Can Da Bears win it all? It’s possible
I can’t remember the last time I felt so encouraged as a Chicago Bears fan.
Oh, yeah — I’m bearing down this year.
I am hearing all kinds of predictions from the peeps on everyone from Tim Tebow to the Atlanta Falcons. But a team that will be relevant in the postseason this year will be the Bears — or should I say “Daaaaa Bears”?
Brandon Marshall and Jay Cutler look like they’ve done this before, and there doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of issues in this camp from what we have heard.
Let me first say I have been harder on the Bears than any other team, probably because growing up loving the blue and orange made me expect and demand more from them.
They say you always hurt the one you love, but you can’t hurt this team. The head coach, Lovie Smith, may be stoic, but it’s my belief he is as capable as any coach in the NFL.
There are no distractions, except football-related injuries like Brian Urlacher’s knee. Hopefully he will be healthy enough, and with a surprise or two within the playing ranks maybe we can expect some noise to be made in the playoffs.
White Sox still looking goodOur White Sox had hit a speed bump with 3 straight losses to the Kansas City Royals over the weekend. They haven#146;t struggled or slumped that much this year, so I#146;m hoping we will make some hay while they are home, starting off with the New York Yankees. Expect some good energy and play in this series. I#146;m not worried. Like I said a few weeks back, the Tigers don#146;t seem to want it. After Justin Verlander, can the Tigers ride the wave with a staff featuring Max Scherzer, Rick Porcello, and other average pitchers? If Detroit had what it takes, they would have grabbed it by now. They are the paper Tigers. While the Sox have struggled and were .500 over the last 10 games through the weekend, Detroit has only won four of 10. The Sox have only a slight lead, but I still feel good about our chances.Amazing Derek JeterI remember a few years back people debating whether the Yankees should re-sign Derek Jeter. Well, the amazing Jeter is still getting it done, and with amazing regularity at his age.The Yankees captain has 17 seasons of 150 hits or more. This consistency is mind-boggling. Plus, he#146;s is a good guy and fun to watch. One of the few Yankees I really like!Big Dummy of the WeekThe big Dummy of the Week award goes to Chad Johnson, but it was a tight race with Melky Cabrera with the fake steroids story after testing positive. Cabrera got a 50-game suspension while Johnson may have lost his entire career with his reality-TV based marriage and domestic violence charges. Scratch that #151; they are both big dummies.ŸMike North#146;s column appears each Tuesday and Friday in the Daily Herald, and his video commentary can be found Monday, Wednesday and Thursday at dailyherald.com. For more, visit northtonorth.com.