Go to any major sporting venue for a game, and you’re likely to hear all sorts of colorful language to describe the visiting team (or, if they suck, the home team). It’s universal that at some point, somebody’s manhood - and indeed, his own ability and desire to procreate with women - is going to be questioned. Repeatedly. And God help any athlete who isn’t white, because that’s going to come up once or twice too.

(Verrry mature.)

But for as much flak as Philadelphia fans have earned for their poor behavior, isn’t it time we started admitting that Chicago fans are rapidly becoming some of the most obnoxiously childish in sports? Why, just over the last couple years, we’ve had casual racism, more casual racism, and now this delightful sign (above) directed at Sports Voldemort and Packers fans in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

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Nearly two months after completely melting down in the first round of the playoffs, Lou Piniella took some shots at his team during a radio appearance on Wednesday, saying of his lineup, “It’s right-handed, it’s power-hitting and it’s not very quick.” Wait, Lou, isn’t this somewhat fast left-handed hitter in your lineup?:

Piniella isn’t exactly hiding his disdain for Kosuke Fukudome these days. He’s also not entirely pleased with the recently re-signed Ryan Dempster going on the record as saying that the team wasn’t prepared for the playoffs. Lou’s comments came while he was on WMVP’s “Waddle and Silvy Show” yesterday.

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After last week’s trip to Tokyo and Sunday night in DC, Opening Day started for real for the rest of Major League Baseball. And the Chicago Cubs embarked on their 100th season since their last World Series win.

As usual, there was high drama at Wrigley Field this cold, rainy afternoon, as Kosuke Fukudome made quite a debut in Cubbie Blue. And as usual, the Cubs blew it. Read more…

• HOME RUN DERBY has a hit on their hands with these baseball stadiums built out of Legos.

• STEROID NATION is pumped that Victor Conte will soon be writing a book about his BALCO experiences.

• Speaking of literary works, The FLORIDA TIMES-UNION overhears that Lou Holtz may scribble about his experiences as an ESPN analyst.

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Remember our post yesterday about the Cubs’ ill-advised marketing material for Kosuke Fukudome? Baseball blog HOME RUN DERBY points out that the Cubs’ website graphic, however insensitive, looks a lot like the graphic it produced in early December:

The Chicago Cubs have begun their marketing blitz for newly signed Japanese star Kosuke Fukudome.

On the Cubs’ official website, Fukudome is featured in a graphic that displays a historical variation of Japan’s traditional rising sun flag. But that particular flag design is not the official state flag of Japan, and ON 205TH reminds us that neighboring Asian nations aren’t exactly fond of it.

The flag was the symbol of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II, which terrorized the region.

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