Bleacher Report - Articles by Joe Willett

Police Catch Adrian Peterson Going 109 MPH

Joe Willett — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 15:44:49 -0500

*This is going to be the first of a series of articles that I will publish every Thursday that takes a real story and adds a humorous side to it. Hope you enjoy.

Minnesota Vikings star running back Adrian Peterson was pulled over late Saturday night as police clocked him going at 109 mph.

However, that is not what made headlines, because there was something that the police have never seen before, as Peterson was not actually driving when he was pulled over.

Peterson was on foot, running, when he was clocked at 109 mph. Said Peterson of the incident, "I'm usually able to keep right around the speed limit, but I was running late so I had to hit triple digits, it's no big deal really. I even slowed down when I saw the cop car before they clocked me."

But police, on the other hand, were stunned by seeing a man run 109 miles per hour. "I've never seen a man run so fast in my life, there was a blur behind him, I swear I saw it," said Officer Daniels, who gave Peterson the ticket.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has said that he is going to meet with Peterson to discuss the incident and try to insure that it doesn't happen again.

"We realize that Peterson is a special talent, but he shouldn't be throwing it in everybody else's face like that, he should be more respectful and we will look into what discipline we can use for his actions, expect seeing a multiple game suspension," said Goodell.

But although Officer Daniels had never seen this event before, his partner, Officer Jameson, has seen these things happen multiple times before.

"Back in the day I would see Barry Sanders all the time, but he was always right at the speed limit. Hell, just two nights ago we clocked Chris Johnson going 180, but we knew even in our squad cars we couldn't catch him," said Officer Jameson.

Although Peterson said that the event didn't phase him, he ran for just 85-yards and fumbled the ball twice the next night against the Bears.

"I'm pretty sure it had nothing to do with the incident, but it might be, I mean they're starting corners at linebacker now I'm pretty sure," said Peterson of the game.

Peterson was actually pulled over going 109 in his BMW, here is the link to the actual article .

I'm Joe W.

Tuesday Night Thoughts: Who Will Break First, Saints or Colts?

Joe Willett — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 20:58:43 -0500

Welcome to my new weekly column, this will be published every Tuesday night, and it will be called Tuesday Night Thoughts.

I will be focusing on a big story from the week, then I will give my thoughts on some other big stories that are happening around sports. For example, this week I will focus on the Saints and Colts both being 11-0, but then I will talk about Charlie Weis, Bobby Bowden, Tiger Woods, and Roy Halladay.

After those, I will give out a few awards for the week, mostly they will be humorous.

Let's get on with our very first installment of Tuesday Night Thoughts.

Can Perfection Strike Twice?

In college football, there are perfect seasons all the time, in fact, there is almost always one team that goes undefeated every year. However, in the pros, that happens a lot less often.

We were all shocked when the Patriots where able to magically go 16-0, and it took 50 Tom Brady touchdowns to get it, and even they couldn't grab the Lombardi Trophy.

But this season, there are two legitimate contenders for 16-0, the New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts.

First, we will talk about the Saints, as they have gone through their entire schedule without much of a scare.

The closest game that they had was against the Rams, in which they won 28-23. Sure, they were tied at halftime, but they moved out to an 11-point lead before a garbage time TD by the Rams made it a five-point game.

Other than that, the Saints have won every game by double digits thanks to an offense that doesn't stop moving the ball and a defense that is great at getting takeaways.

Drew Brees has had six games with 300-plus passing yards and already has over 3000 yards on the season with five games to go. He also has five games with at least three touchdowns and 27 on the season.

They also have a solid three-headed rushing attack, Pierre Thomas (648 yds and five TDs) has lead the team in rushing seven times, Mike Bell (564 yards, four TDs) has lead the team in rushing three times, and Reggie Bush (277 yards, 5 TDs) has lead the team in rushing once.

This means that teams never know how to defend the Saints rushing attack, having to prepare for all three rushers. This also means that defenses have to respect the run and allow Brees to be able to throw at will against most teams.

They also have some stars on defense. Their defensive line is held down by Sedrick Ellis and Will Smith. Their secondary is highlighted by Darren Sharper, who has eight interceptions on the year.

The Saints have an easy schedule the rest of the way. They play two games against decent teams in the Falcons and the Cowboys, but they also play the Redskins, Buccaneers, and Panthers.

Without much of a challenge the rest of the way, the Saints have a solid opportunity to make it to 16-0 and make the Vikings visit Louisiana if they want to go to the Super Bowl.

The Colts also have a solid passing game that can leave teams wondering what just happened after a quick score.

Peyton Manning is widely considered the best QB of our time and one of the best of all time. He has thrown for over 300 yards eight times this season and has only thrown for under 250 twice, never going under 200 yards in a game.

But unlike the Saints, they don't have the strong rushing attack. Joseph Addai has just 583 yards and seven TDs.

The Colts offense relies more on their passing game, with three receivers over 500 yards receiving. Coming into the season, everybody knew about Reggie Wayne (987 yards and nine TDs), but second-year receiver Pierre Garcon (574 yards, four TDs) has emerged as a solid second receiver for Manning.

There is also Manning's favorite tight end, Dallas Clark, who has been tearing it up again this season with 834 yards and five TDs on the season.

But there is more than just passing, they have a solid defense that has only allowed more than 20 points three times this season, while holding teams to 10 or fewer points three times.

The Colts have three straight tough games, going against the Titans, Broncos, and Jaguars. Although if they make it through those three games, they have the Jets and Bills left.

Their road to perfection will be much more difficult than that of New Orleans, however, they also have a lot of weapons to make it.

There is one more question that needs to be discussed when it comes to talking about these two teams: Will these two teams make it to the Super Bowl and who would win if they did?

Although I think that the Saints have a much better chance to make it to 16-0, they have a much harder road to the Super Bowl than the Colts, as they likely have to play Minnesota, who has one of the best running backs in the NFL and a quarterback who is playing with the body of a 22-year-old and the mind of a, well, 40-year-old.

The toughest challenge the Colts will have in the playoffs is New England, a team that both the Colts and the Saints have beaten.

But if we are lucky enough to have these two teams play each other in the Super Bowl, we will be treated to a game that will be a shoot-out and a back-and-forth contest throughout.

However, were they to play, I would have to give the edge to the Saints due to a more balanced offensive attack, even though the Colts, in my mind, have a better defense.

Roy Halladay Gives a Deadline

Roy Halladay has given the Blue Jays a deadline of Spring Training to complete a trade and get him out of there, however, he didn't say that they absolutely have to trade him.

Although Halladay wants to go to a contender, he doesn't want trade talks to sour his relationship with his teammates or his performance on the mound. After last season's distraction, Halladay is trying to avoid a repeat.

Because of this, Halladay has specifically said that he wouldn't even discuss a trade after the offseason is over.

Charlie Weis Fired by Notre Dame

After losing four straight games, Charlie Weis has finally been booted by the Fighting Irish, who have really put up much less of a fight (get it?) since Weis has been in charge.

Under Weis, Notre Dame went 35-27, and now the time has begun for a search for the next guy to get run out of South Bend.

Although Irish fans want a big name like Urban Meyer or Bob Stoops, it is more likely that they will grab somebody from a smaller school like Brian Kelly out of Cincinnati.

Bobby Bowden Steps Down After 44 Years

If you are looking for a more distinguished college coaching career than Bowden's, you will have to look hard, as he took a Florida State program that was down on it's luck, and made them permanent contenders twice national champions.

Bowden was hoping to get another year at FSU, but after multiple bad seasons, it became clear that Bowden's style of coaching was no longer working.

Bowden leaves with the second most wins in college football history with 388. He trails only Joe Paterno of Penn State.

The Tiger Woods Saga

Tiger Woods has had a distinguished career on the golf course, but has never really revealed anything from his personal life. This, however, may have to change in the coming days after a car accident that may or may not have been caused by a confrontation with his wife.

There are even questions as to whether the car accident was what caused the damage to Woods, or if it was in fact his wife.

As far as I'm concerned, I really don't think what caused the accident matters to us unless criminal actions have taken place. That being said, I also really want to know what happened.

I mean, I can be curious can't I?

Awards Time!!!

Bonehead Move of the Week : Keith Ballard, who was apparently angry with goalie Tomas Vokoun and showed that he was by hitting him in the face with his hockey stick after Vokoun allowed a goal.

Although I don't think he did so on purpose, it was pretty bad to watch and it was a pretty big bonehead move, it's really not that hard to watch where you swing your stick. Come on now.

The best part about the whole thing was when the announcer said, "Nobody in the building feels worse than Keith Ballard." Yea, when I see somebody get jacked I feel so bad for the guy who hit the other guy, then I worry about the guy about to be taken off on a stretcher.

All-Star of the Week : Drew Brees. The man was playing a clearly outmatched Patriots defense, and it showed with his first half stats of 311 yards and four touchdowns. He ended the game going 18-23 for 371 yards with five TDs. He had a passer rating of 158.3, the highest rating possible.

Worst Player of the Week : Jake Delhomme. He has been awful all season, but somehow he can't get benched. He tried to help the case to give Matt Moore some playing time by throwing no touchdowns and four interceptions against the Jets.

He also threw for just 130 yards on 14-34 passing and he dipped below his Week One passer rating of 14.7 (yea, that's right) with a new low of 12.7 (yea, thats also right) in his abysmal performance.

Question of the Week (answer in the comments) :

Which team is more likely to go 16-0, the Colts or the Saints, and why?

I'm Joe W.

The Biggest Problem for Jay Cutler

Joe Willett — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 11:55:13 -0400

Michigan freshman quarterback Tate Forcier found himself, just months removed from taking high school finals, playing in one of Michigan's biggest rivalry games against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

He was up against a stout defense, an opposing offense that had highly touted QB Jimmy Clausen, and a team ranked No. 18 in the nation, his Michigan team was unranked.

But he took his offense down the field and won the game by throwing a passing touchdown with just 11 seconds left in the game.

On the day, he had 240 passing yards going 22-of-32 with two touchdowns and an interception, leading Michigan to 38 points on the day.

After the game, when asked if he was nervous on the final drive, he said, "I don't get nervous."

USC freshman quarterback Matt Barkley was off most of his big game against Ohio State, and although he had below 200 yards passing and didn't throw a touchdown pass, he led the Trojans on their final drive down the field to win the game with about a minute left in the game.

What does this have to do with the Chicago Bears, whom this article is about?

Jay Cutler is known as a stud quarterback. He went to the Pro Bowl last season and threw for over 4,000 yards and 25 touchdowns last season; however, that doesn't tell the whole story.

Over the last three games of the season, only needing one win to clinch a playoff berth, he threw two touchdowns and four interceptions and didn't have one game with a QB rating over 75. The Broncos lost all three games and missed the playoffs.

Now, being nervous is not always a bad thing, sometimes it can drive you to do great things, but to certain people, being nervous can completely take you out of your game and it can completely ruin any chance you have of doing great things.

Cutler admitted the night before the game that he was nervous, according to Chris Collinsworth. I don't always agree with Collinsworth (people rarely do), but on this occasion, he was correct and it showed.

Cutler threw three interceptions in the first half of his debut against the Green Bay Packers, a game that was played at Lambeau Field against the Bears' biggest rival.

He then threw another interception as the Bears got the ball back, down by six points with one minute to go and no timeouts.

