Wow, do I feel sorry for this kid. A Chicago school teacher told doctors to induce labor a few days before her due date -- which was today. Why? So her husband could attend the Chicago Bears playoff game on Sunday. I can only imagine the conversations the poor chap will encounter in years to come. "Hmmm, sorry Mark -- I'd like to attend your first whatever, but the Bears are on, so, well, you know."

I told my wife, Dana, about the story. "Isn't that just horrible?" But she called me a hypocrite. "Are you telling me if the (San Francisco) Giants were in Game 7 of the World Series that you'd be there for the birth of our second child? That's rich." OK, so she's right. I'd probably not only miss the birth but possibly sell the baby if I couldn't get tickets.

Sports and family life are not always an easy mix. And it's about to get worse as the Big Day approaches -- the Super Bowl, I mean. Elisa over at Mother Talkers relates the story of her husband turning down a speaking gig because it landed on Super Bowl Sunday. "Who the hell puts on a conference on Super Bowl Sunday?!" he wondered. I'm not a huge football fan, but I see his point. Doesn't the country shut down that day?

But where do you draw the line? It's easy to scratch off a business engagement, but what about important family occasions, like, I don't know, birth? How do you juggle zealous sports spouses and family life?