquel and the club announced that the veteran would return for one more year, with the 43-year-old resuming his role as a key backup at third, second and shortstop.

“I came back and had an opportunity to play and really convinced myself that I can come back and be productive,’’ Vizquel explained. “That’s why I came back.

“I’m clear about my situation. I know my job is going to be that as a back-up player. Whatever happens this year I will take it in and enjoy it like it’s going to be my last year again.’’

Vizquel went from reserve to an almost every day player after Mark Teahen was injured in late May. He took over the third base duties and kept a majority of the playing time until late September when the Sox wanted to look at rookie Brent Morel.

The 11-time Gold Glover hit .276 with 11 doubles, two homers and 30 RBI in 108 games, making 62 starts at third, 19 at second and eight at shortstop.

“No, there wasn’t any kind of wear and tear,’’ Vizquel said, when asked if his age was a concern considering the amount of playing time he got last year. “My body responded awesome. The challenge was great and the way I prepared myself in the offseason I was up to the challenge of the year.’’

While Vizquel expects to once again be a calming force for what could be a very young Sox infield this season, he also admitted that one more year in the game is yet another chance to get some on the job training for after his playing career is over.

“Yes, I’m really preparing myself [to be a manger],’’ Vizquel said. “I would like to manage as soon as possible. I think I have the experience, the knowledge. I can’t wait for the opportunity to do it.’’

He definitely has the right guy to learn from in Ozzie Guillen.

“It was really different because Oz is a different guy,’’ Vizquel said of the Guillen experience. “He knows how to push your buttons.’’

Cora is coming back

Joey Cora will be back as the Sox bench coach in 2011, after the Sun-Times first reported on Tuesday that Milwaukee named Ron Roenicke to their managerial vacancy.

Cora was a finalist for the position, after interviewing several times with the Brewers and ownership last week.

If it’s not nailed down inside the offices of 35^th and Shields or named “Reinsdorf,’’ Ken Williams will try and trade it.

That was made obvious in Friday’s Sun-Times exclusive in which the newspaper reported that the White Sox general manager was offering up manager Ozzie Guillen to the Florida Marlins for highly-touted outfielder Mike Stanton.

Of course Florida balked on that idea, especially because multiple sources indicated that the Marlins are still under the belief that the Williams-Guillen relationship is one bad tweet away from completely disintegrating in 2011, allowing the club to pursue Guillen in time for their new ballpark opening in 2012.

Williams, however, isn’t flinching. If he can’t change the product off the field right now, he definitely has a plan to change the roster on it.

According to a major-league scout, Williams has targeted talented, but headline-making, Colby Rasmus of the St. Louis Cardinals, and was willing to part with a package that included Carlos Quentin.

“It was obvious that [the Cardinals] were paying extra attention to Quentin at the end of the season, so this might have been something that was already talked about,’’ the scout said.

When asked if it was known if Williams had scouts watching Rasmus, the scout replied, “Why would he? Everyone knows what this kid is capable of. Plus, Ken seems to always know what he wants before the fact.’’

What the 24-year-old Rasmus is capable of is a 2010 season in which he hit .276 with 23 homers, 66 RBI and 85 runs scored. He is not only a presence in center field with his glove, a left-handed bat in the lineup, but he is financially controlled for at least four more seasons.

However, what he is also capable of is shaking the pillars in the sanctum that is St. Louis Cardinals baseball, specifically upsetting the face of the franchise late in the year when he reportedly requested a trade.

All-everything first baseman Albert Pujols was very open about his feelings toward Rasmus and his trade request, telling St. Louis reporters, “I’ve got 10 years in the big leagues and that’s something that you’re never going to hear me say. … If I have a problem with the organization or the way the organization is not handling something, I go right to the owners and the GM and say, ‘Listen, we need to fix this.’ But you can’t disrespect the players.’’

The Cardinals have since said that Rasmus is untouchable on the trade market, but Williams has heard that before from other teams and still chased the white whale.

Then there’s the other part of this deal in Quentin. The Sox love his raw talent, but the concern is his mental capacity to grind out an entire season without beating himself up beyond recognition.

A team source said that Quentin did plan to again visit with a life coach this offseason so that he could “start having some fun in the game,’’ but confirmed that Rasmus had been brought up the last few weeks of the regular season.

One person with the Sox who is staying away from all personnel decisions? Guillen. And with good reason. The perception that the club’s decision to turn its back on Jim Thome last winter was all on Guillen now has the manager making sure he stays out of the crosshairs.

“I will step back because it got to the point that you can only take so much,’’ Guillen said before Game 2 of the World Series. “Just give me the team you want, they want, and I’ll manage it. Last year, there was a decision we make about one player, all of a sudden, everything went on my back. I will accept it because I’m the manager of the team, but it was not an easy thing to do.

“Now … they know what kind of players we need, what kind of players they want, and we’ll take it from there.’’

In what could be one of the more important offseasons in the Ken Williams regime, the White Sox general manager started it off on Tuesday with the obvious.

