Dempster is coming off a career year few people thought possible.  It's also improved his projections and makes him a fairly valuable starter this offseason.  But exactly how much is he worth?

I've used Colin Wyers' 2009 Marcels projections and calculated his WAR (Wins Above Replacement).  You can read about that method here.

Ok, Dempster is projected to be worth 2.78 WAR in 2009.  The average player regresses 0.5 WAR each year meaning in 2010 he'd 2.28 WA, 1.78 WAR in 2011 and 1.28 WAR in 2012.  A total of 8.2 WAR over 4 years.

Each win is valued at $4.84 million in 2009.  The 3 years after that are $5.32 million, $5.86 million, and $6.44 million.  The average value over these 4 years for the win is $5.37 million.

Now that we know what Dempster can be expected to do the next 4 years as well as the cost of the win, we can figure out how much he's worth.  So, 8.2 WAR times $5.37 million. 

$44 million over 4 years.  If you wanted to go 3 years, he's worth $36 million. 

The Cubs have more holes and more options with the offense than they do their pitching staff.  Let's just go around the diamond.

Geovany Soto had an outstanding rookie season that's sure to get him the Rookie of the Year Award.  Not that it means anything about Soto's future, the last 2 Cubs to win the ROY haven't gone on to as much as Cubs fans had hoped.  Jerome Walton won the award in 1989 and was never the same after 1989.  He wasn't even good.  Kerry Wood won the award in 1998 and missed the entire 1999 season before a career that's been filled with injuries resumed in 2000.  The injuries pushed him to the bullpen.

There's no reason to expect Soto not to produce in 2009.  He won't be as good as he was in 2008, most likely, but he'll still be very good.  The question with this position is the back-up spot that Henry Blanco has had for a few years. 

The Cubs hold a team option on Blanco for $3 million or they can buy that out for $300,000.  I just don't see the Cubs exercising this option.  $3 million for a back-up catcher is a lot of money and the Cubs could use some of that money elsewhere.  Blanco is as good a back-up catcher as there is in my opinion.  I expect the Cubs to buy him out and then try to re-sign him for 1 year $1.5 million. 

Should they do that though? A back-up catcher isn't going to get much playing time since he most likely can only play that position.  Maybe 120 or 130 plate appearances.  I'd like to see the Cubs pass on Blanco and have a spring training battle for that spot on the roster.  Welington Castillo is as good a defensive catcher there is in the minor leagues and he even started to hit a little bit this season as he reached AA.  Let Castillo and Koyie Hill and some other catcher you bring to spring training battle it out.  If the race is even, go with Castillo.

1st base could be interesting this offseason if the rumors of the Cubs being willing to trade Lee are true.  The odds are that the Cubs would acquire a 1st basemen via trade if they did trade Lee.  Teixeira is a free agent, but he's going to get $20 million per year for too many years.  Adam Dunn can stand in the vicinity of 1st base, but probably can't play it.  After that, Hendry would have to get creative to fill a hole left by trading Lee.

I'm not against doing so as long as I don't hear even one time about the possibility of Micah Hoffpauir taking over the position full-time.  That would be a disaster.  Odds are the Cubs won't be able to find a suitable replacement for Lee so they'll hold onto him. 

Who plays 2nd?  DeRosa or Fontenot?  I guess that will depend on what the Cubs do in RF.  Either is more than capable of playing 2nd and DeRosa can play some RF as well.  Could Theriot be moved to 2nd?  That's my guess. 

The Cubs went really hard after Rafael Furcal 3 winters ago and I'd be surprised if they don't do the same this year and end up getting him this time.  I don't think the Cubs go into the 2009 season with Soriano leading off so one of the positions they are going to want to fill as much or more than any other is the leadoff spot.  Furcal is a free agent and despite the injury to his back, appears to be capable of producing at a high level for at least a couple more years. 

Acquiring Rafael Furcal wouldn't mean that Ryan Theriot goes to the bench as many of us hope.  It would mean he'd move to 2nd base and either DeRosa would be traded or he'd play every day.  Fontenot then becomes either a player whose probably too good to be a bench player or trade bait. 

While it is true that Aramis Ramirez and Alfonso Soriano are lazy, I've been told by a reliable source that they are working hard on becoming less Hispanic.  That bodes well for them. 