After the game, Cutler said, "There were a lot of failures. We've got to go back and look at it. I think we're still going to be a good football team; there's no need to panic."

Now sure, Nathan Vasher slipping while playing man coverage against Greg Jennings to allow the game-winning touchdown was a failure, but he played fine throughout the rest of the game, as did the entire defense.

And yes, Patrick Mannelly made a poor decision in calling the audible to a fake punt, an audible that Garrett Wolfe didn't catch and maybe the Bears win the game if they just punt it.

But the Bears would not be in that position if you hadn't thrown the ball up for grabs every time the Packers blitzed.

The only touchdown that the Bears allowed before the final big touchdown was on a two-yard drive that was set up on an interception against Cutler.

In fact, the defense allowed only one drive of over 50 yards the entire game, so you really can't blame them.

Devin Hester had four catches for 90 yards and a touchdown, and fifth-round draft pick Johnny Knox had a big catch that almost went for a touchdown, but guess how that drive ended.

For those of you who thought touchdown, you are unfortunately wrong, as Cutler threw an interception to 325 lbs defensive lineman Johnny Jolly.

Although the interception was extremely acrobatic, especially for a man of his size, the fact remains that he should have recognized the lineman staying back and not thrown that pass.

Finally, Jay Cutler gets his chance to completely redeem himself. One last drive, he can live up to all the comparisons that he used to have to deal with and be just like John Elway.

Go through adversity and come out the other end confident and ready to win the game.

However, on the first play of the drive, Cutler threw his fourth interception of the game, ending any chances the Bears had of pulling out a Week One victory over their hated rivals.

Now I don't think that Cutler is going to go out there and throw four interceptions a game. I fully expect that he will be able to lead the Bears to a respectable record, maybe even get to the playoffs.

The problem I have is that, when he is in crunch time fighting to save the season, is he just going to wilt under the pressure?

These are questions that should linger in the back of Bears fans' minds when he is going out there and dominating teams like Detroit later in the season. Yes, he will look good, yes he will have stats, but what will he do when the game is on the line.

The Bears get to come back home and face the Steelers next weekend, and that is an even more daunting task than facing Green Bay, even with Troy Polamalu and his amazing hair sidelined.

The Bears' offensive line isn't a great one, and he needs to realize that he needs to make plays or get rid of the ball.

Although he is a very good gunslinger, he is no Brett Favre, and he can't thread the needle into triple coverage like Favre could in his heyday.

The problem is, Cutler didn't realize that. He routinely tried to find a covered receiver when he was scrambling outside of the pocket instead of throwing it away.

If he had thrown it away on half of those interceptions, the game could have ended in a much different way with the stellar way that the Bears defense was playing.

Although this may be something for a different story, big props to Johnny Knox and Al Afalava, two late-round draft picks making plays in their rookie season.

As for Cutler, in a sticky situation with having to go against one of the best defenses in the NFL in Pittsburgh next week, and if he can't prove himself against a stout defense under immense pressure, Bears fans will only have to wonder if he can carry this team through the playoffs.

If we can come to expect big performances in big games out of people fresh out of high school, we should be able to expect a Pro Bowler to hold his own in a season opener, no matter how much pressure is there.

And if Cutler can't prove himself under pressure, the Bears may be stuck with a great QB who can't get it done when the spotlight is on him.

I'm Joe W.

A Comprehensive Look at Why The Cubs Suck

Joe Willett — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 17:20:32 -0400

I’m finally ready to get back to my Cubs coverage, I’m sorry that it took so long, but I finally have everything set up in my dorm but first, it’s been a while, how about a little update on how the writer is doing (shameless promotion time, if you don’t care, skip down a few paragraphs).

I was asked by Bleacher Report to do an article on Michael Jordan, and I got the first six bottles of Jordan Gatorade produced, check it out if you can here.

I am also going to be part of the new and exciting Fan Huddle. It is launching Sep. 10th of this season. Everything looks outstanding and there are a ton of dedicated writers who can fill you in on any team you want.

If you want to check out my writing I will be doing fantasy basketball analysis for the NBA Central Division. To read any of my work there, go to FanHuddle.com any date after Sep. 10th.

Now on to Cubs analysis. I will start by giving my thoughts on the team in two words.

They suck.

Now, on to why they suck.

Most recently, they suck because they couldn’t even do what they prided themselves on directly after the All-Star Break. You will recall that they beat up on the lowly Nationals and Reds, then lost two of three the strong Phillies.

Last night, they got straight up run by the Nats, losing by a final of 15-6. Really? The Nationals beat a team 15-6? In fact, it was the most runs the Nationals have scored all season, and they did so against our “ace” Carlos Zambrano.

Come on Big Z, your ERA rose from 3.35 to 3.80 in one game, just 4.1 innings, and in August. That number should never jump that high this late in the season. But that’s what happens when you allow eight runs in just over four innings.

But it wasn’t just last night, since their magical 14-5 start to the second half that saw them even take the lead in the division, they have been just plain awful, going 5-13, and dropping to nine games out of the lead in the division and eight and a half games out of the Wild Card.

They lost two of three to the horrible Padres, and three of four to the struggling Dodgers. So there has to be a reason for all of this horrible play right? Lets take a look at the people who are to blame for this.

Kevin Gregg is the biggest reason for the recent downfall in my opinion. Unlike a starting pitcher, a loss means that he did something wrong and screwed up the game. He has three losses this month compared to just two saves. No closer should ever, ever, ever have more losses than saves for an entire month.

Even his one win this month came after he blew a save, which, in my opinion, should not be counted for a win, so excluding that win, lets take a look at his stats for the month of August. 0-3, 9.00 ERA, two saves, three blown saves, nine K, five home runs against. That’s our closer, but at least he is only ruining us for $4,200,000.

But our closing pitcher isn't the only one to blame here, lets start playing the blame game with some other players who, well, deserve it.

Let’s pick on Milton Bradley A.K.A The Lefty Bat to Put the Cubs Over the Top. Sure, he went 4-4 last night with a home run, but that home run made the game 12-5, hardly an important knock. We also can’t overlook the goose-egg he laid in the hit column against the Dodgers. Four games not a single hit.

Last night was also his last multi-hit game since Aug. 11th when he went 2-6 against the Phillies. One multi-hit game every two weeks doesn’t cut it in the majors, especially when we are paying you $7,000,000 (I type out the zeroes so you can see just how much this man is draining from the Cubs).

However, just because Bradley is new doesn’t mean that he is the biggest drain on the Cubs' wallet. Just look at Alfonso Soriano, the $17,000,000 mistake (see the recurring theme).

Soriano hasn’t had a multi-hit game since Aug. 7th, and he is still on that streak. But the more important streak for Soriano is his hitless streak. He hasn’t gotten a hit since Aug. 20th, although he has been injured for two of those games, he is still on a three game hitless streak.

Now he is officially day-to-day and it seems like he has tendinitis. However, his absence may help the team more than it hurts it. He is batting .157 this month without a single home run (a streak that goes back to Jul. 29th) and just four RBI.

John Grabow and Tom Gorzelanny, you have been great since you came to the Cubs. Grabow, you still haven’t allowed a run since putting on a Cubs uniform. Gorzelanny, you have had two bad starts, but add in your three good ones and you’re doing better than most wearing Cubbie blue.

Sorry you couldn’t get to play for a contender like you thought you would.

Randy Wells, Micah Hoffpauir, Jake Fox, Jeff Baker, Aramis Ramirez, Koyie Hill, Derek Lee and Ted Lilly, you did all you could to keep this broken ship from sinking. Sorry you had to be here for such a disappointing season.

-Joe Willett

Brett Favre Signs with Vikings; Why They Still Won't Win the Super Bowl

Joe Willett — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 12:05:03 -0400

I woke up this morning a little groggy, just like every morning, and as I woke up, I did my usual routine, including checking my phone, which gets texts from ESPN whenever there is breaking news.

This morning, the news was especially breaking to me, as this is what was said in the text.

"WCCO-TV (Minneapolis): QB Brett Favre is expected to sign with Vikings on Tuesday."

Now this news is the final in a series of reports that hinted that Favre was heavily considering coming back, including a report from Jay Glazer that many Vikings players were expecting Favre to sign with the team, even saying that it's a done deal.

That deal was announced this morning, as Favre is probably taking a physical as I type to finish the signing that will pay him between 10 to 12 million dollars.

With a Hall of Fame quarterback, the Vikings are now favorites to win the Super Bowl, right? Hell, if you ask a Vikings fan, they are going to go undefeated, winning every game by at least 50 points, and Brett Favre and Adrian Peterson will win co-MVPs.

However, I'm here to get you past the ESPN/Minnesota hype and tell you what is really going to happen once Favre is wearing Minnesota purple.

First off, people assume that having Brett Favre under center is better than having Sage Rosenfels or Tarvaris Jackson under center. According to the stats from last season, that statement couldn't be more false.

Favre threw 22 touchdowns, 22 interceptions, and had a QB rating of 81.0. Gus Frerotte and Tarvaris Jackson threw 22 touchdowns, 17 interceptions, and had a QB rating of—hold your breath—81.5.

Now, let's look at the statement that Favre is much better later in the season than either Rosenfels or Jackson. For this, I will let Jackson prove them wrong.

Favre threw two touchdowns and eight interceptions in the final four games of the regular season, never having a QB rating above 61.4.

Jackson threw eight touchdowns and just one interception in the final four games of the regular season, never having a QB rating below 88.5.

Now, yes, Favre had shoulder problems later in the season, and he had to have surgery in the offseason, and of course now that he is throwing again, there is no way that he is going to get injured again.

However, the reason Favre got hurt is because he was old, people. Yes, shoulder problems are extremely common for older people such as Brett Favre, who is trying to continue his playing career at the ripe old age of 39 (he turns 40 the day before the Vikings play the Rams in Week Five).

However, Favre's age has been hindering him for years, as he hasn't been the old Brett Favre since 2004. Since then, his QB ratings have been 70.9, 72.7, 95.7 (but he threw the season-ending interception that year, so we'll count it), and 81.0 (this was last season, which we have already looked at in depth).

In the past four seasons, Favre has thrown more touchdowns than interceptions just once, and this is the guy that is supposed to win the Vikings the Super Bowl?

Now I hope that I have given you enough information, based on statistics, that Brett Favre will do nothing but cost the Vikings any chance to win the Super Bowl.

And hey, if I'm wrong, the deal is a two-year deal, so we can go through this whole thing again next season. Then again, we would probably go through it again next year if I'm right as well.

I'm Joe W.

Career of a Legend: Michael Jordan's Career Reduced to 10 Moments

Joe Willett — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 18:38:47 -0400

Michael Jordan has a career that is paralleled by no other man in professional basketball. With all the games, titles, dunks, endorsements, and retirements, no other player has done so much for a game.

Maybe it's because he is the only player who we can definitively say is the best of all time or that so many that are alive today were able to watch the brilliance that was Jordan playing basketball. Something about the name Michael Jordan brings greatness to the mind more so than any other name in sports.

To commemorate this, Jordan and Gatorade have again joined forces to create a new product that has Jordan's name on the logo and will have fans heading to their closest convenient store to get their hands on Jordan Gatorade.

Gatorade has taken initiative to get the word out to as many fans as possible by creating an application for social networking site Facebook to rank Michael Jordan's Ultimate G Moment.