By announcing that they have exercised the 2011 club rights on the contracts of All-Star left-handed reliever Matt Thornton and back-up catcher Ramon Castro, the Sox now have 12 players set with contracts totaling just under $83 million.

Thornton went up from $2.25 million in 2010 to now making $3 million, but for the role he plays in the Sox bullpen, the southpaw remains one of the bigger bargains in the entire American League. The 34-year-old went 5-4 with a 2.67 ERA, recording a career-high eight saves, as well as striking out 81 in 61 relief appearances. He led the AL in strikeouts per nine innings (12.02), as well as ranking eighth in strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.05) and holds (21).

Left-handed batters hit just .175 against him, as Thornton became the first Sox reliever to top the AL in strikeouts since Keith Foulke in 1999.

“It’s always exciting when your team makes that other move for you, that next move to keep you around,’’ Thornton said.

Thornton’s stock could go way up for the Sox this winter if the team decides to end their relationship with closer Bobby Jenks and make Thornton the new ninth-inning savior. It’s a role that Thornton not only feels he can embrace, but one he can succeed in.

“I had an opportunity to close last year when Bobby went down and my performance speaks for itself,’’ Thornton said. “I feel like I can take that job on.

“Just like when Bobby came up in ’05, he started as a late-inning reliever, the closer job presented itself, got a chance to close and he did a good job. It’s a progression. For me, I think my progression has already happened. In the ninth inning, I’ve blown one save in my career. I’ve done it in the ninth inning there.’’

In bringing back Castro at $1.2 million, the Sox have some depth at the catcher spot. Backing up free agent catcher A.J. Pierzynski, Castro hit .278 with eight home runs and 21 RBI in 37 games. He started 31 games in ’10, and will likely fill the same role in 2011.

The big question that Williams has to answer heading into the hot stove grind is will Castro back up Pierzynski, rookie Tyler Flowers or another catcher that the Sox land on the market.

With two cards now played, even the Sox players are anxious to see which direction the club heads in the upcoming months.

“Seeing what A.J. has done here, Bobby has done here, and Paulie [Konerko] done here, I can’t imagine those guys not being back here, what they have done for the team,’’ Thornton said. “That’s why people are anxious to see what will happen this year. I’m pretty sure the White Sox front office is getting ready to go.’’

Cora update

At the end of the season, manager Ozzie Guillen had mixed emotions when asked about the future of bench coach Joey Cora, and the fact that Cora has been targeted as a managerial candidate multiple times.

There’s now further reason for Guillen to be concerned, as a major-league source confirmed that Cora was in the final four for the Milwaukee Brewers head job.

“I don’t want him to be manager, but I want him to be a manager,’’ Guillen said in late September. “I don’t want Joey to leave. My goal is to see him as a manager but in the meanwhile he’s my right-handed man, my best friend and I want him with me as long as I can.’’

Three cheers for the Bears’ 4-1 start, but don’t be so quick to dismiss the quality (or lack thereof) of their opponents. I know the season is young, but the Panthers are one of the two or three worst teams in football. There are enough favorable games remaining (Seahawks, Bills, Lions) that the Bears could easily be a playoff team in the chaotic NFC. But I’ve got a bad feeling this team will be badly exposed about the Dolphins, Pats, Jets, and maybe even Vikings and Packers.

-South Loop Dave

Don’t let Favre go deep!

Throw a pick Brett! (with the k clearly crossed out)

Brett Favre: once a Packer, always a pic-er.

Nobody passes like Brett (except maybe Pee-wee Herman)

Brian in Palos Hills

Jay Cutler, Major Wright, Joshua Moore, Khalil Bell, Chris Williams, Dez Clark, Charles Grant and Marcus Harrison.

The biggest news here is the fact that newly acquired Grant will not play.  Grant was brought in in time to be a part of the gameplan, but apparently didn’t get up to speed fast enough.  Northwestern standout, Corey Wooton will get a chance to dress and play on both the defense and special teams. 

Clark being inactive again continues to raise question.  I do know that his being inactive last week had NOTHING to do with the drop in the endzone vs. Green Bay.  It seems that the Bears are married to using Brandon Manumaleuna, who has struggled in pass protection over the last couple of weeks.  It seems as if the Bears are trying to justify his $15M contract.

Ordinarily, I would break down both sides of the ball with a nod to Special Teams at the end, but my thoughts on this game are pretty simple.  This game comes down to which team plays better defense.

Todd Collins starting for the Bears and Jimmy Clausen starting for the Panthers almost seems like a wash.  After the announcement that Collins would start, there was a ton of discussion on our airwaves about exactly who is in charge of the Bears offense.  While it’s Mike Martz’s job to come up with the way to exploit Carolina’s defense, it’s Lovie Smith’s job to give overall guidance of what the game’s strategy is.   So, Lovie:  DO YOUR JOB!

Through his tenure coaching the Bears, Smith has preached ball control and defense.  With Jay Cutler it’s easy to take the detour to what the Bears have attempted in the first four games.  In fact, it’s justified because of the combination of Cutler’s unique talents.  Martz’s system is perfect for #6, but with Collins at the helm, doing what we’ve seen of the Martz offense, makes less sense.  Leave it to the defense.

