Cubs News, Notes:  Derrek Lee, playing his first game in a week, hit a pinch-hit grand slam to highlight a six-run eighth inning May 19 and power the Cubs to an 11-6 victory over the Chicago White Sox, en route to a 2-0 lead in the crosstown Interleague series. The White Sox had taken a 6-5 lead in the eighth on Paul Konerko's leadoff homer off Bob Howry (1-3), his 13th in this series, the most by any player from either team. But the Cubs answered in their half, much to the delight of their fans in the sellout crowd of 41,101 at Wrigley Field. Ryan Theriot tripled to lead off the eighth against David Aardsma, and one out later, he scored on Alfonso Soriano's single to center. It was Soriano's first RBI since moving into the No. 3 spot on May 14. Aramis Ramirez then tripled to right, and Soriano scored standing up. Daryle Ward was intentionally walked, and Michael Barrett was safe on an infield single that deflected off Aardsma (2-1) to load the bases. Lee, who has not played all week because of neck spasms, pinch-hit against Boone Logan and launched a grand slam on a 3-1 pitch, lofting the ball into the right-field bleachers. It was his eighth career grand slam and his third homer this year. Cubs starter Jason Marquis did not get a decision, serving up a season-high five runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out four over six innings. Marquis also helped himself by hitting a two-run homer in the fifth, the third of his career and his first this year, which opened a 5-3 lead. But Joe Crede tied the game in the White Sox sixth with a two-run homer, his fourth. It was the fourth home run off Marquis this season in 58 2/3 innings. Barrett  tied the game at 3 leading off the fifth with his second homer in as many games. ... Kerry Wood plans to throw a baseball for the first time in nearly two months May 21, the latest step in yet another comeback attempt by the Cubs injury-plagued righty. Wood said he still wants to pitch this season. He hasn't thrown since a spring training game March 25 when he made 18 pitches in relief and felt weakness in his right shoulder. Wood, who has been working out for nearly three weeks to strengthen the shoulder, had been bothered by tendinitis. He said he had an injection a couple of weeks ago to relieve inflammation. "I think we put the fire out, so we got back to work and have been taxing it pretty good the last couple of weeks and it responded. I haven't had any stiffness or soreness or anything I've had in the past as far as to this point," Wood said. "Again, it means nothing until I throw a ball." The plan is to play catch on flat ground and go from there. Wood, the 1998 NL Rookie of the Year, has been to the disabled list 11 times in his major league career and made only four appearances last season. He'll turn 30 next month and is still hoping he can make it back this season. "Absolutely. I wouldn't be here, I wouldn't be out there still working if I didn't feel like I had a chance to contribute at some point," Wood said. "It's kind of my job to get out there and help. I know I haven't done it. But I'll do what I can." ... Angel Pagan's two-run triple and a passed ball on White Sox backup catcher Toby Hall--in his first game of the season--keyed the Cubs' 6-3 comeback win in the series opener May 18. White Sox starter Mark Buehrle was sailing along in the seventh inning with a 3-1 lead. He retired the first two batters, but after walking pinch-hitter Henry Blanco, who was batting .214, and giving up a single to Ryan Theriot, he was replaced by Mike MacDougal (1-1). With the two runners on, Pagan hit MacDougal's first pitch into the right-field corner for a triple to tie the game. Hall, who was activated from the disabled list May 17, then missed MacDougal's low outside pitch for a passed ball as Pagan raced home with the go-ahead run. Hall, who'd dislocated his shoulder playing first base in spring training, had two hits starting in place of A.J. Pierzynski. Hall also had two errors and the costly passed ball. ... Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee missed Chicago's game May 14 against the New York Mets because of neck spasms. Lee, who leads the major leagues with a .390 batting average, went back to Chicago for tests on his neck. Lee had started all 35 games for the Cubs this season. Manager Lou Piniella said Lee was sent for tests because the team wanted to be extra safe when dealing with a neck problem. Lee, the 2005 NL batting champion and a two-time Gold Glove winner, was limited to 50 games last year because of a wrist injury.

