Hey, I got a prediction right! Unfortunately.

I said the New York Yankees would defeat the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series in six games, and that's exactly what happened. The Yankees won their universe-best 27th Series Wednesday night, riding the six RBIs of Series Most Valuable Player Hideki Matsui and the pitching arms of Andy Pettitte, Joba Chamberlain and Mariano Rivera to a 7-3 clinching victory.

It feels to be right for a change, as anyone that reads this blog regularly knows my predictions are quite often an indicator of what is not going to happen. But I'd rather have been wrong this time. The Yankees are back to outspending and dominating the baseball world. Unless you're one of the billion people who have sold their souls and become Yankees fans, that's no fun.

They were certainly the best team in 2009, though you never know what might have happened had Phillies manager Charlie Manuel brought back his ace, Cliff Lee, on three days rest. Pedro Martinez didn't have the magic Wednesday night, and the Phillies starters in Games 3 & 4, Cole Hamels and Joe Blanton, were no better. Meanwhile, Yankees manager Joe Girardi got consistent results from the three starters he used, CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Pettitte. His bullpen, which still features the remarkable Rivera, was much better as well.

Offensively, I'd never have believed the Yankees could win while getting so little from Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira and Robinson Cano. Matsui, Alex Rodriguez and Johnny Damon were good enough to compensate for the struggles of their teammates. As a result, Rodriguez gets to end a year during which he admitted to past steroid use on top of the world. Forgive me for not feeling all warm and fuzzy inside.

Even in defeat, it's hard not to be impressed with the Phillies, who clawed their way back to the Series a year after winning it all. Chase Utley's five home runs shouldn't be overlooked just because some of his fellow boppers stopped bopping, and Lee had a fantastic coming-out party.

Believe it or not, there actually were games played outside of Green Bay this weekend.

- It came in a losing effort, but Chicago running back Matt Forte should study the effort made by Atlanta's Michael Turner last night. Turner is a different type of runner than Forte, but he showed several times that even when you run into a defender or a wave of defenders, you don't have to collapse in a heap. Turner's 151 yards on 20 carries kept the Falcons in their Monday night game at New Orleans, but Drew Brees and the out-of-this-world Saints passing attack were ultimately too much. They won 35-27.

- We can all stop wondering when it is finally going to happen. Denver finally lost Sunday, as the Broncos were routed 30-7 by Baltimore. It was a must-win for the Ravens, who at 5-3 are still alive in an AFC North where Cincinnati and Pittsburgh both look like 10-win teams. Kyle Orton, who was getting some MVP attention when the Broncos started 6-0, was the first quarterback in some time who couldn't shred the struggling Ravens secondary. Joe Flacco, who has been a bit inconsistent this year, was the better QB in this one.

- In the battle for worst QB in the league, Derek Anderson, JaMarcus Russel and company are getting some serious competition the past couple of weeks. Eli Manning of the New York Giants had another stinker in his team's 40-17 loss to Philadelphia. He's certainly not getting any help from his defense, which has gone from dominant to pathetic as the Giants have transitioned from an easy schedule to a challenging one. But when you're paid like Manning is, and you're one of the faces of not only your franchise but the entire league, you can't get away with struggling like he is quietly.

- Vince Young lives! He was steady, if not spectacular, in leading Tennessee to its first win of the year, 30-13 over Jacksonville. Young was 15-for-18 for 125 yards with a touchdown and no picks. The Titnas don't win without Chris Johnson, however. My guy on two fantasy teams rushed 24 times for 228 yards and a pair of touchdowns. It is a shame that the Titans have been so horrible, because Johnson has quietly solidified his place as one of the NFL's most exciting young backs to hit the scene in a long time.

- Speaking of winless teams getting a 'W,' the St. Louis Rams defeated the Detroit Lions 17-10 in Toilet Bowl 2009. I thought the Lions were coming around, at least a bit, earlier in the year, when they won a game and then made Chicago at least work to beat them. Injuries to rookie QB Matthew Stafford and top WR Calvin Johnson haven't helped, but losing to the Rams is not a sign of progression in Detroit.

Perhaps WFLD-TV sports anchor Corey McPherrin put it best last night when he said, and I'm paraphrasing, that Sunday's win by the Chicago Bears over Cleveland was the least-impressive 30-6 victory he had ever seen.

Maybe the NFL should follow the NHL's lead and adopt a points system to determine its teams' place in the standings. Most victories could count as two points in the system, and victories over teams as bad as the Browns could count as one. It really doesn't seem right to even count the win among the four the Bears have now recorded on the season.

