Top 10 Sports Teams of the 1980s

I'm going to provide my picks for the best teams in the 1980s. I'm factoring in championships, playoff appearances, amount of winning and losing seasons, and overall consistency throughout the decade.

Note: In order to make the top 10, a team had to have won at least one championship in their respective sport. Also, the NBA, NHL and college basketball seasons start in 1979-80 thru 1988-89 for the list. Here's my top 10 starting first with the No. 10 team:

No. 10.....

Washington Redskins: The Redskins won two Super Bowls in the 1980s in three tries in the 1980s. The Redskins did miss the playoffs five times in the decade, but only suffered two losing seasons. Joe Gibbs is best remembered in those years as he later became the first head coach to win three Super Bowls with three different starting quarterbacks. The two in the 1980s that quarterbacked the team to Super Bowl wins were Joe Theismann in 1982 and Doug Williams in 1987. Coincidentally, those were both strike-shortened seasons, but both Super Bowl wins were dominating ones by Washington against Miami and Denver, respectively.

No. 9.....

Los Angeles Dodgers: As the only team in the 1980s to win two World Series rings, the Dodgers make the list. Keep in mind, only two teams in each league made the playoffs, and the Dodgers made four playoff appearances in the 1980s. They did have three losing seasons in the decade, but were the most successful team in terms of playoff appearances for MLB. From FernandoMania that took the baseball world by surprise in the early 1980s to the heriocs of Kirk Gibson in the 1988 World Series, the Dodgers of that decade are extremely difficult to forget especially manager Tommy Lasorda!

No. 8.....

Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball: Continuing his excellent coaching from their success in the 1970s, coach Bob Knight coached his Hoosiers teams to two national titles in the 1980s in 1981 and 1987. Only twice did the Hoosiers not make the NCAA Tournament in the 1980s, and coach Knight had some of the most memorable players on the floor in those years. In 1981, point guard Isiah Thomas led the Hoosiers to the national title with win over North Carolina in the final game. Six years later, Keith Smart made one of the most memorable last second shots in NCAA Tournament history when he hit a jump shot in the final game against Syracuse. Smart won the MVP, and that win secured Indiana's fifth national title in their storied history.

No. 7.....

Louisville Cardinals men's basketball: Louisville makes the list after winning two national titles and appearing four times in the Final Four during the 1980s. Only twice did they not make the NCAA tournament in the 1980s, all of their Final Four appearances came in the first seven years of the decade with national titles in 1980 and 1986. Coach Denny Crum's teams featured the likes of Darrell Griffith and Pervis Ellison, who both won the Most Outstanding Player award in the NCAA Tournament in 1980 and 1986 respectively. They are ranked higher than the Indiana Hoosiers because of appearing in more Final Fours in the 1980s.

No. 6.....

Miami Hurricanes football: After years of dismal performances, the Miami Hurricanes took the college football world by storm(no pun intended) and rode that to three national titles in the 1980s. They only missed being ranked in the AP Top 20 Poll once in the decade, and had six 10-win seasons. The Hurricanes had two other chances to win the national title in 1985-86, but could not win their bowl game in order to do so. The Hurricanes were very strong in the last four years of the decade with two national titles, and a No. 2 finish in the final AP Poll the other two years. No one has won more championships in football than Miami since they became a household program in the 1980s.

No. 5.....

San Francisco 49ers: Before 1981, the San Francisco 49ers never won a league title. All that changed when offensive guru Bill Walsh took over and drafted Joe Montana to quarterback the new West Coast offense. The team only missed the playoffs twice in the 1980s, and one of them was the strike-shortened 1982 season. The 49ers won all four Super Bowls in the 1980s with Montana as their quarterback, and he won Super Bowl MVP honors in three of them. Who would ever forget "The Catch" by Dwight Clark that put them in position to be become a dynasty in that NFC Title game in January of 1982?

No. 4.....

Boston Celtics: The Celtics returned to form in the 1980s as they won three NBA titles during the decade in five Finals appearances. The team was built around Larry Bird, and front court players Kevin McHale and Robert Parrish. The team made the playoffs every year in the decade after having two losing seasons to end the 1970s. It wasn't until this past season that the team would make it back to the NBA Finals. Bird vs Magic was a great on-court rivalry that helped to put the NBA back on the map, and they are forever linked together in basketball history.

No. 3.....

New York Islanders: Winners of four Stanley Cups in the 1980s, the Islanders won all of them in the first four years of the decade before the upstart Oilers put an end to their run. The Isles missed the playoffs just once in the 1980s. The team was led by Hall of Famer Mike Bossy, who was one of the great goal scorers in NHL history. As Bossy's injuries(mainly his back) caught up with him, the decline of the Islanders followed. The team was still a competitve one in the late 1980s, but they were never the same after their dynasty run in the early 1980s that was ended by Edmonton.

No. 2.....

Edmonton Oilers: The Oilers came to the NHL in 1979-80, and lost all their players except one due to a reclamation draft that saw them leaving the WHAA league where they come from. The one player they kept was Wayne Gretzky. They quickly rebuilt around the future icon, and the Oilers made a lasting impact on the sport. In that period of time, the Oilers made the Stanley Cup Finals five times winning four of them and never missed the playoffs throughout the decade. "The Great One" was the leader on the ice, and the Oilers put together one of the best teams in sports history in those years. A bitter taste was left in their mouth after Gretzky's trade to Los Angeles in 1988, but the team made the playoffs without him to end the decade followed by their fifth Stanley Cup title in 1990.

And my No. 1 team in the 1980s is.....

Los Angeles Lakers: The Lakers won five NBA Championships in the 1980s and appeared in eight Finals. Led by Magic Johnson, the Lakers took over the basketball world and their fast-tempo of play was exciting for fans in Los Angeles as well as throughout the league. With that many appearances in the Finals for the decade, the Lakers are my choice for team of the 1980s. The "Showtime" Lakers were one of the best teams ever assembled, and their rivalry with the Celtics revived the game in that decade. The Lakers and Celtics both did their part in bringing the fans to the game with soaring TV ratings in that decade, but it was the Lakers that were the best franchise of the 1980s!

Here are those other teams I considered for the top 10:

St. Louis Cardinals: The Cards won a World Series in 1982, and also made it two other times. The Cardinals had a total of four losing seasons in the decade which is the only thing that kept them from making the top 10.

Penn State football: Penn State won two national championships in the 1980s under Joe Paterno. They missed being ranked in the AP Top 20 four times which prevented them from making the list.

Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders: The Raiders won two Super Bowls in the 1980s just like the Redskins did. However, they missed the playoffs five times as well, but three of them resulted in losing seasons which is why Washington gets the nod over them.

Detroit Pistons: The "Bad Boys" came into their own in the late 1980s as they made the NBA Finals twice while winning one of them. Missing the playoffs the first four years of the 1980s hurt them in making the top 10.

Oklahoma Sooners football: The Sooners won a national title in 1985 and made the AP Top 20 eight times in the decade. The Hurricanes were the more consistent team in the 1980s, so it is hard to leave my favorite team off the list.

Chicago Bears: As good as the Bears were when they had the best five year run in NFL history between 1984-88 along with a Super Bowl in 1985, they were not a good team in the first four seasons of the decade by missing the playoffs in those years. They missed the playoffs in 1989 as well.

Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball: The Hoyas won a national title in 1984, and made two other final game appearances in the NCAA Tournament as well. The team made the final game in three of their four seasons between 1982-85. The team is largely remembered for losing to North Carolina in 1982, and quite possibly the biggest upset in sports history when they fell to Villanova in the 1985 Tournament Final.

North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball: The Tar Heels put together some of the greatest talent on the floor in the 1980s. Michael Jordan, James Worthy, Sam Perkins, Brad Daugherty, and others were part of those UNC teams. They won a national title in 1982, and had another final game appearance the year before. Tough to leave them off the list with all that talent, but I felt others are more deserving.

Top 10 by sport:

College Basketball: 2
NBA: 2
NFL: 2
NHL: 2
College Football: 1
MLB: 1

Here are the number of different teams that won a championship in their sports for the decade of the 1980s:

MLB: 9 different(Dodgers had the most with two)
College Basketball: 8 different(Louisville and Indiana each had two)
College Football: 7 different(Miami-FL had the most with three)
NFL: 5 different(49ers had the most with four)
NBA: 4 different(Lakers had the most with five)
NHL: 4 different(Oilers and Islanders each had four)

A total of 37 different teams out of the sports represented in the top 10 won a championship in that decade.

That is my top 10 teams for the decade of the 1980s.

Thanks for viewing, and be sure to check the Blog List of friends to the right of this page for more great reads out there!

Read More

FSD History Flashback: September 30

On September 30, 1927, a sports icon continued to set the bar for excellence on the field. It was on this day that Babe Ruth was shooting for his 60th home run of the season as the Yankees hosted the Washington Senators at Yankee Stadium. Heading into the contest, Ruth had homered 16 times in the month of September as the Yankees already clinched a playoff spot.

With the score tied 2-2 in the bottom of the 8th inning, the Yankees got a triple from Mark Koenig that brought Ruth to the plate. Ruth then launches a two-run homer off pitcher Tom Zachary as he reaches No. 60. On the afternoon, Ruth went 3-for-3 with that home run, two singles, and a walk to go along with three runs scored. In the 9th inning, the Senators sent the "Big Train" Walter Johnson out to pinch-hit for Zachary. Johnson flied out to Ruth in right-field as he made the final appearance of his stellar Hall of Fame career.

Ruth set a record for homers in one month with 17 of them in September until it was broken by Dale Long, then Sammy Sosa in 1998. His single-season home run total has been surpassed by four different players. Ruth had four 50-homer seasons in his career and also finished with an unheard of .474 on-base percentage to go along with a .690 slugging percentage. His 714 home runs currently rank him third all-time. Ruth was inducted into the Hall of Fame during it's inaugural year in 1936. He was also named the No. 1 baseball player of all-time by Sporting News in 1999 as well as first in many others for his dominance on the field. ESPN's Sports Century panel of experts voted him No. 3 on their list of the greatest athletes of the 20th Century. Ruth forever changed the game during the live ball era with his home run prowess as well as brought fans in record numbers, too.

The Yankees 1927 team were popularly named "Murderer's Row" because of their offense that featured Ruth and the legendary Lou Gehrig batting behind him as well as Tony Lazerri. Ruth and Gehrig combined for 107 homers(Gehrig hit 47 of them) and 339 runs batted in(Ruth had 164, Gehrig had 175). The Yankees finished with a 110-44 record as they easily defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates with a four-game sweep in the World Series. This Yankees team is considered by many to be the greatest of all-time.

On September 30, 1972, one of the greatest baseball players and true gentleman got the last hit of his career. It was on this day that the Pittsburgh Pirates played the New York Mets at Three Rivers Stadium which was in it's second year of existance.

In what turned out to be a 5-0 win for the Pirates, legendary player Roberto Clemente had also seen the last hit of his Hall of Fame career. In the 4th inning of the contest, Clemente hit a double off Mets pitcher John Matlack which gave him exactly 3,000 hits for his career. Matlack would be named National League Rookie of the Year for 1972.

The Pirates did make the post-season as they took on the Cincinnati Reds in the National League Championship Series. The Pirates had a two games to one lead in the NLCS, but lost the last two games in the best-of-five format as the Reds went on to play in the World Series. Clemente did hit a home run in Game Four of that series as his playing career would come to an end.

On December 23 of that year, a massive earthquake struck the city of Managua, Nicaragua. Clemente, who had visited the city three weeks prior to the earthquake, had sent out relief aid for the victims. Because of corruptness with the Somoza government, he learned that the aid he sent never arrived on three flights. So on December 31, Clemente personally came along on the next flight to help the city in need. The Douglas DC-7 plane historically had mechanical problems, and combined with and overload 5,000 pounds of cargo, it crashed off the coast of Isla Verde, Puerto Rico. Clemente died in that crash, but his body was never officially found.

Clemente did become the only player in baseball history to bypass the waiting period of five full years, and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in March of 1973. He received over 92 percent of the votes. He also became the first Latin player to make it into the Hall of Fame. Because of his involvement every year with humanitarian work, an award was named after him in recognition of community involvement. He was also ranked No. 20 in Sporting News greatest baseball players list in 1999. Clemente's excellent play was surpassed only by the example he set as a human being.

Thanks for viewing, and I hope enjoyed today's FSD History Flashback!

Photos courtesy of wikipedia and pacific.edu

P.S. It was tough to decide between these two moments, so you get two for the price of one!

Read More

FSD History Flashback: September 29

On September 29, 1954, one of most memorable moments in all of sports history took place. It was on this day that Game 1 of the 1954 World Series took place between the Cleveland Indians and New York Giants. The Indians, who had won 111 games during the regular season, faced the Giants at the Polo Grounds in New York in the opening game.

