With the Cubs meeting the Cardinals, beginning tonight, for the first time in three months, it seemed like the right time to exchange Five Questions with Larry over at Viva El Birdos. I'm posting both sets of questions and answers here, but you can also head over there and join the discussion. Despite the rivalry between the clubs, as I have written here many times, I have a great respect for Cardinal fans and their passion for their team, and Larry runs an excellent site and has become a friend.

First, my questions for him:

BCB: What is the single most important reason that the Cardinals sit five games under .500 and 8.5 games out of first place, not long after winning the World Series?

VEB: They haven't had Carpenter. He was the only certainty in the rotation heading into this season. Because of him, the Cardinals figured they could gamble on rotation slots 2 through 5 --- as long as a couple of the gambles worked out, they'd be solid at the top of the rotation. That's usually enough in the NL Central. When Carpenter got hurt, the whole formula fell apart.

Reasons 2 and 3 would be the precipitous dropoff in Edmonds' and Rolen's performance. Both have injury histories and are on the wrong side of 30, so it's not as if their declines were unforeseeable. The Cards gambled they could milk another good year out of both, and crapped out.

There are plenty of other things wrong with the team, too --- it's old, it's unmotivated, it's top heavy. But a healthy, productive ace can redeem a lot of sins. When Zambrano got hot (literally and figuratively), it turned the Cubs' season around. The Cards are the flip side of that coin --- without Carpenter to help mask their other shortcomings, they've been completely exposed.  

BCB: What has to happen for the Cardinals to start winning again, and do you really think they still have a chance at getting back in the race? They haven't won more than four in a row all year, and that was in April.

VEB: The Cards are toast; their season ended when Carpenter had to be shut down for good. Without him, they just don't have the pitching to sustain any success over a long period of time. If he were returning to the rotation this week as anticipated, he would have given them a fighting chance; I wouldn't be conceding the season. But it is what it is. With Carpenter out, I wouldn't expect the Cardinals to win the division even if they somehow managed to sweep all 7 games against the Cubs and the Brewers this week.

BCB: Who would you trade, right now, either from the major league team or from the Cardinals' farm system, for immediate (or future) major league help, and who would you be targeting for that help?

VEB: I wrote about that here. The Cardinals desperately need players who are a) young, b) patient at the plate, and c) fast. They've got hacktastic sluggers galore; no need for any more of those. They need a 25-year-old Luis Castillo type, someone to get on base ahead of Albert.

Oh yeah, and they need 2 or 3 good starting pitchers.

Unfortunately, the Cardinals don't have the organizational depth to pull off an acquisition like that. Isringhausen might bring a decent return, and David Eckstein might have some narrow appeal to the right team; I can imagine the Cubs liking Eckstein, but they and the Cardinals are certainly not going to help one another. There is said to be a trade market for Anthony Reyes, but he's no longer regarded as premium material. The Cardinals would surely trade guys like Russ Springer and Braden Looper and Juan Encarnacion, but I wouldn't expect much in return for them.

BCB: Who is the most pleasant surprise for the Cardinals this year?

VEB: Ryan Franklin --- he and Isringhausen have done as much as anyone to keep the Cardinals from falling 15 games under .500.

BCB: Who is the guy who you'd most say "I told you so" about, in terms of not meeting expectations, this season?

VEB: In terms of NOT meeting expectations, it'd be Edmonds --- back in November I expressed the unpopular opinion that they should buy out his option year and sign somebody else to play center. But then, the guy I thought the Cardinals should target as Edmonds' replacement was Dave Roberts, and that's a "told you so" in the opposite direction, because Roberts has been nearly as injury-prone and unproductive this year as Edmonds.

The biggest "told you so" story of the season has been Anthony Reyes, who is as divisive a figure as Cardinal Nation has seen in some time. About half the VEB community (including me) thought he'd be pretty good, and the other half never thought much of him; he's 0-10 with an era north of 6. Told you so . . . .

And, here are Larry's questions for me, and my responses:

VEB: For all the money the Cubs spent on free agents from other teams, the Cubs' fortunes this year ultimately have mirrored Zambrano's --- when he was doing poorly, they stunk, and when he turned it around, so did the team. With all the financial commitments they've already made, can the team afford to keep him? From a won-loss standpoint, can they possibly afford to let him go?

BCB: No, there's really no way they can let Z go, from a won-loss standpoint OR a psychological standpoint. He's so popular among Cubs fans (and without Kerry Wood, he is also the senior Cub in length of service, having been here since 2001). He means so much to the ballclub in so many ways.

Can they afford him? Sure they can. The team's going to be sold, obviously, in the next year or so. But any new owner would love to have a drawing card like Z, and even if they have to pay him $15 million plus per year, that's ... well, not quite chump change, but close, to anyone who's going to have to pay close to $1 billion for the franchise.

Z has a shot at a 20-win season this year. Only one Cub has done that in the last 15 years (Jon Lieber, 2001).

VEB: The Cubs are still not scoring all that many runs. They're 14th in the league in walks, 12th in homers, and only 8th in runs scored. Short of a big trade, is there anything they can do to goose the offense?

BCB: The home runs will come, I believe. Jacque Jones won't have two HR all year (same number as Ryan Theriot, and that won't last). Derrek Lee was just starting to hit them again when he started his suspension. That alone will help the run-scoring. 8th in runs scored -- that's a bit misleading, as there is a big bunch of teams from 3rd (Milwaukee, 472) to 9th (New York, 448). If the Cubs have a couple of big offensive days, they could climb three or four spots.

The consistency of the pitching staff, both starting and relieving, is a big reason for the winning surge of late -- and if this team is going to win anything, it's going to be with pitching.

VEB: If the Cubs do make a trade, do they have any talent they can send the other way that's sufficient to land an impact player?

BCB: Sure -- Ronny Cedeno and Felix Pie, both now tearing up Triple-A (since I wrote this, Cedeno is being recalled, effective today). Both have had their struggles at the major league level, but both are considered prospects, Pie more than Cedeno (I mean, Ronny was REALLY bad early on this year, going 3-for-31 and making more than his share of fielding and baserunning errors). But I can think of a number of teams (White Sox, for example) that could use a young shortstop.

VEB: Do you like the Jason Kendall acquisition?

BCB: Absolutely. His veteran experience, his game-calling (not his "defense" per se, as he really doesn't throw that well any more), and his enthusiasm for coming to the Cubs (he was greeted with a standing ovation in his first at-bat at Wrigley Field, which he said was "really cool") ought to make him a Damian Miller-type acquisition for the ballclub.

Miller, I am convinced, by his veteran handling of what was then a very young staff of Wood, Prior and Zambrano, helped the Cubs to win in 2003 more than any of his statistics showed. Kendall could do the same, and they really gave up almost nothing to get him.

VEB: Which pitcher do you most fear a collapse from --- Marquis, Marshall, or Hill?

BCB: Well, I think I know what you're wanting to hear here -- that I expect Jason Marquis to collapse, thus allowing all of you Cardinal fans to fulfill your prophecy about his second-half collapses, as he had several times while pitching in St. Louis.

It's true that Marquis was pretty bad for almost two months. He seemed to get it back in his last start last Friday against the Diamondbacks. I think he's got it together, and you'll see it for yourselves on Thursday night.

The weakest link is probably Marshall, who has the least experience of any of the Cub starters, but he threw well on Sunday, despite losing to Arizona. Starting pitching has been a real strength for the Cubs -- all but six games (three by Angel Guzman, three by Wade Miller) have been started by the current starting five.