 

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     Bear Down, Chicago Bears:  Bears defensive tackle Tank Johnson said May 18 he's ready to accept whatever punishment NFL commissioner Roger Goodell gives him for his recent off-field problems that included a two-month stint in jail. "I feel like whatever sanction he imposes, I'm man enough to take it and I know that once I get back on the field, that chapter of my life is closed and I can move on with a sense of closure," Johnson said after the first day of Bears minicamp. It was Johnson's first public statements since being released from Cook County jail May 13. Johnson met with Goodell in New York May 16 and awaits a decision on a possible suspension for violating terms of his probation and a gun charge. In April, Goodell suspended Tennessee Titans defensive back Adam "Pacman" Jones for the 2007 season, and Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry for eight games before introducing a strengthened personal conduct policy. "Mr. Goodell has the league's interest to look out for," Johnson said. "Whatever sanction he imposes, I know that it's in the best interest of this league. I can't say what would be fair, what would be unfair. But I do know that meeting Mr. Goodell, he's a fair man. He gave me the opportunity to speak with him. He gave me the opportunity to convey some of the things that I want to get better at. I feel like whatever he imposes, meeting him and knowing he's a fair man, is in the best interest of the league."
During their 90-minute meeting in New York, Johnson said he told Goodell his goal is to go from jail to NFL Man of the Year. "One day I want to be the face of the league for guys who have come through adversity, came through it and ultimately became the Man of the Year in the NFL," Johnson said. "That would be a tremendous ending to the story." Johnson spent 60 days of a 120-day sentence in jail for violating his probation. He was released for good behavior. In December, police raided Johnson's Gurnee home and found six unregistered firearms--a violation of his probation on an earlier gun charge. That charge stemmed from Johnson's 2005 arrest after a Chicago nightclub valet reported seeing Johnson with a handgun in his SUV. He subsequently pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge. Two days after the raid in Gurnee, Willie B. Posey, the Johnson bodyguard who had been arrested after the raid, was shot and killed in an early morning fight while he and Johnson were at a Chicago nightclub. Johnson was suspended by the Bears for one game for being at the club. In March, Johnson began his jail term for violating his probation. Last month, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor weapons charge stemming from the December raid as part of a deal with prosecutors that kept him from serving more time in jail. He was ordered to serve 45 days, which he was able to serve concurrently with the sentence for violating his probation. ... Disgruntled Pro Bowl linebacker Lance Briggs was a no-show as expected May 18 when the Bears opened a three-day minicamp. In March, the Bears tagged Briggs as their franchise player, prompting him to threaten a holdout, at first for the entire season and then for 10 games so he could report for the final six to qualify as serving one year as a franchise player. "History tells me that guys will occasionally miss minicamp," coach Lovie Smith said. "History will tell you that they're sometimes late for training camp, some maybe miss training camp. History tells me that players don't miss an entire football season. Lance is a part of us. We would like to have him here. Hopefully in time we'll get him back." ... The Bears have added one of the NFL's most electrifying playmakers to their offense without signing a free agent or making a trade. Coach Lovie Smith revealed May 14 that All-Pro return specialist Devin Hester will switch from defense to offense. "I think Devin Hester is one of the most exciting players in the NFL with his hands on the football," Smith told ChicagoBears.com. "I think he would be an excellent defensive back also. We just feel that this is in the best interest of us and him for him to achieve his full potential as a football player." Hester worked with the wide receivers at minicamp, but he's also expected to line up in the backfield at times and could be utilized like the New Orleans Saints' Reggie Bush. "Right now we're not going to put any limits on it," Smith said. "We have a new piece to the puzzle. We're anxious to see what we can do with him and the role that he'll develop into. There are a lot of different ways we can go. You can make a case for him being a slot receiver. You can make a case for him being a single receiver when we go to our two-tight end, two-running back packages. You can make a case for him from the running back position. He's an offensive weapon right now. That's the only limit we put on him." Hester starred at the University of Miami as a wide receiver, running back, cornerback and return