We'll Have Another
Cubs Pour It on Brewers in 9-4 Win

Jeff Hanisch/US PRESSWIRE

Man, the fans went crazy after the Cubs win last night! Who would have thought a simple win over the Brewers would produce such chaos? Oh, wait... there was that hockey game.... But the Cubs did actually play last night, and the North Siders beat the Brewers in Milwaukee. The Cubs clubbed five homers — with two each by Marlon Byrd and Geovany Soto — and the fifth by Derrek Lee for his 300th career round-tripper. The starting pitching was only meh: Carlos Zambrano gave up three runs in five innings, but Andrew "The Cash Machine" Cashner went two scoreless innings with two whiffs. We like.

ESPN Chicago: Lee, Byrd, Soto connect in Cubs' win vs. Brewers [+ video]
Chicago Tribune: Cubs' offense erupts after Piniella issues warning
Chicago Sun-Times: Piniella talks, Cubs hit
Daily Herald: Cubs respond to Piniella's warning, beat Brewers 9-4
MLB: Cubs respond to Piniella's entreaty in big way [+video]

Luck of the Draw
Secret of Silva's Success: Sucky Opposition?
And Counting has two theories about the stunning resurgence of Carlos Silva: The Cubs have put up big offensive numbers for him (6.45 runs per game), and he's faced feeble opposition. "The guys who have started opposite Carlos Silva have been overwhelmingly craptastic," the blog writes. And Counting says they're happy about the results, but notes opposing pitchers have a collective ERA of 4.70. Meanwhile, ESPN says his changeup is simply better. Whatever the reason, we'll take the results.

And Counting: Source of Silva's luck: the other guy on the mound
ESPN: Changeup keying Silva's 8-0 record

Draft Winds Finally Die
Cubs Hope They Nabbed Future Stars in Lengthy Draft
There's a reason the three-day MLB draft hasn't caught on like the NFL's or NBA's: It's fifty rounds. Fifty rounds! It wrapped up yesterday, so now we can take a look back. Overall, the experts didn't seem impressed with the Cubs picks. "I honestly don't like their draft," one scribe noted. But then he said, "I don't want to say that they don't know what they're doing, because they had a plan and executed it."

Wrigley Bound: Cubs draft — what the experts are saying
MLB: Pattern developed during Cubs' Draft
The Cub Reporter: 2010 Cubs Draft tracker ticker — Day 3

Up on the Roof
Cubs Go After Rooftop Owners for Selling Tix
The relationship between the Cubs and the rooftop owners has always been a little dicey, and it just got worse: The team sent a letter warning the owners against selling tickets on the day of games. "We intend to pursue this matter to the fullest extent of the law," wrote team president Crane Kenney. While this just proves how tenuous the alliance is between the Cubs and the owners, some say it also reflects the team's concern about dwindling sales. Team attendance is down 1,233 fans per game compared to this time last year, according to Chicago Breaking Business.

*Speaking of rooftops, a reminder that you have 3 days left to win a Cubs rooftop party for 20 people! On us! For real! Invite friends to sign up for Cubs Fan Report and you're entered to win. Hurry, the contest ends Sunday.

Chicago Breaking Business: Cubs warn rooftop owners about game-day sales

Do the Collapse
Cubs Cause Blogger to Lose His Marbles
It happens to every Cubs fan: You lose it. Whatever the cause — questionable draft picks, bad free agents, Bartman — you just freak out. Thus is the case at Another Cubs Blog, where suddenly, fandom has become almost an existential crisis: "Why do I even pay attention to this team? There are 29 other teams and most of them are better organizations than the Chicago Cubs," they write. Other issues they raise: Ricketts, money, the farm system... and so on. It's OK. We understand. We're there for you. Kumbaya and all that. But one last thing: You'll be back.

Another Cubs Blog: Why should I care?

It's official: Aramis Ramirez is on the 15-day DL with a thumb injury and Chad Tracy is up to replace him... That didn't take long: The city officially approved the Toyota sign in the left-field bleachers, and now it's going up... The Cubs and Victoria's Secret models? Yes, please... We'll probably be watching this video a few hundred times today.

Submit your Rant on Facebook
*Don't be a Sox fan... be clever. If it's smart enough, we'll publish it here.
What's this?