Unlucky Numbers
Cubs Routed 13-0, But Let Us Tell You a Story...

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

A few years ago, we were walking down Clark Street and we saw this guy who looked just like our high-school woodshop teacher. "Hey, Mr. Fargo!" we said. "My name's not Fargo," he said and kept walking. So we slyly followed him into Walgreens and we saw his credit card said "Joseph Fargo." Why did he lie? Oh, yeah — last night's Cubs game. Juan Uribe hit two homers, a two-run bomb and a grand slam, in one inning. Ryan Dempster gave up nine runs in 1 2/3 innings. It was awful.

ESPN Chicago: Juan Uribe awakens Giants' bats [+ video]
Chicago Tribune: Giants pound Dempster and Cubs 13-0
CSN Chicago: Quade, Sandberg and managing expectations [+ Quade video]
MLB: Dempster, Cubs overwhelmed by Giants' bats

Money, It's a Hit
Ricketts: Cubs Will Trim Payroll Next Year
The Cubs were not only bad, but they were expensive, too: The third-highest payroll in the majors. The team still made money, but their payroll will likely decrease, Tom Ricketts said yesterday. "My gut tells me it'll be off some," he said, noting the family won't sell the naming rights to Wrigley Field. They are, however, considering ways to increase revenue via changes to Wrigley and cited the Red Sox as a good "model" to emulate. "What you want to do is make sure you're building an organization that wins," he says.

Business Week: Ricketts may cut cubs' player payroll after disappointing year

North by Northwest
Toronto Blue Jays Might Be Eying Sandberg
Looks like the secret is out about Ryne Sandberg and his impressive minor-league work. Toronto's manager Cito Gaston is stepping down at the end of the season, and word is the team is looking long and hard at the Cubs' Hall of Fame alumnus. Sandberg has made it clear that he wants the Cubs job and thinks he deserves it, but he will take another job if it's offered to him. Bleacher Nation hopes Sandberg would consider becoming a bench coach if he doesn't get the Cubs' top gig, but that seems unlikely.

Chicago Breaking Sports: Report: Sandberg a candidate in Toronto
Bleacher Nation: Obsessive manager watch: Ryne Sandberg drawing...
Ivy Report: The Cubs will regret letting Ryno walk

As this disappointing season nears an end, why not enjoy a good read about the time when the Cubs actually dominated the majors? Buy "The Best Team Ever" and re-live glory days of Chicago Cubs baseball as the 1907 team of "Tinker to Evers to Chance" claims redemption against the backdrop of a wild, corrupt Chicago. Buy "The Best Team Ever" at 1907cubs.com Use promo code "BTE" for special discount!

Ozzie on North Side?
Should the Cubs Hire Guillen for Manager?
Conventional wisdom says the Cubs are likely down to Joe Girardi, Ryne Sandberg, and Mike Quade for manager. But 670-AM's Dan McNeil has another suggestion: Ozzie Guillen. "He prefers the National League, where he wouldn't be hamstrung by that annoying designated hitter. He has won a World Series. He's looking for a greener pasture. And he has a green light from his current employer to hit the bricks," the Score host writes. He bases his argument more on the "chance to stick it in the Sox's ear" rather than logic, but hey, it's an interesting idea.

Chicago Tribune: A solution for everyone — make Guillen Cubs' skipper

Turn Turn Turn
A Cubs Fan Switches to the South Side
We'd rather play catch with a typhoid-laced throwing star than become a White Sox fan. But Rick Abplanalp over at Gapers Block made the unholy leap to the South Side early this season, and today he looks back on his experience. Apparently he brought his snark with him: He refers to Wrigley Field as "everybody's favorite urine shrine on the northside [sic]" and insists "the fans are smarter" at The Cell. He also says he's not coming back to Wrigley: "The bridge has been burnt." Let's just say we're not going to help rebuild it.

Tailgate: The turncoat: retrospecticus

Many thanks to all who came out for last night's Fan Appreciation Party. Once the hangover goes away, we'll throw a few photos up on our Facebook page... A day after Arizona's GM Kevin Towers said he wanted to hire Greg Maddux, Jim Hendry said Maddux will be back next year... Carlos Silva is not expected to pitch again this season... Former Cub Matt Murton got his 200th hit for the Japanese team Hanshin, making him only the fourth player in the Japan leagues to reach that number.

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?