Although there are many great moments in Jordan's storied career, Gatorade has teemed up with a group of top journalists from national outlets such as ESPN and YAHOO! Sports to Chicago-area journalists from WGN.

However, Gatorade doesn't leave the ranking up to the professionals, but to the fan, and they are receiving plenty of votes.

To commemorate not only the product, but the career of Jordan, I will take the moments available to vote for and give my own ranking for which moment was the greatest in the storied career of Michael Jordan.

10. Jordan's Record Setting Loss

Had the Bulls actually pulled out this game, it would have been much higher on this list, but Jordan was still the story of the game against the Celtics (a game which was lost in double overtime).

Jordan was able to drop 63 points on the Celtics and set an NBA record for points in a playoff game. Although the Bulls lost the game, Jordan's performance is still remembered as a great playoff performance.

9. Young Jordan Makes Big Waves

Jordan was big in his college career, don't get me wrong, but there was nowhere near as much hype as he had once he hit the NBA.

But just because he wasn't in the NBA didn't mean he wasn't hitting shots (ex: his game-winning shot in the closing seconds of the 1982 NCAA Championship Game), and he was definitely able to make some outstanding dunks.

His biggest dunk in college was his famous "Rock the Cradle" dunk. Sure, this dunk was used multiple times throughout his career, but when he first unveiled it in 1984, it gave him the credibility necessary to become the best NBA player of all time.

8. MJ Dunks on Ewing

During the 1991 playoffs, the Bulls were playing at none other than the storied Madison Square Garden (I know—you weren't to go this long to find an MSG moment).

On the play, Jordan shook two double teams on his way to the hoop where he was met by Knicks great and candy bar spokesperson Patrick Ewing (Chewing?). But instead of making an acrobatic move to get around Ewing and get the lay-up, he went straight to the hoop and over Ewing, with an outstanding posterizing dunk.

This moment is great because Jordan was able to capitalize on three things. Timing (it was in the playoffs), placement (it happened in Jordan's favorite arena not named the United Center) and star-power (any time Jordan and Ewing are in the same highlight, it's something great).

7. The Double Nickel

Michael Jordan retired three in his career, and he returned to the NBA after two of them. His weirdest experience was when he retired to join the MLB, where he signed with the Chicago White Sox (which is probably why he played so badly, but I'll leave my Sox-bashing for a baseball article).

When he came back, he was just as good as ever, and he showed it to the world in his fifth game back from retirement. Jordan took complete control of the game, scoring 55 points. However, the biggest moment of the game had nothing to do with his scoring, but his passing.

As the game was winding down, Jordan shocked the world yet again. With the game on the line and the ball in his hands, Jordan found an open Bill Wennington and got the assist on the game-winning shot.

Said Wennington after the game, "Michael Jordan is probably the only player in the world who can score 55 points and his biggest play of the game is a pass. You can never predict what he's going to do."

6. 1998 All-Star Weekend

For Michael Jordan, the 1998 All-Star weekend was the perfect way to show that, despite being well past the decade mark in NBA experience, he can still play with all the young guys and show them how basketball is played.

After winning the Dunk Contest earlier in the week, Jordan dominated the All-Star Game, scoring 40 points. But the best part of the week for Jordan financially was the release of his signature shoe, the Air Jordan 3.

5. 6 Treys, 1 Shrug

I had to steal the name from Gatorade for this moment because no other words immortalize this moment like no other.

Jordan hit a record six three-point shots in the first half of Game One of the 1992 NBA finals and, as if to let the crowd know that he knows what he's doing, gave a shrug towards the crowd.

Some may have called it a cocky move, but most call it another chapter in the outstanding career of the greatest player of all time.

4. Jordan's First Title, But Not His Last

Although Jordan won six NBA Championships in his career, his first is just as special as any of them because of the way that he reacted.

Jordan was completely aware of the greatness he achieved, and he showed it as he let out all of the emotion that he had, crying like a baby holding onto the trophy. Through all of the happiness and champagne, Jordan's tears were the main story from a championship season.

3. The Shot(s)

The city of Cleveland has been host to many great moments, although most of them have come courtesy of other teams. Without a doubt, the best moment Cleveland has seen was Michael Jordan's game-winning shot, which was deemed "The Shot."

As the clock wound down in Game Five of the first round of the 1989 NBA playoffs, Jordan dropped a big shot with six seconds left to give the Bulls the lead 99-98, but this game was far from over.

After a Cleveland timeout, Craig Ehlo scored on a lay-up to put the Cavs back up 100-99 to seemingly win the game and diminish what was a great shot by Jordan, but he wouldn't have it that way.

Jordan, in a way that only he could, turned Craig Ehlo from the hero of the night into the guy that got scored on to win the game, as Jordan hit a shot over Ehlo to put the Bulls up 101-100 and win the series.

However, the best way to describe the moment is to know what was said during it. Here is what Jim Durham of the Bulls Radio Network said as the play unfolded.

"The inbounds pass comes in to Jordan. Here's Michael at the foul line, the shot on Ehlo...good! The Bulls win! They win! They beat Cleveland Cavaliers! Michael Jordan hits at the foul line! 101-100! 20,273 in stunned silence here in the Coliseum. Michael Jordan with 44 points in a game hit the shot over Craig Ehlo. What tremendous heroics we have had in Game Five. From both teams, what a spectacular series this has been. In my days in the NBA, 16 years, greatest series I've ever seen."

2. 1996 NBA Title

Michael Jordan's timing for a great moment has been noted throughout this article, but no moment had better timing than his winning of the 1996 NBA Title.

In 1993, Jordan's father was murdered, which caused his first retirement. But when he returned, he was hungrier than ever to make the Bulls the best team of all time. He did that in 1996 when the Bulls went 72-10, the best record in the history of the NBA.

The Bulls stampeded through the playoffs and easily won another NBA Championship, but to Jordan, this one was worth so much more than the others.

This title was won on Fathers Day, and the timing turned Jordan from a Hall-of-Fame all-time great into somebody who had no words, just tears. But these tears were different from the ones that fell from his eyes after his first title, these were for his dad.

The image of Michael Jordan clutching his trophy covered in tears while lying on the floor is an image that brings reminds you that, despite all the talent, he has all of the same emotions that regular people have.

1. The Shot: 1998 NBA Finals Game Six

This moment stands above all the rest because it shows all of Jordan's repertoire. He is nine-time All-NBA Defensive Team player and a Defensive Player of the Year winner, yet many of Jordan's great moments revolve around his outstanding ability to make an acrobatic move to get to the hoop.

However, this moment includes everything that Jordan can do, starting with a steal from the great Karl Malone, all the way to his game-winning shot with 5.2 seconds left on the clock, I will let Neil Funk from the Chicago Bulls radio network describe this moment.

"Malone...stripped by Michael, to the floor, stolen by M.J! Michael the steal! 16 seconds left, Bulls down 1, Michael against Russell, 12 seconds...11...10. Jordan, Jordan a drive, hangs...fires...SCORE! He scores! The Bulls lead 87-86 with five and two tenths left, and now they're one stop away. Oh my goodness. Oh, my, goodness."

I'm Joe W.

The Story of How The Red Sox Broke the Curse*

Joe Willett — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 14:36:54 -0400

The 2004 Red Sox were baseball's version of "America's Team." They took the city of Boston on a magical run as a group of scrappy players pulled together and ended an 86 year championship drought for the Sox.

Their World Series win* was one that not only inspired a city, but also a nation, as many teams thought to themselves "If the Red Sox can do it, anybody can."

That team was great for baseball, and even brought us great pieces of cinema, such as "Fever Pitch."

The heart of the lineup consisted of Manny Ramirez and David "Big Papi' Ortiz. Manny was Manny, and Big Papi was the lovable big guy who brought enormous amounts of power.

They were the most pivotal parts to the Red Sox becoming World Series Champions*. Ortiz hit a walk-off in Game Four of the ALDS to give the Red Sox a sweep and send them to face the evil empire, the New York Yankees.

The Red Sox fell behind 0-3 after the first three games of the ALCS, and it seemed the Yankees were either destined to sweet their long-time rival, or at least coast to an easy win.

Big Papi, however, had different ideas. He hit a walk-off home run to win Game Four in dramatic fashion, his second walk-off two-run home run in extra innings in a fourth game of a series that postseason (I can make crazy long stats like that too).

The Red Sox rallied around that dramatic victory and came out the next night energized, and ready for another round with the Yanks. This game went extras too, and David Ortiz got another walk-off hit, this one a single that brought in Johnny Damon and give the Red Sox another walk-off win.

The Red Sox coasted through the rest of the series, never needing to go to extras again, and becoming the first team to win four games while facing elimination in the same series.

David Ortiz won the ALCS MVP* thanks to his heroics in Games Four and Five. The Red Sox were ready to finally make their way back to a World Series, and it seemed they could do no wrong.

The World Series didn't produce the single-game excitement that the ALCS provided, but it had drama like no other World Series match-up could produce, as the Red Sox were on a mission to end The Curse of the Babe.

They swept St. Louis Cardinals on their way to ending the 86-year drought, and Manny Ramirez won the World Series MVP*.

However, Big Pappy and Manny also had a MLB first that nobody knew about until today.

They were the first duo to win an ALCS and World Series MVP while batting in the heart of an order and taking steroids.

That's right, the LA Times are reporting today that both Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz tested positive in 2003 when every player was tested confidentially to see if testing was needed.

Although we all love to think that Manny and Papi ended The Babe's curse the same way that the Babe played—eating hot dogs and drinking beer—but there was a higher power (BALCO?) at work here.

I am by no means a Red Sox fan, nor do I have anything against the team (I won't blame them for "Fever Pitch"). However, I am a baseball purist, and when I see big names that have used steroids, I am ready to get out the pitch forks and torches.

However, I am shocked that Big Papi of all people is able to take steroids, as he has been very vocal against steroids, and even came out as saying that he was shocked that Manny had been taking steroids.

When asked about his steroids use, he had this to say, "I'm not talking about that anymore. I have no comment." As if he had comented about him using steroids in the past.

However, Ortiz's friend Tori Hunter did speak out about the news.

"This hurts, this really hurts. I don't know what to think about this. I guess you just never know what people do in the dark.

"I still love him but at the same time it's tough to hear that. I know it's going to be tough on him and tough on his family once this gets out. It's Big Papi, man, it's the Big Dog of Boston and he helped win two World Series with those guys, with the clutch hits. And now all those things are going to be tainted."

I think that the 2004 Red Sox should have an asterisk next to their 2004 World Series title, saying that yes, they did win the World Series, but their ALCS and World Series MVP's were both on steroids.

These two players were by no means role players on this team, they were the leaders, they took this team from lovable losers into two-time champions in the span of a few years.

One can assume that Manny has been taking steroids for a number of years now, as he was also recently suspended for steroid use, however, few even toyed with the idea that it went back this far and tainted the 2004 World Series Champs.

However, with new developments, the Curse of the Babe has yet to be ended clean. As for the team that everybody once loved, now one can only wonder if they would have been able to make that historic run without PED's.

Now, let the jokes about "Fever Pitch" having deleted scenes where Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore shooting up Manny and Big Papi before Game Four of the ALCS begin (by the way, that's three Fever Pitch references in one article).

I'm Joe W.

Don't Look Now, But the Chicago Cubs Might Just Have What It Takes

Joe Willett — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 14:19:33 -0400

The following article is a post from TheDailyCub.com, a website that also boasts B/R writers Bob Warja and Ben Calloway.

