Wicked Hard Core. It's Nomar!

I watched the Cubs game on Saturday and the announcers kept talking about the looming trade deadline. I didn't think much about it because I really didn't believe the Cubs would be scurrying to close some last minute trade - let alone blockbuster trade. That night Heather's parents were in and we didn't turn the TV on at all. No news, no nothing. I was the last one to get up Sunday morning and lazily made my way downstairs. I sat down at the kitchen table and dug through the mess of the Sunday paper to find the sports section. I think I took about three double-takes before it sank in that the Cubs had brought Nomar Garciaparra to Chicago before the trade deadline.

I ran upstairs to where Heather was checking email.

"You didn't tall me about Nomar!" I shouted as I frantically waved the headline in front of her.

"What, he plays for the Red Sox, right?" was here bored and annoyed response.

"Noooo, they traded him," I corrected while pointing at the headline - again.

"To who? The Yankees?" While I appreciated my wife's immediate grasp of what could have been the ultimate "knife in the heart" moment for Beantown, I set her straight.

"No! The Cubs! The Cubs actually made a trade that mattered. That could make the team great. That could help them make the playoffs and win the World Series."

(To be fair, I'm not sure if I said all of that. I might have only said "No! The Cubs! The Cubs actually made a trade that mattered." But I was thinking everything else, so I thought I would include it here.)

"Oh, does Mia Hamm come with him?" was Heather's response.

Never mind. I suddenly had a taste for some clam chowdah and a soda

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Anyway, I am completely stoked about this trade. The Cubs got Nomar - a 5-time All-Star, AL Rookie of the Year in 1997, and two-time AL Batting Champion, and all they had to give up is Alex Gonzalez and some minor league pitching prospects. It's anyone's guess whether or not Nomar sticks around after this season - he is a free agent at the end of the year - his presence on the team right now should be fantastic. The Cubs improved both defense and offense by brining one player to the team.

I mean listen to these names: Sammy Sosa, Kerry Wood, Mark Prior, Greg Maddux, Derrek Lee, Moises Alou, Nomar Garciaparra - those are solid baseball players and baseball stars. Then add on these names of rising talent; Carlos Zambrano, Mark Grudzielanek, Corey Patterson, and Aramiz Ramirez. What you get is a team that it's hard not to be excited about. Screw what I said two weeks ago. These Cubs will make the playoffs - hell, they may even win the division. Can one player make that much of a difference on a baseball team? I don't know - but right now I believe it can.