Bounceback time for the Bears. Thank you Cleveland!

Sorry for the recent absence, been a bit wild at the other Web site I write for in fall playoff time. But hey, we're here now to talk Bears and get you ready for Halloween.

Of course the usual Friday/Saturday starting point for today is a look at the Bears game this week. Nothing spells rebound quite like Cleveland does it? After what I will call an EMBARASSING showing against the Bengals last week, the Bears need to get back on track. This is just the chance with the Browns coming to Soldier Field. The four games after this one are big games against much better teams, so this will be a good time for the guys to get the ship righted and make sure everything is ready. That Nov. 6 date with Arizona on the Lakefront looms rather large right now.
There are a few storylines to keep an eye on with the Bears this week that I picked up from hitting the Tribune and Sun Times while writing this.
I'd have to say the biggest thing to watch this week is Tommie Harris. Yes he's a big guy which makes the pun work, but really, he was held out of last week's game on what turned out to be a coach's decision, not an injury as was thought during the week. That's got the media swirling as to what was going on. Well, now that he had a week off of practice and game, let's hope he's back on his game and ready to go.
I'd have to say the defense as a whole needs to bounce back and Tommie's return could help that. Those 45 points are the most since 1999 for the franchise and obviously most in the Lovie Smith era.
There seem to be changes in the works on the offensive line (ABOUT TIME!) and at middle linebacker. Can't say I'm surprised at the moves of the "Mike," as Brian Urlacher's abilities are showing up now because he's not around. This defense really misses him.
Alright, I'm going to give a score for this one. Jay Cutler is a bounce back guy and this one is just what the doctor ordered. Bears win, 34-7.

While I picked that one, here are the rest of my NFL picks. Winning team in bold with a score for the Monday Night game.

Texans @ Bills
Browns @ Bears
Seahawks @ Cowboys
Rams @ Lions
49ers @ Colts
Dolphins @ Jets
Broncos @ Ravens
Giants @ Eagles
Jaguars @ Titans
Raiders @ Chargers
Vikings @ Packers
Panthers @ Cardinals
Falcons (21) @ Saints (38)

Not really a sports bit here, but I think this looks pretty cool. Hope the moms gets wind of this as I know what I want for Christmas. Get me some DJ Hero! Here's a video sample!



Now for some Halloween goodness. Thought this was pretty sweet when I saw it on SI.com's Hot Clicks yesterday. The pay off comes around the 35-second mark.



We have reached the Nussie Hunter portion of the broadcast. If there are two girls that I probably feature or mention more than others its Megan Fox and today's girl Audrina Patridge. Well today is another Audrina day. And she's in her full Halloween goodness here. And you wonder why I like her so much! Here's a glimpse of celebrities dressing up for Halloween and here's just some great Nussies.

Is this the year A-Rod finally gets a ring (And has a hand in it)?

The World Series has started tonight as I'm writing this and I must say I am rather excite to get a chance to see the two best teams in each league squaring off in the Series that matters.
I say the two best teams, because you know how it goes, a team gets hot and makes a run through the playoffs, but it doesn't give us the best two teams in the Fall Classic. Well we got it this year.
Both teams have great pitching. Both teams have a great lineup from top to bottom and both teams have great managers. Well, that last one may be what it comes down to as Yankees fans have been sounding off on Joe Girardi and his mishandling of the bullpen in the ALCS.
I'm not going to get into great analyzation of the series, because I don't think those of you that follow the game want to hear me talk about teams I don't know much more than the average fan knows. Hey, it's not my team that I follow every day and baseball is a sport where you almost need to pay attention everyday in order to know a team as good as you need to.
Still, I can make a pick for a winner in this series.
I have followed the playoffs pretty closely and I must say this is a tough one to pick. Like I said, I like both teams.
Here goes: I'll call starting pitching a wash, offense a wash and defense equal. What the Yankees have the Phillies don't is a guy that can finish the game on the hill. His name is Mariano Rivera and my best friend Vaughan would be happy to know I'm taking the Yankees in 6. It's very close though and could be one of the best World Series of the last 10 years, at least.




In other sports news today, It became official that one of my childhood idols, Hulk Hogan, was going to make a push to get back in the wrestling scene by signing with Total Non-stop Action on Spike TV. Given all he's been through, it's good to see him back on his feet. Here's the video from the announcement.
Let me just say that if TNA wants to compete with WWE this could be a move that puts them on the map to wrestling fans and could help them start to build even more steam than they already have. Along with Hogan, Eric Bischoff is coming on to TNA, as well, and that might be an even bigger move as Bischoff had a big hand in getting WCW on top of WWF back in the mid-'90s and knows talent in the business.



In more of an entertainment item, if you haven't seen Tuesday night's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon Artie Lange from the Howard Stern show was on and was followed by hottie Olivia Munn from G4-TV's Attack of the Show.
Let's just say Artie on his own was awesome, but when Olivia came out comic mayhem ensued.
This is the entire episode, so here's a cheat sheet. Artie comes on at about the 25:50 mark for a segment. Olivia is on for the segment following that and they play ping pong toward the end at around the 36 minute mark.



Since we're on the subject of Olivia Munn, the Nussie Hunter wasted no time suggesting her for today's spot. She looks absolutely amazing in that dress on the show. And I can't get "Sweet ass in your face" out of my head. She is absolutely funny as hell. And yes, she's also an absolute bombshell. Check it!

