Check out this new pitch and other nasty stuff.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40t_caBnV3c&NR=1

Satoru Komiyama invited this pitch called a shake. It is pretty impressive and could really fool hitters. It is as drastic as a curve but with a slower speed. Pretty cool.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZN360eNvuZA

Now this is a Gyroball. It looks to be held like a cutting slider but released at the side arm angle. It should be noted that the guys palm is facing toward the sky when he releases the ball. I do not know how he controls it and how that does not hurt his arm but it is NASTY!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRgbc3FbukE&feature=related

Nice bugs bunny curveball

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVk0OJyfmbA

Masaki Hayashi has the best movement on his pitches I have ever seen! Anyway we can get him on the Cubs!?!?!

Who will get called up September 1st??

A lot of players have the goods to get called up when roster expansion takes place on September 1st, but here is a list of the players I think will be called up-

1. Micah Hoffpauir- Lighting it up in AAA. There is no reason why the power hitting lefty does not get called up.

2. Koyie Hill- To give Soto and Blanco time off and rested for a possible playoff run. He is a switch hitter and decent behind the plate. He has been doing well in Iowa hitting .274, 16HR, and 63 RBI. He will get the call.

3. Micheal Wuertz- Was with the big club for majority of the year but lost command. He will get the call for extra arms in the pen and give some of the righties time off.

4. Kevin Hart- Spent some time in Chicago. He has been doing well down there with a 4-2 record and a nice 2.91 ERA.

5. Angel Guzman- This guy has been a stud during his rehab. He could get some starts in Chicago if the Cubs build a big enough lead in the division. In Iowa he 1-0 with a 1.29 ERA. Lou has already said he will get the call.

6. Felix Pie- I think Lou will bring him up again, mainly to showcase him for other teams so they can trade him this winter.

Now here are some guys on the fence in my opinion. There are guys also on here that I think should be called up. It is still unknown how many will get the call.

1. Bobby Scales- This guy has been Mr. Production in Iowa, hitting .320 with 15 homers and 59 RBI. He also post a robust .415 OBP. Not to mention he is a switch hitter. The thing that does not help him is the amount of MI we have.

2. Josh Kroeger- This guy is better than Pie and is a really good defender. He has hit .306 with 14 homers, 64 RBI, and 12 SB. I can see it being a toss up between Felix, Josh, and Torres.

3. Andres Torres- I think this should be the one outfielder that the Cubs should call up. I watch him throw out a guy at third when he was 10 feet from the track in CF on the fly. He is a hard worker, hit hits well posting a .302 Avg., 11 homers, and 49 RBI. He also posted a .384 OBP and stole 24 bases. He is my pick.

Honorable Mention= Jason Dubois and Jose Ascaino

The guys I would have in Chicago on Sept. 1st are-

Torres
Hoffpauir
K. Hill
Weurtz
Hart
Guzman
Scales
Pie

Big Z spitting teeth, Dempster in Cubs uniform next year, and more.

- Big Z broke a molar and a half Thursday chewing gum on the mound. He had the trainer come out after he was noticeably in pain while Z was spitting out the remainder of the tooth as the visited with the trainer. Big Z said ""It's the gum, it has a lot of sugar, and I keep telling my daughter not to eat a lot of gum. I'm not a good example."

The "tooth injury" should not effect his next start.

- It seems Dempster would like to say with the Cubs next season. Dempster is a free agent after the season and could see 4-5 years 48 to 60 million next season if he hits the open market. The Phillies, Braves, Yankees, Mets, and Blue Jays are all really interested in Ryan.

"I want to play for the Cubs and will just see what happens," Dempster said. "I'm just trying to win a World Series more than anything else."

It is also expected that Wood will be back in Chicago Cubs pinstripes next season. They are both a vital part of the team this year and would be a good part of the team next season if Jim can get them locked up. I can see Wood getting a hefty contract like 4/40 million( similar to Cordero) if he goes on the open market. I feel if the Cubs offer Dempster 4 year 44 million and Wood 3 years 28 million they would take that deal to stay in Chicago. I also would not be surprised if Derosa gets a contract extension considering how valuable he is to this team!

I do not think the Cubs will offer a contract to Howry because of his stuff has not been good this year. I also think Ward will not be offered a contract since the Cubs have a younger, better option in Micah Hoffpauir. I do see Edmonds being a 50/50 shot that the Cubs offer him a contract considering they do not have an everyday option in CF. Reed Johnson will be in Chicago next season but he may not be an everyday player.

If the Cubs do decide to let Edmonds go and do not feel they have a good starting CF in house they could move Fukudome to CF and have Derosa/Hoffpauir platoon in RF. They could also sign either a guy for CF or RF and have Fukudome play either RF or CF. Here is a list of potential outfielders that could work for the Cubs-

Bobby Abreu- Good left handed bat, good defense, might be too expensive
Rocco Baldelli- Great club house guy, good speed, health issues, would like to see any combination of Rocco, Soriano, Fukudome, and Johnson.
Pat Burrell- Lots of power, hits well at Wrigley, is actually a LFer but could be used in RF if you want to take a gamble.
Adam Dunn- Same as Burrell above. Plus cost would be way too much!
Raul Ibanez- Average player, decent power numbers. Cubs had interest in him at the deadline.
Mark Kotsay- A left handed version of Reed Johnson, could be a nice platoon in CF.

