Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Ditka "neutral" on Bears-Saints game Sunday


Mike Ditka, legendary Hall of Fame tight end and the only coach to lead the Chicago Bears to a Super Bowl championship, is not picking sides in Sunday's NFC championship game between the Bears and the New Orleans Saints.

"Da Coach" is still greatly revered in Chicago--21 years after the Bears crushed the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX. But his stance on Sunday's game--even though he is still bitter over being fired by weaselly Bears owner Mike McCaskey--is a big surprise.

In the late 1990s, Ditka coached the Bears to three successive losing seasons.

From the Chicago "free registration required" Tribune:

The latest flap began Tuesday when Ditka told the Tribune, "I never root for anybody, really."

Ditka reiterated his neutral stance during radio interviews Wednesday. He told Mike North of WSCR-AM 670 that "I won't be sad if either one of them don't win."

Ditka then took it to another level by taking a swipe at former Bears president Michael McCaskey, who fired Ditka after the 1992 season, during an interview on WMVP-AM 1000. Ditka also blasted New Orleans owner Tom Benson, calling him "a stupid cheat."

"I dealt with a sneak in Chicago; so I don't really respect people who do those things, you know," Ditka told WMVP hosts Steve Rosenbloom and Sean Salisbury. "When I have the job as the head coach and you talk to somebody behind my back (his successor, Dave Wannstedt) when I'm still the head coach about that job, then I think that's a little disgusting."

Hey, in my book, he's still "Da Coach."

Related post: Ditka on White Sox manager: "I like Ozzie"

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