I saw a Carlos Zambrano tirade. And I loved every second of it. How could you not? Zambrano pacing up and down, yelling at every one in the dugout, than Derrek Lee told him to shut the bleep up, and that was when Big Z confronted him.  Well, Lee was the first up to face Peavy after the tirade, and guess what he did? Struck out, walked head down, back to the dugout, and he was EMOTIONLESS. He didn't care. Now, you've got a first basemen who can't hit the ball, especially with men on, who has been playing bad defense, which is not typical of him, and who gave a half-hearted attempt on Juan Pierre's double in the beginning of the game.  Zambrano jammed Pierre on that pitch. I don't think Lee really cares, or else he isn't good anymore. Wait, I think nobody cares, or else, this whole team sucks. But seriously, how can you be surprised about Zambrano's tirade? It was eventually going to happen, and I wish it happened earlier. He's been humiliated when he was sent to the bullpen, I'm sure that he knows that he's been underachieving with his starts, cause we fans know. But the worst part was that, nobody got fired up. Only 3 hits, ONLY 3 HITS, after that, and once again, the Chicago Cubs were shut out for the freaking third time in six games, by three different teams.

  Including Derrek Lee, I'm shocked that nobody seems to care for this disappointing year. Only the pitching staff, Carlos Marmol, Koyie Hill, Marlon Byrd, and Alfonso Soriano seems to care. Lou is making moves, but when they lose, what is he supposed to do? This team looks lost at the plate, and this season is quickly getting farther and farther out of hand. Trade everyone if you want, except for Colvin, Castro, and Marmol. Of course, that will be hard to do, because almost every player, 1 through 9, have huge salaries, making them almost unmovable. Same goes for the pitching staff. It's embarrassing that the worst team in baseball has 145 million dollars of payroll. Why are the Cubs the worst team in baseball? They can't hit, I think that the longest winning streak that they had is 5, which is pathetic, considering how many times they faced the Pirates and the Astros in a row. They show no signs of life, and Zambrano's tirade was the only one we've seen in a while. And yes, even though I loved to see that emotion from him, it is unacceptable, but so is this team being 9 games out of .500. They're closer to last than first. The Cubs don't even have strong expectations, and now, this season's goal is to get back to .500. The good thing about this is that baseball is the only sport where you can suddenly get hot and be right back in the race. Just look at the White Sox, their last loss was the Sunday nights game when Ted Lilly was going for the no-hitter.  But the Cubs are different, because they show no fight with them. That's evident from how they have had not one ninth inning rally this season. Pitchers and closers love to face the Cubs, because they really are clueless at the plate.

  This season is not over, but time is running out. I won't declare it over until I see the Cubs 15 games back of first place as soon as September arrives. The Cubs might have a run in them, but now, it's a matter of playing for pride. It's a matter of who wants it more. It is now a matter of the team, not Zambrano, not Lee, not Ramirez, or anyone else. In order for this to happen, someone has to emerge as a leader. Cause there doesn't seem to be any in this Chicago Cubs team.

  Lead this team to the playoffs Lou. That's what you're supposed to do. Saying that you've tried everything is not true. For starters, you haven't benched Derrek Lee. He's made more errors in a week than he would in a month. Start starting Nady at 1st, that way, Colvin and Fukudome could play more in the outfield. Starlin Castro has not rested one inning since he's been called to the Majors. And one  more thing, you haven't started lefty hitters against a lefty pitcher. Maybe it would do well to start them sometimes. Oh yeah, it would be nice to pick a lineup and stick with it. You don't get immediate results in a day. Here's mine recommended lineup.

1.Tyler Colvin-RF- Has speed, hits for power, would set the table quite nicely for the meat of the order. Plus, he's a power lefty.

2. Mike Fontenot-2B-Guy is a lefty, has some pop, and unlike Theriot, he's been hitting this year.

3. Geovany Soto-C- I don't get why Lou starts Hill over him. Geo's been patient at the plate, and he could get on base. Why put him in the 8th spot, so he can get stranded by the pitcher??

4. Xavier Nady-1B- I'm tired to see Lee constantly strikeout with men on base. Nady has been hitting when he has started. He's been getting the job done when called upon.

5. Marlon Byrd-CF-He hasn't been very good with men on scoring position, but he hits for power.

6. Alfonso Soriano-LF-Keep him there.

7. Starlin Castro-SS- Still trying to learn the game. Keep him in the 7th hole

8. Chad Tracy-3B- Been better at defense than Baker, but I hope that Ramirez returns healthy and well.

9. Pitcher (Zambrano tomorrow)

  Lou, take some notes from the Angels tomorrow. Play like it's an elimination game everyday starting tomorrow. There's so much potential with this team, I don't know how they're 8 games under .500. It's unacceptable. So start winning now. Or consider it a lost season in one week.

  I was 13 when I listened to my first Cubs game on the radio. The Cubs were in Miller Park and they were struggling. Milton Bradley was up to bat. Then, the lights turned off. I think that Bradley had a base hit after the lights turned back on, but I forgot who won the game. I think the Cubs won. I was still believing that Bradley would turn it around. Anyway, I went back to school and told one of my friends that also listened to the games on the radio before he discovered that he had CSN, and I mentioned to him that Ron Santo sounded depressed. One year later, I'm now 14 and smarter than I was a year before, and now I know that Ron Santo was just being a Cubs fan. Just another fan that saw so much potential that the team had but got half of that expected potential.

  53 games into the season, and the Cubs are 5 games under .500.  The starting pitching has been really consistent. The fact is, they need to pitch shutouts in order for their team to win. The offense can only hit against Brewers pitching. The bullpen, except for Marshall and Marmol, has been young and very bad. John Grabow has been the worst, and he is one of the veterans in the pen. But though Grabow has been terrible, and no one should defend him, I'll say this. This problem can be fixed and it has, as they sent him to the DL just a couple of days ago. But there is one problem that can't be fixed, and that's this years offense.

