DOWNERS GROVE -- Is this a clue? The 12-3 Giants visit the stumbling (choking?) 9-6 Vikings on Sunday, and Las Vegas oddsmakers had the Vikings favored by seven points as of Friday afternoon. Makes you wonder what they might know about Tom Coughlin's actual game plan, as opposed to the typical coach-speak we get through sound bites.

Meanwhile, the "red-hot" Bears take their three-game winning streak to Houston to play a 7-8 team that has already begun experimenting for next season. Bears favored? Nope, Texans by 2 1/2.

We Bears fans need Vegas to be wrong on both games.

Tom Eboli

\ True value for Bears

LAKE FOREST -- After watching the last three Bears wins, it seems a good time to pick a team MVP. The candidates would be the punter, the field-goal kicker, the kickoff-return specialist, the field-goal blocker or the player who calls the coin toss for overtime.

My choice would be the officials charged with calling (or not calling) pass interference or the NFL executive who generously gave the Bears three home games against pass-oriented teams in typically frigid, windy December Chicago weather.

Bob Karlblom

\ Unfriendly fire

CALUMET PARK -- The ESPN announcers picked on the Bears for four quarters Monday night. They evidently don't know about Chicago Bears Football.

Sure, the Bears played some horrible offense most of the game, but they got it right when it was a do-or-die scenario. The game was sloppy at times, but the Bears and their fans didn't deserve the beating they took from the ESPN voices. The Bears are still in the playoff picture, so ESPN should show some respect.

Let's have a special election and pick some good announcers who could be like Curt Gowdy, Frank Gifford or Jack Brickhouse and give Chicago some respect.

Carl F. Rollberg

\ Dumb, dumber

CRYSTAL LAKE -- Dan McGrath has to be joking (Tribune, Dec. 23). Tony Kornheiser is the worst Football analyst I have ever heard. The "questions and observations an inquisitive fan might have" are utterly annoying.

Put my 12-year-old nephew in the booth. He has played three years of junior Football, and I'm quite sure his Football knowledge exceeds Kornheiser's. And he has none of the annoying, obnoxious traits that Tony has in abundance.

Bob Cristy

\ A tough listen

CHICAGO -- McGrath draws parallels between Kornheiser, Ron Jaworski and Mike Tirico and "easy listening" radio. I'm not a fan of that either.

The repetitive, ill-informed, superlative nonsense that comes out of Kornheiser's mouth is right up there with Bill Walton. At least Jaworski knows the rules, and Tirico does a little homework. I never see evidence of that from Kornheiser. I'm sure he is a great columnist. I wish he would have continued doing that.

Liz Fisher

\ Getting to the point

CHICAGO -- Kornheiser, Jaworski and Tirico are the three biggest braying jackasses on TV. I can't stand them. My TV is muted when they are rambling on.

Safir Mohammed

\ Best at being worst

CHICAGO -- I watched Monday night's game with my buddies, and we often commented that Kornheiser could be the worst announcer we'd ever heard. He adds nothing but irreverence. He doesn't know the rules, he knows nothing about stats, he knows nothing about X's and O's, he's just hot air -- Dennis Miller Part II.

ESPN would be wise to jettison Kornheiser and go with Tirico and "Jaws."

Dan Durkin

\ Less of a nut case

CHICAGO -- Kornheiser rants about nonsensical things and beats them to death. He still talks about Brett Favre. "Jaws" is a nut case, too, but he does know a few things.

I don't watch Football to be annoyed to death.

Terry Doyle

\ Hawking Kornheiser

BOURBONNAIS -- Kornheiser is the equivalent of Ken Harrelson in baseball -- so bad that I turn down the volume.

Joe Morris

\ Thoroughly saddened

GARY -- Your year-end summaries didn't even mention thoroughbred horse racing. We who love this sport have become invisible. Where are the stories about Big Brown, Eight Belles and Zenyatta? Neil Milbert used to write great reviews of the year, but no longer. It's a shame.

Mona Stern

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