We know that Felix Pie won't be given the job in CF and odds even if he won it in spring training, he'd be benched the first time he went 0-4.  I think Pie is traded because it's just not likely the Cubs are going to carry him on the 25-man roster next year.  The only problem with trading him is that every other team knows that too and won't be willing to give up anything of consequence for him.  So the Cubs either include him in some larger deal or they lose him at the end of spring training.  I don't see any other realistic outcome here.

Reed Johnson returns for the Cubs and as of now is penciled in as the starting CF.  The Cubs will find someone, anyone, who can either platoon with Johnson or play full-time. 

Kosuke Fukudome more than proved he's worthless at the plate.  Think Neifi Perez and then think of any hitter you thought that wasn't even as good as Neifi.  That's Fukudome.  But the man can play some defense.  I think in the end Fukudome moves to CF where his bat will still suck, but it's at a position you don't need as much offense from and he'll play some stellar defense.  He'll swing and miss while spinning out of the box a few hundred times. 

While I think moving Fukudome to CF is actually a pretty good fit, and the easiest fix possible, I'm not sure he'll stick in CF through the entire season.  It took seemingly forever for the fans to turn on Fukudome even though it took them 3 at-bats to boo Jack Jones, but they have turned on him.  He got one of the loudest boos in the postseason when he came up to bat (he hadn't even batted yet!).  People know my opinion on those who do that shit, but there's nothing you or I can do about it.  Cubs fans will continue to be idiot, assholes whether I like it or not.  He's going to get treated like shit next season by the fans and one has to wonder what's in his best interest.  I can't imagine it's playing at Wrigley Field. 

I didn't do this for the pitching last night, but had meant to.  So I'm going to do a separate post with the 2009 Marcels projections and maybe we can get an idea of how many games the Cubs will win with the roster they currently have. 

Now, I'm not sure that Maddog's opinions are reflective of everyone's here, but if they are then I have to saya€"I'm not exactly sure why everyone is waiting on pins and needles for Hendry to deal Marquis. Admittedly, I have been pretty critical of Marquis the past couple yearsa€"and the fact that he is due $9.875M is certainly frustrating-- but (like MD said) at the very least you know he will provide capable if not stellar innings.

And the reason this is relevant is because I disagree over what Jeff Samardzija's future holds for him. Personally, I think his peformance in the minors just prior to being called up is indicative of the fact that at the very least Samardzija has potential as a starter. I'm not sure that his command will ever reach a point where he'd be a possible #1 or 2, but as a #3 or 4 he'd be much more valuable to the club than he would be as simply a 7th/8th inning guy.

I say at the very least, give him a chance to go down to Iowa and prove himself as a starter. Hang on to Marquis until at least June or July and if come summer time Samardzija is pushing him for his job, then consider dealing him. Because in my opinion, restricting him to relief work would be selling Samardzija short and it would be an unfortunate instance of the organization neglecting to maximize the value of a critical resource.

And to clarify herea€"the reason I believe the Cubs can afford be patient with Samardzija is because for better or for worse, I think both Wood and Dempster will end up re-signing with the team. Not that I have a ton of evidence to support this claim, but I just think that considering both of these guys' highly publicized love affairs with Jim and Hendry and the city of Chicago, they have to be considered likely to return.  To put it bluntlya€"I'd be willing to bet a considerable amount of money that on Opening Day of 2009 that the Cubs' rotation and bullpen will include both Ryan Dempster and Kerry Wood respectively.

Just ask yourself this: With our incumbent Ace and #2 starter (however you choose to arrange them) coming off a season in which they combined to toss just 336.2 innings, are you really that anxious to move a pitcher who is a mortal lock to take the ball every fifth day? And furthermore, is Sean Marshall really a viable alternative for the rotation? Over the course of the past three years Marshall has been given ample opportunities to prove to the the organization that he can cut it in the rotation. Thus far, whether it's been due to health concerns, or ineffectiveness, Marshall hasn't been able to lock down a spot in the rotation (as a starter, his career ERA is 4.80 versus 3.03 as a reliever).  In my opinion, given his experience as a starter and his success as a reliever, Marshall's role on this club going forward should be as the long-man in the 'pen.

Like I said earliera€"I've been one of the most outspoken Marquis bashers the past couple years. He definitely can be a frustrating pitcher to watch. But considering the lack of viable in-house alternatives, and the understanding that one of Zambrano or Harden is a safe bet to miss some time next year, I think that trading Marquis would be a mistake.

