Scott Skiles Has a Job

There are a bunch of different reasons why the Chicago Bulls sucked so bad this year, but I think it became obvious during the latter part of the season that it wasn't because of anything Scott Skiles had been doing. Sure, the players tuned him out, but after seeing the way they played under Jim Boylan it appears it had less to do with Skiles than it did with the fact that they just didn't care.

Skiles, no matter his faults, is a good basketball coach, and it was only a matter of time before he found another job. He found one too, a couple of miles up the road on I-294.

A newspaper report says the Bucks have offered their coaching job to former Chicago Bulls and Phoenix Suns head man Scott Skiles.

A league source tells the Journal Sentinel that the Bucks have given Skiles "an offer he can't refuse," but the report doesn't give specifics on that offer.

Apparently the Bucks stuck a horse's head with a contract stapled to it in Skiles' bed over night.

This is a good move for Milwuakee, as they're currently a young team that seems to have no sense of direction. Skiles is exactly the type of coach that a team would want in such a situation, as the Bulls were much the same way when Skiles took over here, and he got them to the playoffs.

Plus, since he's in Milwaukee, he's going to get four chances a season to stick it to the Bulls. Scott was also considered to be one of the top candidates to take the Knicks job, but the situation in New York has gotten so bad he actually chose Milwaukee over them. Which means that at this point, the Knicks job is ABC analyst Mark Jackson's to lose.

Joakim Noah Speaks Out

As has been clearly evidenced by the complete lack of Bulls coverage here the last few weeks, I'm done with the NBA season until the the playoffs start. In a way, you could say I've quit on the team. Though you couldn't blame me for it, because the team quit on itself a long time ago.

Just this week the Bulls have lost to a D-League team in the Miami Heat, and they got blown out by an Orlando Magic team last night that has absolutely nothing left to play for. Yet, at no point during either of those games did it seem like the Bulls even had the slightest interest in winning the game, and therefore, I have no interest in seeing them play.

And fans like myself aren't the only one growing frustrated with this team. Just listen to what Joakim Noah had to say after last night's loss.

"It's a disease, and it spreads throughout the whole team," Noah said calmly. "It's just really, really hard right now because regardless what we do, there's no light at the end of the tunnel, especially for this season.

"We're not really playing with a lot of pride and respect for the jersey. It's just hard because you can't point at anybody individually. It's just our togetherness as a team is just bad. You can talk about Florida. But if you're a Bulls fan, I'm not a champion anymore. We're losers. We lose. That's all we do. That's all there is to say.

"There's going to have to be a serious team talk before the end of the year about our approach to every game and things that are going to be tolerated and not tolerated. Not little stupid things. I'm talking about winning and the sacrifices that need to be done to win."

Oh wait, there's more.

"I don't know what's going to happen next season, who is going to be here and who is not," he said. "But we have to perform. We're just not putting the effort out there and making the sacrifices to win.

"Is there a nucleus right now? Not the way we've been performing. Is there potential? Yeah, but there's potential on every team in the NBA. That doesn't mean anything at the end of the day. The only thing that matters is W's and L's."

Anyone see anything wrong with this? No, I'm not talking about the fact that a rookie is saying these things. I love the fact Joakim is talking like this, because at least he cares. What I want to know is where are Ben Gordon, Luol Deng, and Kirk Hinrich in all of this? Aren't they the veterans? Aren't Ben and Lu both playing for long term deals this summer? Doesn't Kirk already have that long term deal?

Where the hell is the drive in this team? I don't know if they just completely revolted against Scott Skiles, and then they continued it when the inept Jim Boylan took over or what, but this has been one of the most pathetic Bulls seasons I think I've ever lived through. Yes, that includes the years after MJ left, because those teams were supposed to suck.

This team has a ton of talent, and they've just chosen not to use it this year. It's fucking sad.

Everything Joakim said is dead on, and I can only wish that somebody else on this "team" cared half as much as he did.

Screw The Bulls

As I look around the web and through the newspapers, and listen to the radio, there's one big story in Chicago today: the Joakim Noah benching. I decided yesterday that I was going to write about it as well, but when I woke up this morning I stumbled into one big road block.

I don't care enough about this team right now.

In a year's time I've gone from being enamored with this team and their future to not even realizing they were playing on Sunday. It's tiring to try and follow these guys.

The cohesion between the players on the Bulls that had been so evident the last few years is gone. It's as though they've adopted an every man for himself philosophy, and it's not fun to watch.

Luol Deng and Ben Gordon seem too preoccupied with the fact they turned down $50 million extensions this offseason, and now they're trying to overcompensate on the court. Ben Wallace quit on Scott Skiles, and I don't care how much you hate a guy, when you're making the type of money Ben is making, you play every night.

In a weird way, this benching of Noah after a unanimous vote by the rest of the team is the first sign of this team coming together this season. Not exactly the way you'd like to see it happen though, is it?

When Jim Boylan took over I saw an energy from the team that wasn't there during the first month and a half under Skiles this season. It gave me hope that they'd turn things around, but that quickly changed when the same sloppy play the Bulls had exhibited all season continued. Only now that horrible decision had some motivation behind it!