  I made a post after like the first 6 games of the season and said that it hasn't been the pitching or the bullpen that was to be seen as the culprit, but rather the offense. I didn't like what I saw from the first week of the season. It reminded me an awfully lot like the '09 offense. The only difference, the Cubs have gotten more hits and. But they also seem to have taken fewer walks, and though the Cubs have gotten more hits, they haven't got more extra base hits. Derrek Lee looks old, and just when we thought he was heating up, HAHAHA!!! he pulled a yeah-yeah-yeah-No! on us. Ramirez used to be an RBI machine. Now, it looks like that machine is all rust. Byrd had such a great start, but has been terrible as of late. Theriot..... ever since he was moved to 2nd, he has been a different hitter. In a different hitter in not as good, but bad. Fukudome has cooled off, and that I'm not surprised. At the end of the day, I'll say that he was a worse signing than Soriano. Geo Soto was terrible at the beginning, then he was one of the hottest hitters, and then he forgot how to swing the bat, looking at pitchers right down the middle for called 3rd strikes and having terrible at bats. It seems like the whole team has been having terrible at bats. The best two hitters on this team have been Soriano and Starlin Castro. But off course, Soriano will still piss the hell out of you when he swings at ball 4, and Castro had that one been game in his Wrigley debut, but has been really good other wise.

 Then we get to the bench. Mike Fontenot has been good, but he has no place to play in the lineup. Baker has been all right, Xavier Nady had the big game today (4-4), and should be getting more start, and then we get to Koyie Hill, who is your typical back up catcher, then Tyler Colvin. Why this kid isn't in the Minors is baffling the heck out of me. This is a very good young player. The Cubs organization has already committed to playing Byrd, Soriano, and Fukudome for the next two years. What do you want to do, waste another talent? Again, send him to the Minors, so he actually learns and develops. Lee wont be back next season, not at the way he's playing. Why don't we develop him as a 1st baseman? What are you gonna do? Sign Prince Fielder? Albert Pujols? Promote Brian LeHair to the majors? Bring back Xavier Nady to play 1st base? I don't think so. And yet, I also don't think they'd develop Colvin as a 1st baseman, but who's your future at 1st?

  I am confused this year. There is still a lot of baseball left. And though my mind might be off the Cubs for the Blackhawks and Brazil in the World Cup, I never miss a game. And summer vacation is coming. I don't want to waste it cheering for a overpaid team. I want this team to show some fight and spirit, now. To bad they're to busy collecting their paychecks. Prove me wrong and start beating the Pirates, starting beating the Astros, and start winning some series. Otherwise........ I don't know. I just don't know what to expect anymore. Especially from this offense.

 First of all, I want to state that this is not my idea, that this idea I heard from a caller while listening to the Cubs 10th Inning Show with Dave Kaplan on Monday after the Marlins game on my Walkman. He said that the Ricketts had stated that if they wanted to win, it would have to start within the organization, with a good Minor League System in place, something that the Cubs have right now. The caller would go on to mention how sitting on the bench would be a huge disadvantage in the learning process for Colvin, and that as of right now, he would like to see Colvin sent down and for the Cubs to start developing him as a 1st baseman in the Minors. I think that his last words were " If the Cubs want to start to win from within, why not make that move?" Kaplan said that was an interesting idea and that he might ask Lou that question over the weekend.

 I personally would love to see that move. Even before that call, I wanted to see Colvin sent down. Why? Because he's not gaining anything just sitting in the bench. He is a young kid, and a good hitter, and a talented prospect, ( I don't know if he's technically a prospect anymore) and he has a future in this organization,  which is why that for him to be on the bench and missing at bats is a huge deal to me. What does he gain from replacing Alfonso Soriano for defensive purposes in the 7th, and maybe getting one at bat in the game? Nothing!

 I love Tyler Colvin, and I want to see him get his 4 or 5 at bats in the game in Iowa, and I want to see him do well, but I don't want to see him in a bench role because he most certainly will not start for any part of the season unless one of the outfielders were hurt and unless one of them got traded, which is not going to happen. Unless Fukudome starts struggling, (which I think he is starting to), unless Xavier Nady bats .150, and unless Soriano or Byrd all of a sudden uses a wiffle bat instead of a wooden one, there is no way that Tyler will make any starts with consistency. And the outfield looks solidified for the next 2 years or so, so why don't you send him down and develop him as a 1st baseman? Maybe he won't have the solid defense that D-Lee has, but he certainly has the bat. And lets face it, D-Lee does have an expiring contract and I wouldn't call age 35 young for a baseball player. And he has been struggling as of late, but in a very mediocre team, Tyler Colvin is one of the few bright spots that's on the team and someone to look forward towards the future.

 What are your thoughts.

  Some of you will be going like, "WHAT?!?", but it's true. This bullpen is inexperienced. It has given up the lead in the 8th in half of the games the Cubs played so far. It's clearly been the Cubs Achilles Heel so far. But than why am I saying that this bullpen isn't to blame for this slow start of the season? Well, because the Cubs offense has not been too kind to the bullpen,  to our starters, and to Lou Piniella's decisions late in the game, although some of his decision have not been great.. This offense has not been clutch at all, and because of this, it has lead for the bullpen to get challenged in every game. How can you expect anything from this bullpen if it's constantly challenged everyday, especially an inexperienced bullpen at that? 

  It seems like this Cubs offense do not know how or where to hit when there is a man on third and less than two outs. After six games this season, their were only three runs driven in when a guy was on third, and two of them were sacrifice flies. On Sunday, their were men on every base with nobody out in the top of the first, facing a pitcher who was making his professional debut. Up to bat were Aramis Ramirez, Marlon Byrd, and Alfonso Soriano. Ramirez, who didn't have a hit in the series against the Reds, pop out. Byrd struck out, and Soriano (ugh) pop out for the third out of the inning. That set the tone for the rest of the game, as they left 12 men on base and only scored a run as they lost 3-1.

   After six games this season, they have scored only 18 runs. The Braves scored 16 runs in the first game of the season. That is 2 run less than the Cubs, who scored 18 runs in 6 games. They left 13 men on base on Friday, and 12 men on base on Sunday. They scored 5 runs on the season opener, 2 runs on Wednesday, 2 runs on Thursday, 4 runs on Friday, 4 runs again on Saturday, and 1 run on Sunday. That's an average of three runs a game. The offense wasted some really fine quality starts from the starting pitchers and besides the outing Zambrano, the starters gave up only 6 runs, 5 of them earned.

