(Sigh) Okaaaaay....

Who could have ever predicted that someday the Oakland Raiders would be more sensible and logical, in their organizational restructuring than the Chicago Bears? I certainly never thought that would be possible, yet here we are...

With the announcement today that Phil Emery is the new Chicago Bears General Manager - even though it's essentially in name only since he can't fire Lovie Smith for a year - the Bears have attempted to fool the masses into thinking that hiring Emery is/was the move they needed to make in order to "win championships". Unfortunately, in typical Bears fashion, they've managed to fool nobody.

If the Bears were really attempting to convince people they were building towards multiple championships, they would have not just simply fired Jerry Angelo, but also would have served notice that whoever they hired as the next GM would have complete and total autonomy to clean house if he so desired.

The next GM, wouldn't have any timetables, restrictions, or stipulations in place prior to taking the job. The next GM would have a plan in place, and be able to immediately bring in the supporting staff he desires to implement the plan, which is precisely what the Oakland Raiders did.

The Bears on the other hand, hired a guy that would have to mesh with Lovie Smith, meaning that Lovie is essentially choosing who his new boss will be, which is the very definition of "Conflict Of Interest". The Bears also managed to make themselves into a laughing stock around the league with the way they sought out Jerry Angelo's replacement. Most importantly, the Bears managed to make a very simple process into a needlessly complicated one, and leaves us with a feeling that they didn't get the best possible candidate.

As far as Phil Emery himself, who the hell knows? His former boss Scott Pioli had nice things to say about him today, but then again Scott Pioli isn't really in a position to be critical of anyone on his former staff in Kansas City with recent allegations that Pioli runs the Chiefs like it's an Orwellian atmosphere. All we really do know about Emery is that he was a scout for the Bears in 2004, and before that he was a Strength and Conditioning coach. Does that mean Rusty Jones could be an NFL GM someday? Wait don't answer that.

For me the bottom line is real simple. As much as I lament that the Bears have completely screwed up yet another opportunity to conduct themselves as a progressive NFL Organization, I won't get too worked up about it....yet. My reason for tempering my displeasure is pretty simple: I want to see what Emery does in the draft this season.

Everyone knows the Bears are at least $20 million under the salary cap. Everybody knows that Bears intend on spending a lot of that money on free agency, specifically targeting a big play wide receiver. That's all fine and good, but if the Bears intend on winning multiple championships as they say they are, the key will be what happens in the drafts ahead.

If it's one thing I've learned over all the years of watching football, is that talent outweighs X's and O's. I'm not saying that coaching doesn't matter, because it absolutely matters, but Bill Belichick, or Bill Walsh, or any of the other "geniuses" would not have flourished as coaches if they didn't have great drafts over the years.

If Emery really does have the excellent college scouting background he supposedly possesses, then he should be able to find the necessary players that will be the cornerstones of the team in the years to come. Today's press conference certainly eliminated any chance Phil has a future as a talk-show host, but I really couldn't care less that he's not a good public speaker.

We know that Lovie Smith - despite my own personal misgivings about him - is a good football coach when he is supplied with guys who can play.

If Emery can find that talent in the draft, then the Bears will be fine. If not, the Bears will have to start this whole thing over again which would really be a crime since Jay Cutler is not getting any younger.

Let's hope Phil knows what he's doing.

Throw It All Away

By now you have heard that Joe Paterno died. Hell you probably heard about it before it actually happened, since there were reports of his death as early as Saturday afternoon.  I don't have to explain who he was, and what he accomplished. I don't have to point out the number of wins under his belt (how many of which he actually deserved or not, is another column for another time), his National Championships, his good standing among millions of college football fans, nor his ICON status among the college football elite.

I certainly won't bother recounting the "Winning With Integrity" and "The Grand Experiment" - expressions and terms that Paterno himself coined - that Paterno stood for. I won't mention all of this because of the simple fact that NONE of it applies anymore, nor should they be what Paterno is remembered for.

The only thing Paterno should be remembered for, is that he fostered an environment that allowed a serial child-rapist to operate unfettered, and when Paterno was put in a position to stop it, he did nothing.