Lovie's job is safe.... for now, after worse showing since 2003

There is very little, if anything to write about the Bears' 45-10 loss to the Bengals yesterday. I did not kill myself as some may have thought after such a resound thud was delivered to the temple of the Bears facial. Might have something to do with a certain someone that was there to help pull me through it, but I made it through in tact.
I was not happy though when I headed out for my daily reading and even on the pages of the Chicago sports writers I follow on Twitter noted that fans were calling for Lovie Smith's head and a new coach in place. Really? Damn people. Yeah, that was the worst I've seen the team play since 2003 (And yes I've watched every game during that time!), but there is time to get things fixed and get this team where it needs to go. It's not going to be easy, but it can be done.
Now it was as much the execution of the guys on the field as it was the gameplan itself that was to blame for the downright awful showing that led to the most points allowed by a Bears opponent since 1999, but I'm willing to let the second winningest coach since 2005 have some time to figure that out.
But to the game, It got ugly from the get-go and never really let up. It was a loss Brad Biggs called the "Worst loss I've covered" in his nine years as a Chicago Bears beat reporter. It was all lost up front for the Bears Sunday. Yeah, I'm a smart enough football fan to know most games are decided by the work done by the big uglies that battle in the trenches.
The Bears haven't been able to run the ball all season. My take on that is a team that runs the ball well can protect its quarterback in pass protection. The Bears can do neither right now. Matt Forte can't find space to run the ball to save himself (He's literally getting pummeled on every play) and Jay Cutler is getting sacked once every 18 times he drops back to pass. That's a staggering number considering he was only brought down once every 54 times he dropped back in Denver. Yeah, he's going to make stupid throws when he's running for his life back there.
The defensive line didn't do much better as Tommie Harris was shut down all of last week for what was then said to be an injury, when it was, in fact, Lovie Smith's decision to have him rest all week.
I guess he's going to be practicing all week, which is a change for the better, considering he had been getting Wednesdays off prior to talking a week off. Can't make any conclusions about this just yet. If that turns out to be the right move and Tommie is healthy enough and goes the rest of the season, making an impact, it will be the best move Lovie made all year.
Next up is the Cleveland Browns and the Bears have already picked up the pieces and are looking forward. As my main man money, R.J. said tonight, "If they lose to Cleveland, Lovie will be done!" I can't disagree with those statements.

In other NFL news, I did pick 11 of 14 games correctly yesterday (YEAH BUDDY!), but that's beside the point. Heard about this and thought it was funny. The Jets were beating the Raiders so bad Sunday Rex Ryan and sat Mark Sanchez and the USC alum decided he was hungry on the sideline and got himself a hot dog. Haha.





In happier New York City news, the Yankees are going back to the World Series. I think I may be the only full-time Brewers fan that was actually rooting for this. Maybe it's the fact that my BFF is a New Yorker and I can't help but root for him. Maybe it's partially because I enjoy seeing CC (Translated as YES YES!) Sabathia celebrate with the champagne after a big win. Hell, I was there when he got to do it in Milwaukee Sept. 28, 2008 at Miller Park (Still the greatest moment of my life!) and he was like a little kid celebrating his first shot at a World Series last night.
Now he gets the ball for Game 1 and will likely face Cliff Lee Wednesday at Yankees Stadium. Should be a great series.
Coming up Tuesday: I make my World Series picks!

OK boys and girls, we've reached the Nussie Hunter portion of the show. I've been getting a lot of my material lately from the new edition of Maxim (be sure to turn to Page 10 to see my boys Covino and Rich!). One of the cover girls, Grace Park, is an amazing Asian woman, I cannot be anything more than smitten with. Whoa! They get these hot of women to be on SyFy?!?! Maybe I need to get cable again! Ha. Take a look at her Maxim spread, then look at this sample.

He couldn't shut up then and he hasn't learned his lesson

Chicago thought it had heard the last of Cedric Benson, the guy they drafted with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2005 NFL draft. This week, everything they thought about him when they let him go before teh 2008 season was proven right. The guy is a complete moron (for lack of a better term). The accusations have been tossed around all week by Benson, now the NFL's second leading rusher with the Bengals who host the Bears this week.
Brad Biggs of the Chicago Sun-Times has a great story on Benson saying the Bears "Blackballed him" after the team cut him before the 2008 season.
The story is great because you can hear a little fire from Lovie, even Lance Briggs takes off the stunner shades to toss a little venom into this matchup.
What Briggs was talking about was the 2006 training camp where he thought the defensive guys were cheap shotting him. I was at that camp (front row, two days as a matter of fact!) And he's fucking crazy.
But like Love said, "FINAL STATEMENT!" I'm done with this asshole and his mouth.
Benson has turned things on for the Bengals this season and will be force the Bears defense must find a way to slow down. Heck, they have the motivation. OK, I can't help it, more on Benson and his mouth, even his boy Chad Ochocinco called out Benson on his Twitter page this week. The Chicago Tribune's David Haugh talks about it here as Ochocinco asks what the hell he was thinking.
He's right, the Bears defense does play better angry and will be playing for Viginia McCaskey when Benson is on the field and Lovie trying to make Benson pay a bit for his words just a little bit more with each hit.
Besides Benson, Carson Palmer and Ochocinco present the Bears secondary one of the biggest challenges of the season thus far. As Dan Pompei of the Tribune says here, the Bears need to bump him at the line and slow him down, trying to knock a little bit of their timing off.
One big key may be the fact that Tommie Harris is not going to be playing because of more left knee troubles. Doesn't exactly sit well for the Bears, but Lovie will have to adjust for it with his defense.
Here are more of the key matchups in this game from the Tribune.

