The Chicago Bears fail. I hate saying this. I hate thinking this. But, its true. Last night on Sunday Night Football, the Chicago Bears didn't play the game of football. Nothing was right.
And, this morning da Bears even fell further.
This article and video from ESPNChicago.com explains:
Brian Urlacher's season appears in jeopardy after the Chicago Bears' six-time Pro Bowl linebacker told the Chicago Tribune his "season is over" in a text messageTags: NFL, Chicago Bears, Brian Urlacher
Brian Urlacher's season appears in jeopardy after the Chicago Bears' six-time Pro Bowl linebacker told the Chicago Tribune his "season is over" in a text messageTags: NFL, Chicago Bears, Brian Urlacher
LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher will miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery to repair a dislocated right wrist -- a major blow for a team with high expectations.
Urlacher
Team spokesman Jim Christman confirmed a Chicago Tribune report, saying, "Brian did have surgery this morning and he is out for the remainder of the season." Urlacher had said in a text message to the newspaper that his "season is over."
Urlacher apparently was injured in the first quarter of Sunday night's 21-15 loss at Green Bay making a tackle on Packers running back Ryan Grant. He left on the Packers' first drive of the second half.
Urlacher, a six-time Pro Bowl player, had started 49 consecutive games in his 10-year career and has missed a total of seven games -- all in 2004 with a hamstring injury.
The Bears have been in contact with free-agent linebacker Derrick Brooks to fill the void left by Urlacher's injury, a league source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter, and it's possible the Bears could sign Brooks as early as Monday.
"It's always tough to have your leader go down," linebacker Lance Briggs said, according to the Tribune. "He knows the defense better than anybody and he communicates everything to everyone else."
Urlacher made several plays in the first half, including when he lowered his right shoulder into quarterback Aaron Rodgers after he had released the ball on a third down to send him sprawling.
Information from ESPN.com NFC North blogger Kevin Seifert and The Associated Press was used in this report.
Nothing is going in the right direction for the New York Mets. They are 16.5 games back. And, have lost their last three games. That's just the beginning. Read this:
Mets ace Santana (elbow) scratched from next start
By MIKE FITZPATRICK (AP) – 20 hours ago
NEW YORK — Johan Santana was scratched from his next scheduled start because of discomfort in his pitching elbow, the latest injury to a star player on the depleted New York Mets.
Santana's setback is particularly alarming for the fourth-place Mets, who are counting on the two-time Cy Young Award winner to lead their rotation for years to come.
"He has not been throwing between starts for quite awhile," New York manager Jerry Manuel said Monday after his team's 6-2 loss to Philadelphia. "I would say since before the All-Star break. He has been pitching with this problem, but not with the level of discomfort he has now. ... Now, it concerns him."
Santana had been slated to pitch Tuesday night in Florida. Instead, the left-hander will be examined by Mets medical director Dr. David Altchek, and right-hander Nelson Figueroa will start against the Marlins.
"I hope to have some definitive word for you tomorrow," Manuel said.
The Mets have 11 players on the disabled list, including David Wright, Carlos Beltran, Jose Reyes, Carlos Delgado, J.J. Putz and John Maine.
New York also learned Monday that right fielder Jeff Francoeur has a torn ligament in his left (non-throwing) thumb. He is day-to-day, the club said.
Santana is 13-9 with a 3.13 ERA in 25 starts during his second season with the Mets. He was acquired in a February 2008 trade with Minnesota.
Santana was unavailable for comment after Monday's game. New York catcher Brian Schneider said Santana's stuff hasn't been up to par lately.
"What I'm looking at is his location, which, like I said, hasn't been as sharp as it had been," Schneider said.
Acquired last month in a trade with Atlanta, Francoeur was injured Sunday while making a diving catch. X-rays were negative, but his thumb swelled up afterward and he went to the hospital Monday for an MRI, which revealed the tear.
Since joining the Mets on July 11, Francoeur has been the team's most productive hitter. He is batting .305 with six homers and 24 RBIs in 39 games. He also has eight doubles and two triples.
Cory Sullivan started in right field Monday against Philadelphia left-hander Cliff Lee.
Francoeur lined into an unassisted triple play by Phillies second baseman Eric Bruntlett on Sunday, ending New York's 9-7 loss. It was the second time in major league history a game ended on an unassisted triple play — Detroit first baseman Johnny Neun also turned the trick in 1927.
In other news, Wright took grounders on the field before the game and said he still expects to come off the disabled list Sept. 1 in Colorado.
