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Mayor Rahm Emanuel is dumping all three city members of the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority — including former Mayor Richard M. Daley’s nephew — in a housecleaning that could set the stage to renegotiate the White Sox lease, modify its restaurant deal and, possibly, have the state acquire and renovate Wrigley Field.

Just what it says in the title. Video at source. WARNING: So sweet it will give you Teh Diabeetus.

Boy Scout/Cub Scout Charter Discussion Bob Casey—Pack 303, Britt Kennedy-Troop 303, Brad Schnell, PTO liaison, and Joe Mueller from the Greater St. Louis area council represented the Boy Scouts and answered questions. PTO members checked in at the door and received a blue card to be exchanged for a written ballot. The voting process was explained. Issues: Executive Committee role in supervising scouting activity and concerns if this is the role of the PTO. Boy Scouts/Cub Scouts are the only organizations that the PTO charters. Issues were brought to the Exec Council this summer and the PTO Exec council did...

NEW YORK -- New York Mets players considered violating a Major League Baseball edict prohibiting them from wearing hats of various New York City first responders during Sunday night's game against the Chicago Cubs, but ultimately opted to adhere to the order from the commissioner's office, player rep Josh Thole said. MLB denied the Mets' request to wear the baseball caps despite the policy. Joe Torre, MLB's executive vice president for baseball operations, told The Associated Press in a phone interview the decision was made to keep policy consistent throughout baseball. "Certainly it's not a lack of respect," Torre said....

Federal prosecutors say they have discussed a possible plea deal for a Lebanese immigrant accused of placing a backpack he thought contained a bomb near Wrigley Field last year. Prosecutors didn't elaborate when they told Judge Robert Gettleman at a Thursday status hearing in Chicago that they've been talking to defense lawyers about resolving the case before it gets to trial.

The Cubs are sending a message of support to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth, becoming only the second professional sports team in the country to join the anti-bullying "It Gets Better" campaign.

CHICAGO -- If Chicago has been willing to believe that a cow caused the Great Chicago Fire, maybe it will buy this one: The White Sox got the idea to throw the 1919 World Series after the Cubs did the same thing one year earlier.

Was it supposed to say "Sox Bites?" No one is quite sure when the statue of Hall of Fame broadcaster Harry Caray outside Wrigley Field was defaced. Even more elusive was what the graffiti tagger might have been trying to say. Someone spray painted the words “Sox” on the base, as well as a second, not-quite-intelligible word.

Phil Cavarretta, the 1945 National League MVP who led the Chicago Cubs to their last World Series appearance, died Saturday. He was 94.

Wrigley Field is nearly one hundred years and almost everyone agrees that this ball park, known for its charm, is in desperate need of upgrades. Ozzie Guillen of the White Sox once said, "You are going to take batting practice and the rats look bigger than a pig out there. You want to take a look?I think the rats out there are lifting weights," of the conditions at Wrigley Field.

Broadcast partner recalls unpredictable events, warm greeting when he started in Chicago

There will be many measures of the man remembered this weekend and beyond, but perhaps one above many, if not most, should tell you a few things about Ron Santo, who died at 70 Thursday in Arizona. At a reunion of the 1969 Cubs, held at catcher Randy Hundley's annual fantasy camp, twenty years after their run at the National League East title collapsed against the Miracle Mets' onrush, the abrasive manager of that team apologised publicly to the nine-time All-Star third baseman who was considered as much the soul of the team as Ernie Banks was its heart. "I...

Legendary Chicago Cubs player and broadcaster Ron Santo died Thursday night in Arizona. He was 70. Friends of Santo's family said the North Side icon lapsed into a coma on Wednesday before dying Thursday. Santo died of complications from bladder cancer, WGN-AM 720 reported.

The Chicago Cubs have proposed a renovation plan. For just $300 million in public funds, the Chicago Cubs, a company in the private sector, would be kind enough to renovate its own property, Wrigley Field, so that it can more successfully attract customers to buy tickets to make itself more successful. Now, I’m not in the construction business, so I can’t estimate the financial aspects of this proposal. Don’t expect me to say that they’re proposing too much or too little for such a job – I have no way of knowing – though I suspect that for $300 million...

Laura Ricketts walks through the empty stands at Wrigley Field hours before an evening game begins, stepping at a measured pace, calmly and confidently, and greeting every Cubs employee she passes with a friendly, "Hello." If the simple act of moving from one place to another could define a person, this stroll from the field to the owner's box is Laura in a nutshell. She is unassuming in a way that belies her status — co-owner of one of the nation's most storied sports franchises and the historic field they play on; one of four siblings in a family of...

