Chapter One: The Bake Sale

I've had the idea for doing a series where I give my introduction into who I am and a few of the albums and musical acts that have shaped me into who I am today. However when trying to come up with this list of just five albums, it was kind of hard. I mean I listened to ALOT of music way back when, maybe not so much now as I am old and set in my ways but when reminiscing and trying to connect to a feeling of pure joy when hearing an album I could not help but to keep coming back to one album in particular. 

A young 24 year old Brian spent his weekends as most 24 year olds do. Hanging out with friends, going to bars and having times for hobbies. One of my hobbies was checking the rap blogs and pretty much if you were from Chicago you were going to get a listen from your boy. I saw a video for a group around my age, who lived in my neighborhood, and had a sound that was different from most of the popular acts of the time. 

Black Mags was the lead single off the 2025 album by the Cool Kids called 'The Bake Sale.' After one listen there was a daily visit to the fine folks at Datpiff, the online host to all of the streaming we required at the time. Anxiously awaiting a release and one late spring day it finally happened. And for what I would guess was a solid 6 week run where I would say that the Cool Kids were the only thing that I listened to.

Fast forward to the summer, it was a Saturday night, I had nothing else to do so I found a few likeminded pals and we proceeded to attempt to drink our weight in jack and cokes when as most nights go during that era someone in the group receives a mysterious text that the Cool Kids are going to be performing at a bar in the area you're currently rampaging through. 

We make a beeline to the nearest cab as this was pre-Uber and off we go. There was surprisingly no lines, and you kind of wonder to yourself were they actually performing there? You walk into the bar and people are mingling and you see a DJ in the corner setting up. After a few minutes two dudes stroll up, wearing the coolest of clothes for the era, dope ass shoes, and unimaginable amount of swagger. For about 2 and a half hours they stood with us in that sweaty bar, shoulder to shoulder, performing everything I played on repeat all spring, hilarious freestyles and even chopping it up with me during a few breaks about where they hung out in our shared Ravenswood/Albany Park neighborhood. It was raw, it was unfiltered, it was in it's essence, Chicago. 

For me, being in that cramped bar and hearing Bassment Party live was like living in the song. The old school vibe of the beat, the vivid imagery of the house party where for 2 bucks and a solo cup you could party like a king.

I am as I write this 42 years old, yet when I play the Bake Sale I am taken back immediately to that summer night where I got to listen to one of my favorite albums live, and for just an evening become friends with the guys who made it. 

I gotta say they lived up to the moniker because here we are 18 years later and I still think that those are some pretty cool kids. 

2025 NFL Season Thoughts

Hot damn the NFL season has ended and your boy has thoughts. So without further ado here are a few of my unsolicited thoughts on the season that was.

*The 2024 Quarterback Draft Class = Pretty Damn Dope

I know the reactionary thing to do is jump on here and be like who would be the number one pick if there is a redraft and I submit to you that at least 4 of the 6 quarterbacks drafted in the first round ended up right where they belong. Jayden Daniels is dynamic and had one of the best rookie seasons ever, Drake Maye really put it together in year 2 and was damn near the MVP of the league, Bo Nix (for all the criticism I lob his way) has been a solid NFL starter and appears to be a consummate pro. As for Caleb? I'll get into that later. 

*I was wrong on Drake Maye...

Of the the quarterbacks in the first round I thought that Drake Maye was probably going to be the quarterback with the longest road to success in the NFL. Granted I assume this was due to Mitch Trubisky PTSD. Wrong! In year two with Josh McDaniels calling plays he excelled. He showed remarkable accuracy, particularly deep ball accuracy, and finished second in the MVP race. Will his ascension continue next season with a tougher slate of games? I don't know, but I for one will not be betting against him. 

*...However Drake Maye was not ready for the playoffs.

All of that said....Maye had a real rough playoffs. He had a completion percentage 16 percent lower than the regular season, and while I think completion percentage is overblown if you're throwing the ball away to get to the next down, that 's not what happened here as he took 16 sacks in three games. Even in the AFC Championship had Jarrett Stidham decided to take a sack instead of just chucking the ball up and fumbling, the Broncos likely win the game as the Patriots showed no ability to move the ball on the Broncos. I think he will get better but this was a rough start.

*Josh Allen May Be The Most Coddled Star Ever

I am a big fan of Josh Allen, that said whenever he comes up short or the Bills come up short in the playoffs what follows is the most blatant and weird case of coddling I have ever seen for someone who many believe to be the best quarterback in the league. The blame goes to coaches, to receivers, hell I even saw some talking heads blame the offensive line for not diving on one of his fumbles. It is so odd because the person most critical of Josh Allen is...Josh Allen. I find certain segments of his fans to be annoying but the realest person about his shortcomings has always been Allen. Downright confusing.

*The Seattle Seahawks Are Going To Remain A Problem

So yeah, the Seahawks are going to be good for a long time I fear. They have a young coach who is a defensive wunderkind, young players on good deals which will allow them to resign stars such as Devon Witherspoon and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. So...sorry to the NFC West. 

*The Pittsburgh Steelers Are Going To Miss Mike Tomlin

I have seen a certain contingent of fans who hated Mike Tomlin for being too consistent at having a winning record but not much success in the playoffs. I get it. I was there as a fan of the Bears when we had Lovie Smith. We fired him and what followed was 13 years of pain and anguish and I fear that the Steelers may be headed in this direction. No disrespect to Mike McCarthy but exciting and known for playoff success are not exactly what he is known for. But hey, you got what you asked for, let's see if this turns the ship around or does it sink it.

*The Bears Are On The Right Path

 I never thought I would say this but the Bears are in a bright spot in the offseason. We took a massive jump this season going from a lottery team to pushing the Rams to overtime. And while yes there was an element of luck that can't be duplicated the things that are able to be duplicated is an amazing run game, a defensive philosophy of going for takeaways and year two the the same people in the building. Continuity is a foreign concept around these parts. So yes, our season ended in the divisional round but knowing a team that no one believed was even good took the Rams with an MVP to the brink in the playoffs gives me more than enough optimism.

*Caleb Williams...insert heart eyes here

As for the other reason to be optimistic, we got our guy Chicago. Is he perfect? No. He misses a lot of the easy layups but the good? My God the good is other worldly. He was told you have to cut down on sacks, he did that going from 68 to 24. His completion percentage is low, however he escaped a lot of sacks and got rid of the ball and dealt with a lot of drops. I think both he and the receivers in year two of the Ben Johnson system will flourish. And not to mention that when needed, in the 4th quarter? Buddy we got a guy who is worthy of the Iceman moniker, although given the current societal landscape perhaps we change that one. Long story short, I've seen guys come and go, but I've never seen one like Caleb here and I for one am excited to see where this goes next season.

Well there you have it folks, for the first time in a long time I enter the offseason as a Bears fan excited about what is to come. Will there be regression? Will we see a jump? Only time will tell but I can guarantee the sense of malaise that has plagued Halas Hall finally has seemed to be lifted and the beautiful city of Chicago may actually have a team that whether they win, or whether they lose there won't be an impeding sense of dread which we have had for years now.