North: Kershaw not a money player yet
Oh baby, it's time for some more random thoughts.
• Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw is 12-6 and on fire right now. He has been Cy Young-like, winning his last seven starts, but it's all about the postseason and he has a major opponent: himself. I can't call Kershaw a money player until he gets it done in the playoffs!
• I said in a previous column the Chicago Cubs would be average in September. If Jake Arrieta isn't pitching, they don't look like a playoff-bound team, but with a nice cushion for the wild-card (6 ½) they should still be OK. Here's my advice for the players: stay loose and have fun.
• Hey, it's been very quiet at Notre Dame. Is that good news or bad news?
• Mike Matheny should be a strong candidate for manager of the year for the St. Louis Cardinals. He lost his star pitcher, Adam Wainwright, to an Achilles injury, and the Cards didn't skip a beat. Cubs manager Joe Maddon is also a strong contender. Terry Collins of the New York Mets and the Dodgers' Don Mattingly will get some votes, but they have great pitching and they manage to win by staying out of the way.
• The college football season is finally here, and good luck to the Illini, the Northwestern Wildcats, the Northern Illinois Huskies and all the other Illinois schools. Let's hope there is something to shout about this season.
• Scott Van Pelt will debut a new midnight SportsCenter TV show for ESPN on Labor Day. Is that a promotion or a demotion?
• Shoeless Joe Jackson, star of the 1919 White Sox who allegedly participated in throwing the World Series, is not getting into the Baseball Hall of Fame, which means "Hit King" Pete Rose won't either. If Major League Commissioner Rob Manfred had let Jackson in, then Rose's supporters would be much more confident.
• I'll say something positive about the Bears quarterback Jay Cutler … I'd rather have him than Washington QB RGIII.
• I am stepping out with a prediction: The Dallas Cowboys won't make the playoffs.
• If Serena Williams doesn't win the Women's U.S. Open, I'd rate it as one of the top five upsets in sports history. She's that good, and barring injury I expect her to win her fourth Grand Slam this year, making her the first woman since Steffi Graf in 1988.
• The Washington Nationals have six games left against the Mets and a relatively easy schedule for their remaining games. Look for general manager Mike Rizzo and manager Matt Williams to exit together if they don't win this year.
Program notes:
Follow me on Twitter @northtonorth. Tune into The Drive 97.1-FM starting Sept. 13 to The Mike North Sunday Drive Show following every Bears game. Listen to Fox Sports Daybreak with Andy Furman and myself from 5-8 a.m. Monday through Friday on Fox Sports radio, and check me out on iHeart radio or Foxsportsradio.com.
• North'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.