I did this last year for several series, and many of you liked the format. So with the upcoming four-game series against the now-division leading Reds, I thought I'd do it again, this time with JD from the Red Reporter.

First are my questions for him:

Q: The Reds are challenging for first place in the Central. But they had a good start two years ago, too, and fell flat in the 2nd half. What's different now that would make you optimistic?

A: The pitching is so much better this year than in the past, specifically the starting pitching. Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo have both been quite good, and the Reds have had nice surprises so far with Eric Milton and Elizardo Ramirez. Management also seems to have a clue and a desire to win, which wasn't the case in the Dan O'Brien/Carl Lindner era. The Reds offense has been pretty solid for the last few years, but it's always been the pitching holding them down, and for at least the first couple of months of this season they've been a much more complete team.

Q: What are the biggest reasons for the Reds' good start?

A: Their health has been a big plus. The Reds have had a few injuries (Griffey missed a month, Milton spent time on the DL), but for the most part they've been healthy, and I might go so far as to call them the healthiest team in the NL Central so far.

And I can't understate how much better the pitching has been. There are still problems with the bullpen, but the starters have been tremendously improved. Walks are down (I think the Reds are first in walks allowed in the NL) and strikeouts are up. Aaron Harang is developing into an upper echelon starter (don't believe me? look at the numbers, 3.65 ERA, 80 K in 79 IP, 4.21 K/BB) and Bronson Arroyo seems to be taking a step or two forward.

Q: What's gotten into Bronson Arroyo? Do you think he can keep it up --  both pitching AND hitting -- all year?

A: I'm sure coming back to the NL has helped, since hitters aren't as familiar with him, but if you look at his K/9 rate you'll see that it's up quite a bit this year. Last year it was 4.38, this year he's striking out 7.08 batter per nine innings. I think if he keeps his K rate up then he'll be a good bet to continue his early success.

I have no idea what's causing the hitting, but it's certainly nice to see. He seems to own Glendon Rusch.

Q: Which Cub player do you, as a Reds fan, fear most?

A: Derrek Lee for sure. He's a beast, and I think his injury has hurt you guys alot more than the injuries to Prior and Wood. He seems to be the one guy in the Cubs lineup willing to go deep into counts, and his power is pretty ridiculous. It's funny, I didn't really see his career developing the way it has, but he's really thrived in Chicago.

Q:I've read at Red Reporter how much Reds fans seem to resent Cub fans coming to Cincinnati for games there. You'll probably see a fairly large sea of blue at GABP this weekend. Why all the dislike?

A: I think it's pretty natural to hate teams that travel well. You see it in the NFL with the Steelers, in college football with Ohio State ... it's a little annoying to see fans of another team in your "home". Obviously Reds fans only have ourselves to blame, since we're not buying all the tickets, but these things aren't rational. I also think that while there are alot of intelligent and long suffering Cubs fans, there are also quite a few who are just in it for the Wrigley Field experience, fans who don't really care whether the Cubs are winning or losing. They tend to give the rest of Cubs fans a bad name.

Now, JD's questions for me and my answers:

Q: What did you think when the Cubs signed Tony Womack?

A: Like most Cub fans, I was appalled at this signing. It seemed worthless. Womack somehow popped out a decent year for the Cardinals in 2004, and got signed by the Yankees as a result. He was bad last year, and didn't play much for the Reds, which I suppose is why they let him go, especially after they signed Brandon Phillips.

I knew he'd get a lot of playing time, because he is Dusty Baker's "type" of player -- baserunning speed, but no way of getting on base in the first place.

He's been -- well, not terrible. It was still a silly signing; all it did was prevent Ryan Theriot, an actual useful young 2B, from playing.

Q: What on earth has happened to Juan Pierre, and how long are the Cubs going to hit him leadoff when his OBP is at .287?

A: The problem is that the Cubs don't really have any other leadoff options. You're right, the .287 OBP is just about as bad as Corey Patterson's was in the leadoff spot last year. It seems he tries to bunt every single time up, and every team in the league knows it. He doesn't walk, so he HAS to hit to be useful.

I wish they had another choice. But they don't.

Q: Do you think the Cubs made a mistake in getting rid of Corey Patterson? He always seemed to have so much talent to me, and it looks like he might be finding himself a little bit in Baltimore.

A: Patterson's last year with the Cubs was so poisoned that even though he COULD have been a decent fit in right field this year, there's no way he could have had the year he's had so far in Baltimore, in Chicago. He was booed relentlessly -- not just for his performance, but his attitude toward his performance (he was perceived as not caring, not wanting to make adjustments, not take coaching suggestions, or when he did, there were "too many" such suggestions). Had he started slowly with the Cubs this year (as he did in Baltimore), the booing would have absolutely killed him.

Sometimes players have to move on to succeed. I'm still not convinced he's for real, but if so, he may be one of those players.

Q: You guys have been hit pretty hard with the injury bug this season, and the first couple of months haven't gone very well. Do you think the season is over, or do you still have hope that getting Derrek Lee back can get the team into the Wild Card race?

A: Well, obviously after the last two days, getting one run total in two games off a pitcher with an ERA orbiting Mars, and another making his first ML start, obviously the Cubs could use Lee back, especially when you consider this: with Todd Walker playing first base most of the time, the lineup substitution is Womack for Lee. Or Neifi Perez for Lee.

I think you can see how that just doesn't work in terms of scoring many, or ANY, runs.

Lee will help. But the Cubs may be in too deep of a hole to get out.

Q: Is Dusty Baker a plus or a minus? The thing that has really defined the Cubs offense in recent years, at least to me, is their inability to take a walk. Lots of hitters go up and swing at the first thing they see, and the organizational philosophy seems to be okay with that (see the Juan Pierre, Neifi Perez, Tony Womack acquisitions). It seems like Dusty wants hitters to be too agressive, at least to this outsider. And this is without even discussing the pitch count question, and his perceived tendency to ride young pitchers pretty hard. Do you think the Cubs would be better off with someone else at the helm?

A: BCB readers know well that I am NOT an advocate of firing Baker now. Yes, his managerial tendencies are clearly well known -- as you have articulated quite well in your question. He doesn't seem to understand lineup construction -- he keeps putting the "speed guys" in the #2 slot, without comprehending that they can't "steal first base", as the old saw goes.

For this year, I blame Jim Hendry for not putting together a team that could withstand the injuries that have been suffered, and for spending $16 million on Jacque Jones (who is hitting well now, yes, but I'd NEVER have given him a three-year deal), and $2.5 million on Neifi Perez and Glendon Rusch.

I saw what happened in 2003. Baker can be the PERFECT manager, given the right combination of players. He had a similar pattern in San Francisco -- a great first year, then three down years (90+ losses in the third), then suddenly a division title the next.

Right now, firing Baker means nothing. At the end of the season, I'll re-evaluate.

I've done Five Questions with several fellow bloggers of opposing teams this year; this time it was Joshua from Crawfish Boxes who asked me to do this.

Since I didn't get his answers till early this morning, I'm going to combine the game thread with the five-questions thread.

Today's Starting Pitchers

G. Rusch Cubs vs.  W. Rodriguez Astros 7-8 W-L 10-8 4.59 ERA 5.43 103 SO 73 51 BB 50 12 HR 17

Here are my questions to Josh and his answers:

Q: What happened with Roger Clemens? Why couldn't the Astros score when he was pitching? Shouldn't he be about 18-2?

A: I think the question is leading the witness to a certain extent. The Astros have struggled to score runs for Clemens, but also for every other pitcher on the staff except Wandy Rodriguez.