  Today, they have scored 9 runs, all coming with two outs. Dempster gave up 5 runs, and right now, this bullpen is pitching with a little breathing space. All I'm trying to say is that if this team starts hitting, watch out, because this young bullpen will get experience as the season goes on, but first, they need help from the offense. They need the offense to score more than 3 runs a game. With as many talented arms as there are in the pen, this bullpen's got the potential to be very good, but if it will ever get the chance to become good, the offense needs to be it's best friend, scoring more than 3 runs, like 9 runs, which they're doing right now.

 I'm not panicking. The season has just started, and no one should get to concerned about the issues in the bullpen. I have a feeling that the bats will wake up soon, like they have today.

 Now that the Bears signed Brandon Manumaleuna, what happens to Desmond Clark. He was injured for a large portion of the season last year, and he isn't getting any younger. The Bears did carry three tight ends last year, Greg Olson, Clark, and Kellen Davis. Right now, they'll be carrying four tight ends this year, unless they 1) release one of them or 2) trade one of them away.

 Mike Martz mostly uses his tight ends as another blocker, and Olsen is not a very good blocker. There has been some speculations that the Bears will listen to other teams offers for Greg Olsen. And there has been some speculations that the Bears might release Dez Clark.

 I like Clark. I think he's a class act, and though he didn't like the Bears decision to give Olsen the starting job before the season started, without giving Dez a chance to compete for the starting spot, he didn't complain.He's a decent blocker and a decent receiver. What's more, I think you could say that he is one of the veteran leaders in the Bear's young offense. I hope the Bears do keep him because Clark has done a lot for this organization.

 What do you think will happen? Post your thoughts below and say what you think will happen to Dez and the other tight ends this season.

 A couple of days ago, free agent infielder Felipe Lopez fired his agent, Scott Boras, apparently frustrated at his agent for not signing with any teams yet after he had a season in which he hit .310 with 9 homers, 57 RBIs, 88 runs, and a .383 on-base percentage for the Diamondbacks and Brewers. He than joined up with the Beverly Hills Sports Council.

 Over the years, I know Scott Boras has been one of the most annoying guy in baseball. He gets lots of players huge contracts, getting some players more money than they deserve. He makes teams that drafted his clients a living hell, take Stephen Strasburg for example, he almost didn't sign with the Washington Nationals after the Nationals picked him with the first pick of the draft. They ended up signing him at the deadline. Strasburg ended up signing for a four year, $15.1M dollar deal, yet he had never thrown a professional pitch. What happens if he gets injured? You just payed someone who has never proved anything outside of college baseball 15.1 million dollars. Same thing goes for the NFL, to all the rookies that come into the league thinking they deserve more money than a guy like Lance Briggs, who has proven more than many of them ever will.

 In the seasons that I have become a Cubs fan and a baseball fan, I haven't read anything that involved Scott Boras and the Chicago Cubs in the same sentence. So I know that the Cubs signed Zambrano and Soriano some other players for big money but I don't think, and I also don't know, that if any of their agents is named Scott Boras. I know that the Cubs haven't gone to an arbitration hearing since 1993 with Grace Allen and they might go to another one with Ryan Theriot, so is negotiating contracts a problem with the Cubs? Do fingers point to the agents when a player and a team can't agree on a contract and have to suffer the consequence by going to arbitration for that. If so, than who is Ryan Theriot's agent? Is it Scott Boras, and is anyone on the Cubs that whose agents is Scott Boras?

 I started to wonder about what an agent really meant  to the players after Lopez fired Boras. Like, how involved are they in their clients' careers, and how an agent can affect a player and the relationship of the team. Do players ever have a voice when they negotiate contracts, or is it  the agents that do all the work? Tell me what you know, cause I really don't know that much about the business world in baseball.

 

 Nobody, that's who! What a game! New Orleans' Mardi Gras will last until next season. And man, it could not have happened to a better guy that Drew Brees. And their fans deserve it, after all they've been through and after all that happened after Hurricane Katrina, congratulation to the Saints and their fan. Great comeback and what a job by the defense to hold Peyton Manning and the Colts to only 7 points after the first quarter.

 The first quarter was all Colts. Saints get the ball, then a three and out. Manning than marches the Colts about 50 yards for Matt Stover to kick the field goal. Then, the Saints drive it to about midfield when Marques Colston drops a pass and they punt it to the 4 yard line. Masterful drive by Manning, as Joseph Addai came up with some crucial runs until Manning hit Pierre Garcon for the touchdown. The Saints were in trouble.

 Then, the Saints offense did what no other defense did this year for the whole second quarter. They held the Colts to no points in the second quarter. That perhaps, just knocked the Colts offense out of their rhythm. They got the defense tired. They added a field goal. Then, their defense forced the Colts into a three and out but maybe the most crucial play of that drive (and maybe the game), was Pierre Garcon's dropped pass. Had he caught that, he's got a whole field ahead of him. The Colts offense give some rest to a tired defense. They might end the game right there with a touchdown because I don't think that the Saints will come back from an 18 point deficit. But since he dropped it, the Saints offense that was starting to get into a rhythm got the ball right back. They march all the way to the one yard line and then rush it twice, once on third down and then again on fourth down. They fail. Instead of kicking the field goal, Coach Sean Payton goes all or nothing and they get nothing. But that would turn out to be a blessing in disguise. If you get the touchdown, the Colts would still have about a minute left to answer back with some decent field position. It would be a tied game but maybe a 17-10 game by halftime with the Colts getting the ball back. If you kicked the field goal, you'd be down four points and maybe eleven by halftime. But since the Saints failed, the Colts were stuck at the one. The Colts by then weren't trying to score. They were trying to run out the clock but failed. They punt, give Drew Brees the ball back with great field position and some time on the clock. Garret Hartley nails it (boy, was he impressive) as the half ends and it's only a 10-6 Colts lead.

 Then it was the Halftime show. Did you like it? It was OK, I guess. Not much for me to say on that topic.

