The Bears just shellacked the Cowboys tonight on Monday Night Football, Some might say it was their playing up for the retirement of legendary bear Mike Ditka's jersey #89, but I say the Cowboys just plain stink.

Tony Romo historically has been awful in the month of December, blowing games and squandering chances at playoff runs every single season. His record in December and January is now an embarrassing 12 and 17. However there is some tiny glimmer of hope he can take from this most recent debacle, it wasn't his fault they lost this game. 

Usually he is making some bonehead mistake turning the ball over in a critical situation with the game on the line, but that wasn't the case tonight in Chicago. Yes he had a very eyebrowing raising stat line of just over 100 yards and 3 touchdowns, but the key is he had 0 turnovers. The Cowboys ran the ball up and down the field on Chicago with no issue in the first half, but Chicago had too many quick strikes and the lead ballooned forcing the game plan to change for Dallas. 

Being down by 21 for most of the game forced their hand and Demarco Murray who had 100 yards rushing in the first half ended up with only 45 in the 2nd half as they had to abandon the rushing attack that was their only sustainable form of offense. The Offensive line was horrendous in pass blocking situations finding Romo rushed multiple times and sacked twice. 

The other main factor for why this wasn't Tony's fault was the embarrassing play of the Dallas defense. They have been one of, if not thee worst pass defense in the NFL this season getting ripped apart by Josh McCown for 348 yards and 4 touchdowns. When your defense can't stop anyone and continuously finds you playing catch up, you're not likely to win many games.

And the Bears have been just as bad this season which makes this convincing defeat that much worse. I put 100% of this defeat, and this entire season, on Jerry Jones. He spends more time talking to the media and trying to play God in his super stadium, then he does surrounding his unit of very good star players with a supporting cast worthy of their talent level. When you care more about your image then you do about your team, you are going nowhere fast. But cheer up Tony, this one isn't on you.

Jacoby Ellsbury has done the unthinkable. The flashy 2 time World Champion center fielder who has spent his entire professional career with the Boston Red Sox has joined the Evil Empire. Most Sox fans are at arms over this, comparing this treacherous act to that of Johnny Damon. The big difference being Damon was only a Red Sox for a handful of years and wasn't a product of the system but just a nice free agent addition after spending his time in Oakland. Ellsbury on the other hand has been groomed into the player he has become by the hands of the oft overlooked minor league staff of the Pawtucket Red Sox and Portland Sea Dogs.

Sure talent is involved in becoming who he is today, but you can't overlook the track record of the Red Sox farm system, producing countless stars and stalwarts to the big league club like Kevin Youkilis, Dustin Pedroia, Jon Lester and so many others. This is why the big news of yet another big time Red Sox switching sides in the most hated rivalry in the history of the sport was such a stinging blow, at least until I thought about it.

Ellsbury is set to turn 31 in September, meaning he is under contract until the age of 37, with an option for an 8th year. Maybe in hockey this type of deal would work, or as a multi dimensional threat the likes of a Derek Jeter, but Jacoby's game is predicated on speed. He wants to get on base and he wants to run. That will work now, but when he's 36? He isnt going to be stealing 50+ bags a season in his mid to late 30s. And he is one of the streakiest hitters I've ever seen, going cold for weeks at a time. Now when hes on, hes on, and he can change the outcome of a game as witnessed in the post season run made last season in Boston.

Yet here in lies the problem, only 3 times in his 7 year career has he played more then 140 games in a season, the last being his MVP runner up season in 2011. That was also the only season he has been named an All Star. Is a 1 time All Star who is constantly plagued by injuries and known to run himself through walls, or Adrian Beltre, worth 153 million dollars for 7 years? Sure if he can stay healthy and productive for even 6 of those 7 years its absolutely worth it, but that's a very big IF.

Not only is his over under for games missed this season in the 80 range, but the Yankees are throwing too much money at hit or miss injury prone guys in their 30s, without having a starting rotation. They must not have watched the playoffs because it was evident that pitching wins games and yet they continue to hand money away while ignoring the most pressing issue on their team. 

CC Sabathia. Ivan Nova. David Phelps. Michael Pineda, and Adam Warren. This is the Yankees projected starting rotation next year. They also lost their best set up man in the bullpen as he has moved into the closer role to replace the future hall of famer Mariano Rivera. But instead the Yankees have given 3 players (Ellsbury, Brian Mccann, and Derek Jeter) a combined 250 Million Dollars in contracts, and are reportedly still interested in signing Robinson Cano for around 180 Million. And who knows how much they'll have to pay the suspended A-Roid. That's 5 guys, only 4 of which can actually play, taking up nearly half a billion dollars on their books. 

Hopefully it works out for them because it's not as much fun beating on the Yankees when they are terrible, but on the other hand they never seem to learn that you can't buy championships anymore. Baseball is a long season, just buying the best players doesn't guarantee you anything, especially when the players you keep paying are injured more then they play, to each his own right now we are World Series Champs, and when Ellsbury returns to Fenway he will hear a cacophony of boos unrivaled by Wes Welker and Ray Allen combined