As I have been gift-shopping, wrapping presents, and just driving around and soaking in the Christmas season, a song has captured my attention. The song is called "Merry Christmas, Here's to Many More," performed by Relient K, from their Let It Snow Baby... Let it Reindeer album.
What hooked me in to this song is the song's concept. Singer/songwriter Matt Thiessen wrote this about a year that was a very rough year for him. The idea of the song is how life can be very hard, but Christmas brings joy to our lives, despite our circumstances.
The year of 2013 was a rough year for me. And the more I reflect and look back, I realize how important Christmastime was to me last year. And it is a very important time for a lot of people.
As a kid, I remember how excited I got over buying and wrapping presents, drinking hot chocolate, picking out a Christmas tree, decorating our Christmas tree, putting up lights, opening presents, singing Christmas carols, and watching Christmas movies. I remember how I could not wait for Christmas Day, and how I would count down the days. Now that I'm 20, I can't say that I have the same level of excitement. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Christmas, and I find myself very jolly during the holiday season doing all of these same pastimes, but it doesn't quite hype me up as much as it used to.
I think that a lot of people my age have this same feeling. It's just a part of growing up. But while Christmas may no longer feel the way it did as a kid, at least not to the same extent, Christmas means more to me now more than ever before in my life.
Why is that? Perhaps a part of it is that I don't live at home anymore. I live in Wisconsin now for 9 months of the year. Part of the excitement now is the "I'll Be Home For Christmas" excitement. As bad as things were for me in that semester, and in that year, I had coming home to look forward to.
The holiday season is a wonderful time for us to escape the chaos in our lives for a couple of weeks, eat some good food, and focus on the great things that we have in our lives. Like friends and family. I felt very lonely at school in my first semester last year, and being home completely eliminated that feeling from my life. I had friends waiting for me with open arms. I had Christmas to celebrate with my family. Going back to that Relient K song, I think they put it best with the lyrics:
So look at me now It's finally Christmas and I'm home Head indoors to get out of this weather And I don't know how but the closest friends I've ever known are all inside Singing together Singing, "Merry Christmas, here's to many more!" The love we receive from our friends and family is truly a blessing. However, as unbelievable as it may sound, there is a love that is even stronger than theirs: God's love. Throughout the year, at times I find myself asking the question, does God really love me? Well I don't know about you, but during the days we celebrate Christmas and Easter, I could never feel more loved by God. John 3:16 reads, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life." God sent his son to die. He paid the price for us, so that we wouldn't have to. He loves us that much. The Christmas story is ultimately a love story. A story about a father named God, that gives the greatest gift of all to his children. A story about a friend by the name of Jesus, who gave up his life Mufasa-style in the Lion King, so that his friends could have life, and have it to the full. The birth of Christ gives us hope. It reminds us that in the mist of all of the tragedies and catastrophes in our lives, that there is hope. It reminds us when we feel lonely that we are never alone. And Jesus is the one that gives us that hope. And even if you don't believe in the birth of Christ, you have all of your friends and family to celebrate the holidays with. You are home, and you owe it to yourself to take a breather. I can say with full confidence that the time I had off last year was essential to my success in J-term and in my spring semester. It really rejuvenated me, and celebrating the birth of our Savior reminded me of the hope I have in Christ. So enjoy the holidays! Drink your hot chocolate and snuggle up next to the fire! And as you get a nice break from the hardships you have been facing, I pray that this time of year allows you to replenish and that it gives you hope. When it's all over, keep going. God has a plan for you, and he wants to take care of you. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and a very happy New Year!
The date was December 28, 2008. The 9-6 Chicago bears were entering Week 17 in a tight playoff picture. Needing a victory against the Houston Texans, as well as losses from Tampa Bay and Dallas, the Bears' chances of making the playoffs' weren't great, however they were very, very possible.
