DETROIT—The Bears worst fears came true here in the Motor City.In turning Jahvid Best into a ‘Star’,the Bears lost to Detroit 24-13 and now trail both the Lions and Green Bay by three full games. There was lots of partying going on outside Ford Field,even with the big interest in the Lions, many Bears Fans got tickets as they always do here. Fans inside were watching the Tigers 7-4 11 inning loss to the Rangers on two big screens.The Lions won the toss and received,and
as quiet as it was during that first series,it got ‘747’ loud once the Bears took over at their 20.In the first quarter,the Bears picked up FOUR false starts(Omiyale,Webb and Kellen Davis twice to kill the drive.The Bears(2-3) also used all three of their time outs in the first quarter,the third coming on a failed challenge. Play got chippy! Lions had two roughing Jay Cutler calls,and wow did he take a dive on that second one. The first quarter ended scoreless,but on the second snap of period number two,Matthew Stafford his Calvin Johnson on the fly for a 73 yard TD and a 7-0 Lions lead just :49 into the second period.Chris Harris was closest to Johnson on that play. The Bears came back with a 57 yard,ten play drive and after Cutler just missed connecting with Devin Hester at the Detroit ten, Robbie Gould kicked a 44 yard field goal to get his team on the board.The Bears held the Lions(5-0) and took over at their 19,and after getting to the 38,they picked up a fifth false start,but then Cutler hit Hester,who made a nice grab for 26 yards to the Lions 41.The Bears promptly picked up a sixth false start,but Forte ran for 23 yards around right end to the Detroit 23. After the two minute warning,Cutler found Hester at the 9,then hit Kellen Davis in the back near corner of the end zone to give the Bears their first lead 10-7 with 1:11 before halftime.Stafford then had a last minute pass picked off by D.J.Moore and the Bears took a lead into the locker room.It would not last.
The Bears received the second half kickoff,but went a very quick three and out and the Lions regained the lead going 67 yards in 7 plays.Stafford hit TE Brandon Pettigrew from the 18. On Jason Hanson’s kickoff, Hester stepped out at his own seven yard line. Forte ran the Bears out of the hole with a 16 yard run to the 23.Then came a 28 yard pass to Sam Hurd.But that series died,and after Adam Podlesh punted to the Lions 12, Best broke through the middle for the second longest run in Lions history-88 yards. He was not touched. It stayed 21-10 Detroit through the third quarter. The Bears managed a 52 yard drive which ended with 4:07 left in the game on a Gould 49 yard field goal getting the Bears within 21-13. Then the Bears got busted again by Best who ran for 43 yards and a 15 yard face mask penalty left Detroit at the Bears 22.Best then ran it 15 more to the Bears 6.After a couple of yardage losses,Hanson iced this game with a 31 yard field goal.

NOTES—The Bears have another prime time game this Sunday night with the Vikings at Soldier Field…..Former Bear Rashied Davis was among those inactive for Detroit….Attendance was 67,861 which is a new record for a Lions game at Ford Field.Only the Super Bowl held here in 2005-06 drew more for a football game….The Bears had an embarrassing NINE false start penalties on the night.

