A few Wednesday links

I make my triumphant return to Top Ten today, complete with pot shots directed at nearly all of my coworkers. Witness the top ten Chicago disappointments of 2008. Hester is No. 1, though Chaz Weis made a strong push late. Make sure to check back next week when we break down Jack Cobra's top ten greatest hits.
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My roommate's BFF starts at guard for Ball State, so I suppose congrats are in order for Cardinals after they polished off Western Mich. yesterday to secure an undefeated regular season. I actually know their punter a little bit too, who you may remember from Deadspin fame. How they turned around that program from the worst D-1 school ever to BSC darkhorse is beyond me. It probably has something to do with Nate Davis, though. Kid has some kind of arm. I can't remember a Ball State player ever getting drafted in the first round; maybe he'll be the first.
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God, I love Sam Smith: LeBron to the Bulls in 2010!
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Smith on Michael Beasley:

Beasley has been a horror on defense, worse than your typical rookie, and Heat coach Erik Spoelstra didn't play him in the fourth quarter in four of the last five games before Beasley finished Saturday. Beasley, in foul trouble virtually every game, has taken it well and admitted he never played one-on-one defense in his life nor ever attempted to take a charge.

Remember when people actually thought that Rose-Beasley was something worth arguing over? Good times. For the record, TUP was pro-Rose the entire time.
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Honestly, Barack Obama - assuming, you know, he actually proves to be a good prez - is on the fast track to becoming one of my favorite humans ever, possibly joining MJ, Will Smith, Simmons, Matt Skiba, Hester, and D-Rose. He's just too cool for words. Eat your heart out, Beau!
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Did anyone else catch Chicago Hoops Night on ESPN yesterday? Sherron Collins (Kansas), Mike Dunigan and Matt Humphrey (Oregon), and Bobby Frasor (UNC) were all on display. LeBron called New York the "Hoops Mecca of the World" yesterday, but now that our pro team has a true superstar, how far behind is Chicago? If only DePaul could get their act together. Dar Tucker can't do it alone, yo.
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SouthSideSox has a nice little offseason preview up, ominous as it is. It talks about the Sox' desire to trade JD, which I would only be favor of if it brought back some super young talent, which seems unlikely. I just hope JD isn't traded for 75 cents on a dollar. As esteemed commenter Mike brought to my attention recently, why not use JD as Thome's DH replacement in 2010? He's arguably been the Sox best player over the last four years. I'd love to see him on the South Side as long as possible.
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More 2010 talk: SML is back with a vengeance with a some interesting Knicks thoughts.
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I probably won't post tomorrow, considering Thanksgiving is the only holiday I really enjoy, and I'll probably spend most of my non-eating time tomorrow drawing up plays for our Turkey Bowl on Friday. So a happy Thanksgiving to everyone. And remember kids, don't drive drunk and kill someone on Black Wednesday.

Oh yeah, and get your picks in for TUP NFL Pick Em' since there are tons of games tomorrow.