Preseason Top 25 Rankings

As most college football fans are well aware of, the season starts in just 3 short days. Barring anymore unforeseen circumstances such as another bar fight on the Bayou, it is time to unveil my Preseason Top 25  Rankings along with my BCS Bowl projections.

Top 25

1) Oklahoma- Despite the loss of starting WLB, Travis Lewis, the Sooners arguably have the most talent of anyone in the country. Landry Jones is being hyped up as a potential Heisman candidate and throwing to Ryan Broyles will only help that. Watch for tough tests though against Florida St. and Missouri in September, a loss in one of those games could take Oklahoma out of the national title race before it even really begins.

2) Oregon- After coming painfully close to a National Championship, the Ducks are back and will once again feature one of the most electrifying offenses in the country. Led by Darron Thomas, LaMichael James and Cliff Harris, Oregon is primed for another run at the title. We will find out early on what path these aspirations will take given the season opener with LSU at Cowboys Stadium, which is the best non-conference game of the year.

3) LSU- Ditto for Oregon, the showdown in Arlington on Saturday night could ultimately take the loser out of the national title race extremely early. In recent days, however, the game got even tougher for LSU with the suspension of QB Jordan Jefferson who could miss the entire season. Jarrett Lee, who has more interceptions than touchdowns in his career is the new starter and must be ready to be thrown into the fire right away. Nonetheless, LSU still has tons of talent, but this ranking is shaky at best for right now.

4) Florida St.- After 5 sub-par seasons by Seminole standards, Jimbo Fisher has restocked the talent cupboard and appears primed for a run at the ACC and possibly national title. The aspirations depend on how E.J. Manuel fills Christian Ponder's shoes and develops as a legitimate starting QB. Everett Dawkins leads the defense and with Oklahoma coming to Tallahassee on September 17, the national title hopes could hinge on one game.

5) Stanford- This ranking would have been a lot lower had Andrew Luck not decided to come back for one more season on the Farm. A surefire #1 pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, Luck is back to lead the Cardinal and take one more shot at the title. Combined with arguably the best offensive line in the country, an improving defense and a favorable schedule that includes only 3 ranked teams, Stanford is a real threat to make it to New Orleans.

6) Wisconsin- Following the transfer of Russell Wilson from NC State, the Badgers championship hopes instantly improved. Coupled with James White and Montee Ball running, this may be the best backfield in the country. The turmoil at Ohio St. makes the Badgers a heavy favorite in the Leaders division of the Big 10 and sets up a potential preview of the inaugural conference title game on October 1 when Nebraska comes to Camp Randall.

7) Alabama- The offense will revolve around Trent Richardson and the defense will be strong as usual, led by Dont'a Hightower and Courtney Upshaw. However, the big question remains how will A.J. McCarron handle the starting QB role in the SEC where defense is king. If he develops quickly and is viewed as a legitimate threat by opposing defenses, the Crimson Tide could be on their way to New Orleans although they must survive road dates with Florida, Mississippi St., Auburn and Penn St. along with home games against LSU and Arkansas.

8) Oklahoma St.- Cowboys fans know that Brandon Weeden and company will put up plenty of points on a weekly basis. The only thing currently keeping OSU from the Top 5 is a questionable defense that gave up points in bunches to Nebraska and Oklahoma last season. If this group can survive tough tests against Texas A&M, Arizona and Missouri, a trip to New Orleans could be on the line in the Bedlam Game against Oklahoma.

9) Texas A&M- Putting aside all talk of a move to the SEC, the Aggies are a real threat to Oklahoma and Oklahoma St. in the slimmed down Big 12. Similar to Oklahoma St., an explosive offense carries the team while the defense is suspect at times, although they showed flashes of brilliance last season. September 24 is the date to circle for Aggies fans as Oklahoma St. pays a visit to College Station and the loser takes an immediate backseat in the conference title race.

