Lovie's Clash... Should He Play or Should he Sit Them?

Things keep coming up Milhouse for the Bears this year. The latest bit of good fortune to find them comes as a result of the Vikings upsetting the Eagles Tuesday night in Philadelphia , thus guaranteeing the Bears at least the #2 seed in the NFC’s second season. That’s quite a feat considering the preseason projections and predictions for a team that appeared to have too many holes on both sides of the ball to finish above .500. But if there was ever a season to be a good but not great team, then this is it. To their credit, the Bears have taken advantage of every break all season long, be it 3rd string quarterbacks, record setting number of penalties or playing the worst team in football (that’s you, Carolina) when you’re quarterback is injured. Sure, there was some luck involved in almost every one of their 11 wins, but good teams create their own luck and beat the teams they are supposed to beat, and that's what the Bears have done all season.

That brings me to this Sunday’s match up against the Packers. Green Bay is fighting for their playoff life; a loss and their season is over, a win and they are in. The Bears, as mentioned above, can do no worse than the #2 seed which gives them a first round bye and at least one home playoff game. Now, if both Atlanta and New Orleans lose their final games and the Bears win, they would then claim the top seed in the NFC and earn home-field throughout the playoffs. Logic would tell you that won't happen because the Falcons play the Panthers (see above for description) at home and would need to choke faster and harder than Mary Kate Olsen after Thanksgiving dinner to get beat by Carolina.

This is why Sunday's game against Green Bay will involve Lovie Smith making the toughest decision he's had to make since being named head coach. This is a decision that will garner more scrutiny and criticism than 'Rex is our quarterback' and 'With the 4th pick in the NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears select Cedric Benson.' OK, that one is probably more Jerry Angelo but Lovie had to have some input on it, right? Anyway, Lovie is going to have to decide if beating Green Bay and potentially ending their season and going undefeated in the division is more important than risking injury to any of his key players. If he plays his starters the whole game, and Jay Cutler or Julius Peppers or Brian Urlacher or even Matt Forte gets hurt and has to miss their first playoff game, Lovie will be even more hated than he was coming into this season. His priorities would be questioned and his ability to lead would be challenged. Any supporters he may have gained in the course of the year would turn on him like a fat kid turns on a salad. They will say that staying healthy for the playoffs is what is most important and that Lovie should have known better.

On the other side of the debate, if Lovie rests his stars to avoid the risk of injury he will be called soft and ridiculed for not trying to beat the biggest rival and ending their season. Herman Edwards' chant of, "You play to win the game" will be sounded from the bar stools and couches and wherever else Bears' fans may be while the game is being played. The ones who didn't openly support Lovie and buy in to his coaching style will say he is too quiet and that Ditka would have played his starters because that's what Bears football is all about. Those are also the same morons that believe there is such a thing as Bears weather. News flash morons, there isn't. Bears weather is almost as dumb as saying that chemistry in a baseball clubhouse is important. When your team is predicated on speed then poor playing conditions is not conducive to helping your team win. 

Unfortunately for Lovie, there is no correct answer to this question.  This will need to be a fluid decision based on what he feels is best for his team in preparing them for their playoff run.  Since the Bears game has been flexed to a 3:15pm start, the team will be able to know if Atlanta and New Orleans lost because they both play at noon.  The results of those games could be the final determining factor for Lovie and his coaching staff.

Personally, I believe that you should never let up in any situation, at any time, for any reason.  I understand the risk of injury involved for the Bears, but I wouldn't coach or make my decisions based on fear.  The moment you let up is the moment an injury occurs.  Players become sloppy and undisciplined when they know they are not going to finish what they start.  Their practice and preparation suffers throughout the week which leads to poor execution which leads to beatings and injuries.  It would be different if this were preseason and both teams had nothing to play for, but the Packers' season is on the line and they would like nothing more than to exact some revenge on the Bears for the Week 3 loss they were handed and prove that they are a playoff worthy team despite a multitude of injuries.  If I am Lovie Smith, I'm playing Cutler, Peppers and Co. and am treating this game as if my season depended on it. 

Then again, I'm just a Bears fan that sits on my couch and yells at his television during games.

I also hear it's going to be sunny and in the 20's in Green Bay on Sunday... now that's Bears weather!

July 28, 2010... Remember that date Sox fans...

That is the date that the White Sox, for the first time all year, played like division champions. Ahhh, I can hear the criticism now: "But Poljak, Mark Buerhle was horrible! He gave up 5 runs in 2 innings! Have you lost your mind?" Anyone that knows me or has talked to me knows that I'm a few beers light of a case, but that doesn't change the fact that the Sox acted like a 1st place team in coming back to beat the Mariners Wednesday night. And yes, I know the Mariners are bad but you still need to come back and beat the bad teams, too.
Sure, Buerhle didn't have his best stuff, giving up 5 runs and 6 hits over his first 1 2/3 innings. Then he 'cinched it up and hunkered down' as Hawk would say, giving up just 3 hits and 0 runs over his final 3 1/3 innings. Then the White Sox showed just how dangerous of a team they can be with mediocre starting pitching and a solid offensive showing. Ozzie marched out Santos, Thorton, Putz and Jenks for innings 6-9 where they gave up a collective 2 hits (both by Thorton) and recorded 5 punch outs (Bobby struck out the side in the 9th). They allowed the bats to do work against the Mariners' pitchers by first showing off their power (3 dingers) and then in the 7th manufacturing the go-ahead run with the old "get 'em on, get 'em over, get 'em in" adage.
This game is significant to the Sox and is telling of the type of team they have on a few different levels.
First, the players knew they had to win in order to stay in 1st place by themselves. The Twins had already beaten the Royals earlier in the day and would have moved into a tie for first with a White Sox loss. They didn't let the pressure of losing control of the division lead get to them or force them to try to do too much.
Second, They battled the entire game and didn't let themselves think they were defeated because they went down 5-1 so early in the game. Instead, they fought and shown a kind of resiliency that you need to make the playoffs.
What it also did was prove how important it is for the Sox to have Bobby Jenks as their closer. The rest of the pen knows exactly what to do when they get in the game; get the ball to Bobby in the 9th. Santos is a future big league closer and Putz has proved in the past that he is more than capable of excelling at closing out games (he saved over 70 games in back-to-back seasons with the Blue Jays). Thorton has the easiest 98 mph fastball in the game and is one of the premier set-up men in baseball. Throw in a great season from Tony Pena and a nice rookie showing from Threets and the Sox have themselves one of the best bullpens around... I purposely left Linebrink off the list of positives because, well, he's bad.
Only Kenny knows what move he is going to make before Saturday's trade deadline. He wants power from the left side... most Sox fans just don't want to see Mark Kotsay every game. And no one could reasonably say they wouldn't want to see Adam Dunn in the middle of the lineup. In fact, if someone does say they don't want Dunn then you have my permission to slap them across the face and revoke their baseball talking privileges.
An established fifth stater would ease the agony of watching Daniel Hudson toe the rubber every 5 days, and even though I just gushed over how good the bullpen is, you could never have too many good arms for the back end of games.
But I'm not writing this to speculate on what Kenny is going to do. No. This is to let you know that the Sox have turned another corner this season. The went on the improbable winning streak to get back in the race and now they are showing a willingness and determination to do whatever it takes to win games. Everybody on the team knows they are capable of accomplishing something special this year. All season they've said the right things... even when it was going really bad for them. Now they have to keep their focus heading into the hottest and toughest part of their schedule. But if Wednesday, July 28th has proved anything it's that the Sox will not crumble under the pressure and will not stop fighting until the 27th out is made.