LES

MILWAUKEE—Even before the first pitch, the Milwaukee Brewers took a swing at the St. Louis Cardinals.Come Sunday, the Brewers swapped their barbs for bats — and just kept bashing. Needing a comeback in the NL championship series opener, Milwaukee turned to its power duo of Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder, then got a clutch hit from Yuniesky Betancourt to beat the Cardinals 9-6.The Brewers celebrated wildly as the big hits came during a rapid-fire rally.”It’s the playoffs, bro,” Fielder said. “You’ve got to let it all out.” Braun launched a two-run, 463-foot homer in the first inning and added a two-run double during a six-run burst in the fifth. Fielder hit a two-run homer and the typically light-hitting Betancourt added a two-run homer to cap it. The midgame turnaround came so fast that the crowd wasn’t done cheering Braun’s big hit when Fielder went deep.”I don’t even know if I heard the ball come off Prince’s bat,” Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. “I knew it was a good swing and came off nice, but when you can’t hear the ball, the sound of it, because of all the people yelling. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen there until I saw the ball flight.” At least for one game, the bitter NL Central rivals avoided any on-field confrontations in their first postseason matchup since the 1982 World Series.That’s despite an already tense atmosphere that gained some steam when Brewers starter Zack Greinke let it slip on Saturday that some of his teammates don’t like Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter — a comment that drew a stern rebuke from Cardinals manager Tony La Russa.Greinke hinted that he heard a few comments from the Cardinals’ dugout Sunday, but he said it was nothing out of the ordinary.”They’re yelling from the dugout some, but most teams do that,” Greinke said. “Everyone always makes fun of me grunting when I throw a fastball. It’s kind of funny sometimes, but no big deal.” The atmosphere was tense even before the first pitch, as La Russa was showered with boos during pregame introductions. He calmly tipped his cap to the crowd.La Russa said afterward that he hoped the tension wouldn’t overshadow the competition — although he said he had a sense that some fans and media members would be disappointed if there aren’t any repeats of the on-field confrontations the teams have had in the recent past.”I don’t want our players and their players to be egged on, and I don’t think they will,” La Russa said. “We’re going to play as hard and good against each other as we can.” Greinke struggled at times, but reliever Takashi Saito got Cardinals star Albert Pujols to ground into a key double play in the seventh. Francisco Rodriguez pitched a hitless eighth and closer John Axford threw a hitless ninth for a save. Game 2 is at Miller Park on Monday night. Shaun Marcum starts for the Brewers against Edwin Jackson.”We’ll come back out,” Cardinals star Lance Berkman said. “The same thing happened to us in the first game against Philly. We were able to regroup.” David Freese hit a three-run homer off Greinke in the fourth, and the Cardinals led 5-2 in the fifth.But Milwaukee made it tough on Cardinals starter Jaime Garcia, who left after giving up Fielder’s homer. Garcia, who hit Fielder with a pitch earlier in the game, gave up six runs and six hits in four-plus innings with three walks. He took the loss.Greinke earned the win despite his uneven outing, giving up six runs and eight hits in six-plus innings. He left the game to a standing ovation after giving up a leadoff single to Rafael Furcal in the seventh.The Cardinals took a three-run lead into the fifth before Garcia allowed a leadoff single to Corey Hart and a double to Jerry Hairston Jr. Braun hit a two-run, ground-rule double to right and with the crowd still saluting him, Fielder hit the first pitch from Garcia deep to right for a two-run homer, giving the Brewers the lead. Fielder then showed off his repertoire of celebrations, giving the team’s “Beast Mode” gesture upon his arrival at home plate and exchanging mock knockout blows with Braun as he trotted back to the dugout.That was it for Garcia, who left with no outs in the fifth and his team down 6-5. It that wasn’t the end of trouble for the Cardinals, though.Reliever Octavio Dotel fielded Rickie Weeks’ grounder and threw the ball away, allowing Weeks to go to second on the error.Betancourt – who batted .252 in the regular season with 13 homers — then sent a 2-1 pitch from Dotel deep to left, where it flew into the Brewers’ bullpen and was fielded on the fly by Milwaukee bullpen catcher Marcus Hanel. Hanel pumped his fist, Betancourt circled the bases and the crowd continued its inning-long eruption. Betancourt has taken plenty of criticism this season, but might be among the rare group of athletes who say they don’t pay attention to the critics and actually mean it. Through an interpreter, Betancourt said he manages to avoid criticism because he doesn’t speak much English.”I don’t really pay attention to what the critics say,” Betancourt said.With the score 8-5, Pujols came to the plate with runners on first and third and no outs in the seventh. Pujols broke his bat on a double-play grounder — a run scored, but the Brewers had limited the damage.Betancourt doubled in the seventh and scored on a single by Jonathan Lucroy.The Brewers and Cardinals split an 18-game series evenly this season, a sign of what has been one of baseball’s most intense rivalries in recent years. The Cardinals’ success against the Brewers in the final month of the season was one of the main reasons they climbed back into playoff contention.St. Louis won six of its last seven games against Milwaukee, including a three-game sweep at Miller Park.The animosity between the two teams spilled into this week, when Greinke told reporters Saturday that some of his teammates don’t like Carpenter because of his “phony attitude.” La Russa said he got an umpire’s warning after Garcia hit Fielder with a pitch in the first inning, right after Braun’s homer. But the Brewers said they didn’t think the pitch was intentional, and La Russa said the team’s recent history probably affects the umpires’ attitudes.”I certainly can’t fault the umpire,” La Russa said. “But, you know, you can’t go out and argue those things, or you get thrown out. I didn’t say anything. What I would have said is, if you watched the way Jaime pitched that whole inning, every fastball he threw was in that same area, out away from the right hander or in on Fielder. They just looked bad, but he was just trying to get the ball somewhere near the glove.”

