Here's a nice Fuk video, featuring him in high school and early pro years as an embarrassing shortstop/second baseman:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNS2d36dChs

The Cubs highlight video with rapping is awesome. I thought I heard, "Yeah, let's say goodbye to the past, the Future's here, alas, the Second Cubbies,"...

Thanks Neil, but don't worry about it. I do like this blog however. This will be one of my daily reads for sure.

Again the Cubs in 2008.

Ken Mobile

Jim Hendry might be out by mid season if the sale goes through and the team is not in first place. I believe he will not hold back and that he will get another starter in the Blantonesque neighborhood. The OBP guy he already got in Fuku which might lead him to settle with Pie in CF at least in the first half. For some reason I think that Ronny Cedeno will be the starting SS next season and that Theriot will platoon 2nd base with Derosa. [I have this feeling]

Any guy that looks at the Cubs from the outside can note that this team is very close to being great and that it is in need of solid performances during the season from its stars and the addition of one more solid starting pitcher...That is… to be a championship team.

If you don't agree with me, close your eyes and imagine that when you wake up tomorrow morning and open up the CCO site in your computer the title of the new article reads like this:

From the Wire……..the Cubs trade Sean Gallagher, Matt Murton, Jeff Samarja and Jake Fox for JOHAN SANTANA…

…AND THEN TELL ME THAT YOU DON’T THINK THIS IS THE YEAR….[JH please take note, you will be fired so why not go crazy with what will not be yours anymore?]

So what's the consenus around here? No Cubs rumors lately. Anybody think that we are gonna aqquire some decent talent before spring training?

I hope Jim Callis of Baseball America is missing the point re. the Blue. His quick take on this year's 8 playoff teams are: Red Sox, Tigers, Indians and Angels in the AL and Phils, Brewers, Dodgers and D-Backs in the NL. There are some notable "left outs" sports fans! And I can't believe the Brewers can pitch well enough.

Just in case Callis isn't missing the point, let's get the stud righthander (Burnett/Blanton) and either Roberts or a highly predictable center fielder--upgrades that some of us have been talking about. I prefer the center fielder (Crisp works for me), because I know DeRosa is a solid major leaguer in all respects. JimK

Matt Clement signed with the Cards.

I really hope we don;t trade for Nathan. And there is no way Marmol and Pie are in any deal for a guy like Nathan.

That is quite a bounty Kenny gave up for Swisher ... two potential #2 starters. Beane is collecting a real nice stable of blue chip prospects. Blanton and Street will be the next to go ...

Kenny Williams is an idiot!

The G Hill clip makes me misty eyed. Roids, or no, we'll never have another ballplayer quite like him. LOL

Mobile....my bad and I do apologize.

Hey guys, 670 the Score is reporting the White Sox just traded prospects to the A's for Nick Swisher.

The stove is heating up. Hank S. says the Yankees have the best deal for Santana and talks are ongoing. Hank also says the Yanks are best positioned to handle Santna's extension (maybe 6 years and $120 million). The Twins say Santana will likely be traded. The Red Sox say they are holding Crisp until they see what works out with Santana. The O's say Bedard could be traded but that they can wait until later--even after 2008 to make a decision. All of this on the teams' sites.

Also on the Twins site (and disturbing to me), comments that the Cubs and Twins have talked about Nathan in a trade that is rumored to include Pie and Marmol. Nathan is good, but so is Marmol. Nathan is 33 or 34, and if JH thinks a closer is a high priority for us, he probably ought to be in the players' substance testing program. JimK

Neil-

You Rock Dude! Thanks for spicing it up! I remember that GlenAllen Hill Shot, and think about it everytime they show that rooftop during a broadcast. The highlights were fun to watch as well.

For those SI readers from back in the '80's, I hear that after JH is done scouting Fob Beller, he's going to check out Sidd Finch.

Feedback: Aaron yesterday (Make NO Trades!) and JH may turn out to be bros (Make No More Trades). Aaron's #1 free agent choice, Colon, is way to expensive a "flier". A 5' 11", 245lb, oft injured, butterball tukey with a 4.10 career ERA in 310 games isn't worth a big dollar gamble. For quality and serious needs, trade we must.

Neil's on target re. the freeze on free agents and trades. It will likely take getting the Santana and/or Bedard deals done (probably for less in return than we've been hearing) to break the ice.

It will help that JH is back in town from his secret trip to Montezuma, IA, population 1700. He got a scouting report from one of the all time great Cubs benefactors that an 18 year old farm boy with a major league fastball was ready for signing. The report said the kid was consistently throwing 98 mph fastballs through two pie-plate-sized holes (up and in and down and out)in a barn wall with the balls being returned to the kid by a gutter trough system that his dad had rigged up. JH was told the kid's name is Fob Beller, and JH thought he was about to see the greatest phenom of the last twenty years. He leased a hummer (partly for the blizzard conditions and partly to give the kid), and off he went.

It turned out Hillary C had made one to many campaign stops, and Fob was actually shooting B B's

into aluminum pie plates nailed to a barn. Montezuma's revenge is alive and well. However, now that JH is back in town and still not able to believe that you can't trust a candidate running for president, I'm hoping for some real action. Gibberish like this doesn't cut it. JimK

For the record I am not a Brewers fan. I bleed Cubbie blue. Please don’t assume just because I live among Brewer fans here in Wisconsin that I am one of them. BTW thanks for the link.

GO CUBBIES!!!!

haha nice one Matt!! I'm ready for some baseball!!!

Go Cubbies!!!

It most certainly was not the shoes I reckon, right?