NBA and it's Over-Expansion

by Joe Persinger
@Brew_Mastr_Joe on Twitter

Dramatic growth through the last 20 years has brought the NBA to new heights.  It's become global phenomenon, and everyone is still trying to be "like Mike".

What's intriguing is how much the NBA has grown (in franchises) and, where they are located.

NBA Champion Shaquille O'neal

In 1988, David Stern decided--due to the growing popularity of the NBA--it was time to expand into 4 small markets (Miami, Orlando, Charlotte, and Minnesota).  7 years later, he added 2 more teams outside the United States in Toronto and Vancouver.

I can see the scheme of David Stern's vision.

Back in the yuppy "greed is good" days, no one zoomed out to look at the big picture.  No one really thought:


"If we expand the league by 6 teams in 7 years, can the small markets survive if the economy slows down?"

And how will this effect the product put on the floor?

"Can the NBA's expansion spread talent so thin it will create a talent gap that can render most teams to a non competitive destiny?"

Another recent trend in the NBA is star players teaming up with each other which has come with mixed reviews.  If you're sports fan "Joe Smith" in Boston, Miami, or New York, you're thinking this is great!!!

Miami & Boston's Big 3

But who suffers in this trend?

Small market teams who become incapable of building their team through free agency.


No big deal.

Most small market teams will be able to build through the draft.

This could be true, but the current NBA draft model is non-friendly to small market teams.



The lottery system is a great idea when a league has a small amount of teams, but with 30 teams, the system is flawed.

This is why parity will never exist in the NBA.

How lopsided would the NFL be if they adopted the lottery system?

The NBA has backed itself into a corner with it's business model and what compounds the problem is no elite players wants to play in a small market.

So most first round draft picks demand a trade, or skip town the moment they are available as a free agent.

The NBA had a chance to fix this problem during the lockout last fall by adding a "franchise tag".  The leverage would shift back to the owners, and teams wouldn't have to answer questions like the Nuggets and Magic did over the last two seasons.

David Stern and the owners rushed to get a CBA done to salvage the year at the cost of the game, and refuses to admit to over expanding.  There is a serious talent gap plaguing the league and it does not seem to be doing anything about it.

450 roster spots are available over the 30 NBA teams.  There isn't enough talent coming out of division one colleges/universities that can supplement a 30 team league into fair competition.

Is there a solution??

I have a few radical suggestions:



Contraction of Small Market Teams


Contract four teams based on attendance over the last ten years, financial burden to the owner(s)/league, and the key factor:


Does said city attract free agents and keep it's star players?


The four teams that fall into this category are the New Orleans Hornets, Memphis Grizzlies, Charlotte Bobcats, and the Indiana Pacers.


The Hornets, owned and operated by the NBA, traded away Chris Paul before the season started.  They have one of the worst attendance records since their move to the Bayou.  The NBA owners should just chalk this up as a failure and cut their losses.


The Grizzlies consistently ranks in bottom 7 of the league in attendance and although they made the playoffs, the team also has one of the worst all time NBA records and hasn't been Memphis resident that long.  Cutting ties won't have any long lasting "Lebron-esque" effects.  


The Pacers have been in the bottom 5 of the league in attendance over the last 6 seasons, finishing dead last twice in 4 years.  The team has been showing improvement over the last few seasons, but where are the fans?  If they can't come in droves when the team is flourishing, why keep them there?  It's not like they are going to be attracting Lebron or any other high profile free agents in the near future.


Awarded to Charlotte when the Hornets abruptly left town the Bobcats have ranked in the bottom 10 in attendance, and are 226-381 since their first year in the NBA with only one playoff appearance.  Not exactly a stellar start.  If this team disappeared off the face of the Earth, I'm pretty sure MJ and his accountant would be the only two who'd notice.  


All players should be waived and claimed accordingly.  Anyone that passes waivers becomes a free agent.  


All the talent from those 4 teams would be spread out over the 26 remaining teams creating some depth and stronger competition.




Spread the West Out


The Western Conference is very clustered.  Southern California has the Lakers and Clippers, northern California has the Kings, and the Warriors.  I have excluded Texas from this group because all three cities have a steady attendance record, have won previous championships, and each team isn't packed on top of each other.



