The Bears star middle linebacker has spent most of the last couple weeks acting as though he's taken a few too many hard hits to his head.

Urlacher has not participated in the Bears' voluntary workouts this offseason and he may or may not take part in the team's mandatory mini-camp at the end of May.

The reason? He wants a contract extension with more guaranteed money.

That's a little curious considering the Bears rewarded Urlacher with a nine-year contract worth $57 million in 2003. If my math is correct, he's in pretty good shape through 2012.

The Bears are talking with Urlacher's agents. Reportedly, they've offered him a one-year extension.

To me, even that seems generous. Urlacher is coming off neck surgery in January. He had one of his worst seasons in 2007, an arthritic condition in his lower back hindering his play.

Naturally, the player claims he is healthy.

Urlacher was quoted this week as saying his neck is "back to normal," and that his back is better now than it was at any point last season.

Of course it's better now, Brian. You haven't played football in four months! How do you know if it's going to hold up once the season starts?

This would be the worst time for the Bears to give Urlacher more money. Urlacher first needs to prove he's healthy. Then, he needs to prove he can still perform at the high level he played at pre-2007.

Furthermore, the Bears are coming off a subpar 7-9 season. No one on that team played up to expectations last year, except for Devin Hester.

No other Bears player, not even Urlacher, is in position to demand more money after that sorry performance.

Brennaman has a point

Kudos to Cincinnati Reds broadcaster Marty Brennaman for calling out the Wrigley Field bleacherites for their obnoxious behavior during Wednesday night's game. Brennaman scored even more points with me when he refused to retract his remarks after they came under heavy criticism Thursday on Chicago talk radio.

Laughably, a letter to the editor in The Chicago Tribune Saturday called for MLB commissioner Bud Selig to suspend Brennaman for 50 games without pay for his "affront on the very fabric of the game itself -- the revenue generating fan."

On the contrary, the purchase of a ticket does not entitle fans to behave boorishly. Major League Baseball has a guest code of conduct that states, "The progress of the game will not be disrupted by guests' actions or unauthorized persons on the playing field."

The throwing of objects on the playing field disrupts the progress of the game. It is specifically against MLB rules that govern fan conduct in all 30 stadiums, including Wrigley Field.

Those who cannot hold their liquor, those who cannot control their behavior, those who cannot follow the rules ruin it for everyone else.

Those who criticize Brennaman should save their venom for those who deserve it, namely, these so-called "fans" who think the purchase of a ticket gives them the right to make a spectacle of themselves.