Final Thoughts on Chicago Sports

Cubs Trade a Legend

It's a sad day in Chicago as the Cubs traded Greg Maddux to the Dodgers for Cesar Izturis.  Technically, it's a pretty fair trade.  A 26-year-old Gold Glove shortstop with no stick for a back-of-the-rotation veteran with a 9-11 record and 4.69 ERA on the season.  Izturis is only two seasons removed from a very good year and he might benefit from a change of scenery, as he was stuck in LA behind Rafael Furcal.  On the other hand, Maddux has always been a better second-half pitcher, and his influence in the clubhouse over rookies like Sean Marshall and Carlos Marmol was priceless.  In Hendry's defense, it's pretty likely that Izturis will contribute more in 2007 than Maddux will, and there's a decent chance of him returning to 2004 form.  Personally, I wouldn't have traded Maddux unless I got an offer that was hard to refuse.  Izturis is not such an offer.  As my buddy Dave said, he's a younger Neifi or an older Cedeno.  Nothing special.

The Cubs also traded Todd Walker for a 19-year Dominican that throws fire in A-ball.  He may or may not ever reach the majors, but it was a decent deal.  Walker was a guaranteed goner after the season, and at least the Cubs got something for him.  Besides, his trade clears the way for Neifi to get another 200 at-bats this year.  Joy.

I'll be in the bleachers tonight for my first up-close look at the new digs.  I get to see a decent pitching matchup, too, with Prior versus Webb.  I'll have a beer for Mad Dog, too.  Go Cubs.   

Bears Training Camp, Day One: Jones pulls a hammy

Thomas Jones pulled a hamstring on the first day of Training Camp, and the God of Irony has smiled.  Gee, Thomas, ya think you should have attended the voluntary workout program this offseason?  Nah, that wouldn't have helped a bit.  I was just reading the paper today about how Rusty Jones' workout program cut the Bears injuries last year to less than half the amount of Lovie Smith's first year.  And now Tom Jones gimps out after skipping Rusty's workouts.  Too perfect. 

Jones took the injury as an opportunity to talk to the media about his demotion.  He doesn't think it's right that he had to compete with Benson for the starting job, and that he's being paid far less than young Cedric, despite putting up great numbers last year.  Well, you know what?  Boo hoo for you.  After six years in the league, three teams, and various injuries, you FINALLY live up to your billing as the #7 pick in the 2000 draft; and NOW you want a raise.  Sorry, it doesn't work that way.  You're under contract for this year and next at $4 million a year.  Deal with it.  Besides, there was no guarantee of you losing your job anyways.  Worst case scenario, it would have been an open competition this summer, and you'd have had to earn your starting spot again.  Now after skipping the workouts and pulling up lame on the first day of camp, it's Cedric's job to lose.  Life IS fair.

Shhh...you hear that?  That's the sound of a million Cubs fans rejoicing about football being officially back.  It's been a long six months. 

The Cubs, Sammy, and Baker

A few baseball notes before I get into some football talk. 

• Jim Hendry announced Baker's finishing the season.  Fine, I guess.  I'd rather have an interim than another day of Baker beating the patience out of his hitters, wearing out his starting pitchers, and showing a complete lack of confidence in his players; but so long as the word "extension" doesn't come into play any time soon, I guess I can deal with it.
• Sammy Sosa's been in the news recently.  First off, he said he wants to play next year, but only if the right offer comes in.  My guess is not too many teams are going to be knocking at the door for a 38-year-old clubhouse diva that hasn't been even remotely productive in three years; one that brings a train full of baggage in the form of steroid accusations.  Good luck.
• He's also been in the news for this MLB promotion where fans vote for the best player of all time for each team.  Each team selected five candidates, and Sosa was NOT included among the Cubs.  (Ryno, Santo, Mr. Cub, Billy, and Fergie are the five Cubs.)  Sammy pulled a typical Sam-Me and had a fit.  But as several people have pointed out, it's a crap contest anyways, so don't get your panties in a bunch.  That said, he has a point.  Go ahead and take Sammy's suggestion, "calculate his numbers".  Sammy was THE MAN here for a long time, and he deserves recognition. Time will heal these wounds.  Expect the Cubs to hold a Sammy day at some point when the attendance is suffering. (I'd put money on 2010 or 2011 for his triumphant comeback.) 