Dallas and Tampa Bay both lost, meaning all that it would take for the Bears was a win. The Bears fell short in a 31-24 loss, and immediately the finger was pointed at Bears quarterback Kyle Orton. Two years removed from a NFC Championship and a Super Bowl appearance, the Monsters of the Midway were missing the playoffs for the second straight year. Their defense was still one of the league's best, however there was a clear problem with the offense. The Bears' offense revolved around run and screen plays for Matt Forte, Devin Hester punt and kickoff returns, and throwing up deep passes and hoping for pass interference. In other words, they had no passing game, and the thrill of having Kyle Orton or Rex Grossman behind center, was not much of a thrill for Bears' fans.
After years of decades of dismal quarterback play and years of trying to replace "the punky QB known as [Jim] McMahon," Bears GM Jerry Angelo panicked. Here he had this supremely talented defense, with very little life on the offensive side, and a championship window that is only open for so long.
Out of panic, Angelo shipped away Orton, and three draft picks (18th overall and 84th overall in 2009, and a first round pick in 2010) for a 25 year-old gun-slinger coming off a Pro Bowl season, who forced his way out of Denver after not getting along with their new head coach Josh McDaniels. Many Chicagoans reacted the same as they did last week when the Cubs' signed Jon Lester, as if a savior was coming to resurrect a Chicago team and elevate them to a championship-caliber team. I was not one of those Chicagoans.
You see, I never thought Orton was that bad. The reason why the Bears couldn't generate any offense was in addition to having one of the league's worst offensive lines, their wide receivers were Devin Aromashodu, converted corner Devin Hester (who still can't consistently run good routes), a washed-up Marty Booker, Rashied Davis, and Brandon Rideau. Two years later, Rideau and Booker were out of the league. Two years after that Davis and Aromashodu were out of the league. Want to guess how many career touchdowns Davis and Aromashodu combined for in their careers? 10. The Bears' receiving core sucked. The only way you could get any kind of production out of that group was if Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers was your quarterback. Very few guys can turn chicken crap in to chicken salad, and I had no reason to believe that giving up three picks, that the Bears could use to bolster the receiving core or offensive line, would make any difference. So while many Chicagoans felt this was a great trade, where the Bears were getting a franchise, game-changing quarterback who would transcend the offense, which paired with a great defense would equal a championship, I thought otherwise, and I was interested in seeing what those draft picks would become so that one and if one day I could point back to those picks and say that I was right.
On December 18, 2014, I can declare that I was right. I hate to be the "I told you so" guy. It doesn't fit my persona. But Chicago, I told you so.
The Broncos turned those picks in to two-time Pro Bowler Demaryius Thomas, Eric Decker, two of the better receivers in the league, and linebacker/defensive end Robert Ayers. While Ayers may be on his second team now, that was the 18th pick in talented draft where Pro Bowl talents still on the board, like Clay Matthews, Alex Mack, Max Unger, Jairus Byrd, LeSean McCoy and Percy Harvin to name a few. That trade has allowed the Broncos to become the team that they are now: a legit Super Bowl threat for the third straight year, AFC West champions for the fourth straight year, and one of the most dynamic offenses in the NFL. The trade also opened up an opportunity for the Broncos to acquire Peyton Manning a few years later, an opportunity that would not have come otherwise. The Broncos would not be the team as we know them now if they had not made this trade, and I'm sorry Bears fans, but there is no possible way that the Bears won that trade.
Something I have been arguing for years is that while the NFL is a passing league, quarterbacks are being overvalued. Very few quarterbacks are actually worth what they are getting paid. An average or slightly above average quarterback can thrive if he is given the right talent around him. There are eleven players on the field for a team at a time, and very few quarterbacks can make up for lack-luster talent that is around them. We'll come back to this, but the bottom line is that in 2008, I believed that the Bears' needed to address their soft offensive line and find receivers that were capable of running decent routes and catching the ball.
So here were are in the 2009 preseason. Cutler has Bears' fans on the edge of their seats. His ballsy decision-making causes concerns for some, but his big-play capability and the rocket attached to his arm gives the fan base far more hope than fear. Peter King picks the Bears to win the NFC and return to the Super Bowl, something that he must have taken off of the internet because I can't find it anywhere, except for the copy of Sports Illustrated I have kept for five years.
