Carlos Marmol suffered minor injuries in a car accident early Tuesday in the Dominican Republic.

Marmol, who was in a car that was hit by a truck, wrote in an e-mail to The Associated Press that the air bag deployed and he only suffered a cut and an "inflammation" of his forehead. He received seven stitches in his forehead.

Source: The Associated Press

Yipes. Sounds like he's having a VERY bad week. Hope he's ok and his forehead isn't too "inflammed"

FOXSports.com's Jay Glazer reports that the Packers have traded Brett Favre to the Jets. In compensation, the Packers are believed to get a draft pick which is conditional on his and the Jets' performance. This pick can range from a 3rd round pick to a 1st round pick.

What impact do you think Favre will have on that team with their new revamped defense? Remember the Jets play NE twice each year...

How do Bears fans feel about having Brett out of the division?

Any Packer fans out there? Packers could possibly get a first round pick depending on Favre's performance. Nice return for a guy the Pack was planning to be without?

Looks like Cub killer Jason Bay moves to the AL, while we get to face Hermida again this weekend.

Will Carroll of Baseball Prospectus says the Red Sox, Pirates and Marlins have agreed to a three-team Manny Ramirez deal, pending Ramirez waiving his no-trade clause and league approval.

Carroll has the Red Sox getting Jason Bay and John Grabow; the Marlins acquiring Ramirez, cash and a prospect from the Red Sox and the Pirates picking up Jeremy Hermida, two prospects from the Marlins and one from Boston.

Here is the link: http://www.baseballprospectus.com/unfiltered/?p=967

Carroll says, like Pee Wee, there is a big "but" in the deal...

A friend of mine came across this book and just happened to see a pic of me in it (featuring the Fukudometer). He sent me the web site and the book looks like a very nice coffee table book. I don't endorse this book or have any connection to it, just thought it was cool, esp because I'm in it. Below is my pic. I'm going to order my copy soon.

http://www.wearecubsfans.com

I remember the photographer taking my picture. He was walking around the stadium and asked me to stand with my sign. He also showed me the digital pic of the cover of his book (the one of the guy with the sunglass reflection)

That's me on the right BTW. FWIW, he never got permission to print my picture. Can I sue his pants off for at least a copy of the book?

via farm4.static.flickr.com

I'm getting ready to attend the season ticket holder luncheon with Crane Kenney at Wrigley. A couple days ago I upgraded to an IPhone 3G. I was surprised to see that I can interact with BCB pretty well.

My idea: I will "blog" to this thread in real-time describing the events/questions at the Cubs luncheon. This can also be a place for BCBers to make suggestions for the Cubs front office. In the invitation it says, "the intent of the session is to focus on our ballpark, business, community and off-the-field endeavors." So I won't be making any suggestions like, "bench Lee this week and play Hoffpaiur" or "Make a trade for TPWSNBN"

I'll be joined at the luncheon by fellow BCBers Chodes, SonyJ9, and kaseyi. From a previous fanpost here are the suggested topics from BCBers:

Horry Cow T Shirts

The "L" Flag

The Blackhawks game

Upgrade TVs in the stadium

Banning Ronnie Woo Woo

Sale of team and renovations

"Jump" as the team comes out

Hopefully technology will comply, and I apologize in advance if my posts don't have proper spelling, grammar, or punctuation.

Post any other ideas you may have and I will check them periodically along with my updates. Cheers.

UPDATE: Thanks to Cubsnlinux, if this thread is too large for my phone, I will continue on this site:

http://twitter.com/fukudometer

From mlbtr.com:

Khalil Greene rumor has been shot down. Fuentes, who apparently is going to be dealt to 12 different teams, may peak some interest by Jim Hendry. Also looking for a bench bat...hmmm....who do you think they are talking about? It's not Richie Sexson because he's going to be a Yankee. Let's put this Khalil Greene rumor to bed. What do you think about Fuentes? Who would he replace?

