Bulls and Bears: The names go together like stocks and bonds.
So one was so named in 1966 as an ode to Chicago’s meatpacking tradition. And the other changed its name in 1922 as an homage to the Cubs, back in the days when both the baseball and football teams played at Cubs Park.
We won’t let those facts get in the way.
The Bulls and Bears aren’t just team names, they’re the perfect metaphor for their financial counterparts, the opposing stock forecasters who are either high on the market (bullish) or down (bearish). Given that theme, RedEye’s poochie prognosticator Whizzer charts both teams’ ups and downs this season and forecasts their fortunes for the near future.
BEARS
LONG-RANGE FORECAST
The Bears run the table on NFC patsies Tampa Bay, Detroit and Green Bay, earning home field advantage along the way. They post strong results in the NFC playoffs but take a downturn in the Super Bowl. Blame a hostile takeover by San Diego’s LaDainian Tomlinson.
SHORT-RANGE FORECAST
Bears vs. Tampa Bay: Noon Sunday, FOX
BULLS
LONG-RANGE FORECAST:
The addition of Wallace made the Bulls look unstoppable on defense, but that hasn’t been the case. The Bulls have another brutal West Coast jaunt–seven consecutive games starting on Jan. 31. There are also multiple matches against Cleveland, Miami and Detroit that will be no cake walk. This has the look of a team destined for a first-round exit.
SHORT-RANGE FORECAST
Bulls vs. Seattle: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, CSN
BULLS
July 3: Mondays get a bad rep on the exchange. The Bulls have a really good one, landing the pick of the free-agent litter in blue chip defensive player Ben Wallace.
BEARS
After struggling all preseason, Rex Grossman and the first unit are booed off the field by the Soldier Field crowd of 49,486 during an exhibition loss to Arizona.
Aug. 25: Despite early grumblings about Brian Griese, Grossman throws a 49-yard score to open the season with a 26-0 win over Green Bay. Packers shutouts, always a plus.
Oct. 20: Ben Gordon misses his first eight shots during a 85-83 preseason loss to Minnesota. It appears to be an early sign of shooting trouble for the Bulls marksman.
Oct. 31: Yahoo! Bulls trounce the defending champion Miami Heat108-66 on opening night in their house, creating chatter that thenew-look Bulls will coast to adivision title. We haven’tseen such falsely inflated
stock value sincethe dot com era.
Sept 24: Week 3, a sign of trouble ahead? The Bears beat the Vikings, but one of Grossman’s two interceptions is returned for a touchdown.
Oct. 8: They rout ex-Bears coach Dick Jauron’s Buffalo Bills.
Oct. 1: The Bears score four offensive touchdowns and intercept Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck twice as the Bears dominate their first nationally televised game of the season.
Nov. 1-3: The Bulls lose the next two games to Orlando and Sacramento. Don’t make those NBA Finals plans just yet.
Oct. 16: The Bears’s stunning fourth-quarter rally over the Arizona Cardinals makes the stockholders happy. But here comes the big “but:” Safety Mike Brown is lost for the season. Grossman throws four picks and loses two fumbles. Sometimes winning feels like losing.
Nov. 12-19: The Bears eke out tough road wins over the Giants and Jets, but . . .
Nov. 14-24: Send in the clowns. The Bulls fall on hard times during the circus road trip–as usual–losing six straight games.
Nov. 5: Undefeated? Please. The once-moribund Miami Dolphins put a stop to all of that noise with a crushing 31-13 upset. The Bears defense gives up three passing touchdowns to Joey Harrington and Grossman commits four turnovers in the game.
Nov. 25-Dec. 8: The Bulls follow their market correction with a sharp rally, winning their next seven. In all but one game, they score at least 100 points. Gordon makes five three-pointers on a 28-point night against the Wizards, and tosses in 31 against the 76ers two games later.
Nov. 26: Just like there are no moral victories on Wall Street, there are none here in New England. The Bears cause more turnovers (5) than they commit (4), but a 17-13 loss puts a damper on fans’ “Super Bowl” mania.
Monday night: Grossman gets back consumer confidence with a mistake-free, two touchdown rout of the St. Louis Rams. Kick returner Devin Hester sets an NFL record with his fifth and sixth return touchdowns. He gets Tommie Harris’ corner office.
Saturday through Monday: A setback to Minnesota knocks them back to .500, but Gordon and Luol Deng key Monday’s victory over Indiana.
Dec. 3: After another three-interception day against the Vikings, the board members conspire to vote out CEO Grossman. The Bears lose standout DT Tommie Harris to a torn left hamstring.
