Chicago Sports Review

I can’t speak for how other baseball teams work, because I have only been a part of one fanbase in my life. But when it comes to real Cubs fans, there are two distinct types: the ones who believe ‘This is our year’ and the ones who ask ‘When is my next nervous breakdown gonna happen?’ (Of course there are several types of fake fans, the most common being the one who asks ‘Want to grab another Old Style and pay no attention to the actual game?’)

Unfortunately for me, I’m one of the latter in the real group. I’m the guy who thinks a six-run lead isn’t safe as long as a Cubs pitcher is on the mound, the one who thinks every stranded runner will wind up costing the team a valuable insurance run, and most likely, the person who in 35 years will have huge bills to a psychiatrist to help deal with constant panic attacks and Vietnam-like flashbacks. But I can’t help it; to me, it’s part of rooting for the North Siders.

That is why, much to my thanks, this season has been so unusual. For all of my sweaty palms and increased heart-beats, the Cubs have given a Denzel-like performance thus far. The team is in first place and has been since May 11. They haven’t lost back-to-back home games since the first two days of the season. And they sent eight guys to the All-Star game, though everybody who watches the team on a day-to-day basis knows that Kosuke Fukudome didn’t deserve his trip to New York City while Ryan Theriot was unfairly left at home. Life is good, even for fans like myself.

Or should I say, life WAS good. Since the All-Star break ended, the Cubs are 2-4 (through Wednesday’s game), especially worrying since the Brewers and Cardinals, the two teams hunting the Cubs in the NL Central, are a combined 10-3. Even more worrying is that all three of those losses came to each other, and neither St. Louis nor Milwaukee has fallen back in the race. Of course it is no coincidence that the Cubs have been on the road for their six games, where they have a record of 22-30 over the entire season.

So is that the only problem with the Cubs lately, that they aren’t playing at Wrigley? Obviously, as a fan who thinks of the worst possible scenario in every instance, I believe it’s much more than that. In fact, I can point to three problems that the team is struggling with aside from being in un-Friendly Confines.

1. For all intents and purposes, Derek Lee is the offensive leader of the ball club. He’s been on the team now for four and a half seasons, including an MVP-level campaign in 2005. He bats third in the lineup, the spot where the team’s smartest hitter usually swings the lumber. And on many occasions, when the Cubs have needed it most, D-Lee is the one who has come through with the big hit. Yet lately, all that Lee has provided is frustration. The Cubs first baseman went over a month between home runs-June 20 through July 23- while his patience at the plate has weakened, taking only six walks in July, the same total he had in May when he batted only. 234. And worst of all, he leads all of Major League Baseball in the dubious statistic of grounding into double plays, as Lee has hit into 21 twin-killings already this season. When #25 starts hitting the ball out of the infield and into the bleachers, the Cubs will start winning again.

2. During the first half of the season, there was a lot that Cubs fans could rely on, including Carlos Marmol making an opponent look silly swinging at a slider, Alfonso Soriano causing every fan hold their breath when he hops to catch a fly ball, and Ryan Dempster pitching well at Wrigley Field. Now here’s a new one for the second half: the bullpen is sure to allow a run every time they are called upon. With Kerry Wood M.I.A. due to a blister on his index finger, Bob Howry and Marmol have been called on to get the big outs at the end of games, which means Neal Cotts, Sean Marshall and new acquisition Chad Gaudin have become the middle relievers. Wood’s injury is obviously a concern, but it is magnified by the fact nobody else in the bullpen can record an out. In the past two weeks, Marmol has blown a five-run lead in the ninth, Howry has a loss after allowing a run in the ninth, while both Marshall and Gaudin have given up runs while trying to hold onto a lead. With the offense asleep at the moment, the Cubs can’t afford to also have a bullpen that isn’t doing their job.