 Third quarter, and Sean Payton decides to surprise the Colts a bit. The thought of the Peyton Manning driving the ball down field and wasting time and putting six on the board, making it a two possession game probably forced him to at least try an onside kick. Great job of selling the kick by their kickoff specialist, Thomas Morstead, of really selling the kickoff as you can see the top row of Colts blockers turn their feet if just ever so slightly, and not having time to recover when he realizes on what was going on. Saints ball, and they march it down field when Drew Brees hit Pierre Thomas with a screen and make it a 13-10 Saints game. The Colts answer it right back with a long drive with Addai, who had a strong game, running in for the touchdown, making it a 17-13 game. The Saints get some points back with another driller by Hartley, and just a point separated the teams.

 Colts get the ball back and head into the fourth quarter with the ball back, with the Colts going for it on fourth down. It looked like they were in control once again, then on third down, Manning goes all or nothing, trying to throw a home run ball to Austin Collie, who had to swat the ball away to avoid the pass from being intercepted. Matt Stover than attempts a 51 yard field goal, which went wide left and just literally gave new life to the Saints, even though they were just a point down. They march it down the field, and I swear, I can't remember one time in that drive where they faced third down. In the red zone  now, when Drew Brees strikes Jeremy Shockley for two yards and the Saints decide to make it a one score game and that was the game winner right there. Quick throw by Brees to the right side to Lance Moore, and when you first looked at the play, you can't tell. There was no way of knowing if he caught it without instant replay. Boy, I sometimes wish that soccer would use replays for questionable calls, just look at how much it helps the NFL and other major sports. It was pretty clear, after looking at it once, that he caught the ball before the defender kicked it out of his hands. Manning gets the ball back and drives it all the way to the Saints 30 when he throws the interception to Tracy Porter, the same guy that picked off Brett Favre in the last seconds of regulation in the NFC Championship Game. Porter returns it back to the promise land, clinching Superbowl 44 for the city of New Orleans, and for the Saints. Manning had one last desperation drive, throwing an incomplete pass that was dropped by Reggie Wayne on fourth down, making the Saints winners for the first time ever.

                                                                 Notes on the game

•  I though that the Colts defense played strong the whole first half, led by Dwight Freeney. Than, it appeared that Freeney's ankle stiffened up and he was ineffective for the rest of the game. So was, it looked like, the Colts defense, who weren't able to stop the Saints again after that.
• Reggie Wayne looked hurt. It looked like he didn't try to get the ball that Manning threw that was intercepted by Porter. You can see that he really wasn't running hard trying to stop Porter from scoring. He had a few drops, and not a lot of passes were thrown his way. On that fourth down attempt, with the Colts still with the lead, the quick slant thrown to Wayne, he bobbled before he caught it again. And the desperation drive by Manning, on fourth down, was dropped. He could have caught that. That was not that hard to catch. I wonder if that knee injury bothered him.
• Both defensive lines didn't do a hot job in pressuring the quarterbacks. Both Manning and Brees had all day to throw. The coverage unit of the Saints, though, did a good job of not letting the receivers get open while the Colts secondary got ripped apart by Brees.
•  The running backs, all of them had solid games. Nice job by Thomas, Reggie Bush and Addai on their running and receiving games. They did a nice job of blocking, too.
• Not really a note but, what was your favorite Superbowl commercial? My favorite was this one. The Hyundai commercial, involving Brett Favre winning the MVP award in 2020. THAT is a scary thought. Imagine if he still plays 10 years from now. The trophy was pretty cool, with holograms of Favre floating above it.

 Here is hoping that maybe the Bears are in Dallas a year from now, even though I don't see it happening. Great Superbowl and congratulation to the New Orleans Saints.

  Three years ago, the Bears were the toast of the town. They were getting ready to face the Colts in the Super Bowl, with Rex Grossman as their quarterback, had one of the best defense in the league, and their were no question about the security of the coaching staffs or any thoughts on finding an offensive or defensive coordinator. Now, three years later, the Bears haven't played a play-off game since the loss to the Colts in the Super Bowl, don't know who the  defensive coordinator is going to be for the 2010 season, and the entire coaching staff are all in the hot seat. It also took almost a full month just to hire Mike Martz as our offensive coordinator.

 Now, compare them to the Chicago Blackhawks. Three years ago, they were the laughing stock of the NHL, John McDonough was still the president of the Chicago Cubs, and they were the most unpopular team in Chicago. Now, they are the toast of the town, John McDonough is now team president, and boy has he reintroduced the team to Chicago, and the Hawks are making a serious run for the Stanley Cup this season.

 Why have the Bears fallen and the 'Hawks are now the top in Chicago? Because of ownership. It all starts on the top. If you can't provide talents, don't blame the coaches for a losing season. Blame the management for the what a great job they've done in making draft picks and trading for players. You could blame the coaching staff if they completely kill the talent or if their coaching system has failed and. Just look at Lovie's Tampa 2. It hasn't been good, but the players that Jerry Angelo has picked up, well some of them have been terrible. Corey Graham, Trumaine McBride. Really? 

 OK, I it get that the Hawks have been terrible in recent years but their recent draft picks have really paid off, not to mention that the players that they traded for or acquired via free agency. But I hate it when the Bears continue to make some terrible draft choices and I don't remember when they last tried to get a guy that might actually help the team. Frank Omiyale and Orlando Pace both weren't great this season and the only draft choice that was actually good this year had to be Johnny Knox. None of the other rookies did a thing other than him.  And maybe the best player that the Bears got this year via free agency might be Tim Shaw. And we didn't get him until the second week of the season. That just tells you something when maybe the best player that you got this off season played in the special teams unit and didn't come hear until the second week of the season.

 Right now, I don't see a championship team in place. I say bring a whole new secondary to the defense cause these guys can't cover. Just keep Peanut Tillman and Al Afalava. Maybe Kevin Payne. But for the rest of the secondary, bring new players now. I'm sure the defensive line will do better this year, and if they don't, the defense will once again fall.

                                                                                  Update

 Just heard from ESPN Radio that Rod Marinelli has just been named defensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears. To bad the Bears didn't bring in Perry Fewell. Marinelli brings nothing new to the defensive scheme. He uses the same style as Lovie Smith. Don't know right now if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

 Carlos Zambrano, Ted Lilly, Ryan Dempster, Randy Wells, and BEN SHEETS! Well, can you?

