dasuperfans's blog

The year was 2006. Da Superfans were young and untested, with our only Super Bowl fan experience coming in 1986, when Oldsmobiles weren't yet ultra-hip and our mustaches looked less like thickets and more like bad combovers that had drifted south. And I, Lou Mangione, had chosen #59, defensive coordinator Ron "Chico" Rivera as my favorite Bear.

Life was so simple back then. After a one-year love affair with a deserving Charles "Peanut" Tillman, I turned my attention to Rivera, who seemed to meet more of my needs, including the fabulous Superfanized pronunciation of the name "Ron."

Growing up on the most famous cul-de-sac in Rosemont, Illinois (of course I’m talking about Krowka Lane), the neighborhood kids used to make fun of me. I was born with a world-record seven kidneys, giving me a slight bulge around my midsection (which in my adult years has often required an undergarment for support). It hurt to set picks in basketball, and so I was always chosen last. But it also left me with a mean temper and an abnormal capacity to digest massive amounts of protein and sodium.