10) Nebraska- Is Taylor Martinez ready for primetime or headed for a sophomore slump? The answer to that question is unknown but it is certainly an important one. Jared Crick, Lavonte David and Alfonzo Dennard lead a stingy defense though it may not mean much if the offense can't produce points on a consistent basis. At best, this team wins a Big 10 title and is in the thick of the national title race and at worst, the offense struggles and the Cornhuskers fail to make the conference title game in their 1st season.

11) Boise St.- Making the jump to a new conference, especially one with a better reputation will give the Broncos more national respect. However, the offense must replace leading receivers Titus Young and Austin Pettis and face a beefed up schedule that includes a road game at Georgia and a date with TCU on the blue turf. If Boise finishes undefeated, they will have earned it this time around. A national championship remains a long shot for this season but a BCS bowl berth is a distinct possibility.

12) South Carolina- Time for an encore of what was arguably the best season in school history as they reached their first SEC title game. This squad has a great chance to once again reach the title game and finish the job this time around. Connor Shaw will take over the reins at QB as Stephen Garcia can't seem to stay out of trouble. Shaw will be aided by the reigning NCAA freshman of the year, Marcus Lattimore and 6'4'' stud receiver Alshon Jeffery. The Gamecocks have a relatively favorable schedule, avoiding Alabama and LSU but they do have road games at Georgia, Mississippi St. and Auburn along with a home game vs. Spurrier's former school, Florida.

13) TCU- How does a school follow up a season that included a Rose Bowl victory over Wisconsin? Casey Pachall has been handed the keys to the offense and will attempt to follow in Andy Dalton's footsteps and lead the Horned Frogs to another MWC title. However, the schedule includes 4 very tough  road games at newcomer Boise St, San Diego St., Air Force and a sneaky tough Baylor squad. Those games will provide good benchmarks for Pachall to measure his progress.

14) Virginia Tech- The Tyrod Taylor era has ended and Logan Thomas appears poised for a breakout year. The Hokies will feature a strong defense and good special teams for what seems like the umpteenth year in a row. Given lofty expectations each year, this team always finds a way to lose to a team it shouldn't. The version on this year schedule could come in the form of a tricky road date at East Carolina. As a whole though, the schedule is pretty manageable and we could see another Virginia Tech-FSU ACC title game.

15) Notre Dame- The Blue and Gold continue to climb the road on the way back to glory and this could be the year they return to a BCS bowl. Led by Dayne Crist, Michael Floyd and Manti Te'o, the Irish once again face a challenging schedule that includes the first night game at the Big House since 1927 and games with Stanford, USC, Michigan St and Maryland. Brian Kelly will have his team prepared though but the defense could hurt the progress of this team unless they show vast improvement against the better teams on the schedule.

16) Michigan St. -Last season seemed like a special one until it all came crashing down in a 37-6 dud of a loss to Iowa. Kirk Cousins returns for his senior year to lead the offense along with Mr. 2K, Edwin Baker and B.J. Cunningham. The schedule is tough though, given the road dates at Notre Dame, Ohio St. and Nebraska along with a visit by the Badgers to East Lansing. The talent is in place for this team to potentially make a run at the conference title and a berth in the title game likely hinges on the October 29 game at Nebraska.

17) Ohio St.- Not exactly the ranking that Buckeye fans are accustomed to but given all the turmoil and the gaping hole at quarterback, this team has slipped in the Big 10 hierarchy. RB Dan Herron and WR Devier Posey are suspended for the first 5 games of the season and the offense could really struggle over the course of the suspension. Joe Bauserman will get first crack at the starting job for QB but look for top recruit Braxton Miller to get his chance as well. The most compelling storyline surrounding the program is how the team will respond to all the changes within the program, including Luke Fickell replacing Jim Tressel.