Now it's as though the team has already tuned Boylan out as well. They didn't feel as though his one-game benching of Noah was enough, so they took matters into their own hands and told their coach he'd be benching Noah for another game as well.

Well, I've taken a players-only vote as well, and by a unanimous decision we've come to the conclusion that were stepping back from the Bulls this season. I'm not going to drop them completely or anything. I'll still watch games when I can, but much like the Bulls players have done this season, I'm going to stop caring.

If they don't give a shit, why should I?

Foul Balls

T.O. Is On Suicide Watch Again - There's no doubt that around the blogosphere and MSM this morning there will be a lot of talk about how Tony Romo going to Mexico with Jessica Simpson last week is the reason the Cowboys lost. It's not true, but it helps fill the pages and airspace, so why the hell not.

Romo set himself up for it, so now he's going to have to answer for it. At least we know he has one teammate who's going to be there for him.

Obviously, none of this should come as a surprise to you. Terrell has always been a team first guy who's stood by his quarterback through thick and thin. Just ask Donovan McNabb and Jeff Garcia.

Personally I think the only reason Owens is crying is because he saw the look on Jerry Jones' face on the sidelines after R.W. McQuarters' interception ended the game, and he's just scared Jerry is going to line up the entire team and shoot them.

Can't Believe The Colts Lost - A day later, and I'm still not sure how the Colts lost to the Chargers on Sunday. LaDainian Tomlinson didn't play in the second half, Antonio Gates was extremely limited with his dislocated toe, and Philip Rivers had to leave the game in the fourth quarter.

Meanwhile Peyton Manning threw for over 400 yards, so shouldn't the Colts have won this game by 24?

Seriously, Billy Volek? Billy Volek is leading the Chargers on game-winning drives on the road?

NORV TURNER HAS WON TWO STRAIGHT PLAYOFF GAMES!?

I don't know what the hell is going on here, people, but I'm scared for my life.

I'm also scared that next week's AFC Championship will feature a quarterback matchup of Tom Brady and Billy Volek. That should be exciting.

Eric Gordon's Still Good, Illini Still Suck - Illinois moved to 0-4 in the Big Ten after losing again on Sunday afternoon to Indiana. The story going into the game, of course, was about Eric Gordon facing the Illini.

It's the first time Gordon has played against the team he verbally committed to a few years ago before backing out on it and going to Indiana. He didn't disappoint either, as the Big Ten's leading scorer dropped 17 on the Illini and was a big part of the Hoosiers comeback win.

If there's anything positive to take from this game, it's that at least the Illini built a lead to blow in the second half! I figured they were going to get blown out of the water from the get go. It's progress, people!

About This Whole Scott Skiles Thing

I know the story is a few days old, but I didn't get a chance to talk about it then, so I'll talk about it now. The firing of Scott Skiles caught me off guard. I was at work on Monday morning when I got a call from Joey Mac. I didn't answer it, and later when I checked the voicemail I got this message.

"Hey Tom, Merry Christmas! Scott Skiles got fired!"

At first I thought Joe was kidding, because on Saturday night we were watching the Bulls game against Houston and the entire time I was complaining about this team and Skiles. Then more calls and text messages came in telling me the same thing.

My first reaction was, "Damn. On Christmas Eve?"

I quickly got over it though and moved on to the "What the hell are they going to do now?"

I'm not familiar enough with the inner workings of the organization to know what's really going on, but from all accounts it's the same old story for Skiles. His players just got tired of playing for him, and they'd essentially tuned him out. It happened to Scott when he was in Phoenix, and now it's happened to him in Chicago.

Is it his fault though? I mean, these guys are supposed to be paid professionals after all. I've had bosses at my job who I haven't been too fond of, but that doesn't mean I stopped doing my job. It's also not Skiles' fault that Luol Deng and Ben Gordon didn't sign extensions this offseason, and that they've been distracted by it.

It's not Scott's fault that John Paxson has made a few bad moves in recent years. I'm sure Scott would have loved to have LaMarcus Aldridge on his team right now rather than Tyrus Thomas.

It isn't Skiles' fault that Ben Wallace is playing like a 65-year old man out there.

A lot of the Bulls problems aren't Skiles fault, so why fire him?

Well, because you can't fire the team.

And maybe, just maybe, a coaching change right now will provide the spark this team needs to wake up and get going. All the talent that was prevalent on this team the last few seasons is still there, maybe now with the Skiles Shackles off, it will finally show itself again.

As far as who the next coach of the Bulls will be, your guess is just as good as mine. There are some big names being floated around right now like Larry Brown (not this Larry Brown), Rick Carlisle, and Jeff Van Gundy as possible replacements. I doubt the Bulls will get any of the three.

The fact is that Jerry Reinsdorf and the Bulls owe Skiles around $7 million over the next two years, and Jerry isn't that fond of spending big bucks on new coaches while he's still paying an old one.

Foul Balls

Jay Mariotti Still Says Stupid Things - While were on the subject of Skiles, when I first heard the news I already knew what Mariotti's column on it would be. The Bulls and Jerry Reinsdorf are big scrooges for firing Skiles at Christmas!

