The Cubs’ championship drought reached 101 years Tuesday night when the Rockies’ victory over the Brewers eliminated them from the National League wild card chase.


But the end came with far less fanfare than that which greeted the 100-year mark last October at Dodger Stadium, when the Dodgers swept the Cubs in the National League Division Series.

Conventional wisdom said the pressure was off the Cubs in 2009 because mentions of the streak would not be as prevalent as 2008.

“Last year, from Day One, that was the question,” first baseman Derrek Lee said when camp opened in February. “There are definitely fewer questions so far. That 100-year thing made for a good story, so maybe it will be a little quieter year. I hope it helps. Last year we had a great regular season. We just flopped at the wrong time. But maybe it will take a little pressure off, not having to answer the 100-year question. Who knows?”

Click here to read the full article – By Paul Sullivan of Chicago Tribune

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We’re three weeks into the 2009 NFL season, and the Chicago Bears merit a passing grade, at the very least, with their 2-1 showing so far.


The two wins aren’t enough to distinguish the Bears in the NFC North. They’re in third place, behind unbeaten Minnesota and Green Bay, which is also 2-1 and defeated the Bears on opening night. Even Detroit can’t be counted out yet, as the Lions ended their 19-game losing streak by beating Washington on Sunday.

But Chicago has kept its head above water while playing the toughest schedule of any division team. It has had a pair of tough road games, at Green Bay and Seattle, sandwiched around a Week 2 home date with defending world champion Pittsburgh. Minnesota rallied to beat a surprisingly tough San Francisco team this week but played a pair of pasties in Weeks 1 and 2. The Packers feasted on a terrible St. Louis team for their second win on Sunday.


Click here to read the full article – By MARK JOHNSON of morrisdailyherald.com

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Tyler Colvin’s parents will be staying up late this weekend.


The young outfielder is expected to get a lot of playing time in the Cubs’ final 11 games, beginning with a four-game series in San Francisco that starts Thursday. Colvin’s family lives in South Carolina, so the time difference might be a little bit of a problem.

Colvin, called up after Double-A Tennessee finished the Southern League championship, made his Major League debut Monday against Milwaukee. His folks also may be shopping for a new computer.

“They were excited,” Colvin said of his parents. “They got to watch [Monday's game] on the computer. They stayed with it the whole game. They were a little disappointed [Tuesday] — the computer shut down in the ninth inning.”


Click here to read the full article – By Carrie Muskat of MLB.com

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During Detroit’s three-game stay at U.S. Cellular Field this weekend, the White Sox figure to be mathematically eliminated from the American League Central title race.

That harsh reality won’t prevent the White Sox from playing as if the season just started or as if a playoff berth is on the line with every pitch. At least, the 2009 finality better not change the team’s attitude, according to general manager Ken Williams.

“They better not quit. I don’t want to see any quit,” said Williams, during his 28-minute meeting with the media prior to Wednesday’s 8-6 loss to the Twins. “I won’t have people around me that quit, whether it be anybody in uniform or anyone in the front office, anyone around the organization that I hear even talking about it. I can’t be around people that quit.


Click here to read the full article – By Scott Merkin of MLB.com

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Kevin Gregg will spend the final two weeks of the regular season marketing himself as a potential closer. His chances of keeping that job with the Cubs are slim.


Gregg is one of four free agents on the Cubs. He lost the closer’s job on Aug. 18, but he hasn’t been banished to the last spot in the bullpen. Last Tuesday against the Milwaukee Brewers, Lou Piniella called on Gregg to face Corey Hart, Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder. On Friday against St. Louis, Gregg came in with one on and two outs in the eighth of a tie game to face Albert Pujols. That’s not an easy task.

“I think he’s the greatest hitter in the game, hands down,” Gregg said of the Cardinals’ slugger. “Coming in with a guy on, having to face him late in the game, tight situation — you’ve got to make your pitches, you’ve got to do your thing. He’s good. That’s the bottom line.”


Click here to read the full article – By Carrie Muskat of MLB.com

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John Danks knows he’s getting close to reaching his target number.


Just how close the White Sox left-hander actually winds up getting to his personal goal of 200 innings pitched this season, however, is solely up to him. But Danks, in his third big league year, certainly is going to give it his best shot.

“Oh yeah,” Danks said. “That’s been a goal of mine since I’ve got to this level. I came within five innings last year. It’s just one of those things. It’s kind of a [high] watermark for a pitcher, and I’m going to try to do my best to get here.”


Click here to read the full article – By Jesse Temple of MLB.com

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Robbie Gould aimed his game-winning field goal from 44 yards just inside the left upright, and the ball never veered from the middle as he kicked the Bears to victory Sunday with 15 seconds left.

The Lock Haven, Pa., native, who played at Penn State, had about 10 family members and friends in attendance, some of them Pittsburgh Steelers fans.

”It’s definitely big against anyone,” he said. ”The biggest thing is it is a home-state team, Pittsburgh or Philadelphia, and that is what is kind of great about it. [Some friends there to see him] were cheering for me, but I don’t know if they were cheering so much [on] that kick.”

It was the eighth game-winner for Gould and the 14th consecutive field goal he has hit dating to Week11 last season. Gould was 9-for-9 in the preseason and made 92 percent of kicks in training camp, according to special-teams coordinator Dave Toub. That’s why Toub said it was virtually an automatic decision to kick after a one-yard run by Matt Forte to the middle of the field on third down gave Gould his preferred field position.

Click here to read the full article – By BRAD BIGGS of Chicago Sun-Times

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After missing all but two plays of Saturday’s 45-17 win over Illinois State with an injured quadricep, quarterback Juice Williams is back on the field with his teammates.

Williams practiced with the team on Tuesday and Wednesday and is now 100 percent.

“I’ll definitely be ready to go for Ohio State,” Williams said.

At his weekly press conference on Tuesday, head coach Ron Zook reiterated that Williams’ injury was minor enough that the coaches considered putting him back into the game.

Click here to read the full article – By Jay Lee of dailyillini.com

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Cubs manager Lou Piniella’s preseason expectations for his defense weren’t lofty. Still, the Cubs have not met those expectations.

“Leaving Spring Training, I didn’t expect to lead the league in fielding, believe me,” Piniella said. “But I expected us to be at least in the middle, possibly a notch above there. But we’ve been in the bottom tier for a good portion of the year, and that makes it rough on the pitching.”

Going into Thursday’s series finale against the Brewers, the Cubs are in the bottom three in the National League in both errors and fielding percentage. The team hasn’t fared much better according to an advanced statistic called Ultimate Zone Rating, which indicates that the Cubs are about 14 runs below average on defense this season. That mark is 12th in the NL.


Click here to read the full article – By Andrew Simon of MLB.com

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A.J. Pierzynski caught all nine innings of the White Sox 6-3 victory over the Mariners on Tuesday night at Safeco Field. Pierzynski actually delivered the game-winning, two-run single in the top of the seventh of that particular contest.


And the veteran catcher was back in the starting lineup for Wednesday night’s contest, once again staying the entire evening in the Pacific Northwest. Working consecutive night games does not stand as especially unusual for an accomplished catcher, even at this latter stage of the 162-game season when the bumps and bruises start to add up.

Playing almost every day has been the norm for Pierzynski, though, since he joined the White Sox. Wednesday night’s contest marked the fifth straight season Pierzynski has reached 1,000 innings caught, setting a franchise record in that category. Pierzynski actually has a streak of eight straight such seasons, factoring in his time in Minnesota and the one season spent in San Francisco.


Click here to read the full article – By Scott Merkin of MLB.com

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