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Paul Hagen: It's still early: Mets-Phillies interesting, but not critical
Weeklings
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, on why the crowds were small at U.S. Cellular Field when his team hosted the first-place Dodgers during interleague play: "Because our fans are not stupid like Cubs fans. They knew we're [bleep] ... Wrigley Field is just a bar."
CAREER CHOICE OF THE WEEK: Nationals reliever Julian Tavarez, 36, says he's not planning to retire anytime soon. "As long as I'm healthy, I'm going to play ball," he said. "It was a dream for me to be a baseball player. I didn't go to college. I wasn't going to be a doctor."
STAT OF THE WEEK: Phillies lefthander Jamie Moyer is two home runs short of passing Ferguson Jenkins for second-most big flies allowed. The Hall of Fame righthander surrendered 484 in his 19-year career. Phillies great Robin Roberts yielded 505.
BIRD OF THE WEEK: The Cubs released Chad Gaudin at the end of spring training.
Signed by the Padres, he was named co-NL Player of the Week after going 2-0 with a 1.20 ERA and 20 strikeouts in a pair of starts. That included allowing just one hit in eight innings to the Rangers.
That sounds like Toby Keith singing "How Do You Like Me Now?" in the background.
Finally
A Cubs fan named Daniel Kamen has decided to do his part to help the floundering team. After the All-Star break, he'll begin a 500-calories-per-day "hunger strike" and will stick to it until the Cubbies win five straight, something a team many picked to make the World Series has yet to accomplish.
"I'm going to motivate them," he told the Chicago Sun-Times. "I'm going to embarrass them into winning more games."
Hmm. The Cubs are having a disappointing season despite their personal pride, the fans, their big contracts and having high-decibel manager Lou Piniella in their ears all the time. They are having trouble with volatile personalities such as Carlos Zambrano and Milton Bradley. But a guy going on a diet in the suburbs will turn everything around.
Yeah, that ought to do it. *
