Ok, the worst of it is over.

The tough part of the Bears schedule has them and a surprising 5-3 record at this point, and it looks like the machine that is the Bears offense is finally running on all cylanders, especially after a Monday Night Football bashing of sports newest "dream team", the Philadelphia Eagles.

Jay Cutler, newly cemented back in his relationship with Kristin Calvilari was also newly cemented in the pocket, as he stayed home and made good passes all day without being pressured too much nor sacked. The offensive line has finally come around, protecting Cutler like a mama Bear protecting her cubs. Speaking of protecting, Cutler's favorite reciever returned, Earl Bennett, and Jay made sure to find him when he needed him the most, inc luding for a touchdown. Matt Forte has taken his new contract crusade to primetime, convincing millions that he is one of the elite running backs in football. Well, except for that whole goal line, short yardage,issue. Luckily the Bears have Marion Barber to cler that up.

With the team on a 3-game winning streak, they have built up momentum for thier showdown next weekend with the NFL's newest most hated team, the 6-2 Detroit Lions. The Lions, who are 4-0 on the road, travel to Chicago next weekend.The Lions currently sit in 2nd place in the Central, with the undefeated Super Bowl champions Green Bay Packers in 1st. The Bears need this win to gain some respect and help clear up a very crowded play-off picture. The Bears took it on the chin hard in the last game against Detroit 13-24, but at that point the Bears offensive line looked more like the stars of the new Muppet movie than actual football players. lets hope this time around things will be different.

 

and for those of you who think Brian Urlacher is past his prime, guess who lead the Bears in double-digit tackles this week.

 

After this weekend the bears will head west - playing the AFC's west division, including the angry Philp Rivers of San Diego, the reason Jay Cutler got traded from Denver in Matt Cassell from KC, Carson Palmer of Oakland, who 3 weeks ago was spending Sundays ordering Subway and going to brunch with Payton Manning, and football jesus himself, Denver's Tim Tebow.

I was there for Bartman. I was there when we won the division, when we won the wild card; I was there when Marky Mark made his debut, I was also there when he got hit in the elbow. I was showered in champagne by Derrek Lee when we made the play-offs, it was our year! I’ve sat in the stands for hours with Billy Williams, traded daily barbs with Ron Santo, annoyed poor Pat Hughes, shook my head at Joe Carter, traded bands with Len Kasper (listen to the gufs!) and ran away from Ernie Banks…. I was there for the collapse of Wood/Prior\Zambrano/Maddux. I’ve seen Corey and Eric Patterson come and go. I remember Bobby Hill. I remember Nic Jackson. I was there when they no longer trusted Dusty. I was there when Sweet Lou arrived.

 

I believed in Michael Barrett, Carlos Zambrano, and Ryan Theriot. I witnessed the return of Kid K. I was there when we signed Notre Dame's best reciever. I was there for the resurrection of Ryan Dempster. I believed in Soriano. I believed. I was there when Sweet Lou felt sour. I was there when it all came apart for Marky Mark. I was there when Carlos came apart. I survived both the Alfonseca era and LaTroy Hawkins era. I can tell you Milton Bradley is in deed as friendly as he looks. I was there when Farnsworth...well, nevermind. Andy promised it. Hendry promised it. Even McDonough promised it. I’ve worked for numerous owners, from the Tribune, Sam Zell, to the Ricketts family. In that time nothing has changed, yet everything is not the same. I guess what I’m trying to say is we’ve come a long, long way baby, and its gonna take more than signing Theo Epstein for me to start believing again.

 

Granted it’s a great start. Theo Epstein had a very successful run in Boston, and his crew of guys worked their tails off to bring a competitive team to Boston (and San Diego) every year…not just to contend but also to play for a world series every year. That’s quite a task, and only a few teams realistically have that structure in place to compete on that level year after year after year. And now we’re to believe the Cubs are ready to become one of these teams (again)?