Enter the 2009 season, the Bears' receivers are Hester, Aromashodu, Davis, and newly drafted Juaquin Inglesias and Johnny Knox (both out of the league by 2012) and the line still sucks. The result? The Bears start the season a disastrous 5-9, and Cutler leads the NFL in interceptions thrown with 26. Perhaps the best thing to come out of that terrible season, was this YouTube parody.
Haha, I love that. However 2010 was a much different season. The Bears went 11-5, and were one win away from playing in the Super Bowl. Cutler got injured in the NFC Championship game, and Bears fans suggest that if Cutler were to have never gotten injured, the Bears would have won the Super Bowl. That statement is false. Because while Cutler showed improvement, he still turned the ball over 9 more times than he did in the previous season and he was not playing well in that game. Cutty was only 6-14, throwing for just 80 yards and one pick over halfway through the game. While it remains a mystery what would have happened had he stayed in, the Cutler injury is not a valuable excuse. The Bears' were not better than Green Bay that season, nor were they better than the AFC Champion Pittsburgh Steelers.
Cutler looked most valuable to the Bears in the 2011 season, when the Bears started out 7-3, and then dropped five of their last six games after Cutler got hurt and had to miss the remainder of the regular season.
While Cutler did not build up a great resume in his first three seasons, in all fairness to him, it wasn't a fair sample size. Cutler was playing with sub-par receivers and a horrendous offensive line, as well as changes at offensive coordinator. He did not get along with Mike Martz, and with the combination of Mike Martz's scheme and a disastrous offensive line, left him to be sacked and to take more hits than he should have been taking.
Jerry Angelo was fired after the 2011 season, and Phil Emery came in as the new GM. Emery immediately made some big changes, acquiring top-tier receivers Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery, finally giving Cutler somebody to throw the ball to. After a year or two, he was also able to fix up the offensive line. Marc Trestman took over at head coach, and Aaron Kromer took over at offensive coordinator. The Bears' became a team focused on their offense, and for the past three preseasons we have heard talk of Cutler being an MVP candidate, and on the cusp of being one of the elite quarterbacks in the league. Clearly, Cutler has failed to come anywhere close to those hopes.
In the 2012 and 2013 seasons, Cutler failed to throw 20 touchdown passes with one of the best receiving corps in the game. Believe it or not, he threw more touchdown passes when he had less talent at the receiver positions.
Furthermore, after Cutler got injured once again in the 2013 season, Josh McCown proved my point that quarterbacks are overvalued. McCown, at the age of 34, after being out of the league for a year, came in to back-up Cutty, and in the eight games he played in, McCown led the NFL in quarterback rating, completing 66.5% of his passes, meanwhile throwing 13 touchdowns and just one interception. McCown was being paid $580,000 for one year. Talk about bang for your buck production. McCown excelled as a result of the system he was in. I know I sound like a broken record, but this proved my case that the Bears did not need to pay a quarterback a max contract to win games.
With Cutler's contract coming to an end, the Bears had a decision to make. I wanted the Bears to franchise tag him, and then either keep him for a year, or trade him for an early round draft pick like the Patriots did with Matt Cassell after the 2009 season. I thought that if you looked at the five-year resume of Cutler, as well as the proof that a serviceable quarterback like McCown could dominate, there was just no way that the Bears could pay top dollar to keep Cutler. I thought that the Bears should have learned there lesson, and not repeated history and giving up too much for a guy they gave too much up to five years earlier.
The Bears did the opposite, signing Cutler to a 7-year contract extension, in which he will be paid an average of $18.5 million per year. Upon hearing the news of an extension, I posted on Facebook that I would not be seeing a Bears Super Bowl for the next seven years. People argued with me. People said the Bears had no other options. But they did.
The Bears could have drafted a quarterback and acquired a cheap QB looking for a second chance like Colt McCoy, who has looked very good this year in Washington in RGIII's absence, and had them compete for the starting role. While we do not know how productive that would be, we do know that the Bears are wasting $18.5 MILLION on their payroll this year by paying Cutler. Any quarterback that is getting paid that much should be throwing for 40 touchdowns with the offense the Bears' have. This offense is simply too talented. And with the amount they are spending on the Cutler contract, they could be using that money to fix up a terrible defense.
