Bears fans could use labor deal, too
With the Bears having lost three of four, talk of a Super Bowl has been replaced once again by dreams of regime change in Lake Forest.
It's a pleasant fantasy that helps pass the time, but it's far from reality at the moment.
And without a labor agreement, it is downright unlikely.
The Bears don't like to pay even one coach, one GM and one team president.
The Bears don't think too highly of paying two coaches, two GMs and two team presidents.
And they certainly don't want to pay two coaches, two GMs and two team presidents if there's no football season in 2011.
Now, I don't know anyone in football who thinks the NFL is truly ready to wipe out an entire season. There's just too much money at stake.
But if the sides don't come to an agreement until after the draft, the Bears will already have in place their management team for 2011, and it's probably going to be the same group.
That means rooting as much for a deal between the players and owners as it does rooting for a terrible end to this season if regime change is what you desire.
So while it's fun to dream of big-name coaches and real football men running the organization, it's merely that right now a dream.
Bearing down
If you're looking for a bright side, consider Sunday when the Bears were getting chewed up and spit out by the Redskins until defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli changed it up.
Rather than the bend-break-and-bend-more philosophy, Marinelli attacked. Tired of watching the Skins dominate, he began blitzing and the pressure seriously bothered Donovan McNabb.
Marinelli turned the game from entirely in the Redskins' favor to the Bears taking control, as they allowed 3 first downs in a stretch of nine Redskins possessions.
With 4:13 left in the second quarter, Washington had a 162-14 advantage in yards. From then until the Skins' final drive when they picked up 37 yards after Jay Cutler's last pick the Bears outgained Washington 308 to 109.
If Lance Briggs is around you have to think Ryan Torain doesn't rush for 125 yards. Throw in Marinelli's adjustments, and it's another strong game for the defense.
Negotiating
The owners want 18 games and that may be when the players ask for expanded rosters and more jobs as a way of guarding against injury. More jobs means more expense for owners, and the fight is on.
Ivan Boldirev-ing
We wish him nothing but the best, but so far Antti Niemi has been horrible in San Jose.
It's still early, but he's proving what most of us suspected all along, that he was the beneficiary in Chicago of a fabulous all-around defensive team last season.
Niemi was bad for the third straight game Sunday and was pulled after just 8:36, giving up 3 goals on 5 shots.
He's dead last in the NHL with an atrocious .854 save percentage.
The good guys
The Wolves are supporting Breast Cancer Awareness Month at their final three home games in October, including Saturday when fans are encouraged to wear pink in a show of solidarity.
The team will be selling pink T-shirts and auctioning off autographed pink sticks used during warmups, with all proceeds going to cancer charities.
For more info, visit chicagowolves.com.
The good guy
Notre Dame boxing champ Mike Lee is working with the Champions for Children's charity event on Nov. 12 to raise money for Children's Memorial Hospital and has donated for the auction a complete travel package with tickets to his next fight at Cowboys Stadium on Nov. 13, when he's on the undercard of the Pacquiao-Margarito title bout.
For more info, visit heroesforlife.org.
The quote
Ozzie Guillen, on the Score's Mully & Hanley Show Tuesday: “(Ryne) Sandberg is a great baseball man and I don't know him personally, but you need to hire a coach to help you win games. After so many years playing in the big leagues and managing for a few years in the minor leagues, I don't see why he can't be a bench coach.”
Make me laugh
Some of David Letterman's Top Ten Reasons To Watch The Baseball Playoffs:
ŸOne lucky viewer will win a free Tommy John surgery.
ŸDo you really need an excuse to sit on the couch and drink beer?
ŸMention my name and you can rebroadcast the game without the expressed written consent of Major League Baseball.
ŸIf you're watching this, you'll watch anything.
Best headline
Sportspickle.com: “Wade Phillips given vote of indifference.”
Piling on
NBC's Jay Leno: “For the second year in a row, people on Social Security will not get a cost-of-living increase. So, more bad news for Brett Favre.”
Public service
E-mailer Bob K.: “If the NFL is serious about reducing head trauma, it would black out the rest of the Bears' games.”
And finally…
Libertyville e-mailer Scott Phillips: “Look for the Bears to employ a variation of the Wildcat formation called the ‘Wild Cutler,' where a Bears safety lines up in the backfield behind Cutler, ready to prevent interceptions from being returned for touchdowns.”
brozner@dailyherald.com