DivineBovine

They cry like little babies over the hamburger debacle, but they do their best as of late to get the Bulls a better pick. Good job NY Knicks. What a bunch of losers. I love you Isiah for being such a sucky GM. There's no need to be fixated on Durant or Oden. There's such a small chance, but there's plenty of other talent in the draft. And besides, the Bulls are by far the best "lottery team" there is. They can make a serious run this year, never mind next year.

Yeah baby. Another win, and shorthanded at that. You can alway count on the Skiles coached Bulls to make a run at the end. Really, can't say enough about that guy. The Bill Bellichek of basketball. Let's hold on to the 2 seed. I'm really liking them in the East. And how good was that no trade with Memphis? Thank god we didn't make any stupid trades at the deadline. Tyrus is turning into a star.

Why are people freaking out about the importance of the WGN relationship? I just don't get it. All this just confirms to me that the Trib was bad for the team. WGN already has a long term deal with the Cubs. From the trib site: It is on the tribune site now, and I'm sure its intentional. They probably even conveniently extended this deal in the offseason. I doubt that anyone who buys the team would be able to break this deal without the Trib having something to say about it. Everyone mentions how the national TV audience is good for the game, but the Trib has been fleecing the Cubs on radio/TV revenue since the team has been bought. WGN lowballs the Cubs on TV/radio deals and then the Trib cries to all the fans that they simply don't have the money to spend on a team because of low revenue. Pure bull$hit, and this offseason just proves it. I've been calling WGN the Cubs money laundering operation ever since I've joined this wonderful site, and this offseason has been proof in my mind. Any affiliation with WGN doesn't help the Cubs put a good team on the field, IMO, it hurts it. What gave the Yanks so much damn cash a few years back? It was dumping MSG and starting its own network- the YES network. Trust me, NOBODY in NYC watches YES for much else than the Yanks. The Cubs are owned by the TV network, not the other way around. The primary source of money for any team, the local TV/radio, is simply not fetching fair value in the Cubs case. We all know the Cubs have one of the strongest fanbases in all of baseball, and its not because of the people out of town who catch the games on WGN. It's mostly from being the most popular team in one of the greatest sports markets in the country. Nice how the Trib decides all the sudden to sell the team after spending $300 million in the offseason. After all, those cheapskates won't have to pay a lousy dime of those longterm deals after this season. They could just reap the rewards of their longterm TV deal, which will produce good ratings and good revenue, all the while fleecing the Cubs. I'm sick of the Trib. Good riddance. And how can anyone buy their "winning for the fans" crap. I want any owner who's not in it strictly for cash, and who wants to win. Bring on Cuban - who gives a damn if he's a Pirates fan? I doubt he was a Mavs fan before either. Bring on Colangelo. Bring on any rich dude who doesn't care to make the Cubs a sheer profit making endeaver, like the Trib did.

According to CNNSI today: The best bet for the coming season: This is the year Alex Rodriguez has his best shot at finally winning a World Series ring while wearing pinstripes. Unfortunately for him, the pinstripes he'll be wearing will be bright Cubbies blue, not Yankees navy blue. Yankee fans be delighted come July to see Rodriguez traded to the Cubs, who are spending money like the federal government in a crazed effort to buy their first World Series ring in 99 years. -- Arizona Republic Yeah right. I can see it now. The Yankees, 20 games out of a playoff spot in July, will trade away ARod, batting 300 with 30 HR's at the time, to the Cubs for Cezar Izturis, cash, and a minor leaguer to be named later. I can't wait. I love these completely unfounded rumors. And now, I just bumped this wonderful thread right back to the front page.

In addition to having at least one guy who can shoot on the floor, I wanna see some more Tyrus Thomas. He's not even in foul trouble.

How many times is Duhon going to pass up open shots? A 6 foot guard who won't/can't shoot is worthless in this league. Play Sefolosha or something.

I think they should stick with Grossman. I do agree with the Fire Ron Turner comment. There is no way they can possibly find a suitable replacement for Rex this offseason. The only guy I can really think of is Jeff Garcia, but isn't he like 40 already? Grossman has a some glaring weaknesses. He is absolutely horrific at avoiding pressure. Personally, I think this is his biggest problem. People can blame it on the O-line, but no O-line will ever keep pressure off the QB 100%. Most QB's, when they feel it, can step out of the pocket, or step up and hit recievers. When Rex feels pressure, he panics and it's over- even if he has more time than he thinks he has. Decision making- we all know about it. But this has a lot to do with the fact he panics under pressure. That said, I'm hoping that we can chalk this up to immaturity and the fact he has a bad injury history. These problems aren't uncorrectable. He does have a few things you can't teach- he can make some really great throws when he steps into the pass and doesn't panic. The offense should change. It's too conservative. They should let him scramble if he has room. Rather than shuffling backwards, he should occasionally step up. And at the end of the year, they kept trying to keep Rex from making mistakes, when in fact, his big play ability is actually his biggest asset. Also, they should use the shotgun next year. It's just plain stupid to have an immobile 6 foot tall QB who panics under pressure and has a tendency to fumble snaps and not play the shotgun.

