Has anybody considered the ramifications if Carlos Silva continues to pitch the way he has been up until July? We would undoubtedly be rushing out to purchase our official Carlos Silva NL All-Star Jerseys.

With an ERA of 3.12 that ranks 22nd amongst NL pitchers with at least 49 innings pitched, a Win total that ranks 5th, WHIP of 1.10 (11th), and only allowing 11 BBs, we could be looking at Mr. Silva taking the mound in Anaheim in July. All of the key ingredients are there so far: the stats, the humility, the great story line. All that is missing is a coach's pick to the game. Now that the rosters have once again been expanded to prevent another Milwaukee situation (that happened 8 years ago and has caused paranoia and unnecessary constant rule changes ever since) this would be a perfect opportunity for Carlos to grab the national spotlight and show the world that he's still "got it."

If this did happen, how would you celebrate? If you had a time machine, would you go back and make a bet with anyone from the "LOL" blog? Maybe the stakes could be that if Silva is sent to the All-Star game, they would have to avoid using the f-bomb on the site for an entire season? Or maybe you could up the ante and they would have to take out a full page ad in the Seattle Times apologizing to Al Yellon for their unnecessary attacks on him and his legion of readers after the trade?

The possibilities are endless and I could daydream about it for hours. But one thing remains clear; Carlos Silva has the chance to become an All-Star. Here's to hoping that his stats (and his run support) hold up until then.

I know that a lot of folks plan on going to Opening Day down in Atlanta. I envy you from the bottom of my heart! As a transplanted Chicagoan living in Dallas, I can't justify a trip up there for one game in April on a Monday.I was just there for work recently and they've already got a banner hanging on Turner Field with the Cubs logo advertising Opening Day.

For those of you who will not be attending Opening Day, I'd like to know what you'll be doing. I take off Opening Day every year and everyone in my office expects it. It feels like waking up on Christmas Day for me and I just can't see squandering that chance to watch it instead of wasting an entire day at the office following it online. Last year I was fortunate because the Cubs were in Houston so my friend David (another transplant who I met at a bar while wearing a White Castle t-shirt) took a road trip there and drove back that night. This year I'll be planting myself with some other fellow Cub fans at Buffalo Wild Wings in Addison, TX. So I ask, what will you be doing? Have any Opening Day traditions? Are you ready for it to be here already?

I'm a pretty even keeled guy. I can let a lot of things roll off my back. Throw a classic Mom joke at me and you'll probably get me to laugh with you. Call me a cracker and I'll laugh all day at your Carlos Mencia jokes. But the one thing that gets under my nerves are the constant attacks on the Cubs, their fans, and Wrigley Field. Mainly these attacks come from the fans of another certain team in town. Visit any Cubs related article on any media site (ESPN, Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Tribune) and you will find the majority of the responses are comments about Goats, Bartman, 100+ Years, Wrigley smelling like Urine, Cubs playing near Boys Town, etc.

When I speak about getting under my skin, I don't mean in the normal "Gee what a jerk" type of feeling. I mean in the "I'd love to take that person's computer and set fire to it" type of reaction. Now, there are jerks in every fan base. But I think anyone would be hard pressed to prove that it's even remotely close between the trash talking of the two teams' fan base. The perseverance by a few of them on different sites is incredible! On each site you can find at least one person that will log on each morning  just to jump on each Cubs related article and spew their hatred. But it's not just online. Whenever I meet a White Sox fan (oops...I said the team) anywhere in the country, their initial reaction is to start up with me when I reveal that I follow THE underdog of underdogs. We had an IT guy start at our office that was a fan of the Southsiders. My company moved me down to Texas a few years back so this isn't your normal situation of having two Chicago fans in one office. It took him about 3 months to realize that I wasn't going to respond to his attacks and that we could talk baseball with each other without the defamation of each others team.

I ask myself these questions everyday day and it drives me nuts:

• Why do so many people feel the need to bash a team that hasn't won a World Series since 1908 and one that doesn't even play in their division or league?
  
• Why do they spend countless hours logging into websites and throwing the obvious in our faces?
• What do these people seek to accomplish by their constant attacks? Do they expect all Cub fans to just finally give up after going their entire lives following a team that hasn't won a World Series?
  
