Here are the moves I would make during the 2009 offseason:

I would sign IF/OF Eric Hinske to add some depth to the infield and outfield as well as provide a strong left-handed bat off the bench. 

I would also re-sign John Grabow and bring him back as a set-up man for Carlos Marmol the closer for 2010. 

Finally, Milton Bradley.  I would offer Bradley and IF Mike Fontenot to the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for Gary Matthews Jr.  This deal allows both teams to get rid of 2 guys with big contracts who don't want to be with their respective teams anymore.  The Angels get Bradley who can DH or play RF and fill the void left by Vladmir Guerrero.  They also pick up a good utility guy and left-handed bat in Mike Fontenot who can play second and third.  Meanwhile, Matthews returns to the Cubs and Kosuke Fukudome moves back to right field and gives the Cubs a much better, more athletic defense in the outfield.

Next move I make is I offer Alfonso Soriano to the Mets in exchange for Luis Castillo.  The deal gives the Mets a new left fielder who provides some power and is not unfamiliar with playing in New York.  The Cubs get a second baseman who becomes their new leadoff hitter. 

Now, this leaves a void in left field.  What I would do is sign outfielder Josh Willingham. 

With the starting pitchers I would offer P Carlos Zambrano, IF/OF Jake Fox, P Jeff Samardzija and IF/OF Micah Hoffpauir to the Toronto Blue Jays for P Roy Halladay & OF Vernon Wells. 

The last move I would make is sign LHP Joe Beimel to add another lefty to the bullpen.  With these moves made, here is what the 2010 Cubs roster would look like in 2010:

C Geovany Soto
C Koyie Hill
1B Derrek Lee
1B Eric Hinske
2B Luis Castillo
2B Jeff Baker
SS Ryan Theriot
SS Aaron Miles
3B Aramis Ramirez
LF Gary Matthews Jr.
LF Sam Fuld
CF Vernon Wells
RF Kosuke Fukudome
RF Josh Willingham

SP Roy Halladay
SP Ryan Dempster
SP Ted Lilly
SP Randy Wells
SP Tom Gorzelanny
RP Sean Marshall
RP Angel Guzman
RP Joe Beimel
RP Aaron Heilman
RP John Grabow
CL Carlos Marmol

Last week my father was diagnosed with lung cancer.  For those of you who have experienced this or had a family member experience this, you know how difficult this news is when you first receive it.  The bad news is that my father has lung cancer.  The good news is that he's going to beat it.  He's going to become the next lung cancer survivor because he's got the love and support of his family and friends, a determination and desire to beat this, and a great, positive attitude and courage to overcome this obstacle and any that life throws at him. 

My father and I have always been close, but he was not a baseball fan like I was until May 27, 1984.  It was a Sunday afternoon and my dad was "channel surfing" when he stopped at WGN.  They had a baseball game on between the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago Cubs.  Ron Cey of the Cubs hit what appeared to be a homerun, but it was later ruled foul.  Replay cameras seemed to show that the ball was fair and me and my dad were yelling at the tv, "That is a fair ball!" What was memorable about that game was not that Mario Soto, Don Zimmer and Jim Frey were ejected from that game or that it was Dennis Eckersley's debut as a Cub.  What made it memorable was that it was the day that my dad and I became Cubs fans. 

We followed the Cubs that whole summer and we watched the Cubs clinch the National League East on September 24, 1984 against the Pirates at Three Rivers Stadium.  We had so much fun that year watching the Cubs make an improbable run at the division and what we thought would be the pennant.  Game 5 of the 1984 NLCS on October 7, 1984 was the low point and I was in tears when the Cubs lost that game.  I was sad and disappointed that they had lost and the season was over, but more than anything I wasn't going to get to watch the Cubs in the World Series with my dad. 

