Last Goodbye
Cubs, Fans Say a Poignant Goodbye to Santo

Cubs Fan Report

Ron Santo's passing was a sad day for Cubs fans everywhere. Thankfully, his funeral wasn't a dour affair, as Santo's radio partner Pat Hughes gave a beautiful send-off that was equal parts touching and hilarious."He would not want you to be sad for long," Hughes said. "Ron Santo wasn't about melancholy. Ronnie was about having fun and laughing, living and loving. And the two things he loved more than anything in his life were his family and the Chicago Cubs." WGN has the full video, below. Trust us, it's worth watching.

WGN TV: Ron Santo funeral: Part 5 [video]
Tales from Aisle 424: Final goodbye to Ronnie
A League of Her Own: So long, Ronnie: Cubs lay Ron Santo to rest
Daily Herald: A great tribute to No. 10
ESPN Chicago: No one more passionate than Ron Santo

Dude, Where's My Garza?
Cubs/Rays Rumor Still Getting Play
There's been a lot of talk, maybe too much talk, about the Cubs trading for Tampa Bay's solid (if not awesome) starter Matt Garza. We're kind ambivalent here — Garza has put up solid numbers, going 15-10 with a 3.91 ERA last year. But the asking price is said to be pretty high, with rumored names including catcher Robinson Chirinos, shortstop Hak-Ju Lee, and maybe some pitching prospects. But A League of Her Own quotes Rays' manager Joe Maddon as saying "Matt Garza will be pitching for us." The wait continues.

Bleacher Nation: Just to add a little wood to the Matt Garza fire
Cubbies Crib: More Garza to the Cubs speculation
A League of Her Own: So long, Ronnie: Cubs lay Santo to rest

Take Five
Cubs Don't Lose Promising Prospect in Rule 5 Draft
In the Rule 5 draft, other teams basically get to claim some of the players you're not crazy about. Well, the draft went down last week, and the Cubs didn't protect a guy named Marquez Smith. But no other teams claimed him, and a few blogs think the Cubs got lucky. Rooftop View says Smith could be valuable if Aramis Ramirez goes down with an injury, or as a "placeholder for top prospect Josh Vitters, or who knows? - maybe he'll earn the job long-term." Cubbies Crib agrees, saying Smith "is a nice-looking player finally coming into his own."

Rooftop View: Did the Cubs dodge a bullet yesterday?
Cubbies Crib: Rule 5 recap

The Summer of Our Disinterest
Cubs Not Getting Much Buzz After Meetings
After last year's not-exactly-scintillating season, hopes were high that the team would make some big moves at the winter meetings. Well, they did sign Carlos Peña. That's clearly not enough for the New York Times: "It's the same tired cast of overpaid underachievers who had their chance in 2007-8 but failed to win a single playoff game after back-to-back division titles." Noting the Cubs still have many question marks/problems throughout the roster, the Times asks, "This is the squad Mike Quade worked his whole life to manage? Good luck to you, sir."

New York Times: Cubs' off-season moves generate little excitement

Adios, Amigos
Cubs Fan Report Calls It a Day
Well, Cubs fans, it was a great run, but it's time for us to hang up our spikes. Unfortunately, we couldn't quite make the numbers work in our favor, and our next email (on Thursday) will be our last Cubs Fan Report. We had a blast writing about our favorite team, and we hope we kept you informed and entertained — as well as introduced you to some of the great Cubs writers/bloggers out there. We loved every moment of it (even getting up at the crack of dawn every morning), but unless Santa delivers a Christmas miracle, our day here is done. Thanks so much for your support, and we look forward to seeing you in the bleachers.

Apparently, the Cubs are still kicking the tires on former Cy Young winner Brandon Webb... Ron Santo made one last trek around Wrigley Field on Friday... Yahoo ranked the worst free-agent signings over $100 million, and you'll never guess who made the list... Have you seen the Minnesota Metrodome roof collapse? It's crazy.

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