You mean you were shocked that this immeasurably wealthy, ultra-competitive athlete - who's constantly flying solo on the road - would cheat on his wife!? How unfathomable!

Yes, it now sounds a bit foolish, I know. The writing was probably on the wall. But, I don't know, Tiger always seemed like one of the few who wouldn't travel down this path.

If you asked me last week to name five athletes who likely went on the road beef-less, my list probably would have looked like this: Jim Thome, Tim Duncan, Greg Maddux, Peyton Manning, and Tiger. Oh, and AC Green.

I will say this, though: the whole situation is just....icky. Not vomit-inducing "Rick Pitino-icky", mind you, but still. This story is far from pleasant.

It certainly is galvanizing, though. Usually when a story takes over the media landscape, we all complain about how much coverage it's receiving. There's a reason why people outside of Chicago hate Brett Favre too, and part of it is because of all the attention his annual "will he or won't he retire" story gets from media companies like this one.

I don't feel the same backlash against the Woods story. Maybe this thing is just too juicy. I particularly liked the Gawker post from Saturday, when rumors were flying uncontrollably and when the story had yet to take any semblance of shape. Here's how Forest Kamer summed it up:

Any pop culture incident involving celebrities, infidelity, drugs, domestic wife-on-man violence, and car crashes? Come on, it's like celebrities going shopping for you.

(Note: the "drugs" portion came from a claim that Tiger was all hopped up on pain pills while this was all going down. I believe that part of the story has been shot down at this point.)

This is one of those rare "Tropicana" stories. 100 percent pure non-concentrated juice.

So here we are. This story isn't going away anytime soon, and that's probably how we want it. More mistresses will come will come out of the woodwork, more cell phone sext messages will be revealed. Then Tiger will probably win three majors.

What did Tiger lose the most through all of this? Respect? I doubt it. This will, eventually, blow over. But still: he won't have a comfortable interview for the rest of his life.

Ricky O'Donnell is a freelance writer, and the editor of the Chicago sports blog Tremendous Upside Potential. To give him free money, or offer him a real job, contact him at richardopodonnell@gmail.com.

How do you know you're in the midst of a potentially historic season? For the second time this year, the 'Hawks have broke their record for "longest shootout in team history". And they've won both times. Boom.

In case you're wondering: the "Circus Trip" isn't nearly as devastating for the 'Hawks as it is for the Bulls. I can only assume this is because the 'Hawks are actually good. They finished the six-game road trip with four wins, one loss, and one shootout loss. In a related story, the Bulls finished the decade 10-61 on their version of the "Circus Trip". 10-61! I wish the Bulls could just concede before it even began.

By my count, this is the fourth memorable 'Hawks game this year. We already talked about the shootout win over Avalanche. Let's not forget about the five goal comeback versus the Flames. Hossa's return against the Sharks would seem to qualify as well, especially considering San Jose has the most points in the conference and they hadn't lost all season at home until the 'Hawks wiped the floor with them.

Also fun: the 'Hawks unveiled their alternate sweaters last night. Observe.

Last night's win gives the 'Hawks 37 points, good for a share of second in the conference with Calgary. The Predators come to town on Friday.

Ricky O'Donnell is the editor of the Chicago sports blog Tremendous Upside Potential. Contact him at richardopodonnell@gmail.com.

After falling to the Bucks in Milwaukee last night, our rebound-inhaling, cognac-loving center should have his answer. Here's what's so circus about it: after beating an overachieving Kings team to start this monster off on the right foot, the Bulls didn't win another game on their annual late November road trip. With the exception of yesterday's two point loss to the Bucks, they really never even come close. The other four losses were bloodbaths, defeats coming by - on average - over 19 points per game.

The most frustrating thing about the previous sentence is how unsurprising it is. The same thing happens to the Bulls every year. This isn't so much a road trip as it is a funeral procession. Which begs the question: at what point do we decide to tell the brothers Ringling to move their stupid circus to the All-State Arena?

The Bulls had a chance to steal the always coveted "Circus Trip Win No. 2" last night, but their second half rally fell short. Brad Miller clanked a potential game-tying jumper off the front of the rim, and that was that. Most of us (ie: all of us) probably would have liked to see Derrick Rose - who was really phenomenal in the second half - take the game-deciding shot, but, for whatever reason, he still doesn't seem to gravitate towards big moments.

