Sports Notes, 8/12/07

-- So, while the Brewers are getting swept at Colorado, the Cubs can’t even sniff victory in Houston, but then the Brewers go into Houston and can’t lose, and the Cubs go to Colorado and beat up on the Rockies, at least until the Cubs start losing to the Rockies, at which point the Brewers give up a four-run eighth and lose in Houston. What if we just sent out Derrek Lee and Prince Fielder to thumb-wrestle each other for the NL Central championship?

-- Rumor had it last week that the Cubs got Scott Podsednik off waivers. He was still in a White Sox uniform on Sunday, but the fact the Cubs were thinking about him shows that dumping Kenny Lofton still looks stupid four seasons later.

-- The score doesn’t matter in preseason football, but the way you get it sometimes does. The BEARS beat Houston 20-19 on a last-minute field goal capping a drive that was kept alive in part by a running-into-the-punter penalty. Bad teams make these mistakes, good teams capitalize on them

-- Garrett Wolfe, running back from Northern Illinois and my own alma mater Holy Cross High School, had a couple nice runs for the BEARS in the fourth quarter and is looking like he actually might make this team.

-- Isn’t it great that we’re back in the time of year when we talk about the BEARS in all capitals again?

-- Speaking of the BEARS, newly acquired Obafemi Ayanbadejo got busted for steroid use. He says it’s a mixup regarding an over-the-counter supplement (and he actually makes a pretty good case), but I don’t think anyone would hold it against him if he felt that he needed to strengthen his jaw to say his damn name.

-- Well, the readers may not have chimed in on what they think about Rex Grossman, but Sports Illustrated sure did. The magazine ranked him the No. 17 starting quarterback in the NFL going into 2007. That would be the top spot in the bottom half of the rankings, or just one behind Matt Leinart. In other words, a damning indictment.

-- Confidential to Jermaine D. in Bridgeport: Believe whatever you want, but you are not in a playoff race, dude.