The Bears D probably hasn’t gotten enough credit for how well they’ve played because this offense has been like a new shiny toy at Christmas.  Urlacher and crew have only given up an average of 17 points per game.  That puts them in the top 25% in the league.  They’re forcing an average of almost 3 turnovers a game and are stuffing the run (only giving up 77 yards per game).  Let them carry the burden of winning the game because those guys relish the opportunity to pick the team up.

The Panthers can run the ball with Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams and they’d love to make Clausen more comfortable by using that run to set up play-action passes.  Expect the Bears to mess with Clausen and line up Urlacher and Lance Briggs to show blitz to see if they can confuse the young man. 

The Bears will have to be careful about their tackling.  Last week, they had Ahmad Bradshaw bottled up on some plays and let him go.  The danger in this game is that the Bears D will be looking for turnovers, so they have to remember their rule:  “First man secure the tackle.  Second man strip.”

Can the Bears run the ball?  We assume the answer to that is no, but have they really tried?  Last week the Bears only rushed the ball 16 times.  I would be shocked if that number didn’t go up.  Carolina has some good players on defense, but they are struggling through life without Julius Peppers.  Offensive linemen like to move forward.  They like the idea of  making a defense submit.  Give these guys a chance to see if they can do it.  If they can’t, then don’t be afraid to use the short passing game:  screens and swing passes to keep the Panthers on their toes.

Lovie Smith hates to be questioned and loves to be right.   He has a chance to make both of those things happen if he plays it right.  He is a stubborn coach, but I’m hoping that his obstinance will work in the Bears favor.  With Cutler out, he has the perfect cover to go back to his football roots.  This isn’t Boise St.  The Bears don’t need style points to get to the national championship game.  They just need wins.  If they’re 4-1, no one will care how they got there.  Here’s hoping they rely on defense and special teams.  If they do, I think they can win.  Cross your fingers.  Bears 13 Panthers 10.

A Blackhawks fan can be excused for asking the same question as their season opens tonight.

The sad truth of cathartic achievement is inescapable:  when something so special is won, something else — something less tangible than an engraved trophy – is lost.  The coexisting feelings are heightened when the goal is enormous, long-sought, and reached faster than even optimists imagined.

The velocity of the Hawks’ resurrection was really remarkable, when you think about it.  Just two years ago, Denis Savard was fired four games into the season and Joel Quenneville inherited the talented, callow roster.  The concurrent improvement in the team’s marketing strategy emboldened hibernating fans to emerge, proudly challenging the city to pay attention to a team (and a sport) long neglected by the mainstream.

The Winter Classic, the emphatic establishment of star players, the full slate of home games on local television, and the rightful reinstatement of exiled broadcaster Pat Foley put an exclamation point on the post-Bill-Wirtz franchise.  Quenneville’s steady hand guided a galvanizing burn through the playoffs that ended in the conference-final loss to Detroit.

The Hawks were back.  The Hawks were good.  The Hawks mattered.

There is no better time to be a fan then when your team is palpably improving, and a reasonable person can envision a title trajectory.  That time had come.

And then just one year ago (!), a group fortified by Marian Hossa (and bursting at the salary-cap seams, ominously) began the campaign that would eventually explode into a storm of fluttering red confetti and Chelsea Dagger.  The ensuing joy percolated through the summer and followed the Stanley Cup from tavern to tavern, from Winnipeg to Finland.

But the story of the cup itself is that of the fan’s current reality.  That thing has been Everywhere — one almost expects that each next picture via email or Facebook contains some friend, acquaintance or family member posing with it.

It is the nature of things that the extraordinary becomes mundane.

(“Come to the World’s Fair!  See the Moving Pictures and the Motor-Carriage!”)

And that’s where the sense of “Ok, now what?” begins to color this season.  This is a very good team, perhaps an excellent one capable of repeating.  But the defiant fandom clinging to both championship dreams and the chip on their shoulder was forever changed after the victory parade.

Indeed, old-line atavists are increasingly resentful of perceived bandwagoners, and self-defeatingly grumble about success and popularity devaluing their cultish emotional equity while pricing them out of of the building.

The franchise has macroeconomic realities, too.  The offseason purge of players, while expected by anybody capable of reading, was jarring.  The team lost money last year, at times needing emergency infusions of cash to make payroll.  Ticket costs will rise, soon and markedly.

In short, reality of being a really good hockey team at the outset of the next season is not as much fun as a once-in-a-lifetime period of big dreams that saw them quickly come true.

It’s time to wake up.

Jay Cutler will not address the media at Halas Hall today as is his usual Wednesday custom.  It’s not yet known whether Cutler’s medical status is keeping him from speaking at the press conference but stick with the Score to find out the latest on Cutler’s condition as news develops.

Cutler was concussed at some point in the first half of Sunday’s game against the Giants.  Todd Collins started the second half in his place until he was knocked out and replaced by the Bears’ third string quarterback Caleb Hanie.  The Bears offensive line gave up a NFL record nine sacks in the first half which lead to Cutler’s concussion.