If you're looking for a silver-lining to the recent news that Kirk Hinrich will miss two weeks with a sprained thumb, it's this: now without two of their "seven good players", the Bulls need Rose to be dominant more than ever. The dirty little secret about our beloved hometown stud-in-waiting is that he may be a little too unselfish. Hopefully something as jarring as Lindsey Hunter actually playing (and playing in crunch time!) will spur Rose to be more assertive. Because, Jesus, the Bulls really need Rose to be more assertive. He's still battling an ankle injury, of course, but it does look like he's regained a bit of his explosiveness back recently. Thankfully.

The Bulls aren't a great team with everyone healthy, but without Hinrich and Tyrus Thomas, they're dangerously close to an outright bad team. The only way they're going to pick up a win or two over the next five or so games is if Rose starts playing the way we know he's capable of. Here's hoping a matchup with Ben Gordon on Wednesday will get him going.

Ricky O'Donnell is the editor of the Chicago sports blog Tremendous Upside Potential. Contact him at richardopodonnell@gmail.com.

Let's not sugarcoat it: this was textbook-defined domination. Minnesota toyed with the Bears. Coming into it, I thought the Bears maybe had a one percent chance of winning. That was probably optimistic. The Vikings owned the clock, converted seemingly every third down, and out-gained our guys by a cool 368 yards. Even worse, I can't shake the feeling that the Vikings only had to give about 70 percent effort to win by 26. These two teams should not be the same league. The Bears deserve to be relegated.

So yeah, the Bears suck. But you already knew that, and I've already written like 10 million words on how we got here. There's no need to rehash old arguments. Instead, let's talk about how villainous the '09 Vikings are. If you don't hate them already, you probably should.

We all know about Favre, who, if you're wondering, is actually the worst person in the entire world. But No. 4 should only be the tip of the iceberg for any Minnesota hatred. There's so much more to dislike here.

- Jared Allen. What an awful human being. When TUP assistant editor BobbyStompy called him "the most obnoxious and hateable player in all of sports," I found myself silently nodding. Jared Allen is the worst.

If you've ever heard him speak, it's readily apparent that Allen thinks he's cool and thinks he's funny. He is, of course, neither of these things. This is a man who deserves to be loathed by all of America. He has three DUI's, unquestionably wears No. 69 because he has the sense of humor of a 15-year old boy, and almost certainly enjoys the work of Larry the Cable Guy. Also, every time he does his stupid sack dance, a puppy dies.

- The Metrodome. I thought I'd never have to look at that noise-hogging monster again after my beloved Chi Sox made their final trip there in September. I was wrong. The Twins may be getting a tricked out new stadium, but it doesn't appear that the Vikings plan on moving out any time soon. It's kind of funny - because the Metrodome is so clearly a giant pile of garbage - but I'd still rather have it completely out of my life. This building cannot be blown up soon enough.

- Vikings fans. You look stupid. All of you.

Extra Reasons to Hate Minnesota

- They're all like "Oh, we have a mall". Cool. So does Oak Brook.

- Realize that we likely would have the joy of watching my main man and hair idol Ricky Rubio tear apart the NBA right now if he were drafted by any team other than the Timberwolves. But no, a team from Minnesota had to draft him, and now he's back in Spain.

Seriously T-Wolves...what were you thinking? Did you ever really believe that someone as awesome as Rubio would come to a place with cold weather and ugly girls? Doesn't Kevin Love have a cousin or something that you could have drafted? Blargh.

For the record, the only redeeming quality this state has is The Hold Steady. And maybe Joe Mauer. But that's it.

*

I cannot emphasize this enough: the Vikings could potentially become a special team, but what they did yesterday to the Bears does not make them special. Favre, Allen, the rest of you: do not think you're good because you killed the Bears. The Bears are terrible. To quote The Postal Service, "it's not a party if it happens every night". Yes, this is what happens to the Bears every game.

Yesterday's loss was the Bears' seventh of the season, which means they could win every game from here on out and still miss the playoffs. Remember, they somehow went 9-7 last year and didn't get anything to show for it. The Bears aren't officially mathematically eliminated yet, but they may as well be. This season was figuratively over after the Cardinals game, it's actually over right now.

You're going to need a new team to root for come playoff time. Choose anyone but the Vikings. Take the Saints, take the Colts, take the Chargers, take the Cowboys. But do not cheer for the Vikings. They are the enemy.

