Aramis Ramirez and Milton Bradley both homered for the Cubs.  Bradley also drew three walks in the game.  For all of his other faults, Bradley can draw a walk.

Meanwhile, the Cardinals won in Los Angeles, so the Cubs remain 6.0 games behind St. Louis.  The Cubs are 5.o games behind Colorado in the Wildcard race.  The Giants, Marlins and Braves are also ahead of the Cubs in the Wildcard.

The Cubs travel up the Pacific Coast to start a four game series with the Dodgers tonight.  Lefty Tom Gorzelanny (5-2) goes up against Jeff Weaver (5-4).

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As you probably know, Bud Selig is a big fan of this blog and he has jumped on the bandwagon I started the other day to institute a worldwide draft.  Dave Shenin writes in the Washington Post that Selig wants to make an “aggressive” push with the players union to implement a worldwide draft and a hard slotting system when the two sides get together to discuss the 2011 collective bargaining agreement. 

At least in theory, I like the idea of a salary cap tied to revenues as well.  I don’t know if this idea will get any traction, but I don’t think you can continue to have one team outspending another team by a factor of five or six and expect the game to remain healthy.  Of course, as I’ve said in the past, any salary cap must also have a salary floor so that teams don’t take undue advantage of the agreement.  I know a salary cap is a long shot, but I thought I’d throw it out there to give Bud something else to think about.

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Is Lou Piniella going to quit after this season?  Scott Miller at CBSSports.com thinks he might.  Although I enjoyed Miller’s article, be warned, it’s just an opinion piece.  Miller is suggesting that Piniella might walk away after this season.  Piniella doesn’t say that.

What I liked best about the article is the way that Miller detailed all of the things that have gone wrong for the Cubs this year.  I tend to forget all of the diasters and near-disasters that have plagued the Cubs this year.  Things really haven’t broken the Cubs way very often this season.

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Bill Hall has left the building.  Yesterday, I suggested that the Cubs look at adding the former Brewer to their roster to be the utility man for 2010.  Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately), the Mariners beat the Cubs to the punch and traded for Hall.   The Mariners traded a low level pitching prospect for Hall and a lot of money.  Milwaukee will be paying Hall’s salary for the rest of 2009 and a good chuck of his $9.5 million contract next year.

Lossing out on Hall isn’t a big deal, but it does bother me that the Cubs seem to constantly rely on weak hitting backup infielders as bench players each year.  The one exception to that rule over the past several years was acquiring Mark DeRosa, but of course we all know how that ended.  Bill Hall wouldn’t have been the team savior, but he would have been an upgrade.

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Some in Collier County, Florida would like to make a push to bring the Cubs there for Spring Training.  However, the residents and officials in the county don’t seem to be very united. 

According to a report on NBC2.com in Naples, Murray Hendel, a member of the county’s Tourist Development Council, is leading the charge to bring the Cubs to southwest Florida.  But before he can convince the Cubs, he first has to convince the county’s tourism director, Jack Wert.  Wert says that bringing the Cubs or any team to Collier County just isn’t a priority.

“We just aren’t really that same kind of destination.  We’re much more of a resort and beach, and golf destination,” Wert said.

In case you don’t know, Naples likes to think of itself as a posh, upscale community.  There are several spa and golf resorts in the area, along with a lot of overpriced homes on the Gulf of Mexico.  Don’t get me wrong.  Naples is very nice.  In fact, I like it.  But how can a man that makes his living attracting tourist dollars to an area not get behind a movement to attract an MLB ball club?  That just doesn’t make sense to me.

Earlier this year, a group in Vero Beach announced that they would like to attract the Cubs to the empty Dodgertown.  Unlike Naples, Vero Beach and Indian River County would bend over backwards to get the Cubs to move there.  And the history of the Cubs coupled with the history of Dodgertown would be a great match.  I haven’t heard anything about this recently, but I like the idea.