And with that, let's get to the stuff that really matters.  Football.

Question: How do you keep young Cubs arms healthy? Answer: By hurting their backs!

The Cubs train ride to the cellar just keeps on chugging along at full steam.  During their weekend sweep at the hands of the Nationals, not one but four players pulled up lame.  (Not to mention yet another ineffective start by terminally-injured Mark Prior.)  Derrek Lee is headed back to the DL to rest his still not-healed hand, Marshall is on the DL with a strained oblique, Eyre's got a bad back, and Marmol bruised his hand in batting practice (more in this in a minute).  Who the hell is training these guys?  With the exception of Lee's broken wrist, one would think that all of these injuries could have been avoided.  Time to fire the trainers. Again. 

Speaking of Marmol's fluke injury, it apparently came while he was trying to hit home runs in batting practice.  Dusty said he wasn't paying attention and that the Cubs coaches should pay more attention to what their players are doing before the games.  Ya think?  This comes after a recent revelation by the drunk third base coach, Chris Speier, who told The Score's Mike Murphy that the players don't have time to work on fundamentals because the Cubs Marketing department has been giving baseball clinics to corporate sponsors before the game, while the players THAT ACTUALLY NEED COACHING stand around and wait their turn to use the field.  Unbelievable. 

Tell me again why I root for this franchise?  

2006 Bears: Quiet before the storm

There is absolutely nothing going on with the Bears right now, but we're only eight days away from the start of training camp and I suspect then we'll be hit with a flurry of stories.  Taking a look at ChicagoBears.com these days yields articles like "Urlacher leads stellar group of Linebackers" and "Disruptive Line Key to Defense's success".  Total snoozefest fluff pieces to fill space.  What they should be talking about are the upcoming battles this preseason.  Of course, if you ask Lovie and the Bears, there are no battles amongst the starters.  There should be, but there aren't.  If I were running the show, and you should probably be thankful that I'm not, I would have an open competition at the following positions:

QB - Grossman vs. Griese vs. Orton.  Yeah, throw Kyle in the mix, too.  I like the depth, but I really want to see one of these guys take the job by the horns and run with it.  My money's on Rex keeping the job in camp, but then getting hurt around week five before Griese takes over and does surprisingly well.  Mr. Neck Beard sits and watches the whole year.

RB - Jones vs. Benson.  Jones may have made his bed with the holdout, but I'd really like to see an honest competion between the two runners.  Alternate quarters in the preseason, and make sure they both run behind the same starting O-line, against equivalent competition.  May the best man win.

TE - Desmond Clark vs. The Field.  Someone's got to light a fire under this guy, but a quick scan of the roster hardly comforts me.  I'm still pissed that they didn't draft anybody.

#2 and #3 WRs - Berrian vs. Gage vs. Bradley vs. Currie.  Based on his performance late last season, I think the starting job is Berrian's to lose (provided he's fully recovered from surgery); and I really don't think Gage has what it takes.  Nevertheless, give them all a chance to show their stuff.

LB - Jamar Williams vs. Hunter Hillenmeyer.  I don't care that Hillenmeyer got a big contract, he should earn his starting position.  I don't care if it's Leon Joe or whoever, give them all a chance to earn the starting job.  Hillenmeyer wasn't so great last year that he can't be beat.  He's steady, at best.

K - Robbie Gould vs. Josh Huston.  I don't know who this Huston kid is, other than he went to Ohio State.  I just know that Robbie Gould is hardly automatic, especially from outside 45 yards.  Let's see if Big-Ten-Boy has a better leg.

