Lakers Give the First Game of the season to the Bulls

The Lakers gave that game away.  True, Rose made a good play, actually a really good play, but the Lakers' FOUR consecutive missed free throws is what gave the game away.


Sloppy play, turnovers, missed assignment.  Wow.  The long layoff really showed. The new players needed more time, that much is obvious.  

Bears a Bust? The Pack will SACK!

I like the Chicago Bears; always have.  I became a fan first during the 80s when they had that great run to the 1985 Super Bowl XX with Jim McMahon under Mike Ditka. 

When Brian Urlacher added enthusiasm to the defense I again began to watch them play decent football.  We had high hopes for this 2011 season until QB Cutler went down. Then the RB Forte.  Now they also have a player in trouble with the law.  

Tonight, the Bears have to travel to play Green Bay.  I hope it isn't too much of a slaughter.  New polls say the Packers are now America's favorite team (replacing the Cowboys).  Oddsmakers favor the Pack to go all the way and then win the Super Bowl.  

Newly signed QB Josh McCown will start for the Bears. Game time is 8:20 pm, ET, on NBC.

What most of us recognize is that nothing creates a fan base and maintains loyalty like WINNING!  People LOVE to say their team WON, just as though, by association, they are "winners" too.  What funny group of people: sports fans.

BCS Bowl Games Worth Watching

Overall, in the absence of a BCS playoff system, the match-ups in the Bowl Games this year are pretty good.  Here are the ones I deem worthy of watching (and why).

The Bowl Games are listed by calendar date

MAACO Bowl Las Vegas Dec 22, 8 pm ET on ESPN.  Arizona State vs Boise State.  Just because I like to watch Boise.

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl Honolulu, Dec 24, 8:00 pm ET on ESPN. Southern Miss vs Nevada. I watch it just 'cause it's in Hawaii. Southern Miss seems better on paper, but paper records don't count on the field.

Holiday Bowl San Diego Dec 28, 8 pm ET on ESPN. California vs Texas.  Holiday Bowl games are famous for exciting finishes.  And I love America's Finest City.

CHAMPS Sports Bowl Orlando, Dec 29, 5:30 pm ET on ESPN.  Florida State vs Notre Dame.  Two 8-4 teams with a lot of history and tradition. A toss-up game.

Velero Alamo Bowl San Antonio, Dec 29, 9:00 pm ET on ESPN. Baylor vs Washington. Heisman winner Robert Griffin III makes this a more interesting game to watch.  Should be Baylor's game.

Ticket City Bowl Dallas, January 2, 2012, 12:00 noon ET on ESPNU. Houston vs Penn State. Houston (12-1) was looking at a bigger Bowl until they lost that one game at the end of the season. Sort of a consolation game for both school. Penn State needs redemption but it may have to wait until next season.

Gator Bowl Jacksonville Florida, January 2, 12:00 noon ET on ESPN2. Ohio State vs Florida. I will probably be watching the Ticket City Bowl instead.  "Just wait til next year" is the situation with both of these teams.

Outback Bowl Tampa, January 2, 1:00 pm ET on ABC.  Michigan State vs Georgia. Them Dogs are perhaps the best three-loss team in the country.

Rose Bowl Pasadena, January 2, 5:00 pm ET on ESPN.  Wisconsin vs Oregon.  I will be watching. I love them Ducks! Two of the best four teams not in the Championship game.

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl Glendale AZ, January 2 8:30 pm ET on ESPN. Stanford vs Oklahoma State. The other two of the best four teams not in the BCS Championship.  Both had championship bowl aspirations until late in the season. Heisman runner-up Andrew Luck will have his work cut out for him against the Cowboys.

Sugar Bowl New Orleans, January 3, 8:30 pm ET on ESPN. Michigan vs Virginia Tech. This one doesn't get me very excited.

Orange Bowl Miami, January 4, 8:30 pm ET on ESPN. West Virginia vs Clemson. Practically becoming a home game for Clemson. Sorta ho-hum for me.

Cotton Bowl Arlington Texas, January 6, 8:00 pm ET on FOX.  Kansas State vs Arkansas. Not likely to generate much interest outside of Kansas and Arkansas.

BCS Championship Game New Orleans, Jan 9, 8:30 pm ET on ESPN.  LSU vs Alabama, the match-up of #1 vs #2, the rematch I predicted (and preferred) after LSU beat Alabama 9-6 in a game that I thought Alabama should have won.  

Bears Gave One Away to Tebow and Company

Tim Tebow Denver Broncos QB

The Chicago Bears had the game in the bag and still managed to fumble away a victory on Sunday.  But it wasn't just the Marion Barber fumble that gave the Denver Broncos new life, it was the Bears' 4th quarter defensive realignment that provided Tebow with just enough room to get the line of scrimmage moved ten yards at a time.  His short passing game was all he needed.  Yes, the Bears "prevented" any Hail Mary passes but what a stupid way to lose a game.

The kicking game was amazing.  But I hate field goals. The game of football was supposed to be about touchdowns, then they came up with the point after and then the 3 point field goal.  Now that the league's best placekickers are regularly putting the ball between the uprights from 55 yards away, offense is geared to getting the ball to the 35.  What a difference from the game I grew up with forty years ago.

Albert Pujols Signs With Angels. C J Wilson Signs With Angels.

Wow. Big money players to a big money city.  Albert Pujols signed with the Los Angeles Angels for ten years and a reported $250 million.  This only makes sense to me in that he will be able to play Designated Hitter for the last half of his contract. Pujols is 32 and I haven't been impressed with his durability the past couple of years.  


But...


With the addition of Orange County home-towner C. J. Wilson from the Rangers (five years, $77 million), I think the Angels have put themselves in position for a run to the World Series in 2012. I can't wait to see how this pans out.

Bears, Lions, Chiefs NFL seasons in flux

I like the Chicago Bears, but there just doesn't seem to be much hope for the team without Cutler at QB.  Have lost all hope after embarrassing loss to Kansas City. Worst case scenario of all: To lose to the Tebow Train and Denver Broncos. Painful. I may not be able to watch. (Oh, but I probably will.)

The Chiefs' Tyler Palko has a chance to shine, and his performance improved this week, with the 10-3 win over the Bears.  His real test may be against the Jets this week. Time for a gut-check.  Does he have the skill and confidence?

The Detroit Lions deserve a mention.  Stafford is decent, but the defense missed Suh up against a surging Saints offense.  I've been a Lions fan this year, but they need to win now or I don't see them in the playoffs.  Time to "right" the ship; no more self-defeating behavior.