Ricky O'Donnell is the editor of the Chicago sports blog Tremendous Upside Potential. Contact him at richardopodonnell@gmail.com.

Tonight, the 'Hawks will debut their big off-season acquisition, forward Marian Hossa. He was signed to the richest contract in team history for one reason: to push a team that fell in the conference finals a year before over the hump and into the Stanley Cup.

Subplots

- If you didn't know, Hossa is really, really good. Before the season started, Fanhouse's Adam Gretz ranked the NHL's 50 best players. Hossa came in at No. 15. Patrick Kane was the only other 'Hawk to make the list, and he was No. 47.

Second City Hockey also heaped on the praise:

Simply put, Hossa is the most dynamic forward the Hawks have had since Roenick, and maybe even Savard. He does everything on the ice well, never takes a shift off, is in the same speed-category as Keith and Campbell, and has a nose for the net that no one on the team can match right now.

Yes, there is a reason this guy's return is such a big deal. He is awesome.

- Hossa chose to forgo an AHL rehab stint. Keep in mind that he hasn't seen game action since last year's Stanley Cup Finals, when he was a member of the hated Red Wings. He missed all of training camp, too.

What I'm trying to say is: don't get bummed if Hossa doesn't light the world on fire right away. He may be a little rusty. His true value will be gauged come playoff time.

- Who will Hossa be teaming with tonight? Yep, you guessed it: Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews. "Super-line", anyone?

In case I failed at getting you sufficiently pumped up, this YouTube video I found of Hossa's 10 best goals should do the trick.

Exciting times for our Blackhawks. Jump on the bandwagon before it gets too crowded.

Ricky O'Donnell is the editor of the Chicago sports blog Tremendous Upside Potential. Contact him at richardopodonnell@gmail.com.

We know Portland is a superior team, and they proved it. The Bulls got manhandled inside, Portland's star (Roy) shined brighter than our hometown boy, and the Blazers finished the job by pounding the Bulls into submission with a 32-18 run in the fourth quarter. It wasn't pretty.

This concludes the "they don't stand a chance in these games" portion of the Circus Trip for the Bulls. The stretch included games at Denver, LA , and Portland, and, true to form, the Bulls didn't really compete in any of the three. The Bulls' average margin of defeat was just over 19 points per game over this stretch, and the new-and-improved Gordon-less defense never held an opponent under 108 points. Bad times all around.

Just look at the starting power forward matchup from last night: the Bulls sent out Taj Gibson, the Blazers sent out LaMarcus Aldridge. That should have told you all you need to know. When the dust settled, Aldridge finished with 24 and 13, Taj finished with six and six. This game was over before it even started.

If you're looking for positives, um.....the Bulls survived this three game stretch without any major injuries. Moral victories! And the next two games (at Utah, at Milwaukee) are certainly winnable. If the Bulls go 2-0, you may want to load up on canned goods and find the key to your decade-old Y2K bunker, because that means the Bulls would finish the Circus Trip 3-3. This would surely be a sign of the impending apocalypse.

If nothing else, at least the Bulls had two highlight reel dunks last night. Sure, Joakim Noah got his lunch eaten for the first time all season against G-OD, but at least he did this.

Awesome.

And, even better, check out Rose posterize Oden.

How about that scream Rose unleashes at the end? Is our normally reserved superstar-in-waiting gaining some swagger?

I have a theory on this.

Have you noticed anything different about Rose the last two games? He's made a major wardrobe change.

That's right, a black arm-sleeve. This is great news. Some of the best players in the game rock the arm-sleeve (Kobe, LeBron, CP3, ect.), and that's the level the Bulls are eventually going to need Rose to be at. The arm-sleeve is a small step in the right direction.

Ricky O'Donnell is the editor of the Chicago sports blog Tremendous Upside Potential. Contact him at richardopodonnell@gmail.com.

Cutler has been painted as many things in this space, from hero to victim, savior to bum. But on this day, with 10 games in the books and six weeks left to play, it may be time to put down our swords and find some common ground. I think we're staring at a truth that isn't just inconvenient, it's ruinous: 2009 will not be the year Sid Luckman began to get erased from the Chicago record books. For at least this season, Jay Cutler is just like everyone who came before him. Jay Cutler is a below average NFL quarterback.

When Cutler fails, it hurts. It makes you think this franchise is doomed. It makes you think the Bears will forever be hopeless at sports' most important position.

Cutler blew the game for the Bears on Sunday night. There's just no way around it. If the quarterback made a few plays - plays that any upper echelon NFL signal caller should make (and that's what Cutler is supposed to be, remember?) - the Bears would have been back at .500. That's the bad news. The good news - if you choose to take solace in such silly things - is that this is the first time since the bye week that I can't throw my hands in the air and say "everything sucks".

There were certainly bright spots for the Bears. The special teams played pretty great. Robbie Gould was as solid as ever, Johnny Knox hit for at least one big return, and Tim Shaw made a name for himself with some fine kick coverage.

The defense wasn't half-bad either.

If you would have told me the Bears would give up 24 points to the Eagles, I probably would have assumed you meant in the first half. That's how atrocious they've been on that side of the ball when facing an offense not manned by Alex Smith or Derek Anderson. But the Bears' defense looked, I don't know, slightly above-average tonight? I know, I'm shocked too. It was as confusing as it was comforting.

Charles Tillman, deemed "The Ball Puncher" by some, forced three fumbles, two of which ended in a change of possession. The pass rush was hardly great, but it was probably better than it has been most of the season. Lance Briggs was all over the place as well. Sure, there were miscues - Desean Jackson's torching of Al Afalava comes to mind - but it could have been worse. It has been worse.

So it all comes back to Cutler, back to the offense that I had such high hopes for this summer.

Remember back to when the trade went down. What was the first thing everyone agreed on? I believe it was "at least Cutler will be able to connect on some long balls". Kyle Orton, you may remember, was fine within a 15-yard window. Orton couldn't make the big play though, and that's what we all assumed the Bears would forever hold in their back pocket with Cutler at quarterback.

So much for that, huh?

You didn't think it could get more mind-numbing than missing Olsen and Hester on consecutive throws that would have resulted in seven in the second quarter. But it did: rarely do I feel as deflated watching sports as I felt when Cutler missed a wide-open Knox late in the fourth for an easy touchdown and likely a Bears victory. I didn't erupt like a volcano of anger, I just kind of wanted to go to sleep. As that throw sailed over the head of Knox, Cutler's 2009 was officially over. Hey, at least I held out hope for him longer than I did for the team.

I'm not making any overarching conclusions about Cutler's career, mind you. Jay Cutler is bad this season, but I'm certainly not ready to say he's bad always and forever. Get him a real receiver, add a piece or two to the offensive line, call some plays that aren't predestined to fail. I'm not nearly as despondent on Cutler's future as this post probably makes it seem. I still think he'll be good. I really do. It's just that I've conceded the fact that it isn't happening in year one.

Ricky O'Donnell is the editor of the Chicago sports blog Tremendous Upside Potential. Contact him at richardopodonnell@gmail.com.

This year has been wild. Insane, I tell you. The madness has even hit Chicago sports.

Never mind losing out on the Olympics, I'm more concerned about the damn-near-epic fall from grace that inflicted nearly all of our city's sports superstars. Alfonso Soriano put in, by far, the worst year of his career. Carlos Quentin went from a potential MVP candidate to a guy you expect to injure himself when he gets out of bed in the morning. Brian Urlacher missed an entire season with a wrist injury. Patrick Kane - tiny, innocent Patrick Kane - inexcusably beat up a Buffalo cab driver over 20 cents. Jay Cutler actually has some fans wishing for the return of Kyle Orton.

This brings us to the recent struggles of Derrick Rose.

John Jackson has an article in today's paper titled "Passive Rose has to get aggressive". It's a fine piece, notable mostly because Rose says he's not going to cut his hair until he gets out of this funk, and I happen to think Derrick Rose would look awesome with an afro.

But I digress.

Aggressiveness isn't Rose's problem right now. His problem is his bum ankle. No offense to our hard-working copy editors at the Sun-Times, but this article should really be titled "Injured Rose needs to get healthy".

If you've seen the Bulls at all this year, you can tell Rose isn't himself. His explosiveness looks like it's been reduced by 50 percent. He's settling for more jumpers because his ankle prevents him from taking guys off the dribble. It's not like Rose was a world class defender when healthy, but he looks worse on that side of the ball as well. Let's also not forget that he didn't play in the preseason or log as much practice time as everyone else. Besides for being injured, Rose may also be a little rusty.

Still, I urge you not to lose any sleep over Rose's slow start. He's still the savior. 10 sub-par games on a bum ankle doesn't change anything. At some point, Rose's ankle will get right, and his game will follow.

Go ahead and worry about Soriano, worry about that adorable taco-loving chihuahua, worry about all the other crazy stuff that could happen in the next month and a half. But don't worry about Derrick Rose. He'll be just fine.

Ricky O'Donnell is the editor of the Chicago sports blog Tremendous Upside Potential. Contact him at richardopodonnell@gmail.com.

So, before we get any further, let's all take a second to commemorate the Bulls' unthinkable 1-0 start on the Road Trip From Hell by doing the Brad Miller taunt.

(And stretchhhhhhhhhhhhh. Feels good, doesn't it?)

If you just stood up at work to do that, you're my new hero.

I can't overstate how awful this Circus Trip is. The post-MJ Bulls are historically slow starters in the first place, but if any positive momentum were ever to exist, the Circus Trip surely killed it immediately.

Just how rough is this thing? BytheHorns gives us the raw data.

From 1999-00 through 2008-09, the Bulls are 9-56 on this trip, including a five-year stretch (1999-00 through 2003-04) in which they went 0-32.

Zero for thirty-two. Yowsers . And let me tell you, just in case you ditched the Bulls during the Eddie Robinson Era, it really was as bad as it sounds.

Do you remember that first win? I know I do. It was honestly one of my five happiest moments as a Bulls fan since the dynasty ended.

The year was 2004 (Ben Gordon and Luol Deng's rookie seasons) and the Bulls started out 0-9. It all seemed so typical. Then something crazy happened one night in Utah: Gordon caught fire (four treys), Eddy Curry dropped 21 (and chipped in two whole rebounds!), and the Bulls finally conquered their biggest nightmare. They had earned a victory on the Circus Trip. The drought was over.

The win kick-started the Bulls' season, and they ended up winning 47 games, 24 more than the previous season. It was, without question, one of the biggest early regular season wins I can ever remember.

This is why I'm not letting anyone rain on my parade: Circus Trip victories are just too precious a commodity to qualify. I really feel like these wins should count for triple.

The Bulls got it done last night behind a strong effort from John Salmons (23 points), and pair of performances from Deng and Joakim Noah that are seemingly becoming very par-for-the-course this season. Deng finished with 16 and 10 and did it on 8-of-14 shooting. Noah grabbed seven offensive boards (!), and finished with 15 points and 14 rebounds.

If you still aren't sold on Noah yet, open your eyes. Yes, he still shoots a basketball as if he were shooting a pumpkin. No matter. The man is beast. He's leading the NBA rebounding. He's providing constant energy. He's making terrible newspaper columnists eat their words (with salsa!). I can't say a bad thing about Noah. He takes nothing off the table - no laziness, no bad shots, ect. - and brings so much. I can't say enough about him this season. If he keeps it up, the Bulls could be the employers of an All-Star center come February.

*
As if last night's win didn't make you happy enough, I present you with this: a fake infomercial of Bulls players singing 80's hits. Please give whoever thought of this a huge, huge raise.

Grading the performances

Luol Deng: A+
Aaron Gray: A
Kirk Hinrich: B+
Joakim Noah: B+
Derrick Rose: C-
Tyrus Thomas: D

Just fantastic all-around. I love everything right now.

Ricky O'Donnell is the editor of the Chicago sports blog Tremendous Upside Potential. Contact him at richardopodonnell@gmail.com.

The 'Hawks have reached their current status among the league's elite teams by shelling out lots and lots of cash. They've given mammoth contracts to free agents (Huet, Campbell, Hossa) and rewarded their own players (Seabrook, Byfuglien). This is all fine and dandy, or at least it was while cornerstones Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews worked off rookie contracts.

So just how tight is the Blackhawks' money? CapGeek (via PuckDaddy) estimates that the 'Hawks should have a little over $13 million in cap space to work with. Most expect Kane and Toews to sign similar deals, likely for around $6-8 million annually. And Keith? Who knows. A salary around $5 million a year seems reasonable, though.

Do the math. The numbers don't add up. It would appear keeping all three after this year is impossible.

That's why today's news is so surprising. Various reports are saying that the Blackhawks are close to reaching deals with all three players.

If true, this is obviously a very good thing. But what does it mean?

For one, it means that the 'Hawks you see on the ice right now will be slightly different from the 'Hawks you will see once the playoffs roll around. They may even be dramatically different. If Kane, Toews, and Keith are all resigned, then the 'Hawks have a lot of cap space to clear. That means players - good players - have to be moved for guys with expiring contracts.

Check out the Blackhawks' salary page over at SportsCity to get a better understanding of the team's payroll.

The 'Hawks would probably love to be able to shed Brian Campbell, but it's unlikely that another team would be willing to touch a contract so long and so rich. Hossa and Huet obviously aren't going anywhere, either. So who does that leave? The list of players that could be on the move includes Patrick Sharp, Kris Versteeg, Cam Barker, Brent Sopel, and Dustin Byfuglien.

Let's say that Kane and Toews each sign for $7 million annually and that Keith signs for $5 million (keep in mind that all of this is very speculative). That's $19 million. Remember, the 'Hawks need to get to $13 million. That means that two of the guys listed above have to be jettisoned.

It's a shame that the 'Hawks need to break up their present to preserve their future, but it has to be done. With Kane, Toews, and Keith in the fold, the 'Hawks should be among the Western Conference elite for much of the next decade. Hopefully this year's squad won't suffer too much for it.

Ricky O'Donnell is the editor of the Chicago sports blog Tremendous Upside Potential. Contact him at richardopodonnell@gmail.com.

I would honestly love to ignore the Bears here right now. I said my peace on Thursday, and I don't have much else to add. The 2009 Bears are eternally atrocious, and they aren't worth the stress that comes with trying to write a well thought out rip job.

I kind of just want to throw my hands in the air and give up. Perhaps I'll even waive them like I just don't care. The Bears have sucked the sports life out of me, and I don't think I'm alone. They have made this shockingly warm Chicago autumn at least 60 percent less enjoyable. The Bears, as always, have pretty much ruined everything.

Alas, I know that we can't just ignore the Bears and give 100 percent of our blog time to talking about how cool Brad Miller is. We must soldier on and continue to complain about them, even if apathy would feel better at this point. The Bears are just too damn important in this city. If the players and coaches cared half as much as the rest of us do...

Alright, time to suck it up. Let's talk Bears, people. I have some questions to ask, after the jump.

No matter what happens, I will always defend the Cutler trade. I would still make it today, and I would give up more if need be. The Bears never have a good quarterback. They may as well have rolled the dice to try to get one.

That being said, I'm going to have to answer my own question with a solid "I don't know". Things have gotten bad. How bad? Just take a look at this picture. The fact that it exists tells you all you need to know.

Another telling sign: there have been some epic Cutler take-downs lately on the Web. He's turning into a punchline. We could be just one great nickname away from Grossman-level jokes here. Yes, this is scary.

For the record, I still believe in Jay Cutler. The dude so clearly oozes with talent, and no amount of frowns is going to change that. It's not like he's getting any help, either.

I dropped my "football is 50 percent talent, 50 percent scheme" bomb on Thursday, and I fear that may be all we have to hide behind right now.

Would a new offensive coordinator change everything? Maybe, but maybe not. Cutler has now thrown seven red zone interceptions in his last 11 games. Tom Brady has thrown six of those bad boys his entire career.

Yeah.

This isn't turning out the way we thought it would, is it?

Is there any chance the Bears will eat $11 million and fire Lovie?

Jim Zorn is a terrible football coach. Lovie Smith is not. We've been over this before, but, yeah, the Bears' problems run deeper than the head coach. That doesn't mean he should keep his job, though.

I still truly doubt that Smith will be axed after this season. It's all about the money, of course. But, I wonder, if the Bears go 6-10, does the front office have any choice? Think of all the pressure the media and the fans will be putting on them to make a change. I say there's a 20 percent chance it happens. Hey, that's better than nothing.

While we're here, if the Bears do fire Lovie, Jerry Angelo has to go, too. Those two are forever tied together.

I actually don't hate Angelo. I'd give his overall pile of work in Chicago a B/B+. But it would be pointless to fire the coach and let Angelo hire a new one when the talent is just as questionable as the coaching. He's just whiffed on too many draft choices lately. If Lovie goes, Jerry should go with him.

Why should we continue to watch this team?

Over at my home court on Friday, my esteemed colleague BobbyStompy wrote this (emphasis mine):

The Bears have yet to play the Vikings. This is a team so equipped to demolish the Bears it's almost laughable. If Jay Cutler doesn't throw at least three interceptions when they play at Minnesota, it's only because he probably got sacked before he could chuck the ball. Maybe we can hurt Favre though. This should be Bears fans' greatest aspiration for the rest of the 2009 season. I am 0% kidding.

I never, never root for injuries in sports, but what the hell: hurt Favre. It would honestly salvage part of the season in my mind. Yes, I am pathetic. Yes, I know it. I don't care. I'm not saying the Bears have to kill him, but I wouldn't judge the player who tried.

Ricky O'Donnell is the editor of the Chicago sports blog Tremendous Upside Potential. Contact him at richardopodonnell@gmail.com.

I touched on it on Monday, but it's worth repeating: Lovie Smith isn't going anywhere, at least not after this season. That's not to say that he doesn't deserve to be fired (something I don't think is necessary, but I certainly wouldn't be against it). The problem, of course, is that Smith still has two years and $11 million left on his contract after this season ends. Do you really think the Bears are going to eat that money, and then shell out big bucks for another high profile coach? The Bears aren't owned by Paul Allen or Mark Cuban. They're owned by the McCaskey family. Let's just say that the Bears don't exactly have a long history swallowing millions when they really don't have to.

Unlike virtually every other sport, success in football seems to be decided by 50 percent talent, 50 percent scheme. It's true that the Bears' scheme has been downright awful this year. The defense can't stop anyone, and I can't shake the feeling that the offense is only achieving 60 percent of its potential due to some classic Bears conservatism by Ron Turner. But I really think you can only put all the blame on Smith if you think he has been given the pieces to succeed. Does anyone really believe that?

We see Alex Brown and Charles Tillman and Lance Briggs on the field, and we wonder how the same defense that fueled a Super Bowl run three years ago can be so bad right now. The fact of the matter is that this simply isn't the same defense. Mike Brown isn't here, Brian Urlacher isn't here, and Nathan Vasher and Tommie Harris may as well be gone. Those are four impact players that have disappeared (or all but disappeared). In their place, the Bears are stuck with Nick Roach and Al Afalava and Zack Bowman.

These Bears simply don't have enough good players. Three-fourths of the secondary wouldn't start anywhere else. Same goes for two-thirds of the linebackers. And the line - without a healthy and dominant Tommie Harris - is steady but nowhere near spectacular.

What I'm trying to say is: the Bears kind of suck. This team needs a talent infusion in the worst way, and that's going to be hard to do without a draft pick until the third round. We can hope they make a splash in free agency (a Brian Dawkins-type of pickup sure would be a nice bandage), but this organization doesn't have a long history of throwing money at free agents.

So the Bears are pretty much a train wreck. I know it and I accept it. I also think there's a good chance they can beat San Francisco tonight (tongue-in-cheek headline aside).

It seems insane to think that the Bears can beat any team better than Cleveland right now, and the 49ers are certainly better than the Browns. That doesn't mean they're good, though.

San Fran got Vince Young'd last week and have now lost four straight. They were a nice early season surprise, but they've fallen back down to reality as of late. Like the Bears, they don't have a ton of talent. Unlike the Bears, their quarterback sort of blows.

As a good rule of thumb, whenever two teams appear evenly matched, take the team with the significantly better quarterback. That would be Jay Cutler this time around, and he should be enough to carry the Bears back over the .500 mark tonight.

It'll be hard to get excited if the Bears win tonight. You won't be reading any "The Bears are back, baby!" posts from me tomorrow morning. And if they lose, I really don't think they're much more of an embarrassment than they already are. This team is going nowhere, and nothing that happens tonight is going to change that.

Because of this, I urge you to watch tonight's game as stress-free as possible. Don't work yourself up about how Lovie needs to go, about how the Bears can make a statement with a big victory, about how far this defense has fallen. Tonight's game - in the grand scheme of things - probably doesn't matter. Watch it, cheer for the Bears, but don't throw the remote through the TV after Vernon Davis catches his first 30-yard touchdown pass. I'm sure you spent a lot of money on that TV. Don't break it. These Bears aren't worth it.

Note: I'm going out of town tonight, so I won't be able to get a recap up the in morning. Just use this as the post-game thread, as well. Sorry. To make you feel better, here's an awesome picture of Lovie from high school.

Ricky O'Donnell is the editor of the Chicago sports blog Tremendous Upside Potential. Contact him at richardopodonnell@gmail.com.