Devin Hester's Super Bowl Cleats

A piece of Chicago Bears football history just made it to our shop. We now have the cleats that were worn by the best returner in NFL history, Devin Hester in Super Bowl XLI. Hester started off the game with a kickoff returned for a touchdown. He returned it 92 yards and gave the Bears an early lead, the earliest lead in Super Bowl history. Unfortunately the Bears ended up losing the rainy game to the Indianapolis Colts lead by Peyton Manning. The cleats can be seen in the photograph below. They are black and orange Nikes. The cleats were raffled off in 2007 and were resold online. Hester's return was one of the only bright spots for the Bears in Super Bowl XLI. Hester was drafted by the Bears in the second round of the 2006 NFL draft. In his rookie season, he had six return touchdowns, including a punt return in his first game, and a 108 yard touchdown off a missed field goal. Hester played for the Bears for 7 seasons recording 18 touchdown returns. Later, while playing for the Atlanta Falcons in 2014, Hester set an NFL record with 20 career return touchdowns. Hester is the best to ever do it and we are happy to have such a historic piece in our shop. Hester will always be loved in the Windy City.

My Product Recommendation

I am not a professional basketball player but I do enjoy playing pick up games and competing in rec leagues. I have always been a big fan of basketball shoes. Usually I wear Nike brand shoes but I recently bought a pair of Adidas D Rose 6s. I bought the shoes basically because I think they look awesome and to support the Chicago kid Derrick Rose. What surprised me the most about the show was its light weight. I usually play the guard position on the court and these shoes made it easy for me to accelerate and make cuts. The traction on these shoes are top notch. There is a lot of ankle support on these shoes, I like to have high top style shoes due to past ankle sprains from my high school days. I am a huge fan of the D Rose logo thats sported on the heal of the shoe. The logo is a rose with a "D" inside of it and the "D" forms a number 1 for the jersey number he wears for the Chicago Bulls. Everyone of the D Rose shoes has some sort of design that relates to Chicago, in the model it is very simple with a single Chicago star in the front. Overall great shoes, I feel like they will last me a few years at least. They come in two basic colors the Bulls red and black and the color I have; white. Go to your nearest Footlocker and scoop a pair of your own.

My Review on ESPN's 30 for 30: The '85 Bears

First off I didn't know much about the 1985 Chicago Bears other than the fact that they won the Super Bowl and a handful of players and coaches. I knew there the defense was one of the best there ever was and that there was a thing called the super bowl shuffle. The documentary starts out with the saving of Buddy Ryan's job in the organization. This was unknown to me I was always told what a great defensive coordinator he was. I really liked overall the amount of Coach Ryan in the film, it really showed how effective he made that defense and how much of a impact he made on his players, most notably in Mike Singletary. One of my favorite parts of the film was Jim McMahon. I knew he was the quarterback who won the Super Bowl but not much else. The film showed his kind of bad boy personality that I found entertaining but he was also tough and took a lot of hits that gained him respect. In showing this side of McMahon the film also addressed his condition and the harsh realities that result from taking so many hits throughout a professional football career. Another aspect I enjoyed was getting the see the team struggle through losing in the playoffs the season before, it setup the determination in the championship team and of course the initial decision to put "The Fridge" in at running back. All in all I enjoyed learning more about the '85 bears and would recommend any football fan to watch it. It is currently available on Netflix.

Link: ESPN 30 for 30: The '85 Bears - Ditka

How I will Promote my Blog

It is extremely vital to promote your own blog to insure you are generating traffic. If people are reading your posts and sharing them you can become popular and gain fans who will revisit your website often. All bloggers hope that they can create conversations between their fans and outsiders who may be turned onto your blog. By gaining a following writer also gain creditability among their peers. To promote my blog I will write about topics that generate a lot of conversation. By keeping up to date with new and relevant stories, I will allow myself express my opinions to keep people coming back. If i am one of the first bloggers to post on a topic, then readers will look to my website first. It is also important for me to promote programs that are relevant to my topics. By promoting others I can build a relationship with them and advertise my posts on other, more popular websites. I will also utilize websites like Alexa to measure the traffic of my website and look for new ways to promote and gain competitive advantages. Being unique in my writing and sometimes being very opinionated or controversial will help me gain followers. Lastly I will use key words and phrases in my post titles to help generate traffic from search engines. Because I know that it takes money to gain the top spots on popular search engines, I can create a email mailing list and ask if people would like newsletters promoting my website. Compiling all of these tasks together will hopefully help me gain a following.

Speed Linking

I have compiled some blog posts that I feel any Chicago sports fan would appreciate reading. If you enjoy these posts please look into the other posts from the bloggers. I hope you find these as interesting as I have.

