Now that Soriano finally has his first home run of the year that wasn't a solo HR, I feel the need to express this opinion of mine.  I've been thinking of this for quite some time and I think it would work great for hitters like Soriano.

Here is my suggested lineup (all players healthy):

Soriano - LF

Fukudome - CF

Ramirez - 3B

Bradley - RF

Lee - 1B

Fontenot - 2B

Soto - C

Pitcher - P

Theriot - SS

I think this would work great for the Cubs because Soriano would get to hit leadoff, but he would also have someone to drive in the second, third, fourth (and more) time around the order.  Tony LaRussa, arguably the best manager in baseball, uses this method and he has coached some amazingly successful teams, even when the talent hasn't been there.  Theriot is a waste down in the 8 hole.  In the 9 spot, he acts more like a 2nd leadoff hitter, rather than just another 8 hitter.  Can someone please explain to me why this is wrong?

Also, I have always thought that Ramirez should bat in the three spot over Lee.  In 2008, Derek Lee only had 90 RBI's batting in the 3 spot of the highest scoring team in the NL, not to mention he led the league in double plays.  I like the way the lefty-righty rotation is working, so I chose to leave Bradley in the 4-spot. 

Does anyone have any objections to this lineup? If so, why?  Please let me know.  Lou just doesn't have the fire he used to have.

He would have been a great pick up for the Cubs.  Getting rid of DeRosa was the worst move Hendry has made in a while.  He was versatile, had decent numbers, and was a phenominal team leader.  Hudson is only being paid 3.4 million a year plus incentives.  He is worth way more than that and he would have filled a partially open spot on the Cubs.  Whats up with this?  Can someone explain this to me?

Now that the season in under wraps, outside of the few games left, who do you think should be the NL, as well as the AL, MVP?  Here are my picks:

NL - CC Sabathia:  Coming from the AL to the NL on July 6th (Indians to Brewers), CC Sabathia turned an average season into an MVP caliber season.  As a Brewer, Sabathia's stats are phenominal.  11-2, 1.64 ERA, 17 starts, 7 CG, 3 SHO, 130.2 IP, 128 K.  In three months of the season, CC ended up 2nd on the team in wins, 1st in CG and SHO, 5th in IP, and 3rd in K's, keep in mind this is only in three months, compared to the 6 months all of the other Brewers pitchers threw (stats not including today's performance vs. the Cubs).  If he isn't the most valuable player, then who is?  The MVP should be someone who's team would be nothing without them.  Where would the Brewers be right now without CC?  Nowhere.  He pitched on 3 days rest the last 3 starts of the season (correct me if I'm wrong) to push the Brewers past adversity and into the playoffs.  Now, the way I see it, the Brewers are the team us Cubs fans need to fear in the NL. 

AL - Justin Morneau:  This guy is just phenominal.  Once again, based off my earlier definition of MVP, where would his team be without him?  Yes, they aren't in the playoffs yet, but there are no standout players on the Twins, and without Morneau's bat, their offense may be among the worst in the league.  The AL race for MVP I view as much tighter than the NL race, but I give Morneau the nod.

Please write your MVP choice's and why. 

I recently made a bet with my brother concerning Geovany Soto's first half stats.  I said that he has slowed down, as far as HR's go, in the 2nd half.  My brother, being the younger brother, tried to prove me wrong.  He said that August was one of Geo's hottest months of his career, if not the hottest month.  I said, I know, but I seem to recall him being on pace for 30-35 HR's, and now that seems like a stretch.  Of course, my brother denied.  Searching the internet, I was unable to find any information listing only his 1st half stats.  If anybody knows his first half stats, could you please post them?  It would settle some arguements.  Thankyou!

Which team does have the best rotation in the Majors?  Now, with the addition of Harden, I think it is the Cubs.  Here's my analysisof the top rotations in the Bigs:

Chicago Cubs: Zambrano, Dempster, Harden, Lilly, Marquis.  The Cubs rotation last year was solid, and now in '08, the '07 two-slot starter (Lilly), has slipped into the 4 spot.  Between the big three (Zambrano, Dempster, and Harden), the highest ERA is Dempster's (3.25), proving to be the MLB's best trio.

Toronto Blue Jays: Halladay, Burnett, Marcum, Litsch, McGowan.  This rotation has been phenominal.  Halladay and Marcum are currently maintaining ERA's below 3.  However, the other three starters are fighting to get their ERA's below 4.  Despite Burnett's 10 Wins, he still has an ERA of 4.84.  Still, the dominance of Halladay and Marcum keep the Blue Jays in the Race for top Rotation in the Bigs.

Boston Red Sox: Jon Lester, Tim Wakefield, Josh Beckett, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Justin Masterson.  All five in the current Sox rotation maintain ERA's below 4.  Outside of Clay Buchholz (2-5 5.88), who has bounced in and out of the rotation, this rotation has been absolutely dominant.