Now to my weekly NFL picks. Only had eight right last week, but it was still good enough to keep my spot at or near the top in most of my pools.
Winning teams in bold with a score for the Monday night game.
Packers @ Browns
Chargers @ Chiefs
49ers @ Texans
Colts @ Rams
Vikings @ Steelers
Patriots @ Bucs in London
Bills @ Panthers
Jets @ Raiders
Bears @ Bengals
Falcons @ Cowboys
Saints @ Dolphins
Cardinals @ Giants
Eagles (17) @ Redskins (10)



Now to some of my ALCS opionons. Not sure if Game 6 will be played tonight with all the rain and whatever else is supposed to overtake New York City, but I'd say whatever day the game is played, sending Andy Pettitte out to close it is a good move. For Vaughan's sake, just win the thing already. I don't need to console a friend on another collapse! He's only won more series clinching games in MLB history. Joe Gerardi is going to save CC for a Game 7 and that's perfectly fine. Roll out the ace for when it's needed. You might need him for Game 1 to get things off to a great start in the World Series. Let it roll. I say the Yanks get it done in Game 6. I'd say tonight's game, but not sure when that will be. For that, go check this tune out.



OK. Enough of my ramblings, its' time for the Nussie Hunter portion of the broadcast. Read about this little Victoria's Secret contest going on in Chicago where VS is promoting fans picking the Sexiest Athlete in the city and they got Marisa Miller to come to town and promote it. She even exchanged Bulls jerseys with one Derek Love. Check the pics and video of that. Then see here whey Marissa is one of my favorites. I know she's now the second woman to get a second feature here, but hey, she's so worth it.

Debate: Is it OK to have a man crush?

A little bit of a different topic on the blog today. Had a recent discussion with a friend of mine, Amanda (She gets her first shout out on Wilber's Way, haha), and it got me thinking about all of the guys that I sweat and follow in pop culture. And yes, I sweat them hardcore and it led me to the idea to write this blog on what I thought was going to be a quiet Wednesday in the news (Bears signed Jay Cutler to an extension after he's played five games for them!). I have three guys that I have embraced as man crushes and am comfortable enough to admit as much. The question I have is; is this normal? I mean, I'm completely into girls, babes, chicks. Like Ronny from Role Models says, "I have this thing where I look at boobies and call my self the Booby Watcher. Even have a comic book with me in it, called 'Adventures of the Booby Watcher."

And yes, Paul Rudd has jumped himself to the top of the list. I remember him from Clueless and he's kept up with the times and has stayed funny over 15 years later. The guy just turned 40 on April 9 of this year and I must say when I turn 40 I want to pattern myself after him. Seems to have that dry humor with a bit of sarcasm that I'm a fan of. Whether it was 40-year-old virgin (You remember him from that), Knocked up (Yeah buddy!) or my new favorite, I Love You, Man he seems to deliver the funny. Plus, he was pretty good in his small role in Forgetting Sarah Marshall. He tried to save Year One, but didn't last more than 5 seconds in that. Epic Fail!
It's not just the movies where he is funny. He just seems to have charisma and a sense of humor, again, that I want to have at that age.



The next dude on my man crush list is Urijah Faber, the former WEC Featherweight champion. Let's see about this guy. He's charismatic as hell. The first time I saw him he came to the cage with "California Love" blaring in the arena as he faught the best MMA fight of 2008 against Jens Pulver in Sacramento. The place when bananas and by the end of the five-round battle, I was hooked. I now own two of his walk-in shirts and follow him on Twitter. He's just a cool as dude, who somehow at 5-6, 145 can kick anyone's ass that gets in my way. Yeah, I'll say I love that guy. Even after going through a bit of turmoil and losing the Featherweight title to Mike T. Brown via knockout and losing to him again a few months later, trying to regain his title, I'm still a fan.
I've watched the guy get back on the horse and am set for him to return to the cage in December when he is medically cleared. Can't wait.



The final dudebro on the list is Shia LeBouf. I know a lot of you are saying, where did that come from? Hey, I dunno. I really liked him in Disturbia and got sorta hooked when he was in the new Indiana Jones movie (even though it sucked).
Here's the thing, I did just slip a pic of Megan Fox into the blog today (Heyoooo!), but really, his ability to pick up one of the hottest lasses in Hollywood, makes him a guy I want to be like. Heck he pulls off Transformers and somehow keeps you watching. And hey, I sorta like the confident guy that seems to be charismatic and one that you want to be around.

What do you think? Am I normal for sweating these three guys? There are some others that are close to making the list, but fell short. I know a lot of my friends read this everyday, so please let me know if you share the belief hit me up with a comment and share your thoughts on man crushes.

We're not all about sausage today. There will be a Nussie Hunter today and as Amanda suggested (Whoa, two in one day?!), I should put up some Mariah Carey to save you from having to take a cold shower for looking at guys all day. Well, she wins. Enter Mrs. Nick Cannon.

Revamping the Brewers' pitching staff got its first guy...