18) Georgia- After a forgettable 6-7 campaign in 2010 that concluded with a loss to UCF in the Independence Bowl, Mark Richt's seat got a little bit hotter as the pressure is now on to have a winning season and possibly make an appearance in the SEC title game. Aaron Murray returns to lead the Bulldog attack and will have weapons to work with in hot-shot freshman RB, Isaiah Crowell and emerging TE Orson Charles. We will find out the first 2 weeks how improved the team is as they open with back-to-back home games against Boise St. and South Carolina.

19) Arkansas- Despite the loss of star RB Knile Davis for the season, this Razorbacks squad should still be pretty solid and will contend in the SEC. Tyler Wilson steps into the starting QB role and it should be a smooth transition, given his cameo against Auburn last year in relief of an injured Ryan Mallett. The team's top 3 receivers are back, but questions remain on defense for a unit that allowed nearly 24 points per game last season. Arkansas should be 3-0 heading into a treacherous 3 game stretch of a game at Alabama and home dates vs. Texas A&M and Auburn.

20) Mississippi St.- Dan Mullen continues to put his stamp on this rising program. After exceeding expectations with a 9-4 campaign in 2010, the question remains how will the Bulldogs respond to lofty expectations this year by their standards? The team's top passer, runner and receiver are all back to lead an improving offense but the heart and soul of the team is a defense that ranked 21st in the nation in points allowed last year. Typical of the SEC, the schedule includes road games at Auburn, Georgia and Arkansas along with home dates vs. LSU and Alabama, thus is life in the toughest conference in the country.

21) Missouri- Life after Blaine Gabbert begins for a team looking to build off of a 10-3 season. James Franklin is now the starting QB and he will have weapons to work with in RB De'Vion Moore, WR T.J. Moe and top NFL prospect TE Michael Egnew. A defense that allowed just 16 points per game last season returns only 6 starters so it will be interesting to see how the replacements step in and lead the unit. The schedule features 4 tough road tests at Arizona St., Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Baylor along with a home game vs. Oklahoma St. The main question is how quickly will Franklin develop into a QB who can be counted on each and every Saturday.

22) Auburn- Barrett Trotter may have the least envious job in the country, the job of replacing Heisman winner and National Champion Cam Newton. Undoubtedly, Michael Dyer will be the main attraction on offense so Trotter can at least get his feet wet before diving into the meat of a brutal schedule that includes road games at Clemson, South Carolina, Arkansas, Georgia and LSU. The defense loses the entire defensive line and secondary so a repeat is likely not in the cards for the Tigers this season. Although if Trotter becomes a productive quarterback and gets some experience, an 8 or 9 win season is a possibility.

23) West Virginia- QB Geno Smith is the heart and soul of this team and will work behind a solid offensive line that returns 4 starters. However, talent at the skill positions is weaker with the losses of Jock Sanders and Noel Devine. Despite those losses, the team still has an excellent chance to win a relatively weak Big East and play in a BCS bowl. The schedule only has 1 ranked team on it which comes in the form of a home game vs. LSU although there are tricky road games at Maryland and South Florida.

24) Penn St.- The Nittany Lions return a wealth of experience on both sides of the ball with 8 starters back on offense and 7 on defense. However, uncertainty remains at the most important position, QB. Nobody, not even Joe Paterno is 100% who will start the season opener vs. Indiana St., Rob Bolden or Matt McGloin. Whoever the starter may be, they will have talent to work with in Derek Moye and Devon Smith along with RB Silas Redd. The schedule is tough though and the team will be battle tested as they face road games at Ohio St. and Wisconsin to go with home dates vs. Alabama and Nebraska. It will likely be another year before this team is ready to truly contend in the Big 10, the ceiling for this year may be 8 or 9 wins given the questions surrounding the quarterback position.

25) Florida- Will Muschamp is the new head man in Gainesville in year 2 of the Tim Tebow era. The good news is that the offense returns all the key players at the skill positions, but the bad news is that not all the players produced a whole lot last season. The defense returns just 5 starters but nonetheless, this team should be improved as John Brantley gets another year of experience in the offense. The team must travel to LSU, Auburn and South Carolina and host Alabama along with arch rival Florida St. The ceiling for this team is likely 8 or 9 wins as the SEC is absolutely loaded.