The Cubs currently have 35 guys on their 40-man roster.  This does not include any potential free agents (Dempster, Wood, Howry, Lieber, Fox).  Howry, Lieber and Fox are gone.  The Cubs will try to re-sign Dempster and Wood, but once the World Series is over, each will file for free agency and be off the 40-man roster until or if they are re-signed.  The roster is comprised of 17 pitchers and 18 position players.  Let's take a look at the pitching staff today.

The current rotation would be Zambrano, Harden, Lilly, Marquis and Marshall.  The Cubs will probably re-sign Dempster and try to trade Marquis this offseason opening the 5th spot in the rotation for Sean Marshall who has 2 seasons in a row with an ERA below 4.  I don't think it's reasonable to expect Marshall to continue doing that.  His Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP) was 4.27 this year and 4.57 last year.  I do think you can expect Marshall to be about league average with a little upside perhaps. 

The Cubs should be able to trade Marquis this winter.  He's coming off 2 relatively decent seasons and he's been healthy and will give you innings, which is something a lot of teams will look for.  Most importantly, he only has one year remaining on his contract.  The return won't be much, but if the Cubs are intent on trading Marquis, unlike last year, he'll be of interest to more than a few teams. 

Even if the Cubs fail to re-sign Wood, they've got a closer in Carlos Marmol and one could even argue that spending the resources you'd have to in order to re-sign Wood might be better spent in another way.  I'm not convinced of that, but it does appear that Jeff Samardzija's career is in the bullpen.  I say that because nearly every report this offseason has him being a key set-up man next year.  Marshall is mentioned as a possible starter, but Samardzija seems to have found his role with this team in the 7th or 8th inning.  I have no idea what his career will become, but the expectations are obviously of him being a shut down reliever.  As such, do the Cubs really need to spend $10 or $12 million per year for 3 or 4 years to bring Kerry Wood back?  Not doing so is a risk.  We don't know what Samardzija will do and his walk rate and ball/strike rate is atrocious.  Then again, it's a risk signing any reliever, especially one with Wood's injury history. 

Were Hendry to call me and ask me to make the decisions, I'd tell him to re-sign Dempster and to offer Wood arbitration.  If he takes it, it's only one year so there's no risk.  Odds are he won't take and you'll end up getting 2 draft picks.  I'd trade Marquis so Marshall could take his spot in the rotation.  To fill Wood's absence in the bullpen, you obviously promote Marmol to closer and you give Samardzija the first opportunity nail down the 8th inning role.  The Cubs only have one lefty in the pen in Cotts and he's not really a LOOGY.  I'd see what Veal can do in spring training and if not him, then you go with Ceda or Guzman as the final spot. 

That being said, the Cubs are likely to re-sign both Wood and Dempster, which leaves Marmol in the 8th inning role unless the Cubs wanted to be creative and trade him for a key offensive player they need.  That won't happen though.  I do think Marquis gets traded and Marshall takes over.  The Cubs will go with one lefty in the pen until the deadline.  Jose Ceda will get a legitimate shot to make this team out of spring training and will probably steal the 7th inning relief role away from Samardzija at some point early in the season. 

Really, the pitching for this team is pretty easy to figure out.  The offense has a few more holes and many more options.  I'll take a look at the offense over the next couple of days as it will need to be broken down in a couple parts. 

We needed a new thread and it's Saturday, it's fall, and that means college football.  There was some baseball yesterday too.  The Rays lost the Red Sox and trail 1-0 in the series.  The Phillies took a 2-0 lead on the Dodgers.

I'm going to be contacting someone regarding a re-design to the site so I figured I'd ask you for your thoughts.  What do you like?  What pisses you off?  What do you want? 

My take on the top Cubs prospects for 2009. This is a dynamic list that's subject to change over the winter.

One thing to notice is that three of the Cubs top 10 prospects for 2008 were moved for Harden. One graduated to the majors. That leaves the list thin on major league-ready talent, but there's quite a bit at the lower levels.

I should also note that this is not a ranking. There's a definite hierarchy and you can see the tiers of prospect, but that's about the only distinction.