The two teams had battled to a 2-2 tie going into the top of the 8th inning. The Indians threatened to break the tie after Giants starting pitcher Sal Maglie walked Larry Doby, then gave up a single to Al Rosen. With runners on first and second, the Indians sent slugger Vic Wertz to the plate, and the Giants countered by going to the bullpen for lefty Don Liddle. With the count two balls and one strike, Wertz delivered a hard hit fly ball to centerfield. Willie Mays, who was playing shallow for Wertz, was able to go back near the centerfield wall to make an amazing over the shoulder catch. Mays immediately spun around to throw the ball back towards the infield. Doby, who was the runner on second, had been running on the play figuring that Mays would not be able to track it down. Instead, Doby had to go back to second to retag, and only advanced to third base on the play. Had he tagged up to advance as soon as the ball was caught, there's the possibility that he would have scored considering how far out the ball was hit. The ball that Wertz hit would have been a home run in most ballparks at that time, but this was the Polo Grounds which wasn't homer-friendly.

Because of Doby only being able to get to third base on the play, the Indians blew an opportunity to take the lead late in the game. The Giants were able to get out of the jam in that 8th inning, and both teams went into extra innings. In the bottom of the 10th inning, Giants pinch-hitter Dusty Rhodes hit a game-winning three-run homer off Cleveland's Bob Lemon as the Giants took the opening game. The Giants rode that momentum to a four-game sweep over the favored Indians.

Many theorize that this one play altered the series as well as prevented the Indians from getting any kind of momentum for the remainder of it. The most important aspect of the play was Mays having the presence of mind to throw the ball back in the infield to prevent Doby from possibly scoring on the play. The timely defense and hitting of Rhodes in this series was too much for Cleveland to overcome.

Best Damn Sports Show rated this as No. 5 on their 50 Most Memorable Baseball Plays. In fact, here's a clip of the catch from that show. Have a look:



Thanks for viewing, and I hope enjoyed today's FSD History Flashback!

Read More

Week Five Fantasy College Football Top Performers

Okay, here's the top performers for the fifth week in college football. This is according to the Sporting News fantasy college football game on their site. Also, no points are awarded when playing D-1AA opponents, so those teams will not be listed here. Note: Only those with a 1,000 points or more are listed.

Team offenses: Rice put up 77 points, 502 total yards, and zero turnovers for 1,272 points against North Texas. Oklahoma State put up 55 points, 612 yards, and zero turnovers for 1,162 points against Troy. Oregon put up 63 points, 507 total yards, and zero turnovers for 1,137 points against Washington State. Nevada put up 49 points, 620 total yards, and one turnover for 1,090 points against UNLV. San Diego State put up 45 points, 603 total yards, and two turnovers for 1,013 points against Idaho.

Team defenses: No teams scored 1,000 points on defense this week. The top two scorers were Kentucky with 993 points against Western Kentucky, and West Virginia with 987 points against Marshall.

Top Individual performances:
QB Chase Clement, Rice vs North Texas: 22-for-28, 298 passing yards, five passing touchdowns, 69 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns
QB Sam Bradford, Oklahoma vs TCU: 19-for-34, 411 passing yards, four passing touchdowns
QB Colin Kaepernick, Nevada vs UNLV: 11-for-16, 176 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, 240 rushing yards, three rushing touchdowns
QB Ryan Lindley, San Diego State vs Idaho: 24-for-38, 433 passing yards, four passing touchdowns, 25 rushing yards
QB Colt McCoy, Texas vs Arkansas: 17-for-19, 185 passing yards, three passing touchdowns, 84 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns
RB Jacquizz Rodgers, Oregon State vs USC: 186 rushing yards, two touchdowns, two receptions, 27 receiving yards
RB Donald Brown, Connecticut vs Louisville: 190 rushing yards, one touchdown, one reception, six receiving yards
RB Tyrell Fenroy, Louisiana-Lafayette vs Kansas State: 183 rushing yards, three touchdowns, one reception, 12 receiving yards
RB Antone Smith, Florida State vs Colorado: 154 rushing yards, three touchdowns, one reception, 10 receiving yards
RB Andre Anderson, Tulane vs SMU: 219 rushing yards, one touchdown, four receptions, 38 receiving yards
WR Percy Harvin, Florida vs Mississippi: 82 rushing yards, 13 receptions, 185 receiving yards, two touchdowns
WR Manuel Johnson, Oklahoma vs TCU: five receptions, 206 receiving yards, three touchdowns
WR Jarrett Dillard, Rice vs North Texas: eight receptions, 114 receiving yards, four touchdowns
WR Dez Bryant, Oklahoma State vs Troy: six receptions, 118 receiving yards, three touchdowns
WR Vincent Brown, San Diego State vs Idaho: eight receptions, 183 receiving yards, three touchdowns

Here are the statistical leaders for the season thus far for passing, rushing, receiving, and defense. This includes all games played.

Passing yards: 1,920, Case Keenum, Houston
Passing yards per game: 393.2, Graham Harrell, Texas Tech
Passing touchdowns: 19, Case Keenum, Houston; David Johnson, Tulsa
Rushing yards: 906, Donald Brown, Connecticut
Rushing yards per game: 181.2, Donald Brown, Connecticut
Rushing touchdowns: 12, Javon Ringer, Michigan State
Receiving yards: 561, Emmanuel Sanders, SMU
Receiving yards per game: 148.0, Dez Bryant, Oklahoma State
Receptions: 45, James Casey, Rice
Receiving touchdowns: 10, Jarrett Dillard, Rice
Interceptions: 4, Sean Baker, Ball State; Daniel Charbonnet, Texas Tech; Otis Wiley, Michigan State

Okay, that's all for now. Be sure to stop the blogs of my friends to the left of this page for more great reads out there!

Read More

FSD History Flashback: September 28

On September 28, 1941, one of the greatest feats was achieved by a baseball legend. In Philadelphia, the Athletics hosted the Boston Red Sox in a double header as the season came to a close. Going into the first game, Ted Williams' batting average stood at .39955 which rounded up would have given him a .400 batting average had he chosen to sit out those games. But Williams chose to play.

In the first game, Williams went 4-for-5 as the Red Sox won in a 12-11 slugfest. His batting average stood at .404 going into the second game. In that final game, The Splendid Splinter went 2-for-3 in loss as he finishes the season with a .406 batting average. This was the first time since 1923 in the American League that a player finished with a .400 batting average. He's currently the last player to accomplish that feat. He also had a .551 on base percentage which was a season record that stood for over 60 years until it was broken.

That second game also turned out to be the last for Hall of Fame pitcher Lefty Grove. He's considered by many to be the best left-handed pitcher ever.

