superdad

Okay now that I have digested the whole Walter Payton discussion in the media whether or not he deserves a statue outside “Soldier Field” I have come to a grand conclusion.  Even though we gave a half time tribute to a man called “Sweetness” during the halftime show against Cleveland  on Sunday this tastes bitter.  Why is it that there are not more Bears statues?  I mean Buffalo has a statue of Thurman Thomas outside their stadium not to take anything away from Thurman but this Walter Payton one of biggest icon’s in Chicago sports along with Michael Jordan, George Halas and of course the coach that coached Payton, Da’ Coach Mike Ditka.  I overheard him say on radio this week “he is very pro for a statue at whatever cost.”  I am not going to disagree with a coach that even he says to this day is “the best football player he has ever witnessed to play or coach.”

Here is a couple tributes to Walter and you tell me if he deserves a statue.

My second thought today is all you hear about is that the Chicago Bears offensive line is sub par and they can not run on anyone.  Since we are talking about Walter Payton.  Did he ever really have a line to block for him? Not really.  Did Barry Sanders have a line in Detroit?  Look I was a big fan of Matt Forte last year but this year he is putting soft in sophomore slump.  Forte got some nice breaks against a Cleveland team that is really not that good and far away from the next opponent that Arizona Cardinals.  The Cardinals can play defense when they show up for the challenge and seeing they got throttled by a good running team in Carolina last week you know they are taking extra classes on stopping the run this week.  All I am saying is a average running-back makes and average offensive line even worse. The time is now for Mr Forte to have his biggest game of the year this week.  Sure he has had glimpses this year but he has yet to take a game over and if you want to make a bigger impact on the playoff push in the NFC it need’s to begin against Arizona.

After listening to the radio the last few days in Chicago everyone is trying to figure out, what happened last week?  I will say this even though Jay Cutler threw his interceptions again, we should not put total blame on him in the loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

For one the Bears defense is full of inexperience in the secondary and linebacker spots and to say that “we are okay with what we have approach” is really a bad assessment.  I really have been shocked at the fact that Jerry Angelo did not make a stronger effort to replace Brian Urlacher in the middle.  Not knocking Nick Roach he is a fine player and has a lot of up side but this defense lacks that veteran leadership that many teams in the NFL take for granted.  No Tommie Harris is not the answer either as someone to take this defense on his back, he has become a  complete debacle and really has become more of a liability than an impact player he used to be early on his career.

My second reason for staying with Jay Cutler is at least he has a very short memory when it comes to having a bad game.  Jay Cutler likes to take chances and we as Bears fans need to learn to accept that even though we may have average at best defense right now.  You can hear in Jay’s voice whenever he talks to the media he is not someone that lacks confidence unlike prior quarterbacks of the past most memorable Rex Grossman who seemed flustered anytime he had a bad game and then would take that into the media discussions for the rest of the week.  Jay Cutler has more poise than most of his teammates and people need to understand that before throwing him under the bus he has jumped back from poor performances before if you look at his stay in Denver.

My last statement is this I put more blame on management this off season believing the theory “we are good with what we have approach” with not just the offense but with the defense lately as well.  Yes injuries occur in the NFL but to think that this team was going to stay injury free is a big mistake and other teams in the NFL do a better job than the Bears not just replacing players with average players but players that can make an impact on a game.  With Lovie Smith in the middle of all of this I still like him as a the coach of the Bears as he is a good player coach that players respond to but as far as Jerry Angelo he needs to stop believing his team can compete with anyone out there when you cannot even take care of the Cincinnati Bengals whom yes are 5 and 2 but it is only October and the Bengals are historically known for sinking their own ship with players that often do their best way to sabotage or create trouble within their own locker room.  Just wait till they have a bad game and see how fast they jump back from the loss is all I am saying.

 After 162 games and two rounds of playoffs we are left with the defending champion Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Yankees.  “Who said pitching wins and offense does not matter come post season.” If you look at these two teams both of these offenses are perhaps the best we have seen in years.  This World Series despite a sub par post season so far could be the best of many and perhaps significant enough to talk a little baseball history.