 

I really am full of optimism. Epstein has said the right things, has the right attitude, hired the right people, not brought back the right people... and is putting together a team/front office that will set the Cubs organization up to compete for years to come. And yes, that’s exciting, but I’ve seen a lot of pigs in my time. Some of those pigs have been very pretty; some of those pigs have just been god-awful ugly. No matter how you dress that pig up, it’s still a pig. And this little piggy has been dressed up pretty on numerous occasions, and still hasn't learned to fly.

 

Epstein has to get to work soon, and that starts with two key members of the 2011 ball-club. Ryan Dempster and Aramis Ramirez have been dealt with, and who's at 3rd is going to be a brilliant question. same for Mike Quade and Ryne Sandberg. Who's in the hot seat when the season start will be a monumental decision to start the Epstein era. I don’t doubt the decisions to be made by Epstein and his team. Yeah, I know what I said earlier, but lets just see how pretty this pig can be before we go making any big decisions.

 

Another good start is focusing on the pitching staff. In Boston, the pitching staff was not only built up to compete with the Yankees, but to be the best in baseball. The Cubs have some great young arms in the bullpen, but with Zambrano gone and not having a true number 5 starter all season long, an upgrade is necessary. Yeah, it’s true I like Casey Coleman, and Randy Wells seems like a really nice guy, but the Cubs have been inconsistent and less than threatening since Ted Lilly left town. And while picking up this new Japanese sensation to fill your number one slot seems like a good idea, Theo should look into some more solid, proven veterans.

 

Veterans like CJ Wilson and Roy Oswalt would be a welcomed addition to tighten up the pitching staff, don’t you think? And forget about Pujols and Fielder arriving to Wrigleyville as future residents, the Cubs have Carlos Pena and Brian LaHar. Finding another big bat is a huge step, along with answering what to do with Soriano, Colvin, Woody, and even Reed Johnson. Is it really time for the Brett Jackson era to finally start???

 

Theo Epstein has been given many titles since arriving to Chicago, but he’s going to have to have an incredible off-season if he is to be the Cubs’ newest savior.

             Yikes! I just got the chills from reading my buddy Ken Payne’s article about H.H. Holmes, America’s 1^st serial killer right here from Chicago (we’re number 1!). This Screams in the park thing sounds like a very scary adventure, much like the Chicago bears offense, which is spending the weekend in merry ole’ England taking on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

 

            Ah, yes chap the Bucs. Remember when Tampa Bay just sucked? I mean they were bad, worst than bad; they were a team your grandma and her friends from the assisted living home to give a game to. And then they got good for a while, just a little bit, and then back to Suckville, USA. Right now, Tampa Bay kind of hangs out in Suckville and Under-rated City. Is it weird that in this weird land the Bucs reside that there’s a pirate ship? Nah, its very normal.

 

            The Bucs have a pair of big receivers in Mike Williams and Arnelious Benn, which could be a problem for our little-guy defensive backs. Since we’re talking about the secondary, have you noticed the mess that Lovie Smith has created back there? Headhunter Brandon Meriwether is on the bench, while Chris Harris, the same Chris Harris who we were counting on to be a steady force at safety, the same Chris Harris who the bears were dying to get back after he got injured early in the season, is now the same Chris Harris that resides in street clothes and inactive, begging for a trade after being demoted and de-activated last week after missing a coverage the week before. Mind you Harris is still a little injured and came back to help the team. Guess we’ve all learned a lesson there. Both of these guys were brought in because Major Wright isn’t ready yet. Well guess what, the still not ready for prime-time Wright is starting now…oh Lovie.

 

            Anyway this is about the Bucs. At running back is LeGarrette Blount, who is young and has potential game-breaking power. He gets blocking by the capable Earnest Graham, who at one time led the NFL in rushing. This provides issues for the bears as quarterback Josh Freeman has yet to be figured out by the league. Not quite a runner, not quite a stay at home guy, Freeman is no longer under anyone’s radar. He’s good. He’s young, fast, and has quite the arm. Is he Rodgers or Brady yet? No, but given the right circumstances or right defense he could look like a quarterback on the verge of stardom.