Of course, Jay says a lot of dumb things I disagree with (and to be fair, a lot of dumb things I do agree with) but sometimes I can tell he's just reaching to fill space. This was one of those moments.

Sure, it matters. It matters when Skiles has a wife and children, all of whom had to awaken Christmas morning and open presents with the sting of Dad having been fired.

Yes, Scott's poor family. Those kids must have been devastated to learn that they'd actually have time to spend with their father now. And his wife!? Dear Lord how is she going to provide for the family now that Scott's out of a job, and he's only going to get paid $7 million over the next two years!?

It's the worst Christmas ever!

Blackhawks Win Again - Bill Wirtz is rolling over in his grave! Imagine, a Blackhawks home game being shown on television in Chicago. Now it's not the first time it's happened this season or since Bill's death, but there was something different going on on Wednesday night.

I've watched the Hawks at home when they're on TV, and I've noticed a trend. The first game? A sparse crowd surrounded the rink as the Hawks played. In every game since then, those empty seats started to fill up. Wednesday night? Well that was the first Hawks home sellout of the season.

That's right, the game was on TV, and every ticket in the house had been sold. It's a Christmas miracle.

The Hawks beat Nashville 3-1 for their fourth straight victory, and frankly, it's about time I start covering them more here.

The NFL Gives In - Apparently the NFL and the NFL Network aren't as untouchable as they seem to think they are. All season the league has had to deal with complaints about the fact that the NFL Network isn't available in a lot of homes around the country, and as a result, a lot of fans haven't been able to watch their teams play some weeks.

Well, with this Saturday night's game featuring the Giants and some team from the Boston area that hasn't lost yet, there's some demand to see the game. In fact, there's so much demand to see the game that the NFL finally caved.

They're going to be simulcasting the game on CBS and NBC, so everybody can watch it.

The NFL avoided a potential backlash by fans unable to watch the New England Patriots' attempt to complete a perfect regular season, announcing yesterday that the NFL Network's telecast of Saturday night's game between the Patriots and New York Giants also will be carried by NBC and CBS.

The nationwide simulcast will be the first of an NFL game since Super Bowl I, and it dissipates a controversy that had been building in recent weeks because the league-owned NFL Network had been scheduled to carry the game alone. It reaches only about 35 million U.S. households.

"We have taken this extraordinary step because it is in the best interest of our fans," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a written statement released by the league. "What we have seen for the past year is a very strong consumer demand for NFL Network. We appreciate CBS and NBC delivering the NFL Network telecast on Saturday night to the broad audience that deserves to see this potentially historic game. Our commitment to the NFL Network is stronger than ever."

Actually, Rog. It's not consumer demand for the NFL Network as much as it's NFL consumer demand to let them watch the NFL. Not that I really care, mind you, I have the channel.

Now if congress would please start pressuring the folks over at the Big Ten Network......

Bring In Orton

What the hell can I say about the Chicago Bears I haven't already complained about this season? Did anything happen in last night's 24-16 loss that surprised you?

It wasn't the first time you saw Rex Grossman limp off of a football field.

It wasn't the first time you saw a Bears running back run up his offensive line's ass and fall down.

It wasn't the first time you saw the Bears offensive line kill a drive by repeatedly committing false starts.

It wasn't the first time you saw somebody you never heard of look like a Pro Bowler against this Bears defense. (Collins to Yoder!?)

It wasn't the first time you saw the Bears defense allow a team to march right down field and score when they needed a stop.

The only thing that happened last night that we haven't seen before was Adam Archuleta made a play. He sniffed out a screen pass and made a tackle for negative yardage. Just for that, when I run into Archuleta on the street I'm going to fire a warning shot.

If there was anything good to be taken from the game last night it's that Ron Turner finally figured out that Devin Hester can run a slant as well, and that Garrett Wolfe has a use as a receiver out of the backfield.

Other than that, there isn't much positive to take into the rest of the season.

The Bears are done. They aren't mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, but since both Jessica Alba and I are alive, I'm not mathematically eliminated from ever having sex with her. It doesn't mean it's going to happen, though I like my chances better than the Bears right now.

It's also likely that Rex Grossman is done for the year, even if there isn't any ligament damage to his knee. What would be the point of bringing him back this season for the Bears? As of right now they're in a perfect position to sign Rex to a very cheap deal to compete for the quarterback job next season.

So the only logical choice the Bears can really make now is to give Kyle Orton the starting job. There's no point to starting Brian Griese because everybody knows he isn't the future of this team, and they already know what he can do.

Orton wasn't spectacular when he filled in for an injured Rex during his rookie season, but he did win 10 games as a starter. It's only fair that he be given another chance to lead this team. Is it likely that Orton will step in and become the franchise quarterback the Bears have long looked for?

No, but there's no harm in giving him a shot.

Thankfully the Bears have the next 10 days off, and we don't have to watch them until they face the Vikings on the 17th. Ahh, yes. Another game on national television so the entire country can see how horrible this team is yet again.

Foul Balls

Scott Skiles Always Listens To Me - Okay, so I doubt it's what I wrote yesterday that is what has Skiles considering it, but all that matters is he's considering it.

