Chicago Cubs

I'm not a fan of the Resident Evil series, nor of very many RPG's. But, as I thought about my many years as a Cubs fan, I compare it to a meeting with Dr. Salvador.

For the uninitiated, or the few people who pretend they don't care, Dr. Salvador is the giant guy with the chainsaw in Resident Evil Four.

Among other things he can do besides cut your head off, he can teleport to the top of a ladder you're climbing and cut your head off, he can teleport ahead of you and cut your head off, he can break down the door of a room you're in and cut your head off-notice a pattern?

Carlos Zambrano recently received his third Silver Slugger award, and second straight, as the best hitting pitcher in the National League. Zambrano actually dropped off considerably in his offensive production in 2009, seeing his OPS drop from .892 to .689.

But that .689 is nearly double the league average pitcher; National League hurlers compiled a miserable .355 OPS in 2009.

So let us think about this for a moment. The following stat line is that of player X's splits against right handed hitters.

451 ABs, 74 Runs, 124 Hits, 19 2Bs, 8 3Bs, 28 HRs, 62 RBIs, 18 SB, 4 CS, 57 BBs, 99 SO, .275 BA, .358 OBP, .539 SLG, .879 OPS.

It has been reported that the Detroit Tigers may be willing to trade center fielder Curtis Granderson. I just hope the Cubs aren't interested.

Sure, the Cubs need a center fielder, so they can trade Milton Bradley and move Kosuke Fukudome (who, if it weren't for the money owed to him would be gone by now) to right field, where he is at least adequate defensively.

But let's stop right there, Cubs fans. Granderson isn't an everyday player. He is a guy who can't hit lefties and would be overpriced as a platoon player.

Billy Williams, Fergie Jenkins, Ryne Sandberg, Ernie Banks.

The Chicago Cubs have had some of the all-time greats run out onto Wrigley Field.

While they haven't been to the World Series since 1945, there is more than enough talent in the Cubs' history to fill out a dream team twice over. From Rogers Hornsby to Derrek Lee, the Cubs have had incredible depth and production throughout their lineup.

One question remains. Which Chicago Cub had the greatest ever offensive season at his position?

The Atlanta Braves and starting pitcher Tim Hudson agreed to a three-year, $28 million contract extension on Thursday.

Hudson originally joined the Braves in a trade in December of 2005, and signed a four-year, $47 million extension that would take him from 2006 through this past season.

It's the middle of November, so there's a ton of speculation flying around the web about baseball players moving addresses before the 2010 season.

For teams like the disappointing Chicago Cubs, the final out of the World Series means the beginning of a new hope. But, this winter, that hope needs to be tempered with a strong dose of reality.

When Ted Lilly opted for left shoulder surgery on Nov. 3, he may have put his Chicago Cubs in the market for a free agent starter.

One week later, an MLB.com story revealed that John Smoltz, who filed for free agency Nov. 5, hopes to pitch in 2010. For many Cubs fans, the gravity of that revelation should not be overlooked.

It has been reported most of the week that Detroit Tigers center fielder Curtis Granderson could be had if the right offer were to cross general manger Dave Dombrowski's desk.

It has also been mentioned that two teams that would be interested in the services of Granderson would be the New York Yankees (of course) and the Chicago Cubs.

Somewhere in the world, Mark Reynolds is fuming.

The Arizona Diamondbacks slugger missed a spot on the list of Major League players with between two and three years of service time who will qualify for arbitration this off-season by one day.