BCS Bowl Projections

Rose Bowl: Stanford vs. Wisconsin
Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma St. vs. Boise St.
Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech vs. Notre Dame
Sugar Bowl: LSU vs. Florida St.
National Championship: Oklahoma vs. Oregon

National League Award Winners if the Season Ended Today

As promised, here is who my National League award winners would be if the season ended today. Without any further ado, let's get to the awards.

National League

MVP: Matt Kemp, CF, Dodgers- One of the few bright spots for a team that has been in the news for all the wrong reasons this season. Kemp has already set a career best mark in home runs and is just a few productive games away from doing likewise in RBIs and stolen bases. He is also the only player in either league to rank in the top 5 for batting average, home runs and RBIs which means that Kemp has a slight chance to become the first Triple Crown Winner since Carl Yastrzemski in 1967.
Other Contenders: Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun, Troy Tulowitzki

Cy Young: Clayton Kershaw, SP, Dodgers- Teaming up with Kemp, this duo has managed to mercifully take away most of the spotlight from Frank McCourt. Kershaw has already set a career high for wins and will do the same with strikeouts. Speaking of strikeouts, the southpaw has sent down 207 batters by way of the K in just 189.2 innings. That number is tops in the NL and second to only Justin Verlander who leads both leagues with 212 strikeouts. Without even mentioning his 2.51 ERA, Kershaw is a legitimate Cy Young candidate although there will be some close competition.
Other Candidates: Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Ian Kennedy

Rookie of the Year: Craig Kimbrel, CP, Braves- Posting 40 saves at any age is impressive but doing it at   the age of 23 is even more impressive. Kimbrel has already tied Neftali Feliz's rookie record from 2010 and has a good shot to become the first pitcher since K-Rod in 2008 to post 50 saves. Combined with his 1.70 ERA, he has teamed with Jonny Venters and Eric O'Flaherty to give the Braves one of the most feared bullpen trios in baseball. Watch for Kimbrel to also earn some votes in the Cy Young race although a relief pitcher winning is extremely rare, having been done just twice in the last 20 years.
Other Candidates: Vance Worley, Brandon Beachy, Freddie Freeman

Comeback Player of the Year: Lance Berkman, RF, Cardinals- After a forgettable 2010 in Houston and New York, many questioned Berkman had enough left in the tank to play right field for the Cardinals. He has more than silenced his critics with a stat line of a .290 average, 29 home runs and 78 RBIs, quite impressive for a 35 year old that many considered over the hill. The production has helped the Cardinals to try and not lose track of the Brewers in the Central as Albert Pujols had a slow start to the season and missed time with an injury.
Other Candidates: Pablo Sandoval, Jose Reyes, Ryan Vogelsong

Manager of the Year: Kirk Gibson, Diamondbacks- Back in May, I bet a friend of mine lunch at our favorite restaurant that the Diamondbacks would be in 1st place at the end of August. Luckily, Arizona played good enough baseball over the last 3 months to move into 1st place and to my friend's surprise, he owed me a lunch. Gibson is doing this with a roster full of names that most people outside the greater Phoenix area wouldn't recognize. A career year from Justin Upton, the emergence of young players such as Ian Kennedy, Ryan Roberts and Daniel Hudson and a vastly improved bullpen have put the Diamondbacks in position to play in the postseason for the first time since 2007.
Other Candidates: Ron Roenicke, Clint Hurdle

American League Award Winners if the Season Ended Today

Other than the postseason itself, the most interesting baseball debate that occurs each October is the one that concerns the winners of the annual awards. The most coveted awards are the MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year, Manager of the Year and Comeback Player of the Year.  This post will include my current winners of each award and their closest competition. Look for the National League winners to follow on Thursday.

