U.S.The company discloses Minus The Bear currently employs the minus 5 examines 98 people in the Olympic Jobs Opportunities Program, in which it had been a sponsor since 1992.After March 2, those athletes will no longer receive full-time benefits. They can remain in their part-time jobs, apply for full-time positions, or discontinue their employment at Home Depot.”We feel the time has come to look at new ways to enhance our brand and provide exciting, new programs that appeal to our customers and associates,” spokeswoman company Jean Niemi said on Thursday.Though the soft U.S. housing market has hurt Home Depot’s sales and earnings, Niemi said the decision to end the Olympics program was not tied to the economy.She said the retailer does not disclose what it spent on the program.(Reporting by Karen Jacobs; editing by John Wallace) U.S.. It’s too funny how timing works. I was crafting an article on the quarterly status report on the Columbus Blue Jackets and my esteemed cohort, Aaron Tom, beat me to the punch?props to you, my friend, great stuff! I would like, however, to offer my view of how things have gone, or not gone, so far. The record:  12-8-3.  When you look at it, on the surface, all seems well in the world.  Ed, why are you so cynical?  Ed, why can’t you enjoy this great start?  Ed, why didn’t you take in enough fiber, this morning?  Gotta work on that last one, but, I digress. After all, that is, by far, the best start in their history.  However, as I?ve done in other similar articles, you have to look beyond the numbers. In analyzing the season, I believe there are some disturbing trends, which have occurred.  Yes, the CBJ have posted a winning record; however, when they lose, they usually do so via blowout losses.  When they?ve won, they?ve generally been of the one goal variety, be it in regulation, overtime, or shootout. Here are some statistics to support my case: Wins: Seven wins have been by one goal. Three wins have been by two goals; however, two of those wins included goals which were empty net goals, when the opposing team had pulled their goaltender in an attempt to tie the score. The remaining two victories were by identical, 4-1 scores. Now, the losses?you might want to cover your eyes: Yes, three of the losses came via the shootout?it?s interesting to note that Steve Mason lost all three shootouts he was involved in, and Mathieu Garon won both shootouts he was involved in, further supporting his 18-4 career shootout record.  Now, here?s the ugly part: The eight losses included giving up over an average of six goals per game, 6.375 to be exact.  The only game in which they didn?t give up at least five goals was against Phoenix, and had they not been so offensively-impaired, at least that evening, they certainly could have lit the lamp for several more goals.  So it?s safe to say that right now the Blue Jackets are not a team that other NHL teams fear will be a tough team to go up against. Additionally, I will add that of their victories, the majority of them were against teams that were in a funk. Minnesota, the opening night opponent, is really struggling. Vancouver was a mess coming out of the gate, when the CBJ defeated them in early October.