Almost 20 years later the same thing happened on October 14, 2003 during Game 6 of the NLCS.  As we Cubs fans know all-too-well, the Cubs were up 3-0 in the top of the 8th inning.  It was after 10:00pm and my parents are usually in bed by this time, but I almost called them up to tell them I was coming down to visit because I wanted to be there with my dad when the Cubs clinched the NL pennant.  I am happy to say that I helped teach my dad a lot about the game of baseball.  However, my father has taught me so much more about life and it goes without saying that my father is my best friend.  Of course, my mother is my best friend, too.  It might sound corny to say, but if you were to ask me who my best friends are I'd say my parents because it is the truth.  My mom was also not a baseball fan until 10 years ago when she began to take interest in the game.  Now, she is a Red Sox fan that roots for the Cubs, but she is very knowledgeable of the game as is my dad and the three of us often will spend time watching games together. 

As a Cubs fan, 2009 is a year I'd like to forget and put behind me.  However, I am optimistic about both the future of the Cubs and my father.  I know that Thanksgiving and Christmas are only weeks away, but I am already looking forward to the spring.  If I could receive a Christmas present this year I'd only ask for one thing: my father to get better.  We talk about role models and heroes and many of us grow up emulating our favorite sports heroes.  As a grown-up today I want to emulate a true hero: my father.  My parents are my heroes and my father is the type of father, husband and man that I want to pattern myself after in life.  When my dad beats cancer I would like to take him and I to Wrigley Field to watch a ballgame.  Shamefully, we have never been to Wrigley Field before and we have talked about it in the past.  Of course, nothing would be sweeter than to be watching the Cubs in the World Series at Wrigley Field with my father. 

Thank you, Dad, for not changing the channel back on that day in May of 1984.  You, Mom and I have a lot more game watching to do and I can't wait to do it next spring.  I love you, Dad.  You're the best. 

 

Watching the first press conference of the new Cubs owners, the Ricketts, on Friday I went in with skepticism yet left it with optimism and excitement.  I like Tom Ricketts's confidence and his no-nonsense attitude.  I like that he is a genuine Cubs fan who was able to answer direct questions directly although he did dodge the "eating salaray" question.  I like Ricketts's comments on player development and how this will be a major focus for the Cubs.  All in all, I am very impressed with the Ricketts family thus far and I think the Cubs fans should be realistic about expectations, but nevertheless optimistic. 

This is much different from 1981 when Tribune took over as owners from the Wrigley family.  The 1981 Cubs were a very bad baseball team that hadn't been in the postseason since 1945.  The 2009 Cubs were a mediocre baseball team that had high expectations to not only make the World Series, but win the first one since 1908.  It didn't happen, but this is a team in much better shape to compete and win than their 1981 counterparts.  Of course, Tribune brought in new management in the form of Dallas Green as General Manager and Lee Elia as manager for the 1982 season.  Jim Hendry and Lou Piniella are coming back in 2010 which doesn't sit well with some Cubs fans.  I personally would have replaced Hendry with a new GM and kept Piniella for 2010, but I understand why Ricketts brought back Hendry and Piniella and I respect the decision. 

Every spring Cubs fans are optimistic, but I have a feeling that with new owners who love the team as much as we do and are committed to putting a championship team on the field, next spring we'll be more optimistic. 

Bud Selig will be MLB commissioner through the 2012 season.  I should state at this time that I am not and never was a fan of Selig.  He's looking out for the best interests of the fan as much as President Obama is looking out for the best interests of the health care industry IMHO.  The good news is that the way things are going right now, both men will be out of their jobs after November 2012.  Be that as it may, I have no desire to seek the presidency of the United States.  However, if there is one dream job I could have I would like to be the commissioner of Major League Baseball.  Now, I'm no expert nor do I have a PhD.  But I'm sure that even I could do a better job of leadership on my worst day than Bud Selig can do on his best. 

