Opinion

It seems that Jim Hendry and the Cubs are intent on doing everything within their power to move Milton Bradley this winter. This reminds me of the offseason that Hendry spent trying to trade Sammy Sosa. Eventually, he did, of course, but in the process ignored other Cubs needs.

I don't think that this is so much of a concern this winter because, quite frankly, there isn't a whole lot that Hendry can do. Given all the expensive, long-term contracts that are untradeable, Hendry has basically tied his own hands. Maybe he's a masochist.

This week's Sports Illustrated previewed the World Series with a cover story with the following headline: "Welcome to the Big Bash," and this subhead, "Ryan Howard + A-Rod = World Series Home Run Derby."

Or maybe not. After two games Rodriguez and Howard have combined to go 2-for-17 with 12 strikeouts and zero home runs. Howard has both of the hits, and both players have six Ks. Good call SI.

In case you’re wondering, “Who’s Your Daddy!” chants rained down in a hurry on a villain still wearing Jheri curls and bearing frightening fastballs. His return to New York wasn’t too lenient, including an unbearable crowd that had waited to avenge cruel remarks that dated back to the days when Pedro Martinez faced the New York Yankees as a member of the archrival Red Sox.

Filed:October 30th, 2009

Chicago Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts

And with one 20 minute press conference this morning, an historic event has come and gone, with the Ricketts family officially announced as the Cubs owners.

It doesn’t matter who he says is his daddy.

Pedro Martinez is a first ballot Hall of Famer.

The 38-year-old from the Dominican Republic may not have the mid-90s fastball he once displayed, but he still has the prowess on the bump to take over a contest on the game’s biggest stage.

Just look at the way he navigated through Game Two against the New York Yankees on Thursday night.

Upon watching the first two games of the 2009 World Series, I was astonished at the number of empty seats at Yankee Stadium.

Sportswriters constantly claim that New York Yankee fans are the best in baseball. I am not here to disagree with them, but just question it from their support?

It amazes me how Yankee fans needed the Yankees to lower ticket prices in order to "fill" the stadium. BRAND NEW Yankee Stadium tickets are as low as $277 on Stubhub.com, while the cheapest ticket for Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park is $395.

To some degree, I sympathize with New York Yankee fans. Granted, my tears are largely of the crocodile variety because I readily acknowledge they bring a lot of the exploitation on themselves.

Few fan bases are so quick to turn on their players when performance dips.

Sometimes I wish baseball would get with the program.

It just perplexes me that Bud Selig allows one league to play one style of baseball and the other league to play another style of baseball.

The disconnect between the style of play is all over one position: the DH.

The American League has it, the National League doesn't, hence the different style of play in both leagues.

With the World Series now going on, one league's players are always at a disadvantage because each home ballpark calls for a different adherence to the rules.

In New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of

There's nothing you can't do, now you're in New York

These streets will make you feel brand new

Big lights will inspire you, let's hear it for New York

This is the chorus (as sung by Grammy winner Alicia Keys) to Jay-Z's current hit single "Empire State of Mind."

Sometime around the sixth inning, I think it was the exact moment Ryan Howard asked home-plate umpire Jeff Nelson if he could hit off a tee, I realized who the guy pitching for the Yankees reminded me of.

The wirey build, the ink, the lizard-like features, that insane curve ball. This guy was just like A.J. Burnett, the Toronto Blue Jays star.