Skiles has thought about benching Kirk Hinrich lately.

"It's always a possibility," coach Scott Skiles said. "That's the fine line you have to walk, especially when you start to develop a history with players.

"If you've seen players have struggles in the past and seen them work it out and not only work it out but come back and play very, very well, it makes you slow down on any action you want to take.

"But obviously, we're searching for wins right now. We can't ultimately be the team we want to be unless a whole bunch of guys are playing well at the same time."

And even though Hinrich doesn't want to be benched, he wouldn't be all that upset if he was.

"Um, I don't know," he said after the Bulls' short practice at a local college. "I can't tell you that. I don't know if that's going to wake me up. I don't feel like I'm sleepwalking out there. I just feel like I've been struggling. If it does happen, then whatever. I just want to win and play better."

Um, yeah so like, do it, Skiles. If you don't, then whatever, but if you do, then WHATever!

Your Ridiculous Kenny Williams Quote of The Day - Okay, so I'm not going to rip on Kenny for the third straight day. Well, at least I wasn't planning on doing it today, but then Kenny had to go and open his mouth.

First Kenny was dealing with all the negative feelings people have about him, then he was mad about snitches, and now he's just lost his mind apparently. As Williams left Nashville and the winter meetings yesterday, he said something that I'm not sure he can actually believe.

Williams was asked about his feelings on the blockbuster deal the Tigers made that brought Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis to Detroit. His response?

''All this has done is put the Tigers in a better position to contend with us.''

The Tigers needed to be in a better position to compete with us? Haven't they finished higher than us in the division the last two seasons? Shouldn't you be doing something to compete with them, Kenny?

Nobody Wants To Coach Michigan - I thought that as a head coach in college football, there were a few jobs you just can't say no to. If USC, Notre Dame, Texas, and Michigan call, don't you drop whatever you're doing and take the job?

Well first Les Miles scorned Big Blue when LSU came to him at the last minute and gave him a bunch of money to stay in Baton Rouge, and now another coach has used Michigan to get himself a raise.

You thought Greg Schiano was going to leave Rutgers to coach at Michigan? You were wrong!

Two days after flirting with the Michigan job, Rutgers coach Greg Schiano has decided he will stay in New Jersey.

"I was contacted earlier this week about the Michigan coaching vacancy, but I have decided to remove my name from consideration," Schiano said in a statement released by the university Friday. "I look forward to our third straight bowl game and to bringing a national championship to Rutgers and the state of New Jersey. "I will have no further comment."

Think about this for a second. I know college football has changed a bit the last few years, but a guy just turned down Michigan so he could stay at Rutgers. That's fucked up.

The Bulls Are Making Changes

I didn't get a chance to watch the Bulls game on Saturday night, and I'm glad that I didn't. While I was at my cousin's wedding on Saturday night, I caught a glimpse of the Bulls score early in the first quarter at the bar.

They were trailing by five.

About an hour later I was walking by the bar again, and I glanced at the television, and they were down forty.

I don't know how they got there. I don't know who's fault it was. Whatever had happened though, I knew the Bulls had been doing some serious sucking.

Which is the same thing we could all say after every game the Bulls have played so far this season, save for the Detroit game.

As a result of all this sucking, Adrian Griffin called a players-only meeting on Monday, while Scott Skiles let it be known that he was planning on making some lineup changes for Thursday night's game in Phoenix.

''We're not going to do anything crazy,'' Skiles said. ''But is 1-5 the right time? [Is] 1-9? It's not even so much the record. It's the way that we've played. This is different than wanting to hold two guys accountable or anything like that. We have to find a way to get shocked out of our malaise. It's probably going to have to come initially from me and then see what happens.

''Everything is in play now.''

A change in the lineup may help provide a spark, but I think the Bulls problems go a little deeper than that. Whether it's the Kobe rumors, the contract situation, or if we've all just put too much hope into him, there's something wrong with Luol Deng.

The one player on this team considered to be untouchable in trade talks is struggling mightily in the Bulls first 6 games. Lu is only averaging 14.0 points a game, and is making only 44% of his shots.

Lineup changes are nice, but if this team is ever going to get going and be what they thought they'd be, Lu needs to step it up. If he's going to become the superstar we think he's capable of being, he needs to get more selfish.

He's only taking 13 shots a game, which is okay if you're making 10 of them. The way this team is currently constructed, Lu needs to be scoring around 25 points a game if the Bulls are going to have a legitimate shot at going deep into the playoffs. Of course, that's assuming they actually get there.

With every game that passes by, that seems less likely. Sure, they're only six games into an 82-game season, but they're about to start the Circus Trip out west, where they've truly struggled ever since MJ left for good.

With road games against the Suns, Clippers, Lakers, Nuggets, Knicks, and the Raptors, I wouldn't be surprised if the Bulls were 1-11 when they return to the United Center on November 27th.

The Clippers and Raptors have already beaten the Bulls in Chicago, so they'd likely take care of them at their own place. Kobe will probably want to drop 60 on them just to convince John Paxson to make the trade, and the Suns and Nuggets will probably run all over them. The Knicks look like a winnable game, but even they've improved this season, and will be tough to beat in the Garden.