Tomorrow, seven years ago in Wrigley Field in Chicago,... a fall-guy was born. In the 8th inning of the National League Championship Series, with the Cubs leading 3-0 over the Florida Marlins, and leading the seven game series 3-2, with 1 out, a Marlin foul-ball down the left field line was touched by one of several fans who attempted to catch it after the ball had entered the stands thereby 'theoretically' preventing the Cub outfielder from making the second out. Following this incident the Cubs allowed the following to happen: a walk; a single; an error; a double; an intentional...

MIAMI (AP) Cubs rookie Tyler Colvin was hospitalized Sunday after his chest was punctured by part of a shattered bat. Colvin was standing on third base in the second inning of Chicago's 13-3 victory at Florida when he was struck by a sliver of Welington Castillo's maple bat. Castillo doubled on the play and Colvin scored, but was replaced in the field in the bottom half.

CHICAGO -- Lou Piniella took the uniform off for the last time on Sunday. When Piniella announced on July 20 that he was retiring at the end of this season, he fully intended to finish the year with the Cubs. But his mother's health prompted him to cut the season short. Sunday's Cubs game was Piniella's last as manager, and it ended on a sour note as the Braves romped, 16-5. "This is the final final," Piniella said as he entered the interview room for the last time at Wrigley Field. It isn't how he expected to finish. The Cubs...

 East W L Pct GB Home Road East Cent West Streak L10 New York Yankees 50 31 .617 -- 28-13 22-18 20-11 10-7 9-6 Won 2 6-4 Boston Red Sox 49 33 .598 1.5 29-17 20-16 18-17 10-9 8-2 Lost 1 6-4 Tampa Bay Rays 48 33 .593 2.0 20-19 28-14 19-10 11-6 11-6 Won 2 6-4 Toronto Blue Jays 41 42 .494 10.0 21-19 20-23 13-14 11-9 10-8 Lost 2 2-8 Baltimore Orioles 25 57 .305 25.5 16-25 9-32 9-27 4-6 5-13 Lost 1 5-5  Central W L Pct GB Home Road East Cent West Streak L10 Detroit...

New Cubs-Sox Trophy Carries Dubious Distinction'Crosstown Cup' Sponsored By Oil Company Mired In Gulf Oil Spill Scandal Reporting Vince Gerasole Jun 1, 2010 6:05 pm US/Central CHICAGO (CBS) - The massive BP oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico could be causing some backlash at Wrigley Field and U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago. CBS 2's Vince Gerasole takes a look at the newly sponsored "BP Crosstown Classic." Whether snapping a North Side picture at the home of the Cubs, or buying Sox tickets on the South Side, just thinking about the Crosstown Classic is a fan-pleasing faceoff. Bob Sorrells, a...

A man has died three weeks after he tumbled over a railing while reaching for foul balls at Miller Park in Milwaukee. The accident happened as Stuart S. Springstube, 51, of Weyauwega was watching the Chicago Cubs take batting practice on April 25. Authorities say he fell over the railing to the hard dirt 14 feet below. A medical examiner's report released today says Springstube suffered a brain hemorrhage and died Wednesday.

Last week, Pulitzer Prize Award winner, celebrated disease-discovering psychiatrist, influential political columnist, commentator and fellow JWR pundit (couldn’t help but squeeze that in,) Charles Krauthammer ironically wrote on the “Joys of Losing.” Krauthammer’s model? His dysfunctional love for the Washington Nationals. The current Capitol pro baseball posers called the Nationals, like Charles, were schooled in Montreal and were known as the Expos. Maybe an early indication of Krauthammer’s lust for losers was his stint working for Jimmy Carter and Walter Mondale in the early 80’s. While every man is free to love losers, I feel compelled to take issue with...

CHICAGO - Lefty Barry Obama threw a perfect game and hit five five-run homers to lead the Chica-- No, wait. . . . Sorry, false alarm.

The Most At-Risk Sports TeamsBy Minyanville In the U.S., love of sport is fanatical. Our major-league obsessions are so intense we often forget that our favorite teams have a purpose higher than winning games: turning a profit. Pro sports franchises are businesses like any other, and sometimes businesses struggle, limp along or die off. What will it take to keep the cowbells ringing in Sacramento? Can hockey survive in the desert? Will small-market football teams have to pack their bags? Minyanville presents sports teams at risk of relocation -- or worse. And with the economy in question, saving them could...

If slaying a goat would bring the Cubs a World Series win, would you do it? Holy Cow ... er, Goat! A dead goat was found hanging on a statute of Harry Caray outside Wrigley Field early Monday on the North Side, and it's not the first time. A similar incident occurred in 2007, police said. A 911 call at about 2:40 a.m. Monday led police to the goat hanging from a rope on the arm of a statue of Harry Caray at the intersection of Clark and Addison streets, according to Town Hall District police. Police took the goat...

