Fame does have its privileges. Lou Piniella, manager for the Chicago Cubs, jaywalked while strolling in the Gaslamp District of San Diego recently. (Which is a wonderful area, btw, so quaint and gorgeous. Side note – if you’re ever in San Diego, do check it out.)

Back to Piniella. He jaywalked, got pulled over, and then given a warning. The interesting thing is that Ken Williams, manager for the White Sox, also got pulled over, this time in Seattle. Williams, however, was fined $50.
What is with Chicago baseball managers not using the crosswalk …read more

The Chicago Cubs beat the Chicago White Sox in an exciting 5-4 ballgame, but yet again the story of the game was Milton Bradley. After flying out in the sixth inning, Bradley melted down and attacked the drink cooler in the dugout. That led to a verbal confrontation between Bradley and Cubs manager Lou Piniella.
The hot-headed Bradley was then told by Piniella to leave the ballpark and go home. Bradley was replaced in the field by Ryan Freel.
The star of the game for the Cubs was Geovany Soto. A day after it became public knowledge that he was busted for …read more

Chalk up another loss for the Chicago Cubs. Tuesday night, the Cubs blew another lead, which allowed the rest of the National League Central to inch closer. Manager Lou Piniella is understandably becoming more and more frustrated with each loss, especially in September. For a team that has a history of blowing leads late in the year (and dare we say… choke), should we begin wondering whether or not the Cubs will be in the postseason? Not exactly. It seems Chicago will make the postseason, considering the rest of the NL Central, besides Houston, are …read more

Another great quote to pass on. Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Carlos Zambrano had to be lifted from Thursday’s game again the Cincinnati Reds for a cracked molar. Here’s what Zambrano had to say afterwards:
“I think I ate too much gum, and the gum has a lot of sugar,” Zambrano said. “I keep telling my daughter not to eat a lot of gum and I’m not a good example. I think my daughter today will be all over me at the house. I accept it.”
Link to quote and game story.
Photo: Newscom

Rookie right-handed pitcher Jeff Samardzija could get the starting nod on Sunday for the Chicago Cubs. Samardzija is a possible starter due to a doubleheader during this week, which messes up the normal starting rotation.
The former Notre Dame football star has only made relief appearances in his eight outings with the Cubs at the Major League level, yet started 54 games in minors.
Samardzija has one save and a 1.54 earned run average in 11-and-two-thirds innings pitched in his rookie season. The only question? Will Charlie Weis show up again at Wrigley to sing during the seventh …read more

Mark Cuban is hoping to add to his owner tab, by becoming the leader of the storied Chicago Cubs franchise. Think about it. What could be better than the ivy, the bleachers and Cuban heckling those poor outfielders!

Mark Cuban is still interested in becoming the owner of the Chicago Cubs. Owning the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks is not enough for Cuban. He wants in on one of the most storied franchises in Major League Baseball. But many wonder, would the other owners or Bud Selig put up with Cuban’s antics?
Just think about it – Cuban sitting …read more

We are just over two months into the 2008 Major League Baseball season. And what a season it has been so far. Teams that were expected to compete for pennants are in or near their division cellars (Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees) and teams that were expected to be no better than .500 are leading or are near the top of their respective division (Tampa Bay Rays, Chicago White Sox). We’ve also seen some big name players start the year in a slump and other not so big names help carry their teams. It’s been a …read more

Today on the Thursday 10, I am going to post the top 10 current players I’d like to see become managers one day. And no, there will be no catchers on this list, because that would just be too realistic. On with the list!
10. Randy Johnson – The Big Unit – What a site it would be for Randy Johnson to walk out to trade lineup cards and go over ground rules. The 6-10 lefty would make for great television to see him running out to argue a call with an umpire.
9. Scott Rolen – One can …read more