This is a blog post from Chi City Sports on the seriousness of concussions in professional football. I saw it as powerful hearing of past Chicago Bears players being affected by concussions.

Triage of Wounded Bears

I, like all Cubs fans, can't wait the see this 2016 roster start the season. In this blog from SB Nation Chicago, Duane Pesice breaks down the first spring training game of the season.

Cub Tracks Spring Into Action

It has been hard to watch the Chicago Bulls this season. This is a post questioning if making the playoffs is even a good goal to have at this point. The bulls are currently sitting 10th in the Eastern Conference. Tyler Plesis of SB Nation breaks down the current roster and how missing a playoff birth may help the future.

Would the Bulls Missing The Playoff be a Good Thing?

I still love Derrick Rose and I want to see him be successful again. Dane Carbaugh breaks down his recent play and shows us how he has brought back some of his dominate ways of the MVP Rose we all  want back.

How Derrick Rose has Become Deadly in the Lane Once Again

I am big on league rankings before the season, during, and after. It is always fun to read up on who is considered best at a certain point in time. Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report created a ranking of MLB teams going into spring training. Can you guess who he has slotted at number one?

MLB Power Rankings at Start of Spring Training

Here is another Bleacher Report list of NHL teams that got the most out of the recent trade deadline. Where do you think Allen Mitchell ranked the acquisition of Andrew Ladd?

NHL Players Who Benefited Most from Trade Deadline Deals

Top Blog in my Niche

One of my favorite blogs to read and keep up with up to date Chicago sports news is a website called chicitysports.com. They write great blogs and have interesting podcasts. They cover all the major sports teams in Chicago; Bears, Blackhawks, Bulls, Cubs, Fire, White Sox, and even the Icehogs (A hockey team based out of Rockford, Illinois who play in the American Hockey League). I think it is cool that they keep Chicago fans informed on what the Icehogs are doing because they feed into the Blackhawks. The only team that they are really ignoring is the Chicago Sky of the WNBA, although they are not a very popular team in the city so its kinda understandable. The podcasts on the website is pretty laid back you feel like your in a room with your buddies just talking sports. They also touch on popular culture, which is nice. The blog posts are more so reports on recent news that often reference sources. It is a great source for all Chicago sports in one spot and it is updated daily for you know it is new and fresh.

The ChiCity website is easy to navigate and has some appealing graphics but is not overwhelming by any means. I like their home screen has a list of their top stories and most recent posts. I also have the option of looking at just one of the team's pages and focusing on just their news. It reminds me of an ESPN Chicago page or a BleacherReport page being organized by teams. I think ChiCity is a great example of fans who love Chicago sports creating something that looks the be profitable. It is a blog they can and should be proud of, I'm sure it will lead to great careers in the sports entertainment business. The website is growing in popularity with over 50,000 likes on Facebook, which means more  traffic than that who have visited the website. I will continue to use ChiCity as a resource for what a great blog looks like and operates.

Link:
http://www.chicitysports.com

Current Chicago Athletes Who Can Become All-time Greats

Followup Post (promoting my list of greatest chicago athletes)

Here is a list of athletes that are currently on a Chicago professional team that may become all-time great Chicago athletes. I will list what they have already achieved in their careers.

Jonathan Toews (Chicago Blackhawks):
Jonathan Toews was drafted third overall in the 2006 NHL draft by the Chicago Blackhawks. In 2008 he was named team captain at the young age of 20 years old. Toews not only had the skill but had his head on straight and knew what he wanted, he is often referred to as "Captain Serious". In 2010, Toews led the Blackhawks to their first Stanley Cup Championship since 1961. The Blackhawks have gone on to win two more championships (2013 and 2015) under the leadership of Captain Serious to form what many are calling a dynasty. The Blackhawks are currently looking prime for a repeat this season (2016). Toews is a five-time All-Star, Conn Smythe winner in 2010, and three-time Stanley Cup  champion. Toews has a long career still ahead at only 27 years old.

Alshon Jeffery (Chicago Bears): Alshon Jeffery was drafted in the second round in the 2012 NFL draft by the Chicago Bears. He had a rough rookie season due to injuries. In 2013, Jeffery broke the franchise single-game receiving yards record twice (218 and 249 yards). In doing so he became the first in franchise history to have two 200 yard receiving games. He was a pro bowler in 2014. He is second in franchise history for yards in a season (1,421 yards). Alshon is only 26 years old and if he can stay healthy then he can easily beat most of the Chicago Bears receiving records and become the best who played the position in a Bear uniform.