Tampa Bay Rays: James Shields, Andy Sonnanstine, Matt Garza, Scott Kazmir, Edwin Jackson.  4 of 5 starters have ERA's below 4.  Tampa Bay pitching has kept the Rays in just about every game they compete in.  Although they are not all fully developed as players, look for this rotation to dominate for years to come.

Chicago White Sox: John Danks, Mark Buehrle, Javier Vazquez, Gavin Floyd, Jose Contreras.  Buehrle and Floyd both hover around 3.6 as far as ERA goes, while John Danks hovers in the 2.7 range.  Contreras and Vazquez have higher ERA's, 4.6 and 4.61 respectively, but they continue to keep their team in the game (both with 7 Wins).  The White Sox will continue to Win as long as thier pitching holds up.

Atlanta Braves: Hudson, Jurrjens, Campillo, Reyes, Glavine.  The loss of Smoltz has hurt the rotation, and injuries to Glavine have hurt as well.  However, the Braves pitching, led by Jurrjens, Campillo, and Hudson, continues to be a top rotation in the MLB.  All three of those pitchers have ERA's right around 3.

LA Dodgers: Lowe, Billingsley, Kuroda, Penny, Kershaw.  All pitchers, outside of Penny, have been dominant, and Penny is sure to come soon.  Young Clayton Kershaw hasn't quite dominated either, but he is soon to prosper as well.

LA Angels: Santana, Saunders, Lackey, Weaver, Garland.  Wow, this rotation is good.  If there's one team that has a better rotation than the Cubs, its the Angels.  Three of the listed starters are hovering around an ERA of 3 (Lackey, Saunders, Santana), while the other two are right around 4 (Garland, Weaver).

Those listed above are the top rotations in the Bigs, and I am led to conclude that with the addition of Harden, the Cubs are the best of the best.  The Athletics had one of the best rotations, but with the loss of Harden and Blanton, they were severly hurt.  Who do you think has the best rotation?

I recently went to the Baseball Hall of Fame, located in the wonderful town of Cooperstown, NY.  Walking through, I noticed how truly great of a player Pete Rose was.  However, as we all already know, he betted on his own games, as well as lied about it later on.  Should he be a hall of famer?  I think that 4000+ hits is enough to overlook the betting.  Its not like he cheated.  What do you think?

The following is my NL All-Star team (assuming all current front-runners in the voting hold up). 

The Starters

C - Geovany Soto - CHC

1B - Lance Berkman - HOU

2B - Chase Utley - PHI

3B - Chipper Jones - ATL

SS - Miguel Tejada - HOU

OF - Alfonso Soriano - CHC, Kosuke Fukudome - CHC, Ken Griffey Jr - CIN

The Pitchers, in no particular order (I'm not sure how many pitchers there are so I guessed12):

- Tim Lincecum - SF

- Edinson Volquez - CIN

- Tim Hudson - ATL

- Johan Santana - NYM

- Carlos Zambrano - CHC

- Brandon Webb - ARZ

- Ben Sheets - MIL

- Ryan Dempster - CHC

- Cole Hamels - PHI

- Brad Lidge - PHI

- Billy Wagner - NYM

- Kerry Wood - CHC

The other 12 position players:

- 1B - Albert Pujols - STL

- 1B - Adrian Gonzalez - SD

- 2B - Dan Uggla - FLA

- 3B - Aramis Ramirez - CHC

- SS - Hanley Ramirez - FLA

- C - Brian McCann - ATL

- C - Russell Martin - LA

- OF - Ryan Braun - MIL

- OF - Carlos Lee - HOU

- OF - Nate McLouth - PIT

- OF - Matt Holliday - COL

- OF - Aaron Rowand - SF

Honorable Mention:

- 1B - Derek Lee - CHC

- SS - Rafael Furcal - LA

- OF - Xavier Nady - PIT

- OF - Jason Bay - PIT

- OF - Ryan Ludwick - STL

- OF - Pat Burrell - PHI

- OF - Adam Dunn - CIN

- 1B - Prince Fielder - MIL

- 1B - Ryan Howard - PHI

- 3B - David Wright - NYM

I didn't realize how stacked the NL was this year.  This analysis, being realistic, has seven Cubs on the all-star team, excluding Lee.  Let me know what you think, but this is my complete opinion, considering the fact that atleast one player from every team must be on the team.  Any questions, let me know, and I will explain myself. 

With this, I must add a poll.  How many all-stars will the Cubs have?

Well, things have changed since the last time this issue was discussed on BCB, and this is something I always enjoy talking about.  Who has been the Cubs MVP thus far into the season?  Here's is my analysis: What do you think?

Alfonso Soriano - Very productive if you look at his numbers, but too streaky to be much of a help.  Although one of the Cubs "best" players, when you keep every aspect of the game in mind for this discussion, he is left out.