Williams would eventually enlist in the military to serve in World War II and in the Korean War. His legendary status had been cemented, and he went on to a Hall of Fame career while spending his entire career as a Red Sox player. Despite missing time due to wartime committments, Williams only batted below .318 once in his entire 19-year career.

On the same day 19 years later, Williams homered to the right-centerfield bullpen at Fenway Park off Baltimore's Jack Fisher in his last at-bat. At the time, Williams had finished third with 521 career home runs. He was replaced Carroll Hardy as the Red Sox rallied in the 9th inning for a 5-4 victory in the final game of his career.

Teddy Ballgame is considered by many historians to have been the greatest hitter to have ever lived. He was a two-time MVP - winning the award in 1946 and 1949. He also won the Triple Crown in 1942 and 1947 by leading the league in batting average, home runs, and runs batted in. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1966.

Williams was ranked No. 8 on the 1999 rankings of Sporting News 100 Greatest Baseball Players. Williams was also ranked No. 16 in ESPN's Sports Century voting from a panel of experts on the greatest North American athletes of the 20th Century.

Thanks for viewing, and I hope you enjoyed today's FSD History Flashback!
Photo courtesy of baseball-almanac.com

Read More

FSD History Flashback

On September 27, 1930, one of the most unprecedented feats in sports took place at the Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. Over 9,000 fans flocked to the U.S. Amateur Championship of Golf to witness 28-year old Bobby Jones on the brink of history.

Earlier in the year, Jones won the British Amateur, British Open, and U.S. Open tournaments. He was trying to become the first player in history to win the four major golf events in a calendar year.

Jones didn't disappoint, and held off challenger Eugene Homans in the final 36 holes. By the time the afternoon came, the crowd swelled quickly as close to 20,000 spectators had witnessed one of the greatest accomplishments in the history of sports. After the morning round, Jones was ahead by seven holes. Both players had parred the 11th hole in the afternoon, and Jones had an eight-hole lead with seven to play(In golf, they call it 8 & 7).

Unsure of what to call the feat, Atlanta newsman O.B. Keeler came up with the term "Grand Slam". It has stuck ever since. Jones would retire from golf, but would play professional until 1948.

His 1930 performance on the golf course earned him the James E. Sullivan Award which is given to the top amateur athlete. Along with Clifford Roberts, Jones helped start golf's current most prestigious tournament, The Masters, which began in Augusta, GA in 1934.

The majors at the time were the U.S. and British Opens along with the Amateurs. That is no longer the case after The Masters tournament was founded. The PGA Championship is the other major event along with the two Opens.

Jones won 13 major events in his career, and is still the only golfer in history to win the "Grand Slam" in a calendar year. He never was a factor in The Masters tournaments, but is still widely considered one of the best players in the game's history. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974.

In Golf Digest's 2000 poll of the greatest players in golf history, Jones ranked fourth. First was Jack Nicklaus, then Ben Hogan followed by Sam Snead. ESPN's Sports Century's panel of experts in 2000 ranked Jones No. 44 on their list of the greatest North American athletes of the 20th Century. As you can see, Jones' mark on the game is remarkable and very noteworthy.

Jones died in 1971, three years before he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Thanks for viewing, and I hope you enjoyed this FSD History Flashback!

Photo courtesy of geocities.com

Read More

Chicago Hope

As most of you know from Sporting News, I'm a Chicago Cubs fan. They're my third favorite team in sports behind the Oklahoma Sooners and Chicago Bears. Some of the info provided comes from my SN blog.

The Cubs have clinched a playoff spot for the second straight year as you're aware of. I'm liking their chances of breaking their drought of winning a World Series. The team has depth, and isn't really weak in any particular area. Lou Piniella has done a great job in restoring a winning attitude to the club, and I'm hopeful as a Cubs fan that it will pay off with a long-awaited World Series title. I've told a few people that this Cubs team is different. They have belief. They have talent. They have one of the best clubs in their team's history. Now is the time to end 100 years of misery with a World Series Championship!

Here's some facts about the Cubs in the World Series. Some you will know immediately, and some you won't.

-The Cubs were the first team to win a National League pennant having accomplished that in 1876.

-The Cubs have the longest drought of winning a major professional league championship with their last one coming in 1908.

-The Cubs last World Series appearance was 1945 which was the same year in which the supposed "Billy Goat Curse" was placed on them. Even if they won the 1945 World Series, they would still have the longest current drought of winning a championship in Major League Baseball!

-The Cubs clinched a playoff spot for a second consecutive season in 2008. They haven't made back-to-back playoff appearances since they appeared in three in a row between 1906 and 1908 which was the last time they won a World Series.

-The Cubs were part of the first original rematch of teams in a World Series. In 1908, they played the Detroit Tigers in a rematch of the previous year's Fall Classic. The Cubs won both of those series.

-The Cubs have played the Tigers four times in World Series play, the most against any one team for them. They won the first two meetings, but lost the latter two in 1935 and 1945.

-The Cubs are one of the two original National League teams that has never beaten the New York Yankees in World Series play in which they faced off twice. The Philadelphia Phillies are the other NL franchise.

-The Cubs are currently only one of three National League clubs to win back-to-back World Series titles having done so in 1907-08. The other two were New York Giants in 1921-22 and Cincinnati Reds in 1975-76.

-The Cubs were a very successful National League franchise in the first half of the 20th Century. They appeared in 10 World Series which was second to the Giants who appeared in 11 of them.

To give you an idea of how long it's really been since the Cubs last won a World Series, take a look at some of the events that happened in 1908:

-Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid were supposedly gunned down in Bolivia on November 6, 1908.

-Henry Ford introduced the first Model T automobile.

-Bureau of Investigation is founded in 1908 which is the forerunner of what is now known as the Federal Bureau of Investigation(FBI).

-William C. Durant founded what eventually becomes General Motors(GM) in September of 1908.

-Thomas Selfridge is the first person to die in a airplane-related crash in Fort Myer, Virginia. Pilot Orville Wright suffered injuries, but survived.

-For the first time in Olympic history, the words "the most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part" was made public on July 19, 1908. The Olympics took place in London.

-Jack Johnson becomes the first African-American to win the heavyweight boxing championship when he defeated Tommy Burns in Sydney, Australia on December 26, 1908.

-The first All-Star game in ice hockey history takes place in Montreal on January 2, 1908. This was to benefit Hod Stuart, who died in an off-season diving accident after being part of Montreal's Stanley Cup winning team in 1907. It's officially known as the Hod Stuart Memorial Game.

-The Ball on New York's Time Square drops for the first time on New Years Day in 1908.

-The Grand Canyon became a national monument in January of 1908.