NOTES—Jackson struggled in his first outing with the Cardinals against the Brewers, giving up 10 runs (eight earned) in seven innings at Milwaukee Aug. 3. But he was better in two subsequent starts against the Brewers, allowing four runs (three earned) in 13 innings….Marcum is coming off a rough outing in the Brewers’ Game 3 NL division series loss at Arizona, giving up seven runs in 4 2/3 innings….Sunday’s attendance was 43,613.

The Blackhawks finally figured out a way to beat the Dallas Stars.Dave Bolland scored two goals while Andrew Brunette, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Sharp each had one to lead the Blackhawks to a 5-2 win over the Stars on Saturday night.Vernon Fiddler and Steve Ott scored for the Stars, who were outplayed for most of the game by the energized Blackhawks before a crowd of 21,674. The Hawks ended a four-game losing streak against Dallas by taking the second contest of a home-and-home set. The Stars had won 2-1 Friday night in Dallas in both clubs’ season openers.One of the Blackhawks’ top priorities is getting off to a better start than last season. After winning the Stanley Cup in 2010, the Hawks were dogged by inconsistency last year and squeaked into the playoffs on the final day of the 2010-11 regular season. And Bolland chipped in a strong performance on Saturday after missing Friday’s game with an upper-body injury. “He makes a difference,” Quenneville said. Corey Crawford made 19 saves.Dallas’ Andrew Raycroft stopped 26 shots, following a 37-save effort by Kari Lehtonen on Friday.The Hawks outshot Dallas 10-2 in the first period and took a 1-0 lead 8:06 in on Brunette’s first goal as a Blackhawk. The 38-year-old forward, who signed as a free agent in the offseason, poked in a rebound of Sharp’s shot from the left circle during a power play.Tha Hawks kept up the pressure in the second, and built a 3-0 lead on goals by Bolland and Toews.Bolland fooled Raycroft with a 50-foot shot from the left wing boards to make it 2-0 at 7:39. Toews scored just under four minutes later on a breakaway after he left the penalty box, skated to the Dallas blue line and took a stretch pass from Brent Seabrook.Fiddler’s rising shot from a sharp angle beat Crawford with 7:25 left in the second to cut it to 3-1. Sharp made it 4-1 at 5:10 of the third when he fired a shot over Raycroft’s glove on a 2-on-1 break during a delayed penalty call.Ott was credited with a power-play goal midway through the third that cut it to 4-2 when Sheldon Souray’s shot deflected in off him. Bolland dumped in an empty-net goal with 1:46 left to complete the scoring.

NOTES—Ott’s goal was originally credited to Souray, but was changed after the game. …The Hawkso skated without LW Viktor Stalberg (lower-body) and RW Ben Smith (concussion) for the second straight game. … D Nicklas Grossman (hip) and D Adam Pardy (ribs) were out for Dallas for a second night. … The Blackhawks recalled C Markus Kruger from Rockford of the AHL in time for the game and assigned C Brandon Pirri to their top farm team.