A little over half way to the end of the season, the Cubs have finally jumped past the St. Louis Cardinals and stole the division lead.

Before the All-Star Break, the Cubs split a four-game series with the Cards. Since the break, however, the Cubs are 8-2. The Cardinals are 4-6 since the break, including losing two of three against the Phillies in their most recent series.

The Cards now go from facing the defending champions to facing this season’s best team, the L.A Dodgers, in a four-game series. The Cubs face the Astros, and have a chance to put some distance between themselves and the rest of the division.

But what has caused the Cubs recent resurgence?

It starts with the starting pitching staff. Kevin Hart has been Randy Wells II, starting three games and not allowing more than two runs in any start.

With Ted Lilly on the DL, the Cubs will need him to continue playing at a high level, and if he does, then the Cubs may not even need to trade for a starting pitcher. But more on trades later.

Rich Harden has been struggling all season, but in his last three starts, he hasn’t allowed multiple runs to cross the plate. He has dropped his ERA from 5.47 to 4.55 in that span.

However, the pitching staff is not the only reason for the Cubs making waves in the second half.

Before the break, the Cubs scored an average of 4.1 runs a game, since the break, that number has been 5.6.

The reason for the sudden increase in runs has been the revival of Kosuke Fukudome, Milton Bradley, Alfonso Soriano and Aramis Ramirez.

Fukudome was batting .255 before the break, in the ten games since, he has been batting .382 with an OBP of .477 and an OPS of 1.006.

Bradley was looked at as the disappointment of the century when he came to the Cubs and was essentially awful. However, since the break, he has been better in every facet of the game.

Bradley’s average, OBP, slugging, and OPS have all been at or above league average. However, you can’t look at this as just ten games for him, as these have come after he spent a few days out of the lineup and working with manager Lou Piniella on his swing.

Ramirez wasn’t exactly playing bad before the break, he just was out of the lineup. However, Ramirez has been having a career year in every offensive category that goes by an average.

His return has been a big part in the Cubs recent run, as they are 11-6 since he made his return to the lineup.

Soriano has been streakier than he has ever been this season, and he knows it. But his .444 average since the All-Star Break has been a big part of the Cubs coming back.

“I remember with the Yankees and Texas, I was also [streaky],” he said. “But what’s happened this season never happened to me before. I’ve cooled off for two to three weeks before, but never for a month and a half. That’s the first time in my life.”

But while all these players have been coming from virtually nowhere to make big contributions, the Cubs still will likely need to make a deadline to have a legitimate chance at taking their NL Central lead and turning it into a World Series.

They still have inconsistent bullpen play from most everybody besides Kevin Gregg, and could use another lefty bullpen arm. Despite Sean Marshall’s current 8.2 inning scoreless streak, the bullpen still lacks depth.

Bullpen depth could come with Baltimore Orioles reliever George Sherrill, whom the Cubs have been rumored to be interested in.

Sherrill has a sub-2.5 ERA and has 20 saves this season. A new arm in the bullpen is needed with the Harden, Wells and Hart in the starting rotation, who usually won’t give the bullpen a night off.

However, they are also said to be eying Orlando Cabrera, who can play both second or short stop. Cabrera, currently on the Oakland A’s, also has the Twins interested in him.

Cabrera would make a lot of sense for the Cubs, who could use some middle-infield depth, as Aaron Miles has been struggling in the minors and might not make it back to the majors this season.

Cabrera brings a consistent bat, solid defense, and some speed when he gets on base. He would solidify the infield and give Mike Fontenot a chance to play from the bench, where he thrived from last season.

However, the biggest potential move might not even involve a trade. With the recent signing of B.J Ryan, the Cubs are hoping that he can return to his dominant ways.

He has been working his way through the minors, and has been moved up to the AAA Iowa Cubs roster. Reports are that he has pitched well at every level so far.

“The guy has a good history and has pitched in the ninth inning in huge games,” general manager Jim Hendry said. “We wouldn’t ask him to do that. If it works, he can maybe add to the pen with ( Sean) Marshall.”

Whatever the Cubs do this season, they will need to continue their strong play, as the Cardinals just got Matt Holliday, and they won’t be playing the Phils and Dodgers every game.

I'm Joe W.

Chicago Cubs Quick Hits: Ted Lilly, Ryan Dempster and B.J Ryan

Joe Willett — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 20:13:04 -0400

According to Chicago Tribune writer Paul Sullivan, the Cubs’ lone All-Star is likely heading to the disabled list.

“Oh gosh, we were just talking about getting [ Ryan] Dempster back,” manager Lou Piniella said. “We were happy about that, and all of a sudden, the Lilly situation [comes up]. It seems like every time we get a player, we lose one. But let’s see what the MRI says on Theodore, and we can go from there.”

Lilly has been the most consistent Cubs starter this season, going 9-7 with a 3.59 ERA.

However, the timing of the injury couldn’t be better, as Dempster is getting ready to make his first start back from a freak injury this Tuesday against the Astros.

The Cubs are also hoping that released reliever B.J Ryan can make a return to the form he had years ago before he had Tommy John Surgery.

“[Ryan] feels good about himself, and feels he still has something left in the tank,” Hendry said. “The first week has been real encouraging.”

Ryan used to be one of the best closers in the game, and consistently had save numbers in the upper 30’s along with low ERA’s in his time with the Blue Jays and Orioles.

However, this season, he has blown two saves in four opportunities and has an ERA just under seven, he is currently rehabbing in the Cubs farm system.

I'm Joe W.

This article is also available with many others at TheDailyCub.com.

Chicago Cubs Take First Game Against the Milwaukee Brewers

Joe Willett — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:44:23 -0400

The Chicago Cubs were able to get out of their offensive woes against Seth McClung and the Milwaukee Brewers, as they took down the NL Central division leaders 9-5.

Derek Lee led the Cubs with a career-high seven RBI on two home runs, going two-for-four on the day.

Ryan Dempster had a decent start, allowing just three earned runs in six and 2/3 innings, tying a season high with nine strikeouts.

The Cubs scored all of their runs on home runs, starting with Lee’s first home run, a three-run jack in the first inning, which also drove in Sam Fuld and Ryan Theriot.

Two batters later, Jake Fox hit another home run, this one a solo shot that put the Cubs up 4-0 in the first inning.

The Brewers battled back in the second with a Mike Cameron home run that also knocked in Prince Fielder.

The Cubs again broke out in the fourth inning, starting off with a Geovany Soto solo home run with no outs.

Find out what happened later that inning and the rest of the game as well as an update on the Cubs acquisition of Jeff Baker from the Rockies here.

I'm Joe W.

Joe writes for TheDailyCub.com, but still posts full articles about the Bulls and Bears here.

Chicago Bulls and the ESPN Trade Machine

Joe Willett — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 17:08:49 -0400

After reading a Bob Warja article about the Chicago Bulls being stuck in NBA hell, I have decided to look and see what could be done to fix their current status.

While doing research, I came across ESPN's NBA Trade Machine, and decided to have some fun with it.

Note, these trades may not be realistic, but they are fun ways to get superstars on the Bulls. Also, these trades are assuming that Ben Gordon is no longer with the Bulls. Finally, when I give the Bulls lineup, it goes PG, SG, SF, PF, C.

Oklahoma City Thunder get: DeMarcus Nelson (SG-CHI), Luol Deng (SF-CHI)

Boston Celtics get: Tyrus Thomas (PF-CHI), Kirk Hinrich (PG-CHI), Brad Miller (C-CHI)

Chicago Bulls get: Kevin Durant (SF-OKC), Kevin Garnett (PF-BOS), Jeff Green (F-OKC)

With this trade, the Bulls lineup looks like this: Derrick Rose, John Salmons, Durant, Garnett, Joakim Noah.

The inside scoring and overall presence of Garnett goes well with the overall talent of Durant, and the outstanding athleticism of Rose. The Bulls would likely be among the favorites to win the NBA Finals.

With Jeff Green as a backup, the Bulls have a quality sixth man to give some resting time to Garnett or Durant, as he can play both positions.

Moving Salmons to the SG spot will allow the Bulls to save cap space by not re-signing Gordon, and with Salmons shooting ability, I don't see the Bulls missing him.

Cleveland Cavaliers get: Deng, Thomas, Hinrich

Chicago Bulls get: Mo Williams (PG-CLE), LeBron James (SF-CLE)

Sure, the Bulls don't get the inside presence that they so desperately need, but the machine wouldn't let me acquire Zydrunas Ilgauskas.

Instead, I stole Mo Williams, who would move over to the SG spot and play alongside Rose. With the switch, Williams won't have to penetrate as much, and he should be able to complete a full season.

Finally, the Bulls would have LeBron James, one of the greatest to ever play the game. James is just 24 years old, so he has plenty of time to get used to his new team.

According to ESPN, the Bulls would add 21 wins with this trade.

There are only two problems with this trade: James no longer gets to play with Superman, and what number would he wear?

Orlando Magic get: Hinrich, Noah

Cleveland Cavaliers get: Deng, Thomas, Nelson, Linton Johnson (PF-CHI), Anthony Robertson (SG-CHI), J.J. Redick (SG-ORL), Courtney Lee (SG-ORL)

Chicago Bulls get: James, Dwight Howard (C-ORL)

Sure, in the previous trade we get more perimeter presence and still have James, but the problem of James with Superman is now fixed by adding Howard to the mix.

With this trade, your lineup for the Chicago Bulls next season looks like Rose, Salmons, James, Miller, Howard.

The best Big Three in all of basketball? Yes, by far.

According to ESPN, Chicago improves by 33 wins with this trade, bringing the Bulls up to a 74 win season, which would be the best in NBA history.

There is one glaring problem, however.

Chicago Bulls now have just 10 players on their roster, another problem, the Cavs have 21.

Portland Trailblazers get: Thomas

Chicago Bulls get: LaMarcuss Aldridge (PF-POR)

Yes, according to ESPN, this trade is still possible, and we can still fix one of the bigger draft day mistakes in recent Bulls memory.

I'm Joe W.

You can read Joe's Chicago Cubs blog at TheDailyCub.com

A Look at Randy Wells' Horrible Luck

Joe Willett — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 14:33:02 -0400

This article was originally posted at TheDailyCub.com, a Chicago Cubs fan site that also boasts B/R writer Bob Warja.

Randy Wells has pitched 44.1 career innings, posting an outstanding career ERA of just 1.64.

He has started six games this season, with an ERA of just 1.86. He has never allowed more than three runs in any appearance of his career.

However, Wells has yet to find his first win, thanks to an unlucky combination of poor offense and poor bullpen pitching in the games he has started.

In fact, Wells’ record stands at 0-2, a record that you might expect from a pitcher who is just getting into the starting rotation. However, the rest of his stats tell a completely different story.

Wells didn’t allow a run until his 14th inning on the year. That’s almost two shut-outs to start a career...

Read the rest of the story here.

I'm Joe W.

Chicago Cubs Bullpen Blows Another Lead

Joe Willett — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:05:40 -0400

The biggest difference between last season’s Cubs, which had one of the best records in the MLB, and this season’s team, has been the continually faulty play of the bullpen.

Without Kerry Wood, the bullpen has struggled mightily as Carlos Marmol has been much worse than last season.