The revamping and rebuilding of the Brewers pitching staff started today when Doug Melvin finally announced he had not only talked to Rick Peterson, but he hired him to be the new pitching coach. Yeah, last week was a bit of weird situation where the J-S's Tom Haudricourt talked to Peterson and while not being able to say he had interviewed, said he'd be a "great fit" for the organization.
He did the media roundabout today in the Milwaukee area and Tom H. got him on the hopper. Not much of any substance in that (must be saving it for the morning paper), but I did find this on ESPN.com that had some better takes from Rick. Brewers.com does have a better story from Adam McCalvy, which Peterson was pretty good with. Take a look.
I must say, I love his enthusiasm for the job. The fact that he knows both Ken Macha and Willie Randolph sits well with me too. As I'm thinking if a shakeup needs to be made at the start of the season, Macha will be out and Willie will take over and he can keep the spot.
But aside from that, the line he said in the ESPN story about being a student of the guys on the pitching staff, speaks for the type of guy he can be for that team. He knows it's going to be a long road back and to just get the guys to middle of the pack should translate well and put the Brewers in a good spot for another playoff push.
Now to go after two key pitchers that Haudricourt talked with him about in the blog post. To hell with all those Zac Grienke rumors, it's not happening. It would be nice if it would, but I'm not going to start anything to save myself from looking stupid. I do, afterall, know what it takes to make a real news post and whatever that guy from Bleacher Report had over the weekend, wasn't it.
I did find this, on MLBTradeRumors.com, which is a credible site that is educated in what goes in around MLB. It's an off-season outlook on the team. Take a look. I'm on board with most of what they say there. Not sure where McCalvy got the line that the Brewers were going to extend Looper, but I'd let him got and use the money elsewhere.

Staying on a Brewers trip, I noted two-thirds of the writers that cover the Brewers on an everyday basis in Tom Haudricourt and Adam McCalvy there. Well, Miller Park Drunk, which is becoming one of my favorite Brewers blogs, has this amazing finale to his series of "Witrado's Quest" featuring the awesomeness of Tom H.'s sidekick Anthony Witrado. This is so good. If you missed one of the first three installments, there are links to go back.



Now for some non sports items, that bring the funny. As you know, I'm a big fan of the CBS sit-com "How I Met Your Mother" and last night the big topic was Robin getting her American citizenship. Being from Canada it led to a great exchange between her and Barney (played by Neil Patrick Harris). He wrote on his blog today about the Canadian citizenship test, which pales in comparison to the US test, eh! Take a look and see for yourself, eh! Could you pass?

OK, now for the Nussie Hunter feature of today's blog. I have to thank my dudebro Josh G. for this. He was telling me about how awesome the upcoming movie "The Men Who Stare At Goats" looked. So I watched the trailer and it does look damn good. Then, on my usual blog prep trip to Maxim.com, I discovered George Clooney's date he took to the premiere at the Venice Film Festival. Her name is Elisabetta Canalis and she has a hit TV show in Italy and was a host on MTV Italy's Total Request Live. Take a look at her Maxim gallery. As a side note, I Google imaged searched her to find some pics and honestly, it was a damn tough choice. Take a look for yourself, then check the one I picked.

Jay can't do it all by himself!

Just want everyone to know first and foremost, I survived and am OK after watching the Bears loss. I did not harm myself. Just went home and mourned the mistakes that led to defeat.
Those mistakes, not just on the final drive of the game that have gotten magnified (a holding penalty on right tackle Orlando Pace and a false start penalty on Fourth and 1 from the five yard line). I mean you get into the Red Zone twice and you throw an interception and fumble it before the final drive and you're not going to be able to have a good shot at winning the game. Still Jay just ran out of magic that almost pulled out another one.
It was on both sides of the ball as the Bears had a shot to recover a fumble and get a pick on the Falcons' final drive. A drive that I might add started across the 50-yard line because the special teams did not cover the kick. A rare gaffe by Greg Toub's bunch.
This one is a frustrating one to swallow. They shot themselves in the foot too many times and when you do that against a team like the Falcons (which I think would do a 5-5 series in 10 games the teams are that close), it tips the scales.
The good thing about those areas is that it can be corrected. It's not that there isn't someone on the team that can't play a position (although Nick Roach did look lost at times).
The one thing that does need to get fixed is the running game. Not sure whether it's all on Matt Forte, but some of the reasons for the Bears not being able to run the ball is on the offensive line. Heard a line today on 670 AM The Score out of Chicago and it was a good one. "Run the ball and you can protect your quarterback." That was obvious last night because Jay was scrambling out of the pocket most of the night.
One area that did shine was the tight ends. Both Desmond Clark and my boy Greg Olsen (my fave player) were big targets for Jay all night.
Everything has to come together next week on the road against the Bengals in what is being dubbed the "Benson Bowl" as the Bears get a chance to see their former first round pick Cedric Benson. He's doing well in Cincy and should be fun to see again. (I have him in fantasy, too so might need him to have a somewhat decent game).



Other Bears news from over the weekend was the Bears trading for defensive end Gaines Adams, whom the Bears traded a 2010 second round draft pick to Tampa Bay for. Makes sense, most of the brain trust in this organization has roots in Tampa under Tony Dungy, and he was a guy they drafted as the No. 4 overall selection in 2007. He was introduced at Halas Hall today (Video) and the stories are already coming back from Alex Brown and Adewale Ogunleye, the incumbent defensive ends that are going to be pushed.
Personally, I like the move. It gives them some depth at the position. But one question I do have is I thought they needed a linebacker not an end on defense. If Pisa Tinoisamoa's injury is severe, there may be a problem there. I'm not panicking just yet, but I'm concerned.

From the Bears to former Bears. Yesterday, former Bear Dante Wesely made an ass of himself with this ridiculous hit on Clifton Smith of the Panthers. Saw it today on my boy Jerrett's Facebook page (I was in the middle of Sunday Funday when it went down). So this was jaw dropping. Wesely got ejected from the game and today word came down he got a one-game suspension. Heres' the hit.