Clemens should be 18 - 2 only if you figure that great pitchers like Chris Carpenter, Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder, and Jake Peavy aren't good enough to "deserve" the shutouts they've thrown while opposing Roger. It's kind of discriminatory to say that Clemens is the one who should have won a particular pitcher's duel--especially when he didn't. The four guys mentioned above will either win a Cy Young award, or have led their league in wins, or in ERA. And yeah, they beat Clemens in close games this year. If you're an ace--as Clemens definitely is--you're going to face the best, consistently.

Also, while guys like Carpenter and Mulder, and beyond those four, Willis, have pitched complete games, Roger--because he no longer throws them--has relied on the bullpen more than some other pitchers. I do not, however, understand why all three of Brad Lidge's blown saves have ruined games for Roger. Russ Springer--who has been very good this year, for the most part--has also blown a save for Rocket. So bad luck is certainly part of it.

And believe it or not, Clemens has also been outpitched at times. Greg Maddux, Brad Halsey, Chris Carpenter (in another start), and Tomo Ohka have all had games where they gave up some runs, but still pitched better than Roger.

Last thing is that recently, Clemens just has not been that good. I think it's his hamstring, but he has a 5.40 ERA in September, a period of time when Roy Oswalt, for example, has had less run support than Roger.

Q: What is the single most important reason the Astros are about to clinch the wild card?

A: The temptation is to say Morgan Ensberg, but the answer really is our starting pitching. Disregarding Ezequiel Astacio--who made some spot starts and filled in for Brandon Backe when he was hurt--Houston's starting pitching is 67 - 45. Which means, what? That our bullpen (plus Astacio) is 27 - 24. As of right now, no member of the starting rotation has a losing record, and they've all won ten games.

Even # 4 and # 5, which have been perceived as weak links from time to time, have pitched and won important games, repeatedly. Look at Brandon Backe Thursday. It appears as if he might finally have recaptured his command, and if so, he is a very dangerous # 4, with an outstanding curve and a 90+ fastball with tailing movement. Astros fans've been waiting for Brandon to pitch like he did at the end of last season all year. Maybe the wait is over?

And now that I think of it, let's give a little credit to Astacio. He got shelled more than a couple times, and is now 2 - 6, but the team was 6 - 8 in his starts, not bad for a number six guy. Beyond that, he gave the team some consistency, where it's not a revolving door at the end of the rotation. I believe that's gotta help the team outlook.

Q: Which team would you most like to face in the playoffs and why?

A: The Braves, 'cause they're weak right now, literally backing into the playoffs, as their vulnerable bullpen becomes more and more exposed. And my God, imagine if Andruw Jones gets hit on the hand with a pitch or something. . . . Plus the Stros've got some baggage that we'd like to unload on their asses. Last year was only a start, is what I'd like to believe.

Q: Which team would you LEAST like to face in the playoffs and why?

A: The Cardinals. Because they're the best team, and 'coz they've won 11 of 14 from us. Even the games we've won, like the minor classic September 2nd, it's been like the labors of Hercules just to get a freaking W. . . .

But I don't think anyone seriously doubts that at least 50% of the LCS, if not more, will be played in St. Louis.

I'm sure I don't speak for the players when I say this, but Albert Pujols in a clutch situation scares the s*** out of me. He beat the Astros in the thirteenth inning with a homer to deep center July 15, after going 0 for 4 over the first ten frames. He continuously does that kind of stuff to Houston, and has a 1.006 OPS over the last four years against the Astros.

And Jim Edmonds? The man gives an Astro fan nightmares. I'm sure you know about the catch he made in the LCS that may have cost us a trip to the Series; that kind of stuff is pretty much SOP for him. He has a higher OPS against Houston over the past four years than Pujols.

Q: Other than Clemens, Ensberg and Lidge, who is the Astros MVP this year?

A: Andy Pettitte. Although it looks like he might be tailing off lately, he was quite simply the NL's best pitcher in the second half. He's also been the league's best lefty. Clemens has had the problems dicussed; Lidge, while back atop his game, has been from time to time inconsistent. And Ensberg was slumping a bit before he got hurt. But Pettitte has been a rock since June 20th. Throw him out there, get the win. . . . .

And now, my answers to Josh's questions, which you can also find at Crawfish Boxes, his Astros blog:

Q: Carlos Zambrano: Ace of the 2005 Chicago Cubs, and beyond. True or False?

A: Absolutely true. While Mark Prior & Kerry Wood, the supposed aces from 2003 and who were going to lead us to the promised land, spent most of the last two years on the DL, Z has been the staff ace for the last two years, not missing a start, throwing what many of us consider an unconscionable number of pitches (he threw a 136-pitch complete game earlier this year), but he seems to have the stamina to handle this sort of workload.

I like Z's passion for the game, too -- he just has to learn to keep it under control. Sometimes it's hard to remember, considering that if Z wins his last two starts he'll have 50 career wins, that he turned 24 in June. Lots of guys 24 years old are still pitching in Double-A.

One of the things Jim Hendry has to do this off-season is sign Z to a long-term deal. The Cubs have the payroll room to do this.

Q: Fill in the blank, like they did in "Match Game 77," if you remember that:

If the Cubs could have just successfully (blanked) this year, they might have progressed to the playoffs.

A: "Match Game 77"? Hey, I'm old enough to remember the ORIGINAL "Match Game", hosted by Gene Rayburn. OK, so I watched with my grandparents. But anyway: What can fill in that blank? I could say a lot of things, but many of them are not printable in a family-oriented blog like this one. The best answer is "put together a better pitching staff". The staff didn't have anyone as good as Z, other than Z; there were too many injuries, too many guys (Mike Remlinger!) who just were no good, and the failure of management to install Ryan Dempster as closer till mid-May doomed eight games to blown saves prior to that event. LaTroy Hawkins, a good setup man, was forced into the closer role when he wasn't suited to it last year, and Dusty Baker pigheadedly stuck with him, not only blowing games but pretty much ruining Hawkins' career and forcing the trade (which could wind up really benefitting the Cubs, if Jerome Williams, who is also only 24 in December, can become the top-notch starter he appeared to be as a Giants prospect).

Q: As a fan of a team that has done very well against the St. Louis Cardinals, do you have any insight into what the Cubs may have had that caused the Cardinals problems? Beyond Derrek Lee, I mean.

A: The Cubs are likely going to finish within a couple of games of .500 either way -- they have to go 6-3 to finish .500, 7-2 to finish over. They are a CLASSIC .500 ballclub, which is to say they play up or down to the level of their opponent. The Cardinals are a good example; so are the Astros, for that matter; the Cubs have played 5-4 ball against them and played very well in Minute Maid Park. Speaking personally, I have seen five Cubs/Astros games at Minute Maid in the last two years -- the Cubs have won all five of them.

The opposite side of this coin is the Cub record against the Cincinnati Reds, a really poor team with a putrid pitching staff. The Cubs were 6-9 against them.

More evidence of this .500ness: the Cubs have scored 675 runs, and allowed 678.

Q: To the extent that 2005 can be considered a failure for the chicago Cubs, how would you assign blame (in %) among the following likely culprits:

25% Dusty Baker
50% Jim Hendry
15% Latroy Hawkins
10% Kerry Wood
0% Neifi Garciaparra

"Neifi Garciaparra"? That's a good one. Nomar's injury was a freak, and he's hit well since he returned. Neifi did a good job for a couple of months, but he is not an everyday player.

Q: This is free space, if you want it, to construct your argument for Derrek Lee, MVP:

A: Well, it's really simple: depends on what your definition of this award is. Many think it's a "Player Of The Year" award -- that's Lee, who is leading in so many offensive categories and has a chance to have 100 extra-base hits, which has been done only once in the NL since Stan Musial in 1948 (Sammy Sosa, 2001).

