Come See the Bias Inherent in the System!

The impending end of 2006 can only mean one thing: banal "best of's" and "look back's" on the year nearly passed.

And the beloved institution of the Chicago Tribune is no exception, as they wasted perfectly good newsprint allowing our old friend Sully to blather on. But Sully, the Cubs' beat writer, provides a perfect example as to that famous Trib bias. Look in amazement as he spins 2006 to make his faves look good:

The most uplifting story I reported on was the day Sox manager Ozzie Guillen was sworn in as a U.S. citizen, along with his wife, Ibis, and son, Oney. "Winning the World Series was not my dream, it was my goal," Guillen said afterwards. "This is my dream. Do you know how many people die every week trying to be an American? It's not an easy thing to do."

Road tip I won't forget:
May 19-24, South Side, then Miami. The Michael Barrett-A.J. Pierzynski and Ozzie Guillen's blunt criticism of Rich Hill made the Cubs-Sox series an instant classic. But the fallout from the brawl was just as fun. After blowing a save in Miami, Ryan Dempster gave an Oscar-caliber performance when asked to comment on a WSCR-AM report he had accused Joey Cora of biting a Cubs player. "A good, wonderful, beautiful guy, Mike North, on the morning show, misquoted me three times," Dempster said. "And they wonder why people don't do interviews." Dempster and North eventually made up, and the road tip ended with Greg Maddux attacking a water cooler as the Cubs were swept by the Marlins.

Good times, good times. You know, if I were putting together a "best of" the Cubs' 2006 season, I'd probably get around to mentioning the four-game butt kicking we laid on the Saint Louis Cardinals this summer. I mean, in a season notable for its utter lack of highlights, it rather sticks out like a proverbial sore thumb.

But Sully finds other highlights to fill out his column. I guess those other events were more to the liking of his eds' leanings...