Victory in Defeat
Cubs Lose to Phils, But It's Kind of an OK Loss

Barbara Johnston/US PRESSWIRE

We're not exactly happy the Cubs lost 5-4 to the Phillies yesterday — especially when they had two on with nobody out in the top of the ninth. (Hey, at least Aramis Ramirez came within four feet of that third strike.) And John "Sir Walks-A-Lot" Grabow surprised absolutely no one by letting in the winning run in the eighth. But let's look at the bigger picture. Ryan Dempster pitched pretty well, save the three-run jack he gave up to 2007 MVP Jimmy Rollins. Starlin Castro again proved he can hit at the major-league level, going 2-for-4 with an RBI. And this was the Phillies, the team that's been to the World Series two years in a row. So, well, it could have been worse. Right?

Chicago Tribune: Phillies edge Cubs 5-4 as rally fizzles in ninth
ESPN Chicago: Phillies end Cubs' four-game winning streak [+ video]
MLB: Cubs rally, but fall short late in Philadelphia [+ video]
Chicago Cubs Online: Cubs Grabow'd in the eighth

Sign and the Dotted Line
The Toyota Sign Gets the Final OK
Looks like it's all but a done deal: the 360-square-foot red Toyota sign is set to become as much of a part of Wrigley Field as ivy and Old Style. Alderman Tom Tunney is ready to allow the Cubs to erect the sign that towers 40 feet over the bleachers as long as they agree to refrain from putting up any similar signs for four years, the Sun-Times reports. Also, the team must prepare a "master plan" for future signs. Maybe one of these signs will read, "Congrats Cubs on Another World Series Win!" Maybe, right?

Chicago Sun-Times: Toyota to get bleacher seat
Wax Paper Beer Cup: Tunney and the Cubs play ball to get Toyota sign

A Rudy Awakening
Cubs Hitting Guru Might Not Make Huge Difference
The Cubs have four (Byrd, Soriano, Fukudome, Theriot) of the top 16 hitters in the National League. Everyone assumes this is due to the arrival of hitting svengali Rudy Jaramillo, who's seen as a mixture of savant, ninja, sage, oracle, and soothsayer. But if you actually crunch the numbers, the team is hitting .268, which is actually only a little better than the .264 they hit in the second half of last year. And their on-base percentage of .340 is a hair lower than the .342 they hit in the second half of last year. But hey, it is fun to type the word "soothsayer."

Chicago Tribune: Can't see improvement in Cubs hitting with Jaramillo

There Goes the 'Hood
Ricketts Family Joins the Ranks of Rooftop Owners
There's been an uneasy relationship between the Cubs and the surrounding rooftop owners, culminating at one point with the Cubs mounting a screen to block views. But now, the Ricketts family has joined the other side. They recently provided some capital to the owner of the building at 3621 N. Sheffield (Wrigley Done Right), where the rooftop owner's lease expired last year. The rooftop area had been closed, but can now reopen. "The Ricketts family considers the rooftops partners," said the family's spokesman. If you can't beat 'em....

Chicago Breaking Sports: Ricketts family to reopen Sheffield rooftop

Kap Crunches the Numbers
Rating the Cubs' Off-Season Moves
Now that we're about one-quarter into the season, WGN/Trib/CSN man-about-town Dave Kaplan grades Jim Hendry's off-season trades, pickups, and such. He gives decent marks to the GM — with one glaring exception. We agree with the A for getting a centerfielder (the Byrd truly is the word), but we're not sure how a B+ for improving the offense is different from a C for adding a run-producing bat. Aren't those pretty much the same thing? But, and it's a big but, Hendry gets an F for the Zambrano situation. Not to be too conspiratorial, but we have a feeling that's not over yet.

Kap's Corner: An honest assessment of the Cubs

Bad news: The Cubs' opponent for the next three games, the Texas Rangers, have the majors' best home record in May... The Cubs went 6-9 in last year's interleague play... If the Cubs sign Bobby Howry as expected, they will have the two pitchers with the highest ERAs in the NL: Howry (10.67 ERA) and Grabow (8.44 ERA)... Aramis Ramirez hurt his thumb swinging the bat Wednesday, but will likely be back in the lineup over the weekend... The Sporting News recently asked 125 baseball experts to name the top 50 players in the game. Only Derrek Lee made the list, and he came in at #33. Ouch.

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