If it's value to your team, Lee could win it on that basis too, as let's say they had had to play Todd Hollandsworth at 1B all year. They'd have finished somewhere in the Pacific Coast League.

But they didn't win even with Lee. So, maybe it's Albert Pujols. But the Cardinals would have won the division anyway -- St. Louis won mostly with pitching. I love Derrek Lee and he has had a wonderful year. He may very well win the Hank Aaron Award, which is a tortured MLB creation to try to settle all the MVP arguments. It has failed. Much as I love the Cubs and Lee, the NL's MVP, in my humble opinion, is Andruw Jones, who has set a Braves franchise record for HR in a season (and remember, that's a 130-year-old franchise that has had two 500+ HR guys play there, Aaron and Eddie Mathews), and pretty much carried that club while their pitchers and hitters were all getting hurt.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

When I first mentioned the idea of this to Mike of FishStripes, the upcoming Cubs/Marlins series loomed a lot larger with playoff hope than it does now.

Nevertheless, we decided to exchange Five Questions about the Marlins and Cubs; first, my questions for Mike about the Marlins and his answers:

Q: Apart from Miguel Cabrera, who is the Most Valuable Marlin this year and why?

A: Two names immediately come to mind: Dontrelle Willis and Todd Jones. The Marlins have been carried by pitching this season. Expectations were high coming into the year for Josh Beckett to A.J. Burnett. I think it's fair to say that they've (at best) lived up to expectations.

However, there were questions surrounding  Dontrelle Willis coming into the year. He started the season as the team's 4th starter (really - it's true), behind Beckett, Burnett, and Al Leiter. Willis had a spectacular first half, and then we started to worry that Willis would fade in the second half like he did in 2003 and 2004. There have been some bumps in the road, but Willis has been pretty solid throughout the year.

Without Todd Jones, I'm afraid to think of where the Marlins would be right now. There's no stability in the Marlins bullpen, but that's often quickly overlooked because the starters (three or four of them at least) have been so good. Jones has really held everything together though ( 1.13 ERA on the year, 0.92 WHIP; 0.00 ERA in August; 0.51 ERA since the break). Jones was supposed to be a middle reliever/set up guy this year, but when Guillermo Mota struggled and went on the DL earlier, Jones assumed the role of closer.

As much as Willis has been great for the Fish this year, I'd have to give the MVP nod to Jones. Without Jones in the bullpen, the Marlins would not be in contention for the Wild Card right now.

Q: Will Jack McKeon return next year as manager? If not, who's going to take over? Who would YOU want to take over?

A: Jack will not be back next year. That's not official, but I just can't imagine he's up for another year. There was talk earlier in the season (when the Marlins were struggling a little more than they are right now) that Jack wouldn't make it through this season and that his style wasn't working with the Marlins anymore. It turns out that Al Leiter (most likely) was the one complaining to the media about Jack.

Still, Jack seems to have lost it. He's always been unconventional, and in 2003 those moves seemed to work (odd pitching changes, random lineup moves, etc.). But this year it seems to have gone beyond just unconventional (calling Jeff Conine "Steve", referring to Dontrelle Willis as the "A-Train", and not knowing Matt Perisho's name when he called him in to notify him that he'd been DFA'd).

In terms of a replacement, that's tough. I don't think anyone realized it at the time, but losing Ozzie Guillen after the 2003 season was a big loss for the Fish. Ozzie related well to the players (as he was fairly close to their age) and he's bilingual. The Marlins current staff is very old and seems to struggle with English at times (ok, maybe that's just Jack).

While he doesn't fit the requirements I just laid out, I'd like to see the Marlins bring Jim Leyland back. Leyland had success with the Marlins before (managing the 1997 team) and he seems hungry to get back into the game. If they bring Leyland on, I'd like to see someone like Lenny Harris (assuming he retires), Andre Dawson (a member of the front office), or Joey Cora added to the coaching staff.

Q: How does Lenny Harris keep doing it, pinch-hitting as well as he is now, two years after the Cubs released him because he was horrible? What's his secret?

A: I wish I had the answer to this. It just doesn't make any sense. The only thing that I can think of is that it's the environment. That's not a knock on the Cubs or any other organization. But Lenny clearly has a role with the Marlins. He's the pinch hitter and he's also a leader in the clubhouse. Most of the guys that the Marlins depend on are very young. Guys like Beckett, Willis, and Cabrera are established, but they're also under 25. Harris seems to be enjoying the role as a clubhouse leader. My guess is that's made him happier and more productive.

Q: Will the Marlins break the bank to keep A. J. Burnett next year? Or are they willing to let him go? If so, do they have a hot prospect to replace him?

A: A.J. is as good as gone. There was allegedly an offer on the table during the spring worth about $24 million for 4 years. A.J. refused that and I doubt the Marlins will come up with more. The word down here is that A.J.'s wife is from the Baltimore area and that she'd like to move the family up there.

Next year's rotation will include Josh Beckett, Dontrelle Willis, and Jason Vargas. They'll likely add either Scott Olsen (a lifelong Cubs fan) and/or Josh Johnson to the rotation as well. Olsen was brought up earlier in the year and pitched well. Johnson hasn't reached the majors yet, but he's about as highly regarded as Olsen and Vargas, so hopes are high that there are more young starters waiting for the Marlins in the minors. Behind them, there are about a half dozen other prospects who will likely become solid major leaguers, but won't likely become number one or two starters.  

The fifth starter next year will probably be Brian Moehler (if he can be had at a reasonable price and if his recent struggles aren't a long term thing) or Ismael Valdez.

Q: Will the Marlins get their new stadium approved? And if not, will they have to move out of south Florida, or even be a contraction candidate after 2007?

A: Unless someone comes up with a donation of land (not the crazy Palm Beach idea that Don King suggested) or coughs up a serious chunk of money, the stadium isn't going to happen down here. There isn't public support for it and there isn't enough money to come from the various government areas.

Since it looks like the NFL isn't going to turn Dolphins Stadium (the current name of the Marlins ballpark) into a permanent or semi-permanent home of the Super Bowl (as Wayne Huizenga - former Marlins owner, current Dolphins owner, and current Dolphins Stadium owner - had hoped), my guess is that the stadium folks will be more flexible about working something out with the Marlins. They're not going to want to lose a tenant for 81 days per year. There just isn't anything in South Florida to replace that business.

Much of the problem now is that the lease agreement between the Marlins and the stadium is horrible. Both sides argue that it's a bad proposition for them. But this deal was negotiated two ownerships ago, when the team was desperate to secure something of a future in Miami and when Huizenga and team was bent on squeezing as much as they could from the team. If both parties can be reasonable with each other, the Marlins may be able to stay in Dolphins Stadium on a more permanent basis.

That's not ideal, but it keeps the team in South Florida.

I just don't see the team as relocating anywhere. Where would they go? It took years to get the Expos relocated to D.C. And when that happened it didn't seem like Vegas, Portland, or anywhere finished in a desirable second place.

Contraction is another issue. Since the Twins are closer to getting a new stadium than the Marlins, I guess you'd have to put the Marlins up towards the top of the list if that sort of talk ever becomes reality again.

Here are Mike's questions to me and my responses, many of which we have debated here amongst ourselves:

Q: Lately it seems like Dusty could be on his way out. Do you think he'll be the Cubs manager next season? If not, what needs to happen to save his job/keep him in Chicago?