Let's just say that Bud Selig resigned as commissioner today.  Oh, if only that were true.  And let's say that I am the new commissioner of MLB.  Bear with me for a moment, folks.  This is about as realistic as me dating Jennifer Love Hewitt, okay?  Here's a list of things I would like to do if I was the MLB commissioner:

1. No more overseas games being counted as regular season games.  I've got no problem with MLB promoting the game abroad.  However, I think that games being played in Japan and Mexico should be exhibition games, not count as regular season games.  I would go back to the traditional Opening Day game at Cincinnati as the first game of the MLB season on April 5, 2010 which is a Monday. 
2. Amend the rule which requires MLB coaches to wear helmets.  I don't think this should be a requirement.  It should be optional.  What happened to Mike Coolbaugh was a tragedy, but I think forcing coaches to wear helmets is ridiculous.  Why not require players on the field to wear helmets?  Or the fans?  Why should we limit it to just coaches?  Larry Bowa is right.  It should be optional.
3. Change the playoff system.  Instead of having a best of 5 Division Series, I propose a one-game playoff between the final four in each league to determine who plays in the LCS.  The team with the league's best record would play the wild card team regardless of the division.  For example, in the American League this year it would have been the Boston Red Sox vs the New York Yankees in a one-game playoff.  The Minnesota Twins would have played the Los Angeles Angels in a one-game playoff.  And in the National League, Colorado would have played the Los Angeles Dodgers and St. Louis vs Philadelphia in a one-game playoff.  The teams with the better record would have home-field advantage and the winners would face each other in the best of 7 League Championship Series.  This would prevent games from being played in November and provide some drama.  Can you imagine how dramatic it would have been this year to see the Red Sox and Yankees in a one-game playoff?  Or the Dodgers and Rockies?  Who cares that the wild card is playing a team in the same division?  Make it harder for the wild card team and reward the best team with more than home-field advantage. 
4. Better start times for playoff games.  MLB has promised us for years that they are "working on this" yet nothing ever gets done about it and we're right back to games starting too late and not ending until after midnight.  Okay, Saturday nights are the worst nights for television ratings.  Consequently, Sunday nights are the best nights for television ratings.  In the fall, however, college football games are on Saturdays and NFL games are on Sundays.  That's been the case for a long time yet MLB and Bud Selig seem to think that scheduling a game before 7:00pm on the weekend is ridiculous.  Funny how MLB didn't seem to have a problem with it 20, 30 years ago.  I think part of the problem is the television contracts with FOX and TBS.  According to my research, their contracts with MLB runs through 2013.  So, we're basically stuck with these two networks until then.  Here's what I would propose as commissioner after 2013: if FOX keeps the NFL then I tell FOX that MLB is no longer doing business with you.  I negotiate with The MLB Network and work out a new contract.  They will get FOX Saturday Baseball which will be renamed MLB Game Of The Week and will air at 3:00PM EST every Saturday instead of the current 4:00PM EST.  We will also negotiate a contract with NBC and tell ESPN that we are no longer doing business with them.  So this means goodbye Sunday Night Baseball and hello again to Monday Night Baseball.  The new Monday Night Baseball will feature Al Michaels and Bob Costas doing the play-by-play.  For playoff games, NBC will air games on every day except for Saturday and Sunday which are reserved for college football and the NFL.  The MLB Network would air games on those days in addition to every day of the week.  This also means saying goodbye to TBS which won't cause me or many other people to shed any tears.
5. Enact a new anti-drug policy which is what I like to call "3 Strikes & You're Out".  First offense of testing positive for ANY illegal drug is a 30 game suspension without pay.  Second offense is a 1 year suspension without pay.  Third offense is lifetime banishment from MLB and disqualification from the Hall of Fame. 
6. I would allow Pete Rose to be voted on for Hall of Fame consideration, but I would not reinstate him back into MLB.  However, before I did this I would also allow "Shoeless Joe" Jackson to be voted on for Hall of Fame consideration. 
7. I would keep interleague play but rotate it every other year with interleague play in odd years and not in even years.  The reason is that it began in 1997 which is an odd year.  This would bring back some mystique to the All-Star Game and World Series and provide more variety with the scheduling. 
8. I would get rid of the stupid rule which states that the winner of the All-Star Game gets home-field advantage in the World Series.  The only time the All-Star Game winner would be used to determine who had home-field advantage in the World Series is if the AL and NL teams in the World Series had the same record.  If they hadn't faced each other in the regular season, if their respective league won the All-Star Game then that team would have home-field advantage in the World Series.  Otherwise, the team with the best record would have home-field advantage in the World Series. 
9. Keep the DH but rotate it every other year as with interleague play.  Every odd year there would be interleague play and a DH in both leagues.  Every even year there would be no interleague play and no DH.  This would literally level the playing field in both leagues.
10. Have the World Baseball Classic after the World Series.  No more World Baseball Classic before spring training.  I would have it scheduled after the season and The MLB Network would air it. 
11. Future expansion.  I would like to see 2 more teams added to MLB by the year 2013.  This would bring MLB a total of 32 teams which would allow MLB to have 4 divisions with 4 teams and it would eliminate the need for a wild-card.  I'd meet with representatives in Montreal and encourage the movement to build a new stadium in Montreal for a future franchise.  Hypothetically, I would like to see the return of the Montreal Expos and another baseball team in Portland, Oregon.  This would call for a new realignment of the two leagues and here is my proposal:
    
