Jeff Samardzija has certainly had quite a ride already in his short but exciting sporting career. From catching touchdown passes at Notre Dame to striking out batters at Wrigley Field, the 6'5" right-handed flamethrower is enjoying life to the fullest.

And no, he insists, he is not taking anything for granted.

As he gets in his black Escalade and drives, listening to Led Zeppelin in his CD player, he drives slowly to enjoy the scenery. And not just the scantily clad female variety, either. Just enjoying the fact that he is playing baseball in such a great sports city for a first-place Cubs team and having his story told in the latest Sports Illustrated, courtesy of an article written by Luke Winn.

Some of this article was inspired by SI, come to think of it.

Samardzija knows he could be playing professional football. Heck, he was a finalist for the Biletnikoff award his junior season at Notre Dame, given to the college game's top receiver. He caught 77 passes for 15 touchdowns that season.

The following June, the Cubs' Jim Hendry took a flyer on him with a fifth-round draft selection when most everyone else thought Jeff's ultimate destination was the NFL.

That summer, Samardzija divided his professional baseball time between the Rookie League and Class-A ball. In the winter, he caught 78 passes and 12 touchdowns for the Irish, who went to the Sugar Bowl to face LSU at the Superdome.

One of the attendees at the Superdome was Hendry, who met with Samardzija a few days later at Gibson's Steakhouse in Rosemont, IL, to talk about his baseball future.

Samardzija still had options, as the Senior Bowl and the NFL combine were looming. Within days, however, he chose to take the Cubs' offer, which included a $2.5 million signing bonus that would be forfeited if he returned to football.

After some early struggles as a starting pitcher in the Cubs' system, Samardzija got off to a 4-1 start with a 3.13 ERA at Iowa this season, enough to earn him the promotion to Wrigley.

In his debut against the Florida Marlins, he hit 99 mph on the gun and has not looked back. Through 11 relief appearances—which, at week's end, had included one-inning stints, two-inning stints, even a save—he had a 1.20 ERA with a 3.5-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

He had also received a full vote of confidence from manager Lou Piniella. "He's not intimidated," Piniella says. "I'm comfortable using him in just about any situation."

"The Shark," as the 23-year-old was called at Notre Dame, can never outrun his football past. Cubs organist Gary Pressy plays the "Notre Dame Victory March" when Samardzija takes the hill, although the pitcher says he'd prefer Jimi Hendrix.

As Cubs pitching coach Larry Rothschild notes, Samardzija has no fear. Whatever role Lou throws him in, the bigger the stakes, the grander the stage, the better the kid performs.

In fact, some think that one of the reasons he initially struggled was that he missed feeding off of the energy created by the much larger stage of college football, with the crowds in minor-league baseball being relatively sparse in comparison.

But with Wrigley Field rocking and rolling every game, no such concern here. And Jeff is now a part of something very special brewing at Clark & Addison this year. Come to think of it, he may be providing some of the energy that this team has been missing for, oh, say 100 years or so. But hey, who's counting?

-Bob Warja

The Cubs won both ends of a twi-night doubleheader from the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday, a DH necessitated by Tuesday's rain-out.

Despite not pitching deep into the games, both Jason Marquis (5.1 IP) and Rich Harden (five IP) pitched effectively and got the win.

The game one hitting stars were Jim Edmonds and Geo Soto, while Fosuke Fukudome and Aramis Ramirez were the best in game two.

Which brings me to a question: didn't Lou cause a stir the other day when he suggested that Kosuke would be hitting the pine more often due to his anemic hitting? So what does Sweet Lou do?

He starts Foo Man Choo in both games of the DH. Normally, even players going well get one of the games off. But no, not this time.

And it's a good thing this happened, for Kosuke got two hits and drove in two runs in the second game.

Like Max Madsen, Lou may be mad and bad, but he's not crazy...

With the wins, the Cubs moved ever closer to the Holy Grail of .500 on the road, improving to 28-30.

They go for the series sweep on Thursday, my birthday, with veteran lefties, Ted Lilly and Tom Glavine scheduled to start.

A win on my b-day is the only present I need, come to think of it.

-Bob Warja

Katelyn Grabarek is a new writer for The Daily Cub. She is going to bring quality analysis from a die-hard fan.
While I've read many books on the Cubs' history in my life, I thought that when doing this Open Mic, it might be more appropriate to find the best Cubs players from the '90s rather than all-time.

We'll just head around the diamond and take a look at some of my favorite Cubs.

Starting pitcher: Greg Maddux

How can you argue with Maddux's numbers? While Maddux only played for the Cubs for three years in the '90s, he won three Gold Gloves and had some great seasons. In 1992, Maddux went 20-11 throwing four shutouts in his last season of the decade with the Cubs.

