What a Difference a Year Makes

This Cubs team is 81-50 through 131 games, the franchise's ninth-best start (if you can call it a start) through the first 131, in history. Last year, the Cubs were 67-64. So, what is different about this Cubs team as opposed to last year's? What could have made that 14 game improvement over last year's team? Kosuke Fukudome? Jim Edmonds? Jeff Samardzija? Chad Gaudin? Rich Harden? Reed Johnson?
Sure, all of those guys are good, but some of them haven't been with this team all year, and the others haven't been 14 games better than their replacements. Maybe it is all of those guys combined, but I just feel more confident about this team than last year's.
This is a deeper team than the '07 one. When Bill Murray's brother is your fourth starter, you know that you have a strong starting rotation. Mark DeRosa is having a career year at second, Geovany Soto has emerged as one of the best catchers in the NL. Also, last year the Cubs relied mostly on Daryle Ward to come through in late game pinch-hit situations. This year, Lou Piniella could use an updated version of these, and probably still win. So, all in all, I trust this Cubs team a lot more than I trusted last year's. It's Gonna Happen!

Weekend Thoughts: Olympic Edition

Now that the Olympics are over (at least the will be tonight), we have the pennant race and football season to look forward to. So here are my thoughts as the we head into the awkward period when it's not the thick of a race in baseball, or football season:

• If Kyle Orton plays this whole season like he did on Thursday, the Bears marketing campaign may be "One city. One team. One Quarterback."
• There's one man in Chicago who was the talk of the town last year, but this year is the forgotten man: Bob Babich. The defense allowed 354.7 yards per game last year. In 2006, Ron Rivera's defense allowed 294.1 yards per game. His career could be in jeopardy this year.
• Sports Illustrated had an article about the Cubs bullpen by Luke Winn. It's mostly about Samardzija, Wood and Marmol, but Winn says that the Cubs have "the NL's deepest overall pen (righties Bob Howry and Chad Gaudin and lefty Neal Cotts could be solid setup men anywhere else)." Gaudin maybe, but Cotts and Howry shouldn't be major league pitchers anymore.
• In the article mentioned above, there is a photo of Wood in his windup. There's something in back pocket, and now I'm curious as to what it is. Probably a small cylinder with some petroleum jelly in it, or something of the sort.

And a congratulations to all medal-winning athletes at the Olympics, regardless of their country.