Either way the Cubs are in decent shape next season. They have many options and things they could do to keep this team as good as it is now. Should be another interesting offseason, hopefully we will be coming off a World Series Championship!

Pie "untouchable" status dropped.

Felix Pie has been struggling at every level this season and has been quite injury pron which could lead the Cubs to dropping his untouchable status. Felix Pie is looking like a Cory Patterson prototype to all us Cubs fans and even management. Pie has all the upside in the world but so did Cpatt, which could mean the Cubs shopping him this winter. There are many teams that showed interest in Pie before like the Jays, Padres, Rangers, and Yankees, but with his trade stock down the Cubs would be wise to package him with other prospects to address some of their holes left this offseason. Either way, I think Cub fans will not see Felix Pie in the outfield for the north-siders anytime soon.

Gammons: Soto for MVP???

Here is a good read from the Peter Gammons Blog-

http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=3536566&name=gammons_peter&action=upsell&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fespn%2fblog%2findex%3fentryID%3d3536566%26name%3dgammons_peter

Samardzija could get start Sunday and other notes.

-Because of the double header today Lou is considering pitching Jeff or Sean Marshall Sunday because he does not want to pitch Harden on short rest. He also said he would consider pitching Marquis on short rest but is more likely to pitch Jeff or Sean Sunday against the Fish. I think Lou should give the spot start to Samardzija on Sunday because I want to see his stuff over 5+ innings, but that is just me.

- We heard Sheffield name on the Cubs front yesterday and he is expected to clear waivers tomorrow afternoon. It is a chance that the Cubs will let him clear waivers rather than claim him to get a better deal and more time to hammer a trade out.

- Another name the Cubs had interest in at the trading deadline is Raul Ibanez. He was put on waivers along with Jarrod Washburn and both were claimed yesterday. It is possible that the Cubs claimed Ibanez and is working out a deal for the power hitting lefty. This would be interesting move because it is likely Ward would be placed on waivers or released because Ibanez can play 1st and the corner spots. Not to mention he is a better hitter right now than Ward. He will likely cost a decent prospect, I expect like a Donald Veal or Felix Pie could be involved. We should know in 24 hours who claimed Raul.

Cubs like Gary Sheffield??

With Fukudome's struggles with the bat and their lack of production with Daryl Ward, the Cubs are considering claiming and working out a trade for Gary Sheffield who was placed on waivers today according to a source of mine.

The Cubs had interest in Gary Sheffield 2 years ago and tried to work out a trade with the Yankees but the Tigers ended up getting Sheffield. Gary has been injured quite a bit this year with oblique and shoulder woes but he is still a good hitter despite his .219 avg. and only 10 homers in 278 ABs. Remember Jim took a gamble on guys like Reed Johnson and Jimmy Edmonds and look how they turned out.

If the Cubs did get Sheffield the Tigers would more than likely be responsible for most of the 3.8 million this year and most of the 14 million due to him for 2009. Plus they would have to make a move to make room for Gary. The likely option is to put Howry and/or Ward on waivers or release them.

There is a lot of options for the Cubs to make up for Fukudome's lack of production, this is just another option I guess.

Scott Eyre to the Phillies.

In a minor move today the Cubs sent Scott Eyre to the Phillies for A ball pitcher Brian Schlitter. Schlitter is 4-3 with a 2.22 ERA, 6 saves, and 58 SO in just 48 innings. He is a good young arm who could be in the Cubs pen in the next 2 years. The Phillies have also agreed to pay the remainder of Eyre's contact.

Eyre DFA, Wood back, and other notes.

-Yesterday the Cubs made room for Wood to come off the DL by DFA LHP Scott Eyre. Eyre has been inconsistent and the injury bug has hit him hard this year. The teams that are said that are interested are the Cards, Brewers, Phillies, and Red Sox. With the Sox having the most interest in the lefty. The Cubs will more than likely be off the hook for the 1.5 million they owe him for the rest of this year.

- I would not be surprised if Howry, Ward, and maybe Lieber are put on waivers this month. Howry has been awful and there are kids like Ceda who have nasty stuff that deserves a shot in the big show. Ward and Lieber are interesting situations, you have guys like Jeff S. and Sean Marshall that are not going anywhere so Lieber could be released or DFA when he comes off the DL. Ward has not been producing like Ward usually does and there is guy in AAA named Hoffpauier who could fill his spot on the bench.

Cubs Rumors and notes.

-Mark Cuban has been named the front runner by MLB execs and by other potential buyers of the Cubs, to win the bid to buy the Cubs. I really hope he becomes the Cubs next owner!

- The Cubs have minor interest in Felipe Lopez. He would be likely to be signed to a minor league contract with the availability to be called up in case of injury or when the roster size increases to 40.

- Lieber will start rehab and could be activated anytime. It is said he could be placed on waivers or outright released to make room for Wood. It hard to make room for a guy when your pen has been solid.

- Hill was doing well until he went to AAA. Do not count on him at all this year.

- Wood is feeling great and threw to some guys today and yesterday. He could be back anytime.

- Of course the Cubs did not make any moves at the deadline but that does not mean the Cubs won't make moves if the right guy is put on waivers. They could also put guys like Lieber on the waiver wire. One rumor is the Rockies have interest in Jason Marquis as their 5th starter, I am not sure if he will pass through waivers but as of right now I like the depth in our rotation.