That just about covers it.  I'm sure they'll be some competition at Kick Returner as well, but since the Bears spent their top two picks on return-men, I'd expect they'll both get the first crack at the job. 

That's it from me.   See you later!

PS.  Bears cut Qasim Mitchell today.  Yeah, I don't care either, just thought I'd mention it.

Cubs should extend Baker? (Phil Rogers is a moron.)

Phil Rogers thinks now is a great time to give Dusty Baker a two-year extension.  He thinks "stability" is what the Cubs need.  I did a quick check to find all the "stable managers" that have won a world series. 

2005: Ozzie Guillen, 2nd year
2004: Terry Francona, 1st year
2003: Jack McKeon, 1st year
2002: Mike Scioscia, 3rd year
2001: Bob Brenly, 1st year
1996-2000:  Joe Torre, won series in his 1st year
1997: Jim Leyland, 1st year
1995: Bobby Cox, 6th year.  The Bobby Cox example isn't great, because he won the division 3 times in those first 5 years.*  (1994 had no division winner, of course)
92,93: Cito Gaston, year 4 (with 2 prior divisions)
91, 87:  Tom Kelly year 2 won a series
1990: Lou Piniella, year 1
1989: Tony Larussa, year 4
1988: Tommy Lasorda, several, starting in year 6 (1981)
1986: Davey Johnson, year 3
1985: Dick Howser, year 5 (3 prior division titles)
1984: Sparky Anderson, year 7, though Sparky was a 2-time series winner with Cincy, and Detroit got better every year under him so he shouldn't even count. 

In fact, all of the managers listed above with 2+ years before reaching the series all had prior success.  I went back to 1968 and couldn't find a single manager that had 5+ increasingly worse seasons before winning a World Series.  Tell me again why stability is a good idea for this franchise?

And while we're on the subject, I'm also sick of this "Dusty Cares" crap.  "Look!  He got mad and threw his hat in the dugout!  He still cares!"

Big deal.  There's a million Cubs fans out there that care just as much if not more, and I don't want any of them to be manager either. 

He's not paid to care.  He's not even paid to win.  He's paid to put his team in the best possible position to win, and he doesn't do that.  Period.

Cubs Report Card: Better hide this one from Mom

To blatantly rip off Perry, I'm going to hand out grades to the Chicago Cubs based on the first half, along with a word or two for the second half.  Let's start at the top:

GM, Jim Hendry:  D.  Hendry did a few things right this offseason.  First off, he signed Scott Eyre and Bobby Howry to shore up the bullpen and both have performed about as well as can be expected.  The Jacque Jones deal has worked out pretty well, and I'll like the deal even more if they can dump his bloated contract and get some decent prospects for him.  His big trade for Juan Pierre looked OK at the time, but with Pierre's brutal first half along with Nolasco and Pinto's future looking ever brighter, this deal is really starting to look sour.  If they can get something decent for Pierre, I'd dump him.  Otherwise I'd sign him to a one-year deal for next year.  So far, not too bad, right?  Well, here's the biggest downfall:  he bet the farm on Wood and Prior, and it's turned out spectacularly bad on both counts.  He overpaid for washed up veterans Neifi Perez and Glendon Rusch, when that money could have been earmarked for another starting pitcher.  He pissed money down the drain with Wade Miller.  He went into the season with an outfield that consisted of a rookie,two guys on the decline, and no power. 

In the second half, I want to see trades.  Lots of them.  If anyone says, "I'll give you nothing for Glendon Rusch.  Absolutely nothing.", Hendry should take that deal and thank his lucky stars that he got so much for him.  I'll deal with the rest of the potential trades below.

Manager, Dusty Baker, D-.  No, it's not his fault.  No, he's not a good manager.  Master motivator? Half the players are underachieving and the other half are under Dusty's bus.  Dump him, now.