The All-Star third baseman has been sidelined with a concussion since getting hit in the head with a fastball from San Francisco pitcher Matt Cain on Aug. 15.
"I'm really itching to get back out there," said Wright, who has been taking batting practice indoors.
Wright said he isn't experiencing any post-concussion symptoms and he hopes to take BP on the field Tuesday — but he won't travel with the Mets during the first part of their upcoming road trip.
New York plays three games in Florida beginning Tuesday, then three at the Chicago Cubs before opening a series at Coors Field on Sept. 1.
"It felt good to go out there and finally put the spikes back on," Wright said. "Still on schedule. Still on track."
The Mets also recalled left-hander Ken Takahashi from Triple-A Buffalo and optioned lefty Pat Misch to their top farm club.
Takahashi, a 40-year-old rookie from Japan, was 0-1 with a 3.00 ERA in 15 relief appearances for the Mets earlier this season. He relieved starter Bobby Parnell in the sixth inning Monday and tossed 1 1-3 scoreless innings.
COMPETITORS gathered from around the globe for the world snail racing championships.
People in Congham, Norfolk, have been racing the shell-dwellers at their annual fete for 25 years.
The annual gathering sees about 250 people from as far away as Malawi bring their hard-backed friends along to race.
This year it was pesky plant-eater Terri who set his owner on a silvery trail to fame if not fortune.
In his quest to become the world's fastest snail, the slimy competitor slithered 13 inches to the finish line in 2 minutes 49 seconds.
Snails ... gett a slitter on
Owner, 27-year-old Claire Hopkins, from West Raynham, Norfolk, said: "We only came by chance so this is quite unexpected, I feel quite privileged to win."
The creatures who win the preliminary are then entered into the final at the end of the day.
Snail master Neil Riseborough, 50, said: "This is the snail racing world championships, all the rest are imitations. If you don't win the final here then you're not a world champion."
The victor claimed a silver tankard filled with lettuce, and the prestigious title of "Fastest Snail in the World".
The current record was achieved in 1995 at two minutes.
Brandon Pirri shakes hands with Blackhawks General Manager Dale Tallon after Pirri was drafted in the second round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. (Bruce Bennett, Getty Images / June 27, 2009)
The Blackhawks have fired general manager Dale Tallon and Stan Bowman will be named his replacement, according to a report.
Comcast SportsNet reported late Monday that Tallon, who had been GM of the Hawks since June 21, 2005, and had built the Hawks into a Stanley Cup contender, was out and that an official announcement would be made Tuesday.
Tallon put together a team that reached the playoffs for the first time in seven years and advanced to the Western Conference finals during the 2008-09 season.
But he came under fire last week for sending qualifying offers to restricted free agents late, causing them to be delivered after the deadline set by the NHL's Collective Bargaining Agreement.
The eight players, including Kris Versteeg and Cam Barker, all were signed to contracts, and the NHL Players' Association withdrew its grievance.
Tallon was in the final year of his contract, and last Wednesday, in his first comments after the filing snafu, he said he had not asked for an extension.
When asked if he planned to ask for an extension, Tallon said: "I have a contract. I'm not worried about it. I've been here for 32 years. I don't see any reason to have to do that. That will take care of itself."
Tallon had been a member of the Hawks' front office since the start of the 1998-99 season, when he was appointed director of player personnel.
Before that, he had a 10-year career as a player in the NHL, including a five-year stint with the Hawks from 1973 to '78.
After retiring from the NHL following the 1979-80 season, he served as the Hawks' color analyst for radio and television broadcasts for 16 seasons.
Bowman, the son of legendary NHL coach and current senior adviser for hockey operations Scotty Bowman, has been with the Hawks' organization for eight seasons, including the last two as assistant general manager.
Ryan Dempster's broken toe from jumping over the dugout railing could be seen as the revenge of the Gatorade dispenser.
Recall that Dempster punched the dispenser several weeks ago, leading to future assaults by Carlos Zambrano, and its eventual removal from the dugout.
Either way, Dempster's toe injury is likely to go down as one of the more foolish Cubs injuries in history, along with the following infamous 10 episodes:
1. Sammy Sosa went on the disabled list with back spasms after sneezing.
2. Kerry Wood injured his back while slipping in his hot tub.
3. Jose Cardenal couldn't play one day because he said his eyelids were swollen shut when he woke up.
4. Zambrano suffered an elbow injury the Cubs said was related to spending too much time on his laptop.
5. Alfonso Soriano strained a calf while making a hop during a catch, though he denied the two were related.
6. Mike Harkey injured his knee while turning a cartwheel on the field before a game.
7. Kyle Farnsworth injured a knee after kicking an electric fan in the tunnel between the clubhouse and the dugout.
8. Steve Trout went on the disabled list after falling off an exercise bike.
9. Felix Pie twisted a testicle in spring training.
10. Mike Remlinger sprained his pinkie finger when he got it caught between two recliners while relaxing in the Cubs clubhouse.
