Sport

A daily baseball columnist for ESPN.com, Rob Neyer has written five books, including his Big Book of Baseball Blunders, which hits shelves this month. The Heckler talked with Neyer about Chicago's GMs and his World Series predictions.

Well, I lost 10 large betting that less than $25 million of the Cubs payroll would hit the disabled list before Ken Griffey Jr., but you don't win championships in April and you don't make fortunes then either. Rafael Furcal should have his probation revoked for costing me that sort of cash. A successful May will put us on the road to recovery and back in the good graces of our local bookies. Here are Pete's picks for this month:

He's spent seven tireless years at ESPN, helping it become an international sports media behemoth. What makes Dan Patrick so special?

Mike North is the classic rags to riches story. After dropping out of high school, he joined the army and worked odd jobs before opening a successful hot dog stand across the street from WXRT-FM. Being in the right place at the right time, he parlayed an opportunity and joined sports radio station WSCR-AM. North has become the most controversial and one of the best-paid sports talk show hosts in town. Admittedly unpolished, his regular guy persona as gained him a loyal audience and his share of critics. In this interview, North reacts to those who call him racist and talks about finding happiness in a Cubs loss.

Jerry Angelo wasn't planning on picking up a new quarterback this off-season. One just happened to fall in his lap.

Success for the 2005 Chicago Bears came despite long odds. The team lost starting quarterback Rex Grossman to a major preseason injury, and the shaky play of rookie Kyle Orton was just enough to help the defense-minded team win the NFC North crown.

Pete Hellman was supposed to celebrate his 32nd birthday this week, but the Lakeview native will instead be buried after he was Mel Kipered to death during ESPN's coverage of the 2006 NFL draft.