No reason for Bears to give in on this one

At least when Lovie Smith tried to back the Bears into a corner, the head coach had the most valuable negotiating tool possible on his side.

He had the Bears terrified of a massive public-relations problem just after the Super Bowl, and he ran over them like he was driving Adrian Peterson's truck through the Bears' defense.

But it's difficult to understand why they're afraid of Brian Urlacher.

Even if they're called cheap by the fans and media, the Bears ought to hold firm on this one.

They've already taken very good care of Urlacher, and he apparently was very happy with the $56 million deal he signed prior to the 2003 season.

Now, just barely halfway through the nine-year contract, he's gone all Scottie Pippen on the Bears.

Look, Urlacher has been a spectacular player here and has earned every penny he's been paid thus far, but it's unlikely he's going to get better at this point in his career, and there's every reason to fear he'll begin to slow down.

Many believe it's already occurred.

He's got a bad back and a bad neck and even if healthy he's collected eight years of NFL beatings, which means he has exceeded expectations by playing at such a high level for this long.

The Bears paid him in advance for what he was going to do, a smart move to be sure, but they're under no obligation to pay him more now, not when he's signed through 2011.

He's not going to skip games and paychecks, and he can't leave for another four years. By then, he'll be 33 years old and a 12-year veteran.

They have nothing to fear but a little bad press, and they can save the money and cap space for players who are going to need it as the Bears embark on yet another rebuilding process.

The Crede Files

White Sox GM Kenny Williams had no public reaction to comments from Joe Crede's agent, Scott Boras, in Wednesday's Daily Herald.

Boras said he's willing to speak to the White Sox any time they want to talk about Crede, and, "I will listen to anything Kenny Williams has to say.''

In response, Williams said only that, "I will have no comment on this the entire season.''

White Sox fans can hope that means Crede will be here the entire season, but as Williams said of that on Opening Day, "He's in the lineup today.''

So the possibilities are numerous, but if the White Sox remain in contention through July, you have to believe the Sox will keep Crede and try to win the World Series with him, as they did with Paul Konerko in 2005, ultimately signing Konerko a month after they swept Houston.

You also have to think the Sox will make at least one more run at trying to sign Crede once they determine him to be completely healthy.

As for how that will play out, stranger things have happened.

Mark Buehrle seemed to be a goner for certain last June, but the Sox signed him on July 8. Konerko also looked to be on his way to California when owner Jerry Reinsdorf, at the last minute, agreed to an extra year at $12 million.

So anything's possible, but obviously the Sox won't set any new standards or do anything they believe handcuffs them in the future.

However, they do love Crede and he loves playing for the fans, who also love Crede. That's an awful lot of love for a few dollars to get in the way.

As long as everyone's willing to compromise.

The line

While I confess to having promoted the idea of Tiger Woods winning the grand slam before he'd even swung a 3-iron in anger three months ago, this has gotten completely out of hand.

Woods is now 5-1 to win all four majors this year. For some perspective, consider that Phil Mickelson is the second choice to win the Masters at 10-1, and Vijay Singh is third at 18-1.

For any human, the number would be 10,000-1 to win all four, and even for Tiger it ought to be 200-1.

Let the insanity begin.

The quote

Phil Mickelson, on whether he's gone to a shorter putter: "No, but I've grown a little bit, so it just looks shorter.''

Degree of difficulty

Mike Bianchi of Orlando Sentinel: "The big news in Jose Canseco's new book is that A-Rod tried to hit on Canseco's hot wife. Wow, now there's a revelation. I can hardly wait for book No. 3 where it is revealed that Derek Jeter borrowed Canseco's pitching wedge and didn't give it back."

Derek Spalding-ing

Greg Cote of the Miami Herald: "David Beckham got his first goal for the Los Angeles Galaxy as Major League Soccer opened its 13th season. Quick: Name another player in the league. I dare you!"

Rushing roulette

OK, now answer honestly: After you were disturbed to find the Bulls on CSN, how many more shots did you take Wednesday night before you located the Cubs and the White Sox?

Best headline

Sportspickle.com: "70-6 team mathematically eliminated from NBA Western Conference playoffs.''

And finally …

Foxsports.com's Mark Kriegel: "Question for Giants GM Brian Sabean: how do you give a $126 million contract to a guy whose fastball tops out at 84 mph? Turns out the only thing as overrated as Barry Zito was SEC basketball."