WrigleyField 22

A commanding 5-3 series win.

Is there a red wings board I can go troll? It's the only thing that would make me feel better.

I think 90% of screens at the top of they key are fouls, but based on how they're called no way that was. Still, suck it Bron.

I don't mind it but the Bears have been a little too loose with retiring numbers. Including two guys who earned it primarily by dying and another who played a whopping 5 seasons with the team. You can probably cut the Bears list in half and it'd actually be a good list. For great, but not once in a generation players, you can have an unofficial moratorium on the number for several years. Halas, Payton, and Butkus would all be locks for me. Sayers, Grange, Nagurski, George, Luckman you could make strong cases for. McAffe, Turner, Ditka, and Singletary could be "moratorium" guys to me. Add Urlacher to the list. Hewitt, Piccolo, and Galimore are off completely for me. Have an award ala the Brian Piccolo Award if you wanna honor a player who dies.

They didn't announce anything really, but James Anderson took 50, which hasn't been worn since Singletary. So it had not been handed out for like 20 years. I suppose it is still possible Anderson will switch for the regular season once rosters are cut and other numbers become available. I wonder if anyone took 54 yet, and if not how long it'll take.

Bears are retiring Ditka's #89. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000206062/article/chicago-bears-will-retire-mike-ditkas-no-89-jersey Singletary's unofficial retirement was lifted this year. I guess no chance he gets his retired.

Who cares how tall a guy is to the top of his head anyways.

Rod Beck?

There's the fact that you're capped to his rookie scale amount, but there is also a limit to what you can pay towards the buyout without it counting against the cap. Under the old CBA I think it was 500K. Each year of the CBA that figure increases, but a small amount, 25K maybe. So you're looking at a small figure still. So you really need at least MLE money to match his current salary going forward and covering the buyout.

It's just so hard to envision any team changing. Black and Red seem to have the upper hand just because you'd effect the least number of teams. If you we're totally going from scratch though I think you'd have to just go with the Chicago flag's colors and play up the Chicago thing. The teams would just need different identities.

I don't think you extend Wood, but just by virtue of team control you are kind of penciling him in as a starter for the next few years.

Yes, I'm totally okay with "essentially" locking in 4 spots. Only argument against it is taking away payroll from the offense, but we're much more equipped there to get some pre-arb contributions there. And it's likely that the extensions will be fair and below FA comparables.

As long as they don't hand out NTC it's really not an issue. Sign 'em and figure it out later. We may not get Appel and if so we may go with a positional player and if we go with Gray he may need a couple years.

Even if I was pretty sure I was going to make more by waiting, it would be pretty hard to pass up $41M guaranteed. Yea it's not like he's a FA either. His ability to earn is limited by arbitration, which makes the figure harder to wrap our minds around since we're so used to basing figures off FA deals. Plus a guy who had lymphoma probably realizes more than most how quickly life can change, so you take that guaranteed cash even if its a 20% or whatever discount.

Saw this on RealGM, awesome:

If I were drawing up the Heat gameplan, I would go at Butler hard early in the game and try to get him into foul trouble. Hopefully that doesn't happen. Well Spoelstra is an awful coach, so hopefully they don't figure anything out.

I don't really care what Rose has said, I'm pissed he isn't playing. If he came out from the beginning and said he was likely out for the year, I'd feel the same as I do now. The only thing that would make me feel better towards Rose was a doctor saying the surgery or recover hadn't gone as expected. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/westboro-baptist-church-protest-two-playoff-games-because-161904717.html The lesson here is God hates everything. Other than maybe Westboro Baptist Church, but really would anyone be that shocked if there weren't a few self-hating repressing gays among them? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Maybe I'm crazy, but would the consider piggybacking two starters? Take Villanueva as one guy to help keep innings down. And perhaps Garza the other since he is coming back from injury. Just have them on the same starter rotation and flip who starts and relieves. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'm pretty sure Wood is out of options. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Can you not see the difference in dipping 20-30 million in payroll verse the same amount or substantially more in a long term revenue generating project like stadium upgrades? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I think its important they get the first stage started this offseason even if it meant scheduling some home games at other locations for a month or two to start next year. Hell April baseball in Chicago sucks anyways. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Awesome Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I really wouldn't classify a guy who is jobless as the first openly gay player, but its signifanct nonetheless and an important step. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My only problem with the linebacker selections is they are linebackers. Those guys just aren't that vital in the pass happy world we live in. But the selections were pretty good and both guys should be able to contribute. The emphasis on guards and linebackers in the upper half is a little disappointing, giving the hierarchy of impact on either side of the ball. They had to restock the offensive line though, and hopefully they don't turn Angelo and ignore the line for the next 8 drafts. The line should at least be stable. Although I think people are being far too optimistic when it comes to talking about Long in 2013. The guy has barely played the position at all, and outside of franchise tackles, linemen typically do not start as rookies. He has a hell of a lot to learn and not much time to do it. It's not like he's some receiver you can throw in for half a dozen plays to see what he can do, he's either playing every down or sitting. I have to think he'll be sitting for a while. Emery loves himself some measurables, which is fine in football but also can lead to significant underperformance. I would prefer a little more emphasis on players who make their mark on tape during the season rather than in shorts when the season is long past. Lovie's emphasis on lighter fast guys led to quality special teams play and an opportunistic bend but don't break style of defense. But it also probably played a role in an offense that could not do things like short yardage runs. Emery's desire for bigger physical freaks is probably meant for a defense that does more taking it to the opposition and maybe an offense that can score from the 1. Anywho, I think I like the 6th and 7th round selections best of all, as guys with the best chance to make special plays, albeit in limited roles. Trestman is more of a spread the love kind of coach than a hardass, so he might be able to get more out of Wilson, and hopefully keeps Marshall in-line as well. But I don't know if the Bears are going to want to extend Marshall and keep him past 2014, so next draft the needs are probably going to be more on the skill position needs than this one. Obviously Long has very limited game tape. Its not underperformed, so much as lack of any evidence. He's the guy with lack of credit as opposed to bad credit. Washington is definitely an under- performer. All the other guys, going back to last year as well I don't think I'd classify as underperformers. They all seem to have game tape to go with the measurables (at least relative to the round they are picked in, save Long, who again though isn't really an underperformer as much as a total mystery) I was worried about Emery's talk of measurables early on, but after two drafts, he seems to have a reasonable balance and hopefully won't go after combine performers like Stephen Hill last year or Zavier Gooden this year; guys who's main accomplishments are running in a straight line for 40 yards and meeting some type if height/weight threshold. The 40 thing is a big one too IMO. Fans and Al Davis get wrapped up in that one measure, but all-encompassing athleticism is much more important when ysing measurables. I still hope he is thorough enough to not totally exclude guys who lack the combine numbers, but can investigate where the tape and measurables don't match up. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk