Fixing the Bears: What's the biggest key?

Two days removed now from Jay Cutler's historic interception fest with DeAngelo Hall and things are starting to come out about what the Bears saw and why they went after the former Falcons and Raiders DB.
Mike Martz told WBBM Chicago Hall just "guessed" and they had planned on going after him all game coming in and he guessed right throughout the second half.
Well, that's all fine and dandy, but I guess Jay must have gotten shell shocked with what what going on after the first couple that he could not make the adjustments in his head and make better throws when the rush was around him.
Martz does not throw Cutler under the bus in the interview, and actually talks him up.
Things are pretty clear though heading into the bye week for the Bears. They are ranked No. 5 in total defense and No. 30 in offense. That's why they are 4-3 and still in first place of the NFC North.
Going forward, things need to get better. If there is a way to cinch up the offensive line, that needs to be done. Mike Tice (yes former Vikings coach) runs that unit and to be honest, he's kind of in the same boat as Brewers manager Ken Macha was with pitching. There isn't much help there to work with and guys are just being taken to task. It's not so much they are missing one or two fundamental keys they can work on, it's much more than that with this crew.
But I look back at the Carolina game when the Bears HAD to run the football to get ahead and rely on Matt Forte to get them where they wanted to go. Well, with Jay back from injury, they went right back to a 65-35 pass-run split and at time forgot they had he and Chester Taylor in the backfield. It's been rather disappointing at times. The line showed, if for just a little bit, they could run block. So maybe they need to build some confidence that way and it will lend itself to the pass blocking. I"m just thinking out loud here.
The schedule doesn't lend itself to much more time to figure this out and the losses could start to pile up if things continue to go south in the second half of the season.


Now to turn attention to my other favorite sports team, the Brewers. Word from my guy Tom Haudricourt, is that the Crew has narrowed its list of candidates from eight to four. Only two of the four finalists are known, at the moment, though with White Sox bench coach Joey Cora (above) among them. The other is former D-Backs manager and current Mets scout Bob Melvin (below).
Since we know just two guys, I'm going to talk about those two, one of which I'm pretty high on, the other I'm kind of lukewarm on.
Cora would be coming from Chicago where he has seen how Ozzie Guillen has handled the Sox the last few years. Say what you will about Ozzie, but I'd guess those guys in the clubhouse love him because he gets every single one of those guys as players and can relate to them (after they figure out what he's saying, of course). Cora likely plays a big role in that, too, just a few years removed from being a player himself. That might be the one thing missing with Macha. The guys didn't really get along with him in the clubhouse and didn't really have his back. Makes it rather hard for guys to get motivated after he says something they don't find much sense in.
On the Melvin side, he has been away from the game a bit and his last stint at manager ended with him getting fired into a season and did not really show much after some of his talent went away. I know a coach and manager is only as good as what is around him, but it kind of shows what he really meant for the team: not much.
I'd almost lean toward the fresh face to breathe some life into the position and let the young players flourish. We went the old manager and bringing them back into the game before and he didn't really sync up with Ryan and Prince and it ended badly here. The second interviews are going down as we speak in Milwaukee and GM Doug Melvin, Asst. GM Gord Ash and owner Mark Attanasio are working on the matter. I'm hoping they make the right decision.


Today is opening night in the NBA boys and girls. To be real, I'm not really that into the NBA (but I could go for a game of the new NBA Jam about now). There is one storyline I am watching though, and that is how LeBron James and the Heat will fair this season and how will they be perceived. Early on it looks like the "Evil Empire of the Association" has been born. But with Dwyane Wade and King James being two of the biggest names in the game and with big endorsers, Nike and Jordan can't sit back and let their names be tarnished for long. I'm sure you've seen the ads by now, but here they are for D3 and King James.


And now King James:


We're pretty ACTION PACKED today, but I have one more thing before we get to the Nussies. Today, Oct. 26, 2010, is the 25th anniversary to the date in the first Back to the Future that Doc Emmit Brown is at Twin Pines Mall and has a run in with some Pakistanis. I encourage you to watch it if you call yourself a fan. I know I will be! GREAT SCOTT!

Alright, time for the Nussie Hunter portion of the broadcast. I was on the subject of Jay Cutler earlier and it's well known now that he is dating former The Hills star Kristin Cavallari. Well, she posted on her Twitter the other day that the two of them carved pumpkins. Be sure to check out the photo here (Shouts to BearsGoggleson.com).
I figure since we put one side of the couple at the top of the page, why not put the side you and me would rather look at, here. Then check out more pics of her, here.

