The chicago cubs used to resemble a ball club. They used to be just another baseball team, albeit a very popular one. They used to be a lot of good things, but all that my friends, is long gone.

Throughout my tenure as a cubs fan, the cubs have gone from a team to another asset to the Chicago Tribune, and if peope think that the Tribune-Cubs partnership is coming to an end, there are better edds on a cubs world series coming this season. In any normal year, the tribune would never sell the cubs, for they are a business and as long as the cubs bring in the insane amount of money that they do, it is in the tribune's best interest to keep the Chicago Cubs.

But this year, 2006, is not a normal year for the tribune. Their television station, WGN, is struggling horribly against other stations like NBC, ABC, and FOX. It has gotten so bad, in fact, that WGN is undergoing a makeoverand is now called the CW, which i think represents a merging between WGN and another struggling station in Chicago WCIU. The tribune now is desperate to hold on to the cubs and milk them for everything they are worth, and since when they are losing they still draw 30,000 plus, there is no reason to increase payroll or put any extra money into the cubs, because that would be bad business. Why put more money into a cog like the cubs, if the return will be the same? Cubs fans are more reliable than a mailman. They will show up in any weather, no matter houw bad the team is, and for the tribune, that is music to their ears.

That said, the tribune can be defeated. But it will take an enormous effort from the city of chicago. We must stop showing up to games, stop buying their merchandise, stop eating their $4 hot dogs and $6 beers. We must cut off all money supply to the tribune. But this will never happen. If the people attending wrigley were only cubs fons then it would happen. But every game there are tourists and people just looking to get drunk and boo thye other team, or people that moved from other cities to chicago that come to wrigley when their team comes to town. Our only way out is for a Steinbrenner type figure to overpay for the cubs so much that it will be worth it for the tribune will sell, and that doesnt look remotely close to happening.

And so to me, the sad realization that the cubs will be bad for a long timehas finally hit, and for now i can only say, "Theres always next year." (whether i actually have hope in next years squad is irrelivent.)

I was born in the north side of chicago and have lived as an avid Cubs fan for all 19 years i have been blessed with on this earth. The only thing that annoys me more than a white sox victory is a sox fan. If you know enough cubs fans you have most probably heard this before. But i am about to go out on a limb as a Cubs fan right here. I love Ozzie Gillen. Thats it, I said it, I just love the way the guy manages his ballclub.

For me to come out and say this after what Ozzie said about Jay Marriotti being a $#@ may be a little ill-timed, but what he said is what precisely makes him one of the games premiere managers. Ozzie Guillen conducts himself in the public eye as a person that does not care at all what people have to say about him, about his team, or anything at all related to him. But what he does care about is the way people conduct themselves while doing it, and he has given this "admirable trait" (at least in my eyes) over to his players. Jay Marrioti is entitled as a member of the media to basically say anything he wants, and Ozzie fully understands that. But Ozzie was right to call out marrioti for being the little wimp that he was by questioning Guillen and calling for Dusty Baker's removal from Chicago without ever showing up in the clubhouse to accept from players and managers what he dishes out. During the first sox/cubs series there was some other drama besides for the Barrett punch on Pyerzinski. After AJ homered off Zambrano, he appeared to be mocking carlos when he pointed to the sky while crossing home plate. Ozzie, along with many media members echoed the idea that if you are going to dish it out, then take it. It seems like that concept has unanimous approval.

Ozzie's team oozes confidence every time they step on the field. If they take a lead early, the game is already in the books, and no matter how many runs down they are in the ninth inning, they always put something together. Ozzie instilled in Joe Crede the confience to finally get some hitting to go along with his gold glove fielding. Aj Pyerzinski is playing the best baseball of his career and should have been an outright All Star, not struggling to make it as a late add-in. Bobby Jenks is a top five closer in just his first full year in the majors. Garland started the year shaky but his last four starts yielded a low 3 era and 4 wins. What Ozzie is done is nothing short of a great job and at the end of the day is doing exactly what a manager needs to do, make sure his team wins, and isn't that what baseball is all about? 

When i heard the rumors of ben wallace coming to chicago, i though the bulls had a good idea going on. He is a great rebunder for his size, 11 1/2 last year is really good but not  great. Tyson chandler pulled down 10 per two years ago and nobody really noticed. But ben's defense is what really makes him good, all the blocks and steals, not to mention the countless times players hesitate or alter their shots because of his mere presence. ( His one on one defense is not that great though. In the playoffs you saw him fall prey to spin moves from shaq and cheap arm-guided drives from lebron james)

But when i heard that he was getting sixty million over four years i could have passed out. When you look at it,  at least to me, he is basically a poor man's dennis rodman. Rodman's was a legendary rebounder, pulling down 15-18 boards per game on a regular basis. And dont forget about theway he frustrated players with his physical defense, which does as much as steals and blocks because of the countless times players couldnt get a shot off with him in their face. And what was rodman making per year? He brought in 4.5 million guaranteed and 5.something in potential incentives. Thats 10 million maximum per year. Ben Wallace is not Dennis Rodman, and deserves less money than Dennis Rodman got. Enough said  

I think the pressure was on the bull's GM, paxon, to make a move, and paxon buckled. The money would have been better sent on a player like Nen'e, who can rebound and put up solid offensive numbers, and is a bigger body. And unlike wallace, Nene is not asking for an increase in offensive touches, which he will get anyway. I believe that the Fro is now bigger than Ben himself, and paxon fell bait to the all-encompasing fan attraction we call the FRO.