The Cutler contract will likely cost Emery his job. I believe that Marc Trestman hasn't taken Cutler out because he doesn't want to piss off Emery, and make Emery fire him, putting the blame on Trestman as Emery scrambles to keep his job. But now that it is looking like Trestman will get fired, I am very pleased with the way he is going out. By benching Cutler, he has a chance to showcase how his offense can work with Jimmy Clausen. And if the offense plays well, and Clausen does fine, Trestman can get an offensive coordinator position someplace else. It's also the ultimate F-YOU to Emery.
The Cutler trade and the Cutler contract have played a significant part in breaking the Bears, and turning the "Monsters of the Midway" in to the "Munchkins of the Midway." His inexcusable performance in prime-time and must-win games can no longer be tolerated or ignored. They should have aborted the Cutler project sooner, but hopefully this season is the end of it. I don't think they will be able to trade him for anything. And even if they cut him, they will still have to pay him through the 2016 season. There's a 90% shot (I say only 90% because I give it a 10% chance the Raiders or Redskins do something nutty and make Cutler their franchise quarterback) that Cutler is on the Bears next September, but if the Bears are smart they draft a quarterback this spring. And though it is three decades later, hopefully this time they can replace Jim McMahon.
So yeah, Cutler sucks. And oh, one more thing. It's worth noting that this Sunday, Kyle Orton will be starting and playing for a chance to take his team to the playoffs. Jay Cutler will not.
In July, a friend of mine from high school committed suicide. It was the first time that death had impacted my life. I had never really lost someone before that. Over the next two months, four more deaths occurred in my life and in the lives of people I care about.
When things go bad in my life, I always turn to my faith. This is because God has been there to pick me up every time I fall. But over this three month stretch, I kept calling, and it felt like God wasn't picking up. I would read my Bible and it wouldn't open up my soul the way it used to. I would spend time praying and it didn't feel like God was listening.
My faith didn't feel authentic. It felt fake, forced. The most common question I asked was "Why does God feel so far away?"
I stopped consistently reading my Bible and praying every night. I'd do it every now and then. I felt like I had an excuse not to. I felt like I could do whatever I wanted because everything was going wrong in my life.
The first half of my fall semester was complete and utter hell. There's just no other way to put it. Seldom was I able to get homework complete and turned in on time. I was able to get some accommodations to get some extra time on some assignments, but oftentimes that didn't make a different; I still did a lame job on some of my work.
In addition to suffering from these tragedies, I felt like I was struggling socially. Some of my closest friends that I had last year at school had transferred or were now living off-campus, and I just didn't see them anymore. I rushed a fraternity that a majority of my friends joined last year, and for the second time, I didn't get in. I felt like I wasn't good enough and I felt like I had lost those friendships because I was now on the outside looking in.
I had seriously considered going home, leaving, and taking courses at the community college near my house again. But I could hear a faint whisper telling me to stay and to trust Him. As bad as things were in those first seven weeks, I somehow survived. I was still standing. I was still alive.
The week after midterms, I was blessed with an amazing adventure to the Turks and Caicos Islands in the Caribbean for my cousin's wedding. This was a really great motivator for me to have. It gave me something to look forward to. And it was much needed.
The four days and nights I spent in Turks and Caicos were unlike anything I had previously experienced. Never before had I traveled out of the United States. Never before had I snorkeled, let alone in the Atlantic Ocean with some of the earth's most majestic-looking creatures. Never before had I been to such a beautiful place.
In those four days, God felt present in my life, something that I hadn't felt all semester. I was incredibly touched by God's beautiful creation.
As far as God felt from me in the times I questioned, "Is this for real?", his goodness was made evident to me in this beautiful canvas he had painted on this little island southeast of the Bahamas. Oftentimes when people think about the term "worship," they only think of singing songs. Worshiping God goes so much deeper than just singing. It is appreciating God for all the little or big things in our lives. So here I am, out of the country for the first time, experiencing these wonders, and just soaking it all in and thanking God for every breath of fresh air that I breathe in.
