Two out of Three Ain't Bad
Cubs Win Series in St. Louis. Always Fun.

Jeff Curry/US PRESSWIRE

Yesterday's 9-7 over the Cardinals win was a glass half empty/full thing. First off, take Derrek Lee's two homers. The half-empty perspective: Where was that most of this season? Half-full: Way to go, Derrek! The Cubs score nine. Half-empty: Who cares? They're still 17 games out. Half-full: Love the offensive onslaught! The Cards score five in the ninth. Half-empty: I can't talk. I'm still freaked out. Half-full: Nice save, Carlos! These things are indisputably half-full: Ryan Dempster gave up two runs in 6 2/3 innings, and the Cubs won the series. We'll take it.

ESPN Chicago: Derrek Lee, Cubs knock Cardinals from first... [+ video]
Chicago Tribune: Cubs take 2nd straight series from Cardinals
Chicago Sun-Times: Cubs issue spoiler alert
Daily Herald: Nothing to laugh about, but win leaves Piniella smiling
MLB: Cubs survive scare, take series from Cards [+ video]

Don't Blame Me
Soriano: Bad Team Causes Bad Season
We don't want to make a mountain out of a molehill, but Alfonso Soriano seemed to blame his struggles on the team's woes. "It's very hard to have a good year when you don't have a good team," he said. "You see the Cincinnati Reds. Everybody's doing good because they are in first place. If you see us, nobody's doing good because we are in fifth place." So Soriano is hitting .222 since June 1 and has a Theriot-esque one homer in August because the team is bad? Good to know.

Daily Herald: Bad overall team also bad for players, Soriano says
Chicago Tribune: Soriano isn't hurting, just resting

Pitchers, or Belly Itchers?
The Cubs Might Have 2 New Starters Soon
The merry-go-round of the Cubs' roster continues: Thomas Diamond got a three-game chance to strut his stuff as a starter. Unfortunately, he allowed 12 runs in 13 innings, so he's going to be replaced by Casey Coleman. He'll likely be joined by Jeff Samardzija, the Notre Damer who's famous for a hefty contract, a no-trade clause, and an unimpressive body of work. We've heard that Samardzija has found a "second pitch," but as ChiCitySports points out, we've heard that before. Will these guys make a difference in 2011? We'll see.

Daily Herald: Coleman to start Wednesday
ChiCitySports: Samardzija could join Cubs rotation

The Des Moines Scene
At Home in the Heartland
You ever wonder what it's like at the Cubs' minor-league games in Des Moines? A Trib feature provides all sorts of interesting facts, including: The Iowa Cubs' Principal Park is at the junction of the Des Moines and Raccoon (?!?!) rivers. The most expensive seat in the house is $25, but other seats cost $8. They serve Old Style and hot dogs without ketchup. The stadium is filled with people like George Hans, 77, and his wife Vel, 73. Sound good? Hey, it's under six hours away... road trip!

Chicago Tribune: The other Cubs

The Truth Hurts
A Look at the Classic Cubs Fan
We've seen so many stereotypes of the typical Cubs fan, we're not quite sure who we're supposed to be. Are we frat boys who are more interested in making bro-fists and talking on cellphones than watching the game? Are we turtleneck-wearing nerds who keep sore while listening to the games on dorky headphones, only pausing occasionally to lean onto the field and disrupt things? Or if you check out Versus, we're overweight, we sport un-ironic mustaches, and we can't stop talking about eating sausage. Hey, if the shoe fits....

Versus: MLB trash talk: Chicago Cubs

The $18 million Alfonso Soriano sat for the second consecutive day... Derrek Lee left the game in the fifth inning after experiencing back spasms.

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