First off, I am a die hard Cubs fan. I have followed them for over forty years and have been in the radio booth at Wrigley and saw a game from the press box courtesy of Lou Boudreau.Cubs vs. Brewers April 12, 2009The bases were loaded in the bottom of the fifth last night. The Chicago Cubs were visiting the Milwaukee Brewers. Prince Fielder was up to bat and looking for the first grand slam of his career. There was nobody out. The Cubs were leading 6 - 2. A grand slam would have tied the game. The count was...

Any thoughts from my fellow baseball loving Freepers out there? Predictions Hopes? And who's a lesser known guy on your team we should keep an eye out for?

For anyone who's a hockey fan esp. of the Blackhawks or Red Wings there are some excellent pictures up at bleedcubbieblue.com of the construction. Looks like they have a lot done already. And is it just me or does Wrigley look spooky? And I found these by accident. I need another Cubs site like I need a hole in my head. But this looks like a good one.

CHICAGO (CBS) ― Full release from U.S. Attorney's Office: Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich and his Chief of Staff, John Harris, were arrested today by FBI agents on federal corruption charges alleging that they and others are engaging in ongoing criminal activity: conspiring to obtain personal financial benefits for Blagojevich by leveraging his sole authority to appoint a United States Senator; threatening to withhold substantial state assistance to the Tribune Company in connection with the sale of Wrigley Field to induce the firing of Chicago Tribune editorial board members sharply critical of Blagojevich; and to obtain campaign contributions in exchange...

Insider-trading charges brought Monday against Mark Cuban, an Internet entrepreneur and owner of the Dallas Mavericks basketball team, could weaken his chances of buying the Chicago Cubs. There was already some doubt whether other baseball owners would welcome the loud and brash self-made billionaire into their fraternity if he had the highest bid. Now, they have something to point to to deny him entry, said a sports economist familiar with baseball ownership decisions. "The charges give the commissioner's office another pretext for turning him down," said Andrew Zimbalist, an economics professor at Smith College. Robert DuPuy, president of Major League...

CHICAGO -- College students interested in longtime suffering and heartache have found the perfect subject. About 25 bright young minds gather at DePaul University twice a week for an in-depth class every Chicagoan can relate to. For those scoring at home, it's course number ISP 102-709: Chicago Cubs, taught by professor Blair Banwart and assisted by Ed Pniak. "When I tell people that I'm teaching a class about the Cubs, they kind of laugh, which is understandable," said Banwart, who wears a Cubs hat to class. "You try to make it academic, as much as you can. The kids take...

Kuroda vs. Harden. First pitch, 9:07 CDT.

Billingsley vs. Zambrano. First pitch, 8:37 CDT.

5:37 CDT first pitch at Wrigley Field in Chicago! Dempster vs. Lowe. Line-ups will be announced soon.

WATERTOWN, Wis. -- Fred Merkle was born in Watertown, Wis., in 1888, but he spent only one year there before his family moved to Toledo, Ohio. Still, that didn't prevent Watertown resident David Stalker from claiming Merkle as the town's very own. He spearheaded an effort to erect a monument in Merkle's honor. Set in black marble with a baseball perched on top, the monument notes that Merkle was a "potent line-drive hitter and agile first-baseman." It says he was a member of six World Series teams. However, there is no mention on the monument of the play that earned...

CHICAGO -- Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley has yet to solicit Ozzie Guillen's help or advice in relation to fulfilling his ongoing quest of bringing the 2016 Olympics to Chicago. Not unlike the shoot-from-the-lip manner Guillen has operated under since taking over the White Sox in 2004, the opinionated manager recently offered up his own solution to clinch the bid. It involves the Cubs and White Sox and a special postseason meeting that has not taken place since 1906, which astonishingly also marks the last time both teams qualified for the playoffs during the same season. "Like I said two...

One hundred years ago this afternoon, the New York Giants and the Chicago Cubs played a game that can still be found on baseball's figurative Mount Rushmore, next to the Bobby Thompson home run game, the Sandy Amoros catch game, Don Larsen's perfect game, and the game where Carlton Fisk waved it fair. No one who played in or saw the game is alive. The Polo Grounds, where it was played, was demolished a half century ago. Doesn't matter. Some games just endure. More specifically, what happened on Sept. 23, 1908, was this. With the first breezes of autumn in...

CHICAGO -- The Cubs are back-to-back division champions for the first time in 100 years. Chicago clinched the National League Central by beating St. Louis, 5-4. The club has consecutive division titles for the first time since 1907-08, when the Cubs last won the World Series with one division per league. They're the first NL club to secure a playoff spot. "Just finishing is the most important thing," center fielder Jim Edmonds said. "You never know what can happen in the last week of the season, and you don't want to be anywhere near the pennant race, because it could...