 There has been news  that Jim Hendry might try to add Ben Sheets to the  roster. He would be affordable, if needed, he could be used as a reliever, and when healthy, he's a very good and dependable pitcher. But health has been a problem in the last couple of seasons. He just recovered from elbow surgery that made him miss the entire 2009 season and even if he does sign with the Cubs and passes the physical, how do the Cubs know that they're getting that same pitcher who anchored the Brewer's starting rotation from the the past couple of seasons? 

 Right now, I'm fine with how the rotation is set up. Zambrano, Lilly, Dempster, Wells, and/or Gorzelanny, Samardzija, Silva (God,no) and Sheets. To me, that's one of the best in the majors. Their bullpen will definitely be better than last year and the back end of the pen  and if Sheets doesn't start, he will certainly be used as a late inning reliever.  I'm more worried about the bench than anything else. Hendry did nothing this off-season to improve it. I think it got worse since I don't think  Reed Johnson is returning to the Cubs this season and the loss of Jake Fox didn't really help.

 To me, this will be an excellent problem to have. I don't think that people realize just how many good arms the Cubs have. I think that Spring Training will be key for all the relievers in the Cubs system, especially to Justin Berg, Esmailin Caridad, and David Patton. And if the Cubs do bring Sheets in, Sheets will benefit the most from the competition. I think that adding Sheets might make the Cubs better and give more depth to the bullpen and/or the starting rotation.

 From start to finish, the Bears played with two elements that helped them succeed. Heart and pride. This was a whole team effort and when one guy failed, the other guys picked him up. Guys that nobody in the nation knows about just absolutely shined Monday Night. If not for both Defensive and Offensive line efforts, you would have expected a blowout.  Where has that been this whole season? Matt Forte was effective, Jay Cutler was tremendous, and the receivers and tight ends just played out of their minds tonight. And how about that offensive line, they just aloud two sacks and created some running room for both running backs tonight against one of the best defensive units in the NFL. And believe me when I say this. Folks, when you give Jay Cutler just a little bit of time, you'll see this more often then not. Where was Jared Allen tonight? Or Kevin William? Wow, Chris William just took one giant leap forward when he contained Jared Allen tonight. And oh! how about Devin Aromashodu! From start to finish, he made great acrobatic catches, and how about that last catch, when he absolutely burned Antoine Winfield? Gosh, we knew that Devin Hester was fast, but how about that other Devin? What a great game called by Ron Turner.

  How about that defensive line? Three sacks on Farve, really there should have been five sacks on him plus that intentional grounding. Boy did they come out and play tonight? And how good has  Hunter Hillenmyer been since filling in for Brian Urlacher this season? He gets no credit at all. Even though this defense blew a 16 point lead, they still shut out the Vikings for the whole first half, and what a performance in overtime! They loss a key member in the defense pass unit in Charles Tillman, but Corey Graham really stepped up when he had to. It's not his fault that Sidney Rice made that catch, and anyone will tell you that it's pretty hard to out leap a 6ft.4 wide receiver when you are only six feet tall. But when overtime came, the Bears defense completely shut down Brett Farve and the Vikings. If not for Hillenmyer's all out hustle in trying to knock the ball out of Adrian Peterson, we would probably moaning around blaming the defense for it's lack of big plays. We would be looking at two potential drop interceptions by Zachary Bowman that Bowman couldn't just reel it in, or how they just blew a sixteen point lead.

  And how about the special teams play? Even if Robbie Gould missed an overtime field goal, he still had a great game. And if not for Israel Idonije's extra point block,  there would have been no chance for the Bears going to overtime. And even hurt, Brad Maynard did a solid job in punting the ball. And how many times did Daniel Manning set up the Bears offense with his returns. This guy loves contact, and he is so straight  forward because he only has one thing on his mind, and that's to get from point A to point B. He absolutely never hesitates and boy he might be better than anyone in this league in the return game. He did get a calf injury at the end, but it's not as serious as Johnny Knox's injury, which was absolutely avoidable. He's already down, why would you not flag the defender who absolutely crushed Johnny? He's much more vulnerable than any quarterback will ever be in and contact or no contact, that should have been a penalty and a fine. 

  This has to be the best win yet this season. The Bears beat the Vikings in all three phases tonight. Maybe this win doesn't mean much, but that just gives you momentum for next weeks game against the Lions, and quiet possibly next season. With a little changes in the defensive front and secondary, here's hoping that this will be a preview of the 2010 season. And again, where has this been?

 I'm glad. I'm glad for the Chicago Cubs, glad for us fans, but mostly, glad for Milton Bradley. He's getting a new beginning.  Now, how often do we here that when there's a subject involving him moving to another team? A lot, I'll tell ya. But he's going to Seattle, one of the best cities in America. They have a great fan base, a great organization, some great players, but most importantly, those great players are leaders.

   There is no question that the Mariners have some great leaders. Their manager, Don Wakamatsu, has really changed the mood of that Seattle Mariners clubhouse, leading a team that lost more than a hundred games in '08 to a team that finished '09 with 85 wins. That's more than the Cubs. There was some clubhouse problem in Seattle but when he came, that seemed to go away. He bought new fundamentals and his team is one good hitter away from being potential contenders in the AL West. They've got one of the game's  best leader in Ken Griffey Jr., who I think will really help Milton in striving to be a better guy, and Jr.'s presence alone will have more impact to players around him that the twenty four guys that Milton was surrounded with last year. Milton looked up to him as a row model Ichiro's presence will also help Milton's transition to the clubhouse. To me, I could see these two guys being fast friends and really, Ichiro has enough patience to really calm a guy down. He'll get fired up if his team is struggling, but that's a good thing to have. They also signed Chone Figgens, who I heard i a great clubhouse guy. Don't forget,(who would?) they also got Cliff Lee from the Phillies and they have maybe the best 1-2 punch in Lee and Felix Hernandez. Two leaders that might also help Bradley.