3. Last season, in his first season as an every-day shortstop, Ryan Theriot hit .348 in July. Then he hit .276 in August. Finally, in September and October, his average dipped to .202. Why? Because The Riot’s body wore down from the grind of playing nearly 150 baseball games in six months. This season, the man on wear down watch is rookie catcher Geovany Soto. Playing the most physically demanding position in the sport- you try squatting on your ankles for three hours a night, catching 95 MPH baseballs- Soto has been both durable and effective for the Cubs this season. His 95 games played ranks fourth on the team, and his 24 doubles and 16 home runs have been pleasant surprises. But like Theriot a year ago, he is fading. His average has gone down every month so far this season, and in July he is only batting .234. I think Soto is going to be a great player and was a deserving All-Star starter. But if Lou Piniella doesn’t start giving him more days off, he’s going to be nothing more than a carcass come September.

Will these problems resolve themselves? I don’t know. In fact, I probably shouldn’t even think about them. It could lead to another panic attack.

Yesterday’s trade of Rich Harden further cemented the legacy of one of Major League Baseball’s premier general managers. Possibly the most important part of any trade is timing, and once again this GM showed impeccable timing.

So congratulations Jim Hendry. What, you thought I was talking about Billy Bean?

With all due respect to Bean, the winner of any trade is the team that gets the best player. And even when considering the very legitimate injury concerns that come with Rich Harden, he’s clearly the best player in this trade.

Hendry is not perfect – far from it in fact. But since becoming the GM of the Chicago Cubs in the middle of the 2002 season he’s managed to lead the perennial losers to two playoff appearances (2003 and 2007) and an 89-win season in 2004. Then of course there’s the current season, in which the Cubs have been the National League’s best team all year long.

The biggest reason for Hendry’s success is the Cubs’ suddenly huge payroll, made famous by the $300 million off-season a little more than one year ago. But in no way does that take away from what Hendry has done.

He overpayed for Alfonso Soriano, who has had problems in his year and a half with the Cubs ranging from injuries to the fear of ivy covered walls, and worse yet the 32-year-old is only in the second year of an 8-year, $136 million contract. He also gave a corner outfielder with a .417 slugging percentage $48 million over four years. Despite all the love Kosuke Fukudome gets from North Side fans, his numbers show he’s nothing more than a Japanese version of Brian Giles (and sorry, that’s not worthy of $48 million).

Yet it also has to be considered that Hendry had to overpay to get those players. And both of them, even though they come at ridiculous prices, have helped the Cubs win games.

There have been other mistakes, too. The trade for Nomar Garciaparra in 2004 never worked out. The signing of former Cub Greg Maddux that same year had less-than-desirable results. Last year’s catcher position was a disaster, and the acquisition of former All-Star Jason Kendall proved to be a bust.

All of those transactions have one thing in common: they were low-risk, high-reward deals. When a general manager consistently makes those kind of transactions, good things tend to happen. Like the 2003 trade for an inconsistent Aramis Ramirez, who quickly became one baseball’s best hitting third baseman. Or the signing of one of the major’s premier utility players, Mark DeRosa. Even though Ted Lilly has reverted back to his career averages, he once again looks poised to top 200 innings this year, making him worthy of his $10 million a year contract.

Oh, and then there was the signing of Lou Piniella, who is already making room for the 2008 Manager of the Year trophy (apologies to Tony LaRussa, but this is Sweet Lou’s year).

So, finally, back to the point. The Rich Harden deal is yet another low-risk, high-reward transaction. For the Cubs purpose – which you would have to guess is ending that World Series drought you may have heard of – Harden is a great fit. As long as they politely decline extending his contract, this should work out fine for them.

“It’s no secret that when he’s [pitching], he’s about as good as it gets,” Hendry said. “You can hear that from any player in the American League. … Obviously, there’s some risk. He never has had a surgery. We did extensive work with their doctors. … There’s certainly some risk, but a very, very high reward.”

Harden solidifies an iffy starting rotation and Chad Gaudin can provide some value as a swingman. And all the Cubs gave up is a platoon outfielder, a second baseman who wasn’t going to play for them, a future number 3 starter and a catcher who is at least two years away from the major leagues.