Ryan Theriot - I believe, as he was last year, The Riot to be an essential part of the Cubs late greatness.  When Soriano was struggling, he picked up the slack for the top of the order.  You have to love him for his hustle and respect for the game.

Derek Lee - He stood out much more earlier, but as of late, has hit a minor slide.  I still believe him to be one of the front runners for the Cubs MVP talk.  His numbers are there and he gives it his all.

Aramis Ramirez - His numbers are the best on the team, and he has played consistently all year (so far).  His .412 OBP lead all Cubs (min. of 30 AB's).  His 45 RBI's also lead the team and that is what I love most.

Kosuke Fukudome - In the beginning, he made it seem possible to hit .500 in the majors, but everyone knew it wouldn't last.  Now, he's becoming more and more of what I expected him to be.  As long as his AVG stays above .280 and he continues to field as well as he does, I'm happy.

Geovany Soto - My Cubs MVP pick.  A beast.  A tank.  Really, whatever you want to call him.  I love him.  His numbers are declining, but I'm sure they'll rise back up soon enough.  His numbers are good, but the reason he's my MVP is because of how greatly he has handled the pitching staff (only Michael Barret would be better).

Mark DeRosa - Nobody thought he would be able to hit near .300 again, but he's doing it.  He is one of my Cubs favorites, and I like him because he does the little things, and every so often, he'll do something big,too.

Reed Johnson - Started hot, but now he's not.  He'll always provide hustle and solid defense, so I'm happy.  Not my MVP, but surely another one of Hendry's successful moves this year.

Carlos Zambrano - I read many fantasy magazines, and majority of them advized the public to take Hill over Zambrano.  Yeah right.  Zambrano has pitched to win in almost every single one of his starts this year.

Ryan Dempster - Statistically, he's equal to, if not better than Big Z so far this year.  A huge addition to the rotation.  When he pitches, the Cubs are always in the game.

Carlos Marmol - The rally breaker.  He appears to be being over-pitched, but his numbers don't reflect it.  Let's hope it doesn't get to him in the long run.

Kerry Wood - On an absolute tear.  I was so glad to hear he'd be this year's closer.  I didn't believe Marmol was ready, and I won't have to find out because of Woody.  He blew a couple of SV's in the start, but now that he's settled in, he's unstoppable.

The best part about this is that there are so many people to take into consideration.

That's all I got.  I guess you could say Lou Piniella, but I would disagree.

I realize that this may have been already discussed on BCB a few days ago, but I was unable to check the last couple of days, so I was just wondering what everyone thought.  Who should be the new left-fielder?

Personally, I believe Murton should be given a shot.  Murton can share time with Johnson, but I personally believe Murton is a better bat (currently batting .311 in AAA).  What do you all think?  Post your opinions.

Also, although I don't think it is going to happen, I guess it is possible for Fuld or Pie to play LF.  Andres Torres and Jason Dubois are also possibilities, however, not likely.

As shaky as he was in the beginning, I am very glad to have stuck with Kerry Wood the whole time.  My friends bugged me over and over again about how Marmol should be the closer, and I just stuck with Woody. 

With 18 saves, Kerry Wood is now 3rd in the Majors in that category, while many of his other stats are nearing Marmols.  Both of thier ERA's are in the Mid-2 range, and Wood's 7 BB's looks great next to Marmol's 13.  Yeah, Marmol wins when it comes to K's, but Wood has allowed 3 less longballs than Marmol (4 to 1). 

I can confidently say that Wood's stats will continue to improve with time.  His fantastic spring training was no joke.  Kerry Wood is for real.

Earlier today I was thinking about the six divisions in baseball, trying to determine which one was the best.  It didn't seem so simple at first, but then I decided to look at the numbers.  Check out what I discoverd:

AL East - A total of record of 159-135, a .541 winning %

AL Central - A total record of 134-155, a .464 winning %

AL West - A total record of 119-119, a .500 winning %

NL East - A total of record of 150-142, a .514 winning %

NL Central - A total record of 190-164, a .537 winning %

NL West - A total record of 129-166, a .437 winning %

AL (Total) - A total record of 412-409, a .502 winning %

NL (Total) - A total record of 469-472, a .498 winning %

Obviously, the Al East and the NL Central are the best in the proper leagues, but can you really compare amongst different leagues.  I'm just happy to notice it doesn't seem so lop-sided this year. 

This is a warning for all Cubs fans: stay away from the Gametime MLB Schedule watches.  Yes, it has the schedule programmed into it, but it isn't worth the $100 I spent to get it.  I've had so much trouble just trying to download the schedule, I ended up having to send it back in for them to program the schedule into it.  TRUST ME! It isn't worth the $100.  Plus, it's really quite ugly.  I'd rather just carry around a pocket schedule like I have done in the past.

