SI's senior baseball writer, Tom Verducci, was asked by Dan Patrick to comment about the Cubs at the trading deadline, and why they were dormant this weekend..  According to Verducci, the Cubs "were not interested in trading any of the players under their control for next year".  He then went on to say he understands the Cubs' thinking, but that they're a Triple A team currently.

If Verducci understands what the Cubs are trying to do, he must be in select company.  At least the Astros were astute enough to collect some talent as they unloaded their marquee players.  The Cubs appear to be a ship without a rudder.

For the season ticket holders who paid cash for their 2011 seats, the long-awaited "Three Cs" autographed baseball has arrived.  Not sure why we had to wait until late May for the signatures of Colvin, Cashner and Castro, but my ball was delivered today.

I realize Castro has some problems with English, but his handwriting reflects a deficiency in this arena too.  In fact, the scrawl doesn't really resemble a signature, almost leading me to question its authenticity.  MLB hologram sticker gives me comfort it's legit.

With the Hawks' victory over the Douche Bags last night, they completed a sweep of the five O6 teams.  This begs some questions, and after checking the web and failing to uncover the answers, thought I'd raise them for feedback from the Second City crew.

When was the last time the Hawks played each of the other five O6 teams in the same season?

When was the last time the Hawks defeated each of the other five O6 teams in the same season?

When was the last time each of these feats took place at home?

Famous last words, at least according to this excerpt:

"The Cubs are "close to naming a permanent sponsor for the new 60-foot-high sign that will go up on a billboard attached to the left centerfield bleachers" according to a report from Bruce Levine. Budweiser and Bud Light are two of the possibilities."

Full article located here:  http://espn.go.com/chicago/columns/blog/_/post/4715268/name/levine

My letter was already sent, but either it doesn't appear as though it will have any impact.

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Flying well under the radar, Schilling has rented a home in Ft. Myers for the next two months.  He had shoulder surgery last June and is working his way back into form.  By his own assessment, he will not be ready to pitch at the MLB level until mid-season.

While it's anyone's guess what Schilling still has in the tank, his heart and desire are unquestionable.  He'll be 42 years old heading into the 2009 season, and if he feels good enough about his stuff to return to the Bigs, Schilling will be available for the stretch drive.

Although he has thrown down roots in Boston and it's likely the Red Sox will be in the playoff hunt as well, is this the type of move Hendry makes to push the Cubs over the top?  Injuries and the effectiveness of the 5th starter would play a role in such a decision, but Schilling might be the kind of guy who could will the Cubs to the Series.

Thoughts?

According to this article in the NY Daily News.

The Brewers get considerably younger with this move, but do they improve?  Much depends upon how well Cabrera rebounds after a horrible 2008 season.

Defense certainly takes a hit in their outfield, and if Braun remains in left, this will be a pretty pourous group in the field.

This does free up cash for the Brewers and should give them the opportunity to pursue a quality closer or starter.

A previous post covered the ex-Cubs, but here is how the full slate of candidates shapes up for this year's voting:

• Harold Baines
• Jay Bell
• Bert Blyleven
• David Cone
• Andre Dawson
• Ron Gant
• Mark Grace
• Rickey Henderson
• Tommy John
• Don Mattingly
• Mark McGwire
• Jack Morris
• Dale Murphy
• Jesse Orosco
• Dave Parker
• Dan Plesac
• Tim Raines
• Jim Rice
• Lee Smith
• Alan Trammell
• Greg Vaughn
• Mo Vaughn
• Matt Williams

Henderson is a lock, and because there are few other notables on the list, this might be the perfect situation for Andre Dawson and Jim Rice.  That said, the writers could make this a lean year and only elect one player.

Good thing we had to put Fontenot into the line up.  Will he produce the run he just gave away?  The odds say no.

For those of you blogging/watching/etc., good luck.  Sorry, but I refuse to invest any more time in this grapefruit-swallowing squad of clowns.

It's reached a level of stupidity that even the most insane of individuals can no longer endorse this product.

Further, after seeing the first two games in person, it's actually worse to watch this crap on the tube with the senile Dick Stockton masquerading at a baseball commentator.

Good night, folks.

Gene Wojciechowski, formerly of the Tribune and now with ESPN, penned an interesting article on their site.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=wojciechowski_gene&id=3616954&sportCat=mlb

He really says nothing we don't already know, but when it's laid out in print like this it does give cause for concern.

In the end, this is all in Zambrano's hands.  Either he performs like a man or acts like a child.