Kris Bryant (Chicago Cubs): In 2015 Kris Bryant was called up to the big leagues and play the hot corner for the Chicago Cubs. In his first season, Bryant had a batting average of .275, hit 26 home runs, and batting in 99 runs. His 26 home runs broke the franchise record for rookies. He was a huge part of the Cubs who reached the NLCS in 2015. He was a two-time rookie of the month winner, an All-Star, Home run derby contestant, and the NL Rookie of the Year. The sky is the limit for the young Cub.

Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls):
Derrick Rose was drafted number one overall in the 2008 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls had a 1.7% chance to win the NBA lottery that year and Derrick being from the city of Chicago it seemed like destiny. Rose won the Rookie of the Year, joining the greatest of all-time Michael Jordan and Elton Brand as the only players in franchise history to win the honor. In the 2010-2011 season, Rose led the Bulls to a 62-20 record and a number one seed. He also became the youngest player in history to win the NBA league MVP award. Everything was looking up for the young superstar until he torn his ACL during the 2011-2012 season leading to a missed season and a series of injuries where the list seems to go on forever. Many have lost faith the Rose will return to the level he once played, but he is still only 27 years old and thing are slowly turning around. If he can have a storied second half of his career he can be considered a great. As of 2016, Rose was Rookie of the year, a 3-time All-star, a first-team All NBA, and League MVP.

My List of the Greatest Chicago Athletes

7. Mike Ditka (Chicago Bears):
Before "Da Coach" led the 85' Bears to a Super Bowl Championship, he was one hell of a Tight End for the organization. Drafted by the Bears in 1961 one, "Iron Mike" won the Rookie of the Year honors. In 1963 the bears won the World Championship. Later as a player he won a Super Bowl with the Dallas Cowboys in 1971. He finished his Hall of Fame playing career with 427 catches, 5,812 receiving yards, and 43 touchdowns. Ditka is the only person with a Super Bowl ring as a player, assistant coach (with Dallas in 1977), and as a head coach. He is Chicago football.

6. Ryne Sandberg (Chicago Cubs):
Ryne Sandberg was drafted (1981) and started his career with the Philadelphia Phillies but played for the Chicago Cubs form 1982 through 1997. "Ryno" won nine gold gloves at second base and was a great hitter for his position. He hit for .300 five times in his career and even hit 40 home runs during the 1990 season. In 1984 he won the National League MVP. He is one of the greatest second baseman to play the game and a Cubbie for life.

5. Gale Sayers (Chicago Bears):
Drafted in the 1965 NFL draft, Sayers played his whole career with the Chicago Bears. In his rookie year he set a NFL rookie record for total touchdowns (22) that still stands today. Unfortunately Sayers only played for seven seasons in the NFL, it was cut short by knee injuries. During his short career he won rookie of the year, went to four pro bowls, was a 5 time first team all-pro (winning 3 pro bowl MVPs), was a two time rushing champion, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1977.

4. Stan Mikita (Chicago Blackhawks):
In 1959, Stan Mikita was brought up to the Chicago Blackhawks. He is known for being the best centre of the 1960s. In 1961 his helped the Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup. He and teammate Bobby Hull were a dominate duo during the sixties. He played for the Blackhawks for 22 seasons. He won the NHL MVP twice and was a four time season scoring leader. Some of his Blackhawk records include most goals (541), most points (1,467), and most games played (1,394).

3. Ernie Banks (Chicago Cubs):
"Mr. Cub" played in Chicago from 1953 until 1971. He played short stop and one of the greatest hitters of all time. Unfortunately he never had a chance to play in a playoff game this says more about his team than his skills. During his career Banks was a 14 time All-Star, 2 time National League MVP, Gold Glove winner, and hit 512 home runs. Banks is the greatest Cub of all time.

2. Walter Payton (Chicago Bears):
Drafted by the Chicago Bears in 1975 Walter Payton became the greatest running back in Bears history and arguably the greatest in NFL history. He was apart of the 1985 Bears who won the Super Bowl. He ended his career with 3,838 carries, 16,726 rushing yards, and 125 touchdowns. He was everything you look for in a running back; light on his feet, fast, and tough as nails. "Sweetness" was a nine time Pro Bowler (MVP in 1977), two time Offensive Player of the Year, six time First Team All Pro, and 3 time NFC MVP.

1. Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls):
Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time. Enough said. But heres some awards; NBA rookie of the year, 14 time NBA All Star (3 time All Star game MVP), 2 time NBA Dunk Contest Champion, 3 time NBA steals Champion, 10 time All NBA First Team, 10 time scoring champion, 5 time MVP, and 6 NBA Championships (six finals MVPs). Jordan was so good that his jersey #23 was retired not only by the Chicago Bulls but also the Miami Heat (a team he never played for).