Mid-Season Report

Firstly, hell of an All-Star Game. Too bad it decided home field for the World Series. I heard Selig explaining the reasoning behind this on ESPN's Mike and Mike radio show, but I don't give a rat's ass. It can be worked out. I would rather have the equally inane every other year scenario that they used to use than to have the All-Star Game be the determining factor. The players don't like it, Bud. You can gloss over that fact all you want, but it speaks volumes.

Now, as for mid-season grades on the Cubs, I'm not going to do any. I was, but it turns out that (1) I'm lazy; (2) I have crap loads of work to do and (3) I don't really feel like it needs doing.

What I have to say about the Cubs first half is that things worked out despite things not working out. There were some gaffes, some injuries and some moves, but, by and large, the Cubs looked like a strong contender while cruising into the break tied for the best record in baseball. You really can't argue with that. They accomplished what they needed to and are poised to make a good run toward the playoffs. Hendry added an ace to the staff, Big Z is looking good again, Dempster made a successful switch to starter, Wood made a successful switch to closer and most of the if's turned out to be solid contributors to complete team success.

Now, the things we are watching out for are Harden's health, Soriano's return, Fukudome's tiredness, Edmonds' legs, Dempster's fatigue level and Wood's arm.

However, the most pressing thing on my mind is the team's failure to look as good away from Wrigley as they should. This team just hasn't performed up to a "league's best record" type of team when they are on the road. They have to fix this. Dempster will break through eventually, Harden will help, as will Soriano's return , but it's not really any particular letdown that is causing this. The whole club plays a little listlessly on the road. I love the way they look at Wrigley, but they have to translate that to some big away wins. Especially now that the All-Star Game has dictated where a potential Cub World Series will play out.