The Cubs failed to back up another stellar start by Randy Wells, who took a no-hitter into the seventh and a shutout into the eight inning, but was pulled in the eight after 83 pitches.

Despite the strong performance by Wells, the Cubs still lost the game 6-5 in extra innings, thanks mostly to yet another bullpen collapse.

Read the rest of this entry at The Daily Cub.

I'm Joe W.

Are the Chicago Cubs Back on Track?

Joe Willett — Sun, 31 May 2009 15:59:34 -0400

The Cubs have been one of baseball’s big disappointments this season.

The only team that has underachieved more has been the Yankees, but since A-Rod came back, they have been on a tear, which leaves the Cubs all alone.

However, through the past five games, they have gone 4-1, which may be an anomaly in a disappointing season. But it could also start to signal change.

The Cubs haven’t been pulling off small, one-run wins. They have won three of their past four wins by at least three runs.

Read the rest of this entry at The Daily Cub.

I'm Joe W.

Who Makes What Happen: A Profile on the Coaches of the Chicago Bears

Joe Willett — Fri, 29 May 2009 18:33:24 -0400

The Chicago Bears are a team with a highly defensive mentality, but with the addition of Jay Cutler, the coaching staff is working on creating a new identity with a defense that still has holes and a suspect offensive line.

But who are the people that will be trying to make a defensive team that relies on the power running game a team that can air it out.

From Head Coach Lovie Smith to Offensive Line Assistant Luke Butkus, each coach is pivotal to a team trying get back to dominance in a weak NFC North.

Lovie Smith, Head Coach

When Smith was hired, he said he had three goals. Win the NFC North, win a Super Bowl, and beat the Green Bay Packers.

Smith has won two NFC North titles, has one Super Bowl appearance, and is 7-3 against the Packers.

Although there have been some backlash against some of his play calling (see the squib kick against the Falcons that allowed them to come back and win the game), he has been good at keeping an aging defense strong and the running game solid.

He also took a Bears team with an injured quarterback and went 11-5 in his rookie season, winning the Coach of the Year award.

Ron Turner, Offensive Coordinator

Turner is in his second stint with the Bears, this time he is in his fifth consecutive season. In-between his times in Chicago, he was also head coach for the University of Illinois football team.

However, if Turner isn't able to bring some stability to an offense that could possibly have one of the best quarterbacks in team history, he could be on his way out the door.

Bob Babich, Defensive Coordinator/Linebacker Coach

Babich is entering his third season as the defensive coordinator of the Bears and his sixth with the team in general, however, with the fall of grace by the Bears defense under Babich, Smith is now calling plays on defense and Babich is mostly working with linebackers.

Babich was brought to the Bears with Smith, who was a coach with Babich while in St. Louis.

Dave Toub, Special Teams Coordinator

Probably the most consistent coach for the Bears, Toub always has the Bears special teams among the best in the NFL.

Toub is entering his sixth season as the Special Teams Coordinator and has kept his unit ranked in the top third of the league according to the Dallas Morning News' ranking system, also having two units that ranked at the top in 2006 and again in 2007.

Pep Hamilton, Quarterbacks Coach

Hamilton will be given the task of getting new addition Jay Cutler ready for the upcoming season.

After his work with making Orton a passable quarterback for most of the past season, Hamilton will likely have a breeze getting Cutler in NFL shape. Hamilton is in his third season with the Bears.

Tim Spencer, Runningbacks Coach

Spencer has been the runningbacks coach for the Bears for six years. He was the guy who coached the tandem of Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson into one of the better one-two punches in the NFL.

Despite Benson being a bust under his guidance, he also made Matt Forte a rookie sensation last season, and will look to create another great running tandem with Forte and veteran Kevin Jones.

Darryl Drake, Wide Receivers Coach

Despite the poor receiver production over the past few years, Drake has still done a good job as the receivers coach when he had talent to work with.

Drake took third round pick Bernard Berrian and made him into a deadly speedster, then watched him leave and come back to tie the longest catch in NFL history with a 99-yard catch against the Bears.

Drake will try to work with a group of receivers who would likely be third on the depth chart at best for most teams. However, he will look to exploit the history between Cutler and sophomore receiver Earl Bennett.

He also will start the process of getting rookie Juaquin Iglesias ready for the NFL.

Rob Boras, Tight Ends Coach

Under Boras' six season with the Bears, the tight end position has been a staple in the offense.

With the tandem of Desmond Clark and Greg Olsen, Boras has an easy job, with Olsen making the Pro Bowl as an alternate last season. Boras has done a great job of transitioning Olsen from being a star in college to a smaller role in the NFL.

Harry Hiestand, Offensive Line Coach

The Bears offensive line has been extremely inconsistent throughout Hiestand's five seasons as the offensive line coach.

However, he hasn't had great talent through his term either. With the addition of Orlando Pace and Frank Omiyale, he will look to get his line in shape so that they can keep Cutler on his feet and open holes for Forte.

Luke Butkus, Offensive Line Assistant

Butkus became the Bears offensive line assistant three years ago, and has been working with Hiestand to create more stability on the line.

Butkus moved to coaching after a failed attempt to play, he was undrafted out of college despite being third-team All American his senior year. He played two seasons in Europe and attempted to play in the NFL before moving to coaching.

Rod Marinelli, Defensive Line Coach/Assistant Head Coach

Marinelli is entering his first season as a coach for the Bears after leading the Lions to the first win-less season since the Tampa Bay Buccaneers did so in 1976, although the Bucs were an expansion team at the time.

Marinelli will look to get the Bears d-line better at rushing the passer, after quarterbacks were given plenty of time and were sacked rarely last season.

Gill Byrd, Assistant Defensive Backs/Safety Coach

Under Byrd, the secondary has been very spotty as of late. However, a lot of those problems could be blamed on injury.

Also, under Byrd, Kevin Payne emerged as a starter after being drafted in the fifth round two seasons ago. Payne was a big play threat as a defender and had four interceptions last season.

Jon Hoke, Defensive Backs Coach

Hoke was hired after spending seven seasons with the Houston Texans. Under Hoke, the Texans secondary had a knack for interceptions, grabbing the seventh highest percentage of the teams interceptions in the NFL.

Hoke will look to bring the tandem of Charles Tillman and Nathan Vasher back to the dangerous duo they once were. He will also look to use Payne to replace veteran Mike Brown, who left the team this off-season.

Rusty Jones, Strength and Conditioning Coach

Jones is one of the best strength and conditioning coaches in the NFL, winning the 2006 National Professional Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year by the Professional Football Strength and Conditioning Coaches Society.

Jones' workout and nutrition programs are renowned around the NFL as one of the best in the business.

Eric Washington, Defensive Backs Assistant

Washington will look to help Hoke learn about the defensive backs in the system and get him acclimated to how things work in Chicago.

Entering his second season, Washington spent four seasons as the defensive line coach at Northwestern University prior to coming to Chicago.

Chris Tabor, Special Teams Assistant

Tabor is still a young coach and is entering his second season working under Toub.

Tabor has worked his way up from coaching high school and community colleges before working his way up the university ranks and into the NFL.

I'm Joe W.

10 Questions For Rex Grossman

Joe Willett — Fri, 29 May 2009 15:18:37 -0400

While looking at the assignment sheet for the CBS NFL Correspondent position, I realized that I needed to come up with questions that I would ask to a current player on the team I want to cover.

I was looking over the roster when I realized that the most interesting interview wouldn't be Jay Cutler, Devin Hester, or Brian Urlacher, although those would all be great, but a former Bear.

Rex Grossman has gone through than any other Bear in the past decade, and despite the awful things attached to his name, he still was the starter at the most important position on the field for a team that went to the Super Bowl, and he was an MVP candidate for part of that season.

So, without further ado, here are 10 questions that I would love to ask embattled former Chicago Bears quarterback Rex Grossman.

When you returned as the starter for the Bears against the Atlanta Falcons in 2005, what was going through your mind as the fans anointed you as the savior of the franchise?

Throughout most of the first half of the 2006 and 2007 season, you were looked at as a potential MVP and a lock for the Pro Bowl, what changed as the season went on?

Despite all of the criticism, you still battled through and took the Bears to the Super Bowl that season. What was the main thing that you grabbed on to that allowed you to push through the criticism and still take the team to the Super Bowl?

Who were the players that you associated with in the club house and that helped you through the next season, when you got benched?

You've been in the spotlight throughout most of you football career, from college where you were at the prestigious University of Florida to the pros, where you started in the Super Bowl. Has all of the publicity changed you at all?

Have all of the negative things said about you from the Chicago Bears fan-base, as well as members of the media, put a damper on your time in Chicago?

With all of the rumors about you going to the UFL, has there been any serious consideration of changing leagues?

What is one thing that you would like prospective NFL teams to know about you?

Early in your career, your ability to elude defenders to keep the play going was a large part of your gunslinger mentality and drew some comparisons to Brett Favre; since 2004, however, you haven't been as much of a scrambler, have you been working towards bringing that part of your game back to the field?

If you could pick one team to play for next season, what team would it be?

I'm Joe W.

How My Grandpa Made Me a Bears Fan

Joe Willett — Fri, 29 May 2009 14:57:08 -0400

The Chicago Bears are more than a team, they are a tradition unlike any other. They have one of the best teams of all time (see 1985) and they have built an aura around their defense matched by few other teams.

However, until a few years ago, the Bears have been just a casual enjoyment for me. That was, until my grandfather brought me into his world.

In 2005, my grandpa and uncle went in on season tickets together. Luckily for me, the Rex Grossman went down with an injury and my uncle didn't want to watch a team that he thought would lose a majority of the games.

That season began to open my eyes to the great sport of football as well as the tradition of the Chicago Bears.

Going to games gave me an entirely new experience to watching games with my friends on TV. It gave me new chills to stand and cheer with other die-hard fans, and although the seats weren't great, the experience was priceless.

The biggest game I attended that season was a Monday Night Football game against the Atlanta Falcons. The temperature was in the negatives and Rex Grossman made his first appearance back after injury. The atmosphere was amazing as the Bears crushed the Falcons with high energy in an important game.

Then, more fortune happened for me the next season, when my uncle moved to Michigan, leaving my grandpa with an extra ticket to most games, which meant that I was able to attend a lot of games in the 2006-07 season.

Luckily for me, that was the magical season where the Bears went to the Super Bowl. I was able to attend a lot of big games that season, including the pivotal Sunday Night Football game against the Seattle Seahawks early in the season.

I attended more games throughout the season, but the best games to attend were the playoff games, of which I was able to attend each one thanks to the Bears winning home-field advantage due to a 13-3 record.

The climax of the season for me was the NFC Championship game, me and my grandpa walked from our usual parking spot on Wabash and walked past the Chicago Hilton to a vast array of New Orleans Saints fans.

Although the Saints were showing their colors outside of the stadium, the Bears fans were the ones who made the noise once you got inside.

The game was outstanding, as the Bears put together a show on offense and defense to move on to the Super Bowl.

Although they lost the Super Bowl, that team will always have a special place in my heart, and it was all thanks to my grandfather.

Thanks to him, I have found a love for football, and I may have even found my career.

I'm Joe W.

Should the Chicago Bears Bring Back an Old "Rex-Like" Offense?

Joe Willett — Wed, 27 May 2009 23:56:08 -0400

The Chicago Bears completely retooled their offense on their way to trying to become a potent offense throughout this off season.