 

            Freeman spent a portion of last week’s game against the Oakland Raiders fighting with his favorite target, tight end Kellen Winslow. There’s lots of frustration between the two, and a little Bears' agitation could knock either player off their game.

 

            The Bears offensive line had one of their better games, finally finding a line-up that’s steady and works, which will have its hands full with the youthful speedsters the Bucs have. No big names on this front seven, but all with potential to get to the quarterback. This team was built to pressure the ball and stop the pass, which means the Bears could take advantage of the versatility Matt Forte provides. While using all our weapons at wide out seems fair, it’s Forte where the offense moves, and that can’t be over-looked.

 

            The Bears should have the crowd on their side, as everyone loves the Bears (sorry Cowboys, and suck it Green Bay), plus if you lived in Tampa why the hell would you want to leave there and go to rainy England? Unless the Queen is requesting to see you, or Elton John has written a song about you, it’s probably best you stay home, Bucs fans. You saw what happened to Al Bundy when he went there. Same thing happened to Chevy Chase and his family. Don’t let that be you.

 

            The Bears look at this as a business trip, as there will be no sightseeing tours or visiting of the Paul McCartney or the Jonas brothers (is this where they live?). Just business as usual, much like their waxing of the Vikings last weekend. If Jay Cutler can command the offense like that once again, and the offensive line keeps the ship upright, the Bears should have no issues moving the ball. Now whether the defense stops anyone or anything is a whole other story entirely. Carry on, chaps.

I know baseball has been dead and gone in Chicago for quite some time now, but how come we still seem to be the center of the baseball universe…or is it the eye of the hurricane? Either way its been an interesting October for Chicago baseball.

 

            So Ozzie Guillen is no longer the manager of the Chicago White Sox. We always knew this day would come, it’s the how he’d go most people wondered. Fired was a given. And you knew there was no way he’d go out with a wimper, but more of a roar, and that’s exactly what happened. I imagined him leaving the craziest way possible, mf’ing everyone in a 200 foot distance on his way out the door, his sons taking everything not tied down, punching GM Kenny Williams in the face just before kicking Sun Times beat writer Joe Cowley in the nuts. again, this is what I envisioned.

 

            It didn’t exactly go down like that, then again I wasn’t that far off. Who trades their manager? Ozzie’s big tirade about doing the job for money was pretty much the undertaker putting the final touches on a dead career as White Sox manager. At that point Ozzie knew he was gone. He was done, finished, kaput. He even had his goodbye already posted online before it was officially announced. Again, who trades their manager?

 

            Oh White Sox, how silly can you be. Its amazing how wonderfully f’ed up the top of that organization is, and that says a lot from where I come from! Over on my side of town Theo Epstein is coming to run the place…but we’ll get into that later. For now let’s stay on the crazy that has become the White Sox.

 

            So after the Ozzie/Kenny war finally comes to an end, Kenny keeps up his part of just being insane by announcing Robin Ventura as the new skipper. What? Ever see the movie Major League? I bet the conversation of Kenny asking Ventura to be manager was much like the GM in Major League calling up a tire shop and asking Lou (the tire shop manager) to come back and manage the big league team. I loved Robin…as a White Sox 3^rd baseman playing with Frank Thomas and Jack McDowellback in the 90’s. I even loved him after he got beat up by Nolan Ryan. But as White Sox manager? Um….and unfortunately this is one of the few things Joe Cowley has gotten right.

 

You see Cowley at his job at the Sun Times (which at one point was my favorite newspaper to read for sports) seemed to be on this crusade to throw alcohol on the fire that was the Ozzie/Kenny feud. But he called Kenny out for attempting to thumb his nose up at all of us in proving that he’s the smartest guy in the room, and that he can get anyone ANYONE to do this job. BTW The Sun Times kinda sucks now…even the wrestling column sucks. Who messes up a column on professional wrestling???? Even still, Cowley got this one right on the head: Kenny thinks he's much smarter than we are.