That's unfair to him. He's not the reason they lost. This was a team loss, from coaches to offense to defense to special teams. Gould and Hester get to avoid blame, but everyone else has a equal share. it was a team loss but his 3 turnovers didnt help the defense wasant good by any means and more shouldve been done to keep them on the sideline so they could catch their breath Absoltely right. They didn't run well in the first half, but the playcalling in the 1st half was crap. Rex's mistakes came in the 4th, and one of them was the correct read, and a bad throw with a wet ball. The ball to Moose...that was crap, and Moose should have gotten him out of bounds. I'm beating a dead horse, but if the Bears would have snuck a few play action passes into the first few possessions, we probably would have seen a much different offensive performance, and consequently a better defensive performance. I agree. A lot of the blame has to go to the coaches. They let Peyton have 5-7 yard passes all day long rather than attacking him, and didn't play action enough in the beginning. Also, to beat my own dead horse even further, I'm still wondering about why the Bears of all teams never ever run the shotgun. Every single time I see Rex botch a snap, trip over his own feet shuffling backwards on the dropback, or get a pass deflected, I can't comprehend it at all. That said, Rex deserves a lot of the blame. Sometimes, I think he's just a mental midget. He feels pressure that isn't always there, and makes some of the most idiotic throws. I still think he has a ton of talent, but I'm not sure if he'll ever get it. I sure hope he does, because I think the team should be good for a little while.

You're looking at this all wrong. It's not a bad thing. Good for him. He finally made a good pick. He's like the only one who did. Good. Not that Berman picked them, but that nobody else did. They're better in the underdog role.

Just curious cuz I know nothing of Gould, but if he sucked how did he get to the NFL? Basically, because the Bears needed something after Doug Brien didn't work out at all last year. Gould was essentially hammering nails last year. Gould is such a money kicker. His ball is so straight and accurate. I wish he'd pound it into the endzone more on kickoffs, but I'll take a money field goal kicker over a strong legged kickoff guy any time. Perhaps that's why he didn't attract more attention in the NFL. His leg strength. It might be wise to invest in a long kicker at some point, though. Because I think Gould costs us some field position at times. But I hate to complain about him at all. I'll shut up about him.

I'm glad the Bears are underdogs. Everyone has become a hater. Good. There are only 2 teams in the NFL with only 3 losses this year, and the Bears are the only one in it! Screw the haters. Gooooo Bears!

What a game! So sick of the haters. It has been fashionable to bash the Bears since they slowed down from their fast start. They have been the only team that has been judged more on their bad games than their good ones. I knew this would be a tough game, but they managed to win. And Rex has shown what his strengths are. No Bear QB in recent memory could complete some of those huge passes. The TD to Berrian, the 3rd and 10 perfect strike in OT. Griese could only do that in his dreams. I could live with his weaknesses- he is bad when he's pressured- but he can get the ball downfield. Screw the haters- the bandwagon hoppers. The Charger bandwagon, the Ravens bandwagon have been derailed. The Eagles bandwagon has crashed, and the Cowboys bandwagon went down a long time ago. The superbowl is still wide open. It will be a tough 2 games to win, but hey, they have the best record of all the teams remaining.

Any word as to whether the Bulls might pursue Chris Webber? Just wondering.

Okay, I'll stop ranting about how the Bears should use the shotgun and say something about Rex's talent. I honestly feel he's underrated at this point. Rex is everyone's favorite QB to bash in the media. I was watching an NFL show on ESPN and all analysts said he's the worst of all playoff QB's. He has had games that not many NFL QB's could have had, making some ridiculous throws. When he's in a rhythm, making good decisions, he's damn good. He is a bit of a headcase. He feels pressure really easily and gets rattled. A lot of it has to do with his height and his immobility, and perhaps his history of injuries. Consequently, every team in the NFL has realized that the way to beat the Bears is to bring pressure. If Rex can get his head screwed on straight, I'll take him as our QB in the playoffs. Everyone took it for granted. People seem to have a short memory of all the years we went through where a QB could barely hit a guy open for a 30 yard pass. When Rex is in a rhythm and has time, he can make some great plays.

Okay, so he does release it quick sometimes. But he throws ducks when he does. I've been a Rex supporter, and they have to win with him. But it's hard when to block for a 6 footer who needs to step into his throws and can't really move.