Let's hear a little baseball chatter here! AL EAST Tampa Bay leads division by a game over Boston with the two teams squaring off in a three game series starting tonight. Yankees are in fourth, a half game behind the Blue Jays--and the last game at Yankee Stadium is set for Sunday night on ESPN. AL CENTRAL/WEST White Sox lead Twins by 1.5 games. Angels clinched the west and lead Texas by a mere 19.5 games. Curse of Hillary? The Obama campaign reminds me of the Yanks' fortune this year. Down down down Another close race in the NL EAST...

Carlos Zambrano just no-hit the Houston Astros in Milwaukee, where they were playing due to the Hurricane Ike rain-out in Houston. Zambrano gave up only one walk, got a hit and scored a run in the 5-0 Chicago Cubs victory.

Thirty-nine years ago today, a black cat found Ron Santo in the on-deck circle at Shea Stadium in New York, walked around him, then headed through the Cubs' dugout, past manager Leo Durocher and disappeared under the stands. Of course, the Cubs' high hopes during an extraordinary season disappeared right behind the feline. They lost to the New York Mets that night -- the sixth of eight straight losses -- and the next day, the Mets overtook them in the National League East race for good. ''At the time, I didn't think anything of it,'' Santo told the New York...

We all knew Barack Obama is a White Sox fan, but the presumed Democratic presidential nominee took it a bit further in an interview with ESPN. Obama joked about the stereotype of Cubs fans, who probably are tired of being described as partying people-watchers instead of serious baseball fans. "You go to Wrigley Field, you have a beer, beautiful people up there," Obama said, according to transcripts released by ESPN. "People aren't watching the game. It's not serious. White Sox, that's baseball." The interview, which took place Wednesday in Greensboro, N.C., will be aired on SportsCenter tonight at 5. Here...

Andrew Greeley's column in today's Chicago Sun-Times is "American warmongers excel at talking a good game." Greeley's writings are often unintentionally amusing, filled with the sort of kneejerk liberalism we'd expect from a Barack Obama contributor. This morning's article is typically hilarious: If we chant "USA!" Often enough, sing God "Bless American!" fervently enough, wear flag pins, fly the flag in front of our house and croak the national anthem loudly enough, we will win victory and honor our dead heroes. Who are those who reject compromise of a useless and criminally deadly war like Iraq? They are the blusterers,...

I hope this is okay to post. But a couple of things. First what do you think of my Cubs? Second who's your team and favorite player? Third if you found out a player was a complete opposite of you beliefs wise would it affect your opinion of him? My answers 1. I thought they'd be good but this team is awesome. Despite what might be 2 losses in a row to the Marlins. 2. Cubs. Kerry Wood or Ryan Dempster. 3. I don't think conservatives are this way. We like to watch the guys play and don't care how...

Even the unveiling of Ernie Bank's statue couldn't help stop this travesty.

I just saw a piece on the Chicago CBS TV station noting that the 10th anniversary of sportscaster Harry Caray’s death is upon us. 10 years…Holy Cow! Despite some of the bum raps he received a few years before his death, (“Too old,” “He’s losing it,”), Harry’s comeback from his stroke in 1987 sort of took the wind out of his critics and managed to make him a legend to thousands of North Siders. I grew up with Harry Caray as the play-by-play man for the Chicago White Sox, a fact, I think, that some Wrigleyville folks have conveniently forgotten....

CINCINNATI -- When the Cubs came off the field after Friday's 6-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds, manager Lou Piniella saw the players show some emotion. It wasn't relief, although that could be expected after losing three in a row to the last-place Florida Marlins, who then said the Cubs looked like they were panicking. What was it? "A sense of accomplishment, of sorts," Piniella said. "It was really good to see. I like players who show some emotion at times. We need one more. I hope San Diego hangs on tonight, but if they don't, we need one more."...

You’d think there were slightly more significant things to talk about the day after Labour Day than Carlos Zambrano wishing he could give the Wrigley Field boo birds a date with the fricasee. Pedro Martinez comes off the disabled list after missing the first five months of the season recovering from rotator cuff surgery, maybe he isn’t one hundred percent ready, but he throws stuff that looks like an imitation of Pedro Martinez and wins anyway, nailing his 3,000th career strikeout for good measure (ok, that’s cheating: he needed a mere two to get there) . Roger Clemens, maybe the...

We're heading into the stretch drive in baseball. Who is your team, where are they and what are your hopes?

Dallas Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban Submits Application to Buy Chicago Cubs CHICAGO (AP) -- Add internet billionaire and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban to the list of potential Chicago Cubs buyers. "I submitted an app," Cuban said in an e-mail to The Associated Press. Interested parties must submit an application to Major League Baseball to examine the team's finances. Cuban told the Chicago Tribune he sent in the application last week, although he wasn't sure of the date. Tribune Co., which owns the team, announced in April it was selling itself for $8.2 billion to Chicago real estate mogul Sam...