Yesterday, a little after 4 PM, I stopped by a local watering hole to get some ..... water. It took me a second to reconcile what I was seeing with what my mind was expecting. There was a TV on, but instead of the news, they had interrupted it to update everyone on the Hawks’ free agency dealings. YOU CAN DISCUSS what you think of the moves themselves by clicking the afore-posted link.

But, seriously, no Afghanistan, no Turkestan, no Stan’s at all except for Polish guys with broken teeth and fiery slap shots. If you did miss the memo, then yesterday was a blunt force reminder; hockey is back in Chicago and its fans are relevant again.

After watching Dale Tallon answer question after question and realizing that the questions were actually meaningful, I just sat back to let it all soak in. Yesterday was a testament to just how far the Hawks have come in 2 years and how much further they plan on going. Get used to it Hawks fans, your team doesn’t suck any more.

Speaking of suck, ‘ow bout dem Cubs?

Okay, sorry, that was a cheap shot.

Last night the Cubs finally won a series. Yes, it was against the bottom feeding, perennially overmatched, 3A Pirates, but wins are wins no matter who they are against. One thing that caught my attention during the broadcast was when the idea of whether the Cubs will be buyers or sellers come trade deadline was mentioned. I can’t see how they can seriously be either.

There are only four contracts the Cubs can unload that would allow them to make any real changes; Soriano, Fukudome, Bradley and Zambrano.

The first three, as of this writing, aren’t worth a bag of balls combined. No team in their right mind, not even the Orioles, is going to take on any of those huge contracts. Especially with players who are not exactly impressing anyone this year. Not even their families. Like it or not Cubs’ fans, they aren’t going anywhere. That leaves Big Z.

Now, no matter what you think of him, he has posted a winning record season after season. If you give him up you are giving up 14 wins, or more, each year. It isn’t like there is a plethora of unsigned, or free agent, Cy Young contenders waiting for a call from Jim Hendry. These guys are on teams and, for the most part, those teams aren’t going to give them up. Peavey for Zambrano? That is one I have heard from fans a few times. But, it’s a non-starter since that puts San Diego right back in the financial hole they are trying to get out of. The only way it could work is if the Cubs eat about half, or more, of Big Z’s contract, and we all know that ain’t gonna happen.

In other words, the team you see now is pretty much going to be the team you get. Yes, there may be more call ups or benchings, but there will not be any substantial changes this year.

On the south side, things are slightly less stressed. Over a crucial 16 game stretch the Sox have gone 12-4. They are rapidly becoming one of those teams that can have a team average of around .260 and beat you anyway. Defense and pitching have been really stepping up (for the most part) and each day seems to find a different use for situational hitting that works. Ozzie’s promise to make this team run more on the bases is exactly what they need to do.

Hell, he threatened to run A.J. last night. If this keeps up, look for Thome to get his second steal during the regular season as a member of the Sox. He got his first last year.

More importantly, this is a team that has gone from 10 under .500 to 3 games out of first place in, just over, a month. In baseball terms, that is a Hollywood styled U-turn in a chase scene, complete with squealing tires, non-specific gun fire and braless eye candy in the passenger seat. Yes, it is that exciting.

MATT O’DONNELL (MLB.com) fills us in on the facts.

Sweeps, especially on the road inside your division, aren’t supposed to be this easy.

But for the third consecutive game, the White Sox breezed past the Indians on Wednesday. This time, it was a 6-2 victory at Progressive Field. The South Siders got another good start from Jose Contreras and, led by his battery mate, Ramon Castro, continued their offensive outburst to extend their winning streak to a season-high five games.

Just how dominant were the White Sox? Chicago outscored Cleveland, 23-9, and outhit them, 37-17, in the first sweep of the Indians since 2005.The White Sox are now a season-best two games over .500 and have won seven of their last eight games to creep back within three games of the division-leading Tigers.

“Since 2005.” **sigh** Yeah, that made me smile too.

Also bringing a smile to my face was this gem from a buddy last night; “Now both teams on Madison just got better than Detroit.”

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