Catcher: Joe Girardi

While Girardi only played for the Cubs from 1989-1992, no one can argue with the way he handled a pitching staff. In 1992, Girardi hit .270 while playing with a bad back. Girardi, who is now managing the Yankees, was always known for his ability to call a game.

First Base: Mark Grace

Hands down the Cubs player of the decade. Grace was not a high draft pick in 1985, but turned out to be a diamond in the rough. Beginning in 1991 Grace led the league in putouts for three straight seasons. In 1995 Grace led the league in doubles with 51.

Second Base: Ryne Sandberg

How can anyone argue with a Hall of Famer? Sandberg was one of the premier second baseman of all time. In 1990, he led the league with 40 home runs. That season he also hit .306 and drove in 100 runs. Sandberg also ranks among the Cubs' top five career leaders in many offensive categories.

Third Base: Gary Gaetti

Throughout the '90s, the Cubs struggled to find a steady third baseman, as was the trend until they acquired Aramis Ramirez from the Pirates in 2003. However, no one can forget Gaetti's two run homer that clinched the Cubs' wild card birth into the 1998 playoffs over the Giants. Gaetti batted .320 down the stretch that season in 37 games, including eight home runs and 27 RBI.

Short Stop: Shawon Dunston

Dunston played for the Cubs from 1985-1997. He led all NL shortstops in putouts three times. Dunston had his best year at the plate in 1995 when he batted .296 and drove in 69 runs. In 1988, Dunston led the Cubs with 30 stolen bases and made his only All-Star appearance.

Outfield: Sammy Sosa

How can you argue with this one during the '90s? Sosa came over in 1992. Mostly everyone's fondest memories of Sosa are from the 1998 season when he chased Mark McGwire for the home run title, falling short with 66 home runs.

Outfield: Andre Dawson

Over five seasons with the Cubs, Dawson led the Cubs' offensive chage. He had three seasons with more than 100 runs batted in, and led the team in home runs three times.

Outfield: Glenallen Hill

During his two stints with the Cubs, Hill put on batting practice clinics hitting mammoth home runs. Hill came to the Cubs in 1993 and batted .345 with 10 home runs in only 31 games. Hill was quite a force off the bench in his second stint with the Cubs. In 1999, his final year with the club, Hill hit .300 with 20 home runs and 55 RBI in only 99 games. Hill is still the only man to hit a home run on to one of the rooftop apartments.

Manager: Don Zimmer and Jim Riggleman

I couldn't help but like both of these guys. While I grew up knowing mainly Riggleman and constantly yelling "Pull 'em Riggleman" at the television set, I have come to find out that some of my first words were "Zim" for Cubs manager Don Zimmer.

Both men came in to revive Cubs teams that were underachieving. Zimmer had some success, taking the Cubs to the League Championship in only his second season of 1989. Zimmer was also the National League Manager of the Year that year.

Riggleman also saw the postseason in his fourth year as manager of the Cubs. Riggleman was helped in 1998 by the additions of veterans like Kevin Tapani and Terry Mullholland, and rookie Kerry Wood. Riggleman was fired at the end of the 1999 season.

Broadcaster: Harry Caray

The man is a legend. No one will ever sing the seventh inning stretch the same way. The phrase "Holy Cow!" helped get fans attention, and his butchering of players' names was uncanny. Caray died in 1998 before seeing the Cubs make the playoffs.

Yesterday, Mark Cuban was in Chicago participating in the Kerry Wood Bowling charity event. He talked about his visit but dodged question about the sale of the Cubs or that he was currently the top bidder.

He said he was there to bowl and to support a good organization and did not comment on his intentions of buying the Cubs.

In other news the Cubs traded Scott Eyre to the Phillies in exchange for Brian Schlitter who is a right-hander that was playing with the Class-A affiliate of the Phillies.

-Kevin Graczyk

The Chicago Cubs packed the place again as they beat the Cardinals 3-2 in a game that went 11, allowing the Cubbie faithful an extra two innings of free baseball.

Henry Blanco stepped to the plate with bases loaded against an infield and outfield that were both brought in with the expectation of Blanco not being able to hammer one out of the park.

Derek Lee led off with a walk, followed by an Aramis Ramirez single and an intentional walk to Kosuke Fukudome before Blanco hit a line-drive past Cesar Izturis to drive in Lee and win the game.

Ted Lilly started the game and pitched spectacular, but got hit with Rich Hardin syndrome with the Cubs offense seemingly unable to score runs.

Alfonso Soriano, Fukudome and Mark DeRosa were all hitless, going a combined 0-13. All-in-all, however, the Cubs were able to muster 10 hits, but only were able to score through the air.