A: Dusty Baker is absolutely, positively going to be the Cubs manager in 2006. He's under contract, and despite a loud chorus of Cub fans calling for his head, Jim Hendry isn't going to cut him loose before the end of his deal; if he did, that'd be two high-profile managers in the last five years (Don Baylor as well) that the Cubs would eat a million-dollar-plus year or more of a contract. It simply won't happen.

Baker's strengths and weaknesses are well known. Hendry didn't prepare a very good roster for Baker to use this year, partly because of the Sammy Sosa Circus, partly due to injuries and the failure to recognize that LaTroy Hawkins was not a closer. This cost the Cubs at least four games before they finally installed Ryan Dempster as closer, and he has done a good job.

Q: Who's next year's opening day shortstop for the Cubs - Nomar, Neifi, or someone else?

A: I'd pick Nomar. He could be the on-field leader that the Cubs have been looking for since Damian Miller and Eric Karros left after 2003; he's just been hurt too much. I'd offer him a incentive-laden contract with option years; that way, if he makes his incentives (at-bats, games played, etc.) he gets his money, if not, you cut him loose after one more year. He and Mia Hamm are building a house in the Chicago area; they like it here, and I know he wants to stay.

Neifi Perez is a useful utility player, but starting him every day for an extended period is a recipe for failure.

Could they go after free agent Rafael Furcal? Maybe, but I think he's so valuable to the Braves that they'll re-sign him. I like Nomar, and I'd like to see him for just one full season, at least, to see what he can do. He is only two years removed from a .301, 120 run, 28 HR, 105 RBI season.

Q: I'm sure we have a different take on the 2003 NLCS. Who or what do you fault for the Cubs losing that series (or do you think it was more a matter of the Marlins coming back to win the series)? What was the most painful end to a season in your memory?

A: Well, that had to be it, in terms of pain. Five outs away and rolling along. I do not blame Bartman; that was only a potential trigger. The key to game six was Alex Gonzalez (our guy, not yours) booting a sure inning-ending DP ball, which would have gotten the Cubs to the ninth leading 3-1. It hurts. A lot.

One of the other keys to that series was not going in for the kill in game 5. Beckett was lights-out, when the Cubs had the Marlins on the ropes and could have won it in Miami.

That said, I give credit to the Marlins for winning; it wasn't just the Cubs losing. They took advantage of every opportunity that was given to them, and that's what winning teams do.

You'll forgive me if I don't say too much more. Two years later, it still hurts. A lot.

Q: If the Cubs don't make the post-season, will you be cheering for the White Sox?

Hoo boy, another tough one. I am watching the White Sox with bemusement right now as they are not winning, and looking bad doing it. If they back into the playoffs (similar to the way they did in 2000, when they had a mediocre second half after breezing through the first half), they could go three-and-out, particularly if they play the A's. Oakland has their number and they know it.

Will I "root" for them? No. I think fan allegiance is to one team only, and mine's to the Cubs. I suppose if they win, it's "good" in some way for the city of Chicago.

Don't even think of asking what I'd do if there's a White Sox/Cardinals World Series. Maybe watch "Entourage".

Q: What does the future hold for Kerry Wood?

A: Here's what someone in Cub management has to do with Kerry: sit him down and explain how Dennis Eckersley was converted to closer in mid-career and rode it all the way to the Hall of Fame. Or how John Smoltz, beset with injury problems, spent 3 1/2 years as a closer, was lights-out, made a ton of money, and then when his arm was totally sound again, returned to the rotation.

Wood has been terrific -- a couple of damaging homers notwithstanding -- in relief. He consistently throws 97, 98 MPH and has a devastating 88 MPH slider that no one can touch. Throwing one inning at a time saves wear and tear on his elbow.

I'd install him at closer and re-sign Dempster to be his primary setup man. That solidifies the bullpen, although it also means you have to go out and find a quality starting pitcher. But the Cubs have had so many bullpen woes over the last decade -- you have to go back to Randy Myers to find someone who closed successfully for the Cubs for more than one season in recent years -- that when a solution like this presents itself, I believe you take it. I'd much rather see Wood closing, than hear for the umpteenth time that he's got a "twinge" in his elbow and has to spend another month or two on the DL.

First, apologies if you've tried to get here today and couldn't ... there have been server problems, and it's my fault. I suggested using the Cubs bullpen to power the servers, and, well ... let's just say there were pieces of Roberto Novoa and Mike Remlinger all over the place, ugly mess...

Anyway, on to more important things, namely this weekend's series with the Cardinals. I have, in the past, put Five Questions to a fellow SportsBLOGGER about an upcoming big series, and this has proved a popular feature here. So today, I go back and forth with Larry Borowsky of Viva El Birdos. First, here are the Five Questions he sent me (and the use of all lower-case for him, is one of his signatures):

Q: the cubs have had a lot of bad surprises this year (viz. injuries to nomar prior wood). what have been some NICE surprises -- other than the obvious (ie derrek lee) -- for the 2005 cubs?

A: Biggest nice surprise: Ryan Dempster. Although, to those of us who were promoting him for closer last off-season, his success isn't really a surprise -- we knew he had the right temperament and approach to the game to be a successful closer. Since he was anointed closer after LaTroy Hawkins' disastrous throw off Jose Offerman's helmet that cost the Cubs a game against the Phillies, Dempster has been lights-out, up to yesterday, that is. He has only one blown save. The rest of the staff has twelve blown saves. Convert half of those and the divisional race looks very different.

Q: has the bullpen mess finally shaken out, or are people still finding their roles?

See above answer -- the slotting of Dempster allowed other people to find fairly well-defined roles, though the Cubs are still looking for a consistent 8th-inning setup man. Mike Wuertz throws well for a time or two, then can't find the strike zone. Mike Remlinger is a reverse LOOGY -- check his splits. He can't get lefties out!

Scott Williamson may be a couple of weeks away from coming back. He was a "lightning in a bottle" acquisition like Dempster was a year or so ago. He could help solve the setup mess.

Q: if (big if) baker used a leadoff platoon of hairston/walker the rest of the way, would that suffice to get the cubs into the playoffs? or do you need to acquire a juan pierre / kenny lofton type?

A: So far, the Cubs have walked a lot more and scored a lot more runs with Hairston/Walker hitting 1/2, than they did with Corey Patterson and Neifi Perez hitting in those slots. Of course, dead people might have reached base more than the latter two. I'm not that enamored of Pierre -- he's having an off-year, and he is truly a one-dimensional player. Lofton -- now, that's an intriguing thought if the Phillies drop out of the wild-card race. He really ignited the 2003 Cubs, and still can play. Dusty Baker likes him.

But to acquire someone like this just to "get someone", no, I wouldn't do it.

Q: kerry wood will not pitch in this series. does baker have a rationale, or did he simply take the lazy way out in setting up his rotation coming out of the break?

A: I'm wondering why you singled out Wood. Is it still the perception that Wood is "the man"? Because he's not -- with his injury history and inconsistency, he truly is the #3 pitcher in the rotation, though Baker slotted him second once the break ended. He set it up as Prior-Wood-Maddux-Zambrano-Williams, which to me makes perfect sense. It just so happens that Wood will, as a result, miss this weekend series. I can't imagine he won't pitch against the Cardinals sometime later this year. The only matchup in the weekend series that appears to be a mismatch on paper is Saturday, Williams vs. Morris. But Williams has thrown quite well this year, and may surprise you. You might say that Zambrano/Carpenter is a mismatch too, and if you look only at wins, you'd be right. Z has also thrown much better than his won-lost record.

(Note: I wrote this answer to Larry before Wood's injury the other night.)