American League

MVP: Curtis Granderson, CF, Yankees- Granderson has been the best offensive player in the Big Apple this season. He has already set career highs in home runs and RBIs and recently became just the 3rd player in AL history to record 30 homers, 20 steals and 10 triples in one season. All this offense has been necessary thanks to some inconsistent pitching from anyone not named C.C. Sabathia, a down year from A-Rod who looks older by the day and Teixeira's modest sub .250 average.
Other Candidates: Jacoby Ellsbury, Jose Bautista, Adrian Gonzalez

Cy Young: Justin Verlander, SP, Tigers- Verlander has already tied his career high in wins and his ERA is over a run lower than his previous career best. He has won his last 7 starts and gotten hot at the right time for a Tigers team that is locked in a tight AL Central with the Indians and White Sox. To put the icing on the cake, Verlander has an outside shot to win 25 games which hasn't been done since Bob Welch won 25 in 1990.
Other Candidates: Jered Weaver, C.C. Sabathia, C.J. Wilson

Rookie of the Year: Mark Trumbo, 1B, Angels- The AL leader in home runs and RBIs among rookies has helped keep the Angels offense afloat while much bigger names such as Torii Hunter and Vernon Wells have endured a season-long struggle. Only downside is I'm sure Trumbo would have loved to see Mike Napoli stick around instead of deciding to have a career year for division rival Texas. Nonetheless, it appears as if Trumbo will run away with the award, no matter how the Angels end up finishing the season.
Other Candidates: Michael Pineda, Ivan Nova, Jeremy Hellickson

Comeback Player of the Year: Jacoby Ellsbury, CF, Red Sox- After appearing in just 18 games in 2010, Ellsbury has returned with a bang. He is hitting .312 with a career-high 22 homers and a career-high 79 RBIs to go along with 34 stolen bases. Those numbers also make him a prime MVP Candidate, especially given that he is the leadoff hitter for arguably the best lineup in baseball. You will get to see more and more of #2 as his Red Sox are nearly a lock for the postseason.
Other Candidates: Bartolo Colon, Josh Beckett, J.J. Hardy

Manager of the Year: Manny Acta, Indians- Back in March if you had told someone that the Indians would contend in the AL Central well into August, that person would have likely admitted you to the nearly mental institution. Instead, despite injuries to Travis Hafner, Grady Sizemore and Shin-Soo Choo, not to mention Choo's DUI arrest, the Tribe remain a team to watch as we enter the final month of the season. Asdrubal Cabrera has produced more than anyone ever expected and big contributions from rookies Josh Tomlin, Jason Kipnis and Lonnie Chisenhall have Acta in line to win this race in a landslide and be the recipient of a possible extension.

Other Candidates: Mike Scioscia, Joe Maddon

From Star QB to Potential Flameout: The Story of Terrelle Pryor

On the morning of December 22, 2010, Ohio State University was a model of consistency in college football. They were the program in the Big 10 that the rest of the conference wanted to be like. Widely resented in some areas for their success, the Buckeyes continued to win on a regular basis and produce NFL-caliber talent at a number of positions. Little did the current members of the team know that a news story later that day would change the program forever and tarnish its reputation. Several players had reportedly received tattoos in exchange for autographs or been given a discount on tattoos. Either way, the most recognizable name of the group was the star quarterback himself, Terrelle Pryor.

In the wake of this report, people were immediately calling for all players to be suspended for the upcoming Sugar Bowl against Arkansas. Instead, the next day, it was ruled that 5 players including Pryor would be suspended for the first 5 games of the 2011 season for accepting improper benefits. This included the selling of memorabilia such as jerseys, pants and rings. At first, it seemed a little bit like the players would just serve the suspension and all would be forgotten. However,  a later report found that Head Coach Jim Tressel was aware of the benefits dating back to April 2010 and had failed to notify the NCAA about them. This meant a 2 game suspension and a measurable fine, but just 9 days later, Tressel asked the University to make his suspension equal in length to those of his players. That event would create a domino effect which led to Tressel's resignation. A few of those events included the NCAA accusing Tressel of keeping information from them in order to ensure that his players remain on the field, despite the fact that some may have been ineligible.

