Why the Cubs need to take Fielder seriously

Now that Albert Pujols has found a new home in California, it is time for baseball to turn its attention to Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder, who is also a free agent this winter. I am not all that dissapointed that the Cubs did not pursue Albert Pujols for two reasons. One is that he is not the kind of player that you are going to build a team around. The Cubs are in a re-building stage, and Pujols is too old to be a centerpiece of a re-building team. The second is that expectations would be too high. If the Cubs were to sign the best player in baseball, they would be expected to contend immediately, and I don't think they could.

Prince Fielder, however, is a different story. Fielder is younger, giving the Cubs more time to work with him and re-build around him. Also, he has always remained fairly "under the radar" despite putting up numbers that make him among the best in the game. Fielder is no doubt a superior option for the Cubs. He is an option that the Cubs must take seriously.

Not only is Fielder a great candidate for the Cubs, but he is a necessary one. The proper way to re-build is to re-build around a player that stands out. Without Fielder, the Cubs don't have that player. Ramirez is getting old and Soriano cannot be counted on for anything. The Cubs have done a nice job building up several quality young players, and Fielder would provide a centerpiece for the re-building. After that, you could trade Ramirez or Soriano (if anyone wants to pay him) and start new.

Rumors have been slow-coming over the Fielder situation. A friend of Fielder's reportedly said that his coice would be to play in Chicago, although similar rumors surfaced about Miami. At this point, the Marlins say that they won't be involved in courting Fielder. So who else? The Rangers have been rumored for awhile, and now that division-rival Los Angeles has aquired Pujols, they may want to make a splash. Other than that, Peter Gammons told CSN Chicago that the Cubs are going about the situatiion correctly, saying that he believes that Prince will end up on the North Side. However, a few hours later, Gammons tweeted that the Cubs are not likely to sign Fielder because the money isn't there. The situation appears open.

I trust Theo Epstein and his staff to get this one right. The Cubs are being presented with a prime opportunity to establish themselves as a favorite in the NL Central with Pujols out of St. Louis. Theo knows a thing or two about building World Series teams, and I trust that he will bring that knowledge to Chicago. If the Cubs want to contend in the next 5 years, they need to start making moves now.

Evaluating the Bears chances without Jay Cutler

Despite a satisfying victory against San Diego on Sunday, bringing the Bears to 7-3 and looking to take the Wild Card with ease, Sunday turned into a miserable day for the Chicago Bears. A few hours after the game, the Chicago media broke reports that Jay Cutler had broken his thumb and would need surgery, leaving him out 6-8 weeks. The Bears confirmed the injury and said that Cutler would have surgery on Tuesday, but declined to comment on a timetable.

This, of course, has caused many Bears fans to panic about the team's chances. Some are questioning whether or not the playoffs are possible anymore. Today, we are going to take a deep breath and evaluate the Bears chances for the rest of the season.

While the injury has caused panic in Chicago, and rightly so, it is important to remember that the Bears running game is superb. Matt Forte is having the season of his life despite a slight decline in recent weeks, and Marion Barber, a power back, has been a pleasant suprise. Forte as well as the defense will have to step it up as we move forward, but I don't see any reason why that isn't possible. Remember when the Bears went all the way to the Super Bowl with Rex Grossman at quarterback? Now all they need to do is win a few games.

There is the possibility of the Bears bringing in a veteran QB to take over until Jay is possibly well enough to play. Names like Mark Bulger and Brett Favre have been brought up. I would be quite optimistic with Bulger at starting QB, but not Favre. Nonetheless, Caleb Hanie has some primetime experience after Cutler went out with a knee injury last year in the NFC Championship, and he is definitely one of the better back-up quarterbacks in the NFL.

Now, let's evaluate the schedule that this Bears team must face without their quarterback. It really isn't that bad. The first stretch of the seaosn was much more difficult than the second half, working out well for the situation. Next week, the Bears face Oakland, which is their toughest game for the remainder of the season other than Green Bay on Christmas Day. They also face Kansas City, Denver, and Minnesota. If they can win 3-4 games, which I believe they could do against the Chiefs, Seahawks, Vikings, and possibly the Broncos, they would be 10-6 or 11-5.