-Mother's Day is observed for the first time in Grafton, West Virginia in May 1908.

-Robert Baden-Powell begins the Boy Scout Movement in 1908.

-William Howard Taft becomes the 27th U.S. President by defeating William Jennings Bryan in the Presidential Election.

-On a personal note, my great-grandfather, who died in 2000, wasn't even alive when the Cubs last won a World Series. He was born in 1909, the year after they last won it!

So as you can see, it's been a long time for the Cubs winning a World Series.

So with that, I say, "Let's go Cubs! Let's go Cubs! Let's go Cubs!"

The road for them to try and end the long drought begins next week in the playoffs....

Read More

Top 10 Sports Teams of the 1990s

Criteria:
I'm going to provide my picks for the best teams in the 1990s. I'm factoring in championships, playoff appearances, amount of winning and losing seasons, and overall consistency throughout the decade. Consistency is the biggest factor in these rankings.

Note: In order to make the top 10, a team had to have won at least one championship in their respective sport. Also, the NBA, NHL, and college basketball seasons start in 1989-90 and end in 1998-99. Here is my top ten teams for the 1990s starting with No. 10:

No. 10.....

New York Yankees: I know most are shocked to see the Yankees barely making the list at No. 10. However, the reason is because it was a tale of two halves of the decade for the franchise. They did win three World Series titles in the 1990s, but also failed to make the playoffs in the first four years of the decade in which three of them were losing seasons. They had the best record in baseball in 1994, but a strike cancelled the post-season. They went on to make the playoffs every year for the rest of the decade and they got their three World Series rings in that time period, too. Their early years of the 1990s costed them from moving up higher than this.

No. 9.....

Atlanta Braves: Even though the Braves only had the World Series title in 1995, they missed the playoffs only once throughout the entire decade. The team finished with eight straight division titles(three in the old NL West, five in the current NL East) to close out the decade. With only one losing season in the entire decade, the Braves were easily the most consistent team in MLB despite only the one World Series title. With an outstanding starting rotation and Bobby Cox as manager, the team was highly successful after being the laughing stock of baseball in the late-1980s.

No. 8.....

Pittsburgh Penguins: Like the Braves in baseball, the Penguins made the playoffs every year except in 1989-90. The Penguins won two Stanley Cups behind the excellence of Mario Lemieux. After drafting Jaromir Jagr in the 1990 Entry Draft, the Penguins went on to win two straight Stanley Cups in 1991 and 1992. Lemieux and Jagr were an awesome 1-2 scoring tandem. Though the team didn't win another Stanley Cup after 1992, they were still competitive for the remainder of the decade by making the playoffs every year.

No. 7.....

Detroit Red Wings: Detroit had two Stanley Cup titles in the 1990s, and also made another Finals appearance in 1995. The team had only one losing season in 1990, and made the playoffs every year of the decade after that. The Red Wings made the Stanley Cup Finals more times than the Penguins in the 1990s which is the only reason why they are ranked higher than them. The Red Wings were the most successful NHL franchise in the late-1990s.

No. 6.....

Dallas Cowboys: The Dallas Cowboys won three Super Bowls in the 1990s and that is plenty enough to put them on the list. The team had seven 10-win seasons in the 1990s and only missed making the playoffs twice. Dallas also won six NFC East Division titles in the decade, and put together one of the best dynasties in football history on the field from 1992-95 when they won three Super Bowls in four years.

No. 5.....

Duke Blue Devils men's basketball: The Blue Devils make the list after winning two national championships and five appearances in the final game. The Blue Devils only missed making the Final Four tournament once in the decade, and no other team made as many Final Fours or Championship game appearances than they did in the 1990s. Coach K put together some of the greatest teams in NCAA history on the floor in those years.

No. 4.....

Tennessee Volunteers women's basketball: Easily the most successful women's program ever, coach Pat Summitt built the women's team from the ground up. In the 1990s, the Lady Vols won four national titles under Summitt including three in a row from 1996-98. What is even more impressive about their dominance is that not only did they make the final tourney game six times, they were only seeded lower than No. 4 once. Oh yeah, the year they were seeded lower than No. 4 was 1997 when they were a No. 10 and that still didn't stop them from winning the championship that year.

No. 3.....

Nebraska Cornhuskers football: The Nebraska Cornhuskers may have very well put together the best teams in college football history between 1994-97 when they won or shared three national titles. The team lost only twice in those four years, and finished every season of the decade ranked in the AP Top 25 Poll. Coach Tom Osborne went out on top with a national title in 1997(shared with Michigan) by pounding Tennessee in the Orange Bowl.

No. 2.....

Florida State Seminoles football: In my opinion, the Florida State Seminoles were the most consistent team of the 1990s. With two national titles in 1993 and 1999, that would be enough for any team to make the list. However, the reason they are ranked No. 2 on the list is because they ranked in the top 5 of the final AP Poll every year of the decade! Also, they won ten games every year for the decade, and had extended that streak they had started in 1987 by finishing in the AP Top 5 and winning at least ten games every year. Consistency is why they are ranked at this spot.

And my No. 1 team for the 1990s is.....

Chicago Bulls: Their six NBA Championships in the 1990s are plenty enough reason for them to ranked No. 1 on the list. They only missed the playoffs once in the decade, and never lost a series in the NBA Finals in six tries. Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Phil Jackson and company won those six titles in eight seasons. Also, they went a remarkable 72-10 in the 1995-96 season, and that team is widely considered to be one of the best in NBA history. Jordan was not only the face of the NBA in those days, but all of sports. He backed up that image by leading the dominating Bulls team to the promised land with two three-peats in the decade.

Others that I considered:

Denver Broncos:: Winners of back-to-back Super Bowls in 1997-98, the Denver Broncos have a case to make the list. The Broncos missed the playoffs five times during the decade and had three total losing seasons which is why they miss making it.

Green Bay Packers: They barely miss the list as well. They missed making the playoffs four times in the decade, but did win a Super Bowl and was a runner-up in back-to-back years.

Buffalo Bills: They are automatically exempt from making the list with no league titles in the decade. However, they made the Super Bowl for four straight years, but the team had some down years in the late-1990s.

Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball: They quite possibly are the team that has the best argument for making the list. However, they did have two national titles and one other finals appearance in three successive seasons. The fact that they missed the tournament in the first two years of the decade because of probation is why they just missed the cut. It is still very hard to leave them off.

Houston Rockets: Two NBA Titles will get you consideration on this list. They lost a first round series four times in the 1990s and missed making it another time. It's very tough to keep them off the list, but I think the others like the Red Wings, Penguins, and Braves were more consistent.