Most importantly this trade cements a win-now attitude developed during Hendry’s reign. That, more than anything, is what has made Hendry’s time with the Cubs a success and made him one of baseball’s top GM’s.

The Chicago White Sox have won four out of their last five games and are now hitting .304 with 42 home runs and 150 runs scored in June. They definitely stepped up their game offensively during the second half of the Crosstown Classic this weekend at US Cellular Field, with the big hits of this series starting with Nick Swisher’s third career grand slam in the bottom of the third inning on Friday’s game.

Swisher didn’t want the hype of the Cubs and Sox rivalry to affect his game, but he said, “It’s electric out there, emotions are always running high. We need to focus on one game at a time and bring the bats back.”

Swisher is currently hitting .344 with eight doubles, four home runs, 16 RBI, and 15 runs scored in his last 19 games after struggling to hit much more than .200 the first two months of the season.

The Sox continued their hot hitting on Saturday with home runs from outfielder Jermaine Dye, second baseman Alexei Ramirez, and outfielder Carlos Quentin. Dye kicked of the hitting streak with a 2-run bomb in the first inning on a 1-1 pitch, his 18th home run of the season. In the fifth inning Ramirez followed with a solo homerun on a 1-1 run pitch for his fifth home run of the season. With the score tied at 5 in the bottom of the seventh, Quentin steps up with a solo home run on a 0-2 pitch, breaking the tie and tying him with Dye for the team lead in homers.

Dye thinks that playing on his home turf may have something to do with the improvement.

“It’s just like anything in sports, you have to try and take care of business at home,” he said. “I think guys are more comfortable when they come back after sleeping in their own beds, getting home cooked meals, and when you step in that batter’s box you feel good with your surroundings.”

To Quentin, however, it was a matter of luck. In his last ten games, Quentin is 16-37 and hitting .432.

“For awhile during the game, the shadows were significant, and I’m sure you could see they affected some of the hitters,” he said. “I was having trouble seeing the ball, and it was just a defensive swing at a fastball that I didn’t’ see that well and was fortunate to get the barrel on, and it carried.”

Whether it’s being comfortable at home or just luck, the bats are back. Only time will tell if the Sox continue this streak, especially in their final game of the Crosstown Classic this Sunday.

What more on the White Sox? Check out Angie’s update on the injured Paul Konerko.

The stadium is packed with over 39,000 cheering fans – a sellout crowd all hyped up just to see a ballgame at US Cellular Field.

This isn’t just a ballgame however, it’s the Crosstown Classic. To Cubs and Sox fans alike, this six-game series is one of the most intense ones of their lives. They wait anxiously for these two weekends to see Chicago’s best in baseball battle it out. Fights break out constantly between some fans that live or die by this series.

But what about the players? Are these games really a big deal?

White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski is known for being involved in some controversy, especially in the 2006 Crosstown Classic. On May 20, 2006 Sox outfielder Brian Anderson hit a sacrifice fly to score Pierzynksi who collided with Cubs catcher Michael Barrett while crossing the plate. Barrett, now a San Diego Padre, then punched Pierzynski in the jaw after the Sox catcher reached back and tagged home plate. So far, nothing that extreme has happened this year, but you never know when it comes to the Cubs and Sox.

Pierzynski said he wishes the series could be just like any other.

“You try to look at it as another game but at the same time there’s definitely a different electricity in the air,” he said. “You have two teams in one city split half and half. The fans are very passionate about their team and want their team to win.”

Anderson agrees and said that the series has more of an entertainment aspect than anything, but that he doesn’t want it to affect his game.

“The media hypes it up but we can’t let it get to us and control the way we play.”

Sox outfielder Nick Swisher is new to the Cubs and Sox rivalry and didn’t let the hype get to him on Friday’s game. Swisher hit a grand slam – the sixth Sox grand slam this season – in the bottom of the third to give the Sox an 8-0 lead. It didn’t matter to Swisher that they were playing the Cubs.