    AL East: Orioles, Red Sox, Yankees, Blue Jays
    AL North: White Sox, Indians, Tigers, Twins
    AL Central: Diamondbacks, Rockies, Royals, Rangers
    AL West: Angels, Athletics, new Portland team, Mariners
    
    NL East: Montreal Expos, Mets, Phillies, Pirates
    NL North: Cubs, Reds, Brewers, Cardinals
    NL South: Braves, Marlins, Rays, Nationals
    NL West: Astros, Dodgers, Padres, Giants
12. Limit the number of All-Star votes online to 1 per e-mail address.  No more of this "vote up to 25 times" stuff.  You get 1 vote and that's it.  Unless you've got multiple e-mail addresses and a LOT of time on your hands to create them, you get 1 vote. 
13. Change instant replay rule to allow MLB managers to "challenge" calls similar to the way coaches can challenge calls in the NFL.  3 challenges would be allowed per game for each MLB manager and the manager would throw a yellow ball onto the field which signal a challenge from the manager.  The umpire crew chief  would have 60 seconds to review the play and if the original call was correct, the challenging team would be charged with a strikeout. 
14. This one is a longshot, but I'd like to see 2 rules enacted by the year 2013: 1) the allowance of women into MLB as baseball players.  Just as Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947, I'd like to see a woman break the gender barrier someday.  2) establish a "Rooney Rule" for MLB which would require interviewing minority candidates for coaching, managerial, front office and ownership positions. 
15. Last but not least, I would encourage the Cleveland Indians to drop the offensive "Chief Wahoo" symbol and adopt a more respectful logo in tribute to Native Americans.  I would even encourage them to get a Native American artist to design the logo.  And I would also encourage the Atlanta Braves to do the same and ask them and the Indians to discourage fans from chanting the "tomahawk chop."

One final thing I would like to see is MLB work harder at bringing baseball into the inner cities and poor sections of the United States.  These sections are not limited by race or economic status.  I think it's great that MLB tries to hard to promote the game abroad, but let us not forget that charity begins at home and MLB should never forget where it came from or its roots here in the United States.  Let's try promoting the game at home for a change. 

When former Cubs broadcasters Steve Stone and Chip Caray left after the 2004 season, I was very unhappy.  Stone was highly critical of Dusty Baker that year and supposedly Baker didn't like it one bit.  Of course, Stone was always that way towards previous Cubs managers yet that didn't seem to matter to Dusty.  Stone had enough and left WGN and Chip Caray followed suit after clashing with some Cubs players that year including an infamous incident on the team plane. 

