Today, a special version of Feel Good Friday from the Lyric Opera of Chicago

Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Bryan Griffin performs for your enjoyment one of my favorite selections, chosen just for this special weekend:

YEEEEE-HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

The MCS Board voted 5-4 to let the citizens of the City vote on whether to surrender the Charter, leading to merger with SCS.

And on the same night, the Bears CLINCHED the NFC North, whipping the Vikings 40-14 (note: Johnny Knox dropped a sure TD and knocked me out of my Fantasy playoffs).

Oh, and this picture makes me think that's Tomeka Hart looking down at Jeff Warren after the vote:

Courtesy AP and the Chicago Sun-Times

The Bears beat the Packers, so you know what that means!

Here's the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus performing Bear Down. Enjoy!

Ah well, we'll always have 1985, I guess.

Chicago Tribune photo by Nuccio DiNuzzo

Well, after Devin Hester (pictured above) ran back the opening kickoff for a touchdown, it was pretty much downhill for the NFC Champion Chicago Bears, as the Super Bowl was won convincingly by the Indianapolis Colts, 29-17.

Peyton Manning won the MVP in the same manner some Hollywood actors win an Oscar, as a lifetime achievement award. Oh, Peyton outplayed Rex Grossman, but the game was truly won by the Colts DEFENSE, which was the joke of the AFC in the regular season but the TOAST of the AFC in the playoffs and Super Bowl.

Tony Dungy, a fine and classy individual, Bill Polian (4 SB losses with the Bills) and Manning all have the giant Ls removed from their foreheads, and they deserve this championship. They and their Colts were the last team standing, and that's what counts.

Congratulations to the Champions of Super Bowl XLI, the Indianapolis Colts.

SIDE NOTE: This makes my final record 9-2 for the playoffs, not too shabby. My two losses were when the Colts beat the Ravens and the Bears.

The time has come...

For my Super Bowl pick....

Super Bowl XLI, Miami, Indianapolis Colts vs. Chicago Bears, 5:21 PM, CBS (WREG -3)

Let me tell you a story that I think is a parallel to this year's game. When the Colts first played in this game, in January 1969, they came to Miami as prohibitive favorites. Just as this year, they were the champions of the conference or league that was perceived to be clearly superior to the other one.

Just as this year, the Colts had a legendary QB who was thought to be one of the best all-time, with a great head coach who was also thought to be among the elite.

Just as this year, the other team had a quarterback from the North who went to a SEC school to play under a legendary coach, who helped prepare him for the road ahead..

Just as this year, that QB, who had struggled in the pros prior to that season, enraged the mighty Colts by guaranteeing victory for the upstarts.

Before that earlier game, the Al DeRogatis of NBC stunned the world by predicting that if the New York Jets got over 100 yards on the ground, they would win the game.

Behind Matt Snell and Emerson Boozer, Joe Namath led the upstart Jets to the Super Bowl title by not making any mistakes.

So, if Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson can run for a combined 100 yards, I believe that Rex Grossman will manage this game efficiently, keeping the legendary Peyton Manning off the field and winning the game for the Bears.

I am confident in the Bears' defense, and I think they will shut down Harrison and Wayne, and that will be enough.

PICK: Bears 23, Colts 10

BEAR DOWN!!!!!!

Photo Courtesy Chicago Tribune

It wasn't the weather, it was the turnovers that the best defense in the NFL forced on the United States Saints, leading to the first Bears' Super Bowl berth in 21 years, 39-14.

Rex Grossman came up big when he had to, going 4 for 4 for 78 yards to give the Bears a 25-14 lead, and the Bears never looked back.

They await the winner of the AFC title game, either the Cols or the Patriots.