If the Phillies win this series they will be the first National League team since the “Big Red Machine” of the 1970’s to go back to back.  The last team that has eclipsed that from the American League was of course no other than the late ninety New York Yankees who won 4 out of 5 World Series in  the turn of the century, however this New York team has yet to taste the champagne since 2000 which in the Steinbrenner house is an eternity.

All the comparisons to the “Big Red Machine” of 75 and 76 Reds is very cool as both of these two teams might be able to give those teams of the past a run for their money but honestly we have not seen two offenses like the Phillies and the Yankees like this year in some time.  Normally the pitching and defense is what brings a championship but these two teams are doing it with the bat and no one can deny that especially if you look at all of the statistics these two teams have been producing all year round.

The main show of the World Series may be the Ryan Howard and Alex Rodriquez show down as both of these guys have been lighting up score boards all post season when we know that both of these guys have historically struggled in the post season. The show down will be interesting to see who comes out on top and who will still be told that they are not the clutch performer they should be and remembered again as just another one that slipped away.  Howard does have the ring of a year ago over Rodriquez but this is Alex Rodriguez the biggest story of the year in baseball and if he wins a World Series, Howard might as well take a back seat as Rodriguez will be the new king of baseball not only by his wallet size but a trophy that has eluded Rodriguez since coming to New York where he has been attacked and beat up the whole time as the richest man in baseball without a ring.

You want three for the price of one here is my take on a couple hot topics right now.

1.  The Chicago Blackhawks are being hyped as if they did win the Stanley Cup last year.  It is nice to hear high accolades about a team that was in the cellar a few years back.  However let’s just get the job done first and win games just as we did the other night coming back from a 5 to 0 deficit to win in overtime against the Calgary Flames.  I just hope early fame for this team does not put early pressure on a young Hawks team, but as of right now their talent is what is talking and not the hype.

2.  The Baseball Playoffs are in the League Championship Series as the final four of baseball is set.  Philadelphia looks to deter Los Angelas again as they meet for the second year in a row in the National League Championship Series.  Los Angelas can win this series as Philadelphia did not look dominant in the first round against the Rockies.  Sure the bats were cold in Denver and the Phillies did come back to really take the series in a dramatic Game 3 but they need their offense to click against a Los Angelas pitching staff that looked the best of all four remaining teams in the post season.  On the other side the Yankees meet the Angels as the Angels get the monkey off the back finally taking care of the Red Sox but when you want to be the best you got to beat the best and the Yankees have been the best team so far this year.  If the Angels can steal a game or even two in New York then the pressure will fall on a Yankee team that is known for playoff collapses this past decade.  We saw A Rod play very well in the ALDS, he needs to do it again in the ALCS if the Yankees want their 40th all-time American League pennant.

3. The Chicago Bears are through the bye week as “Yes I know a off week for the Bears seems like the longest two weeks of your life.” However we needed all the time we can get to prepare for an Atlanta Falcons team that is becoming one of  the newer elite teams in the NFL.  Although I will disagree for a moment this team does have a tendency to look beyond an opponent much like they looked beyond the Arizona Cardinals last year in the playoffs.  Atlanta might be laughing at a depleted defense the Bears are bringing into the Georgia Dome but who is to say that the Bears offense is not like the Atlanta offense of a year ago where they just were good enough to hang around and just as Ryan did last year winning close ball games, Jay Cutler is doing it for the Bears this year.  Look this game was a huge game last year in a bigger perspective and that game ended dramatically as Atlanta rallied late to win, Cutler could make the difference to put the Bears over that hump this year.

You want to see the comeback from the other night by the Blackhawks

Here is what is happening right now in Chicago Sports, well the cliff notes version.

Da Bears put up 27 points in the second half against the now 1 and 3 Lions.  The game was tied going to half time at 21 but then Johnny Knox started the second half with a 102 yard kick return in which Detroit never recouped afterwards.

The White Sox ended their season in Detroit but helped the Twins over the weekend to push a  one game playoff scheduled hours from now.  The Metrodome will be the host as Detroit entered the last month of the season 7 games ahead of the AL Central.  Now game 163 will determine for the second year in a row the AL Central Champs.

The Cubs ended their season a little stronger but still could never catch the freight train that was the St. Louis Cardinals.  Better luck next year.

