Before Sunday's game in St. Louis, the Chicago Cubs sent outfielder Milton Bradley home for the rest of the season.
Bradley, according to Cubs GM Jim Hendry, was suspended for the remainder of the 2009 season because the way he was speaking to the media about the Cubs' fans was becoming increasingly intolerable.
What surprises me more than Bradley's suspension is that there are people defending him.
There are readers and writers on this site that will undoubtedly spill hellfire onto the comments board below this story, like Marco Radenkovich, saying Bradley never got a fair chance as a member of the Cubs. The fans never ...
Today in the Philadelphia Daily news, writer Paul Hagen offers an intriguing point of view on the Phillies' World Series victory from 2008: It might not have happened if they had signed outfielder Alfonso Soriano.
He points out the truckload of talented younger players the Phillies have been able to lock up since Soriano was a free agent in the winter of 2006, and mentions that the lack of Soriano's albatross contract has also given the Phils the flexibility to made trades for players like Cliff Lee.
Intriguing, even if the cynic in me says "of course hindsight is 20-20."
Soriano has been ...
There has been a lot of speculation about how, and where, the Chicago Cubs could trade their ace, Carlos Zambrano. After a subpar season that's seen Zambrano be hurt, immature, and selfish, his salary and production are headed in opposite directions, and many Cubs fans would like to see him out of town.
Let's first set the record straight. Zambrano is a good major league pitcher. In fact, he's the only pitcher under 30 years of age to have eclipsed 100 career wins in all of baseball. Throughout his career, he's been durable and a winner.
But then there's the attitude, ...
In the middle of the season, I put together my grades for the Chicago Cubs roster, manager, and general manager.
At that point in the year, Milton Bradley hadn't done anything, Aramis Ramirez was hurt and Derrek Lee was warming up. The pitching staff was rotating injures.
At that point, the Cubs still stood a chance of seeing post season baseball.
Now we're in the middle of September. Bradley woke up, Ramirez got healthy, and the team fell apart at the seams. Now, October is reserved for Blackhawks hockey and Bears football on Chicago's North Side.
Granted, we've still got three weeks of baseball, ...
The Chicago Cubs swept the Pittsburgh Pirates today, taking all three games in their short series.
I have a simple response to the Cubs after their strong offensive showing in the Steel City: Thanks!
Thanks for bringing out the lumber in a series that's now meaningless. It was impressive to see how well the offense turned around over and over with names like Fold, Scales, Blanco and Hoffpauir in the lineup.
In fact, Micah Hoffpauir now has 10 home runs and 28 runs batted in to show for only 191 at bats in Chicago this year. Milton Bradley, who was brought in to hit ...
As the season gets ready to start, the Chicago Bears have all the hopes in the world for a division championship.
With Jay Cutler in the fold and Brian Urlacher fully healthy for the first time in two years, the Bears begin their season with aspirations of doing something special.
If they're going to achieve their goals, though, they need to get out of the gates strong.
The Bears open the season in prime time at their archrival, the Green Bay Packers. That game should provide great theatre as two 25-year-old stud quarterbacks, Cutler and Aaron Rodgers, play each other as divisional foes ...
Could there be a more contrasting series of hours between two baseball teams in one city?
Late last week, the Chicago Cubs had two pitchers in the final years of their respective contracts, Rich Harden and Aaron Heilman, claimed on waivers. Reports were that the Minnesota Twins claimed Harden, while the San Francisco Giants claimed Heilman.
Harden has been very good lately for the Cubs, but he's one of a very small number of players on the Cubs' roster about whom that can be said. The North Side Ship is sinking fast, and Harden could have brought back a few prospects from ...
The Chicago Cubs had the opportunity to move two pitchers off their staff after they were claimed off waivers, but they were unable to reach an agreement on deals for either of them.
Rich Harden and Aaron Heilman were both claimed off waivers last week, reportedly by the Twins and Giants, respectively.
Harden has pitched very well in the second half of the season, and his value likely escalated in the wake of the Angels trading for Scott Kazmir. Heilman, meanwhile, has been a waste of both money and a roster spot.
In not moving either pitcher, the Cubs and General Manager Jim ...
The Chicago Cubs are a mess.
Last year, they had the best record in the National League. In 2009, they're going to need a miracle to make the playoffs.
Last year, they had the top offense in the National League. In 2009, they're near the bottom.
Last year, they were near the top in starting pitching, but their bullpen failed more than the management was willing to stomach. So they had a winter overhaul. In 2009, they lead the National League in blown saves.
There are a lot of problems with this team, but I think there's a way to get back ...
Less than a week ago, I wrote a piece in which I referred to Carlos Zambrano as "Big Zero" after he failed to look competent against the Washington Nationals.
The response to that piece was mixed, as is the general sentiment towards Zambrano in Chicago these days. Statistically, Zambrano is as good as any right handed pitcher in the game for his career. But lately, his injuries and attitude have aggravated many fans.
When the Cubs began a homestand with the Nationals, and Zambrano had a poor showing, I was angry. Big-money pitchers need to be their best when the money's ...
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