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On his blog, former Dodger GM Fred Claire has a nice piece on Mark Prior.  It’s a bit of a puff piece.  No breaking news here.  But it still gives a good insight into Prior’s outlook on life and baseball.  I’ve always liked Prior.  I was never one of those who bashed him for being soft and not playing through his injuries.  It would be great to see him come back next year healthy and back on top of his game.

You would think that a team in the Cubs’ position would rally-up (a new term coined by me) and play better at this time of the year, especially against sub-.500 teams.  Instead, they continue to plod along like there’s no urgency to the situation.  It’s maddening to watch this group of overpaid underachievers just go through the motions every game.  Is it time to give up on this sorry team?  I don’t know yet.  Ask me tomorrow.

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According to Joe Strauss at the St. Louis Post Dispatch, the Cardinals are set to sign John Smoltz to be their fifth starter.  An announcement and press conference will likely happen later today.

I personally don’t think Smoltz has the stuff to be a starter on a contending team, but the Cardinals obviously disagree.  There was talk about Smoltz becoming the set-up man for Ryan Franklin, but for now he’s being brought in to start.

Let’s face it, Tony LaRussa and Dave Duncan have a way of making moves like this work.  I wouldn’t be surprised if Duncan spends a few days with Smoltz only to have Smoltz regain the prowess he showed in Atlanta.  That might be asking a little much, but you have to admit that Duncan is good, no matter how much you hate the fact.

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The other day, I commented that it doesn’t seem like Walt Jocketty and the Cincinnati Reds have any sort of plan for the future.  So John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer completely stole my idea and wrote an article about it.  That’s okay.  I don’t mind.  I’m just here to give.

Anyway, Fay obviously feels the same way I do, but because he has access to Walt Jocketty, he asked Jocketty what his plans are.  Here’s a little of what he said:

“The plan is . . . we have a plan, let’s put it at that. . . The plan is to try and develop quality young players and build a foundation for the organization for the long-term, not just the short-term.”

So how does that explain the acquisition of Scott Rolen?

“We’re also trying to be fair to our fans and be competitive as much as we could this year. I think we were until we were hit with a lot of injuries in the middle of July. We didn’t have the depth to compensate for it.”

The only problem with that is that the Reds got Rolen after the team was hit with injuries.  So Jocketty knew he didn’t have the depth to compete, but he got Rolen and his $10 million/year price tag any way.

It seems to me like Jocketty and the Reds really don’t have a plan.

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Jayson Stark at ESPN.com wrote a great piece about how the MLB draft is broken and how he proposes to fix it.  It really is a good article, but there’s one part that I’d like to focus on.

Most of the arguments being put forward for a revamped draft are presented from the owners perspective.  Teams are paying more for draft picks than ever before and the argument is that the owners need some new rules to save them from themselves.  There’s obvious truth to the argument, but I think the players union should be right there with the owners calling for change.

Too often, we think of the players union as nothing more than a foil for the desires of the owners.  But at least in this case, the interests of the owners and the players are aligned.  Think about it, the owners just spent millions upon millions of dollars to sign players that 1) have never played professional baseball, and 2) are not yet members of the union.  If I’m part of the union, I want that money (or a good chunk of it) being paid to my members, not some high school or college kid.

The players union should be breaking down Bud Selig’s door demanding change.  The draft, as currently structured, doesn’t work to the benefit of the players, the majority of the owners, or the game itself.  Changes should be made immediately.  There’s no need to wait until the next collective bargaining agreement.  If everyone involved in the CBA wants the change now, who’s left to complain?

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Bill Hall and his $9.5 million contract for 2010 were DFA’d earlier this week and the Brewers have until Friday to trade or release him.  I’m not suggesting that Bill Hall is the answer to the Cubs woes, but I do think he is a decent utility ball player.  The Brewers paid him like he’s a top-of-the-line starting player, but that’s not his fault.