Is that good enough for the playoffs? Two teams can win the Wild Card, and right now the top contenders are Chicago (7-3), Detroit (7-3), Atlanta (6-4), and the New York Giants (6-4). The Lions have a very tough schedule ahead, playing Green Bay twice. The Giants do as well, having to play Dallas twice, Green Bay once, the Saints once, and the Jets once. Atlanta's is not so tough, but they do face the Saints and Tampa Bay, each once. I expect the Giants to fall out of the race with their schedule, making it a three-way race for two spots, unless another team pops up. The Bears have a head start on Atlanta, leading them by a game, and Detroit's schedule puts them at a disadvantage.

Ovwerall, I think that the Bears' shot at the playoffs is not as dim as some may make it seem, but that goes without saying that the defense is definitely going to have to pick up their game. The game against the Broncos will be crucial, as it is possibly the difference between 10-6 and 11-5. We will see how it goes as we move forward, but you never know. With Cutler's toughness, he could be back before the Denver game. Afterall, he's got some unfinished buisness with them.

Multiple reports: Theo Epstein to Cubs

Throughout the day, developments about Theo Epstein's future with the Cubs have taken place. Multiple reporting agencies including FOX Chicago, FOX Boston, WEEI, ESPN's Buster Olney, and the Chicago Tribune are reporting that Epstein and the Cubs have agreed to a 5yr/$15-20mil deal, although the Cubs will not confirm the report.

Epstein won two World Series championships as General Manager of the Boston Red Sox, but after the Red Sox failed to make the playoffs in 2011 they started cutting ties with staff, including manager Terry Francona.

Many questions remain with Epstein at GM. I would personally assume that he is going to fire Mike Quade as his first move. The question is then who will be managing the Cubs next year. Many have speculated that Theo will pursue Ryne Sandberg because he asked Ryno to manage Red Sox minor league affiliate Pawtucket. Former GM Jim Hendry took a pass on Sandberg last year, despite Ryno being a fan favorite and a Cubs hall of famer as a player.

I am very happy about this move by the Cubs. Firing Hendry was the right thing to do, as he seemed unwilling to re-build as GM. Hiring Epstein is right because he is a baseball genius and knows how to take a team with little or no World Series experience all the way.

One thing I stress to Cubs fans is to give him time. I have seen many people on the internet today talking about World Series aspirations for the 2012 season. While that is always a great goal, Epstein deserves more than one year to turn the club around. I am confident that he can bring the Cubs a World Series in the five years on his contract, but only if the fans are patient with him.

I will have any updates on the Cubs as well as some football coverage coming up. Remember that you can get sports news quicker by following @WCSBlog on Twitter, and then you can read about the details here later. I look forward to following the Cubs as this plays out. Go Cubs!

Bears 10, Bills 3

In the first preseason game of the summer, the Bears beat Buffalo by a score of 10-3. For preseason, we will do post-game stories in a "notes" style post, meaning they will be bullet point observations rather than a story.

-Offensive Line: The o-line stole the show on Saturday - in a bad way. They gave up 9 sacks and at some points it didn't even look like they were trying. It reminded me of last year's regular season game against the Seahawks in which Seattle defenders blew right through our line and sacked Cutler within 2 seconds of the snap.

-Marion Barber: He was the most positive story of the night. He had 7 carries for 45 yards and one touchdown. With Forte in contract disputes (although he did show up for the game on Saturday), Barber has a nice opportunity to show what he can do.



-Johnny Knox: Knox impressed in the return game as well as the recieving game. He had a nice return that almost went for a touchdown (although the offense squandered the opportunity) and also made a case for himself at wide reciever. I hope we don't see this guy leave any time soon.

-Kahlil Bell: Bell, who's been under the radar for three years now, carried for 73 yards and raised a lot of eyebrows. Expect to hear a lot of "What the hell, give it to bell!" shouts at Soldier Field this year.



-Robbie Gould: A little bit of a dissapointing night for Gould, as he missed a field goal before making up for it and hitting a 40-yarder. Not anything to be concerned about, of course, but it is mentionable.

-Punters: The Bears are trying out a couple different punters after Maynard's release (he signed with Houston the other day), and I think they will soon regret releasing Maynard. Chicago had some dismal punts on Saturday.

-Bears coaching staff: The coaches stole the show after the game, when it was realized that the Bears kicked off from the 30 instead of the 35 for the entire first half of the game. The rule was changed this year for the kickers to kick closer to the far endzone to increase touchbacks and decrease injuries. The Bears voted against this rule and refused to obey it (although it has been speculated that the real motivation was to get a better look at their players). They complied when instructed to at halftime.