Q: i thought the cubs would be much better than they've shown so far, and i'm sure you did too. who/what do you hold most responsible for the club's underachievement to date: 1. baker 2. hendry 3. injuries 4. players not performing

A: It's all of the above. First, Hendry was hamstrung by the Sammy Sosa Soap Opera; by the time it was over Moises Alou was gone (though I wouldn't have re-signed him anyway), and the only free-agent OF left was Jeromy Burnitz. Burnitz has performed well, and I wouldn't have paid Carlos Beltran or Magglio Ordonez the dollars they got either. But I still think Hendry has a big move in him before the deadline.

Baker made a mistake by not giving Dempster the closer role and putting Sergio Mitre in the rotation to replace one of the injured starters. Instead, he put LaTroy Hawkins out there and pretty much destroyed him. Hawkins never had the closer mindset; he proved that in Minnesota and also in the last week of 2004. Also, Baker's stubborn insistence on continuing to lead off Corey Patterson, watching him swing and flail at pitches over his head, hurt the team for weeks before Hendry stopped it by sending Patterson to Iowa.

Injuries, you know about. The Cubs lost half of their starting DP combination one week into the season and the other half ten days later, and it won't be back together till August 1. Two starting pitchers, Wood & Prior, missed a combined 15 starts. And yet, the Cubs sit fairly close in the wild-card race.

Who didn't perform? Well, Patterson is the most glaring example. He should be one of the ten best players in baseball on talent. But he doesn't have the right approach to the game, and no one seems to know what to do with him. He's fast, but he's not a "speed player". He has power, but as a little guy (5-9), he's not really a power hitter either. And he has either resisted or rejected coaching, or not received it at all, as was revealed earlier this week.

So far this year, the Cubs and Cardinals have split their only two games, including the disastrous rain-soaked game on April 20 when Nomar got hurt. It feels weird to have had no Cub-Cardinal contests this late into the year, but no less weird than last year, when our two clubs were done around this date. I look forward to fourteen well-played, tightly contested games.

Here are the questions I put to Larry, and his answers. He also extended an invitation to any of you who have Cardinal questions/comments, to post a diary on his site; he promises to answer. Larry's a good guy and a knowledgeable baseball fan and appreciates the Cub/Cardinal rivalry, so I hope you'll take him up on this.

Q: Obviously, every pitcher in the National League fears Derrek Lee this year, as he's having an MVP-quality season. Other than Lee, which Cub hitter(s) do you fear most? Who would you least like to see come up in a tie game in the 9th inning?

A: ramirez is the obvious one, but i also would be concerned about todd walker, who you know will put a good swing on the ball. and michael barrett has hurt the cards repeatedly the last couple of years. garciaparra also comes to mind, but stl fans have no history of being stung by the guy; we never saw him last year, and then this year he goes and racks himself up after just one at-bat. haven't learned to fear him yet; hope we never do.

Q: The Cardinals have had their share of injuries to key players this year, including losing Scott Rolen and Jason Isringhausen for extended periods of time. In your view, what have been the key factors in keeping the Cardinals winning without these players?

A: just one thing: outstanding pitching. the rotation has been fantastic all season --- consistently going deep into games, keeping the pressure off stl hitters and on opposing pitchers and defenses. the bullpen has been outstanding too, but i think the rotation makes them look better than they really are; the setup corps generally only has to pitch an inning or so to bridge the gap between starter and closer. they have excelled in that small, manageable role.

a lot of other factors also have helped the cards weather the injuries --- abe nunez's better-than-expected bat, great defense (esp. from molina and gruddy), a good season from eckstein. and then there's albert; as long as he's around and the pitchers go deep into games, the cards are going to be in nearly every game.

Q: Who has been the nicest surprise for the Cardinals this year? Who has been the biggest disappointment?

A: nice surprises --- lots of them. matt morris: i had a hunch he would pitch well, but not this well. chris carpenter: not even the die-hardest card'l fan deemed him a cy young candidate coming into the season. yadi molina has made us forget mike matheny. eckstein and gruddy have settled right in --- stl is 2d or 3d in the league in dps.

the disappointments are rolen, who of course has been injured and thus isn't really  a "disappointment" -- fans know he's playing hurt --- and mark mulder, who despite the 11-5 record hasn't looked like the shutdown pitcher we thought we were getting. don't get me wrong, he has been an asset; but we gave up too much talent for him, so in that sense he's a disappointment. i realize how it must sound to hear me poor-mouthing an 11-5 pitcher, so i'll just stop now ....

Q: With such a large divisional lead and the best record in the NL so far, do you feel the NL Central title is in the bag? Are the Cardinals already setting up things for the postseason? Or do they still think the Cubs, with fourteen games left between the two clubs, have a shot at catching them?

A: i respect the cubs and think they are eminently capable of putting on a run; but as long as the cardinals' pitchers remain healthy, i don't think any team is going to make up 13 games on them. i honestly do think the division's a lock, barring a pitching injury. and la russa is acting as if he agrees; he's resting walker rolen and edmonds at every opportunity, trying to keep them fresh for the playoffs. but TLR respects the cubs enough that he set up his rotation so that carpenter and morris would start the first two games this weekend.

Q: Who's going to replace Reggie Sanders? And are the Cardinals even buyers at the trading deadline, or are they going to stand pat?

A: for now left field will be shared by john mabry, so taguchi, and a career minor-leaguer named john rodriguez, who is 27 years old and got his first mlb at-bat the other day. i think jocketty will add a veteran reserve outfielder just before or after the deadline, when asking prices have come down. and the lefthanders in the bullpen have been unreliable all season; billy wagner may be out of reach, but i look for the cards to add somebody -- maybe even ex-cub kent mercker -- to bolster the LOOGY corps.

==================

I'll have a game thread posted later this afternoon.

Last month when the Cubs played the White Sox, I exchanged "Five Questions" with my SportsBLOGS colleague The Cheat over at South Side Sox.

With the other Sox team coming to town tomorrow, I have done the same with Randy Booth of Over The Monster.

First, my answers to Randy's Five Questions:

Q: Are you optimistic going into the Red Sox series? How do you think it will play out?

A: I'm very optimistic, despite losing two of three (and looking bad) to Toronto. The Cubs have still won 18 of their last 27 games, and currently are the NL wild-card leader. I like the pitching matchups, though Wade Miller has give the Cubs fits for years while he was with Houston.

Q: How has the injury to former Red Sox, and current Cub, Nomar Garciaparra affected the team as a whole?

A: Surprisingly, I'm going to say it hasn't affected the team very much at all, at least performance-wise. Neifi! (we Cub fans put that ! there first as sort of a joke, now it's because of his amazing performance) Perez has played out of his mind for two months, and we all fear what'll happen when he reverts to career norms, but he's pretty much putting up similar numbers to what Nomar might have.

Nomar's veteran leadership, the Cubs miss. I saw him play in spring training and he seemed like a man possessed -- to come back and have a big year. It's really a shame what happened to him.

Q: Which Red Sox hitters do you fear the most? Which Red Sox pitchers do you fear facing? (FYI to Randy: his original question read "Sox" -- I had to change it to "Red Sox", because when Cub fans hear "Sox", we think of that other Chicago team. Cub fans don't hate the Red Sox! -- or, at least, I don't.)

A: As I said above, Wade Miller used to drive us nuts while he was with the Astros. Curt Schilling -- well, if healthy, he'd be the toughest Red Sox pitcher to face. I'm glad we don't have to face Matt Clement, with the start he's off to.

You're going to be surprised when I tell you which Red Sox hitter I fear the most. Believe it or not, it's Kevin Millar. He used to absolutely kill the Cubs when he was a member of the Marlins. I know he's not off to a very good start, but he's probably licking his chops thinking about hitting in Wrigley Field. David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez -- of course. Every team fears them.

