We are now entering the heart of June, the infamous month of the ?swoon? to all the Cubs? detractors. The 2004 season has been one of big surprises, with Moises Alou on fire (And still healthy!), Aramis Ramirez proving to be the all-around player that we all thought he could be, and Michael Barrett proving to be a big addition.

But, for most Cubs fans, this year has been more laced with disappointment than enjoyment. Joe Borowski?s collapse as closer, Corey Patterson and Derrek Lee scuffling at the plate, and the injuries. Oh, the injuries… Kerry Wood, Mark Prior, Sammy Sosa: These big three are the heart of the Cubs. Add injuries to other key players like Mark Grudzielanek and Alex Gonzalez, and you get a last place team, right?

The Cubs are in fourth place, but they are also only three games back. I firmly believe the big reason that the Cubs have been able to stay so close in the NL Central has been because of the exceptional performances of Matt Clement and Carlos Zambrano.

The nation does not know Matt and Carlos like they know Kerry Wood, Greg Maddux, and Mark Prior. But Cubs fans know Matt and Carlos can be just as good as those three on any given day. And it has been their performances that have kept the Cubs above .500 and in the race.

So, how do I see this team? Do I see them as the big disappointment? Or do I see them as rising above injuries to stay above water until the big guns return? I think I see them as both. I had hoped the improvement to the offense would mean more runs and less pressure for the starters. However, this offense doesn?t have a lead off guy, and that is showing in most games.

The bullpen needs to improve its performance. LaTroy (Media Hater) Hawkins will have to close, probably for the rest of the season, barring another Hendry magic touch trade. Kyle Farnsworth will need to harness his exceptional talent, and also will need to harness the strike zone, as the season goes along. Francis Beltran has potential, and has shown it at times, but can he become more consistent as his first big-time stint continues? And one of the lefties needs to step it up. So, in the end, I see reason for both optimism and pessimism. You know which I am probably going to end up choosing. But, optimists have something to hang their hat on as well for this team.

College Basketball Tidbits

The ESPN National Tournament (Err, the ACC-Big Ten Challenge) announced its schedule yesterday, and Illinois gets to play at home against Wake Forest.

Ohio State fired Jim O?Brien for giving money to a guy who ended up never playing at Ohio State. I must ask this: Does he join Conan now and start a law firm?

My Thoughts on Reagan

With the state funeral going on this morning in Washington for President Ronald Reagan, I thought I would take a moment and ask this: Why does everybody like him? Was it his charm, his grace, or his sense of conviction? Or maybe it was all of the above, and more. For a country mired in divisiveness now, it is interesting to look back and see a man who rose above it. And, where will the next man who can do that come from, and when? Because we need that, I think, in this country. And I think we need it soon. The Carvilles and the Limbaughs of this world don?t have what Reagan had, that?s for sure.

Nasty America

On a somewhat related point, I wanted to discuss briefly with you a trend I have noticed recently. The dialogue of this nation seems to be going downhill very quickly. Yelling used to be reserved for protests. Now it?s not only on the cable news channel talk shows, it?s even on SportsCenter (Thank you Stuart Scott and Stephen A. Smith). I personally think this drop in discussion has been caused by a lack of respect for others.

The internet, like the media as a whole, should be a place for discussion and debate, not for petty personal battles. I think the internet should be a bastion of sanity for discussing issues, whether or not people agree. But that doesn?t seem to now be the case. Message boards, chat rooms, and blogs allow for more discussion of issues, but it also allows for more nastiness. In the past couple months I have seen more nastiness on the internet than ever before. For example, earlier this week on another website I frequent somewhat, one of the controllers of the site criticized (Without specifically naming anyone of course) another person?s hygiene. Now, unless that controller knows every person on that site (And I know they don?t know me, so that?s one down), how in the world could they know what any person did in their private life? I was very upset and saddened to see this be accused of anybody, even as nobody was mentioned in particular. The fact that the comment was supplied by a controller of the website just made it worse. The media, and the internet, should be like the dinner table, not the meat butcher?s.

It seems like the media, including the internet, has now become a place where if you aren?t a member of the select few you can?t say anything. But if you are in the select few, you can say anything you want. You can name-call, criticize, and rebuke freely without even feeling threatened. And that?s because most people, especially the elitists, can?t respect others and their opinions. That?s the one part about the field I am entering, journalism, that I really dislike. And maybe I?m too much of an optimist on this front, because I truly believe this can be changed, when it probably can?t. I know I have been seen as a little overbearing in terms of answering criticism on this site concerning my articles. I will of course allow criticism of this and any future article, as long as it stays clean and is somewhat relevant to the article or a point made in it… What I am looking for is constructive criticism or constructive support, whichever you want to give to this or other articles I write. That is why I write…

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Well, enough of this for one Friday. I hope you enjoy the column, and read again next time.