Link: http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2008/07/cubs-rumors-fue.html

Well, to no surprise it's now official. The NHL has announced that the 3rd outdoor NHL game will be played at Wrigley Field Jan 1, 2009 at 12:00 P.M. Blackhawk season ticket holders will have the option to purchase tickets for the game. There is a FAQ about the game in the link below. There is a specific question about Cubs season ticket holders ability to get tickets, and the answer is:

"The Blackhawks have no information regarding Cubs season ticketholders and access to the Winter Classic."

You can also sign up for email updates about the game. Sounds pretty "cool"

http://blackhawks.nhl.com/tickets/winterclassicfaq.htm

Hey all.

I just got a letter from the Cubs inviting me to the second "Tell it to the Cubs Luncheon" with Crane Kenney on July 23. Wondering if anyone went to the first one and has any feedback. Also, if anyone has any ideas to bring up, post it. Below is a copy of the letter I just received:

Thank you for expressing interest in attending aTell it to the Cubs luncheon. You are invited to our second Tell it to the Cubs session, scheduled for Wednesday, July 23, at noon at Wrigley Field. As you might imagine, there has been tremendous interest in participating in these sessions – more than 2,000 season ticket holders have expressed a desire to attend. We thank you for your patience.

At our first luncheon last month we discussed stadium improvements, ways to enhance your Wrigley Field experience and a number of new potential opportunities for season ticket holders. The feedback we received was invaluable and we look forward to hearing from you this time around. This month we plan a slightly bigger group and I will ask Cubs senior front office staff to join me as well.

A few ground rules: Your passion for the team and its performance is assumed and while discussing the performance of our team would easily consume the time, the intent of the session is to focus on our ballpark, business, community and off-the-field endeavors. We want to hear how to better your experience as a season ticket holder beyond our shared goal of watching championship baseball. Please
also note this invitation is not transferable and only the person whose name is on the season ticket accountmay attend.

We welcome suggested discussion topics and we’ll work to incorporate those ideas into our informal agenda. Please reply to this message on or before July 18 with an e-mail to fanfeedback@cubs.com to let us know if you will be able to attend our luncheon on July 23 at Wrigley Field. If you can attend, please meet us at the Gate G entrance near Addison and Waveland. A buffet lunch will be available, so
grab a hot dog and we will sit in the stands and chat. For those of you driving, please feel free to park in the Green Lot located at 1126 W. Grace Street. The Green lot will be open from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. on July 23.

Thank you again for your longtime support of the Chicago Cubs. I look forward to seeing you at Wrigley
Field on July 23. Go Cubs!
Sincerely,
Crane Kenney
Chairman

Wayne Drehs ESPN.com article shares some stories about "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" and how it is celebrating 100 years in baseball. Mostly it tells the history of how it became popular and specifically some stories from Wrigley. The Ozzy story / explanation is pretty good.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3476916

Besides the obvious (Ozzy, Ditka, etc.) what are some of your "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" memories....bad or good? The one that jumps into my mind was Chuck Berry: "....buy me some peanuts and....jack....ma...."

Hey everyone,

I know that there were some fantasy football leagues on here last year. Well, I thought I'd organize one with people from the site. Here are the details:

12 team h2h league

1 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, 1 WR/RB, TE, K, DEF

6 pts all TD. 25yds passing = 1 pt, 10 yds Rush/Rec= 1pt, 1 pt per reception

-2 for INT, FUM L

DEF std scoring (see site)

I scheduled the draft for Tuesday night 7/1 at 7:30 so it will end right in time for the Cubs-Giants game at 9:05.

email me if interested and I will invite you to the league. Please join only if you are able to make the draft on Monday night. Don't bother joining if you plan on drafting Rex Grossman or the Bears' DEF in the first 10 rounds.

Follow this link:
http://football.fantasysports.yahoo.com/f1/register/joinprivateleague_league_select?.scrumb=

League ID #: 91087
Password: (email me at mrwrigleyfield at yahoo.com)

Thanks and good luck. Remember the draft Tuesday 7/1 at 7:30.