With the regular season drawing to a close and the Cubs being cellar dellewers in the National League, it’s time to start looking towards next season. Not to sounds like the real optimist, but the Cubs are pretty close to getting that team together for a playoff run. I think there are definately a few “ifs”, “ands” and “buts” in order for them to succeed next season.

First off, and the most important thing is the Cubs need resign Juan Pierre. Before you anybody start yelling at me for not mentioning Pie, hear me out. This was JP’s first year playing for real big name team. He came up with the Rockies, an expansion team. He next went to the Marlins, an expansion team. He had a horrible start off to the season, and he was always man enough to admit that he was not playing to his fullest. He leads the NL this season in hits and stolen bases, even after his slow start.

He also got his…

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With the White Sox win last night they pulled within 6.5 of the league leading Tigers. They are starting to pull away from the pack, and making the White Sox only chance at making the post season by winning the Wild Card, of which they only have a half of a game lead over the Twins.

I would very much welcome the Twins passing the Sox and them not getting into the playoffs. I’m sure being a Cubs fan, makes me a White Sox enemy, but regardless I don’t like some of the players on the team, and I don’t like the coach at all. Putting it nicely, they are jerks. Also, their two play-by-play guys are the most biast announcers I’ve ever heard in my lifetime. Every time I hear the phrases, “He gone!”, and “You can put it on the boarddddddddddd YEAH!”, I want to throw something at the TV. They can never say thing good about the other team, it’s always about the Sox.

Getting back to…

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We are reaching the home strech of the baseball season. Teams have been unloading players, and teams have been filling the holes that they have. The reds have pretty much completely re-worked their entire bullpen by getting a new closer in Eddie Guardardo from Seattle, and middle and late inning relievers. They had to lose once top prospect Austin Kearns and former All-Star Felipe Lopez to the Nationals for some relievers, with the big name being USA Team member during the World Baseball Classic Gary Majewski. Apparently Majewski had a sore shoulder and already had recieved a shot in it to relieve the pain, and is now on the DL. Obviously the Reds are mad at this because they were never told about his shoulder soreness.

On the flip side, teams that have little to no shot at moving onto the post season have unloaded some players. The Pirates got rid of a lot of their veteran players with their young player rebuilding movement. The Cubs trade Maddux and Walker now because they weren’t going to be resigned next season, so they go something for them. A couple of the Royals were moved around, but all and all it was a…

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Yesterday Kerry Wood announced that he was opting out of surgery to repair his slightly torn rotator cuff, and was just going to rehab it in Arizona. I think this was a pretty smart decesion by Wood. It’s obvious that he would just fubar up his shoulder again if he gets it fixed, and does nothing to correct his bad mechanics.

The way I see it the Cubs have a few options when it come to Kerry Wood at the end of the season. I’d say there is a 99.9% chance they will not pick up this 13 million dollar option at the close of this season. Even if he comes back as to the Cubs as a reliever, he won’t be making 13 million for the season, no chance, regardless of team. Given his success coming out of the pen last year, I think the Cubs will offer him a contract with many incentives. I’m guessing the base salary will be around 2-3 million.

Another option the Cubs have is to just let him go, pay his buyout and Wood and the Cubs will go their own separate ways. While I think this is unlikely, because Kerry Wood has publicly said…

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It was a pretty tough choice this week. On one hand you have Shea Hillenbrand of the Blue Jays demanding to be traded after an altercation with members of the team and for comments he made about the front office. Next, you have Chris Spiers of the Cubs, who was arrested for DUI early Wednesday morning.

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Excerpt from the Chicago Tribune
The Cubs coaching staff, already in turmoil over job futures, underwent a shakeup after third-base coach Chris Speier was charged with driving under the influence early Wednesday. No one was saying how long Triple-A manager Mike Quade would fulfill Speier’s duties, although general manager Jim Hendry said, “we expect [Speier] back in the near future.”

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After much diliberation, Chris Spiers wins the award of Tool of the Week. Not only is your team in bloody shambles, but know your third base coach gets arrested for DUI. I’m just not sure if things can get any worse for the Cubs this season. I think it was a pretty bad decesion on Spier’s part. Are things this bad that you need to restort to drinking?

I’m almost getting to the point where they should just hang it…

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You really can’t blame for what the National League did in the ninth. They bring in Trevor Hoffman to close out the game like he’s done 400 some odd times in the past. Unfortunately, the American League got to Hoffman, and enough for the win.

As I saw on Baseball Tonight, they were talking about hos the National League did nothing wrong, Hoffman is probably the best and most consistant closer that they had. His changeup is just devistating. The only problem was the NL had hard thrower after hard thrower, Hoffman’s stuff didn’t really seem as bad, thus more hittable. I totally agree with that. Brad Penny was really bringing it last night. He hit 99 quite a few times, and his fast ball was just overpowering. Next they switched to Oswalt, to also throws pretty hard. Next came Brandon Webb, who’s got the best hard sinker in the league.

I’m just really happy that it wasn’t a total blowout like in years pasted. I kind of expected it to be a well pitched game, which it turned out to be. I’d really wished that Zambrano and Liriano would have gotten into the game though, but you have to keep a…

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That’s right folks, Mr. Juicer himself, Jose Canseco is back in the world of professional baseball. It’s not the Major League or anything, but he’s paid to play, therefore making it professional. Canseco is playing for the Long Beach Armada of the Golden Baseball League (link).

He’s not actually doing that horrible for not playing for quite a few years. He did strike out his first 11 of 13 at-bats, but now he’s got a couple of taters, and seven RBIs.

The really funny thing is though he got traded from the Surf Dawgs to the Armada after only one game. The trade was due family circumstances and not his string of strikeouts. I just got a good little snicker about it.

Actually Canseco was named to the All-Star team, and was slated to pitch an inning. Unfortunately, he was only able to get one out.

I’m pretty sure this is just a gimmick to get more people to watch the GBL’s games. I never forsee Canseco back to majors.

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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