It's all fun and games until your season is over...

Add Chris Coghlan to the list of players that will think twice before celebrating a walk-off win. The Florida Marlins outfielder, and reigning NL Rookie of the Year, decided to celebrate the Marlins' walk-off winner on Sunday by smashing a shaving cream pie in the face of teammate Wes Helms (Sunday night's hero). It's something we've seen done hundreds of times by baseball players... it's the new sliding on the tarp during a rain delay. When the hero or star of the game is being interviewed someone comes out of nowhere like a ninja and pies him in the face.
Unfortunately for the Marlins, Coghlan is going to miss the next 6-8 weeks because he tore the meniscus in his left knee during his sneak attack.
Florida is starting to gain some momentum, going 8-2 over their last 10 games, which included taking 2 of 3 from the division leading Atlanta Braves. Now a game over .500 they are starting to roll a bit and could hardly afford to lose a key member to their team, especially in a non-playing type of injury.
While his offensive numbers might not be what they were last year, his defense is where he is doing the most good. He's made one error all season and has excelled at the routine plays and shown a flash for making the spectacular catch. He is one of the players the Marlins are counting on to get them back into the playoff race.
You would think that players around the league would look at what happened to the Angels' Kendry Morales and think twice about over celebrating. He broke his leg celebrating a walk-off home run that he hit by jumping and landing wrong on home plate. The Angels have not been able to find a power bat to replace Morales and have since watch the Rangers pull further away in the AL West.
Florida manager Edwin Rodriguez has thrown the pie-facing celebrations out the window and will not allow his team celebrate that way any longer, and I couldn't agree with him more. Sure it may seem like a simple and jovial way to celebrate a win, but why take the chance on risking injury to yourself or a teammate over a childish stunt.
At least Coghlan wasn't the first big leaguer to get injured while trying to deliver a pie to a teammate's face... In 2008 Toby Hall of the White Sox injured his shoulder after Jermaine Dye blocked his attempt to pie him during a post-game interview. That year Hall was known for his pie-facing antics and the players were well aware that he would find a way to get them; if only they would have found a way to beat the Rays in the playoffs...
Maybe someday these professional athletes will learn how to celebrate and not hurt themselves. Or, they could heed the words of John Madden in the movie The Replacements: "You know, there's a rule in sports, Don't do anything great if you can't handle the congratulations."
I can't believe I ended this blog on a John Madden quote...

... and totally redeem yourselves

OK, maybe not totally redeem yourselves, but good for the White Sox for coming out and handily defeating the Seattle Mariners; not like that's too hard to do this year. But good for you for not getting too down after dropping 3 in a row to Minnesota, especially after the way you lost the last game of the series. Blowing a 3-run lead in the 9th inning could have sent this team into a dive that could have become the undoing of the season. Instead, rookie Daniel Hudson steps up and throws 6.2 innings of 5 hit, 1 run ball and settled a lot of angst amongst the South Side faithful... at least for now.
More than gaining a full game on the Tigers and Twins (both teams lost); more than a rookie stepping up when his team needed him; the entire team responded when they had to. The defense stepped up their game, namely Alexei Ramirez on an incredible play deep in the hole and PK scooping everything in sight. The offense didn't hang their heads after not scoring in the first inning despite getting 3 hits in the frame. Instead they battled, hit a couple bombs and tacked on late runs by being aggressive and smart on the base paths (kudos to Gordan Beckham who not only extended his hitting streak to 8 games but also had a couple of smart base running plays late in the game).
They came out in the series opener and fought; they showed that they are a team that believes in themselves and has a short memory when it comes to losses. This is what you need to do if you're going to contend. Someone different needs to step up every night, whether it's a rookie pitcher making his second start of the season, a short stop playing some of his best baseball or a struggling second baseman finally breaking out of his hitting slump.
This is a White Sox team that could make some noise the American League. Even with Jake Peavy out for the season, the Sox have a formidable pitching staff with 4 solid starters and a bullpen that has 5 potential closers (Jenks, Thorton, Putz, Pena and Santos). With an offense that can put runs up on the board in a hurry via the home run or string together multiple hits in an inning the Sox would be a very dangerous team in the playoffs...
Of course, they have to get out of their division first.

The BP Cup spilleth over with apathy and disappointment

So game 1 of the Crosstown Classic is in the books with the Sox beating the Cubs 10-5 at Wrigley. This is the first year that the winner of the 6-game series between the city rivals will take home the BP Cup, and also the first year that the majority of fans could care less about the games.
I'm sure a lot of it has to do with the Blackhawks glorious run at winning the Stanley Cup. Thanks to the Hawks the city was able to unite and cheer and feel a sense of joy and pride that it hasn't felt in a long time, and won't feel again until they begin their quest to repeat, or the Bulls manage to land LeBron.
No, most of the angst and lack of emotion over the series is because both teams have been equally bad all year. The win against the Cubs gave the Sox their second 3-game winning streak of the year. That's right, their SECOND 3-game winning streak. They have woefully underachieved in almost every aspect of the game and routinely fail to play with any kind of consistency or urgency.
The Cubs, on the other hand, are an enigma that even their skipper can't seem to solve. First it was the Carlos Zambrano fiasco, then they can't score any runs even though they led the NL in team batting and now Piniella is lashing out at Steve Stone (didn't we see this movie before) for saying he should play Tyler Colvin more often. They've called up Starlin Castro and shuffeled around the bullpen and batting order but still can't seem to get going.
It wouldn't be so bad if either team was close to .500 on the season (the Sox are 6 games under and the Cubs are 7) or showed any significant signs of coming to life. Just when you think one of them might pull their heads from their backsides they get beat up by Pittsburgh or destroyed by Cleveland (both are a combined 27 games below the break even point).
It's only a matter of time before the Sox cut ties with Paulie or A.J. or Big Bobby and the Cubs trade D-Lee or Tiger Ted. It will be a sad day on both sides of town once the decision makers decide that the season is over and they swap out their tradable parts for something newer and unproven.
As for the BP Cup... For as much as I hate it being given to the winner of the 6-game series (wouldn't it make more sense to find a sponsor with actual Chicago ties?), isn't it fitting that the corporation sponsoring the trophy is further away from solving their own problems than the two teams competing for it are to winning the World Series?