In another former Bears "great" being caught in a pickel. Read this today that Bernard Berrian, now with the Vikings was in a bit of trouble for a Tweet he sent out last week that featured a naked woman in a shower. Well problem with that is (other than the obvious) was that he said he was trying to send a pick from the Chinese restaurant and had just taken a suki bomb. Check that story I linked to. Sarah is pretty funny and I actually like her "artist's rendering" of the photo. Haha.

Now we've finally arrived at the Nussie Hunter portion of the broadcast. Came across the list today of the Top 100 most searched women on the Internet (Link to the Top 10). The usual suspects are on the list, but the order was a bit not what you would have thought. At No. 1 is (one of my faves) Mandy Moore!!! I've been of fan of hers for some time and was super excited that she showed up as Vinny Chase's "Aquagirl" in Entourage a couple seasons back. Why do I like her? Simple. She's smart and she shows it by not needing to take the slutty route to look hot. She's funny, otherwise she wouldn't have been in like half a season of Entourage with the boys. Seems like I need a third and I will say that her looking better as a brunette over the blonde look, wins it for me. Without further ado. Ms. Moore!

Not about revenge for the Bears against "Matty Ice"

The Bears take over Georgia Dome in Atlanta Sunday night and it is a game some are saying the Bears are trying to get revenge for from last year's disappointing loss, 20-19 against the Birds after Kyle Orton led a drive that ended in a touchdown with 23 seconds left. Lovie has made it clear it's not about revenge this year and he's right. What can be changed from that game? The defense kept Matt Ryan and Michael Turner quiet for the most part.
Well, the defense looks a bit different this time around, thanks in most part to injuries. Either way, the confidence is there from that game to build on. You know, it's not just because I'm a Bears fan that I think they can do the same this year.
Nick Roach looks like he'll be the guy that gets the starting job at middle linebacker with Hunter Hillenmayer out and Garrett Wolfe will backup Matt Forte in the backfield with Adrian Peterson on the shelf.
One of the key matchups in this one is going to be Charles "Peanut" Tillman agains the Falcons' Roddy White. He's become the guy the Bears put on the opponent's No. 1 receiver and I see Lovie doing the same again. He's got the size and speed and overall ability to shut him down. Look for that one while you listen to Chris Collinsworth ramble on and on Sunday night.
And I can't write a Bears preview story without saying that Jay Cutler is going to do well. There's a story in today's Sun Times about the Bears waiting for Cutler and Greg Olson (whom I predicted would make the Pro Bowl) to click. I say, give it time.
Right now, Jay is gelling well with Earl Bennett, Johnny Knox and Devin Hester. You know, those receivers everyone said wouldn't amount to much. Defenses are taking away Greg and Desmond Clark. In time the tight end will be there. Speaking of Desmond Clark, be sure to check out his blog, here.
Another big matchup is the Bears defensive line getting pressure and stopping Turner. They are better than the stats would lead you to believe and are getting their chances. The ends, Alex Brown and Adewale are playing well. So just be ready for them.
My prediction: This is a close one, but Bears win the trenches and the game, 24-20.

Here we go, my Friday NFL picks. Winners in bold (pretty simple, I know).
Texans @ Bengals
Lions @ Packers
Ravens @ Vikings
Giants @ Saints
Panthers @ Bucs
Chiefs @ Redskins
Rams @ Jaguars
Browns @ Steelers
Cardinals @ Seahawks - (Hasselbeck's mom 16-0 when she attends games!)
Eagles @ Raiders
Bills @ Jets
Titans @ Patriots
Bears @ Falcons
Broncos (21) @ Chargers (17)

You know the worst feeling in sports? Wanting to high-five a teammate and no one is around. That's what Badgers QB Scott Tolzien experienced last week. Ha!



Today is boss' day. So what better than to pay tribute to two awesome bosses. How about the Big Boss Man! Dude was bad ass in his prime and was a force to be reckoned with in the WWF. Loved him kicking ass and taking names.



He was a good boss, but how about another awesome boss? "Angela, Mona, Jonathan!?!?"



That was pretty sweet, but this may just be sweeter. The Nussie Hunter was interested in buying an NFL team and he may have found one to latch onto. Not sure if you heard that Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas is looking to buy a stake in the Miami Dolphins. How would you like to have this as your owner? Hmmm....

Yes Yes (Or CC!) Yanks ready to roll!

Yesterday I made my NLCS prediction (Didn't fare so well tonight, but a great game no less) so now it's time for the ALCS.

As a huge Brewers fan who soaked up the playoff run in 2008, I can't root against CC (In English that's YES YES) Sabathia. Dude is a folk hero in Brew Town. Even though he now pitches for the Yankees, I can't see any reason why he should lose. OK, it helps that my best dudebro, Vaughan, has brought me over to the Dark Side for the Playoffs.
That said, I'm impartial on these picking the winners things since my team is not in the running. I really like both teams. Like the NLCS, the two best teams are playing each other, which doesn't always happen. That means we should be treated to some great baseball starting tomorrow night at NEW Yankees Stadium.
I'll make this short and sweet, because I'm not going to tell you anything you don't already know. Both teams are deep offensively, but I think the Yankees can bring the arms and have one thing the Angels do not and that's a closer. They might just have the best in the business when it comes to shutting down games in the playoffs in Mariano Rivera. That could be the difference.
The pick: Yankees in 6.