After the 2004 season WGN hired Bob Brenly and Len Kasper.  Initially I was none too pleased with the hires.  Not that I had anything personal against either man, but to me anyone would have been inferior to Stone and Caray especially the way they were treated by Cubs management.  Be that as it may, over the last 5 seasons I've warmed up to Len and Bob and today I have to admit that I'm a huge fan of both.  I think the two of them have gotten better and better with each year and Brenly's work especially in the NLDS on TBS has been superb.  I've come to respect and admire Brenly so much this season that I don't want him to leave for a managerial job although I really think he'd fit in great with the Indians. 

I don't know what plans the new owners have for the broadcasters, but I hope Mr. Ricketts keeps this guys together for a long time.  However, I do think that Bob Brenly deserves a chance to manage again in the big leagues.  This guy has a World Series ring and overall he did a great job in Arizona.  Bob's from Ohio and not far from Cleveland and I think he'd fit in perfectly with the rebuilding Indians.  If Brenly ever does leave, I'd like to see Rick Sutcliffe replace him in the booth.  Sut is a very good broadcaster IMHO although I think he's a Cubs homer.  Still, he calls a good game and I think he should leave the East Coast Bias Sports Network to return to the Cubs if that opportunity ever arises.  He's never disrespected the Cubs unlike Mark Grace.  Sut is a total pro, a cancer survivor, and if people knew the whole story about why he came back to Chicago after 1984, you'd appreciate this guy a whole lot more.  He could have pitched for the Yankees and his hometown Royals for a whole lot more money than the Cubs offered, but loyalty and his love of Chicago brought him back here in 1985.  That's the kind of person Rick Sutcliffe is.  And if Brenly ever does leave, which in a way I hope doesn't happen, Sut would be the one I'd choose as his replacement. 

Much has been made in recent years about how if the Yankees don't win the World Series their season is a failure.  Ouch.  This coming from a team that has won 26 championships.  How do I know this?  Because Yankees fans are constantly reminding me of this and the YES Network seems to enjoy doing it as well.  You would think that after 26 championships you'd be happy with a winning season, the best record in baseball and an ALCS appearance.  However, that's not how things work in Yankee Nation. 

Oddly enough, the Cubs find themselves in a similar position and they haven't won a World Series since 1908.  How do I know this?  Because White Sox fans are constantly reminding me of this and whenever the Cubs are on ESPN or FOX they always bring up our "failures." FOX especially seems to be addicted to airing the infamous "Bartman incident" from 2003.  Now, granted, the Cubs haven't been to a World Series in over a century which is embarrassing, but since 2000 they have had success in the new century.  Winning seasons in 2001, 2003-2004, 2007-2009.  Division titles in 2003, 2007-2008.  A trip to the NLCS in 2003 which we pushed to Game 7.  Great players in Sammy Sosa, Kerry Wood, Derrek Lee, Carlos Zambrano, Alfonso Soriano, Aramis Ramirez, and Mark Prior.  Yet none of that matters because we haven't been to a World Series let alone win one. 

There was a time not long ago when the Cubs were perennial losers.  "Lovable losers" is what the media called them.  But if you'll recall back in the 2003 NLCS there weren't many media people talking about how "cursed" the Cubs were after they had a 3-1 lead on the Marlins.  In fact, most people were saying, "This is the year!" even after Josh Beckett shut us out and down in Game 5.  I was nervous after that, but I felt confident heading into Game 6 with Prior on the mound.  Unfortunately, in retrospect, I think that perhaps the Cubs got cocky and maybe even complacent thinking, "Well, if we lose, we got Woody on the mound tomorrow." Dusty Baker managed that game like he was going for the split decision when we needed a manager who went for the knockout.  There was no curse.  It wasn't Bartman's fault.  It was a combination of factors and the blame should go to the Cubs that year. 