Chien-Ming Wang's ERA speaks for itself. It currently stands at 14.34, which is ridiculously high at this point in the season. His record doesn't sing anything either, showing an 0-4 record. Historically, Wang can really pitch the ball. In 2006 & 2007, Wang tallied 19 wins and had an ERA under four.
So, what is wrong with Wang?!...
You've got me. I've been wondering that all season. Maybe he just hates the Yankees, like I do. That'd be nice.
Speaking of failing, the Yankees cannot beat the the Red Sox.
This article from NewsDay.com explains the details:
Wang fails as Yankees fall to 0-7 vs. Red Sox
BY ERIK BOLAND |erik.boland@newsday.com
12:33 AM EDT, June 11, 2009
Boston Red Sox's J.D. Drew slides safely into home as New York Yankees catcher Jorge Posada (20) gathers in the throw from the field during the first inning (AP Photo / June 10, 2009)
BOSTON - There was the comeback after their starter, for a second straight night, failed to get out of the third inning, and mostly solid relief pitching.
It certainly ended better than it began for the Yankees, but inescapable was this ugly statistic: The Yankees are 0-7 this season against their archrivals.
Chien-Ming Wang, in his second start since being put back in the rotation, was pulled after 22/3 innings, and after falling behind by four runs, the Yankees fell, 6-5, to the Red Sox last night at Fenway Park.
The Yankees (34-25) dropped one game behind the Red Sox (35-24) in the division.
"A lot of little things," said Mark Teixeira, who was 4-for-5, including two doubles and a home run. "They're doing the things to help them win and we're not. They add up, and they've added up seven times."
Jonathan Papelbon earned his 15th save, though the Yankees had a late chance. Alex Rodriguez, 0-for-7 in the series, worked a one-out walk, and pinch runner Ramiro Peña stole second with Robinson Cano at bat. But Cano struck out and Jorge Posada, who homered off Tim Wakefield, flew out to deep left.
The Yankees entered this series having won seven of 10, and they said they were a vastly different team than the one that went 0-5 against Boston. But nothing has changed as the Red Sox extended their second-longest winning streak to start a season against the Yankees, behind the 14 in 1912.
"It's two games," Johnny Damonsaid. "The unfortunate part of it is it's against the Red Sox. It's a big deal to us, it's a big deal to the fans. We had our chances tonight and we didn't take advantage of them."
Damon and Teixeira hit back-to-back homers (Teixeira's AL-leading 19th) against Ramon Ramirez to start the seventh to make it 6-5, but lefty Hideki Okajima and Papelbon finished the Yankees from there.
The Yankees left 10 on base, though the side story to the night is the mystery of Wang. Before the game Joe Girardi said Wang, who threw 69 pitches last week against Texas, was on a pitch count of 80 to 90, and he was on pace to reach that by the third inning.
He threw 58 in the first two innings, 29 in each frame, with almost zero command. He walked three, all in the first, and left after 22/3 innings, like A.J. Burnett the night before. Girardi said he would need to "sleep" on the decision of whether Wang would get his next start.
Perplexed didn't begin to describe pitching coach Dave Eiland. "His arm slot's all over the place," Eiland said. "One time it's in the right place, one time it's too high, next time it's too low. You can't command the baseball when you have that."
Wang's next turn would be Tuesday against the horrid Nationals. If he can't go, the nod would likely go to Phil Hughes, who allowed two runs - on Kevin Youkilis' fourth-inning homer - in 32/3 innings.
"It's definitely frustrating for me," Wang said. "I haven't thrown a good ballgame in a while. It's definitely frustrating."
Against the Red Sox this season, that emotion in the Yankees clubhouse has been a constant.
06-14-2009 by muckraker Indeed, what is wrong with Wang?
Starter Mike Pelfrey became the first Mets pitcher since Don Rowe in 1963 to commit three balks in a game. He was the loser Sunday against San Francisco.
Keep up with the latest news on The Times’s baseball blog.
Tradition? You want tradition? The Mets’ long lineage of bumbling seems to be having a major renaissance out in California in recent days.