Josh Vitters (3B): The best hitter in the Cubs system in more than 20 years. His vision, hand-eye coordination and bat speed are unrivaled in the organization. His defense should pass at third and is likely in line to crack the ML lineup by 2011. Has all the tools to consistently hit over .300 with 30+ home runs. Great strike zone judgment, but he likes to hit. Who gives a fuck if it was the Northwest League? He was 18 all year. If healthy, I bet he finishes next season at Daytona.



2. Jeff Samardzija (RHP): Normally wouldn't be on the list, but I have him here because I still see him as a starter. As most of you know, his fastball sits in the low- to mid-90s (and can hit the high-90s) with a TON of movement. Good slider and filthy splitter round out his repertoire. He still gets too much of the plate and loses control at times, but he has the stuff and the makeup to be a frontline starter in the future.

Dae Eun Rhee (RHP): Dominated low-A ball in his U.S. debut in 2008. Features a low-90s fastball that he can dial up to the mid 90s if he needs, a curve and a splitter-like change. Would have been higher (and might have finished the season in Daytona) had he not been injured.

Andrew Cashner (RHP): Reliever or starter? Considered the top college reliever in the 2008 draft by many. The jury is still out on whether he can start or not, as the opinion is polarizing. Throws a high-90s fastball, killer slider and power curve that can all be considered out pitches when he commands them well. I'm sure Wilken likes him as a starter because of his size and athleticism. As a reliever, he's a top-5 prospect. As a starter, we'll seea€¦

Larry Suarez (RHP): Big righty draws Z comparisons with his live fastball, slider and change. Starting to see refinement on his pitches, so look for him at Peoria this year. Oneri Fleita called him the best Latin American pitcher in 2006.

Christ Carpenter (RHP): Pitches in the low- to mid-90s with a sinking fastball that can touch 98. Has a good hard curve and an OK change. Needs to refine control, but induces a lot of weak contact and gets a fair amount of Ks. He's a first-round talent that fell to the third because of injury issues. If healthy, this kid WILL pitch in the bigs.

Aaron Shafer (RHP): Was considered a top-10 pick before injuring his elbow. He came back and pitched just as well in 2008 as he did before the injury, but the loss of a few ticks on his fastball dropped him to the Cubs in round 2. Commands his fastball that sits around 90, his big curve and change very well. Had success late in his pro debut. If he finds the velocity he lost after the injury, he instantly becomes the Cub pitcher with the highest upside.

Jay "Don't call me Randy, dawg" Jackson (RHP): Moved from Boise, through Peoria and on to Daytona last year, thanks to success at all levels. Features a low-90s fastball, plus slider and decent change. Doesn't have the pedigree of some of the other prospects, but his success can't be denied. Also played OF at Furman.

Ryan Flaherty ("SS"): Big lefty doesn't have the power you'd expect from someone his size. He tore up the Northwest League, but it was probably weaker competition than he faced playing for Team USA and Vanderbil. Expect him to move to 2B in the near future. Looking around, it seems I'm not the only one who sees him as Chase Utley lite.

Tyler Colvin (OF): His value increases greatly if he can handle CF at the ML level. He has the speed and arm to do so. Lefty can hit well and for decent power, but still swings at pitches out of the zone too much and struggles with strike zone judgment (which improved a bit in 2008). Combining the hitting ability, power and patience he's shown at times (but not usually concurrently) would make him a good CF option.

Jose Ceda (RHP): Big-league fastball and slider right now. Control is holding him back. A big, intimidating guy, Ceda can touch 99 with his fastball with relative ease. He might break with the big club in 2009 to get a taste of the pen. With better control, he'll be the team's closer soon.

2010 list possibilities:

Yohan Gonzalez (RHP): Big Latin American signing of 2007. Didn't miss a lot of bats in 2008, but didn't walk a lot or give up many hits either.

Jeffrey Antigua (LHP): Hard-throwing lefty that gets a lot of weak contact. Pitched well at 17 in the AZL. Should fill out and add velocity. Look for him at Boise or Peoria next season.

Lee Hak-Ju (SS): 17-year-old drew rave reviews from scouts, who say he looks better in the field than Derek Jeter did at this age. Played briefly in an Aussie League and will likely make his U.S. debut next season.

Ryan Searle (RHP): Aussie pitched well in his U.S. debut, going from Mesa to Boise. Throws two different fastballs, a curve, a slider and a changeup that's a work in progress. Likely our next Sean Gallagher a€" a kid with unimpressive size and stuff that gets results.