I really thought that 2008 was going to be THE year.  In fact, I believe that the 2008 Cubs are the best Cubs team of my lifetime.  The fact that they got swept by the Dodgers in 3 games still makes me very angry and bitter just thinking about it.  I love the Cubs, but I think one of our problems is that we have a lack of leadership on this team.  There seems to be a "Mr. Cool" atmosphere that is more like a country club and it reminds me of the Phillies teams of the late 1970s.  From 1976-1978 Philadelphia won the division only to get eliminated in the NLCS by the Reds in '76 and Dodgers in '77 and '78.  They brought in Pete Rose for '79 because the club needed a leader and while Rose was great that year, the team flopped and it cost manager Danny Ozark his job.  They promoted Dallas Green from the farm system to be manager and the next year they won the World Series. 

In 2003 the Boston Red Sox were defeated by the New York Yankees in Game 7 of the ALCS and it cost Red Sox manager Grady Little his job.  They hired Terry Francona to replace him and brought in Curt Schilling whom I think was one of the main reasons why they won it all in 2004.  We need guys like Rose and Schilling on this team.  We need someone on this club to be the face of our franchise because right now we don't have one.  The last time this team had a face it was Sammy Sosa's.  If I was Jim Hendry, I would look at two pitchers this offseason: Roy Halladay and John Lackey.  Lackey will be eligible for free agency after the season if he decides to pursue it.  Halladay still has a year left on his contract with the Blue Jays.  I think both of those guys are leaders and if I have a preference, I'd go with Halladay.  He might cost us some top prospects in a trade, but the Cubs are in a "win now" mode and if the opportunity is there, I'd go after him. 

Here's the trade I would offer to Toronto:

OF Milton Bradley, P Carlos Zambrano, C Wellington Castillo, 2B/3B Mike Fontenot, and IF/OF Jake Fox along with cash to the Blue Jays for Roy Halladay.  Bradley gets a fresh start in Toronto where he could DH again.  Zambrano and his huge salary goes to another team where he can be the ace of a rebuilding staff.  And Halladay goes to the Cubs to become the new ace.  That gives us a pitching rotation next year of Halladay, Dempster, Lilly, Wells, and perhaps Samardzija. 

The fact is that the Cubs are no longer the lovable losers.  There is an expectation now from fans and even some in the media that the Cubs succeed.  Heck, when you've got a payroll over $100 million you better succeed! And with a new owner coming in promising to do whatever it takes to win a championship, the stakes are high and so are the expectations.  We aren't where the Yankees are yet, but I believe that our chances to win the NL Central next year are going to be better than this year once the pieces of the puzzle are put together.  I'm confident that the coveted goal of a World Series ring is much closer than we realize.  It's not going to be easy, but it never is for the Cubs.  But we can do it. 

The Cubs today signed former Texas Rangers hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo to be their hitting coach in 2010.  I think it's a very good move although I personally would have suggested former Oakland Athletics hitting coach Thad Bosley.  Ironically, Bosley is now being considered as Jaramillo's replacement in Texas. 

Jaramillo brings with him an impressive resume as a hitting coach.  The guy even has his own website.  This is a good start to the offseason for the Cubs and I hope that Rudy can help out the hitters next year. 

You know, I think one of the first signs of getting old is when you begin a conversation with the phrase, "When I was your age...".  Many of us here no doubt have been guilty of saying it including myself.  I was just watching a documentary on the making of the Def Leppard album "Hysteria" this evening.  Listening to some of the songs being played I couldn't help but think how that album and the songs on it still hold up after 22 years.  That album came out in 1987.  I remember 1987 as if it was yesterday.  I was in the 10th grade, 15 years old and that year was the "Year of the Home Run" in Major League Baseball.  Back then I had just gotten a Nintendo Entertainment System for Christmas after abandoning the Atari 2600 which was now destined for the attic to collect dust.  However, I had also played baseball board games during that time period.  The first one I ever played was called Sherco and the next one was Strat-O-Matic which I received as a birthday present that summer. 

I would eventually graduate to computer baseball simulations with Earl Weaver Baseball and Diamond Mind.  They were fun and it was cool to see the real-life stadium graphics on the screen with statistics compiled for you, but I never lost interest in board games.  To this day I love Monopoly and I'll play anyone for a game if they're interested.  It's always fun to play although when there's a bunch of people there can be games that take as long as a Yankees/Red Sox playoff game. 

