1. Too close for comfort
The Cubs are 4 1/2 games out.
“It’s increasingly more difficult . . . for us when you see the season start slipping away,” said Dusty Baker. Is this “Why not us?” becoming “White flag”?
2. Razzing Arizona
Mark Prior is targeting his return from a shoulder injury on Sunday against the Diamondbacks. Yes, those Second-
Place-In-The-Wild-Card-Race D-backs, whom the Cubs trail by 51 1/42 games.
So much for the surprise.
3. 9-1-won
The Sox have one loss in their last 10 games, pulling them within four games of Kansas City, whom they play in a three-game series starting Tuesday. As with every other Sox spike in winning this year, look for a sweep . . . by the Royals.
4. Weight no more
Lineman Aaron Gibson has slimmed
down to 380 from the 410 he weighed when he signed with the Bears off the waiver wire. Had Chicago not signed him, engineers estimate the wire would’ve snapped within days.
5. Wave hello
Michael Phelps set five individual world records at one meet, putting swimming back on the map. The odd part: With all that water, it’s still not clear where swimming really is.
SIXTHMAN
6. Front row
From the Hall of Fame acceptance speech by former catcher Bob Uecker, who went in as a broadcaster: “I signed for $3,000 with the Braves of Milwaukee, which I’m sure a lot of you know, and my old man didn’t have that kind of money to put out. But the Braves took it.”
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Edited by the Sports staff of RedEye
