So I know that Corey Patterson was just signed to a minor league deal by the Mariners, which was probably met with very little reaction by most people around baseball, even Mariners fans.  Full disclosure: I'm a Cubs fan.  About a month ago, I made a FanPost over on BleedCubbieBlue (SBN Cubs site) mocking the possibility of the Cubs bringing C-Pat back because, in general, he's not remembered fondly by Cubs fans.  I actually got to see him as a defensive replacement at Wrigley in an August game against the Brewers this year.  And then I read this post over on FanGraphs suggesting that Corey Patterson actually is valuable as a fourth-outfielder/pinch-runner.  I know that Patterson's 30 and that he really hasn't lived up to the hype around him when he was a young Cub, but this seems like a pretty good low-risk, high-reward move and at the very least a useful piece of minor league depth.  

I know that I shouldn't be complaining to Mariners fans (boohoo, big market fan), but right now, I'm pretty jealous of you for having a GM who seems to have the club moving sensibly in the right direction, rather than one who has handcuffed the team with expensive long-term contracts and no-trade clauses.

I became fascinated by your team last year and I'll be rooting for the Mariners next year (except for 6/22-6/24), and I hope the Corey Patterson signing works out.

There's a hot center fielder on the market that I think the Cubs should jump on and his name may sound familiar: Corey Patterson.  His name may sound familiar because he is the older brother of a former Cubs prospect by the name of Eric.  Eric was traded away to fetch the greatest change-up pitcher ever to come from the Great White North, Mr. Rich Harden!  He may be hard to pry away from the Milwaukee Brewers since he's cheap on just a minor league contract, but I think the Cubs should put together a dynamite package to blow away our division rivals.  This guy is that good!

Now I know the elder Patterson's stats from the last year may not look pretty, but he only had 30 plate appearances last year, and I think he'd really shine if given the opportunity!  He's a top prospect that I think people have given up on too early.  He's really toolsy, cuz he has run fast, thrown hard, and had some hits!  Also, I really think the Cubs need to get a little less Canadian, and Patterson's from Georgia which is just about as non-Canadian as you can get!  Not to mention he throws righty and HITS left-handed, and EVERY team can use more guys like that!  He does strike out a bit, but he really makes up for it because we need a center fielder so we can move Mr. Kosuke Fukudome back to right field.

I don't know about you all, but it's potential moves like this that make me glad to be a Cubs fan!

According to an ESPN.com story, Sammy Sosa appears on the list of 103 baseball players who tested positive for steroids in 2003, before punitive testing.  This is the same list on which Alex Rodriguez appeared.  As a young fan who started seriously paying attention to baseball in 1997, Sosa was the first (and as yet, only) true superstar the Cubs have had in my tenure as a fan.  I'm not shocked, but disappointed nonetheless.  Reactions?  Thoughts as to his hall of fame candidacy?

:-(