The next preseason game for the Bears is in the Meadowlands as they visit the New York Football Giants. Expect a post-game story from that, as well as any news that pops up concerning Notre Dame, Illinois, Northwestern, and, of course, the Chicago Bears.

Jim Hendry needs to be fired

I haven't talked about the Cubs much this season so far. That's because there hasn't been much to talk about. The Cubs are 25-38, and they don't appear to be improving much. Sure, some injuries have hurt the team, but overall the errors, poor hitting, and a terrible bullpen have been to blame.

It's a much broader problem than just what happens in the game, though. The Cubs haven't made the playoffs since 2008, and while they've had much longer stretches without playoff appearences, they don't look to be improving. Now, you may say I'm overreacting, but this is much different from the playoff-less stretch between 1945-1984. It's been 102 years since 1908, going on 103, and the franchise hasn't won a playoff series since 2003.

But today I want to address an issue that is on many Cub fans minds. This issue is the job status of GM Jim Hendry. Hendry has been here since 2002 and has made 3 playoff appearences with the team. Pretty good, right? Not so much. Sure, in 2003 they went far, but he had just taken over the position, and not too much of the team was his credit. The other two playoff years turned into disasters. In both 2007 and 2008, the Cubs were swept.

But enough reliving the Cubs torturous history. Let's focus more on Hendry's specifics. I am of the opinion that his flaws far outweigh anything he has done well. Look at Alfonso Soriano. Soriano is a decent player, but why are we paying him $20 million a year? I understand that Hendry thought that he was going to be a good player (who didn't?), but I never believed that he was good enough to pay that much.

Another problem I have is his willingness to pay veterans huge sums of money. Sure, it was nice to have Greg Maddux back, and it's nice to have Kerry Wood back, but is it really worth paying these players a lot of money when they come back and don't even help the team that much? Sometimes you've just got to tell players that we don't have room in the budget, and that maybe they could get a job in the organization after retirement.

I could go on and on with his horrible moves. Dusty Baker, Milton Bradley, LaTroy Hawkins, Lou Pinella, Koskuke Fukudome, Rich Harden, Michael Barret, and on and on. I'm not going to, though, because you fans know all of this. You all know how frusterating his reign at the Friendly Confines has been.

Now, don't get me wrong, Hendry isn't the worst GM in sports, and I am all for giving people enough time to show what they can do, but don't you think that he's had enough time? It's been 9 years, and so far he has cost the club a lot of money and the team hasn't completed the one goal he should have: winning the World Series. The Cubs not having won the series in 102 years does not excuse failing to win.

So, it's time for the Cubs to take a serious look at their future. Are we going to keep this guy around who has had his chance and failed for 9 years, or are we going to bring in somebody new to mix it up? The fans are losing faith in the organization, and it's time for them to get their act together.

Indy gets B10 football title, Chicago gets share of basketball

"It's our home, and to me, it's the best sports city in the country."

That is what Big Ten comissioner Jim Delany said about Chicago right after his conference decided not to give the Windy City the Big Ten title game. Instead, they are giving it to Indianapolis from 2011-2015. Indy provides certain advantages, like an indoor field at Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Colts. Also, Indiana is obsessed with college sports.

Naturally, however, I feel the need to challenge this. Now, the Big Ten Tournament has been held in both cities in the past. Recently, however, it has been held much more often in Indy. This always angered me, but it made sense. After all, Indy was always the closest to the geographic center of Big Ten schools. With the addition of Nebraska, however, you can see on the map below that the geographic center becomes the Illinois-Indiana border, which Chicago lies on. Not to mention that Chicago is also roughly in the north-south center of the Big Ten and Indy is very far south.



If you want to ignore which city is the geographic center, go ahead. There are other reasons Chicago should get the title game. One, Chicago is very close to some major football schools. Iowa, Wisconsin, and Michigan State are all within a few hours of the Windy City (Sorry, Illinois and NU fans). The closest big-time football school to Indianapolis is Ohio State, a three and a half hour drive. The other Big Ten schools around Indy are Indiana and Purdue, both of which are laughing stocks of Big Ten football.

Another reason that Chicago should get the game is pretty obvious. The Big Ten is headquartered in Chicago. I really don't understand why you would put your title game in a different city than you chose to be headquartered in. If Indy is so much more of a Big Ten city, why not be headquartered there?

Lastly, here in Chicago we have a ridiculous amount of Big Ten alumni and fans. We've got so many Illinois and Iowa alumni, plus quite a few from all the other schools. On top of that you've got NU and Illini fans who cheer for the local schools. All of these alumni and fans would love a chance to go to the title game. But, I guess we're giving it to Indy.