EVANSTON—Denard Robinson threw three interceptions in the first half, each more ugly than the one before it.In the second half, the Michigan quarterback was nearly flawless, and he kept No. 12 Michigan’s record perfect, too, leading the Wolverines a 42-24 win over Northwestern on Saturday night. Robinson threw for two touchdowns and ran for two more, helping Michigan come back from a 10-point halftime deficit. Robinson threw for 337 yards and ran for 113 as Michigan (6-0, 2-0) scored on its first three possessions of the second half. The Wolverines trailed 24-14 after a first half in which Robinson threw three interceptions. Michigan’s Junior Hemingway caught five passes for 123 yards and Roy Roundtree added five grabs for 83 yards. Both receivers set up touchdowns with big gains by outleaping the Northwestern secondary on what Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald called “fifty-fifty balls.” Dan Persa threw for 315 yards for Northwestern (2-3, 0-2) which blew a double-digit lead for the second straight week. Jeremy Ebert caught 11 passes for 87 yards for the Wildcats. But Northwestern was outscored 28-0 in the second half. So what happened? After shutting out Northwestern in the second half, Michigan has allowed just 21 second-half points in six games and has forced nine second-half turnovers. Michigan has won nine of the last 11 meetings between the schools, though they hadn’t met since Northwestern’s win at Michigan Stadium in 2008.With Michigan trailing by 10 points, Robinson came out firing in the second half. He connected with Roundtree on a 57-yard bomb to set up Robinson’s two-yard touchdown scamper. After a stop, Robinson led an 80-yard drive, accounting for 68 yards himself, and Devin Gardner scored on a one-yard run to put Michigan up 28-24. Michigan’s Brandin Hawthorne then picked off Persa’s tipped pass, setting up Michael Shaw’s three-yard touchdown run. Northwestern had the ball for just 2 minutes, 32 seconds during the third quarter. Ebert fumbled after a short reception from Persa, giving Northwestern two straight turnovers after turning the ball over just two times total in their first four games. After shutting out Northwestern in the second half, Michigan has allowed just 21 second-half points in six games and has forced nine second-half turnovers. After winning their first five games at home, the Wolverines were playing their first road game of the season, though the Northwestern purple in the crowd at Ryan Field had a liberal sprinkling of Michigan maize that gave the game a Big House-like feel.The Wolverines started fast. Robinson hit Hemingway on a key third-down pass for 48 yards. The senior outleapt safety Ibraheim Campbell to make a tumbling catch, and Robinson found Steve Watson from nine yards out for the game’s first score.Persa led three long Northwestern scoring drives in the first half. Northwestern’s 14 first-quarter points were more than Michigan allowed in its three previous games combined. The Wolverines entered the game allowing just 10.2 points per game, second in the nation and down from 35.2 last season. Meanwhile, Robinson’s erratic throws kept Michigan off the scoreboard. Robinson entered the game with a Big Ten-high six interceptions and he threw three more — all on overthrows — in the first half. Campbell had two of the interceptions, his second coming on the first play of the second quarter after Michigan reached Northwestern’s 16-yard line. It was the second time all season that Michigan didn’t score inside the 20 — the first was a kneel-down to end last week’s 58-0 win over Minnesota. But after halftime, it was all Robinson and Michigan, which converted 14 for 17 on third-down conversions in the game.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind.—A.J. Jenkins blew right past Indiana’s busted coverage. Twice. Nathan Scheelhaase made the right read and the perfect throw — both times. The big-play tandem hooked up for scoring passes of 77 and 67 yards in the first half Saturday, rallying No. 19 Illinois from an early 10-point deficit to a 41-20 victory.This was not just another weekly test for Illinois (6-0, 2-0 Big Ten). The Illini needed to prove they could win on the road, stay among the shrinking unbeaten ranks and prove that those last three 3-point victories were the aberration, not the norm. They accomplished all three three by making the Hoosiers (1-5, 0-2) pay for three big mistakes — on the two TD passes from Scheelhaase to Jenkins and a 66-yard fumble recovery for a score that changed the game. Scheelhaase finished 12 of 22 for 210 yards with three TDs. Jenkins, the Big Ten’s top receiver, had six receptions for 182 yards and two scores.The victory puts Illinois in position to match the 7-0 start of the 1951 team next week when Ohio State visits Champaign.Illinois’ success came as no surprise to Indiana coach Kevin Wilson, who had warned his players all week that the Illini would convert mistakes into scores. They did. The Hoosiers have now lost three straight overall and 13 in a row against ranked opponents, dating to a 31-28 victory over then No. 13 Iowa on Oct. 14, 2006. Now they’ll hit the road for back-to-back road games at No. 4 Wisconsin and Iowa with a still unsettled quarterback rotation. This one was wild and wacky, though.Hoosiers freshman Shane Wynn took the opening kickoff at the 1-yard line, found a hole up the middle and sprinted 99 yards for a TD to make it 7-0 just 12 seconds into the game. On Illinois’ second series, Donovonn Young dropped a handoff near midfield. Brandon McGhee recovered for Indiana and six plays later, Mitch Ewald made a 44-yard field goal to give Indiana a 10-0 lead.Illinois then took matters into its own hands. The Illini picked up an all-out blitz, giving Scheelhaase just enough time to loft a pass to the wide open Jenkins, who caught the ball, turned inside of one defender and had nobody else to beat en route to the 77-yard play that made it 10-7. The Hoosiers were back in field-goal range again on their next series, only this time, Whitney Mercilus stripped the ball from Kiel on a sack, and Tavon Wilson scooped it up and raced 66 yards to give Illinois a 14-10 lead. The Illini never trailed again, even holding the Hoosiers to a field goal after they recovered a fumble at the Illinois 3