Jim Edmonds wins todays MVC award (Most Valuable Cub) with a pair of solo jacks. The first came off Cardinals starter Branden Looper in the second inning, and followed it up by tossing his bat to the Cardinals dugout, as if to say, "How do you like me now?"

He then knocked another one out of the park into left field, barely clearing the ivy. This home run tied the game in the seventh inning and allowed the Cubs to send the game into extras.

It wasn't all great for Edmonds, though. He also had a throwing error and grounded into a double play.

Albert Pujols got a lead-off single in the top of the 10th inning, but was thrown out on an attempt to steal second, leading to a scoreless inning by both teams.

The win went to Bob Howry, who looked strong in his one inning of work, striking out two batters.

Jeff Samardzija pitched well again, as he continues to surprise the Cubs with his lights out pitching. He went two innings this time, allowing just one hit and one walk. Over the season, his ERA is a minuscule 1.56, which bodes well for the bullpen.

The Brewers play tonight against the Washington Nationals, and if they lose, the Cubs lead will be up to six games in the NL Central, and they now have a seven game lead over the Cards.

These two teams face off again tomorrow at 2:55 pm, Carlos Zambrano (12-4) faces Todd Wellemeyer (8-4) for the second game of this weekend series.

The Cubs bullpen just isn't good enough to support starting pitchers who can only go 5-6 innings per start. If a Cubs pitcher goes seven innings or more, and Wood is healthy and throwing well, the combination of Marmol and Wood can usually get it done.

But when a pitcher doesn't go deep into the game, as was the case today with Rich Harden, there is no way our pen can hold the opposing team down.

First of all, it seems every time Howry comes in he gives up at least one run, usually a home run. Maybe they released the wrong guy in Eyre today. Perhaps it should have been Bob Howry.

Of course, add to the misery the fact that Carlos Marmol went through a really bad stretch from June through mid-July.

And Kerry Wood had been unable to pitch since July 11 because of a blister, until today.

Even Chad Gaudin has been unreliable. So who is left?

Well, the answer is few bullpens are good enough to support a short staff. Here's how the Cubs rotation has performed over their last 10 starts:

* All Cubs starters have averaged just over 6 innings per start, except Rich Harden who has averaged exactly 6 innings since joining the Cubs and Carlos Zambrano, who has averaged just less than 7 innings per start.

But when a starter goes less than six is when we notice the problems in our bullpen.

Here's how Cubs relievers have performed over their last 10 appearances:

* Bob Howry has been scored upon in five of his last 10 appearances
* Kerry Wood, Carlos Marmol and Chad Gaudin each have been scored upon in three of their last 10 appearances
* Sean Marshall has been scored upon in six if his last 10 appearances
* Neal Cotts has been scored upon in only two of his last 10 appearances

Incidentally, Scott Eyre, released today, had given up runs in four of his last 10 appearances, in case you were wondering. Couldn't they have sent Marshall to Iowa and kept the veteran Eyre? It's obvious Marshall isn't pitching well anyway.

Well, at least the Cubs won today, though once again a relief pitcher (Howry) got a win he didn't deserve. Of course, Harden can't just blame the bullpen today as he wasn't at his best, forcing more from the pen than what they are capable of. Come to think of it, some things are better in small doses.

-Bob Warja

The Cubs’ bats came alive again today giving them the series win against the Houston Astros.

The Cubs scored first in the bottom of the 2nd inning as Mark DeRosa doubled in Jim Edmonds for his first of many RBI today.

Houston came back quickly though, plating four total, thanks to Carlos Lee’s 3-run home run. Once again, Jason Marquis cannot seem to avoid the “big inning.”

But the bats came alive for the Cubs in the bottom of the 3rd as they scored eight on Mark DeRosa’s grand slam and Alfonso Soriano’s 3-run shot. Fukudome, Soto, and Marquis also had an RBI each in the game. The scoring for both teams stopped after the 4th as the Cubs had the lead, 11-4.

Marquis settle down after the top of the 3rd, finishing the day with 6.1 IP and 3 strikeouts. Following Marquis, Sean Marshall and Jeff Samardzija each had clean innings of their own. Jason Marquis was able to get his first win since late June, bringing his record to 7-7.

It was a good day for the Cubs offensively. For the second straight day, they scored eleven runs and Soriano continues to stay hot with 6 RBI in the last two games.

Kerry Wood is also supposed to return to the closer roll for his next appearance. Things seem to be going smoothly for the Cubs right now. After today’s win, their record is 69-46 with a 5 game lead above Milwaukee.

With an off day tomorrow, the Cubs can re-gain their focus for what looks to be a tough series against the Cardinals starting Friday.

-Mike Yadgir