Hype you can believe in

Stephen Strasburg made his much anticipated and well-hyped Major League debut Tuesday night for the Washington Senators, and he was nothing short of amazing. He gave up 4 hits, 2 runs and struck out 14 (a franchise record) while walking none in 7 innings of work. His fastball never dipped below 97mph on the guns and he even hit triple digits a couple times. He had effortless command of all his pitches and showed he could throw each one for a strike whenever he wanted.
Think back to the game when Kerry Wood struck out 20 Houston Astros. Remember how devastating his curve ball and slider were? Strasburg's breaking pitches had the same vicious bite and was critical in him being as dominant as he was. Throw in his 2-seamer with incredible movement and a 4-seam fastball that can reach 100mph, and you have a lethal combination that could make him one of the top pitchers in baseball.
Look, I know he dominated the Pirates, a franchise that has not had a winning season since 1992 (Strasburg was 4 years old) so to say he could be one of the best pitchers in baseball could be premature. But if you watched the game like I did then you saw first hand how disgusting he can be. From overpowering hitters with an explosive fastball that can reach 100mph, then dropping a curve ball at 84mph with more downward movement than an inexpensive casual lady of the night, Strasburg has the mechanics and repertoire to dominate any lineup he faces. Hopefully he will stay healthy throughout his career to wow the fans and humiliate his opposition with his arsenal of pitches.

Something to balk about

Thanks to the birth of my 1st child (James Thomas) on Friday, I was home today and able to (somewhat) watch the Sox game, and I couldn't believe what I saw. In the 2nd inning umpire "Cowboy" Joe West called a balk on Mark Buerhle on a pickoff move to first base. When Ozzie Guillen came out to ask West why he called it, West waved for Ozzie to return to the dugout. Now, anyone that's been around baseball for the past 6 years knows that Guillen has a bit of a temper. What the non-White Sox fan might not know is that Guillen and West have not always been the best of friends. So it was really no surprise to me that Guillen got the boot after ignoring West's request to not come onto the field.
That's not the surprise. What I couldn't believe was the 2nd balk West called against Buerhle leading to his ejection for what West perceived as being shown up when Buerhle threw his glove to the ground. Here's the kicker... on neither pick-off attempt did Mark Buerhle balk.
Today's game was yet another example of umpires egos being too big and them playing too large of a role in a game. Their job is to make the calls and, if need be, keep the peace. The fact that West was aggressively talking to Buerhle after the first balk call and his demeanor after both ejections made it seem like he was enjoying the spotlight being on him for those few minutes. He made his presence known in the game and could have potentially played a huge role in the outcome. The Sox were forced to go to their bullpen in the 3rd inning and burned through 4 relievers to finish up the game (which Bobby Jenks almost gave away). If Tony Pena hadn't had his best outing since coming over to the Sox last in a trade last season who knows what would have happened.
How many relievers the Sox had to use is not the issue. What went wrong is that another umpire found a way to become a larger part of the game than is required. If West felt Buerhle balked then fine, call the balk and let that be the end of it. Don't yell at Buerhle from the foul line and make a scene by jogging over to pick up the lineup cards Guillen threw in disgust. Do your job the right way by staying in the shadows and making the right calls.
In every profession egos need to be checked at the door... Apparently Joe West will keep balking at that notion.

What 'wood' you do?

Roughly 2 1/2 months after being hit in the head by a line drive a high school baseball player is on the road to recovery. Gunnar Sandberg was hit in the head by a line drive off an aluminum bat that almost ended his life. He was put into a medically induced coma for three weeks and will have surgery this week to replace a bone flap that was initially removed to relieve pressure on his brain. The 16 year old has to wear a helmet to protect the fragile area at all times.
The injury to Sandberg has once again resurrected the ongoing debate of aluminum bats vs. wood bats. California currently has a pending legislation that will put a two-year moratorium on using metal bats in high school. Some counties have already banned metal bats and have switched to wood bats.
I think this switch needs to be made nationwide, in all counties and cities of every state in the U.S. Look, I play in softball beer leagues and even they ban certain metal bats from use because of the risk factors for pitchers. If park districts and rec leagues can see the hazards metal bats pose to pitchers, then why doesn't the governing bodies of high school baseball?
There is one commodity in sports that transcends winning and competition and money... That commodity is player safety. With the increasing technology and advancements in metal bats the day has come to ban them from use from the high school level and up to ensure the safety of the young men and women on the playing field. A baseball travels in excess of 100mph off the bat of a high school player (and obviously increases depending on how fast the pitcher throws). The distance from the pitcher's mound to home plate is 60' 6" and each pitcher is left in an extremely vulnerable position after following through on the pitch. As a result they are not always in the best fielding position to defend themselves from a batted ball. This is a perfect storm for a serious injury to a young ballplayer.
I know Gunnar Sandberg agrees that they rules on aluminum bats needs to be changed, and until something is done he won't be the last high school player to get caught by the storm.