DALLAS—Kari Lehtonen assured a successful NHL debut for Dallas Stars coach Glen Gulutzan. Lehtonen stopped 37 shots, Alex Goligoski and Jamie Benn scored second-period goals, and the Stars held on for a 2-1 decision over the Blackhawks on Friday night in the opener for both teams. Gulutzan was promoted over the summer by general manager Joe Nieuwendyk from the Stars’ AHL affiliate to succeed Marc Crawford, who was fired at the end of last season after the team missed the playoffs for a third straight season. Lehtonen was at his best in the second period, making a series of sliding saves while the Blackhawks built a 22-12 shots advantage, a total pumped up by three power plays. Lehtonen came up with a key stop with about five minutes left on Jamal Mayers’ short-handed attempt from the left circle, and denied Patrick Sharp on a solo rush with four minutes remaining. With goalie Corey Crawford on the bench in favor of a sixth attacker, Nick Leddy scored from the left circle with 13.6 seconds to play as the Hawks avoided the shutout. Crawford made 31 saves. The teams will meet again Saturday night for the Hawks home opener in the United Center.

Former All-Star third baseman Robin Ventura is replacing the fiery Ozzie Guillen as manager of the White Sox.The Sox say that Ventura agreed to a multiyear deal on Thursday.A longtime star with the White Sox, Ventura was hired by the club last June as a special adviser to director of player development Buddy Bell. Ventura is the 38th White Sox manager overall, including 17 who played for the team.Guillen was released from his contract with one year remaining after eight seasons with the White Sox and immediately was hired by the Florida Marlins as their manager.Ventura was a first-round draft pick of the White Sox out of Oklahoma State in 1988 and spent the first 10 seasons of his 16-year career with the Sox.Known for his slick fielding, clutch hitting and left-handed power, Ventura also played for the New York Mets, New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers. He was six-time Gold Glove winner and an All-Star in 1992 and 2002.Ventura’s selection came as a surprise. Most speculation had the White Sox’s top candidates as either Tampa Rays coach Dave Martinez or Cleveland Indians bench coach Sandy Alomar Jr. Both are former White Sox players.