Much has been made in recent years about the short attention span of kids and teenagers.  I seem to recall people making similar remarks back in 1987 as well and while it may be true for some, I think it's wrong for people to write off kids and teenagers and sell them short.  I'm always amazed at how younger and younger kids are able to master computer programs and I've got friends who have kids who are just starting school who know how to operate DVD players and computer programs.  FOX Sports seems to think in their infinite wisdom that the way to attract kids and teenagers is by loud, whooshing noises, multiple cameras and a talking baseball.  Needless to say, I think that we all can agree that they whiffed on that one. 

A lot has changed since 1987 in terms of the music, slang, television, movies, culture, clothing and hairstyles.  But for young people the one constant that is a time-honored tradition is the desire to fit in with their peers.  Another is baseball and as far as I'm concerned we're always going to have some kids who are better on the field who would rather play the video games and kids who aren't athletic, but love the game and would rather roll the dice.  I was one of those latter kids.  I wanted to play baseball, but I wasn't that athletic.  And though I don't have an insight to what the young people and teenagers do these days, I'm willing to bet that there are still some out there like me who are more interested in the finite details that a game like APBA has to offer. 

APBA has survived for over 50 years.  Why?  Well, why are Beatles albums still selling after 40 years?  Why do "Star Wars" fans complain about the prequels yet they still showed up to pay good money to see them in the theaters?  Because they're timeless.  I'm not putting down video games.  I'd be a hypocrite and a liar if I did because I played more Tecmo Super Bowl back in the day than was probably healthy.  But there's something almost magical about getting those APBA cards for the first time and rolling that dice for the first time.  Those video games helped me with my hand-eye coordination, but they never felt real or even realistic to me.  This was especially true when Rey Ordonez wound up hitting double-digits in home runs.  But APBA has a strange way of not only giving me a greater appreciation of the game, it also has given me a greater appreciation of baseball managers. 

Of course, I don't have to worry about appeasing players and clubhouse chemistry.  All I do as an APBA manager is fill out lineup cards, strategize and hope for the best.  Yet I also think it takes great imagination to play the game whether you're an APBA manager, coach, player or golfer.  And kids especially have great imaginations which should be encouraged and games like APBA will produce dreamers who someday might become future athletes, managers, coaches, general managers or even owners.  I hope that we can all keep the dream alive for future generations.  In fact, when my wife and I have our first child whenever that may be, we're going to get a t-shirt made that says "Future APBA player."

Dear Milton Bradley:

You believe that the Cubs fans are racist and that the reason why we dislike you so much is because we are racist fans.  Really?  Well, if that is true then can you explain why we love and respect Derrek Lee so much?  Can you tell us why from 1993-2004 we loved and respected Sammy Sosa in right field the same position you played this year?  Can you explain why Cubs fans loved and respected Andre Dawson from 1987-1990 in right field and, to this day, revere and admire "Hawk"?  Perhaps you can tell me why the racist Cubs fans love and respect Ferguson Jenkins and Billy Williams, too. 

Milton, from the day you arrived in Chicago I knew that you carried more baggage than O'Hare International Airport.  Your outbursts in Cleveland and Los Angeles got you traded to other teams.  You had a great year in 2008 with the Texas Rangers, but I still think that Jim Hendry made a mistake signing you because I know your history and I wouldn't have signed you to play for the Cubs.  Derrek Lee was a Florida Marlin in 2003 and he was on the team that knocked us out of the playoffs and prevented us from our first World Series since 1945.  Yet Lee won over the fans because he's a hard worker, a great player and he's a good person.  However, in 2008 the Cubs signed Jim Edmonds, a former Cardinal, and initially there were some Cubs fans who booed him and didn't accept him as one of us.  Now, it should be noted that Edmonds is white.  Was that racism, Milton?  Or was it that some Cubs fans had a grudge against Edmons because he used to play for our biggest rival? 