On successive days, the Mets lost games, first because a pitcher, Mike Pelfrey, committed three balks in San Francisco, then when a runner, Ryan Church, forgot to touch third base while scoring the apparent go-ahead run in Los Angeles. It didn’t stop there — Daniel Murphy was picked off in the first inning Tuesday night and then made an error in left field in the bottom of the inning.
No less an observer than Vin Scully watched the Mets fumble away Monday’s game and chortled that the Mets had reverted to the bad old days of Marvelous Marv Throneberry.
Monday’s blunder seemed reassuringly retro. Church seemed to have scored on Angel Pagan’s hit but was called out for missing third — a throwback to that magical day in 1962 when Marvin Eugene Throneberry appeared to have lashed a triple, only to be called out for missing second base. When Casey Stengel hopped out to complain to the umpires, his trusted first-base coach, Cookie Lavagetto,whispered not to make too big a fuss, because Throneberry had also missed first. This one play was probably the essential Marv, who gave his initials and his bumbling soul to the first-year expansion franchise.
Marvelous Mets nostalgia also kicked in Sunday, when Pelfrey was called for the three balks. My wife and I were driving back to New York, and Howie Rose on the radio said no Met had been called for three balks in a game since 1963. I turned to my wife and said, “Al Barlick.”
I was there. It was an April night, and Barlick, one of the best umpires in the league, was seething about early-season instructions from the home office to enforce the balk rule, the kind of bureaucratic interference that umpires loathe. Barlick diligently called three balks on Don Rowe, the starting pitcher, and he later gigged Tracy Stallard for a balk.
After the game, Casey ranted and raved, reminding us of the Mets’ awful karma with umpires. “They get us because we’re rotten,” Casey sort of said.
California was always a special place for the wandering Mets. One day, Rod Kanehl called for the ball in windswept left field at Candlestick Park, only to chase it all the way to right field, where it dropped at the feet of a giggling Duke Snider. One night in Los Angeles, Jerry Grote got himself thrown out for yapping at the ump, forgetting that he was the only catcher left. Tommie Reynolds, a spare fielder, had to catch for the first time in his career. The Mets lost — on a passed ball, naturally.
Those hideous days and nights made the franchise so lovable, so human, so flawed. Mets fans used to get it, but I am not sure they do nowadays. All that cable swag has raised expectations, gone to their heads. They think likeYankees fans, for goodness’ sakes.
Besides, other teams make mistakes. Only the other day, Joe Maddon, the manager of the Rays, gave himself two third basemen on his official lineup card and lost the use of the designated hitter, which forced the pitcher to hit. But the Rays won anyway.
The Oakland Athletics still have not recovered from the ghastly moment in the 2001 postseason when Jeremy Giambi chose to saunter home standing up, only to haveDerek Jeter acrobatically retrieve the ball and toss out Giambi. The A’s had a two-game lead on the Yanks — and lost the next three games.
The 2006 Dodgers lost a postseason game to the Mets after two runners were tagged out at home on the same play. But that has happened before. Yankees fans still fume about the day Carlton Fisk tagged out Bobby Meacham and Dale Berra on the same play. But I bet Yankees fans don’t know it also happened to them in 1933 — and the two runners were none other than Lou Gehrig and Dixie Walker.
Current Mets fans grumble because the open space behind home plate at New Shea is named the Jackie Robinson Rotunda, after the American hero. The new breed of upscale Mets fan does not like to be reminded of the wonderful Brooklyn blood in the franchise’s veins — like the time Dazzy Vance, Chick Fewster and Babe Herman were all caught on third base on the same play, which is not easy.
Old New York Giants fans say their team is not given a fair shake by the Mets. They have a point. Look at the grand heritage the Giants left behind at the rusty old Polo Grounds when the Mets were shocked to some semblance of life in 1962: Fred Merkle’s monumental failure to touch second base on an apparent game-winning single turned into a force play that effectively cost the Giants the 1908 pennant.
Grand moments from Marvelous Marv and Babe Herman and Fred Merkle are in the Mets’ DNA, and they impel them to commit balks, to neglect to touch bases, to muff fly balls and to make wild throws home. The players cannot help themselves.
The sooner the new breed of Mets fan acknowledges the inner Marv, the sooner the players can get back to producing that one glorious and unexpected miracle every generation or so, at the new place, which should, of course, be called Throneberry Field Forever.
Well, that was one exciting first round for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. We should take a look at which teams will be going on to round two in the Western Conference. Let’s see…. the Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks, Vancouver Canucks, and who?...
Wait...?! ….What?
The San Jose Sharks aren't going to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs?!
That's right, the winners of the 2008-09 President's Trophy will not take to the ice in the Stanley Cup Finals, or even the second round for that matter.