Staying on the baseball trip, I'll introduce you to a blog that I find rather entertaining and on my wavelength, Miller Park Drunk. Today's post was rather awesome, busting on the one Brewers beat reporter that evokes any emotion at all. And a negative one Anthony Witrado. Being a prep sports reporter myself, I've ran into the guy on occasion before he got the second Brewers reporter gig and the guy is a tool. Take a look at this. Just because it's not Brewers season doesn't mean we have to stop busting on "Retardo."

Now to some pop culture bits. I'm sure you were watching "Balloon Boy" fly over Colorado today in awe. Well, so we thought. Turns out the little high flyer, aptly named Falcon, was in the attic the whole time. Eesh! The family is no stranger to TV as they've appear on the Fox show "Wife Swap." Take a look at this awesomely bad music video the boys shot. Don't know whether it's good or bad.



OK, now time for the Nussie Hunter portion of my little dog and pony show. Continuing what I started yesterday, I'm picking the hottest WAG on the two teams. While I'd probably say Minka Kelly takes that cake, I've already used her in this space, so I had to go to my 1B option and that would have to be Kate Hudson, who is having A-Rod's baby. Yeah, she's smoking. Enjoy it!

Time for the 'Great One' to shine!

Yes, it's the middle of football season, but I'm still a big baseball fan and this weekend starts the League Championship Series. Today' I'll give some looks to the NLCS today since it starts Thursday and the ALCS tomorrow in time for its Friday start night.

Let's look at the NLCS. It's the Phillies and Dodgers in what many are calling the "right two teams" to be in this spot. Having seen both teams pummel the Brewers at Miller Park this year, I'll go along with that. (The Cardinals certainly don't enter that discussion!)
I'm not going to tell you something you don't already know, but there is some good stuff over on Deadspin.com, previewing the series here, in a rather funny style.
For me the series comes down to the big-time players. Yeah, that guy at the top of the page needs to do his thing for the Dodgers if they want to overcome the studs the Phillies are going to show them. I'm saying this one comes back to Philly for that reason alone. The Phills have too good of pitching to let the Dodgers get out in four our five games.
That means this one ends in Philly and at that point it's anyone's series. I'm still liking the Dodgers, though. Joe Torre is too good and too smart and as good as Jerry Manuel is, Joe finds a way to beat him.
My pick: Dodgers in seven. Should be a great series!



My next feature is a bit of a somber note. The world lost one of its best entertainers today in Captain Lou Albano. Read this story from Newsweek.com and I must say it is right on. He was always a bit weird to watch. I mean as a young kid, you don't know what to think about guys like that. But as I grew older and had a chance to go back and read and watch things about that period, he was a wild man and was awesome.
Albano went beyond the ring with what he did in pop culture. He's linked to a Cyndi Lauper video (Girls just want to have fun) and played Super Mario, too. He was just a real like cartoon character. A 12-bell salute to you Captain Lou!

For some uplifting, it's time for the Nussie Hunter portion of the broadcast. I'm going to give you a reason to pick one team in the NLCS to root for here. Was combing the Web to day and hit up Co-Ed Magazine.com's WAGs of the NLCS and I found this. Her name is Heidi Strobel and she is the mother of Cole Hamels' newborn child. She's appeared in Playboy and is an alum of Survivor. This is why I'm torn!

With the Bears off, former Bears shine

The Bears were off yesterday, which threw my whole Sunday ritual out of whack. Anyway, I still got in plenty of viewing of some good ball and I was happy to see some former Bears come through for their new teams.
The biggest one to do so was Kyle Orton, who was part of that HUGE trade that brought Jay Cutler to town.
Orton was masterful (he's my fantasy QB, so I still have his back) in leading the Broncos (hold your thoughts on those throwback unis, please) on the comeback trail in the final moments of regulation. Peter King made Orton the subject of his Monday Morning Quarterback column on SI.com and he was right on. In the column, Peter equated what Orton is doing to what Tom Brady did when Drew Bledsoe went down, which was a Super Bowl no one saw coming. I can't say I can disagree with him at this point. Read the column and you'll become a believer. As a guy who's quarterback is probably one of the most hated guys in Denver (Did you watch the preseason game?), I'm rooting for them to come out of the AFC.

The other former Bear to excel yesterday was Cedric Benson who is now with the Bengals. Benson was a bust in Chicago. So much so they've coined the "Enis Line" phrase and he was far below it. But hey, he got a new beginning and he is making the most of it. And to that I congratulate him. He was also mentioned in King's column as the first rusher to gain 100 yards against the Ravens since the 2006 season. That's a hat tip right there.

We'll get the NFL bits I have for you out of the way, now because I have some baseball for you.
Did you see Owen Schmidt yesterday of the Seahawks? Dude is a certifiable lunatic and he showed it before the game. Take a look...




Another NFL vid from yesterday. Don't need much to lead this one in. Just know Chad Ochocino and Ray Lewis are good friends.





Now to some baseball. The Journal-Sentinel handed out it's grades for the Brewers this weekend. Why so late? Had to talk with some people and experts at certain positions. They got them right if you ask me. Here's the team grades. And here's the individual grades.
Tom Haudricourt and that goon Anthony Witrado pick out what the team needs to do in the team grade story and I agree with most of what they have to say. It's unclear who the team will target in trades and free agency, but we're on the same page.
Also out today, I got on an E-mail from the Brewers (I'm on the mailing list) and it was an open letter from owner Mark Attanassio. Dude is a class act and the letter was very pleasing to this hardcore fan. Take a look at it here and judge for yourself.
Has me thinking that it's going to be a busy offseason and an exciting one that should see the team make moves to improve the pitching and get this team back into the playoffs. (Which I'll try my best to be there for, again!)

