On a happier note . . . holy mother of baseball,

the Cubs have actually taken serious action to upgrade the team, with a blockbuster signing of Alfonso Soriano, one of the top-rated free agents available this year. Apparently, it's a done deal except for him passing a physical, which one would hope (knock on wood) is not an issue. The reviews are pretty good so far, though it is an awfully long contract (8 years, $136 million) for a guy who is already 30 years old.

I swore that I would economically boycott this team if they didn't take serious steps to improve in the off-season. Fortunately (or unfortunately, if you are my bank account), it appears they have done so. Guess I'd better check when the tickets go on sale . . . ah, Friday, February 23, 2007 is the day! You know where I will be.