On the upside, Chicago gets to host the basketball title game in 2013 and 2015, while Indy gets it for 2012, 2014, and 2016. Not much to say about this other than that I am happy they're giving Chicago a little love. All I have to say is that it would have been smarter to just give Chicago the football games and give Indianapolis the basketball games considering that Indy is surrounded by powerhouse basketball schools in Ohio State, Purdue, and maybe someday IU will regain their strength.

All in all, though, I am excited for these title games to take place, especially the football game. I am also excited to see Nebraska in the conference. I see them playing very well and making a run for the title.

In the near future, look for an article on changes that need to be made within the Cubs organization, and as we approach football season look for more articles on the Bears, Irish, Illini, and this year we'll be doing some on the Cats as well.

Notre Dame to renew series with "Chicago's Big Ten team"

Northwestern continues to set themselves up for failure. They scheduled a game against Illinois at Wrigley Field last year to try and prove that they were Chicago's favorite Big Ten team. Now, we all know that they are far from Chicago's favorite Big Ten team, but just to settle it the Illini beat the Cats like they were a High School football team.

Now, Northwestern has decided to take on another team that has more fans in Chicago than they do. Notre Dame and Northwestern will renew their series and play in South Bend in 2014, a great chance for the Irish to establish NU as "Chicago's third favorite college football team." That would look good on a billboard.

The two teams will play again in 2018 so that the Cats will have 4 years in between games to recover from their 2014 beating. I have no doubt that Ryan Field in Evanston will be packed with kelly green that day, just like all other visiting teams do at Ryan Field.

NU is just asking for their ad campaign to go down hill. No, ND is not a Big Ten team, but we all know that they are NU's major competition in the city fan-wise, other than the U of I. I can't wait for NU to come into South Bend in 2014 and get embarassed just like they did to Chicago's true Big Ten team. ND football is having some of the greatest recruiting years they've had since the days of Holtz, and many people see a National Championship for the Irish in the next 5 years. NU doesn't even stand a chance.

Cubs open against Pirates in Friday

Regular season baseball is finally here! The Cubs will open the season at home against Pittsburgh, a team that is not known to rack up the wins, but a team that the Cubs struggled mightily against last season. They were even swept by the Pirates more than once.

But last year is behind us. The Cubs are coming in with a new manager, Mike Quade, who has been working with the team for a while and a guy the players know well. Quade took over after Lou Pinella's retirement last year with 30 games to go, and the Cubs won more games in that last month than any other team.

The Cubs named their 5th starter to the rotation, Andrew Cashner, on Friday. Ryan Dempster is to start on Friday, opening day for Chicago's NL ballclub, followed by Zambrano and then Matt Garza, a new addition to the team.

I am really looking forward to this baseball season. Lindy's Baseball Report called the Cubbies a "dark horse," saying that they have enough talent to do some damage as long as their pitching does what it is supposed to.

Check back here frequently for news and analysis. WCS is proud to cover Chicago's favorite baseball team!

Bears-Packers: NFC Championship Preview

We are one day away from the most anticipated Conference Championship in a long time. The Bears and the Packers haven't met in the playoffs since 1941, and they meet again, the winner going to Super Bowl XLV. This is the greatest rivalry in all of sports, and it is going to be a fun and intense game tomorrow. Here is my breakdown of the 2010 NFC Championship.

Offense
The Packers' offense is on fire. Scoring the second most points in a playoff game in NFL history last week, it appears that Aaron Rodgers is getting better and better. Jay Cutler and the Bears' offense was able to produce 35 points last week and got out to an early lead with a TD pass to Greg Olsen. The Packers have a clear advantage in the passing game, even though I was happy to see Cutler make big improvements against Seattle in last week's playoff game. Many will be watching Jay closely to see if he can handle the pressure that will be on him, and it is up to him to prove himself to the skeptics.

Running-wise, Green Bay has started to develop a run game towards the end of the season. The Bears, however, also made a presence last week. Chester Taylor caught a TD pass and he and Forte are looking like a good combination. The Bears have the advantage in the running game, but not by all that much, and not by enough to overcome Green Bay's adavantage passing the ball. On the offensive side of the ball, I think it is clear who has the advantage.