Just a week later, Terrelle Pryor followed the same path as his coach and announced his plan to withdraw from the University. Given that the NFL was in a lockout at the time and the draft had passed, it appeared as if Pryor was going to be forced to sit around and wait for some team to give him a shot. Then, a blessing in disguise occurred as Ohio St. banned their former golden child quarterback from any contact with the athletic program and also said that he was not allowed to even say a simple hello to a future recruit. The move by the University made Pryor eligible for the NFL Supplemental Draft, which finally occurred today after a postponement  and he was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the 3rd round.

While today marks the first official day of his NFL career, it may seem like it is already dead to some and you can count me among them. Pryor was chosen by a franchise that has not truly developed a good quarterback since the 1970s when Ken Stabler roamed the Bay Area. I think we all know how their last attempt ended to develop a quarterback of the future in JaMarcus Russell who is quite possibly the biggest NFL Draft bust of all-time. Add his name to the list right alongside those of Marc Wilson, Todd Marinovich and Andrew Walter. My point being that, does anyone other than Al Davis himself trust this organization to develop Terrelle Pryor into a legitimate NFL quarterback? The Oakland Raiders seemingly have no direction, given their obsession with speed in recent drafts and constant chaos throughout all ranks of the franchise. Pryor did run a 4.36 40 yard dash on Saturday though which may have earned him a selection from the Silver and Black themselves. To me, the pick just does not make a whole lot of sense for a team that is clearly committed to Jason Campbell for at least this year and probably beyond given that the other quarterbacks on the roster, Trent Edwards and Kyle Boller do not inspire much confidence in Raiders fans or anyone for that matter. Pryor is already a step behind everyone else since training camp has already passed and his 5 game suspension certainly is not helping either. Those 2 red flags along with his questionable accuracy could really hurt the progression of his career. At a minimum, it looks like it will take at least 2-3 years before Pryor is ready to step on the gridiron and have a chance to win on a weekly basis.

A diehard fan rooting against Tim Wakefield...?

As crazy as it may seem to those of you that know me, I am indeed actually rooting against Wake getting his 200th career win tonight. No, I'm not changing allegiances or anything of the sort, just casually hoping that Wakefield pitches well, gets a no-decision and the Sox find a way to win. I may be the only one in Red Sox Nation who feels that way, but it is simply due to the fact that I will be attending Wakefield's next scheduled start on Friday at Fenway against the Oakland A's. A milestone is special no matter what way you look at it but to win his 200th game in Fenway with the support of 35,000 fans would be extra special. It also has to do with the fact that Wakefield is the longest-tenured member of the Red Sox and winning it in Kansas City just would not be as special as winning it in Fenway.

Like I mentioned before, I may well be the only one hoping that Wake does not get the win tonight. The other 99.9% of people in the Nation may just want to see the drama end, especially given that tonight is his 5th attempt at the ever-elusive victory. There are also those that feel Wakefield should no longer be a part of the rotation, they expressed beliefs that Francona is only sticking with him to get the milestone then demote him to a long-relief role. My main problem with that view is who else is there to take his spot in the rotation, with all due respect to Andrew Miller, do you really trust him to come out and win you a game in the postseason when the intensity is ratcheted up to a completely different level? Granted, Miller did pitch well last night but it is only one start against a lineup of mostly prospects in the Royals. One can never be sure if he can repeat the performance against a far more powerful lineup such as the Yankees or Rangers. With that being said, I have full faith in Tim Wakefield to make a start in the postseason and battle his way to win. After all, that is what he has done throughout his whole career in Pittsburgh and Boston.

