Cubs: August 2008 Archives

By Erik Jacobsen
Staff Writer

Everyone has their favorite sports weekends of the year. Some love the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament, others love the opening weekend of the NFL and some really get excited about Daytona 500 weekend.

Although this isn't traditionally thought of as a great sports weekend, for those of us in Chicago it certainly deserves a look this year. Simply put, there's something for every sports fan over the next three days.

On the local front, Chicago's two first-place baseball teams are both at home in a pair of high-profile series. The Cubs host arch-rival St. Louis with a chance to bury the Cardinals' hopes in the NL Central. Meanwhile, the defending champion Red Sox are paying a visit to U.S Cellular, where the White Sox will try to prove they have what it takes to make a lengthy run in October.

The excitement extends well beyond Chicago, though, as Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia and others are vying to win golf's final major of the season at the PGA Championship at Oakland Hills in Michigan.

As if that isn't enough, the Beijing Olympics are also starting up on the other side of the world. NBC will be providing sports nuts with around-the-clock coverage, so there will never be a moment when you can't catch come some action. Who's up for some air rifle Saturday morning?

Throw in Saturday's Arlington Million at Arlington Race Track, the continuing NASCAR Nextel Cup chase and the building excitement over NFL training camp and it's clear there's plenty to keep an eye on this weekend. So find your favorite spot on the couch and make yourself comfortable because it doesn't get much better than this.

By Chris Pummer
Staff Writer

I love baseball's Aug. 31 trade deadline. It doesn't provide the rampant speculation the July 31 non-waiver deadline does, but I think it's much more interesting because of the waiver process.

Teams put almost all of their players on waivers, both to gauge interest from other teams and to sometimes slip guys through under a smokescreen of names. But the claiming team has to be careful, because if they're not they could be awarded a player and his bloated contract.

The best example I can think of is when the Blue Jays unloaded former Cubs closer Randy Myers on the Padres in 1998. The Pads put in a claim to make sure the Braves wouldn't get the lefty. The Jays, after giving him an ill-advised deal the previous offseason, said "Go ahead and have him."

For less than 15 crappy innings of work from Myers, the Padres ended up having to pay more than $14 million.

So teams think twice before putting in claims, and that's why the Cubs were able to squeeze a decent relief prospect out of the Phillies for Scott Eyre. While Eyre's price tag wasn't nearly as high as Myers' was, it was high enough to keep other teams from blocking the trade.

With paychecks in baseball now bigger than ever, I expect a couple more big contracts to change hands this month.

By Erik Jacobsen
Staff Writer

Cubs fans might be somewhat gleeful over the news that the White Sox fell out of first place with their ugly loss to the Royals on Sunday. But I suggest that fans on both sides of town pull hard for both teams to reach the postseason.

It's time for Chicago baseball fans to put aside their differences for a few months and look out for the best interests of both teams. In my opinion, the two squads would without a doubt benefit from having their crosstown rival in the playoffs.

The way I see it, instead of having the intense media focus on just one team, it would take pressure off both teams if playoff baseball were being played on both the South Side and North Side. Instead of hysterical headlines about one squad's rise or demise, the teams would have to share Chicago's consciousness, which probably wouldn't be a bad thing as the first round or two of the postseason could have a business-as-usual atmosphere.

Of course, the Sox didn't need the Cubs around three years ago when they won the World Series. But for a Cubs franchise 100 years removed from its last title, any little advantage could help, and having the Sox around come October might just ease the mind of the team's players and fans.

With those practical rationales aside, who in their right mind could argue against having both teams in the playoffs, simply based on the sheer spectacle such a situation would provide. And who knows, maybe the competitive juices would make both teams refuse to lose for fear of letting down their fan bases, setting up the dream scenario of a meeting between the Cubs and Sox in the Fall Classic.