OK, staying on baseball, I was very happy to see the Cardinals get sent home by the Dodgers this weekend. On that issue, I found this oldie, but a goodie photo of Nicolette Sheridan. Not a fan of her husbund (That no singing prick Michael Bolton), but hey, I like the tights and her shirt.
Here ya go!

Time to turn up the heat on the Brewers!

Apologies for the lack of blogs this week, but I'm back and I got some big things to talk about on this Friday. Watching postseason baseball without the boys from the Brew City has me contemplating what they should do, so we'll start there.

It wasn't 24 hours from the last game of the season and the Brewers had already made a splash by resigning the all-time saves leader, Trevor Hoffman, to a one-year deal with a mutual option for 2011. (You can watch this to get your Trevor Time fix until April 5) That was a move that solidifies the back end of the bullpen and could help open some guys up for moves the team seems poised to make this offseason and I must say Milwaukee is happy to see it.

Per GM Doug Melvin's and Assisitant GM Gord Ash's end of season press conference the team looks set to do some dealing this offseason with the intention of shoring up the starting rotation. Here's Tom Haudricourt's story from the Journal-Sentinel in which Tom asks flat out if that means trading either Ryan Braun or Prince Fielder. The answer: "Almost anything."
Yeah, good move. They know it was a problem and here's how I see it shaking down.
Let's start with that starting rotation.
It looks like Braden Looper is not going to be back (he had a team option for 2010). Sorry, you set a team record for home runs allowed in a season and things must change. And it sounds like Jeff Suppan and his $12.5 million salary is going to have to compete to be the No. 5 starter. The fact that he's not cemented into the rotation shows the team realizes the window is closing and has to shore things up.
That leaves Yovanni Gallardo, Manny Parra and Dave Bush and I'd have to say they should be in the rotation. The team does need to find a No. 2 and push Manny to the No. 3 and maybe find a No. 5 to keep Dave in as the No. 4 pitcher. I'd be comfortable with that.
Got a great list on MLBTradeRumors.com on the full free agent class this year (They list by each position, so scroll down and you'll see it) and it's not that impressive. But take a look and let me know what you think is out there.
I'm guessing they sign one of those guys for sure to be the No. 5 and try to get a No. 2 via trade. Can't go too crazy on who is acquired, but I'm going to make a safe guess that J.J. Hardy is on the trading list for sure and Corey Hart might be expendable. Ash and Melvin both made it clear at the press conference Wednesday they are going to have to entertain the idea of dealing some of the prospects which includes Mat Gamel and Angel Solome. If Game stays, great, but he might be learning a new position in the spring since mighty Casey McGehee has third base covered.
To position players, Braun and Fielder and definitely staying. It's been made clear that Alcides Escobar will be the shortstop to start the season and Rickie Weeks will be at second base. The rest of the lineup is in a bit of limbo.
Corey Hart struggled this year and Mike Cameron is a free agent. While he said he would take a pay cut to stay in town, the Brewers have not voiced one way or another an intent there. They did look into trading him last year to the Yankees for Melky Cabrera. I'd say if they can get him for $7.5 million, DO IT. He's a clubhouse guy and keeps everything together, plays stellar defense and you know what you are getting with him in center.
Corey looks like he's going to be bunched in with J.J. and used for trade bait. Let's hope it's for the best because he's looked lost at times at the plate. I'm not sure what you do for right field. I liked what I saw out of Frank Catalanotto at the end of the season and Jason Bourgeouis is a guy with amazing speed that can be trouble on the bases. Not to mention Section 223 does a damn good "BOOOG" ... "WAHHHH" chant every time he comes to the plate!
The infield is set except for catcher and I would like to see them do a couple of things there. I like Mike Rivera, but am not sure he's an everyday player. Why not bring in a guy, maybe a lefty to give you some diversity, and have them compete in the spring and maybe platoon them to start the year and when one gets hot, ride him for as long as you can before giving guys personal catchers. Could work and keeps both guys healthy.
I don't have all the answers. What do you guys think?

OK, moving onto my NFL picks. I was made aware my links did nothing for you guys on Fridays, so changing the format a bit. Here we go. Plain and simple, winner is in bold. These are all straight up.
Browns @ Bills
Steelers @ Lions
Cowboys @Chiefs
Vikings @ Rams
Raiders @ Giants
Bucs @ Eagles
Redskins @ Panthers
Bengals @ Ravens
Falcons @ 49ers
Jaguars @ Seahawks
Texans @ Cardinals
Patriots @ Broncos
Colts @ Titans
Jets (24) @ Dolphins (13)

Next I got a couple of videos. My boss really liked this one and the kid was on "Ellen" talking about it. He's 4 years old and was awesome with the Herb Brooks speech from the movie "Miracle."



Next up is nothing sports related, but still pretty sweet. Just watch and think, yeah, I would!



Ok boys and girls, it's time for the Nussie Hunter. Complex.com did is doing an assortment of lists recounting the "Best of the 2000s" and they just published their "Women" Top 100. The list is pretty good. But I've been looking for a reason to have Scarlett Johansson grace this space and when she ranks among the reader's Top 5, that's good enough for me. Take a look at her page, then check this! Beyonce was No. 1 on their list while Scar Jo was at No. 3. Hmmm....

Could you call that a Flying Jay-bird?