The closest example I can liken this to is O.J. Simpson. Like Paterno, O.J. was a legend among football circles. He electrified fans, terrorized defenses, and became an elite running back by which all future running backs would be measured against. Then O.J. had that little "Double-Murder" thing and suddenly O.J.'s football legacy wasn't so bright. The fundamental difference between O.J. and Paterno is, O.J. didn't kill his wife and Ron Goldman while he was playing. Paterno on the other hand, was still reaping the rewards while Sandusky was sexually abusing children, and Paterno found out there's no money in morality.

Paterno was the grand patriarch of Penn State University. He took pride - and a tremendous salary - in being so. Paterno ran that University from his bully pulpit, to the point when the Board Of Trustees tried to coax Paterno into retirement time and time again, he repeatedly said "no" and remained head coach just because he damn well felt like it.

What's that you say? Paterno reported the 2002 incident to his superiors Tim Curley and Gary Schultz? Well see that's the thing....Paterno didn't have superiors. If Paterno was really interested in stopping Sandusky, he could have had Sandusky arrested immediately, no questions asked. That's what's possible when you are the most powerful man at Penn State University. That's also why Paterno himself said "I wish I would have done more".

That statement alone is the admission of guilt by which all other memories of Paterno should be tabled. Whether he fully knew what that statement meant, or whether or not he actually meant it, is inconsequential. Paterno said it, and he was correct in his wishes. He could have stopped these horrific acts from being committed if he really did live by his "integrity above all else" marketing slogan.

That is why Paterno doesn't deserved to be remembered for his accomplishments on the football field. It's also why his off the field charity now rings hollow. The great example of morality that Paterno fancied himself as, was only used it to suit his own purposes.

When it came time for Paterno to use his precious integrity to protect children, Paterno looked the other way, and now so should we.

Congrats I guess???

Barry Larkin was a fine baseball player. He accumulated numerous Silver Slugger and Gold Glove awards throughout his career, and also won the National League MVP in the strike-shortened 1995 season. Larkin played his entire 19 year career for his hometown Cincinnati Reds, and in 1990 he was a key player in their World Series winning ball club, as the Reds pulled a shocking 4 game sweep of the Oakland A's.

Today, Larkin received the call he has been waiting his entire career for, as he will be the newest member elected to the Baseball Hall Of Fame this summer. Do I feel Larkin is a deserving candidate? I'll get to that in a minute. In the meantime, I just can't help but point out how completely hollow this is because there's this GIANT PED Elephant in the room, and he's taking a dump in Walter Johnson's hat.

Let's get some obvious stuff out of the way. The Baseball Hall Of Fame is the equivalent of Penn State football (albeit a less extreme example): The more you find out about Penn State Football, the more you become sickened by it, and want nothing to do with it. The same methodology holds true for the Baseball Hall Of Fame.

The Hall Of Fame's location itself is based on a LIE. The Hall claims that Abner Doubleday invented the game in a pastoral setting in Cooperstown, New York in 1839, and goes so far as to showcase the baseball Doubleday purportedly used, in an exhibit (I have seen it). The Doubleday Myth has been debunked dozens of times, yet Bud Selig and Hawk Harrelson still believe Abner invented the game.

So while the Hall's very existence is enough of a reminder that the bigger the lie, the more people will believe it, I've learned more history about the Hall of Fame itself as I've gotten older, and I've realized it's little more than a tourist attraction. Obviously, there are many who disagree with me on the significance of the Hall. They view it as Baseball Mecca, and election into it is the ultimate measure of baseball greatness. Whatever. Denial is not just a river in Egypt.

Back to the original question, do I think Larkin is worthy of election? I do, but I hesitate in thinking that because of a few different reasons. It's not so much that Alan Trammell is Larkin's complete statistical doppelganger, yet Trammell received a paltry 36% of the vote. It's not so much that Larkin never led the league in....any...statistical category...ever. As a matter of fact, my hesitation has very little do with Larkin himself. My hesitation mainly has to do with who ISN'T getting elected along with Barry.