The Blackhawks win their first game defeating the Panther 4 to 0 over seas in Europe.  Detroit is our next target as we re ignite the rivalry and opponent that sent the Hawks packing from the Western Conference Finals playoffs last year.

Tonight Brett Favre will face his old boss and teammates the Green Bay Packers.  Although “Revenge” is not the way Brett will say it but I will say it for him “Revenge” is the only reason this man has not gong away ever since Green Bay ran him out of town for current quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Oh and Chicago go eliminated form all Olympic talks as they get swept out of the running in the first round.  Get your bikini wax now as we all head to Rio De Jenero for the 2016 Olympics.

What was your favorite topic of the weekend?

With the Detroit Tigers sitting atop of the AL Central the magic number for them to win the division is at or around 20.   What does this mean to the White Sox faithful or the rest of the division? Well bleak hope but stranger things have happened in Septemeber.  One thing is for sure the White Sox must take this final game against Oakland after getting slammed by the A’s last night. This game was to be expected as recent call up Carlos Torres had a let down, after blanking the Cubs, as most young pitcher’s try to find that consistency of always arising to the occasion no matter who you face accross the diamond.

This next stretch of games on the west coast could decide the fate of a White Sox team that has struggled to get back to five hundred baseball.  After Oakland, the Sox must go to Anaheim for 3 and Seatle for 3 if the Sox think they still have a fighters chance then they can ill afford to lose any of these series.  With Detroit winning seven of their last ten and playing very well and Minnesota still lingering this is no time to start a losing streak.

If the Sox can survive this next week they then begin the last big home stand of the year where they will face Kansas City Minnesota and then Detroit.  Another plus for both the White Sox and even the Twins is that the AL Central will be determined among each other as evry team in the central will face one another in the last three weeks of the season.  If there is anytime to start beating your division rivals the time is now and you know that Cleveland Indians and even the last place Kansas City Royals want to make the next few weeks as difficult as possible for either three of the top teams in the Central.

My final thought is this if the White Sox can survive a west coast that historically has plagued the Sox then they still have  a fighter’s chance but you do not want to be too far behind heading into that last home stand in which the Sox can then control theri own destiny.  If Detroit thinks this thing is wrapped up already they better think other wise, there is still a lot of baseball.  Just ask the New York Mets of last year who failed to win their division after leading for most of the year only to collpase the last tow weeks of the season.  Or even the Colorado Rockies the year before that won 20 plus games in the month of September.  If you have lost all faith then you haven’t been around baseball much the last few years.

PS today my son had his first day of pre-k superdad is very proud today, way to go buddy.

It has been a terrible month of August for the defending AL Central Champions.  We all knew that this part of the schedule would be the most difficult for the White Sox when we first saw the schedule in Spring Training however Kenny Williams must of expected a whole lot more from this team as the Sox are 2 and 8 the last ten games and now 6 games back of the Detroit Tigers.  How things have just blown up for the Sox and really it has been the lack of consistent bull pen relief whom have fell apart and a offense that has been lacking the comeback punch of recent Sox teams.

Jim Thome has had a average season and so has Jose Contrereas who in all honesty wasn’t even supposed to be playing baseball until now because of a ruptured achilles tendon suffered late last season.  Thome seemed to be the scapegoat on an offense that has been slowed up by big bodies in the middle of the lineup.  Sure Konerko, Dye Thome and even Quentin can slug the ball but their lack of speed has really slowed up an offense that is now a station to station team that sometimes needs four hits to get one run in a single inning.

Thome will surely be missed as will Contreras as everyone seemed to be rooting for these guys to have one more good season for the Sox as their careers are starting to show their age.  Thome has brought some great memories over the years with some monstrous homeruns including his homerun just recently that put him over Reggie Jackson on the all-time homerun list but other than that it has been a quite year for Mr Incredible and really all of the White Sox sluggers.  Meanwhile Jose has had a few solid outings but those have been too far in between as Jose was just sent to the bull pen after his last couple of outing where he only lasted minimal innings.