Time to unwrite this unwritten rule

The unwritten rules of sports are as old as sports themselves. They're the unwritten codes of conduct, of respect that one team shows another. You learn them as soon as you start playing at a competitive level. They're almost an equivalent to life lessons; 'Don't run up the score' is like saying, 'don't kick a man when he's down.'
While I'm generally not opposed to most of the unwritten rules in baseball, there's one that seems to be brought up almost every time a no-hitter is in progress. It's a rule that just doesn't make any sense to me, whatsoever.
Apparently it's considered bush league to try to bunt your way on base if your team is getting no-hit, especially if you're losing by 4 or 5 runs late in the game.
This scenario came to fruition on Mother's Day when Evan Longoria tried to bunt for a hit against the A's Dallas Braden while he was in the middle of a perfect game. The ball rolled just foul (it would have been a hit if it stayed fair) and Longoria eventually struck out and Braden tossed the 19th perfect game in MLB history.
Now some people were upset with Longoria for trying to break up Braden's bid for perfection by dropping down a bunt instead of swinging away. They say it's cheap and that it violates the unwritten rule about breaking up no-hitters with a bunt hit.
To the people that believe this, I encourage you to wander off blind folded in the middle of rush hour traffic... or maybe you could be useful to society by posing as a traffic cone in a construction zone... you could even volunteer to be a tackling dummy for your local high school football team. If you believe this, if you're one of the baseball stupid that believes this, then I have no use for you and your opinion and thought making privileges need to be revoked.
Baseball is a game of rhythm. If the opposing pitcher gets in a good rhythm then you, as the batter, need to do anything and everything to try to break up his rhythm. You can take a little longer getting in the batter's box; you can try calling for time before he starts his wind-up. And yes, that means it you want to drop a bunt down the third base line in the 7th inning, even if you're losing by 1, 8 or 18, then you do it. Your job is to get on base and disrupt the timing of the pitcher. You need to get in his head as much as possible hoping that he'll lose focus long enough to serve up a gopher ball to your teammate that's on deck.
You never know what will happen from one batter to the next. Your bunt hit could be the first domino that needs to fall to get the line moving for your team. It could be the spark that ignites a rally. By getting on base you could get in the pitcher's head and make him lose his focus; you could steal a base or get into scoring position on a passed ball or wild pitch. There is so much that could happen from something as simple as bunting for a hit when the defense isn't expecting it that it's almost ludicris if it isn't attempted.
Here's one last nugget to consider... What's the difference between the first batter of the game reaching on a bunt hit and someone doing it in the 5th or 8th inning to break up a no-no?
Absolutely none.

Like Bill Clinton, only less believable

"For me, crazy as it seems, there is a real relationship between wild, reckless abandon off the field and being that way on the field."
-Lawrence Taylor, 1987

Lawrence Taylor... when will you learn? Maybe LT thought he jumped in his own hot tub time machine and was back in 1987 when he was still the king of the NFL and one of the most feared and game planned against players in the game.
In case you missed it, Taylor was arrested and charged with third degree rape and patronizing a prostitute... and in other news water is wet.
It shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that Taylor is in trouble once again with the law. He has been arrested numerous times for drugs, went to rehab more times than he ended a football career, (see Joe Theisman) along with other arrests ranging from tax evasion to stacks of parking tickets.
I suppose I should be outraged and calling for his head because of this latest terrible thing he's done. Rape is one of the most atrocious acts of any person and anyone convicted should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
In truth, I'm not shocked, angry or bothered by the report. Maybe I've been desensitized to athletes committing heinous acts; maybe if it was someone without a checkered past I'd feel differently. Don't get me wrong, I feel terrible for the girl involved and for everything she's been through. No person should have to suffer what she is going through because of Rasheed Davis (the man that pimped her to Taylor)and Lawrence Taylor.
LT's defense is that he had 'some contact' with the girl but did not rape or have sexual intercourse with her. Apparently the girl was told to tell LT that she was 19, not 16. That still doesn't let Taylor off the hook. He has still admitted to paying for sex, which is a crime and he should have known better by now.
I don't place the full blame on Taylor for this, but history should have taught him that saying you didn't have sex with someone and then admitting you gave that person money for sex isn't going to garner any sympathy or support from the masses. Davis is just as guilty in this ordeal. Now, even though I don't fully blame him, he needs to pay for his actions and hopefully, though not likely, he will finally learn how to be a continued positive member of society.

Madhouse on Madison? More like Muted on Madison.

If you're a hockey fan then you were tuned in Saturday night to watch the Blackhawks and Canucks do battle. Living in Chicago this is all you heard about since John Madden's empty netter sealed the first round series victory against Nashville. For Vancouver, this is the game they have been waiting for since the Blackhawks eliminated them from the playoffs last year. The Canucks had a game plan; they were charged and ready to exact revenge on Kaner, Toews and Co. They weren't going to let Big Buff bother them like he did last year. Luongo was poised to show he can win the big playoff game and Alain Vigneault was gonig to out coach Joel Quenneville.
But this is the Blackhawks, at home, playing against a team that fits their style of play better than the Predators. This is where they were supposed to assert their dominance and lay to rest any doubts about how they were going to close out the playoffs.
I guess the Blackhawks didn't get that memo. The Canucks beat them in every aspect of the game. They out-skated, out-hustled and out-played the Blackhawks up and down the ice. They beat them to open pucks, forced turnovers and capitalized on their scoring chances. Vancouver was the more prepared team, mentally and physically.
The Blackhawks looked flat and unprepared. Niemi couldn't control his rebounds, the defense looked confused and were consistently out of position. Offensively, scoring chances were missed with regularity and Coach Q's decision to move Byfuglien back to forward didn't product the results he wanted.
Now, I guess if you're going to lay an absolute egg in the playoffs, it's better to do it in Game 1 (see Nashville series) and learn from what you did wrong. Coach Quenneville is going to have to drill it into his young team's head that there will not be any easy games, that they're going to have to play hard every second of every shift and that making to the conference finals last season doesn't entitle them to anything this year. If the Blackhawks are going to compete for the Stanley Cup and live up to their tremendous potential then they need to play each game like the fate of their season is hanging in the balance. If they don't they'll be Canuck-ed right out of the playoffs.

Trade deadline a no go(alie) for Blackhawks

OK Blackhawks fans... The NHL trade deadline has come and gone and the Blackhawks didn't pull the trigger for a new goalie.
So, how do you feel knowing it's going to be either Cristobal Huet or Antti Niemi from here out? After Tuesday night's 5-3 drubbing by the lowly Islanders it seemed almost a lock they would make a move for another net minder... maybe for Florida's Tomas Vokoun?
Both goalies had a less than average game against the Isles. Niemi got the start, his fifth in a row, and promptly let in 3 goals in 12 shots before being pulled for Huet. And what did Huet do to prove he should be the undisputed starter? He let in 2 goals on 11 shots.
The Blackhawks have the talent on their roster to be a serious contender for Lord Stanley's Cup. Between the electrifying combination of Kane and Toews, stellar defensemen Keith and Seabrook and a proven winner like Hossa, not to mention some of the best depth in the NHL across all 4 lines, the Blackhawks should be able to take the next step from last season's playoff run and reach, if not win, the Stanley Cup.
However, in the playoffs, you only go as far as your backstop takes you. The Hawks will need Huet and Niemi to step up to the challenge and prove their front office right by not making a deadline deal. They don't need to stand on their head every night, but they both need to start making the routine saves and not let in soft goals every game. They need to reinstill confidence in their teammates that they will make the saves when the puck is on net.
Detroit ran the hot hand of Chris Osgood all the way to the finals last year after a ho-hum regular season. By not making a move the Blackhawks are hoping for the same from whoever feels like stepping up first... and hopefully one of them will sooner than later.

Beckham... He Gone?

Here's a story that's picked up steam again. The White Sox are interested in trading for Padres 1B Adrian Gonzalez. And why wouldn't they be? All he's done in 4 seasons in San Diego is average 32 home runs and 100 RBIs, hit .285 with an OPS of .869. He's also collected 2 Gold Gloves and has made back-to-back All-Star games. Simply put, he's been a beast.
Now, imagine him in the 3-hole with Carlos Quentin, Paul Konerko and company hitting behind him. His power production would be a better lock to increase than Heidi Montag's plastic surgery count.
But at what cost? What would you be willing to part with for a 27-year-old power hitting, 2-time all-star and gold glove winning first basemen? (did I mention he's a lefty?) Jordan Danks? Daniel Hudson? How about last year's 1st round pick Jared Mitchell? They may all be promising and tempting but Padres GM Jed Hoyer wants someone else. Who does he want? None other than the south side's Lord and Savior Grodan Beckham.
It only makes sense that the Padres would want the Sox's best player in exchange for theirs. He's also going to be cheaper than Gonzalez. Adrian is signed through 2011 and will demand, and get, a hefty pay increase come contract time. Looking at the going rates for what he offers and Gonzalez is going to sign one of those $16 million/year contracts. Beckham is inked for another 5 years and carries a much lighter price tag.
What I think is more important than the financial side of the deal is what you are giving up and what you're getting in return. It is extremely hard to find the caliber of player Beckham projects out to be coupled with the baseball smarts and media savvy he already seems to possess at the tender age of 22. Throw in the fact that he's a middle infielder and it makes him that much more special. Beckham is already a fan favorite on the south side and after an impressive rookie campaign in '09 his fan base is sure to grow. It's only a matter of time until he is the official face of the Chicago White Sox.
If Kenny can bring Adrian Gonzalez over to the Sox then he should do it. Go ahead and trade Daniel Hudson, Jared Mitchell or Jordan Danks. Go ahead and package two of them together. You can part with those prospects because you really don't know what they are going to do on the big stage. You know what you already have with Beckham, and he's only going to get better. If I were in Kenny's shoes, I would veto any trade that included Beckham but would not be afraid to send them some unproven talent from the minors. Afterall, you have to give up something to get something, but you shouldn't give up the future face of your organization.

We know you have skills, just don't show us until after the All-Star break

Every Bulls fans' worst nightmare came to life Wednesday night at the United Center: Derrick Rose leaving the court in obvious pain after a hard foul by the Magic's Dwight Howard. The injury happened just a few minutes into the game when Rose was knocked to floor after driving hard to the bucket for a lay-up.
Thankfully for the Bulls an X-Ray and MRI showed "no significant injury" to his hip or lower back and he will be re-examined on Saturday by the team's physician.
If Rose was ever going to suffer an injury, this might be the best time for it to happen. This weekend is the NBA's All-Star Weekend which should provide him with some time off to recover, even if he is slated to defend his skills challenge title and play in the game for the first time in his career.
Even if he isn't in pain and feels healthy this weekend there is no way Rose should take part in the skills competition or the All-Star game. He is too valuable to the Bulls, even if they don't have a snowball's chance in hell at winning the title. With him they are a low seeded playoff team that will benefit from being in the playoffs two years in a row with him at the helm. Without him they are horrible and will struggle mightily to even make the playoffs in the very weak Eastern Conference.
There is no point in him going out and possibly hurting himself further for an exhibition game. It's not like this is going to be his only chance to play in an All-Star game or compete in the skills competition. Rose is a rising star in the NBA and should make many more All-Star squads in his career. He will have his chance to showcase his tremendous talent, but now is the time to use better judgement and be a fan this weekend so you can shine the rest of the season.

Shhh... be vewy vewy quite, we'we hiwing coowdinatows

In case you missed it, and that was probably the plan, the Bears announced the rest of their coaching staff Friday afternoon. They promoted Rod Marinelli to defensive coordinator, named Eric Washington defensive line coach and Shane Day quarterbacks coach. They also announced Andrew Hayes-Stoker as offensive quality control coach and Mikal Smith (Lovie's son) as defensive quality control coach.
So this is the major change Ted Phillips was talking about? You completely clean house coaching wise on the offensive side of the ball and do nothing different defensively? Marinelli is still the assistant-head coach, was a contributing voice in play calling last season and will not infuse any new thoughts or ideas into a defensive scheme that has been painful to watch since midway through the Bears' Super Bowl season of '06.
Basically, what has happened is Lovie, once again, brought in his guys (Martz and Lovie worked together in St. Louis), guys that have not had success in the NFL in close to 10 years, to turn around a team that woefully disappointed last season and is positioned to do the same in 2010.
Next season the Bears are going to be led by an offensive coordinator (Martz) that was fired by the defensive coordinator (Marinelli) when they last worked together in Detroit. To makes things even more interesting, their offensive line coach, Mike Tice, believes running the ball is key to winning games. Why should we care what an offensive line coach thinks? Because Lovie said Tice will have significant input on play calling.
The Bears have set themselves up to be as successful next season as Elmer Fudd was in catching wabbits. The difference is Elmer was meant to make us laugh.

That's the Bulls we know and love

The Bulls came home after a long road trip feeling good. They became the first team in NBA history to win five consecutive games over above .500 teams on the same road trip. They were over .500 for the first time since Nov. 17. A win against the struggling Clippers tonight would have given the Bulls their longest winning streak in over 3 years. The Clippers had lost 4 straight as part of their current 8-game road trip when they arrived in Chicago. To the untrained eye it would appear to be a mismatch and an easy win for upstart Bulls.
So, of course, the Clippers took the initial lead on a Chris Kaman jumper, their first lead in almost 3 games, and outplayed the Bulls the rest of the way winning 90-82 at the United Center.
What went wrong for the Bulls? The obvious answer is they didn't score enough points. They shot 38% from the field and committed 19 turnovers. They looked sluggish and unmotivated and got outplayed by an inferior team. Basically, they were the Bulls we've become accustomed to watching the past few years.
What I don't understand is how Luol Deng could score 16 points in the first quarter and just two more the rest of the way. Head Coach Vinny Del Negro offered this nugget of wisdom on that stat, "I thought Luol was real active in the first quarter. We should have gotten him the ball more."
Ya think! Obviously Deng was feeling good and yes, you should have gotten him the ball more. As the head coach you should have emphasized that point throughout the game. Instead you added one more example for why you won't be back next season.
Derrick Rose also had an off night going for 16 points on 7-for-20 shooting with just 4 dimes. He was averaging 24.6 points per game during the winning streak.
So, the Bulls are back to .500 and hold the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference. Derrick Rose is progressing and deserves major kudos for being the first Bulls player to make the All-Star team since Michael Jordan. Joakim Noah is averaging a double-double per game and they have shown some signs of life this season.
Unfortunately for all you die-hard Bulls fans out there, this season is going to play out like last year, only not as exciting. Expect another low-seeded playoff series that will result in another 1st round exit.
But look at the bright side... you won't have to deal with Vinny anymore.