Move the Clippers to Seattle

Seattle deserves a NBA franchise and the last thing LA needs is another team.  Seattle gets to preserve the rights to the "SuperSonics" name, however, they do not retain the success the former SuperSonics had.  Those accalaids followed them to Oklahoma City.  


So why not the Clippers?


The team received CP3 in a trade this season, picked up Caron Butler via free agency, and has Blake Griffin dominating underneath the basket.  After Chauncey gets healthy and they add another piece to the bench, were talking about a team that can bring back a title to a city that deserves it.

                                                     


Move the Kings to Las Vegas

Why shouldn't the NBA have a presence in Sin City?  Las Vegas has already hosted an All-Star Game, and hosts the D-League in the summer.  The All-Star Game was a success and the D-League adds another dimension to what the "Mistress of the Desert" has to offer.


Las Vegas has the local economy to support it's own team and the non-stop tourism the city receives through the year.  Not only could the local economy support it's new team, but anyone who is visiting Sin City, will have a chance to catch their home team, and maybe a show afterward.


The best part?  The name carries more than just one meaning.


                                                                       The Las Vegas Kings.





Move the Hornets to San Diego


San Diego State's basketball program's growing popularity is making San Diego thirsty for an NBA franchise again.  Once the original home of the Houston Rockets in the 1960's, the club left due to poor attendance and performance.  


The problem with the former is that in the 60's, San Diego only had a population of 573,000 people (That's smaller than Charlotte, NC).  Almost 50 years later, it has surged to 1.3 million in the city, and over 3 million around the metro area.


A move like this would be highly unlikely due to the lack of an arena deal, but it's still something for the NBA to consider.

Instead of cramming two teams into one city, 3 teams in three of the biggest cities (in California) makes a lot more sense fiscally.  But in reality the NBA will most likely not make any drastic moves.  By contracting the league, David Stern admits he over expanded to early and made a mistake.


But I digress...


The NBA business model has remained the same since 20 years ago, but the landscape in which the league sits has changed.

The new CBA will relieve the owners fiscally (BRI, Revenue sharing, 12% player salary reductions), but won't solve any long term problems for the NBA.

The NFL has parity because they have enough talent coming out of Div. 1 colleges/universities to support a 32 team league.
The NBA doesn't.

College hoops does not provide enough talent to funnel into the NBA to allow parity to exist.  You have a handful of stars that can emerge from the second round of the draft--Carlos Boozer, Monta Ellis, Gilbert Arenas--to name a few.  The only problem is, you're never going to find multiple diamonds in the rough in the same draft--and if you do--that player will most likely be drafted before there's a chance that player will fall to you.

The NBA is a glass of Orange Juice from concentrate.  When mixed thoroughly with the right amount of water, it's a superb product with great smell and taste.

But when there isn't enough concentrate and your adding to much water, what are you left with???

Watered down Orange Juice............

 

Bohemian Grove: The Anti-Burning Man

by Joe Persinger
@Brew_Mastr_Joe on Twitter


"Weaving spiders come not here" is their slogan.  A 40 ft cement owl stands atop an altar amongst pillars of redwood trees in front of a small man made lake.  Different camps are labeled with stone signs with ghoulish icons and some kind of latin phrase carved into it.

What is all of this?

Burning Man 2012?

In 1872, writers and artists--who sought shelter from uncultured frontiersman--started a private all male group on Post & Taylor streets in San Francisco called the Bohemian Club.

What started out as a going away party for a fellow artist, slowly evolved into the club's yearly ritual.

Every two weeks in July this club hosts a two week camp at Bohemian Grove, which is about an hour north of San Francisco.



What's the big deal if a bunch of old rich people want to get together in the woods?

It's just not that simple.

Members of this exclusive club have been some Democrat and Republican presidents, cabinet members, Directors & CEO's of major financial institutions, military contractors, oil companies, utilities, and even national media (print and broadcast) all have high ranking persons as club members or guests.

A lot of US and foreign poilicies are discussed at this two week getaway.  The slogan for this group may be "Weaving Spiders Come Not Here" (Which is basically saying don't talk shop) most of them do.

It's all about networking.

When I used to serve tables I remember being out in social settings with my co-workers and even though we always would say "Let's not discuss work tonight" it always comes up at some point in the night.