“When I met with the media as our season ended, I identified one person at the very top of my managerial list,” White Sox general manager Kenny Williams said in a team release.

“I wanted someone who met very specific criteria centered around his leadership abilities. Robin Ventura was that man. His baseball knowledge and expertise, his professionalism, his familiarity with the White Sox and Chicago and his outstanding character make him absolutely the right person to lead our clubhouse and this organization into the seasons ahead.”

Ventura, who has also dabbled in TV commentary, said he welcomed the chance to return to the city where his major league career started.

“When I rejoined the White Sox this June, I said this was my baseball home and that part of me never left the White Sox organization,” Ventura said. “My family and I are thrilled to be returning to Chicago. Managing a major league baseball team is a tremendous honor. It’s also an opportunity and a challenge.”

Pitching coach Don Cooper and first base coach Harold Baines were already re-signed to multiyear contract extensions before the season ended. Hitting coach Greg Walker is not returning.Ventura batted hit .267 with 294 home runs and 1,182 RBIs over his career. His 18 career grand slams are tied for fifth in major league history.He appeared in 1,254 games over 10 seasons with the White Sox, hitting .274 with 171 home runs and 741 RBI. He ranks among the White Sox career leaders in grand slams, walks, homers, RBIs, extra-base hits and runs scored.Ventura led Oklahoma State to the College World Series and still holds the Division I record with a 58-game hitting streak.Guillen, who was a friend of Ventura’s while with the White Sox, left after he couldn’t get a contract extension. His relationship with Williams had become fractured over the last two seasons.Expected to be contenders this season, the White Sox finished 79-83 and third in the AL Central as several key players, most notably DH Adam Dunn(notes) and center fielder Alex Rios(notes), struggled offensively.

White Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf issued the following statement today after the announcement of Ventura as the club’s new manager:

“Robin is one of the most popular and highly regarded players in this franchise’s history.  From the very first day he put on a White Sox uniform, it was apparent that Robin was a born leader.  Those leadership skills were obvious to staff, players, media who covered him, and certainly to the fans of Chicago.  We saw those skills again this summer as he visited and worked with our minor league players.You will not find a better teammate, leader and friend.  His ability to motivate and lead others will be a terrific attribute as manager.  I loved him as a player, from his baseball knowledge, to his professionalism, to how he went about his business in the clubhouse and on the diamond.  Robin exudes class in everything he does.Since making the announcement this afternoon, I’ve heard nothing but great feedback from our players, staff, friends and White Sox fans.”

ROSEMONT—In conjunction with the Arena Football League, the Chicago Rush announced their 2012 regular season schedule today. The team’s 11th season will kick off at home on Sunday, March 11th against the Tampa Bay Storm.The Rush will open their nine game home slate against the Storm which will be their first meeting at the Allstate Arena since 2004. The Rush will play three of their first five games at home. Additionally, eight of the team’s nine home games will be played on the weekends. The regular season home schedule will end 16 days earlier than the 2011 schedule.

“The organization is preparing for another exciting season of arena football action,” said Rush President/General Manager Gene Nudo. “We are really looking to place an emphasis on creating an electrifying, family-friendly atmosphere in 2012. We feel this schedule will provide an optimal experience for all of our fans.”

