Now we have an idea of what this Bears offense can do, after quarterback Jay Cutler and his teammates beat the Indianapolis Colts 41-24 on Sunday.
There is no doubt Bears fans went home happy — even though they may have squirmed in their seats early in the game. Cutler’s interception minutes into the first quarter resulted in a Colts touchdown, but then the Bears managed to right the ship. Amassing 428 total offensive yards, offensive coordinator Mike Tice mixed the pass with the run. The Cutler-to-Brandon Marshall connection had the Bears crowd on its feet with nine catches for 119 yards and a touchdown. When the Bears got near the goal line, twice it was new running back Michael Bush getting the call to punch it in. Matt Forte had 120 all-purpose yards, passing Gale Sayers for fourth place on the Bears all-time list with 6,338 yards for his career. Forte ran for 80 yards and a TD and his three receptions gained 40 yards. It was also a stellar day for the rookie Alshon Jeffery; he showed he complements Marshall, as he caught a 42-yard pass from Cutler for his first NFL score.
I caught up with Dunston on a recent trip to Chicago. As a 22-year-old, this shortstop phenom was brought up to play for the Cubs in 1985; he struggled and was sent down to the minors. That experience humbled him and he returned after six weeks more mentally ready. Dunston relied on the team veterans like Rick Sutcliffe, Jody Davis and Andre Dawson to guide him. He needed the skills of his first baseman, Leon Durham, and Mark Grace him to save defensively.
The answer that begins Sunday with the Indianapolis Colts at Soldier Field, of course, is how will the Bears do this year? It seems that I, as a reporter, am supposed to know what their record will be when they finish the season at the end of December — and hopefully play into next year. I must be carrying a crystal ball, I guess. . . .
Despite a rough period on the road, the White Sox will continue to battle in the American League Central with Detroit. It's a reality a lot of people — fans and media alike — didn’t think possible last spring. Even with the dismal road trip recently, this has been a team that has bounced back all season. It has been an interesting ride so far; besides the known stories of the comeback players (Adam Dunn, Alex Rios and Jake Peavy).
But now I have to come up with a new category of exceptions after spending time with Yankee centerfielder Curtis Granderson. This three-time All-Star was drafted by the Detroit Tigers and was dealt to New York three years ago. And, he is a true Chicagoan: He went to high school at Thornton Fractional South and played baseball at the University of Illinois-Chicago.
Injuries have crept up on the Bears the past few weeks. Rookie Brandon Hardin injured his neck against Washington, severely enough that now he's out for the year. The team is relying on a rookie punter Ryan Quigley to nurse them through this final game until Adam Podlesh can kick. But if Podlesh's hip is still a problem when the season starts, will the Bears go with a rookie in this key role of special teams? 
One integral player that fully reflects this new Cubs team is Anthony Rizzo. Most people know the story of how he became a Cub, but it bears repeating. He was a 6th round draft pick of Epstein and Hoyer when they both were in Boston. Hoyer became GM of the San Diego Padres and acquired Rizzo in a deal from the Red Sox. In one of their first moves, when they became the management team in Chicago, they dealt former Cubs first draft pick, pitcher Andrew Cashner and minor leaguer Kyung Mia Na for Anthony Rizzo and minor leaguer Zach Cates. There was no doubt that Rizzo was a player they wanted to be part of the re-building of the club.