Imagine you're a world leader and you're in the same company with other powerful and wealthy men.  If you have your own agenda, but have similar interests, this is the perfect time to network and lobby to get things done.

A small group of powerful men getting together to discuss our country's future while partying it up Burning Man style.  Only one word to describe that.

Wow.

Through my research, it has been suggested that the idea of the "Manhatten project" was first deliberated at the Bohemian Grove.  Before Nixon ran for election, he and Ronald Regan both discussed who would run for president first.  In the summer of 2000, at some point during George W. Bush's two week stay, he chose Dick Cheney as his Vice Presidential running mate.





Cremation of Care Ceremony 


The Ceremony begins with a small boat containing the "Effigy of Care" making its way down the man made lake toward the altar.  

Effigy of Care after being burned

Men in robes receive the effigy and carry it to the center of the altar.

A Druidic Shaman/Priest leads the group in a speech.  It's then followed by some banter  (With Walter Cronckite's voice as the Effigy) and the Shaman/Priest gives a signal for the pyrotechnics to start.

A firework spark is shot at the effigy (signifying a lightning bolt) and is followed by an array of pyrotechnics.

The effigy screams in pain as it is burned and everyone claps.

What is this Pagan Druidic effigy represent?

It represents evil and all that it corrupts.  By sacrificing it, they sacrifice all their worries and fears.

This definetily sounds like Burning Man.  Just on a different level.

They watch (and participate) in plays and comedy shows in which male actors portray female actors.  Plays range from really raunchy comedy, to the classic hero takes on tyranny and becomes the new king.

The overall theme to this get together is to let loose in a very private place, have a great time, do a little networking, but mostly getting away from a daily grind and escaping to a place where you're free to do whatever you please.


Drinking starts early in the day and late into the night.  They bask in their freedom being able to urinate on the redwood trees (who wouldn't?!?!).  Prostitutes are brought in from all over the world and some of the men leave at night to enjoy their company (Women aren't allowed on the premises after a certain time of day).

Burning Man. Black Rock City, NV

There are a lot of Americans who are spooked by this activity of our world leaders.  A percentage of some feel that a small concentrated group of men making decisions for the well being of the masses is not what democracy stands for.  Really?

What do you think Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Hancock, Hamilton and the rest of the Continental Congress were doing in 1776?

Another group of people are freaked out by these Pagan/Druidic rituals and are convinced there is some kind of conspiracy theory behind all of this.

Have these people ever heard of Burning Man?  Probably not.

Burning Man is a social experiment based on self reliance (It's held in the Black Rock Desert for 7 days), radical self expression and participating any way you can.

Aerial view of Burning Man Festival

OK, so it might be a little different from the Bohemian Grounds.

There is one similarity these two gatherings share that have convinced me this is the sole reason for their existence.

It's people trying to escape the daily grind of life who want to be one with nature and go to a place where they are free to express themselves and do whatever they want.  And get pretty drunk in the process.

Proud to be an American.

Jerry Angelo Fired. Problem Solved?

by Joe Persinger
@Brew_Mastr_Joe on Twitter


In 2005, when most NFL teams were drafting their QB of the future, Jerry Angelo was drafting a power running back from Texas.  (I refuse to mention his name)

To Angelo's credit, he did draft Bear's "QB of the future" Rex Grossman in 2003, but that is also to his discredit.

Then, Angelo traded for Jay Cutler in 2009.

Jerry "I'm Fired" Angelo

OK good.  The Bear's were late showing up to the "Passing League" party, but at least they showed up.  Right?

Like the Arizona Cardinals found out this year, bringing in a franchise QB won't make you better.  It just unmasks your offense's weakness'.

Jerry Angleo was fired for not having an adequate back up QB the last few seasons.  But he also paid that price because he lacked knowledge when it came to drafting NFL players.

Since Angelo took over as GM in 2002, he has drafted 82 players. Only 22 of them are still in the NFL.

That means he's only batting .268 folks.  (Or 1 out 4 players goes on to have success)

I wish this is where the buck stopped.  It isn't.

After his blockbuster trade for Cutler, Angelo failed to rebuild the offensive line, surround his QB with a top ten receiving corps, and build a defensive line around Julius Peppers.

So they fired him.

We're still digging a little deeper here.