When I got to the trip's end, I was definitely bummed out that I had to leave this paradise and go back to cold Wisconsin. But on the flip side, I was beyond grateful for the experience that I had. In my first couple of weeks back at school, I can't say that I was thrilled to be back. I was still aching from a lot of the bad things that had happened. But the four days I had in paradise gave me hope. They reminded me to keep seeking and pursuing Jesus. It was like I was lost at sea, and it was storming. I could either just give up, or I could keep going and look for the lighthouse that would make things clear to me and guide me back to land. I chose the latter.
Like I said, it wasn't like God made everything better immediately. But the great thing about God is that he takes all these things that were wounds that we've had, and he fixes them up and turns them in to scars. Scars show the pain that we went through, and they leave stories of how God healed us.
Over time, things got infinitely better for me. I found a church in Kenosha that has been such a blessing to my life. I finished the semester strong academically. I have developed much closer and more intimate friendships and bonds with friends I had last year, and I have met a lot of awesome new people, and started making new friendships that I hope will last a lifetime. And really for the first time, I feel like I belong at Carthage. I actually find myself growing eager to return and see all of my friends and be back in a few weeks for J-term.
Through the church I have become a part of, I feel joy every Sunday. But I also feel joy every Monday. And Tuesday. And Wednesday. And Thursday. And Friday. And Saturday. It has helped me get back on track spiritually, and see God in every day of my life. I have gotten back to the point of falling in love with Jesus every single day, and really growing in Him, and I am so amped up for what God has next for me.
This is a total 180 from where I was when the semester began, and where I was over the summer. The main thing I have learned is through all the thick and thin, keep pursuing Jesus. As far away as he seems, he hasn't left. He's still there. We will all go through dry seasons in our faith, but that is only a temporary place.
Deuteronomy 31:8 reads, "The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."
So whatever place you are in in life right now, no matter how stormy it is, or how high the waves are, keep looking for that lighthouse.
It was just your ordinary Tuesday night. I was up late, studying for my religion final that I would be taking the next day and completing a 5-page paper for the class. It was 12:30 AM. Things were quiet, most of my hall had gone to bed and had to get up early for finals the next morning. For the week of finals, my school implements a strict "24-hour quiet hours." I was beginning to grow tired. And then I looked at my phone.
I see the words: "Cubs agree to deal with Jon Lester."
I immediately begin to yell and run up and down the halls.
"THE CUBS GOT LESTER! WE GOT LESTER! OHOHOH YESSSSSSSS!!!!!"
These were just a few of things that could be heard from any part of the third floor of Denhart. I then proceeded to find my buddy on the floor that is a fellow Cubs die-hard fan. I go up to his door and loudly say his name. I hear in a very groggy voice, "what?" followed by a "Hell yeah. It's a great night to be a Cubs fan," upon my sharing of the good news.
It was a great night to be a Cubs fan. The excitement I felt ignited a spark in me to stay up for another two hours, finish my paper, and cram for my final. Now that my finals are over, I finally have time to break down this huge news.
Two months ago, I had a dream that it was Opening Day at Wrigley Field. As I was watching the Cubs' starting lineup take the field. Two things immediately caught my eye. The first was that Starlin Castro was no longer a member of the team, and the second was that Jon Lester was on the bump for us.
While Castro's future with the Cubs is still unclear, the second part of my dream came true on Tuesday night. Jon Lester and the Cubs agreed to a 6-year $155 million deal, and the fan base now has the most optimism its had since 2008. Facebook and Twitter were buzzing with excitement, with many fans pointing to the fact that the Cubs win the World Series in the year 2015 in Back to the Future Part II, which my friend Krystal first pointed out to me this past summer.
