While the Cubs and baseball have always been my first love, I’ve rotated through the Bears, Bulls and Blackhawks as each spent time as the best in its sports. Growing up in the Mike Ditka era, I join so many Chicago sports fans with an appreciation of “fire.” At times, a good temper tantrum get elevated to almost mythical status.
This phenomenon has to, at least in part, relate to the Ditka era. Those Bears teams under him were fierce and even when they weren’t winning championships, they played a bruising style that didn’t make them an opponent that was looked forward to.