Ted Phillips has taken a step in the right direction. It's time to get a fresh face and someone with new ideas in Hallas Hall.  I'm sure the draft philosophies will change.  (Fingers crossed)

Ted Phillips

What about the philosophy of how the Bear's bring in new wide receivers??

Is that going to change?

Since Angelo, the Bear's front office have stuck to drafting a WR and allowing him to develop from within the system.   (Gage, Wade, Bradley, Knox)

There have been numerous attempts to bring in other team's garbage in hopes they can turn their career around in Chicago.

"Moose"

That failed.

In his 9 years as GM, Angelo only made one "big" free agency splash in the wide receiver market.

"Moose" Muhammad in 2005.

Eh.

Moose wasn't a great pick up.  But what were they (what was I) expecting from a 32 year old WR that had back to back 1,000+ receiving yards (99-00) and then a misleading 1,405 yards in 2004.

The season before he was released and signed with the Bears.

He never hit the 1,000 yard mark again in his career after that.

It will be interesting to see who the Bears will hire as their new GM.  Ted Phillips has a "big" decision to make here.  If he makes the wrong decision, it might be his last.

Jerry Angelo is gone, Love is staying, and now Ted Phillips is in charge of hiring a new GM. If philosophies don't change, Chicago will be looking at Phillips.  

What if all the Bears issues are coming from a higher source?  Will the trail of this stench lead all the way to the top??

I guess we're about to find out.  Brace yourself, it's going to be another rough to ride.

Brett Favre and his Legacy

by Joe Persinger
@Brew_Mastr_Joe on Twitter




In the second round of the 1991 NFL draft, the Atlanta Falcons drafted some no name kid from Hattiesburg, Mississippi. 

Traded to Green Bay at the age of 23, what a gift he was to the city and franchise.  


At the time, the Packer's had not posted a winning season since the end of the Lombardi era.  They were the laughing stock of the NFL.  It was a glorious time for Bears fan.


OK, I'm a little biased when it comes to that opinion.  But still.


Favre started as the clipboard holder that year until Dan Majkowski injured a ligament in week three sidelining him for three weeks.  That was the end of Majkowski's career in Green Bay.

Week four of the '92 season started the longest consecutive starts streak for a quarterback in NFL history.  

It's been 19 seasons, 2 teams, and one un-retirement since Favre took the field that Sunday afternoon. Now he finds himself at home, cutting his lawn, and living outside of the media circus he would bring to town with him.


Should this hurt his legacy?? Taint it?


He holds NFL record's in wins(184), completions(6,300), attempts(10,169), yards(71,838), and touchdowns (508).  Did I mention he is the only quarterback with 500 plus touchdowns, and 70,000 plus passing yards??  


Apparently so.

How anyone could dismiss this, I'll never understand.


How can you not respect this??

He holds the NFL record for most career interceptions (333).  So what?  When you have 6,263 completions, your bound to throw an interception.  


Out of a list of many accomplishments, his 333 interceptions really puts a blemish on his record.  But if you consider how many touchdown passes he's thrown, it seems less costly.


And mostly because it's out weighed by his many other impressive feat's.  

11 pro-bowl selections, NFL MVP 3 consecutive years in a row,  a 5 time the NFC Player of the Year, he won 2 NFC Championships, and has 1 Super Bowl appeareance.  


That's not even all of them.  


His "iron man" record of consecutive starts is one of his most impressive feats.  He's played with an injured thumb, through drug addiction, after numerous tragedies and now at his ripe age of 42, he STILL played with a bum ankle, elbow, and shoulder for the Vikings in 2010.  


A quarterback's elite status has always been measured by his success' in the playoffs, and most importantly, the Super Bowl.  And the Gunslinger has had mixed results. 

So what is his legacy??



I guess that depends which sideline your standing on...  