RF:  Jacque Jones, B+.  One of the few bright spots this year, and the "spot" isn't even that bright, considering his piss-poor throwing arm and continued inability to hit lefties.  I swear, his throwing motion is the same as my two-year-old...right into the turf.  Deal him, please, while he's worth something.

CF:  Juan Pierre, C-.  Horrible first two months (F), very good third month (A-).  Trade 'em when he's high?  Keep him for next year?  We'll see.

LF:  Matt Murton, C.  He's got a decent walk rate, hits lefties well, and he plays Left Field rather adequately.  No power to speak of and frankly I expected more.  Still, he's not bad enough to really consider trading him at this point.  Let him play every day in the second half and lets see if he can learn to hit righties and bring it all together. 

1B:  Derrek Lee, Incomplete.  Unfortunately.  Grading the production of the overall position will net a D.  Walker, Nevin, Mabry...all rank among the top 50 first basemen in baseball.  Unfortunately none rank in the top 40, and there are only 30 teams.

2B:  Todd Walker, C+.  I expected more power from Todd.  His average remains high and his defense hasn't been bad, either.  Still, he's prime trade bait.

SS:  Ronnie Cedeno, C-.  Looks brilliant on occasion but his defense is erratic, and his walk rate is truly Neifi-esque.  Let him finish the year for sure, see if he can improve his batting eye.  If he wasn't a rookie, I'd give him a D-.

3B:  Aramis Ramirez, D.  I expected a breakout.  I got crap.  Nevertheless, I'd keep him.  Too many holes to fill on this team to be dumping their 2nd best hitter.

C:  Michael Barrett, B.  Very good hitting, very poor defense.  Nice punch of AJ, though.  Only trade him if you can get a Grade A prospect in return.

SP:  Carlos Zambrano:  A.  The only player living up to expectations, and then some.  He's not going anywhere.

SP:  Greg Maddux:  C.  The bizarro Pierre.  Awesome April, Shit May-June.  If he has two good starts in a row, trade him.  Sorry, Mad Dog.

SP:  Sean Marshall:  C.  Not bad for a rook.  Some days are better than others.

SP:  Glendon Rusch:  F. Buh-bye.

SP:  Carlos Marmol:  C+.  Not bad for a rook.  Some days are better than others.

SP:  Mark Prior/Kerry Wood:  F.  Prior can stick around a while, but Kerry's a goner, sadly.

RP:  Howry, Eyre, B+.  Williamson, Novoa, Ohman, C.  Dempster, D.  I don't know what happened to Dempster.  He was so awesome last year.  While the Eyre/Howry signings were good, I don't like the length of either deal.  I'm roughly 95% positive that year three of those deals will be awful, while year two will be nothing special either.  Trade them while they're worth something.  Williamson, too.

Bench:  Blanco, Mabry, Nevin, Neifi...C- for all of them.  I can't blame the players for playing down to their talent level, I can only blame Hendry for signing them and Baker for mis-using them.  Trade them?  Nevin might be worth a low level prospect, the rest aren't worth the bits this web site is wasting.

And there you have it.  Looks like the overall grade averages out to a C-.  I'm not comfortable with that nearly mediocre grade, though, so lets give them a D+.  (They get the plus because they're better than the Pirates.)  Time to start dumping guys and evaluate the in-house talent for the future.  If I were running things, guys like Rusch, Neifi, and Mabry would be released.  Guys like Maddux, Walker, Jones, Nevin, Howry, Williamson, Eyre, and possibly even Barrett and Pierre would be traded.  Someone like Dusty would be fired.  Then I'd bring up guys like Guzman, Hill, Williams, Fontenot, Theriot, Restovich, Soto, and Montanez to see if any of them fit in the plans for 2007.  There's absolutely zero point playing out the string with mediocre veterans with no long-term future.  The future is now.  Let's see what we've got in the cupboard.