 

            Which leads us to more crazy….at the press conference announcing Ventura as manager K Dub as i am now calling him (sorry Kerry Wood), tells a story of thinking of asking 1^st baseman Paul Konerko to be the player/manager. WTF??? You don’t even say that kind of crazy outloud, even if you did give it some thought. Poor Konerko, he wants no part of the job, or even to answer silly phone calls even remotely asking such a stupidquestion. Is that really what you thought, Kenny?

 

Again its at this point when you realize K Dub really thinks he can get ANYONE to do this job. That means on any given night this past summer after a White Sox game, SCORE670 am radio host Jason Goff had a shot to be manager after saying something insightful. That means Joe from Lockport, who can barely make it to 2^nd base for his softball team without needing a pinch runner or farting himself to death, had a shot to be manager. That means even you, YES YOU WITH THE FACE, even you had a shot to be the new White Sox manager!!!

 

            Now if I’m White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf its at this point I ask K Dub to get in the car, drive out to a nice far away open field, and put Kenny Williams the White Sox General Manager out of his misery. Thanks for playing, Kenny…and don’t stop believin’!

 

            Speaking of believing, Theo Epstein is coming to the northside to bring the Cubs their 1^st world series title in 100 or so years. He’s going to do the impossible. Just like Dusty Baker, Andy McPhail, Alfonso Soriano, Mark Prior, and Lou Piniella before him…he’s the one that’s going to take us to the promised land. It’s only a matter of time before…ugh, I’ve been on this ride so many times its almost impossible to actually get excited anymore.

 

            I do like what the moves shows, and that’s a new direction for the Cubs organization as a whole, however there’s just soooo many questions and things that need to happen. The ball has to bounce just right for good things to start happening again at Wrigley, and while I believe the Ricketts and Epstein have the best of intentions and want to win, neither plays 3^rd base or can throw a 100 mph fastball. Last I heard Theo wasn’t closing any games, which means Carlos Marmol is still around. Plus a new GM is one thing, but who's the new manager going to be? After the dust settles not to hire Cubs legend Ryne Sandberg for some big league job would be un-acceptable.

 

I’m glad Theo has arrived, but I’ve seen this movie before. The Titanic never makes it to its destination, Bambi’s mom still gets killed, that kid still shags a pie, and Jason still manages to come back no matter how many times you kill him. Call me when the winning starts.

I’ve been gone way too long, or in the case of the bears, not gone long enough. I knew my reporting on the recent misery of the Bears season would be skewered into the land of negativity, so why bother talking about it. What more could I tell you about a bad Bears team. Well unfortunately Monday’s lost to the once-league laughing stock Detroit Lions could be the sign of the rapture finally coming to Halas Hall.

 

Its fine that you lose to the lions, they are playing really good football this season, but you don’t go out there and embarrass yourselves on national television, which is what they did. If I’m a free agent or any player or rookie on the market next off-season there’s no way in hell I’d want to play for an organization like this…not under this regime.

 

One point in the pre-season general manager said he was more than happy with the offensive line he had in camp. I wonder if he still feels that way. He should have asked jay cutler what he thought about the men who are supposed to protect him. There was one play during Monday night’s game where a bears lineman (who will remain nameless because he will probably be a former bears lineman by the time this is published) barely laid a hand on the defensive end in front of him, who threw Cutler to the ground 100^th time, and the lineman looks down at Cutler like it’s jay’s fault. Impressive. And its not just this guy, it’s a continuous suck that the line as a whole has been. You can’t blame cutler anymore. He could have quit on this team, the fans, everyone…but he keeps going out there, getting his ass kicked every game, and doesn’t say a word. He could be mf’ing those linemen up and down the sideline every game, but nope, he just goes out and tries to win with what life has given him…poor guy.

 

And the blame is to be spread around. Notice any pressure coming from the defensive line lately besides Julius peppers? Just like the linebacker slot there’s no depth on the defensive line. Somehow this is supposed to be okay?

 

And if you haven’t realized what an ass-clown Brandon Meriwether is you just haven’t been paying attention. He doesn’t tackle he just throws himself into people to knocked them out…or get fined which is what has been happening the past few weeks, and that’s only when he gets the play right. Speaking of getting the play right, when Cutler has to yell at you to get in line or physically put you in the right spot something is truly wrong.

 

Jerry Angelo’s ship isn’t just going down, its on fire and being blasted by pirate ships. These were his decisions; he decided not to upgrade the offensive line. He decided the defense didn’t need more depth. He decided that Roy Williams was a good idea. He decided to draft Major Wright. And for all of this Jerry Angelo deserves to be fired. And take Lovie with you.

 

This weekend’s game against Minnesota will be no different. The bears will show life, but expect the Vikings to blitz and pressure cutler like madmen, as the bears have proven they can’t handle the pressure. Look for Jared Allen to have a great day. I’d love it if the Bears showed some kind of life, but after the Monday night debacle, I’m not expecting much of a fight.

The Chicago Bears won’t be able to take a victory lap just yet after blowing up the Atlanta Falcon’s in week 1. With the status of all-pro linebacker Brian Urlacher in limbo after his mother’s death, and the highly touted New Orleans saints offense headed their way, clearly there’s no rest for the wicked.

 

The Bears offense moved well up and down the field, with quarterback Jay Cutler utilizing all his weapons at one point. Whether it was Johnny Knox, Matt Forte, Roy Williams, Devin Hester, even tight end Matt Spaeth got in the mix – Cutler looked more confident and relaxed running the Martz offense for once. That could only improve once top wide-out Earl Bennett gets involved more and tight end Kellen Davis gets more comfortable being on the field. Plus don’t overlook the great job fullback Tyler Clutts did, and could really pay dividends once running back Marion barber becomes healthy enough to play.

 

Things weren’t all sunshine and lollipops, as the offensive line could keep Cutler off the ground, and Lance Louis was injured and replaced by Chris Spencer. Look for Spencer to get the start against the saints this week. Also with Urlacher possibly out for Sunday and no depth at all at the linebacker position, some questions needs serious answers ASAP!

 

Chances are Urlacher will come back to play on Sunday. Urlacher is still one of the best players in football and his impact on their week 1 victory goes without saying. He’s the face of the franchise and the team leader. His impact on the team is noticeable in the win-loss column as well. The Bears record without Urlacher is…well, you don’t want to know.

 

So lets get to the Bears next opponent: The New Orleans Saints. Sure they Saints lost to Green Bay in week 1, however their offense was impressive, and quarterback Drew Brees was impressive as usual. They put up 34 points and racked up a total of 477 yards. They use 3 running backs - Darren Sproles, Pierre Thomas, and Mark Ingram. The offensive line isn’t great, but they know their job, which is to protect Brees at all costs. The Falcons had the same idea but were hit with injuries, so the Bears defensive line took full advantage pressuring qb Matt Ryan all game and sacking him 5 times. Brees is in that same mode, however definitely more mobile that Ryan. In fact Drees could be considered one of the top 3 quarterbacks in football right now. But again, his protection is skeptical, and with former bear center Olin Kruetz rumored to be banged up the bears could take advantage once again.

 

Lance Moore and Marques Colston are big weapons at wide receiver for Brees but they both will be out this week (Moore is listed as possible), Still tight end Jimmy Graham, Devery Henderson, and Robert Meachum are threats and don’t miss many passes their way so they must be respected.

 

The Saints defense got lit up true, however they do have potential. The Saints secondary is capable but not great. They are athletic and get to the ball pretty quick, but they can be exploited. The line backing corp. is also good but not great. There is potential here, however as Will Herring and Illinois stud Martez Wilson get a lot of reps, while Jonathan Vilma leads the defense from the middle. There’s nothing scary about the defensive line except nose tackle Shaun Rodgers, but they have some young defensive ends who do have potential. Plus Shaun Ellis is there, and he was good at one point in his career. That’s gotta help!