Anticipate some grumbling from north of the border with regard to Piniella's handling of the game at Shea.  It's one thing to make virtually no offensive changes, but to put the ball in the hands of Howry and Hart at the end has to have the Brewers and their fans seeing red.

With the plane heading to Milwaukee, Lou better check his bed for snakes.

I'm not saying his handling of the situation was wrong, but I suspect he will be getting some grief from the Milwaukee faithful for not doing much to close out a victory against the Mets.

I received an e-mail yesterday inviting me to the next season ticket holder's "Feedback Forum" at Wrigley.

Timing is Wednesday, September 10th at noon.

Of course I'll be in St. Louis catching the second game of the series between the Cubs and Cards.

The Cubs have a knack for scheduling things like this, at least for me.  I missed out on my audition for the "7th Inning Stretch" last year because I was in St. Louis the day they scheduled my performance.

Guess I gotta stop catching games on the road if I'm going to participate in events here at home.

Read an interesting quote from Rich Harden today on ESPN.com:

"You kind of feed off each other. You see every starter going out there and doing really well, and you want to match them," Harden said. "I think it is contagious. ... It's a pretty amazing staff here."

So with the other four starters dominating the Brewers earlier this week, will Jason Marquis answer the bell and "match them"?

HIs post-AS game starts would indicate that he is going into his traditional second half slump.  If he continues to slide, Piniella will have to consider removing him from the rotation.

Today's start against the Pirates - now without Jason Bay - should allow Marquis to improve his numbers, but for the longer term, will he be able to put together a string of quality outings over the next two months?  Will he, as Harden said, "feed off" the success of the other starters?

It's all up to him, but history tells us he's not going to be up to the challenge.

Full ESPN story at http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=280731108&action=playvideo&hcmp=motion

Per the St. Louis Post Dispatch this morning:

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/stories.nsf/cardinals/story/346704F1DEE0C02E862574960014A9CE?OpenDocument

Earlier this week it was thought Wainwright would pitch at Wrigley in the upcoming series, but this now seems rather unlikely.

Interesting that LaRussa is miffed with the media for questioning Wainwright's role upon his return, asking whether he would be a starter or pitch in relief.  After all the blown saves, Tony, how can you think the quality of your bullpen is above question?

If Samardzija is supposed to be part of the "close it out" group, why on earth did Piniella have him pitching this evening?

The Cubs are up by 7 runs, so why not let some of the other guys in the pen get some work?   Here's what the other guys have been doing............

Sean Marshall - tossed three quick innings on Saturday.  No action since.

Neal Cotts - faced two hitters on Saturday.  No action since.

Scott Eyre  - hasn't appeared since the Eisenhower Adminstration.

With two lefties set to bat in the 9th for the Brewers, why not throw these guys?  All the more reason they should have been in the game.

Now if things get tight tomorrow, there's a chance Samardzija won't be available.  Why?  Because Lou is seemingly unwilling to throw his lefty pen men, even in blow out situations.

I don't get it............

Add Carol Slezak to the growing list of media types looking to act as apologist for the St. Louis Cardinals.

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/slezak/1032597,CST-SPT-carol01.article

She cautions not to mention injuries to the Cardinals, citing the number of players currently residing on their disabled list.  What Slezak fails to do is scratch below the surface to reveal..............

Chris Carpenter - Went down in the first month of 2007 (that's right, last season) and had Tommy John surgery last July.  The Cards have been praying to get him back by the 2008 All-Star break, but that seems unlikely.

Mark Mulder - Down for the last two seasons, twice under the knife for shoulder problems, but was hoped to meaningfully contribute by the 2008 AS break.

Matt Clement - A total reclaimation project, it was clear this guy was not going to be ready at the start of the season and he's yet to pitch at the MLB level in 2008.

Slezak then turns to the position players, highlighting how the Cards are "contending despite" the use of guys like Ryan Ludwick and Skip Schumaker.

Well, Carol, who's to blame for this "patchwork lineup" filled with "no-name players"?  Who's responsible for a roster filled with pitchers that can't pitch?

Would it be okay for Jim Hendry to do nothing if Carlos Zambrano was known to be out for nearly two seasons?  Uhm, no.

Would Cubs fans support a return of Jacque Jones and Matt Murton to the daily outfield grind?  Err, unlikely.

But apparently in St. Louis, it's okay for a skinflint management team to cobble together a bunch of overachievers and pray for good things to happen.  And it's even better for said management team when the media overlooks this lack of effort and allows "injuries" to disguise reality.

So please, sportswriters, dig a bit below an IR report before you release your sympathetic dribble.  Applaud the Cardinals for what they have managed to achieve so far, but don't tout injuries to players who were never to be a part of the 2008 solution in the first place, nor highlight bench bums thrust into the limelight all because ownership was unwilling to put a better product on the field.