When they went to the shotgun, it was actually the offensive line that was pushing for it. They lobbied hard for it. Lovie and the coaches were the ones that didn't like it. Let's face it, Rex is a shotgun QB if I've ever seen one. Short, immobile, no quick release. He's good when he has time, isn't moving, and can look downfield. To me, it's stubborn. It's like Dusty leading off Corey, or playing Neifi. I don't like it. If you're going to try it, then give it a chance. They tried it one game, and quickly ditched it. They had time to try and phase it in, and they didn't.

I agree. What happened to the rush? They don't blitz a lot, and the front four isn't putting much pressure on the QB. Tommie Harris being out hurts, but they are just letting QB's sit in the pocket now and make plays. I also still think they should use the shotgun on offense. I just can't understand why they are so hesitant to do so. They used it one game, and didn't give it a chance, IMO. We now know that Griese is not the answer, so we are stuck with Rex. Rex can be good when he's not tripping over himself on the drop back, and when he can actually see over the defense to throw the ball. I was hoping that they would try to use the shotgun during the last few games after they already clinched the home field, and regrettably, I don't see them using it in the playoffs.

After the Bears slowed down after their amazing start, so many NFC teams have been crowned as contenders in the NFC. The Giants, the Cowboys, the Saints, now the Eagles. Their faults and bad games seem to be ignored. The Bears have gotten a tough rap in the media since they slowed down from their hot start. Everyone seems to talk about their weaknesses. Rex, the run defense, etc. But bottom line, they have the best record in the NFC by a lot. The playoffs should be interesting, but I like the Bears by a longshot to make the superbowl. The media is pretty annoying. Every time the Bears win now, they point out all the faults. Rex was panned after the win over the Detroit game. Hey, didn't they win? Did he throw any picks? Rex is now as underrated as Tony Romo is overrated- how come Romo can have crappy games and people ignore them? The defense still can perform, although losing Harris hurts. But still, objectively speaking, they are the best in the NFC, maybe even the NFL. The Cowboys are overrated. The Giants are not a threat given their defensive injuries. The Eagles are looking good now, but the Bears have been performing all year. The Saints are probably the strongest contender, but I'd still take the Bears.

Gordon sucks when he starts, so I guess Sef would be the only option. I'm not sure a rook is ready for a starting job, hence Duhon starts. It appears to be working anyway, so why mess with it. As Stacey King said last night on the telecast, Duhon is a guy coaches like for his on court presence, etc. His stats don't look great, but he calms the team down when he's on the court, distributes the ball, etc. Chris Duhon! What a player! What a man! I do like Duhon. He's a great role player. The problems I have are that starting 2 undersized guards can create problems on D. Also, Duhon puzzles me sometimes with his shots. He always passes up open shots. It's better than jacking shots that aren't there, but it also creates problems with the offense. Sefolosha can actually be a very solid player, maybe even a star. And he seems pretty mature to me.

Nice game. I should know better than to question Skiles, but I really don't see the point of Duhon starting any more. He's a decent role player, but why start Hinrich and Duhon in the backcourt. If they aren't going to start Gordon, then they should let Sefolosha start at the 2 guard. It makes more sense to me. What a great pickup he's been.

If Matzusaka is worth 6/103, I'm scared to think what Zambrano is worth. He might ask for a $150 million deal.

I'm not so sure why it's a surprise. They did after all have to dish out an extra $50 mill just to talk with him. A 100% sales tax. Even Borass must realize that it's not the same situation as a regular free agent. I'm not sure how many pitchers in the league could fetch 6/105 if they were free agents right now. Anyone still upset that the Cubs didn't get the guy? What a huge gamble. Every time the Yankees light him up, it's going to hurt. I hope it works out for them, but I'm glad it's not us.

That right there shows that Hendry really doesn't understand OBP. Agreed. Dumb dumb dumb. As dumb as any statement that Dusty made during his tenure as Cubs manager. Under Hendry, consistently in the top 10 in hitting, at the bottom in OBP, near the bottom in Runs. Sure, it's because of clutch hitting.

I spend years in NYC, where I get the Giants at 1 and the Jets at 4, rarely getting to catch my Bears. Now that I'm in the Bay Area, the Bears come to NY twice and tomorrow I get the Raiders at 10 and the Niners at 1. Boy does that suck. Guess I gotta go and find a sports bar.

Sell the team!! Sell it now!! According to Forbes this year, the Cubs were valued at $448 million this year. I guess we'll see how much they are really worth if the team is sold. I assume that the Forbes valuations are based largely the Tribune's own accounting. Since I'm one of those that thinks that the Tribune's accounting is full of crap, I suspect the real value of the team is way more than that. I guess we may see how bogus the Tribune company's accounting really is based on how much the team fetches. I think the sale of the team will only be good for the payroll, and I've believed that for a long time. Cub fans who pay good money to make the team so valuable are only losing out by having the team owned by a big corporation.