Opinion

At least one unprecedented Cubs streak will end this year.

Chicago will likely finish this season second or third in the National League in strikeouts. That means that, barring an unforeseen rash of strikeouts by what will be predominantly inexperienced pitchers down the stretch, someone other than the North Siders will finish atop the NL strikeout team leaderboard for the first time since 2001.

If you’ve followed the National League West this season, complete this sentence:

While the rest of the town is obsessed with Brad Lidge-gate, the Phillies have a job at hand and it's manager Charlie Manuel's job to keep the troops ready for action.

The New York Mets come to town for a four-game series. What is at stake for the Phillies is getting closer to clinching the National League East pennant and keeping the Florida Marlins and Atlanta Braves at arm's length.

For the Mets, it is a chance at redemption, if only for the weekend. The Mets, 62-78, lost three to the Marlins, who are five games behind the Phillies.

I remember it vividly. I was in my sixth grade gym class when our gym teacher got a phone call. We were young, so hearing a phone ring in the middle of class was unusual and the class broke into laughter as we listened to the teachers ring tone go off.

He walked back into the gym after being on the phone for a little over a minute with a distraught look in his face. “A plane just crashed into one of the Twin Towers,” he said in his deep Yugoslavian accent.

It was Sept. 11th, 2001.

Never let it be said that my fear of the Baseball Gods' wrath is phobic. Exaggerated perhaps, but certainly not unfounded or illogical.

"As a die-hard San Francisco Giant fan with a long memory pockmarked by devastation, I'm trying not to get too excited. But it's getting harder and harder..."

I wrote those words to end an article about Brad Penny's resplendent debut against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Notable nattering nabob of the Detroit Free Press Drew Sharp recently took a break from his negativity to proclaim Tigers manager Jim Leyland as the easy pick for American League Manager of the Year.

When Sharp writes, I instinctively believe exactly the opposite.

But maybe he's on to something.

Leyland won the award in 2006. In just his first year in Detroit, he guided the Tigers from perennial bottom-feeder to their first playoff appearance since 1987.

Brad Lidge continues to struggle on the mound for the Phillies, and that doesn’t make for a good situation as the Phillies make their inevitable entrance into the postseason this year.

But to be honest this is par for the course for Lidge.

Historically, the past four years to be exact, Lidge has been a big up-and-down guy, which is probably one of several reasons why Houston traded him away.

The Cubs have a dilemma.

As the offseason approaches, General Manager Jim Hendry faces a number of difficult decisions about the future of his team. The 2009 team has a number of weaknesses, and the ability to throw money at the problem, even if he indeed has that ability, will not count for much.

Some of the additions he will need to make to make the Cubs competitive in 2010 will be by subtraction.

Angel Pagan’s production has far exceeded expectations this season.  He’s batting .313 in 67 starts with 6 home runs and 28 RBI mostly hitting out of the lead off spot.  He’s played mostly solid defense in center field while filling in for one of the best center fielders in the game in Carlos Beltran.  He’s been one of the few bright spots on the team this season.

After browsing on the blogosphere, I found this article on the Daily Dish, a SB Nation MLB trade rumors blog.

Basically, in summary, it is suggesting that if the San Francisco Giants are looking for an upgrade in power, they should look in their own backyard and sign Barry Bonds.

It is a very intriguing suggestion.