However, with all of these changes, their changes to the offensive playbook should be only the addition of plays that were lost after our Super Bowl appearance.

The Bears have many of the same weapons that they had, even a better choice at certain positions.

Let's take a look at some of the similarities they had with that season and this up-coming one.

Gunslinger quarterback

Rex Grossman may have been a scapegoat when the Bears fell apart late in the season, but he was a big reason that some experts thought that the Bears could go undefeated early in the season.

His great quarterback play opened up a lot of luxuries in the offense, and although he had a lot of bad games late in the season, he would still pose that deep threat that would make teams stay back on defense.

Jay Cutler will bring a lot of those same qualities, only we don't have to worry as much about his breakdown part-way through the season.

Reasonable deep threat

In the 2006/07 season, the Bears kept teams from playing full run with the deep threat of Bernard Berrian.

Berrian took his success with the Bears to an over-sized contract in Minnesota, but the reason he got that contract was his ability to pull off the highlight play or long touchdown that could turn around a game.

Devin Hester brings that same quality, however, many of the faults that Berrian had such as inconsistent hands and lackluster route running seem to amplified in Hester.

Despite the issues, Hester will make that big play that keeps defenses from committing completely to the run.

Speaking of the run

Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson combined to make one of the more consistent running tandems of the 2006 season.

Jones was the starter, who got the bulk of the carries and was outstanding throughout the season, but Benson was still effective, giving hope to Bears fans that he was the future.

Although he became a bust after that season, Benson was still a huge part of the team that went to the Super Bowl, and was strong throughout the playoffs as well.

This season Matt Forte will look to avoid a sophomore slump, and he will do so behind an improved offensive line.

If the Bears are lucky, Kevin Jones will play the Benson role without the whole falling apart beyond that one season thing.

What does all this mean

Although the Bears do miss the possession receiver that Muhsin Muhammad provided in their Super Bowl appearance season, they still have many of the same weapons.

If they commit to keeping defenses honest by using a lot of go-routes with Hester and opening holes for Forte and Jones, the Bears could create the same offensive magic that had them ranked as one of the top offenses for the first few weeks of the NFL season.

I'm Joe W.

A Comprehensive Look at the Chicago Bears' Offseason

Joe Willett — Thu, 14 May 2009 22:32:01 -0400

Sure, we are still months away from the regular season starting, but hey, rosters are basically set and it may be time to start looking at the Chicago Bears chances for this season.

The Bears have been one of the more active teams over this past offseason, a characteristic not usually seen in the Bears, who have traditionally relied on the Draft to find their gems.

Lets take a look at their offseason.

Major Additions

Jay Cutler: This one is the obvious big addition that absolutely needs to be talked about. The Bears, after decades of futility at the quarterback position, have finally taken a chance on a Pro Bowl quarterback.

Sure, Cutler is known for throwing a lot of interceptions, but if you look at the other quarterbacks that have "lead" the Bears, Cutler is the love-child of Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.

Frank Omiyale: Omiyale is an offensive lineman who played for the Carolina Panthers last season.

Although there isn't much hype around this five-year veteran, he seems like a player in the mold of a John St. Claire, only with more potential. Like Claire, Omiyale can play any of the five offensive line positions.

Orlando Pace: Although Pace has a few miles on him, he is still one of the better tackles in the history of the NFL.

Although he may not be playing at the level he once played, he is still a player who will get better and his guidance to last year's first round pick Chris Williams could be invaluable.

Major Subtractions

John Tait: Although he was never a Pro Bowler, he was a serviceable lineman which, for the Bears, means that he was one of their better linemen.

The retirement of Tait leaves an opening at the tackle position, which will likely be filled by Pace.

Mike Brown: Although Brown had been almost invisible due to injuries in recent years, when he was on the field, he was a general and brought a whole new swagger to the defense.

Analyzing the Draft

Jarron Gilbert: Gilbert is a defensive lineman out of San Jose State. Although he wasn't going against top competition week in and week out, he took what was given to him and dominated.

Gilbert has size, strength, and he can jump out of a pool. As seen here, Gilbert can bull rush, has good hand movement, and can work get past offensive lineman with some ease.

Juaquin Iglesias: Iglesias was Sam Bradford's main target at Oklahoma, where he was their top receiver for the past two years.

Although Iglesias doesn't have blazing speed, he will be a good compliment to Devin Hester, and he should be able to snag a few balls from Cutler.

Draft Grade: B+ The Bears decided to look at this draft from a different perspective than they have in recent years. They went away from their defense first strategy of the past few years and instead, drafted for need.

They were very smart in their picks, finding somebody to take the pressure off Tommie Harris and finding somebody with hands to compliment Hester's deep threat.

I think that the Bears did a great job of filling need, and although they still have no clear-cut top receiver, they found role players who will come in and play right away.

What can you expect from the Bears next season?

The Bears went for need all offseason, and they did so without losing any of their key players from the past.

Although Brown's locker room presence is gone, he can be replaced with new veterans and hungry young gun-slingers.

The addition of a Pro Bowl quarterback is a huge milestone for the Bears, and barring a complete loss of ability by Cutler, he will be the best man leading the Bears in decades.

And despite no major changes on defense, I expect better from them this season. With a new quarterback and more potent offense, expect players like Brian Urlacher be more able to keep pushing all 60 minutes.

Expected record?

I think that the Bears have started to fix their problems, but I don't see them as a complete team just yet. Until they find a marquee receiver, they won't be able to make it to the next level.

I am going to put them at 9-7 this season, with an extremely bright future.

I'm Joe W.

Chicago Bulls-Boston Celtics: Game Six Analysis

Joe Willett — Fri, 01 May 2009 18:08:00 -0400

Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. I can say that a million more times and it won't capture the excitement I had last night after watching another great game in part of the most intense first round series of all time.

I think that I can say that with some confidence now, after three more overtimes were added on to an already record-breaking amount, and with one more game to go, I can't find any flaw in this series besides officiating.

But hey, don't you wanna hear what I think about last nights game, I mean, it was only the best game of the postseason so far.

Joakim Noah, where did you come from?

It seems like just weeks ago I was writing articles calling out your lack of production on all sides of the ball, now you and Tyrus Thomas both are making me eat an entire humble pie.

Where do you get off grabbing 15 rebounds last night and being the center piece of one of the Top 10 Bulls plays of all time?

I'm not going to say I don't appreciate all of your production this series. Hell, I'm loving it, but where was it all season. At least you know the right place to step up.

D-Rose was so clutch...D-Rose collapsed under pressure

Derrick Rose was able to stuff a fade-away jumper with little time left to keep the Celtics from taking the game and the series. It was possibly one of the most clutch moments of the series, going up against any of Ray Allen or Paul Pierce or Joakim Noah's moments.

However, he followed that amazing moment, which happened with about eight seconds left on the clock, was followed by Rose heading to the line to take two free throws to ice the game.

But he MISSED both free throws, leaving the C's open for one last second shot to take the game. The shot missed, but the point remains that the Rookie of the Year collapsed under the immense pressure of an entire season on two shots.

Your afraid of Snowball! Little Snowball! He runs on batteries!

This quote from Seinfeld (great show) is used to describe Rajon Rondo after he threw Kirk Hinrich into the scorers table, then proceeded to back up...a lot...to stay away from Hinrich.

Hinrich is shorter, and, from the looks of the two side to side, much scrawnier than Rondo, I'm still trying to figure how Rondo could have been that scared of him.

However, the moment just added more emotion, as these two teams have battled on and on as each is unable to grab hold of this series.

It's funny how the game of basketball works, isn't it?

Brad Miller was the man who was dumped on after the Game 5 debacle. After all, he couldn't even hit the rim to give the Bulls another shot to win the game on his second shot. Don't forget his miss on the first one.

However, in Game 6, he was the hero.

Miller not only hit a big time three-pointer to put the Bulls within two in regulation, he then tied the game on the very next possession to tie the game and force the first overtime.

But Miller didn't stop there.

He was forced to the foul line in the second overtime with the Bulls up just one point and 0:16 on the clock. Miller, now cold-blooded, made both free throws and put the Bulls up three.

But Miller didn't stop there.

Miller was forced to the foul line in the third overtime with the Bulls up just one point and 0:28 on the clock. Miller, now cold-blooded, made both free throws and put the Bulls up three.

But that's not the full story.

Although Miller was in foul trouble throughout the overtimes, he avoided a sixth foul and hit his first eight shots consecutively before missing his first shot in the third OT. He finished with 23 points on 8-9 shooting with 10 rebounds.

That would be an average game for an entire bench, but it's a great game for one player off the bench who was just looked at as the worst player of all time.

Ray Allen, how are you so good?

Seriously man? I want to know how you can be 33 years old and play for an hour of playoff intensity basketball, scoring 51 points while you are at it and hitting clutch shot after clutch shot.

You do realize that Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo and Glen Davis combined for 53 points throughout this game, and they had a combined 103 more minutes than you right?

Then again, let me know how you can have a wide open three, nobody even close to you, and air-ball it?

Rajon Rondo, I have no respect for you anymore

Listen, Rondo is a great player, one of the better PG's in the NBA, but he has absolutely no place to follow up his bitch slap in Game 5 by throwing Kirk Hinrich in Game 6.

I touched on this in my intro, and had a little section about how he was obviously scared of Hinrich when he reacted the way he did, but I think that he really needs to cool it.

I realize that you were down pretty good at the time and you were frustrated, but man up and play the rest of the game, don't take it out on the weakest player on the team. You no longer have my respect no matter what you do throughout your life.

What about Game 7?

Well, I saw one ESPN anchor say that he wouldn't be surprised if the Celtics blew out the Bulls, but after the way this series has gone, I will be more shocked if this game is a Celtics blowout than I will if the game goes four OT's this time.

This series is way to good to end on a sour note, and I expect both teams to fight until the end. After watching the Bulls resolve and their lack of resolve in Game 6, I have come up with my decision.

The Bulls will win this game, in overtime. I'm not sure how many overtimes will be needed to end this series, maybe they will just play on forever, neither team able to win an overtime period, but I gotta give the Bulls credit.

As for the rumors of KG coming back for Game 7, I've gotta say, not going to happen.

I'm Joe W.

Chicago Cubs' Inconsistency Is Leading to a Dissapointing Season

Joe Willett — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 21:33:44 -0400

The Chicago Cubs came into this season with the expectation of at least contending for a World Series title.

However, they have struggled mightily this season, and have been unable to live up to the high expectations that accompanied a seemingly unstoppable pitching rotation and batting order.

As of late, the Cubs have been even worse. The problem for the Cubs has been an inability to consistently put together strong games. Through the past two weeks, the Cubs have been 3-5.

When they have great offensive days, they have been accompanied with great pitching days, and bad offensive days have been accompanied with dismal pitching.

In the Cubs' three wins in the past two weeks, they have scored seven, 10, and 11 runs in each game, but in their five losses, they scored zero, one, three, two, and two runs. Compare that to the two, three, and three runs allowed in the three wins, and the three, seven, four, eight, and seven runs in the losses.

The Cubs need to be able to put together more wins, and that starts with both sides of the ball being held responsible when both sides are dismal in the same game.

One of the main reasons for the Cubs' woes so far this season is the awful offensive production by players who were looked at as people who needed to contribute for the Cubs to be strong.

Milton Bradley, who was brought in to give the Cubs a strong left-handed bat, isn't averaging a hit for every 10 at bats and has hit just one home run in a Cubs uniform.

Derek Lee is hitting just .200 with only one home run so far this season, and he also has just 10 RBI and hasn't stolen a base this season.

Last year's National League Rookie of the Year, Geovany Soto, is batting just .111 and hasn't hit a home run. This adds to the fact that he has missed five full games this season and has accounted for just five runs (two RBI, three runs).

But their hitting isn't the only problem for the Cubs this season—their pitching has been just as bad, if not worse.

More Cubs have an ERA over 6.00 than one under 3.00 (four to two ratio).

And, the Cubs vaunted starting pitching, which was supposed to be one of the best starting fives in the MLB hasn't lived up to the hype.

Every starter has an ERA over 3.00, and the Cubs top-two pitchers are pitching the worst in the lineup.

Despite a quality start last night, Carlos Zambrano's ERA is 4.64, and Ryan Dempster's is 5.40. This is the opposite of what you want from what was supposed to be one of the best starting lineups in all of baseball.

The two "quality pitchers" in the Cubs bullpen, who were in the heated closing competition all spring, are both having dismal seasons.

Carlos Mamol's ERA is 6.75, and Kevin Gregg's is 6.23. Who knew that Neal Cotts would be having a better season than both of these two.

The only pitcher with over 10 innings pitched and an ERA under 3.00 is Aaron Heilman, who has a 0.82 ERA in 11 innings of work. He also has as many wins as Zambrano, Rich Harden, and Ted Lilly, and more wins than Ryan Dempster.

The Cubs need to finally get their stuff together, and they need to start playing up to their full potential. The Cubs are a team that needs a lot of production out of their power spots in the lineup, and they just haven't gotten that this year.

Without the pitching to make up for it, the Cubs may be in line for a mediocre season without much winning.

Then again, there are 142 games left for the Cubs, and anything can happen.

I'm Joe W.

Chicago Bulls-Boston Celtics: Game Five Analysis

Joe Willett — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 23:02:29 -0400

As I watched Game Five of the Bulls v. Celtics series, I was able to enjoy yet another outstanding game full of excitement. I was never able to pin point who would win the game until it was completely over, and I have a couple thoughts about what went on throughout the game.

Pierce Should Be Called "IceBlood"

He hit important shot after important shot even after a Comcast SportsNet color commentator earlier in the game stated that Pierce seemed "like an old man."

Pierce was anything but, as he hit three huge shots with a hand in his face each time.

The Bulls somehow refused to double him late in the game.

The Bulls Blew This Game

They had a double digit lead midway through the Fourth Quarter, and were able to lose it in one full minute.

Sure, the Celtics weren't at full strength, but neither were the Bulls.

Ray Allen fouled out, but the Bulls were also playing with an injured Ben Gordon.

You need to be able to play without excuses and put away a team when you have the opportunity.

The Bulls now go from being a game away from defeating the defending champs and moving on to the second round, to needing to win at home and then win Game Seven on the road.

The Officials Stole This Game from the Bulls

The Bulls were given absolutely no slack by the officials.

Not only were there a few fouls that shouldn't have been called against the Bulls, but late in the game the officials completely blew a call against the Celtics.

As the Bulls perfectly used Ben Gordon as a ploy, Brad Miller had a clean shot at the basket but was basically sucker punched by Rajon Rondo.

No flagrant foul was called.

So, instead of two shots and the ball, the Bulls were stuck with a regular shooting foul. Miller missed the first and failed in his attempt to intentionally miss the second and have his team grab the rebound.

Game over.

The Celtics Lost My Respect Tonight

The C's were nothing two years ago, but after signing three All-Stars and having another come from within, they are starting to feel like the bully on the block.

The Bulls fought hard for everything.

They are going up against the defending champs, and they have been playing well as hell.

They definitely are a lot better than you expected.

Give them your respect, especially when they had your shoulders slumped and the series in their grasp.

You all have been there.

None of the Big Three had won a title before last season, so you know full well the struggles to get to the title.

The Bulls deserve your respect.

They don't deserve Kevin Garnett and Tony Allen yelling across the court when the Celtics finally take a decisive lead in the game.

Outlook on Game Six?

The Bulls should be able to pull out a win and force a Game Seven. This is one of those great series where you just know that these two teams will battle back and forth.

Will it be another OT thriller?

Quite possibly.

Will the Bulls win?

I think so.

I'm Joe W.

Easter Thoughts on the Chicago Cubs

Joe Willett — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 18:35:42 -0400

This article was originally published at TheDailyCub.com, your place for all things Chicago Cubs. The Daily Cub also boasts B/R writers Bob Warja and Pat De Marco.

It’s Easter, and the Cubs will be playing today in the rubber match against the Brew Crew.

Fresh off of a Blackhawks shutout over the Detroit Red Wings (I had to watch hockey today with my family), the Cubs will try to add another win for Chicago tonight.

I have been pretty dormant lately and I figured I could offer a few thoughts on the Cubs through the first five games of the season.

We are only 3-2 and the start has not been that impressive

Sure, we could easily be 4-1, but that will be talked about a little later. This Cubs team can look amazing (see the eight run first two innings against the Astros), but they haven’t been able to put together a full game yet.

I am a little scared that we haven’t been able to pull together a dominant performance even with the stout pitching and amazing hitting we have on paper.

Milton Bradley may only have one hit, but he has been impressive

If you look at Bradley’s raw hitting, it isn’t too impressive, but then you take into account the fact that each time he has walked to the plate, he still almost always finds a way to get get on base.

Despite being 1 for 16 at the plate, Bradley has an OBP of .318 thanks to five walks and a hit-by-pitch. He also has scored three runs thus far this season.

Oh, by the way, his one and only hit was a solo home run.

Besides Lilly, the starting pitching has been fantastic

Cubs starters continue to put up quality start after quality start thus far this season.

Carlos Zambrano has started two games this season, pitching 12 innings, allowing four runs for a 3.00 ERA. Ryan Dempster’s last outing was strong, with six innings pitched and just two runs scored, a very successful showing in his season debut.

Rich Harden was lights-out in his debut, allowing just one earned run on three hits in six innings. Harden even struck out a ton, as usual, fanning 10 in an impressive start.

The only bad outing has been thrown by Ted Lilly, who was backed up by 11 Cubs runs, allowing him to avoid the L despite allowing five runs in five innings.

Kevin Gregg scares me as the closer

Listen, he had a great Spring Training, and I am trying to take nothing away from his ability, I just don’t trust him to hold down the fort in the ninth inning.

He has already blown one save this season as the Brewers were able to tear him apart in the ninth inning two nights ago, and the fact that he led the majors in blown saves last year is a big red flag.

I think that Sweet Lou should start throwing Carlos Marmol in the ninth and moving Gregg into the eight inning; everything would probably go a lot smoother and everybody would pitch better under those circumstances.

Kosuke Fukudome, anybody?

The man was looked at as a possible major liability to this team, with a monster contract and seemingly not enough talent, and the Asian Sensation was seemingly done in the MLB.

Then, something crazy happened: he had a great spring. Then, unlike Gregg above, he brought that momentum into the regular season.

Fukudome is batting over .400 with two home runs, three RBI’s, and one stolen base. More good news for Fukudome, Piniella just announced that he will no longer be lifting the surprise player for defensive purposes.

I'm Joe W.

Jay Cutler Traded To The Bears

Joe Willett — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 17:35:00 -0400

Today, I was watching ESPN Around the Horn, eating some Cinnamon Raisin Toast and enjoying life when I see on the bottom of the screen on the ESPN Ticker, the words, "Denver Broncos QB Jay Cutler traded..." and I wonder to myself what this means for the Redskins, seeing as they were expected to come up with the Pro Bowl quarterback.

Instead, I see the Chicago Bears as the team that landed the Pro Bowl quarterback, and I then start to wonder a new though.

"Where was Jerry Angelo in all of this?"

However, I am excited for the new quarterback. Terms of the deal have yet to be released but we will wait to see how good of a deal this really was.

Either way, the Bears have a Pro Bowl quarterback, and I have just one more thought.

"The Bears have a frickin Pro Bowl quarterback."

Yes, I know it's a weird thought, but it's something I can surely get used to.

Update: The Denver Broncos received Kyle Orton as well as the Bears 2009 and '10 first round picks and the Chicago Bears received a third round pick according to ESPN.com.

Another Update: The Bears have also landed Pro Bowl offensive lineman Orlando Pace.

I'm Joe W.

Just Two More Weeks Until Opening Day: How Are The Cubs Looking Now?

Joe Willett — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 22:58:26 -0400

Through 27 Spring Training games, the Chicago Cubs have been motoring as they try to get themselves ready for the season.

When the Cubs are on, they are one of the better teams in the majors. That has been shown throughout the spring, even though the players are not playing full games.

They have won two of their last three games by over 10 runs, 13-2 over the White Sox and 20-5 over the Athletics, which is quite a staggering number. With players playing more innings as spring training continues, each of these games become more and more of a prediction of how the season will go.

Carlos Zambrano pitched just two games ago for six innings, striking out six and not allowing a walk in a 5-3 win over the Mariners.

At the time of this article, the Cubs are 13 days and 20 hours away from their first game in Houston against the Astros. They are starting to get their players accustomed to playing full games, which is exactly what they are doing.

Cubs players, however, are ready to get to Houston and start playing games that count.

Derek Lee has said that he wants to shorten the current Spring Training schedule, which consists of 39 games.

"I don't think anybody needs that long to get ready. So it's nice that soon there's some games that are going to count," said Lee of the current Spring Training system.

Sweet Lou Piniella has said that he is getting ready to start shortening his roster, as he plans to have the team down to 30 players by Tuesday, which is when he will start playing his starters with much more frequency.

Piniella has also said that he wants Ted Lilly back to the team as soon as the World Baseball Classic is over, and has him slated to pitch a simulated game the day after the WBC finale.

The Cubs fear that he is falling behind on his workouts and would be better off with the team. Lilly has not pitched since March 17.

The closer position, which seemed to be suited better for Carlos Marmol, is now looking more wide open. As former Marlin Kevin Gregg has not allowed a run this spring, but the fact that he led the majors in blown saves last year, leaves the Cubs weary of handing him the reigns.

A much more slept-upon position battle is for the second catcher spot on the team. Paul Bako, a former Cub, is back with the team and has plenty of experience. Koyie Hill is batting over .400 this spring and has looked fantastic.

Piniella has said that he does not feel that the decision on that spot needs to be made anytime soon. However, he might wait a while before choosing who gets to stay in the majors.

The Cubs are playing well, and they look like they could have a great season.

Are they World Series ready? We'll just have to wait and see.

I'm Joe W.

This article is also published at TheDailyCub.com, which boasts writers Bob Warja, Pat De Marco and Katelyn Grabarek.

Chicago Cubs: Spring Training Is Here! How Long until Opening Day?

Joe Willett — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 12:24:37 -0500

There are 38 days and six hours from the posting time of this article until Opening Day for the Cubs against the Houston Astros, and even longer before the Cubs play at Wrigley Field, as their first two series are on the road against the Astros and Milwaukee Brewers.

For now, we have only the first two Spring Training games to talk about, so let's take a look at what we have.

The Cubs were able to take the first Spring Training game against the Dodgers (wonder how that got scheduled) by the final of 5-3. However, pitcher Jeff Samardzija gave up two runs, both in his second and final inning of work.

