Spellman’s Scorecard: Bears GM positively special

Wow:If Phil Emery likes you, he really, really likes you.And even if he doesn#146;t, or you#146;re not in the plans for next year, you#146;d still walk away feeling good about yourself after hearing him talk Thursday.Pretty impressive trait.Check the resume:He#146;s gotta be an Up with People alum, right?But seriously:That was some news conference #151; well, at least the opening half-hour when the Bears#146; GM came out firing on all cylinders.The undercard:Tim Jennings has a heck of a season and Matt Slauson puts together a quietly effective year and both are rewarded with four-year contracts.Sadly, they will be little more than footnotes on this historic day for Jay Cutler and the Bears.Meanwhile:#147;Shea#146;s good enough, he#146;s smart enough, and, doggone it, people like him.#148;Yeah, not really.Some perspective:Cutler: 7 years, $126 million.Alfonso Soriano: 8 years, $136 million.BTW:How in the world did Cutler#146;s signing not leak out?That#146;s almost unheard of.Paying attention, Theo?Take-aways:One or both safeties, Peanut, Peppers, Podlesh and perhaps Mel Tucker are goners.No question who I#146;d miss most: Peanut.Peppers like Paulie?What if the Bears brought back Peppers in the football equivalent of Paul Konerko#146;s role, with a similar percentage of salary reduction?Not gonna happen, is it?Question:How many Bears from this season will be Bucs next season?Still bummed:That Jim Schwartz was fired.He#146;s to the Lions what Jerry Burns was to the Vikings.Yeah:You haven#146;t thought about Jerry Burns in awhile, have you?In other news:Luol Deng returned to the lineup and scored a team-high 16 points as the Bulls fell to #133; yeah, I#146;m sorry, I just can#146;t go on with this.The Philibuster:It#146;s now Hour 19 and Emery has switched topics to the Dick York/Dick Sargent debate.Next on the agenda:Why Granville Waiters was a quality backup, and what really caused the demise of One-Hour Martinizing.Wait, what?Lesson learned:I feel bad for any reporters at Halas Hall who were debating whether or not to use the washroom before Thursday#146;s PhilFest #133; but opted not to.The numbers:The Winter Classic from the Big House got a 2.9 overnight rating, tying it with the 2009 edition at Wrigley Field.Don#146;t look now:But the Wolves have won five of their last six games.It was only a matter of time before John Anderson got them rolling.The voice equation:John Groce = #147;Ferrall On The Bench.#148;Discuss.Or not.Think Spring:Only 51 days until the Daytona 500.Check, check two:Alright, any questions for Matt Slauson?Anyone?Hello?mspellman@dailyherald.com