In it for titles or just for the money King James?

At this point I'm not sure where LeBron is leaning or what the latest report from some ESPN knucklehead has him going, but I know this, it is a downright joke what this whole NBA free agency thing has turned into. I'm not the biggest NBA fan in the slightest sense (Had you talked to me in 1998 when a certain No. 23 was playing it would be a different story), but I know the teams on the radar are at various ends of the spectrum.
Cleveland is near his childhood home and the place where he is looked at like a God, so I don't see how that can be too far down the list of places for him to go. It is also, in the way the NBA does things, the place that can give him the most money. I don't know enough about the cast LeBron has there, but the Cavs did fall in the Eastern semis last year and didn't really put up much of a fight in getting knocked out the last two seasons so it's safe to say LeBron will need them to get him some help.
The Bulls are on the list and in the news that Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade signed with Miami went out and got Carlos Boozer today as their big man. So, mark that off the list of potential pickups for the Cavs and put it in the category of a maybe for the Bulls. As an outsider, I can't see how he can't play there. You have to remember that LeBron, like me, idolizes Michael Jordan and went so far as to change his number for the upcoming season, giving up that No. 23 in favor of No. 6 because he didn't think any player should wear it because of MJ. Keep the "Michael's shadow" stuff out of it for that factor and with the argument that every storied franchise has to have a line of great players. Plus, Michael owns the Bobcats now.
The Knicks did sign Amar'e Stoudamire, but I'm  not sold that makes them much better. Phoenix tried everything in its power to trade him off in recent years and no one would take him. Plus with D'Antoni in NY the only defense being played at the Garden will be that of courtside security. That's not LeBron's style.
New Jersey thinks it's in the race because they have money and Jay-Z. Well, I'm going to make this fact known, Jay-Z owns 1 more percent of the Nets than me. Note: I don't own ANY part of the Nets. So I'm not sure what he will get LeBron, either.
It comes back to Cleveland or Chicago for me. Chris Broussard of that lame four-letter network said this morning Miami was the front runner, but I'm not sure I can buy that. Yes it's a big three, but why wouldn't they have done everything today in terms of announcing where he was signing. It makes no sense to me in that way.
If he goes to New York or New Jersey, it will be completely about the money and I will lose a lot of faith in what LeBron is trying to do as a player in the NBA. Is he in it for money or winning titles? Both of those teams WILL NOT COME CLOSE TO WINNING A TITLE THIS SEASON! That is a fact.
Cleveland is his home team, so I can't fault him for staying there and I can almost see him taking less money to allow the team to go get a free agent. Chicago is the team that shows the most upside to me and allows him to play his true position and step in and roll. Going to either one of those teams seems like LeBron has his head on straight.
If you tell me it's all about marketing in NY and NJ, you're nuts. What didn't LeBron get in Cleveland that he didn't get in NY in that regard? The only reason he leaves, I feel, is if he sees nothing is going to come around in terms of the front office getting him a supporting cast that would allow him to shine and win an NBA title.


If you're a Brewers fan and have any sort of connections on Facebook or Twitter, you probably already saw that picture there today, but it is begging for me to talk about it.
Adam McCalvy has the details on what the new scoreboard, which I was told will cost $12 million by a Miller Park tour guide earlier this year, will be like next season.
For those, like the Brewers Bar here, who think it is a bit too much, are forgetting a key in what the Brewers brass are doing.
First, that money comes from the stadium fund from the five counties and the sales tax collected, so don't say they should use the money to buy players just yet. Also, it's been in the works for a couple years. Have you seen the current video board? It's antiquated and will not get a tune up this year with the new toy looming for the offseason.
Second, Miller Park has been on the front end of MLB stadiums and pro sports stadiums since it was built. This is the next step in keeping it among the best. Back in the County Stadium days the black and white video board was top of the line for about a month before color was the order of the day and it never got updated. So get the park 1080p and Hi-Def that makes it one of three MLB parks and five professional venues in the country to have one and it is among the elite.
Just look around baseball, like Yankee Stadium, and there isn't much it has that Miller Park doesn't. If anything, Miller Park's roof (minus the leaks) make it the one thing other parks should have. I have been to other parks and back in Milwaukee we have a gem. And I'm not just saying that because I've been to almost 70 games in the last three years at Miller Park. I'd rather they upgrade instead of letting it rot away.


