Redemption Song
Samardzija Might Just Make It After All

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

"Suck it, haters." We're guessing that's what's going through GM Jim Hendry's mind as he looks at last night's 5-1 win over the Cardinals. Hendry has been eviscerated for giving former Notre Dame wide receiver Jeff Samardzija a big contract with a no-trade clause, but Samardzjia got a big win last night. He threw 5 2/3 innings of shutout ball, and he even had an RBI single. Can he keep it up? Let's hope so. Meanwhile, Alfonso Soriano had two RBIs and Carlos Marmol got the save... sometimes it looks so easy.

ESPN Chicago: Jeff Samardzija nabs 1st win, 1st RBI of season... [+ video]
Chicago Tribune: Samardzija survives jams to beat Cardinals
Daily Herald: Jeff Samardzija leads Cubs past Cardinals 5-1
CSN Chicago: Cubs top Cardinals behind Samardzija [+ Quade video]
MLB: Samardzija turns heads in win over Cardinals [+ video]

A Place Called Hope
Why Samardzija Win Is Important for Cubs
Yesterday may have been the biggest game of Jeff Samardzija's athletic career, the Sun-Times says. And shutting down the Cardinals in St. Louis? Pretty good. A solid Samardzija gives the Cubs more rotation depth next year, which is a big question mark behind Ryan Dempster and, apparently, Carlos Zambrano. And Samardzija is out of options now, which means the Cubs couldn't send him back to the minors. "We still think Jeff's going to be a good major-league pitcher,'' general manager Jim Hendry said. Definitely maybe.

Chicago Sun-Times: Samardzija on-target in Cubs win

Won't Get Fooled Again
Should Cubs Keep Improved Big Z? No Way, Some Say
Carlos Zambrano has gone 5-0 with a 1.60 ERA since his anger-management exile. So given that the Cubs owe him $35.9 million over the next two years, should they keep him and get some usage out of him? No, say Phil Rogers and the blog Desipio. "The biggest thing he can get by trading Zambrano is an end to at least one soap opera," Rogers says. Desipio agrees, pointing out that Zambrano has a lot of Dusty-induced wear on his arm and is due for a big fall.

Chicago Breaking Sports: Your morning Phil: Zambrano, Sox, Hit King
Desipio: Big Z is kicking ass and confusing the Cubs

This Much Is True
White Sox Fans Can't Fill Park, Even in Pennant Race
Cubs fans catch a lot of grief from White Sox fans for being cellphone-talking, game-ignoring frat boys and sorority babes. Since turnabout is fair play, let us refer to Ed Sherman's blog today. He notes that that Cubs' essentially irrelevant weekend games in Milwaukee (which were packed with Cubs fans) drew 41,463 and 37,317. Meanwhile, the White Sox, who are still within spitting distance of first place, drew 26,389 and 23,756 to their games. So that stereotype about Sox fans not going to the games? It's funny 'cause it's true.

Crain's: Good seats still available for Sox-Twins

Season of the Which
Are Season Ticket Packages a Thing of the Past?
A few days ago, the blog And Counting called season ticketholders "chumps." CNBC's Darren Rovell doesn't quite go that far, but he does say that season tickets are becoming a less attractive option. Faced with the challenges of high-def TVs and fan's ability to get cheaper tickets from scalpers, pro teams have to come up with creative ways to keep season-ticket interest high. The Cubs have had a few such events, like letting fans roam on the field at Wrigley, but will they need to come up with more?

CNBC: R.I.P. season tickets?

Starlin Castro was scratched from last night's lineup with a bruised right hip... Tyler Colvin left the game after being hit on the elbow with a pitch... Carlos Silva might not pitch again this season due to elbow tendinitis..... The Cubs named outfielder Brandon Guyer and pitcher Chris Archer the organization's Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Year, respectively... The Cubs were mathematically eliminated from winning the NL Central last night (shocker!).

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