Harry Pavilidis has a nice chart up of several names that are either Cubs or have been rumored to be on the Cubs offseason wish list. 

The following table shows the Cubs players who are under contract for 2009. Henry Blanco just has an option that includes a $300,000 buyout. Next to each players name is the number of options he has remaining. This chart can be found just below the site logo at all times.

Chicago Cubs

2009 Salary Chart

Player (options left)

Position

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

Jose Ascanio (1)

Pitcher

 

 

 

 

 

 

Neal Cotts (0)

Pitcher

Arb.

 

Chad Gaudin (0)

Pitcher

Arb.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Angel Guzman (1)

Pitcher

 

 

 

Rich Harden (0)

Pitcher

7.000

Kevin Hart (2)

Pitcher

 

 

 

 

Rich Hill (0)

Pitcher

 

 

Ted Lilly (0)

Pitcher

12.000

12.000

Carlos Marmol (1)

Pitcher

 

Jason Marquis (0)

Pitcher

9.875

Sean Marshall (1)

Pitcher

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Billy Petrick (2)

Pitcher

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Carmen Pignatiello (2)

Pitcher

 

 

 

Jeff Samardzija (2)

Pitcher

1.300

2.500

2.8.00

3.000

3.500

Randy Wells (3)

Pitcher

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Michael Wuertz (0)

Pitcher

Arb.

 

Carlos Zambrano (0)

Pitcher

17.750

17.875

17.875

18.000

19.250

Henry Blanco (0)

C

3.000

 

 

 

 

Ronny Cedeno (0)

SS

Arb.

Mark DeRosa (0)

2B

5.500

Mike Fontenot (1)

2B

 

Jake Fox (1)

OF/C

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fukudome (4)

OF

12.000

12.000

12.000

 

 

 

 

Sam Fuld (2)

CF

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Koyie Hill (0)

C

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Micah Hoffpauir (2)

1B/OF

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reed Johnson (0)

OF

Arb.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Derrek Lee (0)

1B

13.000

13.000

 

 

 

Casey McGehee (3)

IF

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Felix Pie (0)

OF

 

Aramis Ramirez (0)

3B

15.650

15.750

14.600

16.000

Brad Snyder (0)

OF

Alfonso Soriano (0)

OF

16.000

18.000

18.000

18.000

18.000

18.000

Geovany Soto (0)

C

 

Ryan Theriot (2)

SS

 

 

NOTES:

•Salaries information came from mlb4u.com and Cot's Baseball Contracts and AZ Phil

•Dollars are in Millions

•Numbers in blue: player option

•Numbers in red: club option

•Guzman, Marmol, Marshall, and Theriot could qualify as Super-Two players, meaning they'd be arbitration eligible

•The following players have some form of No-Trade protection: Ted Lilly, Jeff Samardzija, Carlos Zambrano, Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramierz, Kosuke Fukudome, and Alfonso Soriano

• Henry Blanco's $3 million option also includes a $300,000 buyout if the Cubs decide not to exercise their option.

• Rich Harden can demand a trade since he was traded in the middle of a long-term contract.

The Cubs currently have just over $113 million in payroll for 2009. Crane Kenney recently stated the payroll would increase next year from the $130 million it was this year. A couple of the beat reporters have suggested the Cubs payroll would be around $150 million in 2009. That gives the Cubs a lot of money to play around with. I don't completely understand the options process, but AZ Phil shows Fukudome has 4 options left (which is absolutely correct), but I wonder if he can refuse an option. I'm guessing he can't, which means there is a good chance Fukudome will be sent to Iowa or Daytona or Mesa at some point in 2009.

Now begins our look at the availability of players within the system or on the free agent market at the responsibilities we determined over the last week.  I've taken the 9th priority, Cubbie Fan NONSESE and then priorities 11-29.  We'll discuss those first.

9th on the list was Cubbie Fan NONSENSE.  Cubbie Fan actually left a priority list, but each of his 9 points were nonesene.  I don't know how you get ready for nonsense, but it's apparently a priority so the Cubs will need to do something.

