The latest news is that Ryan Dempster’s hissy fit seems to have worked. According to Jim Bowden, the Cubs and Dodgers are closing in on a deal, though nothing is official yet.

(peaks around corner of dugout)

Is everyone okay?

(steps over bodies)

I think we’re all okay. For now. But not matter WHAT happens today, DO NOT let anyone hug you!  God only knows what will happen today. As @mproper said on Twitter this morning: “I saw a helmet nachos helmet full of human ears!”

So I was at the game last night, and, I have to tell you, it was pretty hilarious. Players just kept disappearing from the game, and we had no idea why. It wasn’t until a cab back to Union Station in the 9th inning that  I started getting word of what was going down.

So let’s recap:

• The Cubs sent Paul Maholm,  Reed Johnson (SNIFF!!), and cash considerations to Atlanta for Jaye (lame spelling) Chapman and Arodys Vizcaino. (Seriously? Arodys? That looks like a typo. . .).
• Vizcaino, who entered the 2012 season ranked by Baseball America as the 40th-best prospect in MLB, had Tommy John surgery this spring. The 21-year-old posted a 3.06 ERA with 9.3 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 in 97 innings for three Braves affiliates as he made his way through Atlanta’s minor league system in 2011. The right-hander reached the Major Leagues last year, posting a 4.67 ERA with 8.8 K/9 and 4.7 BB/9 in 17 relief appearances.

  Chapman, a 25-year-old right-hander, has a 3.52 ERA with 10.1 K/9 and 4.9 BB/9 in 53 2/3 innings of relief for Atlanta’s Triple-A team so far in 2012. The Braves selected him in the 16th round of the 2005 draft.

•  Meanwhile, on the manscapey front, the Cubs also sent Geo Soto to the Texas Rangers in exchange for Jacob Brigham. 
• Brigham, a 24-year-old right-hander, had been pitching at Double-A Frisco. He has a 4.28 ERA with 8.4 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 124 innings over the course of 21 starts this year » Continue reading “Cubs Tuesday Headlines: Bloodbath on the North Side”

“Fun” in theory, anyway.

Before we get to today’s game thread, here’s the latest on the Ryan-Dempster-Is-A-Big-Fat-Jerk Saga:

The Cubs and Dodgers have four days to complete a possible trade involving Ryan Dempster. The Dodgers turned down a proposal of Allen Webster for Dempster, but seem optimistic that a deal can be completed. The Cubs, on the other hand, have limited options, since Dempster wants to go to Los Angeles and must approve any trade. Here are today’s rumors, with the most recent updates up top…

• The Cubs and Dodgers are discussing a deal of Dempster for Josh Lindblom, reports ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick, who isn’t sure what other players could be involved in the swap (Twitter links).  Another source tells Crasnick that the Lindblom rumor is “completely unfounded.”
• The Dempster-to-the Dodgers trade isn’t “dead,” tweets ESPN’s Jayson Stark, though the Dodgers are interested in Josh Johnson and are “waiting to see if [the] price drops on” James Shields.
• Dempster will consider trades to a number of teams, including the Braves and Dodgers, if the Cubs approach him with a deal in place, Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.comreports. ”He has not said that he wouldn’t go to Atlanta or anywhere else for that matter,” a person familiar with the situation told Levine.
• There’s no current dialogue between the Cubs and Dodgers about Dempster, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney reports (Twitter links). Each club know what the other is looking for at this point.
• The teams discussed the possibility of expanding the trade to include Alfonso Sorianoor Bryan LaHair, Danny Knobler reported today.

You’ll notice that no where in all of this is name of anyone we’d be as excited about getting as we were about Randall Delgado. So that’s . . .  lots of fun. Thanks again, Ryan!

BTW, we spent most of Wrigley Talk Friday arguing about this yesterday. You can listen here or download the show from iTunes.

» Continue reading “Cubs Live Game Thread: Fun (?) With Non-Olympic Sports”

Photo Coutesty Chicago Tribune

 I can’t believe I stayed up to witness the end of that debacle in St. Louis last night. Pitching to Pujols with the game on the line? What were you thinking, Joe?!?! The Cards remain in 1st.

I don’t really want to talk about REEDZ’s injury today, and he doesn’t want to talk about it, either.

Johnson is expected to miss at least a month, the Cubs announced, leaving them without a righthanded-hitting center fielder to platoon with Kosuke Fukudome, who is hitting .179 against left-handers.

Johnson, through a club spokesman, declined a request to address the media after the game.

The Cubs are expected to call up Sam Fuld to platoon with Kosuke, though Dave Kaplan thinks they might recall Jeff Stevens for a game or two, first.

If you missed the game yesterday, the Cubs had a fine time toying with Mike Hampton, unilt Cecil Cooper took him out and ruined everyone’s fun. Suddenly, the offense is showing signs of life:

The four hitters in the middle of the Cubs‘ batting order are starting to click at the same time, helping to turn around a lineup that appeared to be sleepwalking for much of the first half of the season.

Alfonso Soriano, Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez and Milton Bradley have combined to hit .417 on the homestand with 10 home runs and 28 RBIs.

“This is more along the lines of what was expected of us,” Bradley said.

The return of Ramirez on July 6 was the beginning of the hot streak, while the move of Soriano to the No. 6 hole also has been a major factor. Soriano, who hit a three-run home run Wednesday in a 12-0 victory over Houston, is hitting .364 with five home runs and 15 RBIs in 66 at-bats in the sixth spot with a .408 on-base percentage.

» Continue reading “Chicago Cubs Headlines for Thursday”

So Sunday was a little ambitious after all

» Continue reading “Chicago Cubs Headlines for Friday, July 24″