Are you a scarecrow? Do you like to play with fire? Then by all means, please, take the Bears as three point favorites to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. Of course, to expect that to pan out is to forget a) Vegas oddsmakers know people are suckers and b) the Bears defense is still "beary, beary bad." Yes, the Bears held Cleveland to six points and forced five turnovers but let's also remember that Cleveland is a terrible team and mired in utter disrepair; and that prior to the battering they dispensed to the Browns, the Bears defense had been roundly abused by the capable offense of Cincinnati. Which brings us to this Sunday. Hey, the Bears are facing another capable offense in the Arizona Cardinals with, arguably, an even better defense than the Bengals, so let's cut to the chase and say, "No, the Bears won't be winning this game."
Granted, Chicago's good for at least one win per year against a much better team (see, the Week One win last year against Indianapolis) but that win already happened this season, Week Two against the Steelers.
Apparently it's not a done deal as none of the players involved have officially been notified yet, according to reports. Teahen even Twittered as much.
Now, reports of Scott Podsednik and Ramon Castro filing for free agency are correct. And rumors that the Texas Rangers are throwing out feelers for Jermaine Dye have some validity. But that KC/Sox deal? Let's just wait and see.
UPDATE: Ok, NOW it's official: The Teahen-Getz-Fields deal has finally been approved by all parties. Geez, was the Red Sox-to-Yankees trade of Babe Ruth this complicated?
Teahen hit .271/.325/.408 for the Royals last season. Rumor has it Teahen has been brought in to replace soon-to-be free agent Jermaine Dye. He has hit a career a 261/.325/.514 at U.S. Cellular Field.
Ted Lilly under went arthroscopic shoulder surgery this afternoon. Depending on how the rehab goes for him he may or may not miss the start of the season next April.
Another Cubs pitcher with a surgically repaired shoulder. Stop me if you've heard this one before. Hopefully for the Cubs sake this won't be a season long issue. They can't afford to lose a pitcher of Lilly's caliber.
Some NFL players collect cars. Others collect guns (hello, Tank Johnson). Still others seem to collect celebrity girlfriends.
The Bears' Lance Briggs? Comic books.
Don't laugh (at least to his face). Briggs is a pretty big comic book geek it turns out, actually hosting his own blog on the subject and creating a series of YouTube videos documenting his love of the superhero genre. Below is an example of him in fullblown fanboy mode.
When Chicago Fire forward Brian McBride underwent surgery for a labral tear in his right shoulder this summer, it was thought he would take almost four months to return to the pitch. It only took the veteran eight weeks.
After returning, McBride wasted no time getting back into the game. Before his surgery he had six goals under his belt this season. He tacked another onto that in the Fire's match against Toronto FC in late September.
In honor of his speedy recovery and immense talent on the soccer field, the league has made him a finalist for the 2009 MLS Comback Player of the Year Award. The winner will be announced next Tuesday, November 10.
On a day when the Bears were sporting their "Halloween" jerseys, with the spirit and memories of "Sweetness" buzzing throughout Soldier Field, the Bears defense took charge of the game and brutalized an awful Cleveland offense, forcing five turnovers on the day and scoring one touchdown. Granted, the Browns are not an NFL-caliber team this season [I'm thinking middle-of-pack Big Ten team --Ed.] still, the win still counts and for the Bears it was a step in the right direction after dropping two rather resounding decisions to the Falcons and Bengals.
If only the Bears could play a team like the Browns every Sunday. The Bears defense was forcing turnovers and pressuring Derek Anderson all game long (though they only managed one sack). On the other side of the ball, Jay Cutler found five different receivers against the hapless Browns secondary, while Matt Forte and Garret Wolfe, whilst channeling their inner-Walter Payton, got serious about this "run game" against one of the league's most rush friendly defenses.
The Fire struck first, but the Revolution took home the win.
In the first leg of the Eastern Conference Semifinal match-up, Chicago came out strong. With a rebound shot from Chris Rolfe in the 17th minute, the Fire took an early lead that they maintained through a majority of the first half. But in the first minute of stoppage time before the half, Emmanuel Osei managed to knock a header into the net for a valuable goal to tie the game.
Going into the second half, there appeared to be promise for the Fire to take the lead. But despite a couple close calls, they could not manage to get the ball to the back of the net. In the 75th minute, New England delivered the final blow. Shalrie Joseph scored his first career playoff goal after winning a foot race to the ball with Fire goalie Jon Busch.
The win gives the Revolution an advantage in the deciding leg of the semifinals, which will be played at Toyota Park on Saturday, November 7.