  I really think that was the difference between the '08 Cubs and the '09 Cubs. The '09 Cubs had no clubhouse leaders in '09. Losing Mark DeRosa and Kerry Wood didn't help(nor did getting Bradley). Ryan Dempster was having some personal issues, Aramis Ramirez was banged up, Soriano was awful and hurt, and Z was, well, being his immature self. The two biggest leaders of this team last year were Ted Lilly and Derrek Lee. Lee is a quiet guy, while Lilly has the mentality of a bulldog. Then, there was Ryan Theriot, who when interviewed this morning in a radio show, and he sounded glad. He was just as surprised, though, as everybody that Bradley was going to Seattle. He shared a locker with Milton and described the situation as very tense, like it was a bomb ready to explode in any second. Like I said, he sounded glad of getting rid of him. He said that he tried his best to get along with that guy but it just didn't work out. Dempster had some kind words, though. He said that he is a good guy, and if he stayed with the team, he would go out and prove to everyone that he is a great player and just had a poor year last year. Whatever the situation was, though, he certainly didn't help team chemistry, or the team. I think Chicago is not a place where Bradley would ever fit in, because he has proved to everyone that he can't handle the pressure that the big city has to offer. But Seattle is not like that, and he'll definitely see the difference between a city like Chicago and a city like Seattle.

  Maybe the thing that I'm most disappointed with Bradley is the fact that he thinks that us Cubs fans are racists. That really makes me think that he really does think that it's him against the world. I think that Bradley has been in a state of confusion for a long time, I really don't know his much about his personal life but from what I see, he seems like he has brushed with a few racists a few times in his life. But I'll never understand him. He really sucked here in Chicago and he didn't really like it when fans started booing him every time he came up to bat. What do you think Milton? You really that fans will start cheering for you when you start going 0 for 10, or start striking out, or not driving in runs in key situations? Derrek Lee is an African American too, and he was undoubtedly,  the best player on the Cubs last year. In fact, in his last at bat of the season, when he flew out, us fans started giving him a standing ovation, as if they were saying thank you for such a wonderful season that you had and gave us fans something to cheer about. Where were you when that happened? Oh yeah, at home, where you were ever since you got suspended for saying that Chicago is a bad environment to play in. I always rooted for that guy, rooted for him to do well, but the only time I remember where he had a clutch hit was when he got a game tying hit against Brad Lidge at Wrigley, where they would eventually lose in extra innings. That was it.

  Maybe Bradley might be the bat that gives Seattle just what they need. Maybe he's not. As a fan, I hope that he fails. But since I'm human, I wish him and his family good luck. I wish that Seattle is the right place for him and that in his mind, the fans treat him better than we treated him. As for Carlos Silva, I hope that he starts in the bullpen. I think Tom Gorzelanny, Jeff Samardzija, and Sean Marshall are all better than him and those tree should be the only ones to be given the chance to compete for the 5th man on the rotation. Silva's number never looked that good to begin with and I'm not that comfortable with a guy that just pitched 8 games last year. The season doesn't start until April, and maybe Hendry pulls off a couple of trade that gives the Cubs their 5th man.

  Well, lets just enjoy the holidays and not think about baseball too much unless something big happens, like Bradley going to Seattle. Happy holidays, and have a happy New Year. And one more thing, GO CUBS GO!

  Guess who came off the the bus running? Yup, the other team. Guess who won? The other team. Guess who's going to the playoffs while the Bears get to see them on TV? The Green bay Packers. Maybe the only positive is that neither team will lift the Lombardi Trophy, I think. No, I'm sure. I think know who's going but that's another story. (Chargers and Vikings).

   Anyway, back to the Bears. Now, what I'm learning from the Bears this season is that they are not clutch from both sides of the ball, especially when the game is ending. This became apparent ever since the first week of the season against who else but the Green Bay Packers. The Bears are leading the Packers when the defense somehow lets Greg Jennings get through the coverage and score a 50 yard field goal with a minute and eleven seconds left. Then, Jay throws pick number 4 and the Pack seals the deal. The Bears do rally and win their next two games down against the Steelers and Seahawks. Then comes Detroit, an easy blowout. Bye week and then they towards the Georgia Dome to challenge those Atlanta Falcons. This was easily one of the most winnable games of the season. I wasn't at bit impressed with Matt Ryan's performance, but at least he didn't throw an interception in the red zone. If Cutler dose not throw that pick, maybe they settle for a Robbie Gould field goal. The defense fell asleep in that 40 yard touchdown catch by Roddy White witch by the way was a screen. Then Forte fumbled not ONCE but TWICE in the red zone and the second fumble turned out to be the unforeseeable dagger that would soon or later, shred the Bears season into pieces. Another three points there and maybe the Bears win the game by kicking a field goal instead of trying for a game tying field goal. But no, they have to tie the game because of those red zone mistakes. 4th and inches with under 40 seconds left and it's clear that Jay is going for a QB sneak. But a false start penalty by Orlando Pace (man was he a great pickup or what?) forced them to pass. Incomplete pass. Game Over .

    That game really symbolized the beginning of the Bears downfall. Then off to Cincinnati. Blow out. The Bears let the Bengals score 31 points in the first half only.  Cedric Benson gets his revenge and us fans begin to worry about the team. Cleveland comes and gets harassed  by the defense but  Cutler really played a poor game against a terrible defense. In comes Arizona and the they put 31 points by halftime across enemy lines. Wow. Losing to the Bengals is one thing, but getting blown out at home really makes you question how well the Bears coaching staff prepared these guys for the game. Then comes the game against the 49ers. All you need to know is that Jay Cutler threw 5 picks. The defense played well, but Jay Cutler threw 5 picks. 5 picks. Since when has Mike Singletary's defense resemble the '85 Bears?  Oh the Bears could have won it. Sure! Jay leads the Bears all the way to the 7 yard line. And with 10 seconds left,  he takes a shotgun snap on third and goal. He got pressured and looked straight at Olson the entire time. Had he scrambled and looked to his left, he would have spotted a wide open Earl Bennett but instead forced it where two defenders were. After this game, I noticed that they stopped using the screen pass. I also wanted the Bears coaching staff to give a little playing time to Devin Aromashodu. He made such a great grab against the 49ers during the two minute warning that I wondered why the hell the Bears coaching staff didn't put him on the field until that week. Jay Cutler even said back in training camp that he really liked this kid and was looking forward to throwing to his direction during the season.