“As players we have to treat it as just another game because if we don’t, we get all caught up in the hype and it takes you out of the game.”

White Sox Manager Ozzie Guillen takes the series a little more seriously. Guillen said he was surprised that he hadn’t won a game against Cubs Manager Lou Piniella this year and really wants to beat the Cubs.

“I just want to win because I’m tired of fans calling me names,” Guillen said. “I don’t know why they hate me because we lost against the Cubs. It’s just unbelievably ridiculous. I just want to win to tear the fans away from my butt.”

Guillen also said that the fans shouldn’t take it as seriously as they do.

“(If) fans think this game is more important than the ones we’re going to play in Kansas City and Detroit then they’re wrong. I don’t care what kind of pride they have or how much they think they’re going to be abused for (us) losing against the Cubs. I get abuse too.”

Whether they felt it or not, it was definitely a different kind of atmosphere in the ballpark on Friday. Sox fans were hoping for at least one win against the Cubs and Cubs fans were hoping for another sweep this weekend. What about those fans that are in between?

White Sox General Manager Ken Williams believes that this series is very important to Chicago, no matter what side you’re on.

“I think it reverts back to the Chicago pride thing,” he said. “It’s too bad that the rivalry is so intense that you can’t allow yourself to revert back to a little pride for your city and your neighbor.”

However, deep down Williams wants to win this not only for some city pride but also for himself.

“I’m a competitive person and I want to beat everyone,” Williams said. “When there’s a team eight miles north of you and you are sharing a marketplace, as the person responsible, I want to make sure that we did our fair share. That shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone.”

Sox designated hitter Jim Thome says these games are pretty intense and a lot of fun. He said that they’re big games for the city, especially for bragging rights. However he does believe the main focus for the team should just be winning the division.

Many of the players agree that the fans and the media hype up the series a little too much. Tickets are impossible to get and extremely expensive, and it could be frightening getting caught in just a verbal argument between Cubs and Sox fans.

However, Sox third baseman Joe Crede says this kind of hype is good for both teams.

“Anything that’s positive for the game of baseball I’m all for it,” he said. “It’s fun coming to the ballpark knowing you’re going to have a sellout crowd.”

It’s known that the Sox have nothing against the Cubs and really only care about the game. They don’t take it as personally as the fans do. They just want to play ball and win. The main focus of conversation with the Sox was concentrating on staying in first place.

“(The fans) just need to realize that it’s not just us against the Cubs,” Thome said.

The Sox beat the Cubs on Friday 10-3, the Crosstown Classic continues through Sunday.

As the Cubs and Sox kick off their annual home and home series Friday at Wrigley, in honor of the six games here are six reasons why the Cubs have a better shot at the World Series than the Sox.

DEPTH

Since we are looking forward to October, let’s look back at recent fall classics. Why did the Red Sox win in 2007? Sure you must have stars like David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez, but ultimately, you win with role players. Guys like Reed Johnson, Ronny Cedeno and Mark DeRosa could be last year’s Kevin Youkilis and Jacoby Ellsbury. No matter what the matchup, Cubs manager Lou Pinella has what every manager needs to be successful - options.

MANAGER

This selection is not so much a slight on Sox skipper Ozzie Guillen as it is a ringing endorsement of Lou Piniella. This guy is the baseball equivalent of a cardiovascular surgeon - smart, bold and an easy touch to boot. His ability to get the most out of his roster, while making each and every player from Derrick Lee to Mike Fontenot feel they are irreplaceable, is what makes him brilliant. One thing you know won’t happen with Lou? He won’t open his mouth and say something so ridiculous and offensive as to ruin his team’s season. This is a shot at Guillen, who if he wasn’t a baseball manager (and a good one at that) would be running a bowling alley in Caracas.