Happy Halloweekend to all of you out in Internetvania. Your hometown Chicago Bears are clashing with the laughingstock of the AFC North, the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. And I just wanted to get a few things out of the way before we dive into the Footballic Ramblings "Trick or Treats" report. First off: The Browns run defense is absolutely awful, if the Bears (I'm looking at you: Forte!) can't get their ground game going this week cross yourself, fans, cuz the rest of the season's gonna be bumpy. Secondly: The Browns passing defense isn't much better than their run defense, so expect Jay-Bot 5000 and his motley crew of receivers to pick apart the Browns and find the endzone . . . mmm, let's say . . . 2 times? Derek Anderson is the starting "quarterback" for the Browns and the Browns passing game is averaging 143.6 yards per game and has already given up 18!!! sacks this season. So yeah, Bears have no excuses in not dismembering the living dead that collectively the Browns are, on Dia de Los Muertos!
Onward to Tricks and Treats of the NFL season thus far!
TRICKS!
Tennessee Titans
Wow! Spooky, eerie things are occurring in Nashville, how else do you explain a team that went 13-3 last season stumbling to an 0-6 start and the promotion of that wacky Vince Young to starting QB? No matter the cause or reason (let's face it, the Titans weren't going to win 13 games this year, but this?) an 0-6 start and an absolutely atrocious defense is a trick for fans and haters alike.
Just a quick reminder that registration for the St. Charles/Campton ChiCrossCup race closes tonight and right now, there are only a few spots available in the Men's 4A and about 20 available in the 4B. The weather promises some rain Friday and Saturday, which means that the course will likely be a tacky slog come Sunday.
If you raced Bartlett you know full well how tough it can be to roll through wet, thick grass. St. Charles promises some terrain and lots of climbing, so it could be another hard course worth coughing up lungchunks for.
The Chicago Bulls start their 2009-10 season tonight, live from the United Center against the Tim Duncan-led San Antonio Spurs. Thanks to a case of the flu, this humble Bulls scribe is a little under the weather for a whole "preview," but, here's a decent highlight reel from the Bulls epic first round playoff series with Boston from last spring. Oh and here's a link to Ball Don't Lie's 2009-10 Bulls preview by the always informative and entertaining JE Skeets.
If you knowleged of Negro League baseball pretty much begins and ends with Satchel Paige, there's a new way to learn more about the game without having open a book.
An article by the Sun-Times Dave Hoekstra has a great profile of Carol Stream resident Scott Simkus who's created a Strat-o-Matic version of Negro League All-Stars (You GOTTA remember Strat-o-Matic baseballdoncha?). The board game is the result of 10 years of years of research by Simkus and includes stats for 103 Negro League players. Included in the game info are such "statistical" gems as the fact that Chicago American Giants pitcher Dave "Lefty" Brown spent 13 years avoiding the authorities after killing a man in New York City.
He was an integral part of the Bulls championship dynasty but doesn't get nearly the acclaim of Michal Jordan, Scottie Pippen or even Dennis Rodman. Yet, their legendary run might have been a lot harder without B.J. Armstrong bringing the ball upcourt.
You can meet the Chicago sports legend when he helps HP computers promoter their new product line featuring Windows 7 this Saturday, 1-3 p.m., at the Best Buy at 1000 W. North Ave. Armstrong will be available to sign autographs and take photos.
Oh, and while you there, you may also want to ask him about what it's like to work with Derrick Rose, since Armstrong is representing Rose in his role as an agent with the Wasserman Media Group.
This past April, the Bears and the Denver Broncos consummated the biggest trade of the off-season by shipping the talented and discontented Jay Cutler east to Chicago for Bears qb/neck beard sporting/whiskey drankin', Kyle Orton, and a first round pick in the 2009 and 2010 drafts. At the time Footballic Ramblings wholly endorsed the move, six months later and halfway thru the 2009 NFL season? We still stand by that notion, oh, but there are caveats. Lord, are there caveats! Onward!
When the trade went down most of Chicago's pundits, journos, bloggers (and yes, we're lumping ourselves in this pile of Cutler-love), tweeters, men on the street, were sporting orange and blue-shaded glasses, lauding the trade and stamping the Bears ticket for, at the very least, the playoffs, blissfully ignoring the fact that Chicago's NFL team still had major issues. Issues such as: a very old defense, a piecemeal-ed offensive line, no clear-cut "star" receiver and, oh yes, an enfeebled defensive secondary. Conversely, the Broncos were a team that for the first 3/4 of the 2008 NFL season had looked like a potential darkhorse Super Bowl contender out of the wooly and wild AFC West.
Join the SAMFund for Young Adult Survivors of Cancer in their inaugural Chicago event "Cornhole for Cancer Survivors Tournament." The event will be held at Joe's Bar on Weed Street on Wednesday, Oct. 28 from 7pm to 10pm.
The SAMFund supports young adults as they transition back into the "real world" after cancer treatment. With over 70,000 young adult cancer survivors, The SAMFund awards grants and scholarships to assist with education, cost-of-living, medical expenses, and more.
Tickets to participate can be purchased for $35 in advance, otherwise $40 at the door. Price includes an open bar and one entry into the tourney. Don't want to play cornhole? That's okay, come participate in a silent auction, raffles, and to socialize! Visit the SAMFund event page for tickets.