Larkin was elected today, but a guy who has 569 career home runs was not (Rafael Palmeiro). Another former player with 583 career home runs was also not elected (Mark McGwire). Same goes with another player with a career .948 OPS and 449 home runs (Jeff Bagwell). Did I mention a lifetime .313 hitter, .965 OPS, with 383 home runs also wasn't elected either (Larry Walker)? All of these eligible players are being denied entry, yet Major League Baseball along with the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) are whistling past the graveyard when it comes to addressing why.

The irony of course, is that 365 days from now there will be even bigger and uglier graves to whistle past, in the form of Barry Bonds, Mike Piazza, Sammy Sosa, and Roger Clemens. There is no question that none of those aforementioned players will be elected on the first ballot, yet there will be no overt reason given as to why they will be denied. It will be sort of hinted at, and strongly implied, but never expressly stated by anyone on the record.

What further complicates the matter, is that the BBWAA has been given a mandate by the Hall Of Fame itself, that there MUST be at least one player elected every year. Other than Curt Schilling, and maybe Tim Raines and/or Craig Biggio, there won't be many names for the BBWAA to choose from if this pattern of election continues.

Which brings me back to my original feelings about Larkin's election. While Barry is a deserving candidate, his election is cheapened by the inaction and silence by both the BBWAA and the Hall Of Fame when it comes to decreeing/classifying PED Use, Admission, and/or Suspicion as it relates to Rule 5 - otherwise known as The Character Clause.

I am now calling on the BBWAA and the Hall Of Fame itself to remove the "Minimum 1 player election per year" mandate. I am also calling for a suspension of voting until PED use, suspicion, and/or admission is determined to violate Rule 5  and is documented on record as such. If that takes one year, ten years, or fifty years, so be it. Just as long as you take the "did he or didn't he" guess-work away from the voters.

I'm quite certain none of my wishes will happen. Still, I feel stridently this must be done before this gets worse. That is exactly why it won't be done however, because this is baseball after all.

Baseball's history is not anticipatory, but rather it is a history of being stubbornly deliberate. Whether it's been issues of racial equality, free agency, revenue sharing, or PED'S, baseball has always been dragging their feet, rather than being ahead of the curve.

The time to change that behavior is now, otherwise this will be yet another error in the handling of The Steroid Era.

You Missed A Spot Or Two George...

As I tweeted earlier, I had a feeling I shouldn't post my thoughts on the blog right away after the Bears meaningless victory over the Minnesota Vikings on New Years Day. Something told me that I should save it for later this week, in case there were any swift and bold changes taking place at Halas Hall. My instinct served me well evidently, as I awoke this morning to the news that long time Bears General Manager Jerry Angelo had been fired.

The interesting part of that news mainly involved the fact that Angelo hadn't retired, or even resigned, but was Fired with a capital "F". The Bears didn't stop with Angelo today either. After initially stating on their website that "...no other changes would be made", much maligned Offensive Coordinator Mike Martz and Quarterbacks Coach Shane Day had resigned as well.

What did all of this activity mean? Were there more names that were about to be referred to as "ex-Bears" on the coaching staff? Was Team President Ted Phillips next? How about Lovie Smith? If Jerry Angelo could be fired, couldn't the same fate await Lovie and Ted? After all, they have as much to do with the Bears making the postseason 3 times in 8 seasons, and only once since reaching the Super Bowl five seasons ago, as Angelo and Martz did. Does this activity signify that newly named Chairman George McCaskey was wiping the slate clean and starting fresh from the top down? Only an afternoon press conference could answer those questions:

Well the press conference happened, and unfortunately for us, the few answers we got aren't the right answers, and the new questions that have emerged are even worse.

There's so much subtext to all of this, it's pretty impossible for me to cover it all here, but I'll do what I can without "whistling Dixie". First things last, Jerry Angelo deserved to get fired. The totality of his too-many-misses-not-enough-hits draft classes, are more than enough grounds to justify Angelo's termination. Add the fact that Angelo's failure to recognize that Caleb Hanie couldn't play football while keeping Hanie on the roster for 4 seasons, on top of the following free agent/trade busts:

1. Adewale Ogunleye          2. Mushin Muhammad
3. Adam Archuleta              4. Frank Omiyale
5. Brandon Manumaleuna   6. Orlando Pace
7. Gaines Adams (RIP)       8. Chester Taylor

...and it's pretty clear that Jerry Angelo was in over his head, especially once he got away from Greg Gabriel and Bobby DePaul.