Keep that bus running Lovie, you're going to need it

I guess we should be happy that the embarrassment is over; at least the first part of the embarrassment. The Bears finally hired an offensive coordinator after nearly a month of being turned down, rejected, passed over and spurned.
And the man they hired is who everyone thought it was going to be the moment Ron Turner was fired.
Yep, the orchestrator of 'The Greatest Show on Turf' is coming to Chicago. Say hello to Lovie's little (kind of) friend, Mike Martz.
Now, Martz has done some really nice things in his coaching career. He was the offensive genius for the Rams when they were a scoring machine on their way to winning Super Bowl XXXIV (that's 34 for the Roman Numeral challenged). He even squeezed back-to-back 4,000 yard passing season out of Jon Kitna threw when they were together in Detroit. But with the good comes the bad, and the sacks.
Probably the biggest concern for a Mike Martz offense is how much the quarterback gets sacked. Marc Bulger was sacked 41 times in 2004, Detroit QBs 63 times in 2006 and San Fran gave up 55 in '08. The obvious concern for Bears' fans is the lack of a good, or even decent offensive line blocking for Jay Cutler, who was sacked 35 times last season. For Martz's offense to work, Cutler is going to have to be protected. That means Olin Kruetz and Co. are going to have to do a better job than they might be capable of doing.
If Jay does get some time to throw the ball, he is going to need someone to throw to. He is going to need some play makers. There are a couple of players out there that could fit that role.
First, you need an established #1 wide receiver. Someone that will be the anchor and Jay's go-to guy that he knows will make the right read and run the right route.
That man is Brandon Marshall. Josh McDaniels has all but kicked him out of Denver and the word coming out of Denver is they don't expect him back next year. Marshall was Cutler's favorite target when they played together. If the Bears are truly serious about winning and making a run in the playoffs then they need to go get Brandon Marshall.
Another interesting player will be on the field this Sunday representing the NFC. He has displayed his dynamic play making ability this postseason and has been rumored to be available this offseason. He's young and can take over a ball game with his incredible athleticism. Who is this mystery man? Why it's none other than Reggie Kardashian (I love easy jokes) Bush.
Think about it. He can return punts, would be a good compliment to Matt Forte as a second running back and can also line up as a wide receiver. In space he is almost impossible to tackle. For a quarterback that is going to be forced to get rid of the ball quickly it would be nice to have two options out of the backfield that you know can catch the ball. Oh yeah, he can also pick up a blitz without getting smushed.
Sure, Bush hasn't lived up to his hype when he came out of college and he's been bothered by knee problems, but a change of scenery often does a player good. There are so many weapons in New Orleans that Bush often gets lost in the bunch. In Chicago, he would be one of the top dogs, easily getting 15-18 touches a game, maybe more, and could rack up 100+ yards per game.
Martz doesn't care about a run/pass ratio. He's proven that he will throw the ball 60 times a game if he feels that will give his team the best chance to win. It will be interesting to see how he and Lovie mix, especially since Lovie claims every year that the Bears are a running team. One of his most famous lines is "We get off the bus running". If the Bears fail to be competitive again this year and the offense doesn't show any signs of life, Lovie will need that bus to be running because he will be the one fired at the end of season press conference.

Good enough for the HOF?

Kurt Warner loves Jesus and Jesus loves Kurt Warner. But will the HOF Committee love Kurt Warner enough to make him a member of the most prestigious fraternity a professional football player can join?
Anyone that has followed the game of football for the past 12 years knows Warner's almost improbable story. He went from bagging groceries and stocking shelves in a supermarket in his hometown in Iowa to being a 2-time NFL MVP, a Super Bowl Champion, Super Bowl MVP and also holds a couple NFL passing records, including faster player to 10,000 passing yards. If not for an injury to Trent Green (I know, shocking that Trent Green got hurt) Warner might not have played a snap in the 1999 season with the St. Louis Rams. All he did that season was lead the Rams to a 13-3 record, throw for over 4,300 yards, 41 touchdowns, won his first league MVP award, won the Super Bowl and was named its MVP... not too shabby.
There was talk that he might need to win another Super Bowl to get in; that his career numbers might not be enough to get him in. He ranks 26th all-time in TD passes (208) and passing yards (32,344), and he is 6th in passer rating (93.7%) and 2nd in passing yards/game (258.8) and completion percentage (65.5%).
But I think more telling of the type of player Warner was is reflected in his postseason numbers. In 13 postseason games he has thrown for 3,952 yards, 31 touchdowns with a passer rating of 102.8. He also owns the top 3 passing performances in Super Bowl history and broke his own NFL record of passing yards in the playoffs with 1,156 in 2008.
Simply put, Warner played his best in the biggest games of his career. He became the second quarterback to make Super Bowl starts with 2 different teams and the third quarterback in NFL history to win a conference championship with two different teams.
While he may not have the most gaudy career numbers he has made an impact on the game of football that cannot be ignored. Here's to hoping the Hall of Fame committee sees the light like Jake and Elwood did and votes Kurt Warner into the Hall of Fame.

What is said in January is not what is meant in August... or September...

Brett Favre answered the question that some people were asking as soon as Garrett Hartley's kick split the uprights in the Louisiana Superdome sending the Saints to the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history and sending Favre and the Vikings home. He gave a statement so unequivocally convincing and more solid than the ground in Haiti (too soon?) that we HAVE to believe him.
Favre said he is "highly unlikely" to play next season.
There. Discussion over. So there's no need reason to talk about it ever again. The Vikings can move on and have either Tavaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels hand the ball off to Adrian Peterson and beat the Bears twice next season.
And if you believe that then I have a bridge in New York I'd like to sell you and have also made a donation in your name to the Human Fund.
Unfortunately this Brett Favre saga is not going to end. He's going to flip flop more than Anne Heche and won't give us a final answer until more than halfway into preseason.
So, please allow me to look into the future and tell you what to expect next season. Ignore his initial comments because Brett Favre is going to return for his 20th NFL season.

