Tony Womack was called up today to replace Ryan Theriot on the active roster.

On a quick side note, I love how the Cubs called up Theriot to add some energy to the team, and he amassed a grand total of 0 starts and 4 ABs. At least give the kid a shot to play.

But back to Anthony Darrell Womack.

He really can't be any worse than Jerry or Neifi, who are supposed to be bench players, not starters and their stats confirm this. Womack began the year with the Reds and was only cut loose because they just didn't have a place for him, especially after Brandon Phillips came on like gangbusters.

By the way, where was Trader Jim when Brandon Phillips was traded to the Reds. The former Indians prospect is hitting .312 with 4 homers, 31 knocked in and 10 steals as of Thursday. He was traded for a PTBN and cash. Come on, we could have made that deal.

But instead, we've got a combo of Perez/Hairston/Theriot/Bynum starting at second base. Combined they are batting .205 with 1 homer, 14 RBIs and 6 steals. Even Womack was hitting better than that when the Reds released him.

The main thing that excites me about Womack isn't his speed or his glove, but his OBP. In albeit it limited time this year, his OBP was .364, about 100 points higher than Juan Pierre. At Iowa, he batted .467 and his OBP was .556. Yes it was Triple-A, but the Cubs really need some help in the getting on base department, a stat that the front office seems to be completely oblivious of.

So if the Cubs want to start winning, the need to start by shaking things up. You called up Womack, that's good. Now play him. Play him where he'll be able to make a difference. If I were Dusty Baker, I'd be writing this down on the lineup card for today:

2B Tony Womack
CF Juan Pierre
1B Todd Walker
C Michael Barrett
3B Aramis Ramirez
LF Matt Murton
RF Jacque Jones
SS Ronny Cedeno
P Carlos Zambrano

The Pierre expermient is over. He shouldn't be allowed back into the leadoff slot until his batting average and OBP rise significantly. Putting him in the leadoff spot day in and day out is just asking for trouble.

One last thing - Trader Jim has been talking about how there are no deals to be made, the deals just aren't out there to help the Cubs find a warm body or two to fill in for Brother Derrek or Prior.

I seem to think that Trader Jim just doesn't want to see that there are deals to be made. He doesn't want to part with any players or prospects to improve the team or at least give us a fighting chance.

Wayne Krivsky, the Reds GM, parted with money and a low-level prospect to get Brandon Phillips. The Cubs could have made that trade, money is one thing those jokers in the tower have plenty of.

Omar Minaya has recently gone on a trade binge to fill in the holes that injuries have left in the Mets. They got El Duque and Dave Williams to fill in for an injuried plagued starting rotation. Sound familiar?

We could have had either of those guys, and they'd be better than Rich Hill or Angel Guzman of Glendon Rusch, but apparently the asking price would have been too high for Trader Jim. (By the way, the Mets got El Duque for Jorge Julio and Dave Williams for a single-A pitcher - yeah that's a really steep price).

So I don't want to hear any more about there being no deals out there. There are deals Jim, you just need to know where to find them and have to be willing to give a little to get a little.