Chicago Bears vs Minnesota Vikings "5 Keys to the Game" October 16 2011

by Joe Perisnger
@Brew_Mastr_Joe on Twitter

This is a big divisional game for the Bears.  They already have 2 losses in the division and a third could be devastating.  Since 2003, the Bears are 7-1 at home and the home team has won 15 of the last 18 times.  It's going to take a big game from the defense and the offensive line has to show up to the game.  Here are the "5 Keys to the Game" for the Bears to beat the Vikings Sunday Night:


1.  Shut Down AP

This is easier said than done.  The Bear's have been gashed by teams all season with wide open running lanes.  They made the Lions look like a power run team in the second half, and have bascially given one (or more) big running plays to the opposing offense each week this season.  But this is the Minnesota Vikings.  They Vikings depend on the run like the Bear's do their defense.  The Vikings have the 3rd best rushing offense and in 149 rushing plays, the Vikings have 800 yards with a 5.4 avg per carry.  The Bear's have yet to face a top ten rushing offense, so this could be "the real" test for Lovie Smith's Monster's of the Midway and chance to redeem themselves and show the league that the Cover 2 Def can still be effective.  AP has had a pretty good career against the Bears running 784 yards with 11 TD's in 7 games in 156 rushing attempts so stopping him will be crucial. It's a challenge the Bear's are now going to have to take on without their star DE Julius Peppers listed as doubtful for the game.  


2.  Takeaways

This is one part of Lovie's Cover 2 defense that is missing this year.  Without the ability to take the ball away, the defense is on the field longer and is worn down by the fourth quarter (the offense doesn't help either by being ranked 29th in 3rd down conversions).  However this week they are playing a struggling Donovan McNabb and an offense that is ranked 24th.  McNabb hasn't been the most accurate QB this year averaging only a 56.8% completion rate, so if the Bears secondary has no blown assignments getting the ball back via INT won't be a problem.    


3.  Offensive Line needs to "Earn their paychecks"

This O-line is just a a mess.  Roberto Garza has been the right guard since 2005 and is now the center.  Chris Spencer  played center in Seattle and is now playing right guard.  Chris Williams was drafted as the "Left Tackle of the future".  Now he's their left guard.  J'Marcus Webb, a natural right tackle is now playing left tackle.  The Lion's front four was so dominating it seemed like it was just Jay Cutler and Matt Forte taking on the entire Lion's front seven.  Webb needs to have a huge game and show last week was just a loud building and  MNF nerves.  If not, Jared Allen will make it a long day.   

4.  3 Step Drop Quick Passes

I'm not saying the Vikings D-line stacks up to the Lion's, but if Cutler is going to make it through this season Mike Martz (who we will refer to as Potato Head Pants) is going to have to implement 3 step drops into this offense.  Even rolling Cutler out to the right (or away from Jared Allen in this weeks case) would be ideal.  Implementing quick throws this week will give the Bear's less predictability, and will help against pass rushes (And Cutler will actually have a chance to make it to 30).  The only question is, will Potato Head Pants actually put these plays in the rotation Sunday Night.  It's not like the Bear's dont have the talent at WR to pull this off.  


5.  Game Management

This is going to fall on Jay Cutler and Lovie Smith.  Last week in detroit Lovie opted to run on a fourth and short.  Then, when Forte was clearly short of the first down, he challenged the play.  This left many of us scratching our heads thinking "what the hell is he doing down there?".  And then there is Potato Head Pants.  On consecutive weeks he has struggled to get a play down to the field in time for Jay Cutler.  Many of us have seen Cutler throw his arms up in frustration and take a timeout because a play has yet to be called in his ear.   It also doesn't help when Potato Head Pants starts blaming it on the equipment.  If you can't set the table for your players, you can't blame them because they are using a spoon instead of a fork (think about it).  Cutler's success Sunday night will be dictated on what the O-line gives him, but he cannot turn the ball over.  He did a fantastic job against the Lions and managed to keep the Bears in the game because of that.  


I expect the Bear's defense to hold the Vikings offense for most of the game.  However, they are prone to the big play this year and I'm sure AP will break out for a big play or two.  Matt Forte shows why he should be paid and Cutler throws 1 INT.  24-17 Bears

PRESS RELEASE: JOE PERSINGER RETIRES FROM MUSIC

Written by John D. Staff

It is to the disappointment of this reporter that Joe Persinger, guitarist and drummer, has announced his retirement from music, live at a press conference in Phoenix Arizona. Through much triumph and tribulation, he rose through the ranks as a meager guitar player trying to find his spot as a singer, song writer, and rhythm guitarist in a 2 man band. Joe Persinger and Mark Quatraro began their triumph in a small room and basement writing and arranging songs that would touch the hearts to those that were close to them. They released their first album in August of 2001. Although there wasn't much to come of the album it had some success in the local circuit. However, the band broke up and Mark decided to pursue dreams outside of music.