BULLPEN

My colleague Matt Kolsky makes some good arguments in his White Sox column. The Sox bullpen is one of the best in the American League, up to this point. But to say Scott Linebrink may be better than Carlos Marmol is like saying Atari is better than Xbox (I’m old enough to have played both). Again, in order to look forward, we must look back, my friends. How did the 2006 Cardinals go from an 83-win regular season to a World Series? Here are a few reasons - Adam Wainwright, Braden Looper, Josh Hancock. I believe the Cubs already have the 2008 equivalent in Bobby Howry, Kerry Wood and Marmol. And they are better than Linebrink, Matt Thornton and Bobby Jenks.

HOME SWEET HOME

This is been one of the few years I can remember where the Wrigley is a decided advantage to the home team. The Cubs have the most wins in the majors at home with 29, and haven’t lost since Hillary Clinton still had a shot the democratic nomination. The home demons from past seasons - too many day games, the wind blows in too much - have not reared their heads in 2008. When you have the lineup the Cubs have on a daily basis, expect those demons to take a rest, at least for this season.

FUKUDOME EFFECT

In my opinion, Kosuke Fukudome is the MVP of the National League. I know I am leaving myself out there for all the stat dweebs flying around the internet who will undoubtedly counter with an endless stream of mundane statistical minutiae as to why I’m crazy. The reason why I believe this? Fukudome is the most valuable (not best) player on the best team in the National League. The fact that Cubs hitters are considerably more patient this season is not a coincidence. The reason why the Cubs are mashing the ball at home is because they are consistently ahead of pitchers. Cubs batting coach Gerald Perry also deserves credit, but if the Cubs go deep into the postseason, the signing of this Japanese import will prove to be the most significant.

SIMPLY THE BEST

Notice how none of the categories are about the “curse” like Kolsky so predictably mentioned in his column. This argument by Sox fans has grown so tired, it’s like a guy who sees a buddy with a hot brunette and says, “I prefer blondes.” Well, then go get yourself one, kid! In the case of the Sox, they have their blonde - a 2005 World Series, yet prefer to focus how they don’t like brunettes. There are no curses, they only exist in urban legends and bad dramas on the CW network. The Cubs have had a bad century, we all know that. But their futility has all to do with mismanagement, brutal trades, horrendous free agent signings and just plain bad play on the field, nothing more. Bottom line, if this team wins it all this year it have everything to do with reversing the aforementioned futility, not because the Cubs are “due”, or because they have reversed some moronic “curse”. If they are playing their best in October, this team can win it all.

I wish I could say the same for the White Sox, but I can’t.

Oh, and I do prefer brunettes.

The baseball season is 70 games old, which makes it about 43.2% complete, give or take 0.009% or so. That also makes it time to obnoxiously and prematurely speculate about who is primed and ready for the World Series.

Yes, a month before the Midsummer Classic even happens, we erstwhile members of the sports media have to sit down at our keyboards and tell you who’s going to the Fall Classic. And fall – you could be forgiven for forgetting given our strange new weather patterns – happens after summer.

But with the first Cubs-Sox series of the year ripping off the wrapping paper starting Friday – and both Chicago baseball teams in first place for the first time in God knows how long – now is probably as good a time as any to encourage some good, old-fashioned bickering between the North and South Sides.

And though I was tragically born in Brookline, Mass. and reared in Evanston on our City’s northward border, I am your White Sox representative. Don’t ask why, just accept it; love it, even.

Since you’re probably a Cubs fan, you are likely getting relatively puffy-chested in theold debate over which team is better-suited for a championship run. Well, I’m here to burst your bubble, because the White Sox are just biding their time, my friend, and are significantly better-suited to win the 2008 World Series than their crosstown counterparts.

And here’s why I’m right, in three simple steps…

(1) The Curse.

I don’t want to be that guy, but… oh, hell, I don’t really mind being that guy: THE CURSE. There, I wrote it – in capital letters. Do I believe in ghosts and goblins and curses and witches and whatnot? No, never. But do I insist on following the same routine for watching White Sox games? Yes. Even when I’m watching on my DVR and the action has already happened, there’s a part of me that believes my behavior has some small effect on the game.