Now finally something we can all agree on. Not sure how many of you have been following the World Cup, but the final is set and it is going to be Spain and the Netherlands. That means Paraguay is out of it. That's disappointing because Larissa Raquelme said she'd run naked through her home country with just body paint covering her if her team won the title. Well, if only you could see the disappointment on my face seeing that she will not be running through the streets with body point. Here's a link to some great photos and a sampling below.

The Good. The Bad. The Ugly: Brewers skid hits 9 games

The Brewers losing streak reached nine games tonight as the bullpen gave up three runs in the final three innings and let the Pirates beat them for the third straight time.
It's a wonder how things can change from the last time the team was in Pittsburgh, which was after that 20-0 win.
Well, that seems forever ago as this team can't really seem to find a way to close out games. The last two days have seen late leads only to have the washed away by an imploding Trevor Hoffman and tonight Todd Coffey couldn't get Randy Wolf out of a jam.
Hoffman has been put on the shelf while he works on his mechanics, which is fine, I guess, but doesn't really solve a lot of problems because there is so much more.
The title of the blog is The Good. The Bad. The Ugly. and I'm going to start with the Ugly.
There is so much wrong with this team one can only point the finger in one direction, the manager.
Whatever buttons Ken Macha is pushing haven't been the right ones. What he's working with the pitchers on with Rick Peterson isn't working either. That's been the biggest problem. Ups and downs are expected, but consistently repeating the mistakes points the finger only at the manager.
Will the pitchers magically turn it around if a move is made, probably not, but whatever personality is with the team needs to be changed. Whether they stay in house with Willie Randolph or Dale Svuem is up in the air. I'd go with Randolph because I think he could really work well with the guys in that clubhouse. But that's just me.


If the ugly is Ken Macha and what he's doing (or not doing) with the pitching staff, namely the starters, then the Bad has to be the trickle down effect that has had on everything else.
Tonight Ryan Braun made one of the dumbest decision I have ever seen him or anyone make on the field. I know third base wasn't covered, but really? La Roche was right behind you. Stay at second and let Prince try to get something going.
The guys are pressing and when you press in the game of baseball, you don't perform. It's weird that way, but that's how it is. Ryan hasn't been awful at the plate, but tonight showed he's trying to make thing happen. Prince has just 18 RBIs right now and can't seem to get going.
Prince had a line after Friday night's loss where he said all the offense can do is hope to outscore the other team. That's basically what it's come to. With that kind of pressure the guys are almost guaranteed to not come through with enough runs to hold up and get wins on a consistent basis.
The uncharacteristic Braun baserunning blunder is just the latest in the guys trying to do too much and falling short. You're saying "It's part of losing." OK, sure. But I'm saying, this team is better than this and shouldn't be losing like this. Yes, good teams have had bad years before, but I'm not sold that the season is already done for my Milwaukee Brewers just yet. I'm hoping before everyone starts seriously clamoring to trade Prince, other moves are made before they send up the white flag of surrender.


There has been one player that has been the good in this sea of awful and his name is Casey McGehee. He had another home run tonight and two more RBIs. His numbers are off the charts this year as he's settling into the No. 5 spot in the lineup behind Prince. Which, before I get into my main point, is pressure in itself. Had he not been producing, Prince's lack of production would be on Casey for not giving the proper "protection" to the slugger.
But Casey has been producing and has he ever. Take a look at how his numbers rank among NL third baseman. He is No. 1 with 37 RBIs, tops in average (.324), second in hits (48, which is one off the lead), second in slugging percentage (.574), second in home runs (9, again, just one off the lead) and second in on-base percentage  at .393 which is just one measily point behind Chipper Jones' .394.
That's off-the charts right there folks. And those 37 RBIs has him ranked second in the entire National League to only Adam Ethier's 38 and he's on the DL. So expect Casey to take the lead sooner rather than later.
Now, if you know me, you know where Casey ranks on my personal list of fave players. But, did I see this coming? No. To be honest, I don't even bet Casey himself saw this type of production coming. He is the only guy on the team hitting the ball all over the yard. With the average up to .324, he and Braun are the two best hitters on the team. Now if only Prince can get it going. Maybe the three of them can carry the team to a few wins and maybe start saving the season.
Finally, be sure to get the vote out so Casey is on that NL All-Star team.