Los Angeles was in the throes of their third game in four nights, having previously played the Red Wings and Rangers, on prior evenings. Carolina was in the midst of 10 consecutive games without a victory, Anaheim is not the team of seasons past, and Dallas is currently mired in a slump.  Now, that is not to say there weren?t impressive victories:  defeating Calgary, Washington, and much-improved teams like Atlanta and Phoenix.  Bu, as you can see, when the CBJ lose, they do so by being blown out. So, what does that tell us?  A few things:  ?This team is not adhering to the Ken Hitchcock system of tight checking and staunch defense minus the bear sunrise . This team is also not adhering to such inglorious tasks of getting pucks deep into the opponents zone and playing in a controlled?both offensive and defensive?manner minus bad astronaut .  They all too often have, to coin what Coach Hitchcock warns against, gotten into a ?track meet.” ?The defense is suspect.  Yes, the loss of Jan Hejda was a tough blow for the CBJ, particularly during their western road swings, AKA the tennis matches (wins or losses that involved one team scoring six goals) five pointe o . But Hejda was also healthy for four losses in which 27 goals were scored, an average of almost seven goals per blowout loss.  The defense has also suffered as a result of Mike Commodore still struggling to regain his health and last season?s form?he is currently a shell of his former self.  It has also suffered due to inconsistent play by Fedor Tyutin, Kris Russell, and Rusty Klesla anberlin . Anton Stralman, while a surprise on the defensive side, is not known for being a classic stay-at-home defender.  And let?s face it, the forwards have not been as committed to the defensive side of things as they were last season.  Need proof?  Just look at Rick Nash?s -11 +/- rating, so far, ranking him fourth in that not-so-dubious area. ?The goaltending, particularly Steve Mason, has been far below average.  Mathieu Garon, two games aside, has been pretty steady, whereas Mason, both in Goals Against Average and Save Percentage has been a far cry from the Calder Trophy rookie season. Yes, there have been glimpses of that rookie season:  saturday?s performance against Nashville, in which he literally stood on his head to basically produce the point they received; his performance in the 4-1 victory against Dallas, although I will contend that he was challenged by less than five scoring chances; and his performance against San Jose, in which he stopped 36 of 38 shots.  However, for every step and solid performance Mason?s made, there are also several setbacks, like the 9-1 debacle against Detroit and other disappointing performances, far too many to mention. So, while the optimists will tell you to enjoy the fruits of this rare air of success, I will tell you that there is much work to be done, as this performance, should it continue for much longer, will not cut it in the ever-brutal Western Conference.  Even in the Blue Jackets’ division, a division in which they?ve yet to register a victory, there are no teams that are considered easy wins.  The last time I checked, Detroit is still pretty darn good, Chicago is a rising power, and Nashville has really come on. And even though St. Louis has been a huge disappointment so far, they also struggled early last season and eventually found their groove.

This season, they don?t have the slew of injuries, as was the case last season. In part two of my quarterly assessment, I will go over the individual players performance, to date.  It will be an interesting read, that much I can tell you. minus the bear hooray . After Sunday’s devastating loss to thePhiladelphia Eagles, that sent the Chicago Bears to 4 – 6, I got to thinking, how did this happen? I thought back to 2006, the year the Bears did seemingly everything right minus the band . How did that team turn into this team in just three seasons?In recent weeksthere’s been blame put on Lovie Smith, Jerry Angelo, Ron Turner, Jay Cutler, Matt Forte, the Mccaskeys, and the offensive line Sure, much of this criticism is warranted bands that sound like atreyu . “Lovie has failed to lead the Bears to the playoffs in 3 seasons”, “Angelo is too stubborn to make the right moves”, “Cutler leads the league in interceptions”, “Forte, who was booed mercilessly this pastSunday, cant run like he used to”, and “the Mccaskeys and O-Line….Enough said” the minus 5 .

Does anyone see a pattern here? The management at hallas hall is a bit easier to convince then we thought.In 2006, the Bears got to the superbowl minus the bear band . Many people claim that in was “despite” Rex Grossman, their starting QB minus bad astronaut . However, whether you liked him or not, Rex posted huge numbers and got the bears to the big game five pointe o . But yet, after only 1 full season as a starter, the Fans not only gave up on Rex, but they made it nearly impossible for the Bears to keep him anberlin . Exit Rex Grossman.Then came Cedric Benson, a 4th overall pick. Again, after a couple of seasons that he was plagued by injury, the fans had seen enough, and after a few, questionable at best, run ins with the law, Exit Cedric Benson.Finally, thisoff season, Jerry Angelo had seen enough. He decided to pull the trigger on the biggest trade in Chicago Bears history Enter Jay Cutler.

To this point, Jay has started only 10 games, andalready, the good old Chicagofaithful seem to be jumping ship on him too . Jay Cutler was easily one of the best decisions the Bears have ever made, and it will pan out, if we let it.My point in this article is this, Out of all 32 teams in the NFL, the fans in Chicago seem to be the most critical of their team minus the band . They seem to make decisions now, and think about the consequences later bands that sound like atreyu . Did all those years of booing and demanding change bring this on ourselves?Thisoff season, there are certainly going to be calls for change Many will call for the removal of Lovie/Angelo Others may even hope for a change at QB/RB .