Toronto Bluejays: They did have two World Series titles in the decade, but fell off too far after that to make the cut.

Portland Trail Blazers: They miss the list because of not winning a league title in their sport. However, they made the playoffs every year for the entire decade, and eventually made it 22 years in a row before their streak was snapped. Thanks mojomike for the info on the Blazers!

Utah Jazz: Like Portland, the Jazz did make the playoffs every year of the decade, but did not win a league title.

LSU Tigers baseball: They had four national titles in the 1990s. It's very hard to leave them off with their accomplishments as a program, but I am not putting them in front of the Yankees. They have the biggest argument on making the top 10.

Top Ten teams by sport:

MLB: 2
NHL: 2
College Football: 2
NFL: 1
NBA: 1
College Basketball: 1
Women's College Basketball: 1

That is my top 10 teams for the decade of the 1990s. Be sure to check out my Blog List of friends to the right of the page for more impressive reads out there!

Read More

FSD Top 25 All-Time College Football Teams

For those of you on Sporting News that recall, I did my own formula of numbers to come up with the best 25 college football programs of all-time. Check these previous entries on SN to catch up on how I came up with this before you read the rest of this post:

BSF's Top 25 All-Time College Football Teams thru 2006 & Formula
BSF's Top 25 All-Time College Football Teams thru 2007

Someone asked me on SN about why I don't determine schedule and conference strength into this. The reason is simple. One, conferences have changed with additions and subtractions too much throughout college football history to bring an accurate method of determining such a thing. Second, some conferences(like the old Southwest Conference) are defunct, and some have also dropped or moved up in divisions too much to determine the actual strength of a conference and schedule every year. Furthermore, programs like Notre Dame would be penalized with this method because of not being associated with a given conference. This is also the same for those who have spent the majority of their history being independent, too. So therefore, I don't use strength of schedule or conference in determining the best programs of all-time because it wouldn't be a fair assessment to some of them while compiling this list.

No, this formula doesn't solve the debate at who the best program is, but I do think it's very telling. The programs on the list are the ones people associate with the most in being the best ever with some surprises for those who may not be as familar with the entire history of college football. The entire history is covered, but there are certain requirements in being eligible for a program to make the list. Just check the links above to get a more detailed look on how I came with the formula to determine this list.

Also, national titles aren't sanctioned or official in D-1A college football, so keep that in mind. I used the national title polls and outlets that are recognized by the majority of historians and media, so some outlets were purposely left off to avoid that issue. In other words, programs can lay claim to many more titles in smaller or lesser known nationally recognized media outlets, but aren't acknowledged by historians in some cases. So pay very close attention to who I used in determining the media outlets to come up with national title points.

I added the AP poll points to level this out so that it doesn't sway towards one part of the game's history. The poll typically rewards those who have played and won against tougher opponents throughout the history of the game.

Now, I will present my Top 25(which I'll now call the FSD Top 25 All-Time Poll), and how they're fairing this year record-wise. Current 2008 record thru this past weekend as well as total points thru the 2007 season are listed with the school.

1. Notre Dame(2-1): 1,549 points
2. Michigan(1-2): 1,533 points
3. Oklahoma(3-0): 1,423 points
4. Alabama(4-0): 1,415 points
5. Ohio State(3-1): 1,333 points
6. Southern Cal(2-0): 1,297 points
7. Nebraska(3-0): 1,250 points
8. Texas(3-0): 1,231 points
9. Tennessee(1-2): 1,092 points
10. Penn State(4-0): 1,048 points
11. LSU(3-0): 833 points
12. Georgia(4-0): 805 points
13. Miami(FL)(2-1): 766 points
14. Auburn(3-1): 750 points
15. Florida State(2-1): 682 points
16. Florida(3-0): 680 points
17. Washington(0-3): 594 points
18. UCLA(1-2): 576 points
19. Georgia Tech(3-1): 571 points
20. Arkansas(2-1): 561 points
21. Texas A&M(1-2): 540 points
22. Michigan State(3-1): 532 points
23. Minnesota(4-0): 524 points
24. Pittsburgh(2-1): 506 points
25. Colorado(3-0): 504 points

Close on making the top 25:
26. Army: 476 points
27. Clemson: 449 points
28. Syracuse: 437 points
29. Mississippi: 413 points
30. West Virginia: 411 points

Top 25 by current conference affiliations:
SEC- 7 teams
Big 10- 5 teams
Big 12- 5 teams
ACC- 3 teams
Pac-10- 3 teams
Big East- 1 team
Independent- 1 team

Top 25 thoughts and opinion:
Of the 25 teams on the all-time poll, 20 of have a better than .500 record as of now. Michigan had gained ground on Notre Dame last year, but that doesn't appear to happen this season. Oklahoma and USC have looked very good in their games this year, and Alabama is rising back up very quickly as a program on the season. Penn State has been very impressive as well in the early going. We'll soon know how good Nebraska and Minnesota are.

Tennessee has disappointed many, Pittsburgh suffered another head-scratching loss in the first week, and Washington's brutal schedule spells doom for them this year.

What a story Minnesota has been for a one-win team a year ago. If the Gophers happen to make it to a bowl this year, then Tim Brewster has to be strongly considered for national coach of the year. Yes, I said it. His club has their shot to prove how far along they are against Ohio State this week.

There won't be much movement when a season is finished in this poll, but I've left it wide open for teams to move up and down after each year. I'll update the points for this after the 2008 season that's complete with win-loss records, national titles, bowl records, and winning seasons minus losing seasons. You can check all that out on the links provided to see where they currently stand on all of those going into this year.

I hope you like the new template, and be sure to check my Blog List of friends and what's on their minds!

Read More

Dante Love's career is likely over

Ball State wide receiver Dante Love likely has ended his career as a football player. In Saturday's win over Indiana, Love broke a bone in his spine, and suffered a spinal cord injury as a result.

Love was garnering more attention from NFL scouts after getting out to a fast start this year. He was leading the nation with over 144 receiving yards per game before being carted off the field in the 2nd quarter on Saturday on short pass play that he caught.

Ball State's win over Indiana was their first ever against a BCS school. The Cardinals are also 4-0 for the first time in over 20 years. The program received some votes in the latest AP Poll.

Here is Love's stats, and where he ranks in the school's history:

199 receptions - 2nd all-ime
2,778 receiving yards - 2nd all-time
20 receiving touchdowns- 4th all-time
2,129 kickoff return yards - 1st all-time

Love, a senior, is one of the biggest reasons why Ball State has turned their misfortunes as a program around in recent years. He was a recruited out of Withrow High School in Cincinnati.