It's a culmination of surprise, prosperity, and hope. Many thought that Lester would show loyalty to Boston, who shipped him away to Oakland for Yoenis Céspedes this past summer, and continually low-balled him when they were negotiating a contract extension with a guy who helped them win two World Series'. If he wasn't going to Boston, he was surely staying in the Bay Area, going to San Francisco, and forming a nearly unstoppable pitching rotation with the likes of Madison Bumgarner and Jake Peavy. If he were to go elsewhere, it would certainly be Los Angeles, where he could form a similar tandem with reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw. But there was no way he would go to the Cubs, a team that hasn't won more than 73 games since 2010, was there?
Wrong. Lester chose a "cursed" franchise over the sexy options. And now the Cubs have a big-time pitcher that can pitch big-time games for them and a clear ace. Many people think that the Cubs' overpaid for Lester, whose 2.46 ERA was not only the lowest of his career, but the only sub-3 ERA that he has posted in his career. While perhaps they did overpay, keep in mind that there is no salary cap in baseball. Overpaying someone isn't quite the crime that it is in the NBA or the NFL. Also remember that there are very few players on the Cubs' roster that are making very much. The team is so young, a majority of the guys are still on their rookie contracts. So the Cubs have money to spend.
While Lester may or may not be elite, he is very good. The Cubs need pitching and he was the best option they had. He is what the Cubs need: a big-time pitcher.
It's also worth noting that a month ago they added a big-time manager with the signing of Joe Maddon, a goofy, fun-loving manager that is known for doing all that he can to keep his players loose and having fun while playing the game they love. Every day Maddon writes on his lineup card, "Never permit pressure to exceed pleasure." Maddon also did his own version of Allen Iverson's famous practice incident.
But my favorite Maddon moment was when his team was in a slump, and he decided to model his batting order after Tommy Tutone's 867-5309. Maddon has taken many under-talented, underdog teams much deeper in the playoffs than they really should go. And I have no reason to believe that he won't do the same with a young Cubs team.
As a Cubs fan, I believe in this team, and I think we can go all the way. However, looking at things objectively, I don't think that the World Series is the goal for the 2015 Cubs. That would be an unfair amount of pressure to put on such a young team. But I think this is about speeding up the rebuilding process. The rebuilding process is over and the Cubs are going to be contending for a NL Central division title sooner than you think.
The rebuilding process is over. The 2014 season was the last season of gutting the team. The Cubs now have the right building blocks in place to start competing. There was a stretch between August and early September where the Cubs were the best team in the central and the scariest to play. On September 1, the Brewers were tied in first place with the Cardinals. The Cubs then swept the Brewers and the Cards took a three game lead, this would eventually prove to be fatal for the Brewers' season.
On the same day that the Cubs added Lester, they also added two-time all-star, veteran catcher Miguel Montero from Arizona. Montero will provide good veteran leadership for a young team that needs a veteran catcher. A catcher's job is to call the game, and Montero's presence in the locker room will be a nice addition. He's also an upgrade over Wellington Castillo both offensively and defensively.
Also on Tuesday, the Cubs brought back pitcher Jason Hammel, who posted a 2.98 ERA with the Cubs in 2013 before being dealt to Oakland in the Jeff Samardzija deal in July. Speaking of that trade, who won that deal? The Cubs now have Hammel, Addison Russell, Billy McKinney, and Lester all from Oakland. Meanwhile, Samardzija will be pitching for the White Sox next year.
Which brings me to my next thought. Many will look at the Lester signing as the Cubs' last move. However, I see it as just the beginning. As I alluded to earlier, the signing of a big-ticket free agent shows that we are getting ready to compete. The Cubs could add another bat or another top-notch starting pitcher. Honestly, I would be shocked if the Cubs do not make another splash. Now, that splash doesn't have to take place this winter. Next winter, David Price and Samardzija will both be out on the open market. Could we see a Samardzija return, or a Joe Maddon-David Price reunion in Chicago?
I don't know. But what I do now is that Jed Hoyer and Theo Epstein have the Cubs on the right track. This has been a very prosperous off-season, and it gives us fans, great hope for what is to come in the coming years.
Cubs fans will not have to be patient for very much longer because the future is now. Expect the Cubs' to break .500 for the first time since 2009 and compete for a Wild Card. And as we enter in to this new era, remember that every night is a great night to be a Cubs fan.