Edge: Green Bay


Defense
Both of these teams have impressive defenses, and both are ranked in the Top 5 overall defenseively. Green Bay's Clay Matthews has been an eye-opener and has emerged as one of the best defenders in the league. Bears DE Julius Peppers has also had a great season, and it is time for Peppers to earn his money, the playoffs is where it counts the most. Bears Safety Chris Harris is questionable for the game, but he says the only way he won't play is if his "leg was cut off." Harris is the only question the Bears have coming into the game. Harris has played well so far and has made the Bears' backfield satisfactory.

I see these defenses as different, yet equal. The Bears have excellent run coverage, while Green Bay has excellent pass coverage. If the Bears can run the ball, they can win. If the Packers can throw sucessfully, they have a chance. Overall, though, this is going to be a close, defensive battle, and niether team has clearly the better defense.

Edge: Split


Special Teams
Special Teams could play a big part in Sunday's game. Devin Hester could give the Bears a lot of momentum by running back a kick or punt. It will be interesting to see if Green Bay kicks to Hester. If they do, he could do some serious damage. Kicker Robbie Gould could also have an effect. I envision this as being a close game, and Gould has hit a number of game winning kicks in his career. He has won games against the Packers, and he has also won games in the playoffs, for his team. Green Bay's special teams have been very questionable. Kick/punt returning has not been a bright spot for the Packers, and kicker Mason Crosby has been just alright. The Bears have been well known for having excellent special teams over the past 5-10 years, and they have a clear advantage.

Edge: Chicago


Coaching
Both head coaches have fallen under scrutiny this year, but both have also had sucess as head coaches. In fact, both coaches have been here before, with their current teams. In 2006 Lovie Smith coached the Bears to the Nfc Championship in which they beat New Orleans, and in 2007 Packers' coach Mike McCarthy brought the Packers to the NFC Championship, losing to the Giants. The head coaches are pretty even, in my opinion.

The Bears, however, have a stacked coaching staff, including three former head coaches on the staff below Lovie Smith: offensive genius Mike Martz, Mike Tice, and Rod Marinelli. The Packers have had some nice signs from their coaching staff, but Chicago has the edge (as long as Martz stays away from the wildcat formation).

Edge: Chicago


Prediction
This is going to be a fun game. It is nice to know that a team from the NFC North will be going to the Super Bowl. It would be nice to have bragging rights over the cheeseheads (those bragging rights wouldn't go away any time soon). This is going to be a very close game that I see coming down to the fourth quarter, or maybe even overtime. I can see either team coming out with a win tomorrow, but my gut tells me Robbie Gould kicks a game winning field goal to send the Bears to the Super Bowl.

Prediction: Chicago 23, Green Bay 20


Lovie Smith said in his first press conference as Bears' head coach, "Our number one goal is to beat Green Bay." Have fun watching the game tomorrow, and GO BEARS!

Bears playoff situation

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is playoff time for the Bears, the first time since their '07 Super Bowl run. The Bears are the #2 NFC seed heading into the postseason, which means they get a first round bye and home-field advantage over every NFC team except Atlanta, the #1 seed. The Bears will host their first game on Sunday, January 16, at Noon. The opponent in that game is undecided, but it will be either the Eagles, Seahawks, or Saints.

The Bears are going to have a tough time getting to the Super Bowl, having to get passed some teams that looked weak early, but came back big, like the Eagles and Saints. The Falcons are also a big challenge, as they have shown that they can do a lot of damage.

Overall, however, any team could go to Dallas. The Falcons look to be dominant, but New Orleans has already beaten them once, and Green Bay nearly beat them. It will be interesting to see how things go.

Make sure you stay with Windy City Sports both here on Blogspot as well as on Twitter (search WCSBlog and click follow). WCS will have in-depth coverage with statistics and opinion on the Bears as they make their playoff run.

VICTORIOUS

CHICAGO IS FEELING GOOD TODAY

The Blackhawks are Stanley Cup champions, and how sweet it is. Pat Kane's goal in overtime last night sealed the deal for a team that has been enveloped in non-stop attention and TV coverage for three months now. Although no one else was sure if it was a goal, Kane knew it, and his attitude pretty much sums up the Hawks' season: NO DOUBT.

The team arrived at O'Hare just before 4am and they have been partying with the fans since, making bar stops at Harry Caray's of Rosemont and they left Pony's Restaurant and are going to another location now.

The players weren't the only one's celebrating, though. Fans clogged the streets, dancing and cheering for what is Chicago's first championship in five years for Sox fans, but everyone else has been waiting since 1998 when the Bulls won. Wrigleyville seemed to be the location choice, as traffic stopped on Clark St. and fans attempted to tip a police truck.