Baseball is fairly well accepted, I think, as the most superstitious of all sports. From the Curse of the Bambino to the many quirks of the Turk Wendells of the world, the sport is filled with references to the supernatural or otherwise mystical entities. The Cubs Curse is no different – logic, nevermind statistics, would suggest that the team should have tripped and fallen into a World Series Championship at some point in the last 100 years.

The fact that they have failed to do so does not mean that the Baseball Gods (speaking of which, how often do you hear about “the gods” of any other sport?) are punishing the Cubs for a perceived slight to a goat ten decades ago – but don’t think for a minute that the weight of 100 years of failure won’t try to crush the Cubbies at some point this year. Just ask Moises Alou, Mark Prior and Dusty Baker. And Alex Gonzalez, while you’re at it.

I don’t know if there are supernatural forces really at work here – I think there are probably not. But I don’t discount the importance of thousands of people believing that there ARE these forces, and you can bet your bottom dollar that at least a few of those believers are wearing the blue pinstripes for a living.

(2) The Route.

Simply put, the White Sox would be in third place in the NL Central, sitting 5.5 games behind the Cubs. Instead, they’re in first place of the AL Central, 4.5 games ahead of the Minnesota Twins, who are under .500 – like every other team in the division.

Contrary to preseason predictions, the NL Central is arguably the best division in baseball right now, while the supposedly powerful AL Central flounders along with a collective record about 16 games below break-even. The Indians can’t hit, the Tigers can’t pitch, and Minnesota is incredibly young and inexperienced, particularly in the pitching staff. Then there’s Kansas City, who simply can’t win.

Meanwhile, the Cubs have baseball’s best record at 19 games over .500, and they can’t pull away from the Cardinals who, after being predicted as a doormat, have the second-best record in the NL.

Does this guarantee the Sox a trip to the playoffs? Not at all. But it does make their road an awful lot easier. We all know that once the playoffs start, anything can happen – just ask the Rockies, even if they didn’t win the World Series. But looking at a team’s chances, their road to get to the playoffs is perhaps the most important thing, and the Cubs’ road will be significantly tougher than the Sox’s.

(3) The Pitching.

This is the most important of my three points. Which you might have guessed, given that the first two have virtually nothing to do with the White Sox’s current roster.

The Cubs have a pretty solid pitching staff. Certainly their ace is the top dog in the city – there’s no question that Carlos Zambrano is the best pitcher in Chicago, if not in baseball. But let’s look at each staff as a whole…

After Zambrano, the Cubs throw Ryan Dempster – a great surprise and a bona fide number two at this point. But things get ugly after that: of the other players who have seen starting duty for the Cubs, Rich Hill has the best ERA at 4.12, and he was sent to the minors after being almost incapable of finding the plate. The current 3, 4 and 5 starters – Ted Lilly, Jason Marquis and Sean Gallagher – have all been inconsistent at best.

In the bullpen, Kerry Wood has been quite good (despite blowing four saves) and Carlos Marmol is arguably baseball’s best setup man, but those two are followed by more question marks – Michael Wuertz is throwing well now but has never been known for his consistency, Bob Howry and Neal Cotts have ERA’s pushing five, and last year’s promising youngster Kevin Hart has been downright bad all year.

On the South Side, the pitching staff has been almost uniformly spectacular. In fact, the only two pitchers currently on the roster with ERA’s over 3.34 are the perceived number one and two starters: Javier Vasquez is 7-5 and near the league lead in strikeouts despite a 4.13 ERA; Mark Buehrle sports an ugly 4.47, but is also tied for the team lead in quality starts, with nine. Jose Contreras, supposedly a question mark, looks almost like the pitcher who dominated the majors for a year in ‘05 and ‘06, and youngsters Gavin Floyd and John Danks have been fantastic – and surprisingly consistent – all year long.

