It's common knowledge that Sweet Lou isn't going to be managing the team next year, so who's going to take his place? The smart money is on two former Cubs: Joe Girardi and Ryne Sandberg. It's hard to imagine Girardi leaving the Yankees after winning the World Series last year, but the Peoria native is in the last year of his contract so you can at least count on the rumors continuing as leverage for his Yankee negotiations. As for Ryno, he's put in his time managing in the minors for over three years now and he's ready to get called up. So who's the favorite? Could there be a dark horse candidate?

SB Nation: Should Joe Girardi be the next Cubs manager?
ESPN Chicago: PTI on Girardi as next Cubs manager? [video]
Daily Herald: Sandberg ready for major leap
Talking Chicago Baseball: Sandberg says he won't wait around

Bang for their Bucks
Efficiency and Cubs Do Not Make Sweet Music Together
We all know Tom Ricketts is a numbers nerd (and we mean that with the utmost respect). So it must drive him crazy to read that the Cubs are baseball's most inefficient team. A St. Louis econ professor examined every team's salary expenditures compared to their success and, lo, who came out on top (or rather, bottom)? Don't make us say it. The Cubs required $2.1 million per win over the first half. The most efficient team, the San Diego Padres, require $402,201 per victory. Ouch.

Forbes: Assessing MLB's most/least efficient teams

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
What Each Cub Has Contributed in 2010
Has every player on the Cubs roster done something good this season? Tales from Aisle 424 thinks so. In their unique midseason review, they take a look at the good and the bad of each Cub position player. Nice to see something positive, even if the plus for Starlin Castro is that we don't have to watch Theriot play short anymore. Our favorite is Jeff Baker, who is lauded for his potty humor. Meanwhile, some Cubs players see a turnaround coming in the second half and don't think the team needs blowing up. We're getting déjà vu...

Tales from Aisle 424: The yin and yang of the Cubs
Daily Herald: Cubs look to be sellers, but players see a turnaround

Lucky Numbers
Geeking out on Cubs Stats
Numbers mean a lot in baseball, and View from the Bleachers did a little digging and learned that there's a stat called WPA (Win Probability Added). Basically, it's a way to determine a player's positive and negative impact on a team. Marlon Byrd is the leader in WPA is with a score of 2.04, with Alfonso Soriano coming in second at 1.89. Guess who's the bottom? Ryan Theriot, who's actually the worst in baseball among players with more than 100 times at the plate. Wow.

View from the Bleachers: Fun with fan graphs

You Be Phillin', Pt. III
An Endless Array of Awfulness (i.e., Phillies Fans)
In honor of the Cubs' next opponent, we've been looking at the horror that are Phillies fans. And no story more exemplifies this than the tale of the Mad Puker. Here's what happened: A Phillies fan felt he was wronged by another fan. So instead of doing something like calling security or talking with the other fan, he does what every normal person would do: He sticks his finger down his throat and throws up on the offending party (a dad and his 11-year-old daughter). That's what we call classy.

Deadspin: Last night's winner: not this guy

We felt the start of the second half of the season was the perfect time to debut our first Cubs Fan Report video: "The Rant." Let us know what you think, share it with friends, and be on the lookout for a new video next week... Joey Votto is, apparently, a jagoff... Got some thoughts about being a Cubs fan? Want to tell the Cubs themselves? You'll have that chance starting tomorrow at Wrigley, as the organization will be surveying game attendees as part of their new Cubs Listening program.

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?