You should know that Cub fans have warm memories of Bill Mueller, who is a class guy in every way. I'm sure he'll get a nice round of applause when he's announced.

Q: Where do you think the Cubs will finish in the standings when the season is all said and done?

A: Wow, put me on the spot, why don't you?

Well, the Cubs still do have fourteen games left with the Cardinals (don't face them again till after the All-Star break), so don't discount the possibility that the Cubs could get hot and win the division.

I still believe they are well-positioned to win at least the Wild Card. Mark Prior and Kerry Wood will be back soon, they have gotten good production out of people who have replaced injured players, Nomar may also return around August 1, and at last they have solved the closer problem -- Ryan Dempster has been terrific. No one has stood out from the pack yet -- so why not the Cubs?

Q: If you could take any player from the Red Sox system and put him on the Cubs, who would it be?

A: This one put me on the spot again, as I haven't been that familiar with other clubs' farm systems. But taking a look at the Red Sox' minor league rosters, one name stands out -- Cla Meredith. I know Red Sox fans thought he probably shouldn't have been brought up so soon, and perhaps needs another year at Triple-A. But at age 22, to have both the control (so few walks) and strike zone judgment (so many strikeouts!) -- this guy appears to be the real deal. I presume he's a closer-in-waiting.

Now, here are Randy's answers to my Five Questions:

Q: As a Red Sox fan, how do you view this series, and interleague play in general? Is it a big deal? Or do you not care?

A: With the way the Red Sox are struggling right now, the series is pretty important. Every series is important when you are only five games above .500. It being the Cubs, though, makes it interesting because of the history of both of these teams. It could be a lot more interesting, though, if Nomar Garciaparra were healthy and playing.

Q: What's been the biggest surprise to you about the Red Sox season so far, either positive or negative?

A:The biggest surprise is Curt Schilling. I figured at the time of his return from the disabled list that he wasn't ready, but I wouldn't think that he would have to go back on the DL and spend months because of his ankle. I believe it was a bad choice coming back so early, but how can you stop a guy with the determination Schilling has? You can't. And now it has cost him. We wouldn't be five games over .500 if Schilling were healthy -- that's for sure.

Q:  Who is the best acquisition the Red Sox have made in the offseason? The worst? Who do you miss most from the World Championship team who's no longer there (you can count Curt Schilling if you want)?

A: The best acquistion in the offseason has been Matt Clement, the former Cub himself. Clement has been solid all season long and has only struggled a few times, the most in his last outing. The player I miss the most wasn't even a starter or anything, it was Gabe Kapler. I was never a real big fan of Kapler, I liked him and all like most of the Sox, but losing his presence in the clubhouse has hurt this season. Players have mentioned him by name and may be the reason for some of the struggles. If he means that much to these guys, then I wish we still had him.

Q: Which Cub hitters do you fear the most? Which Cub pitchers do you fear facing? Which Cub pitchers do you lick your chops about facing?

A: I fear Derrek Lee the most. How can you not fear the man that is single-handedly destroying the National League? I'm not looking to face Carlos Zambrano. The man is a pure-power pitcher that may just be able to dominate us this week. He's one of the best pitchers in the National League, and I really don't want him to prove it to us. I'll lick my chops as long as it's not Zambrano, Greg Maddux, Mark Prior, or Kerry Wood, despite the last two being on the disabled list.

Q: As a Red Sox fan, I know you must be happy that the Yankees are floundering. Does their performance so far surprise you? Or were they set for a fall?

A: I think they were set-up for a fall, but they'll rebound somewhat. They may go on a huge tear and win 10+ games in a row, or they may just string together some wins. But they'll get out of this funk at some point. They may not go to the playoffs, but they'll improve.

The series this weekend looms large for the Cubs not only for the traditional reason that any Cub/Sox series does, but also because the White Sox currently sport the best record in baseball, and as such represent a good test for the Cubs.

The Cubs are on a mini-roll, having won two straight games in the 9th. This represents a small triumph; as you probably know the White Sox have been rolling over everyone, leading in 37 straight games from the start of the season and winning games in practically every way you can think of.

My SportsBLOGS colleague from South Side Sox, "The Cheat" and I recently asked each other "Five Questions" about our respective teams ... here are the questions and answers, starting with his questions for me:

Q: The Cubs have been struggling, they come into this series with a losing record. Be honest now, does this series have any more meaning because it's the Sox, who still hold the best record in baseball?

A: First of all, the timing of this series feels odd, as if it just popped up out of nowhere. I know why it's being held in May for the first time -- FOX-TV wanted the "rivalry" interleague series for its first TV weekend, so you have this one, Mets/Yankees, Angels/Dodgers, rangers/Astros, A's/Giants, Diamondbacks/Tigers (??).

But it still feels wrong for the Cubs and Sox to play before June.

It will be the first series the Cubs have played against a team with a record this good, notwithstanding the two games they split with the Cardinals in April. So in that sense, I do look at it as a good barometer of where the Cubs can go if they play well. There will be energy in the stands, and they will be full, and the weather's supposed to be great.

Q: Where would the Cubs be right now without Derrek Lee?

Probably last in the Pacific Coast League.

Seriously -- Lee has stepped up and taken over the offensive mantle that we all thought he could when the Cubs acquired him last year. He had 30 HR seasons in a bad hitter's park in Miami and I thought he could put up 40+ seasons in Wrigley Field. He didn't last year because he had a tired bat which died in September. This could be one of those years.

And considering that with Nomar Garciaparra and Todd Walker out and Aramis Ramirez slumping, that puts even more pressure on Lee to lead the offense. He has been up to the challenge.

Q: Corey Patterson insists that he's not a leadoff man. Jerry Hairston has split time with him leading off. Where would you bat them? What about when Walker comes back. Does Hairston go back to the bench? Or is it Dubois? I know it's not Neifi.

A: Patterson isn't a leadoff man. He hacks at everything, and he thinks he's a power hitter. The type of hitter Corey is should be hitting sixth or seventh. But Dusty Baker sees Patterson's speed and thinks "speedy leadoff man". Speed's useless if you don't get on base. Hairston should be leading off every day, since he has the second highest OBA on the team (behind Lee). Baker only sees the .253 BA and benches him. (Patterson's not hitting that much higher.)

Walker will push Hairston to the bench when he comes back, which could be in the next few days, and Walker's also a good OBA guy who should lead off.

Q: You're Dusty Baker -- scary thought, I know -- You've got a 1-run lead  headed to the bottom of the ninth. The starting pitcher is not an option. He's already thrown an unhealthy number of pitches, or been  pulled for some mysterious muscle issue, or whatever. Who do you bring in to close out the game? Why?

A: Just about everyone in the Cubs bullpen has already been tried as a closer, except the one guy who actually has some experience in that role -- Mike Wuertz, who was a successful closer at Triple-A Iowa last year. Dusty, for some reason, doesn't see that experience as relevant.

Wuertz seems to have the makeup to be a closer, plus good velocity and a good assortment of pitches, and he throws strikes. Ryan Dempster has the velocity and the makeup but he walks too many people.

My choice is Wuertz, and it has been even before all the injuries and the LaTroy Hawkins blowups.

Q: You're the aforementioned closer. Who are the three Sox hitters that you want to see due up in the 9th? Who are the three who you don't want to see?

A: The one guy who all Cub fans feared on the Sox was Carlos Lee, who wore us out, especially at Wrigley Field. In fact, I was hoping that if the Sox wanted to unload him after last year (and clearly, they did), that the Cubs might try to acquire him. I was VERY unhappy to see him traded to Milwaukee, where we now have to face him 18 times a year instead of six.