Hello all. I'm back after a big of a long weekend, had to run to catch Favreapalooza last night, so I'm back.
Let me first chime on in the big Bears win Sunday afternoon. I was sober enough to recount all of the game and the first half left something to be desired. The defensive play was horrible. Twenty-one points in the first half is way too much to give up to anyone, let alone the Lions.
Just as the Bears had done in the first half of the previous two wins, the third quarter was where they tore the heart out of opponents. All thanks to a little thing Lovie and the coaches call "coach 'em up."
As this story, from Monday's Chicago Tribune said, the Bears made two big coach decisions that paved the way for change. The first was on the opening kickoff of the second half as Johnny Knox went 102 yards for a touchdown. That's a hat tip to special teams coach Dave Toub.
The other adjustment was one I was calling for in the first half as Calvin Johnson shredded the Bears' secondary for 5 catches and 119 yards. At halftime, Lovie made the move to have Charles Tillman shadow him to whichever side he went on and it ended up paying off as Johnson had just 3 catches for 14 yards.
In fact, the defense as a whole was on in the second half, especially the defensive line, which gave position coach Rod Marinelli the game ball in helping beat his old team (you know the one he led to an 0-16 record last year).
Jay Cutler was not overly impressive on this day, but he was good enough and didn't do anything to lose the game for the Bears. Plus, he made an amazing dive into the endzone (above) which looked a lot like the John Elway play from Super Bowl 31 against the Packers. (Yes the Elway comparisons must continue).



And I'm checking on Tuesday so I figured I'd weigh in on this Brett Favre BS. I'll make it short and sweet, I swear.
I thought Brent, I mean Brett, looked rather good. He was on point in this one. He made the big play when he needed to and that led to the win. His offensive line was on point and that was probably the biggest difference. To me it looked like Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers was going to make Favre beat him and not let Adrian Peterson do it.
The one play I thought Favre messed up on was an attempt at a 40-yard bomb with 3 minutes left that stopped the clock with an incomplete pass instead of taking 40 more seconds off the clock. Aside from that I thought he and Aaron Rodgers were rather even, minus what the stats will tell you (Rodgers does have more yards).
Rodgers was doing it with a downright AWFUL offensive line. I do not know where the Packers coaching staff got off saying these guys were ready to play during training camp and the preseason because both tackles have been worked through four games.
As a Bears fan, I thought we saw enough from both teams to get a good gameplan together and see how one would go about exploiting them.

I'm a little late on this, but with Rio de Jenero winning the 2016 Summer Olympics hosting bid, I thought it would be great to show this here. One of Brazil's own, Giselle, is doing a celebratory dance. No, this is not the Nussie Hunter, I have something big planned for you there.



NOW, it's time for the Nussie Hunter portion of the blog. I wanted to do this yesterday, but couldn't get one up. It's still good though. Allow me to introduce you to Natalin Acvi (Follow her on Twitter). She is smoking hot and was asked to pose for a photoshoot with new L.A. Laker Ron Artest. (He actually set it up for himself, actually, which is a baller move if you ask me). It was actually featured on SI.com's Hot Clicks and it made her the No. 1 trending topic on Google yesterday. Asking who she is? Well, she's starting in the movie Couple's Retreat which comes out this week. Enjoy this and additional photos, here.

The Lions' feel-good story ends at Soldier Field

So the Detroit Lions won their first game since 2007 last Sunday, ending a 19-game losing streak. Let's be real, this is nothing near the 0-16 Lions team that played last season. In fact, as I read today in the Chicago Tribune, there are 31 new players on the 53-man roster and of the 22 starters, 15 did not start on opening day last year.
Yeah, these Lions are better, but that doesn't mean a Bears team that is a bit dinged up is going to become the next victim in line and help them move to 2-2 on the year. I'm sorry, but that's not going to happen. Someone's got to play the bad guy and I'm fine with it being the Bears Sunday on the Lakefront at Soldier Field.
The way the Bears have won the last two weeks, is leading me to believe they are doing just enough to get the wins and at this point of the year when kinks are still being worked out, that's all that matters.
Helping the cause is the fact that the Lions won last week. There is no way now the words that come out of the coach's mouth "You can't overlook any team" fall on deaf ears. That got the players' attention and Sunday, Jay Cutler and his offense is going to get it done.
The Bears need to get this running game on track and Sunday would be the perfect time to do it. Just grind it out against this team and show them who the class of the NFC North is while the Packers and Vikings get ready to beat the tar out of each other Monday night.
Here's some game links for you heading into Sunday's game.
Rod Marinelli looking ahead not at past
Nick Roach likely to start (As I wrote here the other day)
Forget Past; Briggs present
Bears not expecting easy prey out of Stafford

In other NFL news, there are some players that will, for the rest of the month be donning pink gear in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Greg Olsen of the Bears is one of them and he got Jay Cutler on board with the mission, as well. Good stuff.
Chad OchoCinco is also pulling out the pink. He's going all the way, getting almost everything he can possibly find pink to wear for Sunday. Take a look at his TwitPics he's posted. And don't forget to follow him on Twitter!

I've finalized my picks for Week 4. Here they are. Take a look and let me know what you think! Last week I only missed on three and had the Lions picked to beat the Redskins!

Some baseball news for you. Saw this video on Deadspin.com of Joe Mauer allegedly tipping signs. Take a look and read the follow-up on the issue. Of course, they are not coming clean or saying they are indeed stealing signs.

Now to the Nussie Hunter feature of the day. Back when I started this blog, I featured the Maxim Hometown Hotties Search. Well, time is running out to vote for the winner as they have narrowed it down to the Top 10. Well, I've got my pick. Don't let the Stevie name fool you. This girl is a winner! She needs to send fan mail to wilbersway@gmail.com now!