Chicago Cubs

One minute, Cubs third baseman Aramis Ramirez is quoted as considering the possibility of not picking up his option for 2011. The next thing you know he’s telling the Sun-Times, ''I'm staying here, put it that way.''

This sounds to me like a guy who is working with the Cubs front office to restructure his contract.

With the athleticism that made him an All-American wide receiver, a frame suitable for a future workhorse, and an arm that's both live and fresh, he fits the physical standards for your prototypical major league pitcher.

With a focused demeanor on the mound that could become a formidable presence in the coming years and the kind of work ethic that can only come from within, he has the intangibles you wish for too.

Carlos Zambrano continues his hot streak. Before tonight’s contest, he had a 4-0, 1.98 ERA record since his return to the rotation after going through an anger management program in June. 

He had another stellar performance tonight, pitching deep into the ninth to blank the Brewers and limit them to three hits and three walks to give the Cubs a 4-0 victory in a three-game series opener in Miller Park.

It's not as though Carlos Marmol throws 100 miles per hour. It isn't as though he can pinpoint the ball on either corner, or change a batter's eye level at will.

In fact, if any hurler in the game's history has been more frequently guilty of "throwing" rather than "pitching," he will need to submit himself for review. Carlos Marmol just goes out, toes the rubber and lets go of whatever may be in his right hand when he finishes his improbable delivery.

Yet, it works.

With the Detroit Tigers far removed from playoff contention this September, speculation has already begun about the futures of some of the team's free agents-to-be. Among these players, the most desirable by far is third baseman Brandon Inge.

Cubs catcher Geovany Soto’s home run in the bottom of the eighth inning was the game winning run.  The Chicago Cubs took game one of the three-game set by beating their NL Central archrivals Houston Astros 5-4 in front of an attendance of 31,647.

When the game was deadlocked at 4-4 in the eighth, Soto sent reliever Wilton Lopez’s two-out 1-0 fastball out of Wrigley Field.  The long solo shot is his 17th round-tripper on the season, and his second in two days.

It’s time for another ride on the waiver wire roller coaster.  I know some of you are searching high and low for any bit of help with all the trade activity and waiver claims that went down.  These moves can wreak havoc on a fantasy roster. 

The 2010 Cubs season certainly will go down as one of the most disappointing and, in fact, utterly disgusting seasons in recent memory. That’s saying a lot, too, since this is a franchise that has had more than its fair share of bad seasons.

This season has featured sloppy play and poor fundamentals, and a captain who was asleep at the wheel before he resigned, twice, from the team last month.

To rub salt in the wound, next season does not look promising either, with bloated, unmovable contracts and an owner possibly looking to pare some payroll. 

A good number of predictions have the Cubs going out into free agency and trying to buy their way into a title, as they did after the abysmal 2006. There are a lot of similarities: managerial vacancy, terrible record, and obvious holes to be filled.

However, one obvious thing is different from now and then: prospects. Lots and lots of prospects. The Cubs can reasonably fill all the holes they have now with up-and-coming players, rather than spending themselves into a budget nightmare (see: Soriano, Alfonso).

Inconsistent.

To sum up the Chicago Cubs of 2010 in one word, that word is the clear choice. Until a seven-game skid from late July into early August, the team had not won or lost more than four games in a row all season. They have played 31 games decided by six or more runs, going 11-20. In their 47 one-run games, they are 17-30.

It is somewhat unfair, however, and certainly not constructive, to simply dismiss Chicago as having had a bad team. That is not the case.