While Cleveland quarterback Derek Anderson might not be able to hit his receivers if I was covering them, it was a nice bounce-back game for the Bears defense and their secondary in particular. Charles Tillman had one of his worst games as a Bear in the previous week's loss at Cincinnati. Again, you deserve only so much credit for doing anything against the Browns, but Tillman returned an interception for a touchdown and also recovered a fumble. Danieal Manning also had an interception and a fumble recovery, Nick Roach forced a pair of fumbles and Adewale Ogunleye also had a fumble recovery.

As for the Bears offense ... well, at least it was the best offense on the field, if only by default. You know Matt Forte is having a poor season if the announcers feel the need to sing his praises on a day that he averages 3.5 yards per carry. It wasn't all Forte's fault, just as it hasn't been all his fault all year, as the offensive line continued to struggle with Josh Beekman in at left guard for Frank Omiyale. Jay Cutler was under fire all day, and the result was another mediocre performance, and a bloody tongue, from the high-priced QB.

At least Cutler won't have to hear how much better off the Bears would be with Kyle Orton for a change. Orton and the Denver Broncos finally lost, meaning the former Bears QB is only two 2009 wins better than the current one. If only Cutler could play Cleveland every week...

Tom Ricketts may have just been giving Chicago Cubs fans lip service today, but the new team owner sounded committed to winning during his family's introductory news conference.

Ricketts said that he believes a world championship — something that has eluded the Cubs for 101 years — could be acheivable as early as next season. He also said there would be a slight bump in the team's payroll, which had already swelled to $135 million in 2009. That's good news for Cubs fans that was accompanied by some bad news — Ricketts also said ticket prices would be increased slightly.

Ticket increases are something Cubs fans have gotten as used to as sorrow in October. As long as Ricketts gets the Cubs to win, and spends whatever is necessary to make that happen, he'll make me and scores of fans everywhere very happy. While he acknowledged today that team ownership is a business, he also seems like a fan, and someone very committed to on-the-field success.

Part of me hoped that Ricketts would follow the T.G. Smith plan for the Cubs — to blow the entire thing up, starting with the dismissals of general manager Jim Hendry and manager Lou Piniella. Instead Ricketts did what I figured he would, saying that both Hendry and Piniella would stay aboard, at least into 2010. He was noncommital on the future of outfielder Milton Bradley, which is what he should be at this point.

The Chicago Bulls took a backseat to Game 2 of the World Series on our newsroom television tonight, and they actually made me regret missing their season opener.

I figured that perennial power San Antonio, which is retooled, healthy and seemingly focused to retake its place among the Western Conference elite, would be too much for the Bulls on opening night. I was wrong. The Bulls showed that improved defense might just make people forget about the scoring they lost when Ben Gordon signed with Detroit. They held the Spurs to 42.3 percent shooting, and San Antonio was just 4-for-21 from beyond the 3-point line, and earned a 92-85 victory at the United Center.

At some point this year, I expect scoring will be a problem for the Bulls. They've got no real go-to guy, though they showed great balance tonight with six players in double digits in points. You know who their offense is going to revolve around. Derrick Rose handed out seven assists and turned the ball over just once while scoring 13 points. It's obviously a fantastic start for a guy who just started practicing again after missing most of the preseason with an injury. But Rose isn't yet a premier finisher, and the Bulls don't have one.

I've started to drink the Joakim Noah kool aid a bit. Hopes are high for the center who's finally got his attitude where it needs to be to reach his potential. He started his season with a double-double, which is an accomplishment he might make a regular thing. And while John Salmons endured a 3-for-15 shooting effort in the opener, I think he too is a nice piece.

But there's just not enough else on the roster to believe that he Bulls can stay with Orlando, Boston and Cleveland at the top of the Eastern Conference race. Luol Deng was 8-for-13 from the floor and finished with a team-high 17 points Thursday night, which is a great sign, but I still don't think he'll come close to justifying his salary. Tyrus Thomas is a guy that probably won't ever put it all together ... though to some extent I'd have said the same about Noah until late last season. Kirk Hinrich and Brad Miller are nice sixth and seventh men, but nothing more. And while I've heard good things about rookie Taj Gibson, he's still got to sell me on his readiness to be a solid NBA contributor at this point.

I certainly don't think that Thursday's win will be the only one the Bulls muster against a qualify opponent. They showed in their playoff series against the Celtics last spring that they're capable of going blow-for-blow with teams that appear to have a significant edge on paper. But on nights when the jump shots aren't falling — and those nights will happen — the Bulls will be susceptible to anyone.

My expectations for the Bulls is that they finish in the neighborhood of 50 wins and battle Atlanta for the No. 4 seed in the conference race, behind the Big Three I mentioned above. They could very well make the second round of the playoffs, but I don't think they're any match for Orlando, which I expect to claim the No. 1 seed. But all won't be lost ... especially if the Bulls take advantage of the great position they're in salary-wise with the free agent class of 2010 right around the corner.