For the next few years Joe bounced around from band to band struggling trying to find success. It wasn't until 2003 when Joe met punk drummer, Dan Woodall, and began a new project. Due to outside commitments though, the project never came to be and Joe was back to where he started. In 2004, Mark Quatraro, Dan Woodall, and Joe Persinger teamed up to play a (small) festival in Lindenhurt Illinois on a warm summer June night. They received critical acclaim for the excellent performance, but again prior engagements stopped the trio from pursuing anything beyond that warm summer night.

In early 2005, the re-union began. Mark Quatraro and Joe Persinger teamed up to start a new project. This time with Eric "Guy" Reading as the bassist and Joe moving behind to the drums. Known as "Funked Up Soul" they again played that (small) festival in Lindenhurst. Armed with a new sound and brand new music they hit the circuit playing and hosting open mic jams throughout Chicago. Eventually, they hooked up with keyboardist and producer Bobbi Scumacci. He began to mold and record their new sound, but it was here where things went a rye. Joe was fired from the band as the drummer and was back in the limbo of surfing band to band. Over the next 4 years he pursued playing the drums and small jams here and there. On a hot sunny day in downtown Phoenix, on a stage behind a podium, he had this to say:

"It is to my disappointment that I announce my retirement from music today. I was once a young boy who spent much of his bed time listening to my father's band play through the vents on the floor. Countless times I would fall asleep to the sounds of a youthful rock band jamming away at originals and Neil Young songs. When I was 6 years old I had my first on stage experience singing 'Leaving on a Jet Plane", I performed at Carnegie hall when I was 16, had various stints in plays and musicals, and received my first guitar and microphone shortly after that. It was a few years later I then received my first drum kit as well. It was my father that made all those things possible and I thank my father for his gratitude and support for my passion of music. I thank you, Dave Levin for all your pictorial documentation of every gig I have played and the loud cheering you would always give. But that still doesn't excuse the photo ops you have missed. Just kidding buddy. I thank Dan Woodall for the countless jam sessions we've had and for putting up with all the extra recreational activities that you forced us to take outside. If it wasn't for my good friend Jason Laboy, I probably would have quit choir after my freshmen year and wouldn't be standing here. Thank you Jason, for helping me with my horrific dance moves and nasally sounding singing voice. I thank you, Kimmy Piacenza and Sam Beigler who were there the night we wrote 'Denial' and kept laughing at the lyric 'you cut me up and split me like a chive' that we wrote at 1:00am in the Highland Park High School student parking lot. To this day, I still chuckle about it. I will never forget track #5 on the first album Mark and I did where you hear me say 'I wasn't even talking about Kimmy' as she stormed out of the studio. When I listened to that track years later on a high quality stereo, you can hear Mark say 'Why'd you have to say shit?'. As the three of you know (Jason, Sam, and Kimmy) I was a jerk back then and wronged you at some point that summer. I'm sorry for my actions. I was honored to play with Mark Quatraro and Eric "Guy" Reading through the years. I got to play with them one last time last June and it was a fun week. These two have now branched out into an amazing sounding band known as Freedom Ryders. It's a great sound and I wish them the best of luck. I thank you Trevor "Tree" Shandling for putting up with my lack of musical talent when I had no clue what a guitar chord was, or how a drum beat worked, but still let me sing along and look like an idiot while we 'jammed'. I promise you all today that I am not quitting music behind closed doors. I will always strum away or pound out a new drum beat. I am however, retiring from playing publicly. A songwriter once wrote 'Denial is what made it stay alive......Denial brought it slowly to die.......Other then the gut wrenching break up that songs refers to, I never thought it would also apply to my music and talent. I no longer find myself with the same passion I used to have with lyric and song writing or musical arrangement. When writing with a group of people I found that everyone has their own opinions and the whole idea gets homogenized and it looses its edge. That does not reflect any particular scenario that I have been apart of, but is something that every musician has to deal with. You will not see me on stage at a festival, block party, or even small get together. My time has come to retire and do the things I have control over. Thank you......so....(wipes a tear).....much for all your support. I leave with this quote from legendary guitarist Jimi Hendrix: 'Even Castles made of sand, fall into the sea, eventually.' Thank you so much everyone....."