Now to some stuff that hopefully lifts yours (and my) spirits. Did you see this video of some guys that went to the New York Public Library and recreated the scene from Ghostbusters? They were on point with this. Take a look. Damn funny and creative.


Not sure how many follow the NBA playoffs intently, but we are in the conference finals and there was a pretty odd occurance that went down at the Celtics/Magic game the other night. Here's a ref throwing a ball at a fan, then the fan throws it back. The ref then has him removed from the game. Makes absolutely no sense. Take a look for yourself.


It was a sad day for the Nussie Hunter today. Word is out that Megan Fox, one of our faves here at The Way, will not be in Transformers 3. Here's the story, where she says the decision was hers. A bit of a sad turn of events. I know Shia is one of my mancrushes, but they had better find a love interest worthy for the new movie. You hear me Michael Bay?!
In the meantime, this looks like an opportunity to mourn while looking at Megan and her hotness.

Can the National League please win an All-Star Game?!

Who would have thought when it happened in 2002 that it would be the closest the National League would get since 1996. The tie at the Miller Park Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the last time the NL has not lost the Mid-Summer Classic in 13 years and with it being the determining factor in home field for the most important series in the sport, doesn't bode well for the Senior Circuit.
While ratings were down slightly nationwide, it was a hit in Milwaukee, ranking just second in the country to just the host city of St. Louis.

The game itself was a solid game. Kind of a lame statement I know, but it wasn't expected for an All-Star Game. I don't expect scores to be 15-14, but I do expect something like 7-6, not the final of 4-3. When it came down to it, a triple followed by a sac fly turned out to be the difference.
Plus it was kind of odd the guy that won the MVP award and earned a bat for his troubles, did so with his glove, bringing a home run back to the field.

For the Brewers at the game, I have Prince at the top of the page and one night after delivering in the Home Run Derby, he came through in as a pinch hitter with an RBI double that gave the NL the lead at the time.
Ryan Braun played right field for the first time and you say it's not a big difference, but there is a bit of a different feel over there. You get used to where the center fielder is and the atmosphere near the line. Some of what makes the move easier is familiarity with the ballpark and the center fielder.
Then the late addition to the squad, the all-time saves leader, Trevor Hoffman came on and pitched a scoreless seventh inning only to watch the guy that replaced him in San Diego, Heath Bell, gave up what turned out to be the winning run for the AL.
In all, the trio represented well for the Brewers and I hope they get things started well for the second half Thursday.



The other highlight of the night was President Obama throwing out the first pitch. (Here's a look at Barack's day in pictures) I thought it was rather comical that it was one of the items up to select on the ESPN.com game "Streak for the Cash."
First of all, Albert Pujols caught it (which made me a winner), but FOX botched shooting the thing and we had to guess and wait for a second running of the first pitch to see how it went.
Gotta love how the lefty got it there. Some would object to his White Sox jacket, but hey, he's a sports fan and he's from Chicago. I have no problem with it.

Today was the premiere of the new Harry Potter movie and I listened to the Covino and Rich show the other day and they made a big deal about Emma Watson. I'm not a big fan, but hey, to each his own. She's not related to Randy Watson, so I can't get behind her. Haha.

And finally today, ESPN started it's push for the ESPY's this weekend. I must say I'm not into them at all. I'd rather bash my head against a wall, but when I checked out si.com's Hot Clicks today, Erin Andrews got me all excited for the event. Well, excited to see her anyways.
I must missed the fact the other day, she got hit in the face with a foul ball at the Mets-Dodgers game and actually had to go to the hospital. Poor thing. Hope she's OK.



And I lied with this being the finally, as I have a double dose of eye candy today. When I heard Richard Jefferson called off his wedding two hours before the ceremony I wondered what had happened. Turns out the fool still spent his $2 million on the festivities in Atlantic City and even after knowing he wasn't going through with it, passed his AmEx Black Card to his boys for the night. PARTY! So changed my mind. What a loser! Check out Kesha Ni'Cole.



OK boys and girls, now I'm done for today. Hope you enjoy it. Again, if you have anything you think can go here in terms of viral vids and pics be sure to E-mail me at wilbersway@gmail.com. On tap for tomorrow is a look at the Brewers second half. Send your comments my way about the season.