Ball State's strength is on the offensive side of the ball, and losing Love will be tough to overcome because of his ability and also mentally, too. According to coach Brady Hoke, Briggs Orsbon, a true freshman, will replace him. Orsbon has caught two touchdown passes on the season.

The team will have to lean on running back MiQuale Lewis more with the loss of Love. Lewis has averaged over 132 yards a game on the ground this year.

The defense will also have to step up for them to make a run at a possible undefeated campaign, and be a BCS buster. The defense has allowed over 200 rushing yards a game, and that could be a problem if the offense takes a step back because of the loss of their top playmaker.

The Cardinals still beat the Hoosiers 42-20 despite Love going out in 2nd quarter of the game. The team hosts Kent State on Saturday. Here's the rest of their schedule:

Oct. 4 @ Toledo
Oct. 11 @ Western Kentucky
Oct. 25 Eastern Michigan
Nov. 5 Northern Illinois
Nov. 11 @ Miami(OH)
Nov. 19 @ Central Michigan
Nov. 25 Western Michigan

The Mid-American Conference has been a traditionally tough place to run the table in because of the balance in the league. Conference play is an altogether different story than playing OOC games.

I did see Love play on television last year in their bowl game against Rutgers. Despite his size(he's 5'9") I thought he had a bright future at the next level as a receiver/returner. Football is a very rough and tough game, and it's sad to see something like this happen. After reading some of the media coverage about this, it's clear that everyone at the university was fond of him and that his last name was fitting. I wish nothing but the best for Love in the future in trying to overcome this difficulty in his life.

Be sure to check the list of friends and their blogs to the left of this page for more great reads out there!

Read More

Tampa Bay Bucs vs Chicago Bears Post-Game Thoughts

Okay, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers erased a 10-point deficit in the 4th quarter, and beat the Chicago Bears in OT this past Sunday.

I thought this would turn out to be defensive struggle as both teams are tough to move the ball on.

The Bucs pass protection in this game was very good, and that was really the deciding factor. The Bears front four is one of the best in the NFL, and they couldn't get to Brian Griese all game.

The Bucs couldn't run the ball, and had four turnovers in the game. But, because of the lack of pressure on the quarterback from the Bears, they were able to overcome those problems to ultimately win the game.

This has become a familar theme for the Bears in the last two games. They've held a lead going into the final quarter of the game only to see the other team come from behind.

The good news for the Bears is that the offense is getting better. Although Kyle Orton did turn the ball over himself, he did make some good throws as he had two touchdown passes on the afternoon. Matt Forte continues to run the ball well after three games. Brandon Lloyd had a career day as a receiver against Tampa.

The Bucs were without Joey Galloway on offense, but that hardly even mattered late in the game with Griese being able to throw at will on Chicago.

This was a good win for the Bucs to get on the road. The Bears failed to get a pass-rush that's normally not a problem for them, and that won't win you many games in this league. I do think the Bucs wore down the Bears on defense, too.

The Bears now have to prepare for the 2-1 Eagles next week in Chicago. The Bucs won the game in the trenches of their offensive line to go to 2-1 on the season.

Read More

Week Four Fantasy College Football Top Performers

Okay, here's the top performers for the fourth week in college football. This is according to the Sporting News fantasy college football game on their site. Also, no points are awarded when playing D-1AA opponents, so those teams will not be listed here. Note: Only those with a 1,000 points or more are listed.

Team offenses: Toledo put up 54 points, 598 total yards, and one turnover for 1,118 points against Fresno State. Tulsa put up 56 points, 606 total yards, and three turnovers for 1,106 points against New Mexico. Texas put up 52 points, 600 total yards, and two turnovers for 1,080 points against Rice. Louisiana-Lafayette put up 44 points, 667 total yards, and two turnovers for 1,067 points against Kent State.

Team defenses: Penn State allowed three points, 138 total yards, forced three turnovers, and had seven sacks for 1,097 points against Temple. Wake Forest allowed three points, 220 total yards, forced seven turnovers, and had one sack for 1,005 points against Florida State.

Here are the statistical leaders for the season thus far for passing, rushing, receiving, and defense. This includes all games played.

Passing yards: 1,573, Graham Harrell, Texas Tech
Passing yards per game: 406.3, David Johnson, Tulsa
Passing touchdowns: 16, Case Keenum, Houston
Rushing yards: 716, Donald Brown, Connecticut
Rushing yards per game: 179.0, Donald Brown, Connecticut
Rushing touchdowns: 11, Javon Ringer, Michigan State
Receiving yards: 473, Darius Passmore, Marshall
Receiving yards per game: 163.0, Dez Bryant, Oklahoma State
Receptions: 37, James Casey, Rice; Kerry Meier, Kansas
Receiving touchdowns: 7, Mark Hafner, Houston
Interceptions: 4, Sean Baker, Ball State; Daniel Charbonnet, Texas Tech; Otis Wiley, Michigan State

Okay, that's all for now. Be sure to stop the blogs of my friends to the left of this page for more great reads out there!

Read More

Chicago Bears vs Indianapolis Colts Post-Game Thoughts

As most of you know, I'm a big Chicago Bears fan as they're my favorite team in the NFL. I was expecting the Bears to stay in the game, but I didn't expect them to make this more of a one-sided contest in their favor.

The fact that the defense is healthy as of now, one has to take this team as a serious threat to return to the playoffs. They produced a defensive touchdown, a safety, and flat knocked the Colts around on defense which is Chicago Bears football. Matt Forte looked great for the Bears, and the running game is Chicago Bears football.

The Bears crowded the line of scrimmage and made it very clear all night long that the Colts wouldn't get their running game going. Yes, Manning wasn't his normal self at all, but he also gave them the best chance to win this game. However, the Bears just wouldn't let them get in any consistent flow on offense.

Kyle Orton played a very manageable game, and didn't make any costly mistakes. The tight ends Desmond Clark and Greg Olsen helped when needed with catching a key pass or providing some help in run blocking.

The Colts did not play their best game with missed tackles and not using timeouts efficiently(using all three early in the second half). The Colts will get better as a team, and have better days especially in the running game.

Overall, the gameplan from the Bears was executed as well as it could have been. They crowded the line of scrimmage on defense to control the running game, and the playcalling by Ron Turner on offense was good as well.

Anytime the Bears score with their defense(nine points last night), this team is tough to beat. The Bears return game gave them the best average field position in the league a year ago, and that will go a long way for their style of play this year, too. The Bears looked more prepared last night, and it showed.