The Cubs have trotted out the likes of  Aaron Miles, Ryan Freel, and Joey Gathright this year.  Hall is a better player than any of these suspects and the Cubs would have the added benefit of having Milwaukee pay the bulk of Hall’s salary in 2010. 

Hall can play a serviceable third base, shortstop, second, and outfield.  He’s the poor man’s Mark DeRosa.  Wouldn’t the Cubs be better off having Hall as a backup and bench player rather than Aaron Miles?  I think so.

Aaron Heilman came in to pitch the seventh inning and immediately gave up a homerun to the Marlins Cody Ross.  For his trouble, Dempster ended up with a no decision.

The Cubs took the lead 2-1 with a homerun by Jake Fox in the top of the ninth.  With a one-run lead, Lou Piniella handed the ball to closer Kevin Gregg.  Gregg had blown a save the day before, only to have the Cubs come back to win the game.  Gregg even got the “W”.

Gregg started out the bottom of the ninth in good fashion by getting pinch hitter Hanley Ramirez to pop out for the first out of the inning.  Then things fell apart.  The next batter, second baseman Dan Uggla, hit a solo shot off of Gregg to tie the game.  Cody Ross was next up and hit his second homerun of the day to give the Marlins the victory.  In two successive batters, Gregg earned a blown save and the loss.

The blown save was Gregg’s fifth of the year.  He has 21 saves in 26 chances.  To be honest, that’s not horrible, but I can’t say that I have had faith in Gregg any time he has stepped on the mound.  In 2008 as the Marlins closer, Gregg had 29 saves in 38 chances, or nine blown saves.  He’s on pace to do about the same this year.

The Cubs next head to Cincinnati to take on the Reds in a three game series.  Under-the-radar Rookie of the Year candidate Randy Wells (7-4) takes on Aaron Harang (5-12).  The game will be televised nationally on ESPN.

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I don’t know if the following story/rumor is true, but I found it interesting.  It comes from Hot Stove Cubbies, a site I know almost nothing about.  In doing some checking, the unnamed author of the site supposedly has some close contacts with personnel from the Cubs and he has apparently called things right in the past.  You be the judge. 

Here’s what Hot Stove Cubbies had to say about a trade that got away:

I am hearing from a really reliable source that the Cubs were talking to the Orioles on Friday morning about a potential deal where switch-hitting leadoff man Brian Roberts would be sent to the Cubs along with a minor leaguer.

According to my source the O’s were going to pay 20 million of Roberts salary if they could get Jeff Samardzija, highly touted prospect Hak-Ju Lee, power hitter Jake Fox, prospect Alex Maestri and Mike Fontenot.

There was a couple of sticking points for the deal but did not kill that did not kill it [sic]. The Cubs did not know if the Shark would be willing to waive his no trade clause and whether the Cubs could afford to take on Roberts contract at 4 years 20 million dollars. As it neared the afternoon the Cubs brass got the O.K. to add the money and Jeff said he would waive his no-trade clause for a chance to start in Baltimore.

All this work was for nothing because when Andy MacPhail presented the deal to Peter Angelos, he vetoed the trade. There was no reason giving [sic] by my source why Peter would veto such a trade when he is getting 5 good young ball players, 3 with ML experience and two that could be ready in a year or two. Not to mention that the O’s would get our #2 prospect and #10 prospect according to baseballamerica.com.

I honestly think the O’s would have gotten a little better of a deal than the Cubs would because the Cubs are giving up quite a bit of talent for Roberts and a minor leaguer but they are in win now mode so I would have approved the trade.

The Cubs would have gotten a good 2nd baseman for the next 4 year at a cheap price. Not only would he provide the Cubs with stolen bases but he is a true leadoff hitter. It’s a shame this deal did not go through because I feel this would have put this team over the top.

The Orioles would have gotten a guy that could immediately step into the rotation in Shark and at 2nd base in Fontenot. Not only that they would get a really good power bat in Jake Fox. He could play some outfield, 3rd, and 1st but would primarily be their DH. The O’s then would receive a really good defensive shortstop with an good bat but is a couple of years away in Lee and Alex Maestri could step in as a top notch reliever next season. What a young good team the O’s would have for years to come!