That Dusty Post

The Cubs enter the All-Star break on a three-game winning streak, having won three of four at Milwaukee.  Unfortunately, they're still 20 games under .500 and were hopelessly out of contention six weeks ago.  And now it seems the question isn't whether Dusty will be retained it's when Dusty going to be fired. 

I don't think anyone blames this season's outcome on Baker alone.  In fact, he'd barely crack the top five if I were to rank the reasons for why the Cubs are in fifth place.  No, this failure primarily belongs to Jim Hendry.  However, just because Hendry 's to blame doesn't mean Dusty's doing a good job.  Far from it.

Whether it's poor lineup construction, failure to teach fundamentals, daft double switches, reluctance to play rookies, throwing his own players under the bus, preaching a "no patience" batting philosophy, or simply deflecting all blame from himself; Dusty Baker has not done anything to prevent the Cubs from hanging themselves.  And for that reason I endorse his dismissal.  This team is bad, but it's not "20-games-under" bad.  You can blame the injuries all you want, but there's simply no excuse for the Cubs to be this bad. 

Personally, I would dump him at the All-Star break.  A lot of people would prefer see Dusty finish the season rather than bring in a Jim Essian type to act as interim manager.  I disagree.  While the next Bruce Kimm won't likely make any sort of difference on the outcome of this season, they will "stop the bleeding."  An interim manager wouldn't think batting Neifi Perez second every day is saving the integrity of the game by fielding his best lineup.  An interim manager can be forced to keep his young pitchers on a strict pitch count.  Firing Baker now would accomplish two other things as well.  One, it would send a message to the fan base that this performance will not be tolerated.  And two, it would allow the Cubs to start interviewing a permanent replacement ASAP. 

I'm not really sure who I would want to take over the Cubs at this point.  No veteran manager particularly stands out, to tell you the truth.  Lou Piniella, Jack McKeon, Bobby Valentine, Davey Johnson...all have distinguishable pros and cons.  Perhaps Tom Kelly would be interested in taking over?  I think the best way to go, though, might be finding new blood.  It's hard for a fan to determine what sort of new blood would make a good manager, but some interesting names have been kicked around and all would be a worthy interview.  Rather than name names, I'd simply want to make sure Hendry hires a manager that follows these simple guidelines.   The person must first-and-foremost be an effective communicator, and be able to teach and to lead.  This person must not be allergic to new ideas (aka. rookies) and willing to consider to an analytical approach to the game.  That's it, really. 

With a new manager, a few more talented players, and a little luck, the Cubs might just get out of the cellar next year.  Till next time...

Bulls Trade Chandler

It's official, the Bulls have traded Tyson Chandler to the Hornets for veteran P.J. Brown and third-year Guard J.R. Smith.  This puts the Ben Wallace signing squarely into the "great move" category, as they simply didn't need Chandler and his bloated contract any more.  Brown is nothing special, but he's a solid big man with a contract that expires after this season.  The Bulls will probably get Antonio Davis type of production out of him, which all-in-all isn't that bad.  Smith is a 20-year-old pup that jumped to the pros out of high school and has yet to make his mark.  He could be the next Tracy McGrady, or he could be the next, well, Tyson Chandler as a high school player that never reached that next level.  Nevertheless, he's an intriguing talent that some are saying might be a good trading chip later. 

I'm happy that the Bulls got rid of Chandler's contract, but I'm not happy that his tenure in Chicago will largely be considered a failure.  He certainly never lived up to the hype of being the 2nd overall draft pick, and the fact that the pick was acquired in a trade for All-Star Elton Brand made it all the worse.  His chronic bad back that forced him on to the disabled list numerous times wasn't exactly peachy either.  But he was a hard worker that was very solid on D, and he showed flashes of dominance, especially in the 2004-2005 season when it looked like he was starting to put it all together.  It was after that season that Paxson gave Chandler the huge $60 million dollar contract.  It was a monster deal and I can't really blame Paxson for it's failure.  He was about to lose two centers to free agency with few options available, and Chandler looked at least like a solid bet to become, ironically, the next Ben Wallace.  Chandler simply regressed in the following season and suddenly that $60 million was looking like an albatross.  Especially if you factor in that he averaged 1.8 points in the playoffs this past year.  That really looked bad. 

