All-Star Cubbies

It's been a great season so far for my first-place Cubs, who took two out of three over the weekend from the Cardinals (it would have been a sweep but for a rare Kerry Wood meltdown, but I digress).

Seven Cubs -- Alfonso Soriano, Kosuke Fukudome, Geovany Soto, Aramis Ramirez, Ryan Dempster, Carlos Zambrano and Wood -- were named to the All-Star team Sunday, the most in the NL and the most-ever for the Cubs. That doesn't include manager Lou Piniella, who was named one of the coaches for the final All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium.

And the All-Star Game has a lot of added meaning now since the winner of the game gets home-field advantage in the World Series. If ever there was a season when that was important it's this one, with the Cubs having the best home record in the NL. Time to break the AL's 10-game win streak (not counting the tie in Milwaukee in 2002.

The Cubs now lead the Cardinals by 3 1/2 games. But the team I think they should worry about even more is the Milwaukee Brewers, who today traded for C.C. Sabathia of the Cleveland Indians, the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner. The Brewers are only 3 1/2 behind, too. The Cubs and Brewers end July with a four-game series in Milwaukee that could go a long way toward deciding the NL Central.

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