specialist. He told the Bears he wanted to play cornerback in the NFL like his idol, Deion Sanders, and conceded he had to be convinced to make the switch. "We had several meetings until I just really said that there's no 'I' in 'team' and however I can help the team I'm willing to do it," Hester said. "It's going to be a great experience. I'm just going to go over there and try to give a little spark to the offense. There will be more opportunities to make big plays and I think it's a great idea." Hester lined up on offense for one play in 2006, but he was unable to snare a low pass from Rex Grossman. "He's made it clear defense is something he's always loved," Smith said. "He's also made it clear he likes scoring touchdowns and this gives him the best opportunity. We can get his hands on the ball a few more times this way." As you might imagine, no one is more ecstatic about the move than offensive coordinator Ron Turner. "I've been recruiting him for about 13 months and I finally got him," Turner said. "He's an elite player when he gets the ball in his hands and I'm excited about the opportunity to help him get the ball in his hands, not just returning punts and kickoffs, which is a few times a game. Hopefully we can get it in his hands 5-6-7 times different ways-use him out of the backfield, as a receiver, in the slot. Definitely our creative juices will be flowing. We're already talking about it and giving it some thought. Starting out we're going to teach him the basics. We want him to learn the basics of running some of the routes and doing some of the things we're doing in our offense. Then as he gets comfortable, we can find ways to get him the ball. As the season goes, we're going to have to be more creative." Selected by the Bears in the second round of the 2006 draft, Hester was named All-Pro and voted to the Pro Bowl after setting an NFL record with six combined kick return touchdowns during the regular season. He then became the first player in league history to return the opening kickoff in the Super Bowl for a TD, dashing 92 yards to give the Bears a 7-0 lead over the Indianapolis Colts. Hester became just the sixth player in NFL history to return two kickoffs for touchdowns in a Monday night win at St. Louis. He also set team marks for punt return yards and TDs in a season and punt return and kickoff return yards in a game. Switching Hester to offense after selecting tight end Greg Olsen and running back Garrett Wolfe on the first day of the draft gives the unit three new exciting playmakers. "We've definitely added a little bit of firepower to our offense in the offseason," Smith said. "There are only a few guys in the league who can make people miss and do the things (Hester) can do with the football."

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     The Packer Report:  Green Bay QB Brett Favre slammed both hands on the podium, wanting to be clear: He never suggested he couldn't win with this current group of Packers. He was trying to defuse a week's worth of comments. And while he was frustrated the Packers did not trade for Randy Moss, Favre said during minicamp May 18 this was no knock on his teammates. "Not once did I say anything about the guys I play with," Favre said at a news conference. "And I know that has been brought up, and I want proof that I said something about the guys I play with. Never did I say that." Favre's appearance came after a tumultuous week in which he publicly complained about the Packers' front office, deflected reports his agent had asked the team for a trade and considered skipping the weekend's mandatory minicamp to help plan parties for his daughter's high school graduation this week. The 37-year-old star still is recovering from offseason ankle surgery, and the team's medical staff was likely to limit his participation in the three-day camp. Favre said he came to Green Bay to show his commitment to the Packers and clear the air about reports that he asked for a trade. "I don't think anyone can question my leadership and determination to win, and that hasn't changed," Favre said. "I know at times people want to do that. And had I not shown up, it becomes even a bigger issue." After Favre criticized the front office during interviews at his charity golf tournament in Mississippi May 12, FOX Sports' Web site reported May 13 his agent had asked for a trade when the team failed to complete a trade for Moss. The wide receiver was dealt from Oakland to New England during the NFL draft last month. Favre and his agent spent last week issuing carefully worded denials that seemed to leave wiggle room. But Favre issued a stronger denial May 18, saying a trade was never mentioned or requested. "I just don't know where it came from," he said. "That's not true." Favre acknowledged he has disagreed with decisions by the front office, but he said he has spoken with general manager Ted Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy and wants to put all this behind.

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