The Sun always seems to set on the Cubs.

The goat, 1908, Bartman, Durham, Javy Lopez, Will Clark.

But, with the Nomar trade, can the Cubs, finally, do enough to get the Sun to rise instead of set?

They get 57 games to try to figure that one out.

The lineup, it?s healthy. The starting pitching, it?s healthy. The offensive black hole that was the shortstop position, it?s filled.

Now, can this team make the playoffs? It?s certainly possible. The lineup is filled with power hitters in the middle. Sosa, Alou, Ramirez, and Lee. Garciaparra can hit the homer, as can Patterson and Walker (When he gets more than his one game a week he’s currently getting).

The starting rotation is a little inconsistent at this point. We don?t know what Prior is going to do from start to start. He definitely doesn?t have the pinpoint control he had last season. Is that injury-related, or rust-related?

Wood has pitched fairly well since coming back from the DL. Maddux, Clement, and Zambrano are the three strongest guys going right now in this rotation.

The bullpen is going to be the issue. Leicester has been pretty good, Farnsworth has been good most of the season, and Mercker seems to be coming around. Hawkins isn?t a closer, and his Rod Beck/Joe Borowski performances keep showing that to be the case. However, the bullpen is good enough, I think, to give this team enough to help push the Cubs over the top.

No more excuses for this team. We need to get on a roll. We need to decide on a lineup and stick with it. We need to execute when it comes time to do it. And we don?t need every other runner being thrown out at home plate by 30 feet.

Train This!

Kellen Winslow II decided he didn?t want the biggest contract for a tight end in NFL history a couple days ago. Well, you have to remember, he is a soldier. Or at least he claimed to be in that famous post-game barrage to the media last season while at Miami. The Browns really have to be wondering whether they made the right move drafting this guy.

Urlacher?s hurt! Typical.

I don?t know what to think about the Bears for this season. Lovie Smith seems to have brought a new energy with him. However, this team is still a way off from being a contender. Let?s just stop having the Packers beat us at home, all right?

Other Notes

How is Larry Bowa still with the Phillies?

They are just like the White Sox, only in the National League. They can hit the ball, and have some decent pitching, but they can?t seem to put it together at all.

The Braves are in first in the NL East, and look to be rolling to the playoffs again. Geez, more of that dumb ?Chop? to watch in the playoffs.

Eric Gagne pitched three innings yesterday, helping the Dodgers win in 12 innings over the Padres. Postseason preview? Not if the Dodgers? bullpen, made substantially weaker before the deadline, gets exposed in the next two months.

SportsCenter is doing less sports than ever before. It?s a shame that a show with the word ?sports? in it can?t even cover it for half the show now…

Final Point

The next 12 games are crucial. Colorado is always a tough place to play. The Giants, Padres, and Dodgers will all be tough foes. A 7-5 or an 8-4 would look real nice, in my opinion.

To conclude, I am very excited by the Nomar addition. I think it fills in one of our two biggest holes (The other being the closer spot) before the stretch run. Hopefully, the other shoe doesn’t drop, like it usually does with this team.