North: Random thoughts on Bears, Bulls, Wildcats and more
Time for some random thoughts.
• Congratulations to the Bears for recording their first victory of the season, 22-20, over the Oakland Raiders, who were favored. I am always tough on Jay Cutler, but I freely admit the Bears would not have won that game without him at quarterback.
• On the Bulls beat, the NBA is back and hometown guy Derrick Rose is injured again. Same old, same old.
• The White Sox season is over and a 76-86 Robin Ventura will return next season to manage this team. Gee, I can't wait.
• Pinch us, Chicago - the Cubs are in the playoffs!
• A tip of the cap to the Northwestern Wildcats and the Iowa Hawkeyes, also undefeated at 5-0 in the Big Ten.
• While they remain undefeated at 5-0, the play of Ohio State and Michigan State is under scrutiny after recent close games.
• Nick Sabin had his best coaching performance in two years with his Alabama Crimson Tide beating up the Georgia Bulldogs 38-10 while head coach Mark Richt lost another big game.
• Manager Matt Williams will not be back with the Washington Nationals. General manager Mike Rizzo shouldn't be back either because he ruined the chemistry of the team with moves like bringing in relief pitcher Jonathan Papelbon, who tried to choke his star teammate, Bryce Harper.
• A salute to some great managing jobs this season: Paul Molitor and the Minnesota Twins (83-79), Terry Collins and the New York Mets (90-72), A.J. Hinch and the Houston Astros (86-76) and Joe Maddon and the Cubs (97-65.) I didn't think any of these teams would be viable this season, and I was wrong.
• Miami Dolphins coach Joe Philbin is a dead man walking after losing to the New York Jets in London 27-14 and a 1-3 start … Ndamukong Suh might be an All-Pro defensive tackle, but he is stealing this year. The Dolphins have given up the most rushing yards in the NFL, and Suh is in the middle of that failure.
• Here's my million-dollar suggestion to the NFL: why not try having games in different markets right here in the states instead of London, which gave us a Sunday breakfast-time kickoff between the Dolphins and the Jets? They could start in Los Angeles. Even better, create a once-in-a-lifetime experience in college stadiums. How about a pro game at Boise State or really blow them out of the water with a game at Notre Dame?
Hey, it sounds crazy, but isn't it crazy playing in London? The players may like the experience once they get there, but I'll bet there are moans and groans when the schedule initially comes out.
NFL officials can do with they want and they usually do, but there's still two more games there this season, and I'm already " Londoned " out!
• Happy 38 years of marriage to my wife, Be-Be. What a ride, and we ain't done yet - not by a long shot!
Program notes:
Follow me on Twitter@ north2north, and 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. Listen to my postgame Bears show on the Drive 97.1-FM every Sunday.
• 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.