Meanwhile, the bullpen may be the best in baseball. Scott Linebrink has been a revelation, and is one of the only setup men in baseball who might be better than Marmol, and Bobby Jenks has been one of the most consistently successful closers in baseball since his 2005 debut. Meanwhile, Boone Logan and Matt Thornton have been murderous, particularly against lefties, and Octavio Dotel has proved to be a nice pickup. The lone bullpen pitcher with an ERA over 3.00 is Nick Massett, a long reliever whose modest 3.34 fails to capture the critical role he’s played in several games where starters were bounced early.

All told, both sides of town have impressive staffs, but there shouldn’t be much discussion over whose is better. And if Sox fans learned anything in 2005, it’s that pitching wins championships.

So there you have it – small victory though it may be in mid June, the White Sox are more prepared for their World Series run than are the Cubs.

There are other things I could point out – the Sox hitting has yet to really click, but they still lead the majors in home runs and sit in first place. The Sox play better defense than the Cubs, on the whole.

But let’s be honest, folks. We don’t know who’s going to win the World Series, because crap happens: injuries happen, collapses happen – hell, anything can happen.

I’m not backing off my claims – I still like the Sox’s chances. I’m just saying it’s unpredictable, and the World Series is a long, long way away.

So for now, I’ll settle for four out of six in the Crosstown Classic.

Go Sox.

I admit I have developed a respectful disdain for Jim Edmonds over the years. He was everything the Cubs always needed but never had - a left-handed, power hitting centerfielder who catches everything in the outfield, and, oh by the way, hits for average too. Over the years, while we’ve been subjected to the likes of Brant Brown, Jacque Jones and Angel Pagan, Edmonds was consistently producing .300 hitting, 30 home runs, and 100 RBI seasons for the St. Louis Cardinals. And playing in two World Series.

So when I heard the Cubs were interested in signing Edmonds, I knew what was coming. My inner Cub predictably reared its ugly head and uttered the following words-

“Not Edmonds. This guy killed us for years. He’s not a Cub. We shouldn’t sign him.”

But over the past few seasons, I have learned to suppress this instinctive response. The desire to win supersedes this childish, whimsical allegiance. It’s sort of like when I saw a box of Ding-Dongs at the bagel shop the other day. The instant gratification is not worth the long term suffering.

Harnessing my counterintuitive powers has become one of the true joys of adulthood.

So what if Edmonds reminds me of what the Cubs have lacked over the years? He can help us win now. This is what matters. Another left-handed hitter in the lineup gives manager Lou Pinella much more flexibility. He can play center against righties. Who would you rather have facing Roy Oswalt or Ben Sheets? A guy who has been in the division for almost a decade, or Felix Pie? If Joe Girardi was managing this team and development of players was the priority, Pie would have time to work out his hitting problems. But not now. Not as long as we have Pinella. Not as long as we have Lee, Ramirez, Fukudome and Soriano (speaking of Soriano, the guy can play a bit, can’t he?)

No one would argue Edmonds is not the player he was as recent as 4 years ago, when he hit 42 homers. The discussion of his moody clubhouse manner is valid. But Steve Traschel he is not. Traschel’s negative personality did little damage to Cub team chemistry last year, mainly because veterans like Derrick Lee minimized the impact. Edmonds can be surly to just about anyone he comes in contact with, but as long as this team continues to win, it won’t matter. The Cubs are signing him to catch and hit, not raise money for stadium improvements.

Maybe another trip to the minors will bring Felix Pie one step closer to becoming the all-around centerfielder we all want him to be. Maybe he will channel the patience of a certain Japanese teammate and learn to take a pitch. Sure, and Roger Clemens is a family guy who won all those games in his 40’s by spiking his Gatorade with Red Bull.

But this isn’t about Pie. This isn’t about what may happen in 2010. The future is now. So if this is true, and Edmonds becomes a Cub, I will embrace it.

I mean, he has to be better than Corey Patterson, right?