There is never a dull moment when you are a player or a fan of the Chicago Cubs. The latest crazy moment features first baseman Derrek Lee, relief pitcher Angel Guzman, a batting helmet and a celebratory helmet slap.
On Thursday, Lee scored the game-tying run in the top of the ninth inning after Jeff Baker hit a homer with two outs to give the Cubs the lead over the San Francisco Giants. As Lee and Baker entered the dugout, teammates were celebrating.
During that celebration, Guzman greeted Lee with a helmet slap. The problem? The helmet slapped caused Lee to suffer …read more

Milton Bradley was signed in the offseason by the Chicago Cubs and was viewed as a potential difference maker. However, less than one year into his three-year, $30 contract, this marriage appears to be over.
On Sunday, the Cubs decided to suspend Bradley for the rest of the season. Reading between the lines, it’s safe to say that Bradley won’t be wearing a Cubs uniform any time soon.
Said Jim Hendry, the GM of the Cubs: “Recently, it’s become intolerable to hear Milton talk about our great fans the way he has. We pride ourselves on having the greatest fans in baseball, …read more

It’s safe to say that the Chicago Cubs won’t see their World Series curse end this year. Alfonso Soriano, arguably the team’s best player, could very well miss the rest of the 2009 baseball season due to a knee injury. According to the Chicago Tribune, Soriano went on record as saying he’ll have arthroscopic surgery later this month.
Even when healthy this season, Soriano didn’t do much to justify his $17 million salary. For the year, he’s hitting .241 with 20 homers, 64 runs and 55 RBIs. In fact, 2009 could go down as Soriano’s worst year since becoming an everyday …read more

After Shane Victorino got hit by a bear in Wrigley Field while making a grab in the outfield, he said that he planned to file charges against the fan of the Chicago Cubs who threw the beer. John Macchione, 21, has been identified as the beer thrower.
Macchione, who lives in the Illinois city of Bartlett, faces two counts — one for illegal conduct within a sports facility and the other one for battery. There has yet to be a public comment by Macchione.
Right after the game, Victorino talked about how disappointed he was at the fan’s action.
“It’s one of those …read more

Greg Maddux, the future Hall of Fame pitcher, had his jersey retired by the Atlanta Braves on Friday. With the Braves, Maddux cemented his legacy as one of the best pitchers of his generation — and perhaps one of the top 15 pitchers of all-time.
Maddux pitched with the Braves from 1993 until 2003. Both before and after his stint with the Braves, Maddux pitched for the Chicago Cubs. In his final two seasons, he pitched for the San Diego Padres and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
For his career, Maddux had a record of 355-227 and an ERA of 3.16. He pitched …read more

Disputing a play at the plate, Carlos Zambrano had a meltdown of epic proportions. The Chicago Cubs pitcher nicknamed Big Z got a Big Heave Ho. You can watch the Carlos Zambrano epic meltdown video at the end of this entry.
With the Cubs beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 2-1, Nyjer Morgan was trying to score when Zambrano placed a tag on him. The replays show that Morgan might have been out but the ump called him safe. Then Zambrano exploded. He bumped the ump, which got him ejected. Then he tried to toss the umpire and threw the baseball into the …read more

At some points during the offseason, it appeared as if Pudge Rodriguez’s career could be over. He was coming off of a disappointing season and few teams showed interest. However, after playing well in the World Baseball Classic, the Houston Astros came calling.
Rodriguez has played well as the starting catcher for the Astros. On Sunday, Rodriguez hit the 300th home run of his career to help the Astros beat the Chicago Cubs by a final count of 6-5.
The 300th blast for Rodriguez came in the top of the fourth inning. His two-run shot was off of Rich Harden and gave …read more

After incumbent closer Kerry Wood left the Chicago Cubs in free agency, many baseball insiders believed that the team would simply hand over the closer role to Carlos Marmol. Marmol spent 2008 as the Cubs setup man and he did a fine job in that role. However, after a shaky spring, manager Lou Piniella has decided to give the closer job to Kevin Gregg.
Last year with the Florida Marlins, Gregg racked up 29 saves along with a 3.41 ERA. Acquired via trade in the offseason, Gregg hasn’t given up a run during spring training. That fact, along with Piniella being …read more

On Wednesday, the Chicago Cubs completed a deal in which they will receive pitcher Aaron Heilman from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for Garrett Olson and Ronny Cedeno.
The 30-year-old Heilman has publicly stated that he wishes to be given the opportunity to be a starting pitcher and the Cubs apparently will let him try to win a spot in their rotation. Last season, Heilman pitched for the Mets and all 78 of his appearances were in relief. He finished the season with a 5.21 ERA and had five saves to go along with a record of 3-8.
Olson is a starting …read more

Not too long ago, Felix Pie was believed to be the future superstar for the Chicago Cubs. But after a few disappointing seasons, the Cubs cut their losses and traded the outfielder to the Baltimore Orioles. With the Orioles, Pie will be given every chance to win a starting job in the outfield.
In return, the Cubs received Garrett Olson, a pitcher, and Henry Williamson, a minor leaguer. Olson started 26 games for the Orioles last season and went 9-10 with a 6.65 ERA. Presumably, he’ll be given a shot to win a starting job but will likely end up in …read more