If you read my Cy Young analysis, this is basically the same thing.  I was just wondering what you all think.  Here are my candidates:

Chase Utley: My Preseason pick for the MVP award leads the league with 21 HR.  His .320 batting average and 51 RBI's aren't far behind.  His power is nicely complimented with 6 SB and 0 CS.  Utley, at his young age of 29, will continue to put up great numbers for years to come.

Lance Berkman: Another Top-Runner.  With 17 HR, 47 RBI, and a stellar BA of .380, he, along with Lee, appear to be keeping the Astros alive.  Also, his 10 SB make him a threat on the bases, too.  Cubs fans watch out!  The Astros may be more dangerous than expected.

Chipper Jones:  His .407 BA after 200+ AB truly amazes me.  Still, power numbers are also there with 12 HR, and 35 RBI.  Jones hopes for his power numbers to increase if he were to have a shot at the MVP award. 

Albert Pujols: A major contributer to the Cardinals successes this year.  Injury talk in Spring Training made many fantasy owners stay away.  Nevertheless, his .366 BA, 14 HR and 39 RBI make him just another front runner for the MVP.  Who would've seen this coming?

Dan Uggla: With his BA up from last year (currently .298), you can't leave him out of this race.  He's got 16 HR and 38 RBI on an underrated Marlins team. 

Those are my front-runners.

Honorable Mention: Nate McLouth, Ryan Ludwick, Xavier Nady, Alfonso Soriano, Ryan Braun, Aaron Rowand, Carlos Lee, David Wright

I did not include pitchers into this analysis.  If anyone thinks a pitcher deserves it, please comment which pitcher you think deserves it most.

I want to see what everyone thinks of the current NL Cy Young Candidates.  Here is my analysis:

Brandon Webb - Currently tied for 1st in the NL for IP (83.2) with a solid ERA of 2.69 (4th in the NL), not to mention his record of 10-2.  His 72 k's make him a top runner for the Cy Young, as well as my pick for the Cy Young, if it were chosen today.

Edinson Volquez - Cubs fans, look forward to watching Volquez, as well as Cueto, dominate the Cubs for years to come.  His league leading ERA of 1.46 truly amazes me, and his 7-2 record on a sub-par Cincinatti team really shows what he's got.  To top off the cake, he has 83 K's in only 68 IP.

Carlos Zambrano - Cubbie Power!  With a solid ERA of 2.33 and a record of 7-1, he too is a top runner in the NL.  His 81 IP is 7th in the NL.  With his decrease in K's, pitch count appears to be decreasing, too.

Tim Lincecum - 2nd in the NL for ERA (2.23) he is another young strikeout pitcher (78 K's in 76.2 IP).  His record of 7-1 on an atrocious SF team shows the talent his really has.

Billy Wagner - His .39 ERA is 1st in the NL for closers, and the only thing holding him back is a struggling Mets team.  Hopefully he can increase his saves (currently 11), and continue to fight to be the first RP since Eric Gagne to win the Cy Young Award.

Honorable Mention - Tim Hudson, Brad Lidge, Ryan Dempster (trust me, look at his numbers), Adam Wainwright, Johan Santana, Ben Sheets, Todd Wellemeyer, and my sleeper: Chad Billingsly (ERA of 3.29 with 71 K's in 65.2 IP)

Right now, the Cubs rotation is doing well with Gallagher.  He's not pitching bad, but he isnt't exactly dominating.  Say the Cubs were to hit a bad stretch on the road, why not use Sean Marshall in the rotation?  He pitched with a 3.92 ERA last year (and if I'm correct that is equal to Big-Z).  Also, it would be nice to go back to a 3-Righty, 2-Lefty Rotation.  Is there a specific reason as to why he's not being that he's not being used in the rotation that I must've missed?  What do you all think?  Let me know.  Thanks

Im not questioning Gallagher, it's just that they havn't really given Marshall a chance all year.

Today (5/30) is the type of game that will get all the "Die-Hard" Cubs Fans being happy with the pickup of Edmonds.  A 1B, 2B, and HR sure isn't going to do it for me.  The Cubs are wasting their time  with a washed up ex-Cardinal, all while they let Felix Pie rot in the minors.  And I really don't even care that he's an ex-Card.  I'd be happy as hell if the Cubs got Pujols.  We know that Pie will rock the minors, as he always does.  Pie hits better than Edmonds, not to mention the defense.  Yes, having another veteran around is nice, but do we really need the offense right now?  Let Pie work through his Rookie mistakes.  Edmonds has been said not to be a team player.  Correct me if I'm wrong, but from what I hear, he's the type of guy who cares more for himself than the team.

Let me know what you all think. Thanks.

*By putting the quotes around Die-Hard, I'm talking of the people who claim to be die-hard Cubs fans, but they are not.