keep telling myself that the Cubs won’t be having a fire sale, but unless they win about 15 or so out of their next 20, I think they will be unloading some players gearing up for a big offseason.

Players most likely on their way out
Juan Pierre - He’s going to want Furcal type money, and he hasn’t proven that he’s really worth that much.
Todd Walker - He does have some worth left. The Cubs could probably get a few prospects out of him.
Greg Maddux - As much as I’d like him to finish off the year as a Cub, I think the chances are slim to none now. He’s a free agent at the end of the season, and I’m sure he won’t be resigned. The 9 million or so he make could bring in a much better pitcher, like Barry Zito.
Scott Williamson - He’s said that he wants to close again. With Dempster entrenched, like it or not, for the next two seasons, Williamson won’t have a chance at closing. Heck, with Eyre and Howry, he’s not even the setup man.
Kerry Wood - He’s been living off his potential ever since his rookie year…

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Wow! Talk about a total meltdown from the Cubs last night. How in the heck do you give up 11 runs in one inning, let alone two grand slams?! I really thought the Cubs were turning around their season after winning their first three of four since the All-Star break.

Carlos Zambrano is the only consistant starter that the Cubs have.

The Cubs hitting is starting to comeback though. Juan Pierre’s average is up to .271 from a horrid start. Jones continues to be the only consistant power in the lineup. Derrek Lee’s power still isn’t back, but pitchers still have to throw around him. Barett continues to be hot as well.

The pitching on the other hand has just been horrible. Marmol has been streaky, Marshall has been more bad then good lately, Maddux is Maddux, but not as dominating as he use to be. Then it’s hard to say is going to be pitching in the other spots. Wood is most likely done for the year. Prior keeps crying that he’s hurt. All Rusch does is give up homeruns. Jerome Williams is still in AAA.

Even though it’s as a replacement, Francisco Liriano is going to the All-Star game tonight. Jose Conteras bowed out because he pitched on Sunday and wouldn’t be able to pitch tonight anyway. It’s better than nothing, but I’m still a bit upset he didn’t make the team outright.

Now if Travis Hafner would have just made it, I would be a happy camper relatively speaking.

I’d look for the AL to still win the game tonight even though final two hitters in last night’s Homerun Derby were from the National League. It still should be a really close game, because the NL has really good balance in their lineup this year, but I don’t think their pitching is quite as strong as the ALs.

Who is going to win the MVP though, that is the true question. I’m not sure at this point. Typically it’s a hitter, and who hits the big homerun or drives in a few runs. If the American League wins, I think the MVP will be David Ortiz. If the National League wins, David Wright or Ryan Howard will bring home the award. There are too many good players to pick out of the bunch that will be slightly…

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I’m really disappointed that A.J. Pierzynski got in the All-Star game as the final vote. He’s an arrogent jerk, plain and simple. I don’t like the guy. He’s got that jerk look to him. His numbers aren’t THAT great. Sure they’re good, but Liriano’s and Hafner’s numbers are so much better. Hafner gets the shaft again.

I’m just truely disappointed.

Man, I think I might have made my Tool of the Week entry one day too soon. Mr. A.J. Pierzynski had another similar run in with a player when the roles were flipped flopped from that of the Michael Barrett incident. The other difference that it wasn’t a collision.

Craig Monroe of the Detroit Tigers hit a grand slam that put them up by a score of 5-2. I’ve watched the video of it a couple of times, and it’s hard to say who was really at fault. I’ll look at the story from both directions.

First, I will view the “ordeal” from Pierzynski’s point of view. In a literal sense, he did nothing for once. He was standing in the catchers square with his hands on his hips before Monroe crossed the plate. He did not move when Monroe crossed the plate. Monroe did run into him, more specifically his elbow. Monroe reacted with a “WTF” look back at Pierzynski. Nothing more than a few words were exchanged and some dirty looks. I’m sure Pierzynski could have said “Oops sorry” right away to let him know that any contact was inadvertant. I suppose could have let the players have their celebration…

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Striking your wife on a public street near a ballpark, then getting arrested and then your wife posts your bail. To you Brett Myers I say, “WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!?!”. I mean seriously, have NO respect at all for wife beaters, none at all. I don’t care if it was an accident, she provoked him, or got into the heat of the moment.

I do slightly admire the guy for basically suspending himself. The Phillies were going to nothing to him at all. NOTHING! The Phillies GM said last Friday, “the team would not take disciplinary action against Myers until the case is resolved and did not feel what happened was an embarrassment to the team.” To me, that is wrong. Basically the team is turning their head as if nothing happened. I’m not sure if it has to deal with Myers being their best pitcher on the team or what. Myers took a leave of absence as his “own form of a suspension”, I think. Since it was voleentary, the Phillies were able to demote him to AAA, and bring up another starting pitcher. Yet another semi-sheepish move on their part. It just bugs me…

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So I’ve read a few reports that the Yankees are looking at getting Jacque Jones from the Cubs because their rookie outfielder, Melky Cabrera, has been having some troubles as of late.

I kinda think this would be a catch 22 for both teams in all honestly. Sure, Jones has been very hot for the Cubs the last two months, but he had a HORRID start, and who’s not to say that he’ll go back to that again after the break with Derrek Lee returning back next week. The Yankees have been known to take the hot player of the time, and they turn out to be junk for them most of the time *cough* Carl Pavano, Jaret Wright, Kevin Brown *cough*. They just go out and buy their players. You can gaurentee that Jones won’t be around after Sheffield and Matsui get healthy again. They are the big men at the corners, and nobody is going to be able to change that, let alone a average to average plus player in Jones.

Felix Pie isn’t ready to play in the Big Show yet, but he will be one of the September callups for the Cubbies. It would all depend on what…

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t looks like the Marlins of all teams, are hitting a really hot streak at the moment. They’ve won their last nine games after finishing off the Orioles last night in Baltimore.

Everybody figured that the Marlins would be cellar dwellers of the NL East this season, and up until a few weeks ago, they were right. But now the Marlins find themselves in 3rd place in the NL East (the winners of the losers because they are still 12.5 down), have starting pitcher leading the majors with a 2.01 ERA, and now have won 9 straight. This leaves them only seven games under five hundred.

Dan Uggla is making his bid to be an All-Star this season. I think he might have actually done it. With most likely no Marlins getting voted into the game, Uggla or Cabara might be the lone Marlin for the National League team.

While I’m sure that the Marlins will not keep this pace up the rest of the season, but I’m not really suprised that they’ve rattled off nine wins in a row. Sometimes the team that mostly has nobodies on their team is more dangerous. When you’re going up againt Barry Bonds, you’ll have hours…

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