Underdog Bears will be barking

The minute you think you've got the Bears figured out is the exact minute you don't.

At least that's been the pattern the last two years.

Based on that simple formula, which has been an excellent forecast tool the last two years, the Bears should beat the Packers in Green Bay Sunday, regardless of who's at QB.

See, the Bears have taken a pounding this week for their lack of coaching, pass defense, pass offense and general malaise - which is a malady, not the title of their defensive coordinator.

Furthermore, their biggest stars from just a year or two ago have been told they aren't very good anymore.

On top of that, the feeling among many experts is that the Bears can't possibly win as an underdog in Green Bay this weekend. It also has been said that they can't win their division, and if they do, won't win a playoff game.

And whenever there's a crescendo of criticism that reaches this level, the Bears generally fight back, win a game and lash out at everyone who dared to question their talent, heart or intelligence.

It happened a lot last year and a few times already this year.

Before the opener, for example, few gave them a chance to beat Indianapolis, so sure enough, they won that game, crowed about how special they were and blasted all the bad predictions in Chicago.

Of course, whenever they crow, they usually give away a game the next week, as they did in Carolina in Week 2.

But that discussion is for next week.

This is the week to look for Brian Urlacher to do something huge, and for Devin Hester to emerge from witness protection and make a play.

And the Bears should take care of a very beatable Packers team in Green Bay.

That's the forecast for this week.

In Chicago, as you know too well, you never have to wait long for the forecast to change.

Ivan Boldirev-ing

To no one's surprise, Brian Burke is done in Anaheim and headed for Toronto.

If the Blackhawks are interested in Burke as someone who would oversee all hockey operations, they'll have to move fast, which means the timing may not work for them.

Further changes in hockey operations may not come until the spring if the Hawks don't make the playoffs, but by then Burke will have several months under his belt in Toronto.

Long wait over

Bob Murray never had a chance in Chicago.

When you subtract all the time he was supposed to be GM but never had control, he had a little more than a year to do the job before Bob Pulford and Mike Smith submarined him.

Despite constant interference from Pulford and Bill Wirtz - who scotched many a deal that would have brought players such as Brett Hull and Chris Pronger to Chicago - Murray built the Hawks' last postseason team, though he wasn't here to see it.

So he worked his way back and did much of the hard work assembling a Stanley Cup winning team in Anaheim, fleecing teams such as the Hawks out of key Cup contributors like Travis Moen (for Michael Holmqvist).

Nine years later, with the Pulford stink finally off him, Burke handed him the reins in Anaheim, and Murray's finally back to being a GM.

Why not here?

Former Hawks defensive partners Doug Wilson (San Jose) and Bob Murray, still very close friends, are now GMs opposite each other in the Pacific Division and could very possibly face each other in the Western Conference finals next spring.

Just managing

Don't be surprised if Ryne Sandberg soon moves up to Double-A after two years at Peoria (A).

Sandberg is garnering respect around the game for how seriously he takes his work, unlike some Hall of Famers who have bailed on these A-ball jobs in the past.

Sandberg started at the bottom, is working his way up slowly, and may be only a couple of years away from the big leagues in a coaching or managing capacity.

Stocking stuffer

The White Sox could sure use a Derek Lowe to anchor the rotation, but he's a Scott Boras guy and they're not likely to spend that kind of money or go that long in a deal.

On the other hand, Randy Johnson is only 5 wins short of 300 and may be a free agent by the end of the week, looking for a reasonable one-year deal.

While Johnson's personality is the absolute antithesis of what occurs in the Ozzie Guillen-driven clubhouse, which is as lively as they come, if the Sox were able to loosen up Ken Griffey, maybe they can do the same for Johnson.

Either way, he'd sell a few tickets and add some strength to a rotation that features Mark Buehrle, Gavin Floyd and John Danks.

And as long as we're thinking aloud, Andy Pettitte fits into that category, too.

The quote

Texans quarterback Sage Rosenfels, on whether some people don't believe in him: "I've been a backup for eight years. So if there's 32 teams in the league, times eight years, that's 256 times that teams have said, 'This guy is not our starter.' So, yeah, I think there are some (critics) out there."

Best headline

Sportspickle.com: "Navy refuses to apologize for having Notre Dame on its schedule.''

And finally -

Miami Herald's Greg Cote: "Jose Canseco has been sentenced to 12 months' probation for attempting to smuggle a fertility drug into the U.S. from Mexico. A fertility drug? That's all we need. More Jose Cansecos!"

brozner@dailyherald.com