One of the most noteworthy games of the season will come in Week 10 when the Rush travel to Arizona to take on the Rattlers in what will be a repeat of the 2011 National Conference Championship game.The Rush will matchup against each of their three Central Division rivals (Iowa, Kansas City and San Antonio) twice. The team is set to play 18 games over the course of a 20-week schedule. The bye weeks include Week 2 and Week 11.The entire 2012 schedule is as follows, with home games indicated in bold:

Week      Date       Location

Week 1 Sunday, March 11 vs. Tampa Bay Storm

Week 2 Bye

Week 3 Thursday, March 22 vs. Orlando Predators

Week 4 Saturday, March 31 at Iowa Barnstormers

Week 5 Saturday, April 7 vs. Kansas City Command

Week 6 Saturday, April 14 at Georgia Force

Week 7 Saturday, April 21 vs. Milwaukee Mustangs

Week 8 Saturday, April 28 at San Antonio Talons

Week 9 Sunday, May 6 vs. Iowa Barnstormers

Week 10 Saturday, May 12 at Arizona Rattlers

Week 11 Bye

Week 12 Saturday, May 26 at San Jose Sabercats

Week 13 Saturday, June 2 vs. Spokane Shock

Week 14 Saturday, June 9 at Utah Blaze

Week 15 Saturday, June 16 vs. Georgia Force

Week 16 Saturday, June 23 at Kansas City Command

Week 17 Saturday, June 30 vs. San Jose Sabercats

Week 18 Sunday, July 8 vs. San Antonio Talons

Week 19 Saturday, July 14 at Milwaukee Mustangs

Week 20 Saturday, July 21 at Cleveland Gladiators

All dates and times are subject to change.

GROBBER’S MONDAY RANTS—October 3,2011

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***Another,for the second straight year,UGLY win over the Carolina Panthers for the Bears. Lovie Smith said he won’t apologize for the win. Of course not. You DON’T EVER do that. Any way you win, you take it. Last season when the Bears won over the Panthers in Charlotte,it was an awful game,but nonetheless a victory.

***Another milestone for Devin Hester who returned a punt 69 yards for his 11th such touchdown setting a new NFL record,breaking the tie he had held with Eric Metcalf since late last year when he returned a Viking punt in the snow at TCF Bank Stadium. This was more proof how much Hester has been mis-handled by the Bears who still insist that converting him 4 years ago to wide receiver was not a mistake. Guess,what? It WAS a big time screw up. Hester had NO return TD;s in either 2008 or 2009 while switching to the wide receiver position,which has been a flop so far. It’s all about money however! He was paid as a WR, and his kick returns suffered until last year when suddenly against Green Bay in week three,it came back.

 ***NFL Boss Roger Goodell should now see how that new rule,having kickoffs from the 35 yard line is a joke! How exciting is it to see most kickoffs go through the end zone for a boring touch back?

 ***Speaking of Hester,Marian Barber and others, the back flips those two did Sunday need to be stopped at once! And don’t give me this NFL(No Fun League)crap! How much fun will it be to see Hester injured . Also,he gave Carolina good field position due to a 15 yard excessive celebration penalty. Barber had a hamstring pull,and after he scored a TD, he did this dumb flip and came up limping. These guys are numb skulls for doing this just to show off and “have fun’. How much fun will it be to go on injured reserve?

 ***Exciting game between Illinois and Northwestern at Memorial Stadium Saturday. The Wildcats had a 28-10 lead in the third quarter,but questionable play calling on defense allowed the Illini yo get back in the game and win it. The Cats DB’s could not cover A.J.Jenkins who torched them all day. NU ‘sold out’ to stop the run and it mostly worked all day,but it left corner backs on an island against Jenkins. They should have switched things up in the fourth quarter to force Illinois to run the ball more and use the clock. Instead,the Illini kept scoring quickly. Also,Dan Persa was very good in his return to the Cats lineup,but his Achilles stiffened and he took himself out in the fourth quarter. Kane Colter finished the game,but they don’t trust the Sophomore to pass,and the NU offense became one-dimensional.

 ***The Illini are 5-0 and a lock to go to a Bowl Game again while the Cats will struggle to become Bowl eligible. The Illini are at gosh awful Indiana for their first road game of the season Saturday while Northwestern hosts Michigan Saturday night.

 LES