The celebration will continue, as the Blackhawks are having their victory parade and rally tomorrow on Wacker Drive and Michigan Avenue. The parade will begin somewhere between 11am and 11:30am. We need all Hawks fans there! Here is the map for the Parade route:



It is really amazing what the Hawks have done. In three years they have gone from the laughing stock of the NHL, to Stanley Cup Champions. They've done so much for the sport and for their fans. What an amazing story they have put together: it will be told for years and years.

Congratulations to the players, coaches and staff along with their families. Congrats to all of the Hawks fans, especially the ones who have been waiting 49 years for this. Thanks to Rocky Wirtz for taking this team where it has. Thanks to Joel Quennville, Jonathan Toews, and the rest of the Hawks staff and players. It feels different saying this as Stanley Cup Champions: GO HAWKS!!!

Hawks play to clinch on Wednesday

Despite roughing out a series that has, so far, been much more difficult than the series' against San Jose and Vancouver, the Hawks are in Philly, set to play on Wednesday, June, 9, 2010, with ONE GOAL: to bring the Stanley Cup home. The Blackhawks made the series 3-2 in a fairly uncontested win on Sunday after a string of very close games.

The Hawks are being careful not to be too optimistic, though, as they are yet to win a game in Philly this series.

The battle between Chris Pronger and "Big Buff" will likely continue, they guarentee it. Pronger displayed sarcasm to the media after Game 5, saying, "I'm hurt. My feeling are hurt." The two have been going at it from the very beginning.

The puck drops tomorrow at 7pm midwest time on NBC Network TV (Ch 5 in Chicago) and Radio 720 WGN (Chicago, IL).

Why the Cubs are missing out

The other day the Padres and White Sox worked out a deal to bring Jake Peavy to the South Side. However, Jake Peavy did not give approval on the deal, so it fell through. Peavy has made it clear that the only team he wants to go to is the Cubs.

The Padres were willing to make a deal with the Cubs back in February at the Winter Meetings. However, Jim Hendry decided he didn't want to make a deal for unknown reasons. That was a big mistake. It couldn't be any easier for him to bring in talent, and he's pushing it away!

All he had to do was work out a little deal with San Diego, who is going to be very generous since they're having trouble getting rid of Peavy. Hendry is missing out on a major oppourtunity. If a star pitcher says that you are the only team he wants to go to, you should be able to work something out.

Hendry better get his act together, or people are going to start getting very angry at him and he'll eventually be out of a job.

For response to this blog post e-mail me at ChicagoIllinoisGuy@yahoo.com

The Perfect Day

Chicago sports were rockin' on Saturday as the city's sports teams went 4-0 in some thrilling games, two of them being playoff games.

The Bulls started their playoff series with the Celtics in Boston. The two teams fought hard all game and would go to overtime where the Bulls would prevail. Rose scored more points in that game than Michael Jordan scored in his first Bulls playoff game. The Bulls won the game by a score of 105-103. It was a team effort as Rose showed great leadership and the Bulls now lead the series, 1-0.

The Blackhawks went into Saturday's game with a 1-0 lead on Calgary after an OT thriller a few nights ago. The Hawks played very bad at the beginning of the game as they were losing 2-0. The Hawks later woke up and mounted a comeback and went on to win the game with a tally of 3-2. Jonathan Toews, Blackhawk captain, scored two of the Hawks' three goals, his first career playoff goals.

On the North Side the Cubs got set to take tto the field against the hated Cardinals. The regular season series with a playoff athmosphere was tied at 1-1. Ryan Dempster had the start for the Cubbies and struggled early as the Cubs went down 4-0. The Cubs would mount a slow comeback that was capped by a D-Lee triple and the Cubs went up 5-4. The Cardinals sent the game into Extra Innings at 5-5. Neither team scored until the bottom of the 11th when Aramis Ramirez stepped to the plate and delivered a walk-off homerun to win the game. Final score, 7-5.

The White Sox were in Tampa to play the Rays. The Sox went up early and their pitching pinned the Rays to only 3 runs. Mark Buehrle pitched seven innings of good baseball and Paul Konerko homed and collected three RBI's as the Sox polished a nice win in Tampa, 8-3.

It was an exciting day in Chicago sports that featured overtimes, comebacks, records being broken, and walk-off homeruns. Go Chicago!