So many tidbits from yesterday's Hugh Jass win over the Astros.

- Gotta keep batting Gonzo second. He did well early in the year in that slot. I guess he likes the fastballs that batting infront of Sammy brings.

- The schedule gets tough for a while compatred to Houston and St. Loser. Cubs get LA, at Houston, at Zona, at St. Loser. Houston goes at Cinci, Cubs, Cinci, LA while St. Loser goes at Philly, Pitt, Philly, Cubs. Gotta hang on until 9/1. I mean, Gonzo sucks overall (Tejada needs to be here next year), but he's got more than 10 PAs batting 2nd (305 PAs), 6th (50) and 7th (81) this year. His OPS is .713, 1.109, and .241 (!) respectively. Second or sxth seems to be the place to hit him. So long as Grudz is out, he has to hit 2nd. I'm gonna try and find out what Gonzo's average is hitting 2nd with Sosa batting third. My guess, unseen, is it's pretty good.

- Dusty sure seems to be afraid of the Thunderbirds. They're gonna be here for the next three days, Dusty. Get used to them. Maybe even use them to psyche out the Dodgers and the Hundleyettes (nice how Big Head Todd is on the DL and won't show his noggin).

- The Trib gets an edge on the other paper's reports regarding the demotion of Juan Cruz. Seems he was pissed. And seems if Juan wasn't shy about telling Larry Rothschild how he felt. If I was stuck watching Shaun Estes pitch I'd be pissed, too. Cruz will likely get his next start against the Cards during the doubleheader scheduled that first weekend in September.

- The Suntimes does get a scoop back with info on Sammy's expired drivers license and license plate. What's the prob, Sammy? $70 for the plate and $25 for the license too much? Ahh! Now we see why you are trying to extend your contract!

- To turn the power back on along the east coast is simple. Find the guy in the silver suit and say, "Gort! Klaatu barada nikto!"

Chuck