So whatever the hell it is this team is planning on doing to get their act together, they better do it fast. Because if the Bulls start 1-11, they may still get to the playoffs, but they won't be able to get through Detroit or Boston without homecourt advantage.

Which is something the Bulls have already eliminated themselves from contention for.

Foul Balls

Still No Decision At Halas Hall - Lovie Smith held his weekly press conference yesterday, and of course the only thing anybody really wanted to know was who is going to start at quarterback in Seattle next Sunday: Rex or Brian?

Well, we're all going to have to keep waiting.

"Yes, it's unclear who is going to start Sunday," Smith said. "Once you get healthy guys, then you start. Right now we finished with two guys that can play: Rex Grossman and Kyle Orton.

"Brian did some good things when he was in the football game. It's unfortunate that he went down with a shoulder injury, but you need the next guy in the rotation ready to go. [We] really like what Rex Grossman was able to do when he stepped in and led us to the victory there at the end of the game.

"It showed that Rex has been paying attention. You're disappointed when you're not the starter, but you have to prepare like you could end up coming in and playing. And that's what he's done. And I think that's what we saw from the way he played.

"To have Rex come in like that when the team needed him, that's what we assumed Rex would do."

I'm still of the opinion that Rex is going to get his starting job back. I'm not exactly thrilled about it, but I could understand the decision if the Bears do make it. Brian Griese has been a lot more consistent than Grossman was, but consistently mediocre is still mediocre.

Let's not forget that Rex's contract ends at the end of the season, and the Bears have to decide what they're going to do with him. It's either Grossman steps up and plays well to claim his spot as the team's quarterback, or they blow the whole thing up and start over.

Either way, they're going to want to see how Rex performs for the rest of the season before making the decision.

All any of us can really do is hope that somehow being benched will trigger something inside of Rex that makes him a good quarterback. I wouldn't hold my breath though.

Cubs On Verge Of Another Trade - Yesterday the Cubs sent Jacque Jones to Detroit for Omar Infante. Today it looks as though they're about to send Craig Monroe, whom they got from Detroit in August, to Minnesota for the infamous player to be named later.

If the deal, first reported Tuesday on the Minneapolis Star-Tribune's Web site, is consumated, Monroe would be the third Cubs outfielder sent packing in the last two weeks, after the trade of Jacque Jones to Detroit and the decision not to pick up Cliff Floyd's $5 million option.

Of course, the trade of Jones and not picking up Cliff Floyd's option left the Cubs with a severe lack of left-handed hitting. That could change quickly though, as there are strong rumors of a possible deal for Tampa Bay's Carl Crawford are picking up steam.

If the Cubs do land Crawford, not only would it be a great move for the team, but it would also piss me off. The Sox have tried to get Crawford for years, and I've wanted them to get Crawford for years, but they've failed everytime. If the Cubs get him, that would just be a kick to the balls.

Schedules Released - There are tentative versions out of next year's baseball schedule. I don't know what would have to happen for them to change, but MLB isn't ready to make them official yet.

If they do stick though, the White Sox better get off to a good start, or their season may be over before the end of April. The Sox will start their season with six straight road games against the two best teams in their division, at Cleveland and at Detroit starting on March 31st. After that they return home to play the Twins and Tigers again. So their first 12 games are all against division opponents.

You can also see the Cubs schedule here.

It's Now Or Never For Cedric Benson

Wasn't the bye week fantastic? For a whole week I didn't have to think about the Bears, and instead of being frustrated on a Sunday, I was just able to sit back and enjoy the Patriots-Colts game.

I didn't have to hear about Brian Urlacher's back, or Bernard Berrian's dropped passes, or Brian Griese's turnovers. It was great!

But now the Bears are preparing to go to Oakland and start the second half of what's looking to be a lost season. I was hoping that after the Seahawks got to the playoffs last season, it had signified an end to the curse of the Super Bowl loser. I was wrong.

But even though they're 3-5, they're not out of it! Sure, the Packers are 7-1, and the Lions are 6-2, but we can still catch em!! The Bears can still go 8-0 to finish 11-5, while the Packers stumble down the stretch with a 3-5 record, and the Bears would win the division.

Will that actually happen? Hell no it won't, but that's still what they're telling themselves at Halas Hall.

If the Bears had any chance of going undefeated in the second half, Cedric Benson would have to step up big time. How many of you honestly see that happening?

Benson has been the dreaded "B" word since being taken fourth overall in the 2005 draft: BUST. The team traded Thomas Jones this offseason for him. The two running backs weren't getting along, so the Bears sent Jones packing to give their first rounder room to breathe.

Now if only the offensive line could do the same thing.

Benson has topped the century mark only once this season, rushing for 101 yards against the Chiefs in Week 2. He still doesn't have a run over 16 yards. In eight games he's managed to rush for 466 yards rushing on 149 carries.

That averages out to a whopping 3.1 yards per carry. Keep in mind, you could just walk up to the line of scrimmage and fall flat on your face, and you'd get two yards. So that means Cedric Benson is good enough to move the ball 4 feet before getting tackled.