Michael Vick should let sleeping dogs lie

Get your TiVos ready. Set a recording on your DVR. Hell, dust off your VCR and get ready to record because you're not going to want to miss this.
Starting February 2nd Michael Vick will be telling his story about the dogfighting ring that sent him to prison for 18 months. According to Vick, this 10-part series on BET titled "The Michael Vick Project" shows the real story of his life, from his rise to the top of the NFL to his arduous fall and his struggle to find redemption. The series is shot on the grounds in Surry County, VA where his dogfighting crimes were committed.
This might not be the best move for the former #1 overall pick. I can only assume that this series is meant to garner support and sympathy for Vick, showing how he is a changed man and that he wants to make amends for his past. Instead, the docu-series may do the exact opposite.
In the first episode he discusses how he ran "Bad Newz Kennels" while he was making the Pro Bowl and signing a 10-year, $130 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons. He also talks about how he was exposed to dogfighting as a child and how quickly he became enamored with it.
In an interview with the AP he said that walking over the burial spots of some the dogs that were killed was the moment he "really realized all the wrong that I did". Now, I don't claim to be a smart man but I would think that thought would have sunk in at some point during his 18-months in prison. But that's just me.
Vick says that he believed money would buy him out of the legal trouble when he was charged in 2007 and says that he wanted to put an end to his ferociously expanding dogfighting stable but never found the courage to do so.
On top of awaking and inciting the bevy of ignorant fools in the U.S. that should just wear their sheets out in public, Vick is going to reopen the wound that is slowly closing. What he did will never be forgotten. He will never be forgiven by the masses for his heinus crimes against dogs. But if he is looking for a way to own up to his mistakes, to atone for what he did, then getting paid to do a 10-part television series is not the way to do it. The best thing for him to do is continue his work with the Humane Society of the United States; to keep giving speaches to school kids about the horrors of dogfighting; to become a model citizen and stay out of trouble. You were already given a second chance by being allowed to continue your football career. You were voted as the Eagles' recipient of the Ed Block Courage Award.
There's one thing in life that's taken me a while to learn. Sometimes the more you try to explain yourself the worse things can get. Michael Vick is about to learn that lesson.

Sunday Funday... at least it should be

The Conference Championship games are this Sunday and what a treat they should be for football fans. The Saints will host the Vikings for the chance to represent the NFC in South Florida and the Colts will host the Jets for the AFC.
Here's my thoughts and predictions for this upcoming weekend...
The Saints offense looked as sharp as they have all season against the Cardinals. They had a great balance of run and pass and were in complete control of the game, even after Tim Hightower broke a 70 yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage. Their defense bounced back nicely after that initial play causing turnovers and putting constant pressure on Kurt Warner. The offense then did its job scoring almost at will putting the game out of reach by halftime.
In order for the Vikings to have a chance they are going to have to lean on their running game and the monster known as Adrian Peterson. AD (stands for All Day, you should know this by now) has had a modest season by his standards. The Saints have a modest run defense. This could be a game, if given the chance, that he runs for 150+ yards with a couple scores (for my playoff fantasy team I hope he does). By controlling the clock and keeping the Saints offense off the field, Minnesota could come away with their biggest road victory of the season.
Now... while the Vikings are a much better defensive team than Arizona, I think Sean Payton will develop a great game plan and Brees will execute it perfectly. I also feel Brett Favre is going to come back to Earth a little bit after last week's 4 touchdown performance. Add to that what appears to be a healthy and determined Reggie Bush and the Saints will march right on down to South Florida for the franchise's first Super Bowl appearance.
I'm predicting Saints 30 Vikings 17...
The Jets remind me of the Cardinals last year. I kept dismissing them and they almost won the whole friggin thing. Unfortunately for the Jets, I don't see history repeating itself. While their defense is incredibly tough, Peyton Manning is not going to let Darrelle Revis stop him from going to the Super Bowl. Manning is the best QB in the game; best QB of his era and stacks up as one of the best to ever play the game; he's definitely on the Mount Rushmore of QBs. He will find ways to beat the Jets coverages and will find the holes in the different looks Revis and Co. will throw at him.
The only chance the Jets have is to force multiple turnovers and, much like the Vikings, control the clock with their running game, which happens to be one of the best in the league. This may be too big of a game for rookie Mark Sanchez to handle. He's shown great poise so far in the playoffs but will need his defense and special teams to keep them in the game. If he has to pass the Jets to victory, then it is going to be a very long day for him.
It should be a close game, but I'm going with the experience of Peyton Manning in this one; Colts 24 Jets 14.
That sets up a Saints/Colts Super Bowl; a battle of the two best quarterbacks in the NFL. Without going into great detail... I'll take the Saints to win it all.

Ladies and Gentlemen... The Dallas Cryboys

So Keith Brooking didn't like Brett Favre throwing a touchdown pass to Visanthe Shiancoe when the game was out of hand. Poor baby. Hey Keith, I'm going to tell you something universally known throughout the sports world: If you don't like it, stop it. Saying the 11-yard scoring strike, Favre's 4th of the game, was classless and disrespectful is a gutless way of saying 'we gave up; we stopped playing and they should have too'.
Was the game out of reach? Yes. But instead of walking over to the Vikings sideline after the play and complaining about it in the post-game interview, use that play as a motivational tool. The Vikings have a killer instinct that is needed to win in the NFL. You have to continuously step on the throat of your opponent.
Now, I've never been someone that thinks a loss is a good thing for a team. Losing sucks; always has and always will. But if Dallas wants to get over the playoff hump and actually live up to their regular season hype, maybe they should look at the game film and learn how to not stop playing... regardless of the score.

Tim Tebow sacked at the Super Bowl...

Well, not literally. Tebow and his mother, Pam, have shot an ad for Focus on the Family that will air during the Super Bowl next month. Details have yet to be released but the commercial is likely to be an anti-abortion message telling the story of Pam's pregnancy with Tim. While pregnant with Tim, she became ill and was urged by her doctors to have an abortion. Pam refused and gave birth to a healthy baby.
Focus on the Family is a non-profit Christian organization that is not a church, but a very active political advocacy group that has been very up front with its stands against gay rights. The group is also against the passage of EDNA, a bill that would prohibit employment based on sexual orientation.
Tebow is known for his tremendous faith, even writing Bible verses on his eye black on game days. Being an outspoken Christian is fine, but doing a promotional ad for a group that vehemently opposes gay rights, an ad that is going to be aired during one of the most watched sporting events in the world could be costly for the future NFL quarterback.
There already is a lot of speculation as to when Tebow will be drafted this April. Being a spokesman for a group that is as controversial as Focus on the Family could negatively affect his pristine public image, his draft status and subsequently his financial health.
While I'm not a Tim Tebow fan, I'm not against him using his star power to spread his faith; Lord knows he's not the first or last person to do so. But he needs to take a step back and realize the effects of his decisions and be ready for the onslaught of criticism he is going to face.