The Colts will bounce back as a team, and play better mentally than they did in this game. The Bears showed they are capable of at least being a capable challenger for the playoffs and NFC North Title last night. This is only one game, but as a Bears fan, I liked what I saw from them last night. All Bears fans would have to agree.

The Bears are the only team in the league to play their first two games on the road, and that continues in Week 2 with a matchup against 1-0 Carolina Panthers. The Panthers are fresh off an upset of their own in San Diego, so this all the sudden becomes a matchup of what many thought wouldn't be 1-0 teams after Week 1.

Thanks for reading my opinion on the Bears/Colts game. Be sure to check the blogs to the left of this page for more great reads out there!

Read More

Week 2 Fantasy College Football Top Performers

Here's the best team and individual performers in Week 2 in fantasy college football. Team offenses and defenses are based on the Sporting News fantasy points. Also, no games against D1-AA schools count for points in that game, so they won't be listed for those who played them in Week 2.

Team offenses: No. 18 Oregon had 66 points, 688 total yards, and two turnovers for 1308 points against Utah State. Oklahoma State had 56 points, 699 total yards, and three turnovers for 1199 points against Houston. California had 66 points, 505 total yards, and one turnover against Washington State. Tulsa had 56 points, 555 total yards, and zero turnovers against North Texas. No. 2 Georgia had 56 points, 552 points, and one turnover for 1092 points against Central Michigan. No. 4 Oklahoma had 52 points, 592 total yards, and two turnovers for 1072 points against Cincinnati. Florida Atlantic had 49 points, 554 total yards, and one turnover against UAB.

Team defenses: Iowa allowed 218 total yards while having three turnovers and six sacks in a shutout over Florida International for 1032 points. Air Force gave up three points, allowed 216 total yards, forced five turnovers, and had four sacks for 1014 points against Wyoming. California gave up three points, allowed 167 total yards, forced four turnovers, and had two sacks for 1013 points against Washington State. No. 5 Florida allowed just three points against Miami(FL). East Carolina allowed three points against No. 8 West Virginia. Kansas shutout Louisiana Tech.

Individual performances:
QB David Johnson, Tulsa against North Texas: 25-for-33, 418 passing yards, six passing touchdowns, 12 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown
QB Sam Bradford, No. 4 Oklahoma against Cincinnati: 29-for-38, 395 passing yards, five passing touchdowns, two interceptions, three rushing yards
QB Case Keenum, Houston against Oklahoma State: 35-for-61, 387 passing yards, four passing touchdowns, 81 rushing yards
QB Todd Reesing, No. 14 Kansas against Louisiana Tech: 32-for-38, 412 passing yards, three touchdowns, three rushing yards
QB Colt McCoy, No. 10 Texas against UTEP: 20-for-29, 282 passing yards, four passing touchdowns, eight rushing yards
RB Javon Ringer, Michigan State against Eastern Michigan: 135 rushing yards, five rushing touchdowns, one reception, eight receiving yards
RB Jahvid Best, California against Washington State: 200 rushing yards, three rushing touchdowns, one reception, two receiving yards
RB Kendall Hunter, Oklahoma State against Houston: 210 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns, one reception, 18 receiving yards
RB Knowshon Moreno, No. 2 Georgia against Central Michigan: 168 rushing yards, three rushing touchdowns, three receptions, 30 receiving yards
RB Evan Royster, No. 19 Penn State against Oregon State: 141 rushing yards, three rushing touchdowns
RB Donald Brown, Connecticut against Temple: 214 rushing yards, one touchdown
WR Dez Bryant, Oklahoma State against Houston: nine receptions, 236 receiving yards, three receiving touchdowns
WR Dante Love, Ball State against Navy: nine receptions, 165 receiving yards, one receiving touchdown, 37 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown
WR Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech against Nevada: seven receptions, 158 receiving yards, one touchdown
WR Dennis Pitta, No. 15 BYU against Washington: 10 receptions, 148 receiving yards, one receiving touchdown

Read More

Chicago Bears 2008 Preview

There has been more talk about the starting quarterback controversy in Chicago in the past two years, that it's easy to forget this is a team that is one year removed from playing in a Super Bowl. The Bears are hoping that Kyle Orton can bring consistency to the position, and won't have to be in situations where he's relived upon to win games.

The running game was equally as bad, if not worse, than the quarterback play for the team a year ago. Troubled and mostly ineffective running back Cedric Benson is now gone from the team, and Tulane standout Matt Forte was drafted to challenge for a starting job anyway. Former Lions running back Kevin Jones was signed to help restore a running game as well.

The offensive line for the Bears is a question mark especially with the uncertainty of first round pick Chris Williams hurting at this time. The team is thin on depth as a result, and this isn't good news for an offense that has issues and concerns in other areas already.

The Bears have talent have wide receiver, but they're mainly unproven. Marty Booker returns to Chicago to give the team a veteran presence while Brandon Lloyd and Mark Bradley have something to prove. Earl Bennett, the team's third round choice this year, could figure into the equation, too. But the big move was Devin Hester moving to wide receiver full-time to give them a big-play threat, and he's expected to be just that for them.

On defense, Chicago fell off last year because of injuries, ineffectiveness, and consistent play-calling. Brian Urlacher is being looked upon to return to form this year, and Lance Briggs is also back to return what should be one of the league's best linebacking duos.

The defensive line will have to get back to controlling the line of scrimmage which proved to be a problem at times a year ago. Tommie Harris is a force up the middle, and Mark Anderson will have to provide a consistent pass-rush at for the team to get back to having one of the league's better defenses.

The secondary is returning healthy which wasn't the case for a stretch last year. Emphasis was put on adding depth to the unit in the draft to ensure this isn't an issue for the second year in a row.

Hester will be given many opportunities to score on returns, and the Bears special teams unit is one of the best in the league. Robbie Gould is a reliable kicker and the return coverage has been a strong point for them, too.

Lovie Smith has been a successful coach since he came to Chicago, but has been criticized by many for the decisions made on the offensive side of the ball in particular. The distractions of Benson, Tank Johnson, and the starting quarterback job has dominated much of the talk in the Windy City the last two years.

Fantasy-wise, Hester is a strong pick especially in leagues that count return yardage and touchdowns. Tight end Greg Olsen could be a sleeper pick as well.

The Bears should have enough to contend for a division title because other teams also have question marks at the quarterback position as well as elsewhere. The team will have to get back to winning games the way they did in 2006 with a power running game and strong defense to get back to the playoffs. Special teams play will be good, but should they not get back to their ways of 2006, it will be a long and very cold season in the Windy City in 2008.

Read More