Spellman's Scorecard: Big difference between Cubs, Bears

Reality bites:Don't you wish the new GM in Lake Forest would have the freedom to come in and do to the Bears what North Side Theo is doing to the Cubs?Ain't going to happen.Not with the approval of the head coach seemingly being a prerequisite to getting the job.Refresh my memory:How did Mike Quade's interview of Theo go last fall?Oh, that's right, there wasn't one. Because that's not how it works.Big Z:Sure, he was combustible on the mound, at the plate, in the dugout and sometimes in the clubhouse as well #8230; that can never be denied, but regardless of how you view Carlos Zambrano, you have to admit he was a one-of-a-kind athlete.When he came to the plate, people paid attention. Still wonder what kind of numbers he would've put up if he played every day.(Oh) brothers in arms:Somewhere, Mark Buehrle just let out a big sigh.Never a dull moment:From a reporter's perspective, you have to be a little jealous of the Marlins beat reporters. With Ozzie Guillen and Big Z, they will never, ever, ever have an empty notebook.Lucky bastages!BTW:I'd still take Big Z against any other MLB player straight up in an MMA-style fight.Never never on a Sunday:How weird was New Year's Day without the Rose Parade in the morning and #8230; nothing but NFL games the rest of the day?Just didn't seem right.George McCaskey:You blew your chance to win over Bears Nation.But the good news is now we're all super clear on the Bears' organizational structure.Yeah, that's what we really wanted to hear from you.3-day forecast:Alabama 24, LSU 21.A simple plan:Everyone it seems, myself included, thinks the Bears should promote Mike Tice to offensive coordinator #8212; just seems so logical.So that probably ensures it won't happen.Question:How in the world did the Bulls lose to Golden State?50-50 proposition:Since home playoff teams lately have won just barely over half their games, why not follow the trend?Bengals and Steelers on the road and the Saints and Giants at home.A simple plan II:Problem: Bulls point guards Derrick Rose and C.J. Watson each have issues with their elbows.Solution: Two words #8212; elbow pads.Bowl games, Shmowl games:Give me the Winter Classic. Any. Time.But c'mon people!!Another fan-on-fan incident following the game in Philadelphia? Just because someone wore a Rangers jersey?Really??Losing a legend:Horse racing lost a great one this week with the passing of longtime racing writer and handicapper Elmer Polzin, father of Arlington Park racing secretary Chris Polzin, at age 86.Equation:Shane Day = Mark Riggins.And boom goes the dynamite:Perhaps the only good to come out of the Daniel Carcillo suspension is now he'll have more time to work on his radio gig.mspellman@dailyherald.com