Big Mac attacked

We didn't need a confession in 2010 to know Mark McGwire took steroids. We needed it during the Congressional Hearings. It was slick how he passed the blame off on his lawyers and the fact that he wouldn't get immunity for talking; that it was their idea for him to 'not talk about the past'. As you said Mac, the universe does work in mysterious ways. You finally decide to come clean after the statute of limitations is over, your HOF election chances dissipating and months after being named the hitting coach for the Cardinals... sorry Mark, coincidence is not on your side here. This was a calculated move to try and avoid an unlimited line of questioning in Spring Training directed towards you and the players on the Cardinals roster. It's inconceivable to think that your putrid efforts to fool anyone into believing that you are truly sorry for what you did will work. Because you chose to wait so long to admit your steroid use, you will always be remembered as a liar and cheater. You're not a martyr; you're not voice of reason. You're another casualty of the steroid era.
Normally, I applaud those who come out and admit to steroid use... at least they are man enough to own up to what they did. However, I cannot do that for McGwire. You had your chance to come clean and chose not to. You said you took them to help you get healthy; to get over your repeated injuries. But you refuse to say that taking steroids helped you hit as many home runs as you hit. If they didn't help you, then why did you call the Maris family and apologize? It's true, steroids do not help hand-eye coordination, as you repeated so adamantly. But they do make you stronger and quicker thus helping you hit the ball harder and farther. Translation: more homeruns.
The entire steroid era has left me feeling numb about the game that I love more than any other. The constant debate over which players did and didn't take steroids or PEDs... it's sad and unfortunate and the blame belongs to everyone involved, from Bud Selig (the worst thing to EVER happen to baseball) down to the owners and players and everyone in-between. Outside of confessions we will never know for certain who the users were. There will be a constant debate over whether this person or that person belongs in the Hall of Fame, an honor that has lost its luster over the past decade. There's no way to change the past; there isn't a rule that could be made to make the HOF selections easier. Placing an asterisk next to individual names and records won't solve anything. McGwire shed tears over his guilt and years of secrecy... it's unfortunate Major League Baseball cannot do the same.

You can't pin this one on Lovie or Jerry

As I was watching Cedric Benson run wild in the Bengals playoff loss to the J-E-T-S, I flashed back to his time with the Bears. During his brief time in Chicago Benson was selfish, unmotivated, out of shape and a problem from draft day until his departure. I'm sure a lot of Bears fans want to blame Jerry for drafting him and Lovie and his coaching staff for not handling him properly; for not coaching him the right way. They're probably looking at what Benson did this year with Cincinnati and are wondering why he didn't come close to that type of production with us.
The truth of the matter is Lovie and Co. did everything they could to get the most out of Benson. They coddled him, handed him the #1 running back position and traded away his predecessor Thomas Jones. Lovie and Jerry did everything he could to try to get the most out of Benson...
But it didn't matter what the Bears did; Benson was simply unmotivated and unwilling to put in the work to be a quality NFL running back. I mean, the man took himself out of the Super Bowl! If that isn't selfish and unmotivated then I don't know what is.
It's amazing what a change of location can do for a player. Look at him now. He's in the best shape of his life and looks like the monster he was in Texas. He finally realized what it takes to be a top tier NFL running back, which is what Cedric Benson has become.
So no, I don't blame Lovie for Benson's tumultuous time in Chicago. And I don't blame Jerry for drafting him. If Benson would have had his head on straight coming out of college the Bears wouldn't have had to trade Thomas Jones and would have had one of the best backfields in the league.
So... even though they missed horribly on a number of draft picks, and in my opinion should have been fired after this season, Lovie Smith and Jerry Angelo are not to blame for Cedric Benson's failure in Chicago.

The Big Dumb Animal(s) of the Week

You know how this works. Every week I'm going to highlight the person, or persons in sports that does and says something extremely dumb. This week features 2 incredibly moronic athletes.
First up... Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley.
This genius believes that the Patriots, Bengals and any other AFC team that could help the Steelers get into the playoffs by winning this week will "lay down" because "no one wants to see Pittsburgh in (the playoffs)".
Yeah LaMarr, you're right. No one wants to see the team that lost to the Bears, Browns, Raiders and Chiefs (combined 18-42) in the playoffs. Maybe, LaMarr, if you and your teammates had done your job against some of the worst teams in the NFL then you wouldn't have to rely on the help of other teams that have already clinched a playoff spot.
There isn't some big conspiracy against the Steelers to keep them out of the playoffs. If the Patriots and Bengals choose to rest their starters this weekend and they lose because of it, then tough to you Pittsburgh Steelers.
So LaMarr Woodley, for saying teams are going to lay down this week to keep the Steelers out of the playoffs, you are one of Poljak's Sports Pie's "Big Dumb Animal of the Week."

But wait! There's more!!

Enter Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton. What makes them so special? Just a little spat involving their guns, in their own freakin' locker room!
The story is reported as this... Arenas and Crittenton had a disagreement before practice, allegedly over a gambling debt, and the two pulled a gun on each other. Apparently Arenas is going to get the worst of this altercation. Now District of Columbia police are investigating the circumstances surrounding why he had 3 different guns in a locked box in his locker. He claims he brought them there to get them out of his house and away from his kids.
Hey Gilbert, how bout this? Buy a safe with that $111 million contact you signed 2 years ago and buy a frickin' safe and put the guns in there instead of bringing them to your work place. And yes, your locker room is your place of employment. I know if I brought a gun, let alone many guns that would necessitate a gun rack (sorry, couldn't resist the movie quote) to my office, not only would I be fired, but I would probably be brought in by the boys in blue for a talking to.
So Gilbert Arenas and Jarvaris Crittenton, you dolts of a higher magnitude than most, congratulations on feeding the stereotype that all NBA players are thugs and social deviants. Hopefully David Stern will suspend your over-privileged behinds for at least this season and make you pay a stiffer fine that Artest did for going into the stands.
Without a doubt, you two are 2 of Poljak's Sports Pie's biggest "Big Dumb Animals of the Week".