Looks like Alfonso Soriano will be examined on Friday to inspect the progress of his broken hand.  Although he'll know more after the exam, Soriano seems to believe he will return before the All-Star break.

Full article can be found at:

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3449470

If true, this will be good news for the Cubs.  His bat is already missed in the line up, so a speedy return would be welcomed. 

From today's Baltimore Sun:

QUOTE
No progress on Roberts

The trade talks between the Orioles and Chicago Cubs involving All-Star second baseman Brian Roberts have not progressed, and it's becoming more likely that Roberts will report to spring training next week as an Oriole.

"I don't see [a trade] as likely before the reporting date," Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail said. "Anything can happen ... but I just don't see it."
UNQUOTE

Since it's been at least 24 hours since the last Brian Roberts post, I thought I'd throw this out for discussion.

Looks like Craig Monroe will be shipped to the Twins according to an article in the Minneapolis Star.

http://www.startribune.com/blogs/christensen/?p=418

Cubs to receive the infamous PTBNL.

More salary dumping, but it's now very clear the Cubs will be shopping for outfielders this off-season.

Bad enough the Cubs faded early, but then Ken Rosenthal has to lump them in with the teams obliterated by the Rockies in the NL post season.

As WE all know, it was the Phillies who took their opening round lumps from the Colorado squad.

Nice job, FOX.

Kind of disappointing because I have historically found Rosenthal to be one of the better guys in the baseball reporting business.

Over the course of the past few months, I had certainly grown tired of hearing about Joba the Hut. While our very own Carlos Marmol had been essentially as untouchable as Chamberlain, the media certainly made it seem as though the Yankees phenom was in a class unto himself.

I had hoped the post-season would provide a venue for Marmol to upstage Chamberlain.  And while neither was/has been particularly effective, Marmol's October looked like a disaster by comparison.

So while the "Eastern Sports Programming Network" continues to drone on about Joba, how do you see the two young arms stacking up?

For comparative purposes, here are the stats from the time Chubby made his first appearance on August 7th:

Chamberlain:  24 IP, 12 H,  6 W, 1 ER, 34 K
Marmol       :  25 IP, 15 H, 15 W, 3 ER, 37 K

Of course, Marmol had been pitching in the Bigs since mid-May, so most hitters were seeing him for the second (or third) time around.  That could have negatively impacted Marmol's numbers.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

Last night Ryan Theriot was on via phone with ESPN's "Baseball Tonight" crew.

It was a relatively short interview, in which he indicated the Brewers will be playing hard until the end.

When asked about playing for Lou Piniella, he indicated that Lou's not the kind of guy that's going to "pat you on the back" to pick you up if you're not doing well.  Theriot said Piniella expects the best from each player at all times.

What really made this interview interesting is that Duh-sty Toothpick was on the BBTN panel.  Although he said nothing during the interview, one sensed Baker was squirming just a bit since Theriot had also gotten a brief glimpse of the Bigs under Baker's regime.

Because the Bears were looking so pathetic, I was toggling between their game and the Astros/Cards tilt.  Although they are done for the season, I never get tired of watching a Cards drubbing.

And while they rallied back to win, the Cards fans received their all too usual suck-up from the media.  As Craig Biggio came up to bat in the 8th, the StLu faithful stood to cheer his final AB in their facility, and ESPN did their best to paint the Cards fans as the greatest thing since sliced bread.

This reminded me of how irked I was earlier this month when Cecil Cooper decided to take Biggio down late in the game on the Astros final appearance at Wrigley.  Had he let the line up play out, Biggio would have come to the plate in the top of the 9th, undoubtedly to a thunderous ovation. Instead, Coop pulled the famed double-switch, and Biggo's last AB in Wrigley was an uneventful, inning-ending whiff in the 6th.

Perhaps it's a bit dated now, but I recall discussing this issue with several others in the bleachers that day, and we were all miffed over the fact that we were unable to pay our respects to a guy who has exemplified the best in baseball over the past two decades.

Whether is was the Bears looking like crap or having to listen to Miller and Morgan inflate the so-called worldly fans in St. Loser, it just reminded me of how unfortunate it was that both Biggio and the Chicago fans were robbed of the opportunity to participate in an appropriate Friendly Confines send-off.

Rumor has it that he wants to come back and spend a day in the bleachers.  Let's hope we DO get our chance to say what we wanted to say to a sure fire HOFer.

Furthermore, may Cooper's "playing days" team (read Brewers) never see the light of October baseball.