A Walk in the Park: A-Ram's Ball Four Gives Cubs Extra-Inning Win

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Scoring the winning run off a bases-loaded walk isn't exactly glamorous, but we'll take it. Aramis Ramirez walked on four straight pitches to bring home the winner in the 10th, giving him two RBIs for the game. Could this be where he finally turns it around? Carlos Silva allowed three runs in seven innings, but Carlos Marmol got the win. Speaking of rockin' Carloses, Zambrano pitched 1 2/3 inning and gave up only one hit, no runs. With their fourth consecutive victory, the Cubs pulled to the .500 mark. Nice.

ESPN Chicago: Ramirez's bases-loaded walk lifts Cubs past Nats in 10
Chicago Sun-Times: Carloses help Cubs get extra-inning win
MLB: Cubs top Nats in extras, win fourth straight

Winner of Cubs-Sox Series to Get a Trophy, Pat on the Back
When college rivals play each other, the winner often gets something like the Little Brown Jug (Michigan vs. Minnesota) or the oddly phallic-looking Jeweled Shillelagh (Notre Dame vs. USC). The Cubs and Sox announced yesterday they're doing something similar. From now on, the winner of the majority of the six annual Crosstown Classic games will get a trophy called the BP Crosstown Cup. We don't yet know what it will look like, but it will probably be a little less weird than that shillellagh.

Chicago Tribune: Cubs, Sox to compete for Crosstown Cup
Daily Herald: Cubs, Sox to play for Crosstown Cup Trophy

Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Tribune Cubs Scribe Answers Emails
Every now and then, veteran Trib reporter Paul Sullivan opens his mailbag and responds to readers. The year's first mailbag finds Sullivan bumming us out with this tidbit: Soriano, Fukudome, Ramirez, D-Lee, Zambrano, and Samardzija are among the players with no-trade clauses. So while this recent streak is exciting, it's not likely that the Cubs will pull a blockbuster deal. In other news, Sullivan guesses Starlin Castro will be up later this year, and seems pretty sure Ramirez won't be benched anytime soon.

Chicago Tribune: Paul Sullivan's Cubs mailbag

Zambrano to Bullpen: But Wait... There's More!
It's been almost a week, and we're still seeing a LOT of talk about Zambrano heading to the bullpen. That said, it is interesting stuff. For starters, Hendry tells the Trib the team isn't trying to get Big Z to waive his no-trade clause. The Sun-Times' Gordon Wittenmeyer notes the move could upset a player whose emotions are, shall we say, fragile. Another Cubs Blog points out this could cost Big Z big bucks, and the title at Agony & Ivy says it all: "Big Z is pissed."

Chicago Tribune: Hendry: Nothing mysterious about moving Zambrano...
Chicago Sun-Times: Zambrano move could get tricky
Another Cubs Blog: How much does this move cost Zambrano?
Agony & Ivy: Big Z is pissed

Remember Doug Glanville? Turns Out, He's a Brainiac
Remember Doug Glanville, the wiry centerfielder who played for the Cubs in '96-97 and 2003? Chicago magazine did a profile on him, and turns out the dude is a regular Einstein. Like, he's an engineering grad from Penn/wrote his own baseball book/speaks several languages caliber-dude. He's now a columnist with The New York Times, and his book, The View from Where I Stand, sounds pretty good. And did he really mention Chicago architecture as a reason for staying in the city? He did, indeed.

YouTube: On the field with Doug Glanville [video]

Today's Report by Joel Reese