It is really crazy how now we hear trades that were purposed but did not happen. In the past we heard Nate McLouth for Felix Pie straight up, the Cubs turned that one down a couple of years ago. Mark Prior, Felix Pie, and prospect for Miguel Tejeda and Erik Bedard, the Cubs also turn down that one years ago as well. But this one is hardly the Cubs fault. I guess we can hope for this to be revisited maybe through waivers? Not likely.

Again, I don’t know if this is true or not, but if it is, I hope Jim Hendry can revive it in the off season.  Mike Fontenot is obviously not the answer at second base, and the Cubs have demonstrated time and time again that they need a true lead off hitter. 

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I have a real problem with the way salaries are handled in MLB.  There’s a real problem with the business side of the game when a team like the Yankeees pay one player more than other organizations spend on their entire roster.  The idea of a salary cap has been floated in the past, but in my mind, the only way that makes sense is if it includes a minimum amount a team must spend.  Not only would this be necessary to get the Players Union to approve the plan (they probably would still not approve it), but it would be necessary to promote competitive balance.

Ben Bouma formerly worked for the Pittsburgh Pirates and now works as a producer with ESPN and TBS.  He still lives in Pittsburgh and he remains passionate about Pirates Baseball.  At the moment, he’s none too happy about the way the Pirates organization is run.  Here’s what he had to say in Nick Cafardo’s column in the Boston Globe:

The Pirates, on pace for an American professional sports record of 17 straight losing seasons, have gutted their team of name players and decided to start anew, but in the process barely have a major league team on the field.

 

Bouma points out that in 1997, the Pirates’ payroll was $9 million, $1 million less than Albert Belle’s salary. The Pirates’ current payroll is $25 million, 25 percent less than what Alex Rodriguez is making this season.

“Four players in MLB make $20 million to $25 million and three of them play in that [Yankees] infield. [The Dodgers’ Manny Ramirez makes $23 million.] With 67 percent of the season gone, the Pirates are only on the hook for less than $9 million for the remainder of 2009,’’ Bouma writes in an e-mail. Bouma points out that the Pirates are the only team in the majors without a player making at least the MLB average salary of $3.26 million (Paul Maholm is highest at $2.5 million).

“Last year, the Pirates are believed to have received a revenue-sharing check of $27 million from MLB, based on figures leaked to the Wall Street Journal,’’ Bouma writes. “They receive close to $35 million from the national TV contracts. That is $62 million before anyone buys a ticket, sets foot in PNC Park on Opening Day and buys a hot dog, or watches or listens to a game on local TV and radio. Not to mention what they will receive from MLB for the MLB Network and MLB.com/MLB.TV and Extra Innings packages. On top of this, they let go many front-office people [some with 20 years of service] earlier this season.

“This is no longer a problem of ‘how baseball is structured’ any longer. This is both fundamentally and ethically wrong . . . It is high time this [ownership] group is held accountable for the complete mismanagement of the franchise as their excuses have run out.’’

Pirates general manager Neal Huntington, after making his final deal Friday, said, “We need to break the cycle of losing. We need to break the cycle of being in a situation where we’re making trades every year. We have the pieces in place to build something.’’

The Pirates are a sad case, as are the Royals and Marlins (although the Marlins have been somewhat competitive).  The Padres can be added to that list at the moment, although their situation is different and appears to be temporary.

When you look at the Pirates and realize that not one of their players earns the league average salary, you have to wonder why Commissioner Bud Selig doesn’t step in and do something for the good of the game.  If the ownership group doesn’t have the money to field a competitive team (is that possible considering they received $62 million dollars for doing nothing?), then they should be forced to sell or bring on a deep-pocket partner (Mark Cuban?).  If the city simply can’t or won’t support the team, then the once proud organization should be moved.  Baseball can not allow this travesty to continue.