• Do people really want others to be miserable and that's why they do it?
• Or do people just generally find it easy and amusing to pick on the weak (Futility weak, not in # of fans)?
• Am I the only one that feels that some of their fans spend more time bashing the Cubs than they do following their own team?

I'm pretty emotionally invested in the Cubs...maybe too much. I shouldn't let anything get under my skin...especially about a sports team. But like I said, most things slide off of my back. Most people have something that bugs them or rubs them the wrong way. Attacks on the Cubs is mine. So I was wondering if this ever bothers anyone else. Do you ever ponder the questions above? Have you noticed the same things that I do? Is there anything that you do to keep your sanity besides the obvious of not reading or not caring? I like giving some good-natured ribbing to friends about their teams and getting it right back but I don't see the constant attacks as being the same. What are your thoughts, experiences, etc?

I'm not your usual doom and gloom guy when it comes to the Cubs. Yes, I worry like any other fan that I'll go my entire life and not see this team win a World Series. Aside from that I try my hardest to keep a positive outlook. My blood boils each time I see another written or verbal attack on Soriano by a Cub fan. I tense up whenever a fellow follower of the Northsiders makes a comment on an internet article about us needing to trade Derrek Lee, Carlos Zambrano, or any other player that has more potential to make us better than anything we'd get in return. I get behind our team and look for the silver lining even when things aren't going so well. So it's tough for me to ponder what I'm about to say. I am not pleased with the direction that the Ricketts family is leading the Wrigley Faithful.

Despite my young age of 30, I'm an old school guy when it comes to the Cubs and baseball in general. I liked going to the games with my Dad at Wrigley. As a kid, there wasn't anything to do at those games except watch and learn the game of baseball so that's what I did. It made me into the fan that I am today. Now, most people would call me a little extreme based upon looking at my office full of everything blue and red or the fact that I plan the majority of my vacation destinations each year to coincide with Cubs road games. But I am a fan...plain and simple.

I was relocated to Dallas by my employer about 9 years ago and have had the opportunity to attend many games at The Ballpark in Arlington. Trust me when I say it is nothing like a Wrigley Experience but then again, nothing is. My problem with ballparks like the home of the Rangers are all of the gimmicks and distractions away from the game. I've literally witnessed Ranger fans doing the wave while the other team was scoring because that's more important to them than the actual game, I guess. I don't have children and I guess if I did it would be easier to just send them off to the jungle gym or pitch machine or whatever distraction they've provided for "families" that take away from the actual game rather than having the patience to sit them down and teach them. But I don't want to be that way when I do decide to move back and have children because I want them to grow up to respect and appreciate the game as I did and not see the ballpark as some playground that they could only enjoy when they were little.

With all of the mentioning by the Ricketts that they're going to turn Wrigley into a more "Family Friendly" environment, my fear is that they're going to turn it into a large distraction away from the actual game. Sure, Wrigley is a natural distraction as you get taken away by the nostalgia. We've even been accused of not paying attention to the game. But how many other parks have their fans on their feet in the top of the 3rd inning because there's a runner at third and 2 strikes on the batter?

This theory, coupled with the announcement that I read today on ESPN Chicago about the new sky box club of 80 season ticket seats that are being sold for $24,300 each, has me up wondering; Is Wrigley going to turn into a place where only the wealthy families can afford to bring their spoiled rich children while Daddy entertains potential clients in the seats that his corporate office is paying for each game? Nobody else is going to be able to afford these annual costs aside from large organizations. True, 80 Seats is a drop in the bucket but it seems like it's just the start of the changes to come. Are the Ricketts Family, the same ones that are being touted as "real Cub fans," that much out of touch with the average income fan that they're going to cater to the corporations and wealthy families? Will the atmosphere go from a bunch of crazy fans drinking Old Style to a bunch of garlic fry and wine consumers while talking on their cell phones? Will it mean the death of the future die hard Cub fan?

*Note - I'm a frequent reader but not so much a frequent poster. If I didn't follow proper etiquette, please go easy on me as I'm not very educated on the posting process. I'm interested in hearing people's thoughts on the subject. Does anyone else think about this stuff or am I completely nuts?