Ever since he signed with the Red Sox following the 1994 season, Wake has done whatever the team has asked of him with hardly a noise made. This includes a stint shuttling back and forth between the rotation and bullpen from 2000-2002, back during the days when the team often struggled to find a consistent closer. However, Wakefield is most well-known by some fans for serving up Aaron Boone's walk-off home run in Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS after which he apologized to all of Red Sox Nation. Doing what he always does though, Wake battled back and came up big in some key relief situations during the 2004 postseason. He also won 16 games in the 2005 season, 17 in 2007 and made his first all-star appearance at the young age of 42 in 2009.

The only exception to Wakefield's typically quiet demeanor occurred prior to the 2010 season when Tim was not too happy about being placed in the bullpen following the return of Dice-K Matsuzaka, which may have seemed like his umpteenth return from the Disabled list to some fans. Injuries would eventually force Wake back into regular rotation duty, but he struggled, finishing the season with a record of 4-10 and posting a 5.32 ERA. The record may explain why Wake started this season in the bullpen, but has since been moved to the rotation following Dice-K's 4th trip to the DL.

The point I'm trying to make is that Tim Wakefield deserves to earn his 200th win at Fenway Park on Friday night with all the support in the world from Red Sox nation. Despite how much others may want Wakefield to get the win tonight, I will hope for a no-decision so I can be present for what has potential to be one of the most storied nights in Fenway Park History. The longest-tenured member of the Red Sox recording his milestone win in front of the home crowd? That is truly what sports is all about, stories that make even the strongest men reduce to the brink of tears.

One last thing, I'd like to say congratulations to Ryan Lavarnway for getting his 1st major league hit Friday night off of Jeff Francis. That's all for now, folks and oh yeah, Go Sox!

Cubs Fire Jim Hendry

For a once-proud franchise that has not won a World Series since 1908, this seems like the right move. Despite the fact that Hendry has been with the franchise in some capacity since 1994 and served as GM since 2002, the team has taken a turn for the worst in recent years and appears headed in the wrong direction. To the naked eye, it would seem that the team needs a re-birth with some new life being injected into the franchise. Personally, I believe that Mike Quade is not the answer at manager and the Cubs should pursue their former hero Ryne Sandberg to take over that position for the 2012 season. Another aspect of the rebuilding process should be ridding themselves of some of the fat contracts that belong to players who consistently underperform, yes I'm talking to you, Carlos Zambrano and Alfonso Soriano. Zambrano's latest tirade of clearing out his locker and saying that he was retiring may well be the final straw. He has had a history of incidents over the years but never one quite on level with clearing all personal belongings out of his locker. However, some may be able to sympathize with Big Z due to the fact that he had served up five home runs and been ejected from the game and has likely grown increasing frustrated with the direction of the middling Cubs as they play out the string in their 3rd consecutive losing season. While frustration with the franchise is certainly understandable, a player should never just walk out on his team like that, no matter the record. It is time for the Cubs to bid adieu to Zambrano and let another team handle the baggage that he brings.

In Soriano's case, it is simply a matter of failing to live up to expectations. After signing an 8 year, $136 million deal with Chicago prior to the 2007 season, Cubs fans thought they were getting the 30 home run, 100 RBI player he had been previously with the Yankees, Rangers and Nationals. Instead, they've been rewarded with someone who has failed to top a .258 average, 24 home runs and 79 RBIS over the past 3 years. Not exactly a player who should be on an 8 year deal with a team that needs to begin a youth movement. Don't get me wrong, I think that Soriano can still be a productive player in the right situation, which I believe is a team in the playoff race looking for a right-handed bat with some power.

Face it Cubs fans, firing Jim Hendry was the right move for a franchise that is headed in another direction. The rebuilding process can be done and the franchise can become good again if it is done the right way. The Cubs are currently sporting a $130 million payroll, 2nd highest in the National league. That number is awful high for a team that has not won a playoff game in 8 years. There are some exciting, young players such as Starlin Castro and Darwin Barney that can help to start the turnaround. The two have paired to become one of the lone bright spots for Chicago this season and appear set to become the next stars in the Windy City.