With a quarter of the season over, it's time to put in my two bits.

1. With 2/3's of the big 3 starters on the DL, what do the Cubs do but put together a 7 game win streak? While Prior was pitching well but not getting the W's, I'm not so sure about Wood. He's still a better option than Mitre or Koronka, and he seems on the verge of having a breakthrough season. For now he continues to break (Cub's fans) hearts.

2. I have succumbed and gone over to the Neifi side. He seemed to be another light-hitting bench guy (ala Macias-Wilson-Harris(gulp!)), but it's great to see him taking his career into a higher gear. I hope he can maintain it for the rest of the season. I love how he has the quick hip turn to generate power when he tries to go yard.

3. Is it time for CPat to sit down and figure things out? Would it be better to have Holly or Hairston out there? CPat's defense helps make up for his offense woes, somewhat, but he is struggling:

While Derrek Lee is red-hot, Corey Patterson is batting .244 with runners in scoring position and leads the Cubs in strikeouts. "His attention comes and goes, and it's time for him to figure it out himself," Cubs hitting coach Gene Clines said of Patterson. "You can only do so much. "You see good spurts. You think he's on his way, and then you see a backslide, and, 'What do I do next?' Everything has been said, it's been shown to you, and now it's time for you to do it."

Almost sounds like Clines is calling him out and questioning his manhood. This next week may be interesting for the future of CPat.

4. Sammy who? No more special tacos!

5. Glendon Rusch should have been the 5th starter at the beginning of the season. I thought that from April, when he had earned it based on last year. I can understand wanting to see if Dempster could be a starter, but Rusch continues to be THE MAN. Blowing an 86 mph fastball past a batter for a third strike takes some talent!

6. The NL East seems to be the strongest division, but they may end up killing off each other's chance for a wild card berth.

7. The NL West seems to be the weakest, with the Rockies just plain poor, the Giants slipping, and the Dodgers hurt and struggling. None of these teams have line-ups which should worry an opposing pitcher too much.

8. The NL Central seems to be the big bully Cardinals and a logjam after that, though the Cubs are trying hard to put some distance from the other logs. While Houston is having trouble generating runs, they have enough pitching to get out of the cellar. Cincinnati and Pittsburgh have upgraded from last year, and Milwaukee is a big surprise.

9. Dempster vs. JoeBo - who will be the closer? Stay tuned to DustyVision.

10. Are the Cubs done trading after the LaTroy deal? I don't know who they could pick up to help in the last half of the season, unless another starting player ends up on the DL. I would not want to see them trade Dubois, and it's a gamble to give up some young pitchers (like a Dontrelle Willis) though that may be the price to pick up someone in the next month or two.

GO CUBS!