"Actually, I felt a little better in the second inning," Samardzija said. "It's funny how that works. You make some decent pitches and get out of an inning one, two, three, and then you make some good pitches and give up a couple runs."

Also in the game, Micah Hoffpauir hit a grand slam and Cubbie hopeful Mitch Atkins gave up one run and three hits over two innings.

In the Cubs second Spring Training game, they took down the Brew Crew 7-3 in Sean Marshall's first shot to prove that he can handle the fifth starting spot this season.

Marshall gave up one run on four hits in two innings, nothing stellar but not horrible either.

We also had our first Carlos Marmol showing. Marmol pitched one inning, allowing one run and one hit.

Jake Fox, another Cubbie hopeful, started at first base and hit a three-run home run.

Ted Lilly makes his first start today against the Rangers, as the Cubs look to continue their perfect spring (maybe not a good thing based on the Detroit Lions).

Although Spring Training is a nice warm up for the regular season, I look forward to watching the Cubs take on the Astros as the regular season starts in 38 days.

Chicago Cubs: How Close Is the Closer Competition?

Joe Willett — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 20:26:20 -0500

This article was originally published at TheDailyCub.com, your place for all things Chicago Cubs.

Lou Piniella has stated already that there will be an open competition between former set-up man Carlos Marmol, who has been looked at as the likely successor for closer for the past few years, or newcomer Kevin Gregg.

Both are capable and both seem like they want to take the challenge on full force.

"Everybody wants to be the closer," Marmol said. "That's what I want to be."

Marmol has already shown his skills to the coaching staff when he was the fill-in closer last year while Kerry Wood was out last season.

Gregg, however, has a lot more experience as a closer, saving 61 games over the past two season, but his career ERA of 4.0 is a red flag for a reliever. But he has said that he is ready for the season and can't wait to get going.

"I know Carlos Marmol is a great pitcher himself, and I just look for Lou to pick who he's comfortable with and go from there," Gregg said of the competition. "I'm more looking forward to winning and getting back in the playoffs and going deep in the playoffs, that's the most important thing. As far as what my expectations are, it's to come in, show what I'm capable of and see what Lou wants to do."

Gregg also showed love to the fans when talking about why he thinks that he will be better with the Cubs than he was in Florida with the Marlins.

"Going to Florida was kind of a culture shock for me," Gregg said. "It'll be nice to go back to 40,000 fans and fans who are intense about the game and expect to win."

Although Piniella has said that the closer position is going to be openly competed for, he has also shown a preference to go with Marmol as the closer.

"Let them compete," Piniella said. "I feel comfortable with Marmol, there's no question. But we traded for this other young man [Gregg] and he was a closer over there with success. Give him a chance, too."

As for pitching coach Larry Rothschild, he has stayed completely neutral about who he thinks will be the closer this season, and says that he has seen both of them enough for Marmol's time with the team to not be a factor.

"You know what they both can do," Rothschild said. "You look at their track records. Kevin has pitched against us enough that we've seen him."

Whoever wins the closer competition can expect a lot of work, but as of now, I have to give the upper hand to Marmol, who has a lot more youth, already knows the staff, and seems primed for a chance at stardom.

I'm Joe W.

Chicago Cubs Pitchers and Catchers Report: This Calls For a Breakdown of Sorts

Joe Willett — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 11:57:16 -0500

Note: This article was originally published on TheDailyCub.com, the best site for all Cubs news.

I apologize for being MIA over the past few days, I've been having internet troubles which could hinder the posting to this site over the next few days, but once I get everything straitened out, we should be ready for regular posting.

Now, on to what this article is truly about, baseball and the Chicago Cubs.

Pitchers and catchers reported on Friday to start getting ready for the season. I figured that this would be the perfect time to break down how our pitching staff is going to play this year.

Last season, the Cubs had one of the best pitching staffs in the majors, and late in the season the the trio of Jeff Samardzija, Carlos Marmol and Kerry Wood shut down opposing offenses after the seventh, and Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster and Rich Harden rarely let teams get the lead before that.

But that was a year ago, how are the Cubs going to fare this season? Let's start with those that will pitch the most innings.

Starting Pitching

The Cubs are one of the best pitching teams in the majors from their first through fourth pitchers.

Carlos Zambrano is a fiery player who has a ton of passion, which leads to some games where he lets his stuff get away from him, but when he is on, he is one of the best in the Majors and deserves to be the ace of this staff.

Ryan Dempster came on last season and was a real surprise. Re-signing him was major for the Cubs this offseason because it allowed them to stay away from Jake Peavy and save the farm system. He was strong all year and if he keeps it up, he could help the Cubs go deep this year.

Rich Harden was the big acquisition during last season. When he came to the Cubs, he was lights out posting an ERA of just over two and going 10-2, an outstanding second half.

Ted Lilly is a great fourth starter, his ERA was about four last season and he got a lot of strikeouts. The best part about him is his 17-9 record is fantastic for a fourth pitcher in the rotation.

The fifth spot in the rotation this year is going to be decided in spring training, but the spot is likely to either go to Sean Marshall or Aaron Heilman.

Marshall has shown signs of brilliance and he has also faltered at times. However, he kept his ERA under four last year in about 65 innings.

Heilman is a new addition to the Cubs and would bring more experience and reliability to the Cubs if he were to start, but his above five ERA scares me a little bit.

Relief Pitching

The Cubs also had a lockdown bullpen last season, but they lost Wood and it has been said that Samardzija would start the season with the Triple-A Iowa Cubs.

However, it looks like the Cubs have two viable options for the closer this year. Although Marmol will likely take the job, Lou Piniella has publicly stated that newcomer Kevin Gregg will have an opportunity to be the closer as well, and it will be an open competition.

If Marmol does become the closer and Samardzija stays on (he should after the way he played last year) the Cubs could still have a strong bullpen with Gregg, Samardzija and Marmol as the most used pitchers.

Either way, the Cubs should still have a solid bullpen this season.

Expect the pitching staff this season to be just as strong if not stronger than last year, I like Marmol as a closer and I think that he could be one of the best in the majors within the next few years.

Our starters are also among the best in the league, and I love the way our pitchers are set up.

Look for an outstanding pitching year from the Cubs.

I'm Joe W.

Evaluating the Offseason: Breaking Down the Chicago Cubs' Offseason

Joe Willett — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 12:17:37 -0500

This article was originally published on TheDailyCub.com, your source for all news Chicago Cubs.

Just about a day away from pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training, it's time to start looking at the Chicago Cubs and what they are going to be doing next season.

However, to move forward, you have to look backwards as well. The Cubs have had yet another busy offseason as they try to finally avoid a first round sweep (last year by the hand of the Dodgers, you gotta hate Manny being Manny).

First, lets start with some of the moves that I disagree with. Just to get this out in the open and out of the way, I have to disagree with Jim Hendry on these few offseason moves.

Letting Kerry Wood go was a big mistake in my opinion. The move hurts the Cubs' bullpen which was finally becoming strong. They could have kept the shutdown rotation of Jeff Samardzija, Carlos Marmol, and Kerry Wood, along with another reliever who will be talked about in a better section.

I just hate losing Mark DeRosa this offseason. He was a great player who everybody loved. The middle of DeRosa and Ryan Theriot just made every Cubs fan warm and fuzzy inside. Although I don't hate his replacement, I still love him.

Now that we got that out of the way, time to look at some of the better moves to help pump up the 2009 Chicago Cubs.

Re-signing Ryan Dempster was ginormous (the only word I can use to describe his impact) in keeping the Cubs a World Series-caliber team. He creates a triple threat almost unrivaled, and he gives them a great third starter without having to give up everything but the kitchen sink (sorry Jake Peavy...I know you're reading this).

Another pitching move to help the team is the addition of Kevin Gregg. He is going to allow the Cubs to move Carlos Marmol into the closer spot while keeping a good reliever to help out as a setup man. This still allows the Cubs to be set by the seventh inning.

Making up for the loss of Mark DeRosa, Aaron Miles will play a pivotal part in contributing to the Cubs offensively this season. He is a guy that can get on base consistently, as shown by his .317 batting average last season, higher than any player last season for the Cubs.

Now it's time to get to the big signing of the offseason. Two years ago it was Alfonso Soriano. Last year it was Kosuke Fukudome. This year, it's Milton Bradley.

Bradley is going to have to keep his temper in check, which is the same for a lot of major parts of the Cubs team this season (I'm looking at you Carlos Zambrano and Lou Piniella). With all of these moving parts, the Cubs could implode at any point in time this season.

However, we could just as easily make it all work and have a dream season. Who knows, if the Red Sox can do it, so can the Cubs...right?

But anyway, the 2009 Chicago Cubs are looking to become the first team to pull it all together. Nobody likes waiting 101 years for a championship, but these new parts could be ready to win it all.

At least, lets hope so, I don't want to jinx anything this early.

Pitchers and catchers report Friday and I know that we are all excited. Are you ready for some baseball?

I'm Joe W.

The Young and the Restless: Chicago Bulls Are Finally Looking Like a Team

Joe Willett — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 12:43:48 -0500

Following an embarrassing loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, in which the Bulls led by 13 in the first quarter and then choked the game away to a 109-108 OT loss, the Bulls have finally started to pull their pieces together.

The loss to the Timberwolves was the Bulls' fifth consecutive loss in a streak that also included losses to the Knicks (who have given up over 100 combined points to Kobe Bryant and LeBron James in back-to-back home games) and the Toronto Raptors (19-32).

However, the Bulls were able to stop their slide with back-to-back wins against the downtrodden Los Angeles Clippers and Sacramento Kings, just what the doctor ordered.

Derrick Rose was able to take over these games, and was showing that, when he is able to lead, the Bulls are able to win. He scored 23 against the Clippers and had 11 assists against the Kings.

However, those were two bad teams, their next game against the Phoenix Suns was going to be the test to prove that they can beat a good team, and show that they were over their five-game slide.

The Bulls passed that test with flying colors, with a great game by the combined backcourt efforts of Rose and Ben Gordon, who combined for 52 points while holding Steve Nash and Jason Richardson to a combined 27.

The Bulls had won three straight by an average of 17.3 PPG, a great mark for a team that had just hit 20 wins. They lost their next game to the strong Houston Rockets, but were able to add another win last night over the Chris Paul-less New Orleans Hornets.

Derrick Rose, the star of the past five games, put up another good game, scoring 21.

Although Derrick Rose had been the star, there has been another constant in Tyrus Thomas.

Over the past five games, Thomas has four double-doubles and has been averaging 13.8 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. The addition of a post game has allowed the Bulls to open up the floor more.

It also gives Derrick Rose another person to pass to and another person who can take some of the pressure off of him. As a result, he has responded.

With three more games against strong opponents (at Dallas, vs. Detroit, vs. Miami) in a row, as well as more tough games later in the month (Denver, Orlando, and Houston) the Bulls will need to continue their strong play of late.

If Tyrus Thomas can continue scoring and rebounding better, Rose will have the weapons to pick apart any team.

Although Rose is the star, the season depends on how well Thomas is able to play inside along with Joakim Noah. If they can play at a high level, the sky is the limit for the Bulls.

But if the pair of first-round busts continue to live up to their mediocrity, the season could be a wash, and this string of five games could be all for not.

I'm Joe W.