Yes, Chandler might turn it around and grow into an elite defender.  And if he can put 10 points on the board per game he'd be an All-Star.  But it's hardly a safe bet, and I'm glad the Bulls aren't making it.  Ben Wallace is a sure thing. 

John Hollinger had a great article on ESPN that talked about the Bulls wonderful offseason so far.  Here he talks about John Paxson's moves since he took over GM:

Besides, it's tough not to like Paxson's trades when he chooses his partners so well. His trading strategy of the past few years can neatly be summarized as "find the biggest sucker at the table and take all his chips before everyone else does."

Just look at what happened when Isiah Thomas took over in New York. Right away, there was Pax-man on the phone, happily dishing out a Jamal Crawford appetizer before serving up the Curry main course.

In the 2006 draft, Paxson expanded his trading universe only slightly, keeping his dealings limited to the lost-at-sea, GM-less Blazers and the Sixers' embattled Billy King and ending up with high-flying forward Tyrus Thomas and Swiss swingman Thabo Sefolosha.

Furthermore, Hollinger suggests that J.R. Smith may be an excellent trading chip should Kevin Garnett become available.  You read that right, Hollinger thinks the Bulls are going to make a run at hometown boy Kevin Garnett, and that they're in a prime position to get him.  He's not the only one making the Garnett connection, however.  Scoop Jackson, a writer with a style I despise, goes as far to suggest that Paxson all-but-guaranteed to Wallace that Garnett was coming.  (And he thinks the Wallace move is a failure if they don't get him -- I told you he was a jackass.)  It's a failure if the Bulls don't make the Eastern Conference Finals this year.  How about that?  Garnett in Chicago would instantly make the Bulls THE premiere team in the league.  A status not reached since, well, you know. 

All I know is, it's great to be a Bulls fan again.  I missed it. 

Bears Offseason: Did Angelo give Briggs' money to Hillenmeyer?

The Bears have been busy little beavers lately with some recent signings.  They propped up Special Teams with the signing of flyer Alex Bannister (Pro Bowl, 2003) and Adrian Peterson's extension.  They also signed five of their top seven draft picks, far more than the NFL average at this point.  The most interesting signing, though, was the signing of Hunter Hillenmeyer to a rather large extension.  Five years, up to $13 million total with a $5 million bonus.  It's by no means Urlacher money, but it's a lotta scratch for a guy who could best be described as "adequate". 

The question now is, does this signing signify the end of Lance Briggs long-term future in Chicago?  Briggs is still under contract for 2006, of course, but he's free as a bird after this season.  The Bears tried to get an extension for him but the sides were reportedly too far apart to get anything done.  Then Briggs skipped out on mini-camp and the Bears pulled the offer from the table.  So yeah, I think Briggs is a goner after this season.  It's still possible to re-sign him after the season, but the "Hunter" insurance is there to ensure the Bears won't have to enter a bidding war.  What a shame, Briggs is a Player and I'd really hate to see him go. 

Training camp is less than four weeks away, and I'm ready.  The North Siders have left me with little to cheer for lately, so it's time for a pickmeup.  Football is just enough of a bone-crushing pickmeup to make me forget about the sorrows at Wrigley.  Bring it on!  Go Bears!

Bulls to sign another Ben?

ESPN is reporting that the Bulls are in negotiations with Detroit free agent Center Ben Wallace.  Ben Wallace won Defensive Player of the Year several times, and can rebound and block shots as well as anyone in the league.  His scoring is nill, of course, but he's so good on defense that it doesn't really matter.  He's a rich man's Tyson Chandler.  Scott Skiles and John Paxson flew to Detroit to meet with Big Ben in person.  (Wonder if Skiles tried staring HIM down?)  Wallace was reportedly insulted by Detroit's latest offer, while the Bulls offer is about $10-million better at this point.

