Bears' fortunes changed in an instant

One play by Lance Briggs.

Against Seattle in the playoffs on Jan. 14, 2007, there was Briggs stopping Shaun Alexander on third-and-1 at the Bears' 21 in the third quarter, leading to a Seahawks field goal instead of a potential TD.

And Briggs stuffing Alexander on third-and-1, followed by a stop on fourth-and-1, in a tie game with two minutes left on the Bears' 44.

If Briggs doesn't make any one of those three plays, the Bears lose that game, and head coach Lovie Smith and GM Jerry Angelo might not be here today.

It would have been, in 2006, the second straight season of winning a bad division followed by a quick playoff exit.

Smith wouldn't have been able to hold the Bears up for that contract extension he got after the Super Bowl, and he would have gone into '07 without a contract for 2008.

Angelo would have entered '07 with a contract expiring after 2008.

After a rough second half of '06 with the entire "Rex is our quarterback'' lunacy, and a terrible 2007 with more "Rex is our quarterback'' insanity and not a single playoff win in four years, it's quite possible Smith would have been done in Chicago, Angelo along with him.

Instead, Briggs' heroics saved the game, allowing the Bears to eventually edge an injury-ravaged Seahawks team in OT, and a week later they dumped the dome-duped Saints, and, the ensuing Super Bowl debacle notwithstanding, it led to extensions for Smith (through 2011) and Angelo (through 2013).

And with that leadership, the Bears now find themselves staggering out of a wretched 2007 and toward a scary 2008. If they're lucky and stay healthy, perhaps a .500 record is possible, though most people you talk to aren't that optimistic.

That being the case, Smith and Angelo would be wise to nod in the direction of Lance Briggs every time they see him, never once wondering if Briggs' new contract was deserved.

In fact, a quiet "thank you'' and a pat on the back wouldn't be out of line.

Short circuit

There have been several times this summer, most notably during the two White Sox-Cubs series, that Ozzie Guillen noted how weak the Cubs' schedule was compared to the teams the Sox have to play.

Just his opinion, of course, and one with which many Cubs fans take offense. But there is truth in what Guillen says, and rather than find reason to be aggravated, Cubs fans ought to find strength in Guillen's words.

Especially when they're worried about a columnist jinxing them by talking about a playoff rotation.

Proportional

Response to Thursday's postseason pitching possibilities involving Rich Harden, Ryan Dempster and Carlos Zambrano was long and loud.

An e-mail sampling:

• Todd Doyle: "I think the key is trying to make sure Dempster pitches at Wrigley. The swap of Z and Harden only becomes more important if Z is still underperforming.''

• Greg Bosco: "God, I hate it when you get inside my head like that! Just yesterday I thought about Zambrano and recalled the 1989 playoffs when Andre Dawson was in a funk and Don Zimmer refused to move Dawson down in the order. I think Lou Piniella will do nothing to rock the boat, just like he doesn't send Alfonso Soriano to Baseball 101 class.''

• Randy Lynch: "Z should pitch at home in the World Series. He needs to bat to give the Cubs an extra advantage on offense. It would be a waste to DH for him, and he should not be the DH himself.''

• Nancy Schramm: "My pick is Dempster because he said from the start this team would win the W.S. Give him the ball first. They need to win their first playoff game to completely forget last year.''

• Michael Cross: "You have to think Brandon Webb has a 50-50 shot of winning no matter who he faces. So why not let him face Zambrano and take Dempster vs. (Dan) Haren and Harden vs. (Randy) Johnson, where the Cubs will have a 55-45 edge?''

The good cause

Wolves coach Kenny McCudden will host the Calder Cup at the Crystal (Lake) Ice House on Saturday from 12-5 p.m., while helping to raise funds for William Schlau Jr., a 14-year-old local hockey player seriously injured in a 2007 car accident.

The event is free, but it will feature a silent auction that benefits the Schlau family, which incurred four months of hospital bills and extensive recuperation costs.

For more info, call the Ice House at (815)-356-8500.

Upon further review

Replay in baseball starts with home runs calls, but it won't stop with round-trippers. The can of worms lid is officially exploded, and down the road there's no telling what replays will decide.

Flipping

Comedian Alex Kaseberg: "I don't want to say NBC is desperate to keep those Olympic ratings, but they just changed the name of their sitcom from 'My Name is Earl' to 'My Name is Michael Phelps.' "

Uneven bar

Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel, on the Chinese gym team: "These girls were so young, they danced their floor routine to 'Itsy Bitsy Spider.' ''

And finally-

Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle: "I won't say the Chinese gymnasts were young, but after each routine, their coach wasn't hugging them, he was burping them."

brozner@dailyherald.com