Most memorable moment:Sitting in Petco park in San diego,looking at all the Cubbie blue.

Signing "Go Cubs Go"with the fans at the end of the game.

Marmel giving a ball to my daughter and an autograph from Reed Johnson.

Bardo

MVP: Just because Geo has surpassed everyone's expectations this year and is in the running for this award on paper, he has too many strikeouts and has not produced in clutch situations as much as ARAM.

Cy Young: Even though his evil twin has taken over the last few weeks, I'm going with Marmol for this one. His numbers before the downhill slide were just SICK (sub-2.0 ERA), and he's still got the highest K/IP ratio. I hope he finds his touch again in the 2nd half as his position in the bullpen is inevitably needed. We have a great starting rotation now, and trusting that Woody stays reliable, come playoff time, our only weak spot will be middle relief if he doesn't re-discover his early season form.

The most important award however goes to JH for MVGM. Huge props to for his acquisitions. Overall, trying to put individual awards on certain players on this team is like trying to figure out which Miss America contestant you'd like to take home. So the award has to go to the mastermind who put together a team that sent 8 players to the All-star game.

Most memorable moment: The comeback in Colorado.

The team has played well and has been driven by the contrbutions of people filling in for others. Derosa has been a major part of the success of the team! Reed Johnson has done the same and will continue to contribute. Theriot, Fukidome, Lee, Ramerez and Edmonds hqve ale been essential to the success of the team and the addition of Harden will hopefully take us to the World Series championship we have all been desiring! Go Cubs!

Wow, Neil you got me thinking!

MVP -- Soto, he gives us a catcher that does it all. I have to go all the way back to Davis and Hundley to see anyone comparable, and even then I think Soto is better. He handles the pitching staff and his hitting is a big bonus.

Cy Young -- Dempster, because he is the big difference. We all know what Z brings to the table, but for Demp to have 10 wins at this time of the year is fantastic, especially with Hill in the minors.

The most memorable moment for me is when the game is over and you see all the fans sticking around singing. I think it shows what a great fan base the Cubs have. And I am sure the players appreciate it.

Let's keep on kicking ass and win the whole thing this year. GO CUBS!

I still feel weird about Edmonds. And it's funny how when you say "Reed Johnson's catch", or "the comeback against CO", that we know exactly what catch you were talking about. My vote goes to "the inning" against the Sox. I live in New Orleans and don't have cable (WGN), and had to "watch" it on the MLB active game thing. I was helping my brother move into a new place, and after awhile, we stopped and were just amazed that the inning was STILL going on. Edmonds...two homers in the same inning off different pitchers...that clutch HR against Atl...my heart is torn. He's so easy to dislike, but he's kicking ass for our cubbies...

I'd have to agree that Hendry is probably the MVP. All of his additions this year (Fuku, Reed, Edmonds) so far have done very well for their own reasons: Fuku with his patience, Reed with his spark and hustle, Edmonds with his bat/glove/Hollywood persona. Here's to Hardin/Gaudin having a great season as well.

The thing that kills me about this team is that...it's the best one I've seen as well. I'm probably not as old as some of you guys, but I lived in Chicago from 86-89. I saw Maddux, the Hawk, Ryne Sandberg, Mark Grace...and every year, I knew they would lose SOMEWHERE in the season. But this team...there is no team in the MLB that I know in my heart of hearts that can consistently beat our cubbies. Unfortunately, Cubs '08 is not a novel that we can skip to the end to know how it all turns out. They aren't Christmas presents in your mom's closet that we know what we're getting 2 weeks beforehand. We've got to sit on our hands and enjoy the ride.

Greenie needs a good hitting coach to get him straight.

I have watched him over the years changing his batting stance,hand posistion and foot tapping.He is not yet found his groove.

Pitchers know to get him out is to throw low and away.

But....

I would not deal The-roit for ANYBODY!

This guy has been the catalyst for starting ralleys ALL year!

For reasons of team chemistry I wouldn't deal Theriot for Greene, but I bet every major league scout out there would say that Greene is the better talent (and it's probably not even close). Greene's game is not suited for that park ... put him in Wrigley and he hits .260-.275 with 25-30 HR's. He can also really pick-it at SS.

The case is easily made that the team gets the MVP because so many have contributed so much during the first 95 games. But, urged to choose I would give Soto the edge over Rameriz for MVP because of comparable stats and the managerial importance of the catcher's positon. I would give Dempster the top pitcher edge over Zambrano because of D's additional innings pitched, comparable ERA and greater number of strike outs.

Maybe something like a MVGM goes to JH for signing Dome, not trading the farm + for Roberts, signing Johnson and Edmonds and trading for Harden and Gaudin while holding on to our top prospects. I hope that he does not trade for Greene but does trade for a solid lefty reliever. If we need some short term SS help, we can play Hoffpauir there. The way things are going for the Cubs and for Hoffpauir, a left handed shortstop should be no problem at all.

MVP - Ryan Dempster

CY - Ryan Dempster

Moment - Come from behind win against Colorado

Comeback Player - Kerry Wood

Best Aquisition - Tie. Everyone that Hendry has brought in this year, whether it was in the off season, or during the season has made positive contributions. Fukudome, Lieber, Johnson, Edmonds, Harden, Gaudin. I'll reserve judgement on Ascanio.