On the current team, the guy the Sox got for Lee, Scott Podsednik, is someone I'd hate to face in the 9th of a one-run-lead game. He's a pest. He drove us nuts when he was a Brewer -- lifetime .292/.356/.417 in 120 AB. Aaron Rowand has also hit the Cubs well. So has A. J. Pierzynski (though in only 18 career AB).

Who would I like to face? Willie Harris, Joe Crede and Timo Perez. All very, very overrated, particularly Harris, who is another one of those "speed" guys who has tremendous trouble using his speed because he can't get on base. Crede, for longtime Sox fans, is this generation's Pete Ward -- a guy who looks like a power hitter, and you think one day is going to be a great one, but never quite gets there.

You may note I didn't mention Paul Konerko. Konerko's a great hitter, and I can't believe both the Dodgers and Reds simply gave up on him. He hits everybody. Keep him on the bench. I also didn't mention Carl Everett, and because he's primarily DH'ing this year, he'll be limited to pinch-hitting duty at Wrigley Field. I realize this makes him more likely to appear in the 9th inning, but it also may make him a less effective hitter.

And now, here are "The Cheat"'s responses to my Five Questions:

Q: This White Sox team isn't all that much different from the one that finished barely over .500 last year -- in fact, many people said that giving up Carlos Lee was a mistake. What do you think has made the difference in their great start this year?

Actually this Sox team is much different from last year. Only center field, first, and third base are manned by the same players that were there to start last season. In the rotation, only Garland and Buehrle started the season with the Sox last year. That's a pretty big turnover for the just two seasons.

The biggest difference has been the pitching. For as long as I can remember, the Sox had been trotting an automatic loss every 5th game. They filled the #5 spot by picking up El Duque, and strengthened the pen with Hermanson. It's amazing what being able to string together a few games can do to a team's confidence.

Q: What IS it with Ozzie Guillen? Why does he seem to want to run his mouth so much? Why should he care if he has to park across the street when he comes to Wrigley Field? Why has he dissed people like Magglio Ordonez and Frank Thomas so much? Is this going to wind up hurting the Sox eventually?

A: Ozzie just says what he feels, and that's shocking to many people, specifically the media. I wasn't there, but I assume all of his comments about Wrigley Field were prompted by a direct question about what he thought of playing at Wrigley. He answered truthfully. If you had to sit and watch you team lose a ball game while the game was called to "poor field conditions" because of a rain storm that would have been easily weathered at the other 29 major league parks, you might have the same feelings.

On the Maggs situation, I couldn't care less what was said. Maggs took it to the media that Kenny Williams and Ozzie had driven down the market price for him by saying he wasn't healthy. Meanwhile he's jetting to foreign countries to get experimental surgeries, canceling workouts, and coming down with mysterious ailments. Ozzie probably shouldn't have gone off like he did, but I don't think it affected anyone on the team at all.

The Frank tussle is much like the Wrigley scenario. He was asked a direct question about how Frank would fit in with his style of play. Ozzie just spoke the truth. He's going to do what Ozzie asks him to do. Frank's going to have to play the way Ozzie wants him to. There won't be any pouting about being moved down in the line-up. Frank moved from 3rd to 4th last year, and back, without incident.

I love Ozzie's honesty. I know where he stands on everyone. He's not going to say a player sucks even though they might, but otherwise he's going to shoot straight from the hip. Will it get him in trouble? Yes. Will it hurt the team? Yes, but I can't see it happening anytime soon. There's going to come a time when the Sox are bad, just terrible, and Ozzie just might have a Lee Elia moment. Right now, his players love him, the fans love him, and the front office couldn't be happier with the way he's running the club, so that time is well beyond the horizon.

Q: Is the starting pitching really this good? Specifically, is Jon Garland this good, has he finally matured, or will he come back to Earth?

A: The starting staff isn't going to post a 3.5 ERA for the entire year, but 4.00 isn't out of the question. Garland is the real deal. He's not going to go undefeated for the entire season, obviously, but he's a completely different pitcher than he was the last 4 years. He's figured it out, mainly that if he challenges hitters and trusts his defense, he's going to win a lot of games.

Q: What's going to happen when Frank Thomas comes back? Will that disrupt team chemistry?

Who knows what's going to happen? I fully expect one more set back to his recovery before we see him on the big club. Regardless of whether it's his fault, if the Sox falter upon his return, he will be the one who gets the blame from the media.

Q: Finally, it's been said "Sox fans hate the Cubs; Cub fans hate the Sox fans". What is it with Sox fans? Why do they hate the Cubs so much? And do most of them really feel that they don't care if they win the World Series as long as they win the six games with the Cubs?

I can't speak for all of Soxdom. I can only give you my opinion. Your little quote sounds like something you would hear a Cubs fan say or that you might find posted on a Cubs message board. I can honestly say that I don't hate the Cubs. I have, however, recently become incredibly irritated by some Cubs fans though...

I'm going to answer this one with a little story... I was one of the 15,000 people who bothered to show up at "the Kerry Wood game," and have two ticket stubs to prove it. You'll hear a local columnist do nothing but rip Sox attendance. He did it twice in the past few days, while they're drawing 25-30K to the games on the day his column appears in print. But nobody seems to remember how few people went to Wrigley just a few years ago. I bought tickets for "the Kerry Wood game" at the Cubs box office, day of. I parked for free a few blocks away on Sheffield. The Cubs... were just another baseball team.

If I had to pin point a single moment in time when the Cubs went from just another baseball team to The Cubs it would be that Kerry Wood game. Later that year, Sammy went on his tear, and the cubs back-doored into the playoffs for the first time in 9 years.

The Cubs exploded that year. The Bulls run was over. The city was primed for another sports championship. They didn't get a championship, but the Cubs put on a good show. News vans descended on Wrigleyville to broadcast from the inside of pubs. The brand was sold. The Cubs were the destination if you were looking to have a good time.

I like to compare the rise in popularity to Starbucks. I don't like coffee, but I occasionally stop by a coffee shop to have a chat with a friend. There were always coffee shops, but then one day I woke up, and there was a Starbucks on every corner. I don't hate coffee shops, but Starbucks sucks. They're ubiquitous. It's the same way with Cubs fans. I coexisted with them in harmony for about 20 years. Then one day I woke up, and they were everywhere. I'm left thinking to myself, where were you a few years ago?

I could list a bunch of bad experiences that I've had with Cubs fans, but you guys could counter with similar poor experiences that you've had with Sox fans. It's stupid to let a few bad seeds ruin your opinion of an entire fan base. There are knowledgeable fans on both sides of the fence. The thing is, Sox fans are easy to avoid. We're the Giant Pandas of baseball fandom. Cubs fans are everywhere. You can't avoid them.

The rest of your question is bupkus. Nobody chooses six games in the middle of summer over a World Series title. At least, nobody that can call himself a baseball fan, let alone calling himself a Sox fan. I'd be ecstatic if the Sox went 0-6 vs. the Cubs, but went on to win the Series. We all know neither of those are happening.

Note: Before you start typing irate comments, or searching for my email, by visiting this site, you are almost certainly not the type of Cub fan that irritates me. You have searched out alternate content to that of the spoon fed mass media. You watch every game that you can, don't need to pay the $2 for the scorecard because you know all the players numbers, and know that Dubois should be getting more playing time. Just acknowledge that there is a sub-culture of fans who go to Wrigley because it's the in place to be, and just because you go there doesn't make you one of them.