One Is Not Enough
At Least Cubs Avoid Shutout in 7-1 Loss

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Wow, we're not used to this. Ever since Mike Quade took over on August 23, the Cubs have been close in almost every game. But not in Thursday's 13-0 shellacking by the Giants, and not in yesterday's 7-1 pounding by the Cardinals. Tom Gorzelanny, who hadn't pitched since getting hit by a line drive on September 1, gave up seven runs in only 3 1/3 innings. On the positive side, the bullpen gave up zero runs, and Aramis Ramirez hit a homer. But it was still, you know, a 7-1 loss.

ESPN Chicago: Cardinals dispatch Cubs as Adam Wainwright... [+ video]
Chicago Tribune: Cubs' offense sputters again in 7-1 loss to Cardinals
Daily Herald: Quade: No yellow-brick road ahead for Cubs' offense
MLB: Cubs unable to overcome deficit vs. Cards

The Times o' the Sign
Cubs' Brass Doesn't Like Sign. It Comes Down.
Tom Rickets may be a nice guy in an aww, shucks-y way, but you don't become a multi-gazillionaire by being Beaver Cleaver. Case in point: The hilarious folks over at Miller put up a rooftop sign that read, "Hockey season starts in two weeks!" Apparently, that didn't sit well with the Cubs' brass, and within a day, a new sign was up that reads, "Ain't over 'til it's over!" The lesson: Don't mess with the Cubs' front office.

The Wrigley Blog: Torco sign controversy [+ photos]
Flickr: Miller Lite signs Wrigley Field

The Need for Speed
Will Cubs Enter the Carl Crawford Bidding War?
There's one clear-cut stud free agent: Tampa Bay's Carl Crawford. ESPN's Buster Olney tweeted the Cubs (and White Sox) will go hard after the lightning-fast Tampa Bay left fielder, who's got 46 stolen bases. But as Bleacher Report notes, there are myriad problems here. For starters, Crawford would command a high salary, and Tom Ricketts has said the team will spend less money. Plus, there's simply not any room in the outfield. But maybe if they move Soriano or Colvin to first, and if they can cut Fukudome's contract from the payroll... maybe, right?

Bleacher Report: Carl Crawford rumors: Could the Cubs really be bidders?

Prospecting for Gold, Continued
Analyzing the Cubs' Top Prospects
Another Cubs Blog is checking out Baseball America's top 30 Cub prospects from the beginning of the year and analyzing the picks. Today's prospects are ranked 6-10, but unfortunately some of the names don't seem destined for Wrigley Field anytime soon. Like DJ LeMahieu (#10), an infielder who walked a mere 28 times in 600 at-bats. But Hak-Ju Lee (#6) seems like a promising infielder, with his .282 average and 32 stolen bases. He did make 34 errors last season, but Starlin Castro made 39 in the minors. So who's counting?

Another Cubs Blog: Baseball America's top 30 Cubs prospects, part 4

Faster Than a Speeding Bullet
The Best Pitcher You've Never Heard Of
Man does not live by Cubs news alone. So every now and then, we'll run a story worth reading on its own. Today's Good Read is a Sports Illustrated article about Steve Dalkowski, a would-be phenom who Ted Williams said was the fastest pitcher he'd ever seen and wouldn't bat against him again. So why don't you know the name Steve Dalkowski (which, admittedly, isn't exactly "Mickey Mantle" on the list of awesome baseball names)? Maybe because he hit a batter in the head and nearly killed him. Or maybe it just wasn't meant to be.

SI: The wildest fastball ever

Something you don't see often: Marlon Byrd's left yesterday's game after hitting himself in the face with a foul ball... Commissioner Bud Selig was at yesterday's game and he said the Tyler Colvin broken bat incident "scares you"... Starlin Castro is batting .420 with 10 runs and five doubles over his last 13 home games... Cubs minor leaguers of the year Chris Archer and Brandon Guyer will be honored before today's game.

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