The Sharks fell to the young talented eight-seeded Anaheim Ducks in their embarrassing six game series.
The biggest upset in NHL playoff history.
“Every one of us should be uncomfortable. There comes a time when this group needs to grow up and deal with what's in front of them.”
The year was 1870. And, only one team existed in the great city of Chicago: The Chicago White Stockings.
Today, those teams are separated by: the loop, Soldier Field, the Sears Tower, and all the tussle of the “Windy City.”
If you don’t know the names of those two teams you are in fact an alien. With that being said, the two mighty ball clubs of Chi-Town are: the Chicago Cubs and the Chicago White Sox.
When I was really small (I’m talking like one or two years of age), I was apparently forced to be a White Sox fan. My mom and dad would dress me in black and white threads with the words: “Chicago White Sox” printed on the forefront. I will burn any of those pictures. To this day, my entire immediate family (mom, dad, brother) are all loyal to the Black and White. Myself, however, am extremely, almost obsessively (correction: literally obsessively) loyal to the Red, White and Blue. Not just the American flag, but in fact the Cubbies. Yup, those “Lovable Losers,” “The Boys in Blue,” “The North Siders.” Truth be told, I bleed the color blue.
How did this happen, you ask?
Honestly, I do not exactly know. I guess I’m just that much smarter. Kidding… nothing against Sox fans. As long as you’re not a Cardinals fan. Then, we have problems. But, overall, anyone who is a fan of the American Past Time is a friend of mine.
Getting back to me becoming a Cubs fan, and how my family affected that.
It all started in 1992, when I was roughly three years old (I don’t know the exact date; I would have to dig through my things under my bed to find the ticket). I believe it was the first time I had ever been on the “El” train in Chicago. My dad, uncle, and I all headed to a Cubs game at Wrigley Field. Obviously, I do not remember who any of the players were or what team we were playing, but I do remember that horrid “El” ride and a faint picture of a 1992’ Friendly Confines. At that time, I was so short my face was at butt-level with all the other folks on the “El” train, maybe that’s what kept the memory in mind, the fact that I was enveloped with asses. Or, maybe it’s the atmosphere and beauty of Wrigley Field; the true reason Cubs fans exist. That ballpark will always be a symbol of what it means to be Cubs fan. It’s a way of life. It makes Chicago the great city it is. Wow, I love the Chicago Cubs.
Sure, it’s been 101 years since the “North Siders” won the World Series, but once that drought is cured, it will be the best win in sports history. Maybe it’ll be this year, maybe it’ll be next year, nobody knows, but we do know it will happen. And, when it does, I’ll be there (or watching on TV, depending on my financial status at the time).
So, why does Chicago have two ball clubs? Maybe due to the large population of the city and the surroundings areas. Or, maybe because it separates two different people: those who yell “CUBS SUCK!” and those who shout “SOX SUCK!” But, in the end, we have one thing in common, we both cheer for a team that exists in the greatest city on Earth: Chicago!
On Sunday, April 14, 2009 the Milwaukee Brewers walked a total of ten Chicago Cubs in an entire game at their home of Miller Park (Wrigley Field North).
Failure.
Not only did they walk the aforementioned ten Cubbies; four of those walks came during a bases loaded situation for Chi-Town. So the Brew Crew (or Boo Crew) gave up four RWIs (Runs Walked In)?
Baseball is just around the corner (two days and counting!) (the day after tomorrow!) The first game is actually Sunday night, but who cares... it's the Braves and Phillies.
The dawn of the Major League 2009 season will bring many failurisms to each and every team.
Everyone knows about bad seasons in sports history. *cough* ...Detriot Lions!
The Lions' first 0-16 season in NFL history completed a 10-year freefall, where they were undone by one bad personnel move after another. More on that at another time (once football season roles around of coarse). For now, let's stick with hockey and baseball.
With that being said, did you know about an 82-0 defeat by Slovakia against Bulgaria?
No, that's not a typo.
I don't faile at typing (yet).
There's the "agony of defeat." And then there's this women's ice hockey score from the European Olympic pre-qualifying tournament: Slovakia 82, Bulgaria 0.
The IIHF (International Ice Hockey Federation) spoke about the result as a record score for a women's IIHF-sanctioned event. It was not the all-time record for futility, however; that is still held by Thailand, which lost 92-0 to South Korea in the 1998 Asia-Oceania U18 Championship (another failurism) (this post is two-in-one!).
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ESPN.com's Kevin Seifert writes about all things NFC North in his division 
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