Chicago Sports

There's no escaping March Madness. Thursday's real launch of the NCAA tournament - who really counts those play-in games - will send hard-core and casual fans alike into hysterics as four TV channels bombard the senses with buzzer-beaters, Cinderellas and blowouts all day long. Chances are, most people's brackets will be busted by noon, but that's all part of the fun. RedEye asked some local sports stars, media personalities and our very own staffers to make a few predictions about the tournament and share them with our readers.

When St. Paddy's Day didn't sound quite right, Kip "Kidd" Russell swapped the lyrics with a more obscure holiday--one that would ring true in Chicago. That's how "Pulaski Day," a song making the rounds on the day honoring the Revolutionary War officer Casimir Pulaski, was born. Originally an ode to St. Patrick's Day a little later in March, Russell said his producer Cisco Adler loved the idea of instead writing a rap that honored something uniquely Chicago. "It symbolizes that spring and summer are on the way, the best time of year in Chicago," Russell, 30, said.

Thursday was a special day in Chicago sports: The 14th Annual Worldwide Toast to Harry Caray. The event marked what would have been the Cubs announcer's 98th birthday, with fans all over Chicago - and more than 100 countries - raising a glass of Bud, or other beverage, at 5:45 p.m. It's a tradition that has become one of the most anticipated parts of the baseball season - for Cubs fans at least. Caray's day stands along in Chicago sports, but are there other players/sports figures who could someday have a toast all to themselves?

This might get a "dadgummit!" or two out of Hawk Harrelson. In a months-long survey, fangraphs.com asked its readers to rate the best local TV announcers in Major League Baseball, and the White Sox play-by-play man and color analyst Steve Stone struck out. As in, they came in dead last. That made us curious as to where the duo fits in the Chicago broadcast landscape. Here's our list.   1. Neil Funk and Stacey King, Bulls King's catchphrases and Twitter presence are enough to put this team in the top spot.

The Chicago Dental Society is having a meeting at McCormick Place in a couple of weeks. How do we know this? Because the organization sent out a press release with a sports angle the other day. And, no, it has nothing to do with Duncan Keith's teeth. The CDS asked 100 of its members recently which Chicago sports team "leader" had the best smile, and the results were, um, interesting. We won't reveal the results here. Instead, we'll tell you that Player A received 41 percent of the vote, followed by Player B with 22 percent, Player C at 21 percent and Player D at 5 percent.

For a moment, soccer fans' hearts might have almost jumped out of their chests Tuesday when they saw the title of one of NBC's new series: "Chicago Fire. " Alas, NBC's "Fire" is actually about the Chicago Fire Department, not the Chicago Fire MLS team that plays at Toyota Park in Bridgeview. Someone should give the suits at NBC a slap upside the head for getting our hopes up. The mis-titled series, though, gave RedEye an idea. What would other TV series really be about if they were named after Chicago sports teams?

A lot can happen in 12 months. Just ask Chicago sports teams. As the city ushered in a new year over the weekend, the Bears, Blackhawks, Bulls, Cubs and White Sox found themselves in much different shape than a year ago at this time. Consider the following.   Bears Remember the excitement a year ago this week? The Bears had just finished an 11-5 season and headed into the playoffs with fans thinking Super Bowl. Of course, Green Bay ended that dream in the NFC championshilp game.

A champion beat the champions while the strikeout king became king of the hill in Chicago sports Thursday. Otherwise known as WWE Superstar CM Punk and White Sox designated hitter Adam Dunn, the two were crowned Chicago sports stud (Punk) and dud (Dunn) in RedEye's annual look back at the year in sports. How did they get here? Try to follow along. Punk, a Chicago native, became the WWE champion in a match at Allstate Arena over the summer, not long after he seemingly went off-script with a rant about WWE owner Vince McMahon.

We did Christmas cards last week, and since it's Christmas Eve Eve, I'll share my Chicago sports Christmas list with you. > > For the Bears: I want a new GM. Seriously. Jerry Angelo's oversights have pushed me over the edge. Thanks to an unbelievable combination of pride and stupidity, a playoff team will be staying home. That is unforgivable. I want someone young, smart and a step ahead. Not the guy who's the last man on the planet who knows what a good quarterback is and what a good receiver is. And what a good bet on the offensive line is. Whoever the Theo Epstein of football is, Find.

Yes, it's that time of year again. When everybody and their mother looks back at the year in sports and either shake our head in disgust or give a "hell yeah!" to a job well done. RedEye is no different. We're recognizing the Chicago sports studs and duds of 2011 in an issue of RedEye next week. But first, we need a little help from our twisted, loyal readers. Send your suggestions for the best and worst of Chicago sports via email to redeyesports@tribune.com , on Twitter to @redeyesportsguy or just leave us a note on our Facebook page, facebook.com/redeyesports . Nominations have already started to trickle in, including usual suspects such as Bulls star Derrick Rose, White Sox underachiever Adam Dunn, the Blackhawks trio of Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Sharp and Bears Matt Forte and Marion Barber.