Now all the blame can't be placed on Benson. After all, the offensive line are the one responsible for opening the holes, and Cedric hasn't had many big holes to run through this season. Still, for someone with his size, Cedric should be able to make his own holes when he has to.

Instead he chooses to run into a pile of people and fall down. An effective tactic against fumbling the football, but not much help as far as matriculating the ball down the field is concerned.

If Cedric is ever going to have a bust out game this season, it's going to have to be this weekend. If we get another 20 carry, 60-yard performance, we'll know for sure that Benson is never going to amount to anything.

The reason for this is that the Bears are playing the Raiders this weekend. Oakland ranks 30th in the NFL in run defense, giving up 152.5 yards per game. (Roughly 49 Benson carries.) Last week the Raiders gave up 122 yards to Ron Dayne. Ron Dayne the third string running back of the Houston Texans, Ron Dayne. The big man even rumbled for a 39-yard carry against Oakland's porous run defense.

So the Bears gameplan this weekend needs to call for feeding the ball to Benson over and over again. What the gameplan shouldn't consist of are the toss and stretch plays to Benson.

What in the hell makes Ron Turner think that Cedric is ever going to beat anybody to the corner? Speed is not his best asset. All the Bears should do with Benson is let him pound it between the tackles all day.

If Cedric Benson gets the ball 25 times on Sunday, and doesn't manage to get over 100 yards, he's done. He will never be the running back the Bears hoped for, and they'll have to go into this offseason not only searching for a quarterback to lead this team in the future, but for somebody for him to hand the ball off to as well.


Foul Balls

Lane Kiffin Is Stupid - Lane Kiffin is only 32 years old, and he's the head coach of the Oakland Raiders, so it's hard to blame him for having confidence. It's just sometimes having too much confidence in yourself ends up hurting you in the end.

Take this quote from Kiffin in a press conference this week about Devin Hester.

"We're excited about the challenge," Kiffin said. "You know, we've started to play better on special teams the last few weeks. It's obvious [he's] probably the best returner ever to play the game."

"It's no fun to kick it out of bounds, so we're going to see how well we can cover."

So Lane Kiffin and the Raiders plan on kicking to Devin Hester all day on Sunday. Punts, and kicks. None of that out of bounds sissy bullshit other teams have been doing.

So thank you, Lane Kiffin. Thank you for having the balls to test the one known as Hester. Unfortunately, those balls of yours will be your downfall, because kicking to Hester is the dumbest idea you've ever had.

He's the only member of the Bears capable of scoring on a regular basis! Why the hell would you put the ball in his hands!?

Welcome To The Doghouse, Joakim - It didn't take Joakim Noah long to find himself in Scott Skiles' doghouse, did it? After playing in his first game as a Bull on Tuesday night, Noah got himself in trouble with things he said about the team after the game.

In case you're wondering, here's what Joakim had to say.

"Every game we play is like, 'Oh, wait till we play the next one. We'll be all good. We're going to kill them the next game.' That's not how it works," he said. "You just have to play possession by possession like it's your last. I don't think we're doing that now."

"At Florida, we played together so much, like every day, and we knew what it took to win ballgames," he said as he leafed through a French magazine that included a feature story about him. "Losing was unacceptable. Even if we didn't play well, we found ways to win basketball games. "… It's tough right now. We have 78 more games to go. Our attitude has to be to see the big picture and learn from this.

"I think we're playing hard, but I feel like we're just not together. Everybody's trying to do it by themselves, instead of playing as a team. I think that's the problem."

Once Skiles heard what his rookie had said, he responded with this.

"If I had just played my first pro game, I'd probably keep my mouth shut, to be honest with you," Skiles told reporters at the Berto Center. "It's obvious we're not playing to our ability. There's no doubt about that. I may have a little problem with the phrasing of that, but the point is probably spot-on. But it probably should be somebody else speaking for the group."

Joakim then quickly wet himself.

"I don't want to say anything. There's no … um, there's not … I don't have a problem with coach Skiles, OK? If he feels that way, I'll shut up," Noah said.

I don't think Joakim really needs to worry too much about coach Skiles. Sure, Skiles is probably a bit angry at him for speaking out like that without putting in the time, but even Skiles admitted Joakim's take on the situation is spot on.

Personally, I think Skiles is probably more pissed off it's not somebody else on the team saying it. Isn't that what Ben Wallace is supposed to do? Luol Deng? Kirk Hinrich? Why isn't one of the veterans coming out and saying this? Do they just not care?

How Big Ben Got His Groove Back

With the recent success of the Cubs, and failures of the White Sox, I had really been looking forward to football season this summer so I could divert my attention. Of course, that plan went to hell when Notre Dame and the Bears decided to suck ass.

Luckily, basketball season isn't too far away right now as the Bulls open up their training camp with two practices today. There will be a few new looks with the Bulls this season, like seeing Luol Deng play more two guard in the same backcourt as Ben Gordon.

But that's not the look I'm talking about. Putting Luol Deng in the backcourt is not going to be what gets the Bulls to the NBA Finals next summer. No, it takes something much more important than that.

