Bear Fans Must Be Relieved to Hear This

The Carolina Panthers, who play the Chicago Bears today, are coming off a dominant 23-0 victory over Eli Manning and the New York Giants.

When it was pointed out to Bear middle linebacker Brian Urlacher that the Panthers had really stuck it to the Giants, Urlacher had what the Chicago Tribune’s Mike Downey characterized as a “dead-on perfect” response.

“We’re not the Giants,” Urlacher said.

Opposing view: Asked which of the teams in the NFL playoffs was most likely to be upset this weekend, Fox commentator Daryl Johnston chose the Bears.

“Their lack of playoff experience at quarterback will likely come back to haunt them,” Johnston said.

Trivia time: Who was originally offered the role of the ringside announcer played by Stu Nahan in the “Rocky” movies?

Giants singing the blues: Several readers pointed out that the song “Eli’s Coming,” mentioned recently in Morning Briefing, was written and originally sung by the late Laura Nyro, who died at 49 in 1997 of cancer. But the song is often associated with Three Dog Night, who also recorded it.

Steve Schrader of the Detroit Free Press, offering a Super Bowl update, wrote that this message comes from Three Dog Night: “Eli’s Not Coming.”

Hitting the books: Las Vegas sports books lost money on NFL games this season. The Denver Post reported that betting favorites covered the line more than half the time -- 63%, to be exact -- for only the third time since 1989.

“It wasn’t one of our better seasons,” Jay Kornegay, executive director of the Las Vegas Hilton sports book, told the newspaper.

“I guess we’ll have to raise the price of our grilled-cheese sandwiches and turn down the lights a little bit.”

Finding a bright spot: Of last season’s NHL lockout, NBC and OLN play-by-play announcer Mike “Doc” Emrick said, “There was one upside. My wife said I had learned where all the light switches are in the house we’ve lived in for eight years.”

Looking back: On this day in 1995, linebacker Dennis Gibson twice knocked down passes in the end zone -- the last one on fourth down -- to preserve the San Diego Chargers’ 17-13 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC championship game. The win sent the Chargers on to their only Super Bowl appearance.

Trivia answer: Gil Stratton, who instead took the part of a television reporter in a scene that ended up on the cutting-room floor. Stratton, who recommended Nahan for the ringside announcer role, gets residual checks from the first “Rocky” because his name is on the original cast sheet.

And finally: Randy Hill of Foxsports.com, noting that billionaire benefactor Boone Pickens had donated $165 million to the athletic department at Oklahoma State, wrote: “A small portion of this windfall will be used to upgrade Stillwater to Sparklingwater.”

*

Larry Stewart can be reached at [email protected].