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The Chicago Blackhawks shocked the world last night—or at least the very small part of it that still follows professional hockey—by beating the Nashville Predators 8-6. The game didn't start the way the Blackhawks would have liked. Former Hawk J.P. Dumont scored 39 seconds into the game giving Nashville the early lead. Then four minutes later, Kimmo Timonen rifled one past Hawk goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin to put the Predators up 2.

Playoffs or no playoffs, Sox fans came out in droves to torch cars, loot retail stores and cause general mayhem all over the South Side upon hearing the news that their team has missed the playoff race. Although it is not uncommon for some sports fans to riot after their team captures a title, Sox fans need no apparent reason to cause destruction.

Why They Might Be Good: Rockets trainer Keith Jones is optimistic that fragile forward Tracy McGrady will make it through the season injury-free. "He had pins put in his left ankle, right shoulder, both knees, coccygeal vertebrae, right earlobe, the index and middle fingers of his shooting hand, and his johnson. We're confident he'll play up to his potential this season–especially if the brain transplant took."

After Detroit Lions wide receiver Roy Williams made his infamous guarantee of victory against the Bears in Week 2, no other team has wanted to give them more bulletin board material for fear of a similar beatdown.

Marshawn Kramer, wife of former-Bears quarterback Erik Kramer, knew something was wrong with her husband late Sunday night as he watched NBC's Sunday Night Football. The former gunslinger seemed upset as he watched the Bears trounce the Seattle Seahawks from his recliner at his home.

Why They Might Be Good: All-world forward Carmelo Anthony had one helluva off-season. "I kicked [tail] at the World Championships," said 'Melo with a smile. "I trained like a mo-fo, and I didn't appear in a single DVD in which one of my boys talked about selling drugs and capping snitches." Also, fragile big man Marcus Camby managed to make it through the summer without shredding a single tendon.

The Cubs announced Monday that Dusty Baker would not be back to manage the team in 2007, but said they didn't have to look far to find someone with a better knowledge of the game and the ability to handle the pressure of managing in a major sports town.