Like a headband.

The Bulls will sport a couple of new looks this season, including center Ben Wallace wearing his signature headband with coach Scott Skiles' blessing.

''I left it up to the guys who have been here,'' Skiles said of his meeting with some of the team's veterans. ''If they wanted to make an exception for Ben, I was fine with it. And they did.''

Finally, Ben Wallace will be able to wear his headband. If that doesn't win us an NBA title, nothing will.

Now all the Bulls have to do is sign Ben Gordon and Luol Deng to contract extensions.

Don't Dare Compliment Tyson Chandler In My Presence

I don't call other writers to task too often - besides Mariotti, anyway - but Bill Simmons wrote something earlier this week that just pissed me off.

Let me preface by saying, I'm not going to jump on the "Bill Simmons Sucks" bandwagon. I don't think he sucks. I just think that when he first popped up everybody thought he was awesome because he was the only person writing the way he does, as well as he does.

Now there are about 75 brazillian sports blogs out there, all written Simmons-style, and he's become a little dispensable. So there's a backlash against him for not changing what he writes about by a bunch of other bloggers who never change what they write about either.

It's funny.

Anyway, I was reading his latest Basketball Blog and saw he mentioned the Bulls. I was interested to hear his take on my favorite basketball team.

The talk, as was all talk of the Bulls at the time, centered around them not pulling the trigger on Pau Gasol. Simmons felt the Bulls made a mistake not making a deal, and he also questioned the signing of Ben Wallace, and subsequent trade of Tyson Chandler.

This is what pissed me off:

The Bulls overpaid Ben Wallace and acquired P.J. Brown's expiring deal specifically to make a bigger move this season ... and then they did nothing. Well, why not just keep Tyson Chandler then? Have you seen his numbers in New Orleans the past few weeks? He's averaging 17 rebounds a game this month. How can anyone claim the Bulls didn't botch this scenario to smithereens? Chandler makes two-thirds as much money as Wallace AND he's 10 years younger AND he's getting better (and not worse). Am I missing anything?

Maybe it's just my undying hatred for the toothpick known as Tyson Chandler, but I think that Simmons is missing something, and what he's missing completely negates what he said.

Tyson Chandler (who just happens to be making his return to Chicago with the Hornets tonight) would never have had the kind of season he's having with the NOOCH with the Chicago Bulls. It's impossible.

First, I'm pretty sure Scott Skiles hated Tyson, so he would never be getting the playing time here.

Second, I'm not the only Bulls fan that hates Chandler. There was so much weight put on the shoulders of Chandler and fellow high schooler Eddy Curry when they were drafted to turn the franchise around. There was no way that either could live up to what Bulls fans were promised, especially as a couple of 18-year olds.

Not to mention Chandler came to Chicago via a trade that saw Elton Brand (you know, one of those low post scorers the Bulls could really use right now) go to the Clippers. That trade was probably the second dumbest thing former GM Jerry Krause ever did, behind only his decision to tell MJ, Pip, and Phil that the Bulls didn't need them anymore.

As a result, Bulls fans hated Krause, and when they say Chandler and Curry, guess who they thought of? That's right. Jerry Fucking Krause.

So, yes, Bill. You were missing something.

Other than that, though, I agree with Simmons. The Bulls do need a low post scorer. I'm just not sure why everybody is so in love with Gasol. Yes he can score, but he's also injury prone, a defensive liability and, last I checked, he's never led the Grizzlies to a postseason victory. So why he's been portrayed as the second coming of Karl Malone, I don't know.

The thing is, there is just no way that John Paxson could trade a combination of Luol Deng, Ben Gordon, or Kirk Hinrich and still sleep at night.

Ben Gordon is a scoring machine, and nobody knows how good Luol Deng is going to be, just that he's already awesome and getting better. Hinrich is having a down season, but that could easily be attributed to his summer with Team USA.

We seem to forget that the three of them are 23, 21, and 26 years old respectively. The Bulls have time to win an NBA title, and let's be honest, the Eastern Conference sucks this year; it's entirely possible the Bulls could get to the Finals this season without a big man.

Sure Ben Wallace will be a year older next season, but I don't see that as being as big a deal as everyone thinks. Especially if the Bulls do what I think they're going to do this offseason.

I really believe that Kevin Garnett will be wearing a Chicago Bulls jersey next year, especially after what he said about his opt-out clause last week. The Bulls could part with any of a combination of players between Deng, Andres Nocioni, Tyrus Thomas, and of course, the Knicks draft pick. I love Luol Deng, but I don't mind trading him if we get KG in return, and depending on the draft pick, we may not have to trade Deng. I'm sure a package of the #1 or #2 (read Greg Oden or Kevin Durant) plus Nocioni, Tyrus Thomas, and a contract would be good enough for the Timberwolves.

If you put KG in a Bulls jersey along with Gordon, Hinrich, Ben Wallace, and whoever's left at the three, you have your Eastern Conference favorite.

And no, I am not high.

Chris Duhon Suspended

The Bulls are set to tip off in a little over an hour from now, but they'll be without Ben Wallace for the second straight game and now, apparently, without Chris Duhon.

