Over the past week or so there have been some great Chicago sports quotes, and each one would have lent itself to a great post all on its own.  Unfortunately, I’m studying for some stupid test and I don’t have time to make a million posts for you idiots.  Thus, I have combined them all into this post.  Enjoy:

Ozzie Guillen on managing: “I’m always bored,” Guillen said. “I’m not playing. You’re sitting around for seven innings. My game starts in the sixth [or] seventh inning. That’s when you see me look around the stands a lot, because you play this game for that many years and coach it and be there for that many years and you’re just managing, it’s a boring game all day for me.” So boring, in fact, that as Guillen headed up the steps and out of the press room he admitted that he started counting the number of people in the stands who had his name on the back of their jerseys. “I counted 35,” he said, trying to forget about his team’s performance.

Some Cubs fan at the Cubs-Phillies game in Philly: Sat next to a Cubs fan who explained repeatedly that the Cubs could have signed Raul Ibanez instead of Milton Bradley (though Ibanez signed in Philly first) and that Alfonso Soriano will swing at any breaking ball out of the zone “just like every other Latin American in the major leagues.”

A caption written by William Ligue III on his Myspace page under a picture of him and his father beating up Tom Gamboa, a base coach for the Royals: “ME AND DAD FUCKIN UP THA COACH FA THA KANSAS CITY ROYALS.”

Another rival wide receiver (Donald Driver this time) on how Bears wide receivers suck: “I think Chicago did a great job, and Lovie Smith went out there and got Jay Cutler to lead this team, but one thing they don’t have is they don’t have the receiver group,” Driver said. ”They have the running back, they have the offensive line and they have a great defense. But you’re going to have to need receivers to make plays down the field, and they don’t have that right now.”

Jerry Reinsdorf on running the Bulls: “But the only way you can avoid making a mistake is not to make a decision.”

Hawk Harrelson’s new catchphrase: “Yes, hell yes!”

Marian Hossa on playing in Chicago, after coming from Detroit (affectionately known as “hockeytown”): “It’s great to be in a hockey town,” said Hossa, who had 40 goals and 31 assists for the Wings last season. “This is a sports town, a great town. The city is great and the fans are great. There’s not much not to like about this city.”

Ozzie’s quote is the funniest but Reinsdorf’s is the most concerning.  Really, Jerry?  I mean it makes sense to live in fear after your Ben Wallace mistake, but I’ve got news for you: being scared of your own shadow led to some serious mistakes as well (missing out on Gasol, Bryant, Garnett, Amare, Boozer, etc).

• Jerry Reinsdorf opens up about what exactly went down with Ben Gordon last summer.  Doesn’t sound like Jerry thinks Ben is in the plans for next season. [By The Horns]
• Bradley isn’t the only one who thinks the umps are giving him a raw deal.  Ted Lilly chimed in and got ejected the other day. [Bleacher Nation]
• Marmol is away from the team to be with his wife during the birth of his child.  So who is this chick? [Deadspin]
• I love the Birdman! [BDL]
• Dong reader and NQTC friend Raimster gives his two cents on why Chicago sucks and how the Penguins are awesome.  Hilarious. [Luol's Dong]
• The Cubs finally won a game with a little divine intervention.  Thanks for the rain delay big guy. [Sun-Times]

K.C. Johnson is reporting that the Bulls will be meeting Barack Obama today:

The Bulls are scheduled to meet President Barack Obama Thursday afternoon in the Blue Room of the White House.
“A great honor for the Chicago Bulls organization,” said Steve Schanwald, executive vice president of business operations. “The President has been a fan of the Bulls for many years and we are very appreciative of this opportunity to say hello to him and pay our respects.”

Perhaps the Bulls organization should heed Barack’s messages and vision for this country when they are deciding how to handle their own affairs.  Here’s how his messages can help:

Change: The Bulls need to change the way they think and do business.  Building around the young stars works fine, but once you fall in love with “young assets” and refuse to make the big moves that this franchise needs to take the next step, then you have problems. 

Hope: There is hope for this franchise, but it is way down line (similar to our economy, no?).  With Derrick Rose to build around and a ton of cap space in 2010, its pretty irrelevant what happens the next two years.  The two things they need to focus on are making Chicago an attractive place to play and keeping all that cap space cleared up.

No More Business As Usual: Fire Vinny Del Negro.  Also the way the organization is run at the top needs to be different.  Reinsdorf’s meddling may have caused countless problems and they can’t have the owner micromanaging the GM’s moves.  Not to say Paxson would make all the right moves without Reinsdorf’s interference, but its just not a good way to run a business.

Yes We Can: Listen to the fans!  We are the ones buying the tickets and supporting the team.  We aren’t as clueless as you might think and we care passionately about the team.

I was going to write one about bi-partisanship, but it doesn’t look like Obama was all that sincere about that one (not a single Republican vote on the stimulus package, are you kidding me?).

In light of all the recent trades and rumors swirling around Paxson, people have been analyzing his legacy.  My focus has been mainly on how much Reinsdorf was really calling the shots and whether that interfered with Paxson’s job.

But was someone else really pulling the strings from 2003- 2007?  Scott Skiles put his imprint on the team and gave them an identity on the court.  With his attitude and coaching style (angry, disrespectful and a bully), he was able to get the Bulls to play ferocious defense and win a lot of games.  Was Scott Skiles also calling shots in the front office?  Tim Thomas seems to think so.  When asked if he has hard feelings about his last stint with the Bulls, he answered:

”[Paxson] really didn’t go into it,” Thomas said. ”I’m pretty sure he felt a certain way about the whole situation. There was a lot of heat on the organization at that particular time. There’s really no need to talk about it. That’s in the past. The guy who was pretty much controlling things is gone.

Now this is Tim Thomas, and its not to say that Paxson and Skiles weren’t on the same page for Skiles’ entire tenure, but this does make some sense.  Guys that Skiles didn’t like were shipped out without playing a game.  Tim Thomas and J.R. Smith are just two examples, but how many other deals were forced or made by Skiles?  Was Curry really traded because Skiles wanted him gone?  Chandler?  We know Skiles sat Thomas and to a lesser extent Noah, even after Paxson made clear numerous times that he wanted the young guys to get minutes.  Who knows, but Skiles is one controlling, stubborn person and his pattern of coaching continues in Milwaukee.  He comes in, bullies his team into playing with intensity, team starts winning, Skiles imposes his will on the entire organization, players get sick of being treated like shit, players tune out Skiles, Skiles gets fired.  Annoyingly we have to deal with him getting Milwaukee to compete for our playoff spot this year before the inevitable meltdown when the team turns on him next year.