   Now to the Eagles game where Jay Cutler missed a bunch of receivers down field, all that could have gone in for 6 points. The defense couldn't stop a simple QB draw by Mike Vick, DeSean Jackson caught a 50+ touchdown catch and the Bears couldn't hold the Eagles to a field goal when it mattered most, leading to a 10 yard touchdown run on second down to rookie LeSean McCoy. That would put the Eagles up 24-20 and that was how it would end. Jay throws an interception to seal the deal and with that my friends, our playoff chances were slim to none. There was no way they'd go to the Metrodome and beat the Vikings. Sure, they stopped AP. But they didn't stop Brett Farve. Jay got harassed , threw two picks, Forte had no nowhere to run, and that was the last time Jay really looked for Olson. He didn't target him that much during the Rams game, and how do you let that team stick around for 59 minutes?

    Then, yesterday, the Bears offense went nowhere for the first quarter and more than half of the second quarter. The defense gives up a 62 yard run on the first play of scrimmage and all I could do is shake my head. Offense goes nowhere, Packers add 3 points. The second position was stalled by penalties. Then, Jake throws and interception. Packers add a field goal. Finally, the Bears offense came alive. All three receivers contributed in some key catches and you got to see flashes of brilliance from Jay Cutler. What a great catch by Bennett. What perfect timing by Cutler. Even though it was ruled out of bounds, that didn't stop him from throwing a perfect pass to Johnny Knox. How good is this rookie? What a catch! They go into halftime with momentum and Anthony Adams recovers a fumble, in a play that saw Aaron Rodgers lose the grip of the football twice. That led to Jay placing a beautiful back of the shoulder pass to Aromashodu. What a great effort, what great concentration, and what a yell that got out of me when I saw what just happened! Packers were quiet, really quiet that they needed a Jay Cutler interception to wake them up and take the lead for good. It's not fair to say that the Packers were quiet when the Bears didn't make any noise either. I thought the defense played well, the offense weren't good except for those two drives, and the special team units didn't do much. I think the one thing that destroyed the Bears were penalties and the  lack of focus the defense resembled on that first play of the game.

      Overall, it's been a disappointing season for all three phases of this football team, thus disappointing the fourth phase, us, the fans. I'm not gonna be surprised if the Bears win out for the rest of the season or vise-versa. I think that the Bears definitely need to change the offensive coordinator and fire Lovie. Maybe the firing of Lovie Smith won't happen but I can definitely see Ron Turner getting the pink slip and well, with the Bears not having a draft pick on the first day for the second time in a row ( thanks Gaines Adams) the Bears might need to get involved in the free agent market this year. Maybe they'll get a receiver or a safety. Will they resign Adewale Ogunleye? Mark Anderson I don't mind leaving. Will they trade LanceBriggs so that they could get a first round draft or at least a second round draft? Maybe, but lets see. Lets wait 'til this long season ends and lets hope that the Bears will make a strong effort in at least getting to 8 and 8.Through good times and bad times, Bear Down! And have yourselves a happy holidays. Remember, it's not how you start, it's how you finish. Lets finish off the year healthy and happy, and again, have a happy holiday!

              The Vikings are clearly headed to their second NFC North Title in a row. The Bears meanwhile, are headed to another year of a playoff-less season. Another year of disappointment. As everyone one knows, it will be their third straight season of failing to make the playoffs after reaching the Super Bowl back in the season of '07.  This game against the Vikings will decide the season. It's a must win game. In fact, every game until the end is a must win game. If the Bears win, the playoff spirits will not have gone away, especially if they beat such a high caliber team as the Vikings.

 If the Bears do beat the Vikings, their playoff chances will have increased from a near impossible to an unlikely. But beating the Vikings will have to be a huge boost to an ailing Bears football team. Not only would you have beaten one of the top teams in the conference, beaten them in their home, but the rest of the schedule will certainly look easier. The schedule will still be intimidating but the Ravens and the Packers are no where near the class of the Minnesota Vikings. If the Bears do beat them, their toughest opponent would be the ever desperate Ravens. No, they aren't playing well at all and Joe Flacco certainly doesn't look like the same quarterback from earlier this season. But they still have one of the best defense in the league and right now, they are desperate. Desperate to return to the playoffs and after a great effort by the defense against the Colts, they will certainly look to do the same against the Steelers and ultimately, the Bears. This game will be in Baltimore, and once again, it will prove to us fans if the Bears have a legitimate shot of getting deep into the playoffs. I won't say the Packers are the best opponents since they are banged up on defense. Losing Al Haris is big and even though Aaron Chapman isn't doing so well, he is still a big part of the defense. And even though the Bears have one more game against the Vikings, I reckon Brad Childress will look to rest his players, especially if Chicago will be covered with snow or any other weather conditions not worth messing around with. I think the Bears will handle the Rams and Lions without a problem. But again, this is if the Bears beat the Vikings this Sunday.

 If not, then the season is over. But for many, the season was over after the loss to the 49ers. The Bears will now be playing for pride, and with a little luck, a wild card spot. But the Vikings are a very good football team. To me, they are better than the Saints. This team is led by superstars. Adrian Peterson and Brett Farve are one of the best players in playing their position. The offensive line has been good to Farve and they are a big reason why AP is one of the top running backs right now. They have a solid group of receivers and Sidney Rice has really stepped up his game. They have the best defensive unit in this conference and Percy Harvin is one of the most exciting return specialist and wide receiver in the game. He makes up for all the miscues the special team coverage unit makes. Brett Farve hasn't been playing well in the last couple of years against the Bears, but he will be looking to change that this Sunday.

  With an explosive offense that can fire any second, the Bears are in for a long day. The key will be to stop Adrian Peterson first and pressure Farve early and often. Jay Cutler has to be ready to pass all day because I could guarantee you that this offensive line will have a hard time creating any sort of hole for Forte to run through. The only weakness in the Vikings D is their secondary. The Bears need to know that and look for them to take some chances in the passing attack. If the Bears want to win, they will have to beat the Vikings in all three phases, special teams, offense, and defense. Oh yeah, ever heard of Jared Allen.

