1908 World Champions

The Chicago Sun-Times' Gordon Wittenmyer:

Forget Jim Edmonds. If the Cubs want to go after a San Diego player who can make a difference in a World Series push, maybe they should be looking at Greg Maddux.

Whether the Cubs could give the Padres the right package to get the 350-game winner is at least a dice roll. And whether Maddux would waive his full no-trade clause to risk being a three-time loser with the Cubs for the possible reward of a historic championship is doubtful.

He said this week he's not looking to go anywhere else. And he told those close to the team he prefers to stay in Southern California should the last-place Padres want to deal him in the coming weeks.

But he has said that kind of thing before. And if the Cubs have shown anything in the last 18 months, it's that they're serious about pushing more aggressively for a title than at any time in franchise history -- at least until the next owner takes over.

''Greg will have movement when he's throwing to his grandchildren. He'll change speeds to his grandson, probably.''
-- San Diego manager Bud Black, after Padres' pitcher Greg Maddux became the ninth pitcher in Major League Baseball to win his 350th game.

25 years ago, the famous tirade of Chicago Cubs manager Lee Elia occurred following a 4-3 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Here's the audio. (Warning: Very, very adult language.)

Following is the transcript of the outburst...

Cincinnati Reds announcer Marty Brennaman apparently does not like Cub fans...

(via Deuce of Davenport)

Felix Pie's two-run single in top of 15th gives Cubs 6-4 win.

The Cubs beat the Astros today, 3-2.

Both teams wore softball jerseys for the game, though there was no beer keg visible behind home plate.

ESPN's latest power rankings lists The North Side Juggernaut as only the sixth-best team in the Major Leagues.

Everyone knows the Cubs' 1-3 2008 record is evidence of early-season sandbagging, and nothing else... listing The North Side Juggernaut as only the sixth-best team in baseball is more than just an oversight.

The Cubs' Kosuke Fukudome hit a 3-run dinger to tie the game, 3-3, in the bottom of the 9th against the Milwaukee Brewers -- making Fukudome 3 for 3, with 3 RBIs in his first game with the Cubs.

For the day, Fukudome has a homer, a double, a single, and a walk. Not a bad debut...

Update: Unfortunately, no one in the Cubs bullpen today could do a good impersonation of Three-Finger Brown, and the Cubs lost to the Brewers in 10 innings, 4-3.

Update II: Here's the story on the Brewers' 4-3 Opening Day win over the Cubs.

The 2008 season is upon us, and after strenuous evaluation of the empirical data, we project the Cubs' final 2008 record at 149-13.

Some may ask, Why the pessimism? Well, years of disappointment have caused this corner to curb our enthusiasm.

But the bottom line is, Watch out for the North Side Juggernaut ... or you might get run over...