11-29 included the following priorities:

Scrap

Defense up the middle

hustle

innings

runs

Owners

rbi

guys who hit in the playoffs

postsesaon character

Fire Lou

Quit and Give up

Draft

Light Sox fans on fire

Kneecap Ryan Theriot

heart

solid defensive catcher

more savoring

finger tape

leadoff hitter with OBP of .349 or higher (unless rest of hitters are good, in which case it can be .339, but under NO CIRCUMSTANCES should it be .344)

I'm pretty sure lighting Sox fans on fire is illegal so we should probably just skip that one.  Maybe someone will come along who doesn't care about breaking laws and take care of this priority for us.  One can hope.

Kneecapping Ryan Theriot, while a brilliant idea, seems a bit out of line. 

You know what's so funny about that list?  All of them but one were jokes.  Post season character was actually a priority left on some dude's list.  His only priority. 

A Red Sox fan told us our priority should be to quit and give up.  Probably not going to happen.

The best priority among these is the last one:  leadoff hitter with OBP of .349 or higher (unless rest of hitters are good, in which case it can be .339, but under NO CIRCUMSTANCES should it be .344)

Tomorrow I'll begin to take a look at the actual priorities to see what could and should be done. 

A rumor was started earlier today by Dave Van Dyck that Rich Harden was going to require surgery on his labrum.  That's not true according to the Cubs and they've picked up his option worth $7 million, which was a no-brainer. 

Pmayo said he heard Dave Van Dyck on the radio say that Rich Harden is likely going to have his labrum trimmed.  Labrum surgeries are usually the end of a career.

POSITION

SCORE





SS

203





RF

132





Starting Pitcher

106





LH Power Bat

101





CF

90





1st Base

78





Relief Pitcher

59





LOOGY

54





Cubbie Fan NONSENSE

54





Bench

26





Scrap

23





Defense up the middle

20





hustle

16





innings

14





runs

12





Owners

11





rbi

10





guys who hit in the playoffs

10





postsesaon character

10





Fire Lou

10





Quit and Give up

10





Draft

8





Light Sox fans on fire

6





Kneecap Ryan Theriot

6





heart

4





solid defensive catcher

4





more savoring

3





finger tape

3





leadoff hitter with OBP of .349 or higher (unless rest of hitters are good, in which case it can be .339, but under NO CIRCUMSTANCES should it be .344)

2

Kosuke Fukudome said he could not care less that there will be competition for his job next spring.  Now imagine for a moment if this were Soriano or Ramirez or Zambrano who had said this and the outrage that would follow.  Ignore for a moment that all 3 of them are better than Fukudome.  So, what will the Cubs fans say about this?  Will they excuse it just as they do every error and baserunning mistake by their lord, Ryan Theriot?

Yeah it sucked that the Cubs were swept out of the playoffs. Again. But, shit happens, and then you die. Most people spend their time worrying about the shit that's happening and fear that they will soon die, and miss all the good stuff.  So, I'm over the loss, and on to different things. But, there are some fans who can't let the Cubs playoff loss go. Oddly enough, many of them seem to be fans of other teams. In fact, a wonderful Brewers fan over at WV 23 ever so eloquently posed a question:

JUST ANSWER ME ONE QUESTION- HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BREEZE THRU THE SEASON AND THEN GET SWEPT BY THE DODGERS AT HOME AND FALL COMPLETELY ON YOUR ASS IN LA FOR A 3 GAME SWEEP OF THE SERIES- HA HA AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAH HHAAAAAAAA

Apparently, he was really, really amped to know our feelings on the matter. It's classy of Brewer fans to be so caring. I'm touched. So, let's answer him.

For my part, it's actually been quite nice.  I've gotten a lot of studying down. I downloaded a copy of The GRE Bible and I'm really starting to make headway in my GRE studying.

I read a book, for the hell of it. And if you haven't read Jon Kennedy Toole's A Confederacy of Dunces, get a copy and read it. Great book. Also, read Kurt Vonnegut's "Cold Turkey" essay. Hilariously irreverent.

I've gotten a good bit of research done for my thesis, and my argument is really rounding into shape.

The Cubs-Sox divide in Chicago is now over and we can all focus our angst on the Bears, who are actually playing better than anyone except Shawn thought they would.

All told, the Cubs' being eliminated early has been not only a relief, but actually a boon.

So how about you? Please don't disappoint this wonderful caring Brewer fan. Let him know how you're doing!