Chicago is not a racist town, Milton.  The last time I checked Barack Obama was pretty successful in this town and he carried the state of Illinois in last year's election.  And I know that it wasn't just black people who voted for Obama.  The Cubs fans would have accepted you, Milton, if you just played and kept your mouth shut.  If you would play the game the way Derrek Lee does you never would have had a problem with us and vice versa.  However, you showed your true colors and what we witnessed was more of "Milton being Milton." Blame everyone else for your failures except looking in the mirror.  Right, Milton? 

Milton, I wish you all the best in your future.  But I don't want you back with the Cubs in 2010.  Guys like you are a distraction and you hurt the morale of a team.  If some other team is stupid enough to sign you or acquire you in a trade, let them do it.  I just hope that the Chicago Cubs isn't one of them. 

Sincerely,
Jeff M.

1) George Lopez has a new show.  Have you heard? 

2) This has possibly been the worst umpiring in Division Series history.  They could get Stevie Wonder to umpire and he'd be more accurate than these umpires.

3) TBS sure didn't want us to see the Angels post-game celebration, huh?  Wow.  Listening to Orsillo and Martinez I thought Orsillo was channeling the spirit of Herbert Morrison recounting the crash of the Hindenburg.  "Oh the humanity and all the fans screaming around here!" After the game they cut straight to "Seinfeld." Talk about East Coast bias.  You know that if the Yankees had just won they'd not only give us the post-game celebration, but spend 10 minutes drooling over Derek Jeter's postseason brilliance.  BTW isn't "Seinfeld" set in New York?  We just can't win, can we?

4) Broadcasting genius is not genetic.  I used to like Chip Caray when he was broadcasting Cubs games.  Now I think he is awful.  I really think Steve Stone made Chip look better.  He should be called "Chirp Caray" because he won't shut up. 

5) Instant replay is needed for more than just home runs.  I know people will say it'll slow the game down, but would it be that noticeable?  So, instead of games ending at 1am they end at 1:15am. 

6) I kept listening to commentators ask how Philadelphia was going to deal with the cold weather in Denver.  Ergo, it is October.  The temperature in Philadelphia is not much warmer than it is in Denver right now.  It's not like we're talking about Phoenix here, guys. 

7) Best commercial: Foster's Beer.  Worst commercial: any of the male-enhancement or prostate commercials.  You don't see these commercials during the Super Bowl do you?  I don't mean to make light of anyone with a prostate problem, but this is supposed to be an entertainment program.  Can't we at least have 3 hours to forget about life's problems and the serious stuff for just a little bit?  Personally, I'd rather watch beer commercials because they're funny and entertaining.  I know that's not politically correct to say, but I don't get that.  And besides, doesn't beer help flush out your system and help you go to the bathroom? 

8) Is it just me or does Davey Lopes look uncannily like Billy Joel?  I was half-expecting Lopes to start breaking out into song at first base singing "But here you are in the 9th...3 men on and 2 men out."

9) Did you see Manny hustling in Game 3 of the NLDS?  Wow.  Manny looked like those old newsreel footage clips of the Babe from the '20s when they sped up the film.  And he actually used both hands to catch fly balls, too.  Nice. 

10) Last but not least, do they have to add insult to injury by putting the camera on the sad, dejected fans in the crowd?  Nothing is more sad to watch than 40,000 fans at said ballpark or domed stadium as in Minnesota and looking at people who look like they just received a shot of Novocaine.  Although I don't mind the camera being on the players like the Boston Red Sox who had that look on their faces just minutes before they acted like they just won the World Series.  To quote John Lennon: "Instant karma's gonna get you!" There's nothing wrong with having a little swagger, but when you get so full of yourself that you start sipping the champagne before you won anything it just looks bad.  I mean, can you imagine someone else reacting like this?  Feeling like they earned an award or a prize when they haven't accomplished anything yet?  It would be like...oh, I don't know.  President Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize or something like that.