We haven't been able to find anything that explains why, but according to Chicago's ESPN Radio 1000, Duhon has been placed on the Bulls inactive list for violating team rules.

Did he try to wear a headband?

What could Chris Duhon possibly have done? The guy is Mr. Clean. He went to Duke, where he was Coach K's pet, and has basically had the same role here in Chicago with Scott Skiles.

Did he murder a prostitute? We have to know!! Once we find out, we'll let you know too.

(Update: Duhon has been suspended for one game for missing practice. Yep, it's just as lame as we figured it would be, so pardon us if we keep the Chris Duhon-Prostitute Killer rumors going.)

Violet Palmer is a Horrible Official

The Bulls lost to the Wizards 113-103 last night in Washington.

We're not here to make excuses, cuz even without the horrid officiating from Violet Palmer, the Bulls still would have lost.

But two ridiculous calls left us wondering how in the hell Violet Palmer has a job.

The first came at the end of the first quarter. With 3.2 seconds left, the Bulls had a foul to give. After the ball was inbounded to Gilbert Arenas, Hinrich fouled him immediately at 3 quarters court.

Arenas knew it was coming, so as Hinrich fouled him, he flailed his arms wildly into the air.

Violet Palmer awarded Arenas with three free throws.

Scott Skiles was so pissed off, he stormed to halfcourt and was hit with a technical.

It was one of the biggest BS calls we've ever seen. We don't blame Gilbert, we love him. In fact we think it was a brilliant move on his part, but the fact that Violet Palmer actually believes that Arenas was in the act of shooting is stupidity along the lines we've never seen before.

"In the 20 years that I've been in the league, I've seen that shooting motion hundreds of times from guys trying to get that call, and I've never seen it awarded before. I didn't get an explanation."

-Scott Skiles

Violet wasn't done, however. In the fourth quarter, with the outcome still in question, Kirk Hinrich was bringing the ball up the court. Tailing him the whole way was the Wizards Antonio Daniels. Daniels was running side by side with Hinrich, hand checking him the whole way.

Well Antonio wasn't looking straight ahead, so he didn't see Ben Wallace. Wallace, who was walking up court, didn't see him either.

So as a result, Daniels ran right into Wallace.

Violet Palmer then called Ben Wallace for an offensive foul.

We aren't the type to complain about officiating, in any sport, but Violet Palmer's performance last night was a joke. The NBA needs to address this matter, or just leave Violet Palmer to calling meaningless games between the Bobcats and Celtics.

The Headband Speaks

There's a lot of controversy in Chicago over the growing feud between Bulls coach Scott Skiles and center Ben Wallace, and this little disagreement about a headband.

The Bulls have a team rule that states no player can wear a headband.

Wallace tried to wear one on Saturday night in New York.

He was quickly benched.

Wallace tried to wear it again later.

He was quickly benched.

We personally think both sides are being pretty stupid about the whole thing. As far as Skiles is concerned, why the hell does the team need a rule against headbands? Did some bully wearing one try to beat you up when you were a kid?

Also, Ben, it may be a stupid rule, but you gotta follow it. For someone who's supposedly a great team guy, you're awfully concerned about yourself right now.

Both sides have kept their beefs in house, and haven't really talked to the media about it, but there's a third side to this story.

The headband's side.

Luckily for us at Foul Balls, Ben's headband sent us a letter asking us to post his feelings about this whole controversy. We were more than happy to accomodate.

We present to you, A Headband's Story.

Ben may be doing the "right" thing, and keeping his mouth shut with the media, but I ain't Ben, dammit. I got a lot to say, and I'm going to say it.

Do you know who I am, Scott Skiles? Do you? I don't think you do.

I am Ben Wallace's headband.

Oh, sure, the PR departments of the Pistons, and now the Bulls, have always gone after the "Fear the Fro" campaigns, but that's nothing. The Fro serves no purpose. In fact, it only slows Ben down aerodynamically.

I'm the reason Ben succeeds. I do more than keep the sweat out of Ben's eyes, Scott Skiles. I'm there for him when he needs me.

Who's that in the gym with him for hours on end after practice helping Ben with his free throws?

Is it you, Scott Skiles? No. It's me. The Headband.

When Ben's having trouble in his life, is it you he looks to for support, Scott Skiles?

No. It's me. The Headband.

How many NBA titles have you won, Scott Skiles?

I've won one. Hell, Scott Skiles, I've lost more NBA Finals than you've even been in.

How many NBA Defensive Player of the Year Awards have you won, Scott Skiles?

I've won four.

I know the real reason you don't wanna see me on Ben's head.

You're jealous.

You can't wear a headband. I'd slide right off of your glossy dome.

The truth is, you're an anti-headbandite, Scott Skiles. You'd kill us all if you could.

That's fine, Scott Skiles. It's not the first time I've felt such bigotry. Just remember this, you spiteful little midget. You need Ben and me a lot more than we need you.

So you may want to rethink this. You aren't going to win an NBA title for the Chicago Bulls, Scott Skiles. Ben Wallace and me, The Headband, can.

The balls in your court now, baldy. Make your move.