Most Underappreciated - Ryan Theriot - I'll tell you all right off the bat that the riot is my favorite player right now, so full bias is in effect. The guy is leading the team in batting and OBP while playing one of the most demanding positions on the field. Yet, he is usually dismissed by the fans who post here. He doesn't have the God-given talent that his teammates have, but even when he fails or makes a mistake, you can plainly see that he is trying to do what is best for the team. I cannot say the same for some of the more glorified players on the club. On the bench? I'll grant you that he is not the best SS. His range and arm are average, but it is his natural position. One last bit: Batting in front of Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez will guarantee that you that pitchers are going to go right after you with strikes, good ones to keep you off base when the sluggers come up. Well, the riot strikes out far less than any other Cub (11.91 PA per K compared to next closest Ramirez, 6.66 PA per K) and still draws walks at a good pace.

Let's Go Cubbies!!!

I agree with that Mark.

I want both guys.

Cedeno for Greene I'd do.

Memorable moment:

Cliff's comment - "I hope that weight-lifting rat from the batting cage that Ozzie referred to makes its way to the white sox dugout and bites him in the ass."

Awesome stuff...

MVP-Geo Soto, He has NEVER acted like a rookie. I mean he handles the staff like a veteran[D.Miller like], has solid defense, he can take a beating at the plate and still hold on to the ball[remember Fielder]. He can calm down Big Z and yet has patience with Marquis. He is durable and ready. To top it off and add a little perspective, he has offensive numbers equal or better than Vladimir Guerrero, Miguel Cabrera, Bobby Abreu, Miguel Tejada, Tori Hunter, Derek Jeter. That is an expensive neighborhood guys!

Certainly we had expectations but we did not know what we were going to get!

Surprise of the 1/2 year goes to Dempster and Theriot.

Best influence-Fukudomeway.

Disapointments-Rich Hill and Ted Lily.

WHAT? Theriot for Greene? NO WAY!!! Theriot is batting 100 pts higher, has 10 more sb's and is like a spark plug to our team. No way would I trade a .320 hitter for a .216. Theriot isn't hurting us at all defensively and at the big league level, a SS is a SS, defensivley. (meaning if you play SS in the Majors, you have a excellent arm, decent range and knoiw what your doing) You look for a SS that can hit and Theroit is hitting .320 and we are in 1st place. Enough said!

BTW, its not for his production.

Met the guy once. Really approachable and seems to be a likable guy.

But maybe getting out of that hitters hell in San Diego will 'Hollywood' his career.

Khalil Greene might be the only player on the planet that I love more than Theriot.

No lie.

I'd like to keep both and see Theriot stay on the bench and move and play 2B when DeRosa is off or somewhere else.

Remember, Theriot is a original 2b.

MVP: I don't think this team has a clear cut MVP so I'm going with D Lee. He was a potent offensive force for us the first month of the season and ensured that we started off much better than last year. Yes, he's tailed off, but he got the ball rolling.

CY Young: Zambrano ... just because he was expected to be the best pitcher on the staff doesn't mean he should get cheated out of this award for "just" performing up to expectations.

Memorable Moment: Comeback against Colorado. I was there so I'm biased.

As for the Greene deal, SD won't want Theriot. They will be looking for prospects with upside. Pie (who is still young and has big upside) or a couple top A or AA prospects would likely interest them. I think he make sense for us as insurance in case someone goes down with an injury or Theriot tires down the stretch like last year. I don't think Theriot would get benched the way he's played so far this year. Greene would also be an upgrade over Fontenot on the bench.

MVP: Fukudome, like Neil said he changed the mindset of the team and I think his plate approach has become contagious

Cy Young: Dempster, coming into the season we needed Lilly or Hill to turn into a true No. 2...instead we got one with Dempster

Moment: Edmonds home run in the 9th against the Braves. Fill in love with a guy for the same reason I have hated him for years

Jody:

I saw the same thing. Greene would be a huge upgrade

on the defensive side and has more power. Theriot, has a better average by far and more speed. If the team deal Theriot to San Diego for Greene and one of their bullpen guys, it might be a plus.

This is a little off topic, but did anybody see the report that the Cubs were interested in Khalil Greene. Why would they do this?

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/

A few thoughts....

* This is the best first half team in my lifetime.

* With the exception of the Woody blown save vs the Cardinal and the Soriano droped flyball vs the Pirate I can't think of any other game that was considered a heart breaker.

* On the flip side of the above comment, we have won so many games that we shoud not have.

*My favorite moment? That is easy. When Neil called me to see If I was all right after Aramis hit the game winner vs bridgeport.

I think this is a good idea and i am interested in seeing different peoples opinions...mvp is def hard and so is Cy Young (I went down to Zambrano and Wood)...my picks:

MVP: Aramis Ramirez - It seems like he always comes through with the clutch hit or a big home run

Cy Young: Kerry Wood - I am giving it to Woody because he has been a huge lift after noone knew what to expect, also, I see how important a closer really is when i see other teams lose devastating games because they cant close it out in the ninth (Big Ups to Big Z and also to Demp as he has been a pleasent surprise)

Moment: This was VERY HARD but I am going to go with Jimmy's catch in Houston - it came in a huge spot and reminded me of the many great plays he made against us, making it nice to see him make a GREAT catch for us; it also was a big plus in a slow start and helped him keep the fans on his side until the bat came around imo (I also feel Reed had catch of the year and Aram had a ton of HUGE homeruns)

There are my picks - Lets go NL Tom to give us what is hopefully Home Field Adv in the WS and I am looking for a great second half - Will be at all 3 in Arz and cant wait!

Go Cubs!

Picking an MVP for the first half is hard. The Cubs are getting big hits, great pitching performances and big plays from everyone on the roster.

I would lean toward Aramis, Zambrano or Dempster. A good case could be made for several other though.