So he walked away from the stage and podium shaking hands and hugging those who shared the stage with him that afternoon. The crowd cheered and chanted his name as he made his way off the stage. His hand raised high in the sky as if he was waving hello and goodbye to every person in the crowd. As he walked off the stage a silence took over the crowd and the cheers went from loud to somber to an eerie quietness. A wise man once said "Hero's are never forgotten, but a legend never dies." Although that doesn't really apply to this situation, at least the man left with grace. His music touched those that heard it, made those who saw him love him, and that music and memory will play in their heads for a long time.

--John D. Staff

Mark Dan and Joe in 2004

Playing some guitar in 2003

Chicago Bears vs Detroit Lions MNF Keys to the Game

by Joe Persinger
@Brew_Mastr_Joe on Twitter


The Bears and Lions meet in the motor city in their first MNF football match up in 10 years.  The Bears find themselves looking up at the 4-0 Lions and Packers.  So if this team plans on starting to gain ground in the NFC North, it's uphill battle will start against the Lions.  Here are the Five Keys to the Bears Victory on Monday Night.

1.  Take 'Megatron' out of the Game

With two touchdowns in each of the last 4 games, Calvin Johnson has broken into that top 3 category of elite WR's in the NFL.  His ability to catch a ball in triple coverage and be 'that guy' Matthew Stafford can just throw the ball up to and hope he comes down with it, is just uncanny.  Tillman should provide the best coverage for the Bears at cornerback, and putting a safety over the top will help.  But 'Megatron' has proven (especially last week) that he is a play maker and taking him out of the game will also depend on how much pressure the Bears front four can put of Matthew Stafford.     

2.  Keep Running the Ball

Matt Forte is coming off a career high 205 yard game against a 31rst ranked Carolina Defense.  Detroit's front four is better than the Panthers so running through the middle won't be an easy task.  Detroit ranks 20th in Run Def with an average of 113 yards against so it's definitely possible for Forte to have a big day.  Although their pass def is ranked 12th, they still allow 221 yards a game.  If Forte can run the ball and set up the pass for Cutler, the Bears will find success against the Lions defense.  Expect to the Bears run outside away from Van Don Bosch and throw screen passes over the DLine.  But they have to pound the ball to establish the run to keep this Lion's defense honest.

3.  Time of Possession 

A teams best defense is keeping the other teams offense off the field.  This is crucial to the Bears success this week.  The Lions aren't running the ball well this year being ranked 29th in Rushing Offense.  The entire Lion's offense is based on the success of the passing game.  So every pass Stafford misses will stop the clock, keeping the 'time of possesion' game in the Bear's favor.  If the Bears can run the ball and keep the clock ticking with Stafford and 'Megatron' on the sidelines, they can limit the "big" plays against them and force the Lion's offense to make mistakes against a Bear's defense that forces teams to make the short throws and go the length of the field.  


4.  No Turnovers

Jay Cutler has thrown a few interceptions, but if you take away the fluke play against Atlanta and the WR's who should make those catches, he has done a good job holding onto the ball.  The offensive line will have two big tasks (Suh & Fairley) ahead of them and keeping Jay Cutler upright will be a challenge.   With a good offensive decisions and a balanced attack, Cutler and the Bears will find success against this Lion's defense.  But if Jay Cutler decides to go "Tony Romo" and throw pick sixes and hand the ball back to the Lion's, it's going to be a long Monday evening.  

5.  Jay Cutler Needs to Step Up

Last week the Bears put the load of the offense on Matt Forte's shoulders, and he delivered.  And this man has yet to be paid.  Jay Cutler signed a 2 year extension worth $30 million, but he has yet to have the 'lights out' game that brings him up to the next level.  His footwork has been shaky, and over the last two weeks he has overthrown guys (some which led to an INT), and has missed very easy throws, missing a guy low or throwing to the wrong shoulder.  This would be the perfect game for Cutler to show that he is not another "Tony Romo" and is in the upper echelon of NFL QB's.  This Lion's defense is actually respectable against the pass so if Cutler goes out there and keeps the Bears in the game with No INTs and a TD or two, you just might see him trending upward getting better and better as the year goes by.  I'll just be happy he doesn't revert and become "Tony Romo" 2.0