So now many are saying the White Sox are throwing in the white towel because of these recent moves. Honestly these two guys were not coming back next year and now we at least got something in return for their service.  If anything this is only a preview of the next off season as the White Sox are changing from a big power team to a more finesse team that was more like the 05 team.  This move might actually get these guys moving in a more positive direction as now the Sox truly are a team that is not holding onto its past but ready to embrace its new future.  Lastly if this team just folds up this last month then many fans will be disappointed however this team is still very talented and may still make things difficult for the rest of the American League.  September has shown us before that comebacks are not unlikely even for a Sox team that has lacked a true identity this year.  Thanks again Jim you are the best and if not with us get that ring in Dodger blue and thank you Jose for that ring in 05 we could of not done it without you buddy!

Did August surpass July for top performers of the month? Here is the new list so you can compare.

#5  Chula Vista  That little team from California or should I say big kids from the Little League World Sereis. There needs to be a big shot out to the Little League World Series Champions from Chula Vista as they used there mighty bats to over power the rest of the teams in Williams port.  All I can say is those boys were big and bad and that one guy for California, Luc Ramirez, looked like he could have signed with the Washington Nationals right now.

#4 Freddy Garcia One of my all time favorite pitchers for the White Sox has made it back to the big league club as everyone awaits Jake Peavy, even though don’t bet on that anytime soon.  Meanwhile Freddy comes from no where and has contributed and battled his behind his last two starts with the White Sox. The White Sox did lose those two games Garcia started but give him some much deserved credit it was the Red Sox and Yankees that came back late to deny those wins, but for Freddie a guy just looking for a job just like anyone else in this economy, to give us two quality starts when we need all the quality starts we can get you got to give Freddy Garcia some love considering this guy was not even pitching anywhere over a month ago.

#3  Eric Bruntlet Who is Eric Bruntlet?  He plays for the Philadelphia Phillies and as a defensive replacement for Chase Utley for the defending Champion Philadelphia Phillies.  You are still like, so what right!  Well the guy is now in the history books as he ended a game in August with a un assisted triple-play.  A triple play is hard enough to do but for one player to do it that has to be number 3 on this list as Eric Bruntlet has something to talk about with his grandchildren although they might not believe him unless they check a stat book in twenty years.

#2  Y.E. Yang  Yes, this list is digging deep this month but Tiger Woods has been 14-0 after leading a major going into the final 18 on Sunday.  Don’t tell that to Mr. Yang as Y.E Lang came from no where to upset Tiger at the PGA Championship.  Tiger was just gliding along and Yang just came and took the trophy that really belonged to Tiger up to that day.  Y.E Lang might not be a top 50 or even 100 player but now he can tell anyone he plays golf with, “Yeah I beat Tiger in the last round of a major while he lead the whole way.”  “Tiger Who Ha Ha” That one will be a good one to hear on the golf course for the next few years.

#1 Jay Cutler Despite his uniform being burned into ashes by former fans, the disgruntle ex-Denver quarterback just wrapped a very nice pre-season playing in one of the most hostile atmospheres in the NFL Jay Cutler has really stepped it up in two pre-season games with the Chicago Bears.  Yes I know it is only pre-season but for Jay to show a lot of poise for a young quarterback with a lot on his shoulders you got to recognize.  Brett Favre might have the most pressure to win right now after his resurgence to the Minnesota Vikings but for the Bears Jay Cutler is a close second.  Coach Lovie Smith and GM Jerry Angelo have really stacked their chips with this guy and so far it may be a good pay off as Cutler has been great so far leading an offense that has never been the talk of a city, historically dominated by defense.

Two pre season games in the bag and what else can you say!  I give the Chicago Bears credit they took it to a New York Giants team that is not far itself from returning to another Super Bowl.  The offense was crisp the defense looked like a unit on the same page and Matt Forte was looking really good behind some good blocking by an offensive line that may be overlooked this year.  All in all you got to give the Bears and the staff an “A” for a outstanding performance after a very dismal performance in the first game.

Now we look for consistency from the Chicago Bears and is this team going to be just as pumped going into Denver next week?  You know Jay Cutler will be after some remarks about Denver fans was released to the public and now the fans of Denver will be giving this ex quarterback all he can hear in the Mile High City.  However another quarterback will be looking to give the Bears a taste of their own medicine as Kyle Orton will be fiercely competing to show his old teammates and coaches that Orton is a everyday quarterback in the NFL.