The money they are talking about is huge for a 32-year old big man, but not Tyson Chandler huge.  If you think of it that way, the deal is a no brainer.  Chandler has been in the league for five years now and I think it's obvious that he's not going to turn into the Tim Duncan that Jerry Krause envisioned.  He's certainly serviceable and a sparkplug on defense, but he's prone to foul trouble and will thus disappear in big games.  Signing Wallace would practically force John Paxson to trade Chandler, and I think they should be able to get something decent for the 23-year old.  Sign (Wallace) and trade (Chandler), baby. 

In other free agent news, the Bulls are interested in Joey Przybilla.  He's a typical big white stiff, no better than your average Luc Longley.  He's probably just a fallback in case they don't land Wallace, and his signing wouldn't warrant a trade of Chandler.  Personally, I'd rather not sign him.  Not because I think he's a bad player, but because I can't spell his name without hitting NBA.com.   

Update (9:00 PM) - ESPN is reporting it's a done deal, Wallace is in the fold.  Sweet!  John Paxson has done something that Jerry Krause could never do; sign a marquee free agent.  The closest Krause ever came was probably Ron Harper or Brent Barry, but neither were even All-Stars let alone MVP candidates.  Great job, Johnny!  Now hit the phones and see what you can get for Tyson.

Cubs-Sox: 2nd Verse, Same as First

As is the case when the two Chicago baseball franchises met back in May, the White Sox outclassed the Cubs in the first two games of the series before the Cubs salvaged some credibility by taking the third game.  But really, the teams aren't nearly that evenly matched.  The Sox can and did pretty much kick the Cubs ass from every direction, and the fact that the Cubs won 2 of 6 games is more a case of "blind squirrel finding nut" than anything else.  Man, the Cubs piss me off. 

I was at a friend's barbeque on Saturday afternoon, just after Dempster's diaper blew out, when some Sox fans showed up.  In the past, these Sox fans and I have engaged in some good-spirited ribbing but of course this time was different.  Not a word was spoken about the season or that day's game.  Wondering what the deal was, I broke the ice and asked them if they saw the day's game.  In hushed tones, they said "yeah, we didn't want to bring that up."  They pitied me.  Pitied me!  Ran into some other Sox fans later on, and they were politely quizzing me on what it's like to root for a team so terrible and what I'd do to fix it.  Just brutal.  You see what you've done to me, Jim Hendry?  You deserve every piece of garbage that was strewn about Wrigley's outfield Saturday afternoon.  In fact, gather it all up, put a uniform on it, and see if it can pitch better than Glendon Rusch. 

On a lighter note, Carlos Zambrano made the All-Star team.  Barrett was the only other Cub within sniffing distance of such honors, but I'm not going to complain one iota about him losing out to Paul Lo Duca of the Mets.  This team doesn't deserve more than one All-Star.  They truly deserve to be lumped in with the Kansas Citys of the world, the "every team is forced to have one representative" franchises.  (Taking nothing away from Carlos, of course.  He truly is a Star amongst the trash.) 

Finally, Al over at BleedCubbieBlue heard a rumor that the Cubs are looking to acquire Alex Rodriguez.  The deal would involve Aramis Ramirez, Jacque Jones, and some minor leaguers.  It's not so crazy if you think about it.  The Yankees need a stopgap outfielder while Sheff and Matsui are out, Aramis could thrive as the "fourth banana" in New York, and A-Rod simply hasn't won over the Yankees fan base.  Right or wrong, he'll forever be Mr.Choke to Derek Jeter's Mr. Clutch.  (A completely unfair label)  I highly doubt it will happen, but if it did, it would actually give me some hope for next year.  Here's to hope!  (It sure beats pity.)