With regard to Mike Martz departing, I doubt many tears will be shed. Especially from the Bears most important player Jay Cutler. One sentiment I've heard is "Well you can't fire Martz because the last two game Cutler played, the offense was moving the ball pretty well." So that means it took 28 games before Martz's offense started to work?

Obviously that's not true. It's also not true that they were even running Martz's offense. What definitely IS true however is that the Bears made the simple art of relaying the play calls from the booth to the huddle the most complicated process ever, and thus burned more timeouts, and incurred more delay of game penalties, than any other team in the league.

Most fans don't seem to understand that Martz was calling all those running plays through gritted teeth. He HATED calling a 50/50 run/pass split every game. He couldn't stand calling plays for Cutler to roll out of the pocket and throw on the run. It was also Martz's idea to get rid of Cutler's favorite target Greg Olsen, since Martz's offense has absolutely no use for a pass catching Tight End. The New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, and Green Bay Packers on the other hand seem to think the Tight End can be a pretty lethal part of a passing game, but what the hell do they know about offense right Mike?

Martz wants to run his antiquated Greatest Show On Turf version of Air Coryell, and he can't accept that he doesn't have the talent on the roster to run it. More importantly, Martz doesn't understand that his offense is going to get Cutler killed, like it did with every other quarterback that ran it. Not to mention it's pretty much an open secret that Martz is known as a "Me Guy" in Halas Hall as well. Therefore it was in the Bears best interest to part ways with him, and search for an Offensive Coordinator that is ahead of the NFL curve, or at the very least understands what he can and can't run with this personnel.

As for what happens now? Well Ted Phillips and George McCaskey made it clear that Ted is running the Bears right now, and Lovie Smith will be the head coach for 2012 no matter what. This means that the incoming GM will not be allowed to replace Lovie for at least one more season. This doesn't really sit well with me, because it sure seems like there was some Quid Pro Quo between Ted and Lovie in an effort to save their jobs.

The logic being, Ted says he'll fire Angelo while asking Lovie to fire Martz, therefore the two of them will get what they want - another year of employment while placing Angelo and Martz as the scapegoats. Want proof that Lovie fired Martz? When asked about Martz's resignation, the first words out of Ted Phillips' mouth were "Well that was Lovie's call..." So yes, it's pretty obvious Lovie fired Martz and is now working on his 4th offensive coordinator in 9 seasons.

Here's my bottom line. If the Bears are serious about bringing in a new, big nuts, General Manager, and they're also serious about bringing in an offensive coordinator that's going to maximize the talents of the franchise QB....Phillips better not have only identified candidates, but he should have them all but one final interview away from accepting the job(s). I know some people might refer to this as "tampering", but a more accurate way to describe it would be "working the back channels of the NFL".

Something tells me that's not what has happened though. These moves are little more than scapegoating by two desperate men trying to save their own asses, in the form of Ted Phillips and Lovie Smith, and it looks like they are going to get away with it.

If George McCaskey would have done what many had hoped he would do, and clean house from Phillips on down, I think this would be cause for much more optimism. The Bears are a charter franchise of the NFL. They have some attractive components already on the roster, and if they were starting over with a new GM free to hire any coach he wanted, along with making any personnel moves he desired, I have to believe this job opening would be much more attractive to the likes of say a Bill Polian, Bill Parcells, Carl Peterson or to any of the new blood candidates whose names will be brandied about very soon.

Either way, today's transactions are another example of the Bears repeating the same mistake they made when they hired Jerry Angelo in the first place on that spring day in 2001. Angelo wasn't allowed to fire Dick Jauron, and as a result had to wait three seasons into the job before he could make his first - and it turns out only - head coaching hire.

As the title indicates, if George McCaskey was going to clean house, he missed two dirty spots he needed to get rid of.