Even though things are looking good I must remind all Bears fans that this team has historically looked great one week and like real threats to the NFC then, the next week they are good as a win less Detroit team from a year ago.  Consistency has got to be this team overall goal this preseason and main goal this year.  Of course that is easier said than done as the NFL is not like a pee wee football organization where you have two good teams and the rest are mediocre at best but in reality the NFL is full of great teams ready to make their mark this year.  If the Bears want to win the NFC North and compete as top contenders in the NFC consistency on all sides of the ball is a must have as each side does have its weaknesses with new additions and unproven talent.  This Bears team does not have a lot of room to be making game changing mistakes.

Overall the Bears are making strides but it is Pre Season and opponents to the Bears are not exactly showing them full attention as far as game planing and execution.  Of course teams like the New York Giants want to play better than Saturday night but it meant nothing in the long run.  The Chicago Bears still should be working extremely hard this week and if they thought that this week was what to expect this year then that is no the right mentality.  It is still a week to week game which shows teams that sure you can be awesome one week but if you believe that is going to happen every week then you better get ready for a long season.   The real great teams are the ones that treat every game uniquely different and never let up an inch to become better.  You don’t want to be this bear this week or any week for that matter.   Thank you http://www.freenaturepictures.com/pictures/brown-bear-lounging.php for the cool bear pic!

These are 5 things that are tweeting me the wrong way in sports on this Friday.

#5 Steroids in Baseball We all know steroids is there and has been there so why are people trying to draw this whole list of players that may or may have not taken performance enhancing drugs.  We already know the big names or do we?  Let’s take the advice from Hammering Hank Arron and White Sox coach Ozzie Guillen and lets see all these names.  I don’t want to go another year of baseball and then right before playoffs lets drop a few more and then spring training another few lets just hear the whole story now and get done with the whole madness.

#4  Pre Season Football Please I just can’t get excited about Pre Season football.  I just saw an article about Peyton Manning having a good game during the Philadelphia Eagles last night.  It’s PRE SEASON! If Brett Favre can’t get excited about Pre Season football how are all the rest of us supposed to get excited.  How about just have two games and then lets get it on sure the first couple games might not be the greatest quality but then add an extra bye week for the teams to work on Pre Season training.  Less games means less injuries to star players in Pre Season.

#3  Notre Dame Hype  We all know Notre Dame is one of the most prestigious programs in college football.  However lets stop trying to praise an program that still needs a lot of work right now.  Jimmy Clausen if you turn into the next Joe Montana I will check it out however this team has been terrible the last two years and if you just think this team is going to run off a perfect season just because the the older guys are more motivated um yeah right.  Last time I checked this team is still far inferior to any major program so lets get through a half dozen games and then lets do some predicting but right now they are burying their own graves.  I love hype but lets hype a team that has won recently more than Notre Dame.

#2  Chicago Bears  Lets tone it down a notch everybody.  Jay Cutler is a good quarterback but really is he going to have enough to throw to this season?  Devon Hester is not a premier wide receiver and yet everyone thinks the passing attack will still be improved from a year ago. A quarterback is only as good as their surrounding cast and this cast might be the worst on paper in the NFC North and that includes the Lions.  I just hope that someone does step up this year and makes me eat my own words because I want to see it but do not believe it yet.

#1  The Press mad at Brett Favre Hey any football fan should be happy Brett Forever will play again this year.  John Madden just cired a little and I love Brett Favre despite him being a rival to my favorite team for most of his career and believe he should be able to play for anyone and as long as he wants.  Yet,  what people in the press are tired of the whole Brett Favre drama every year?  I mean the guy has helped sell newspapers and put money in reporters pockets for the last few years during this time of year which in many critics eyes is the dog days of summer where stories are more about over hyped Pre Season Football and off the wall debates on early college football rankings.  It is Brett Favre and he deserves the attention so if you all guys are tired of covering him well you know you can call me anytime and I will report on Brett Favre 7 days a week if that means a job.

Just five things going on in superdad’s world hope you enjoyed.