 As much as I wanted to believe in this football team, I'll have to be realistic. This team is mediocre at best. Jay Cutler hasn't been clutch and he's been playing with a lack of confidence right now. The defense have not gotten off the field when it would matter most and the special teams is the only thing standing out when you think about the Bears. The fans in the Metrodome will try to make the place a living hell for the our players and an enchanted heaven for their guys in purple. I'm expecting that Lovie Smith's guys to be prepared and play a hard game against the Vikings. But the Vikings are too good, too talented, and too well coached to lose to the Bears. Prove me wrong Lovie Smith. Prove me wrong. 

                                                                          I say Vikings 27 Bears 17

    In the NFL, you've got to have some tall wide receivers. The Bears don't have any, and their tallest receiver, who is DA ( 6'2) has only one catch for 10 yards. His first game as a receiver this season came against the 49ers with less than 17 seconds to play. Here's a guy who battled his butt off in spring training and Jay Cutler couldn't praise him enough.I think he has better hands than Hester, average speed, and an all around descent guy. Teams don't know much about him. Think he's going to be a secret weapon, or what? Personally, I just want to see him play more. He used to be a former Indianapolis Colts. Maybe he got some advice from Wayne, or back then, Harrison.

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 From now on until he gets traded ( or until Spring Training), Milton Bradley will be yet again in the spotlights here in Chicago. Most Cubs Fans want to see him gone, myself included. That has to be one of the top priorities in Jim Hendry's to do list and if he doesn't find a way to trade him, Hendry better get on his knees and pray that Bradley does well.  Now this gets me asking; should we trade him, or should we not?

                                                                     Why we should trade him.
 For various reasons. From the moment he signed with the Cubs, he looked lost. He never fit in with the club and really looked bad with the bat. He got me convinced in Spring Training and I was drinking the MB kool-aid. Then, he started his career with the Cubs, going 0 for 18 until he got his first hit when he hit that 2-run shot in Milwaukee ( coincidantly,   it came in the same game in which Kevin Gregg blew his first save as a Cub after a masterful perfromance by Rich Harden).  He was mad at himself for the better half of the season, and while struggling, the media got on to him a bit and so did the Cubs fans. Why wouldn't we? He then called us racist, which made me say wow. Derek Lee was our best player this year, and after his last at bat, which was an out, every one at Wrigley gave him a standing ovation. Maybe he's color blind and think Derek is some kind of white. But to even say that is pathatic. And to backlash at us, saying we're the reason and where the place is located is the main cause why the Cubs haven't won in 101 years is mind boggling. SO HERE are the top 10 reasons why we should trade Milton Bradley.

 1. Most expensive bust for the Cubs.

 2. Supposed to balance the whole lineup, but how could he when he can't even balance himself?

 3. You will always have to worry with him about injuries. Even if he really didn't get injured last season, he's an injury bomb just waiting to explode this season.

 4. A cancer to the clubhouse, really never got along with anybody in the club house.

 5. Already made enemies with every Cubs fan, and I'm sure there will be plenty of protest if he comes back.

 6. 32 years old and injury prone. Are his best days behind him? Or did the ballpark in Arlington made his stats look sweeter then it actually is?

 7. Showed us that some times he just wasn't in the game. This occured throughout the season, but the most significant game was the Twins game.

 8. You should never have a guy on your team who is so self-centered, especially a guy who thinks it's him against the world.  Time to get a player who will only think about the team, and most of the team is like that. Bradley is not.

 9. He's already uncomfortable in Chicago. Why would you come here in the first place? I really think he never realized how much pressure he would get from a fanbase that supports a team that hasn't won in over a hundred  years. You must get that if you play for the Cubs, and he never did.

 10. He is better suited for the AL. To injury proned in the outfield, even when he runs the bases.  The only clutch hit that I can remember was that 2 out single against Lidge, but then again, everbody's been clutch on that guy. A year to forget for him, maybe a Cub to forget for us. I want to see him traded. For whom, that's the problem for us.

                                                                     Why we should keep him
 To his credit, he rarely got hurt. Maybe that was a bad thing. He played solid defense, he was not flashy but he got the job done. Took his share of walks, and especially love takin the free base with men on scoring position. Everytime he swung, he looked like he swung above the ball, including with men on 2nd and 3rd. But then again, Rudi Jaramillo was his hitting coach when he played for the Rangers, so there is this possobility that Rudi will fix him up again. If he stays, we'll just have to wait and see. However, there is one more note I have to make. If he is willing to forget about last season and put it behind him and start anew, I'll be willing to forget and expect this season. Only if he comes back. Play for another team, and I'd be willing to expect the Bradley of '09 to any other team he plays for. I'll list five reason why he should come back instead of 10.

1. Who would we get from him? I don't want to go from one bust to another. Vernon Wells, no, Aaron Rowand, no. Just who would we get for Bradley?

2. Rudi Jaramillo might just get him back on track.  He is considered the best hitting coach before the Cubs hired him. Lets just compare the Cubs offence to the Rangers offence next season.

3. You have to take chances. No questions should go unanswered. If he struggles next season, then we'll get our answer. If you do get something out of him next season, then you still trade him, since his value might increase. Maybe he helps us go all the way. You never know.

4. Maybe he actually has reflected upon himself this offseason. He might of looked in the mirror and said hey, maybe I'm the one who let everyone down. Maybe he'll get prepared and cohttp://www.sbnation.com/admin/entries/new?community_id=8&entry_type=FanPost#wysiwygme back stronger than ever. Do I beleive that, no. But that' s a chance.

5. You got to let this story play itself out. You don' t pay a guy 21 million dollars and get  nothing. Again, we'll just have to wait and see. Some time or another, he'll get hot and actually win us some games. He really played solid defense and hustled every ball out. You can't question his desire. Those are good qualities for Bradley and you just have to look for the positives instead of concetrating on the negative this season. Look for the little things. If he comes back, I'll expect a better MIlton Bradley, the mature one.