 

In the end the game all depends on how the Bears defense handle Drew Brees. The Bears have lost 4 out of the last 5 trips to the Superdome, and Brees is an offensive juggernaut. While he may not have a complete arsenal to play with, if the bears don’t handle the run game well, and give Brees time to find his limited supply of receivers then things could get messy. Cutler and Martz need to stick with the game plan they had in week one and throw different looks and receivers at the Saints, while punishing the saints interior with a strong game from Forte and Barber.

 

   "Just a small town girl..." I know, I know, its a southside thing, but its still baseball season in Chicago. So what the Bears have hit training camp, there's still a division title to be had and a a world series celebration like this town has never seen in the horizon (unless you're a Sox fan, where that 2005 party was pretty f'n cool).

 

     So let's ruin your pres-season football plans by informing you that YES indeed the White Sox are still in the play-off hunt. Forget just how bad Adam Dunn and Alex Rios are and focus on the winning ( and don't focus on the beating potential play-off opponent New York Yankees dished out on them on four consecutive days). Winning is contageous, and finally sweeping rival Minnesota is a huge start. Getting stud Jake Peavy on track is another plus, and the bullpen getting their act together also gives the southsiders alot of hope for the fall.

 

     But the surprise of it all comes from the north. Its hard to beilieve the Cubs aren't dead in the water yet, but they aren't....and much like a fish out of water they keep fighting and fighting to make their way back in.

     That seven game winning streak was far from a fluke, as if you look at it the Cubs possess one of the best bullpens in baseball. James Russell and Jeff Samardizja and two big flame-throwers who are hitting their stride at the best time. Both have been lights-out many times and have carried the load for a usually left for veterans Sean Marshall and Kerry Wood. Thats not to say KW and marshall haven't done their part, as they were there early on when the team really needed them. Even Rodrigo Lopez has stepped up.The former Baltimore phenom has given the Cubs more than what they've expected...a small blessing in dusguise. I still have faith in the bullpen, as their experience and savvy will come into play down the stretch.

 

     Even more Carlos Marmol worked out his issues. Seems like the Cus closer is back on track after the train fell off the rails a few weeks back. Its good to have a reliable closer on your team.  Its even better to have reliable starters, and getting quality starts by Dempster, Garza, and Zambrano hel...wait,hold on, did Zambrano just try to hit Chipper Jones?

 

Wait a minute,did Carlos just try to hit Chipper Jones again? Oh boy....

 

    Well....the good news is there's going to be room for Andrew Cashner when he returns. The bad news is...well, if you really look at it,is there any bad news in this whole situation? Sure the Cubs lose a potential number one starter, however Carlos hasnt been the performer his 18 mil a year contract would have you believe he is. Head case would be the mildest thing to calm him. It should say something that many teammates commented to the press how the clubhouse would only be a better place without him. He never lived up to his potential, which is a Cubs theme (hello Mark Prior), and it wasnt injuries or even talent that did him in, he only has himself to blame. 

 

     Yesthere's an appreciation for his contributions and teammates loved his competitivness,but who gets into a fight with Derrek Lee? Better yet,who gets into a fight with Michael Barrett (White Sox fans dont answer that one).

 

      Anyhow, that issue seems to be done with,and the rest of the summer looks bright for the Cubs. Sure they make not make the play-offs, but they are playing good baseball and showing the baseball world why Starlin Castro is the Cubs next big star. And you have to love everything Tony Campana gives you, which is hustle and speed this team has sorely lacked for years. I was really hoping more time opened up for good guy Tyler Colvin, but it looks like he's going to have to fight Reed Johnson for playing time, which is fine since Johnson has been on a tear lately. The do anything and everything outfielder has been a good soldier all season long and deserves a true crack at starting or at least a key reserve spot next year....if he survives the year. the Cubs look to be re-paying the good soldier by showcasing him to other teams while he's on this hotstreak so he can be a everyday player somewhere. I really hope he stays here, however.

 

      So until the fat lady does truly sing the Cubs are still in the race,and I really hoping for a photo finish from thesekids.