Though our team might be out of the playoff hunt that didn't exclude the Cubs front office from enjoying a road trip up the interstate to Miller Park, the home of the division-rival Milwaukee Brewers.

About 60 front office employees and their guests made the two-and-a-half hour trip up to Milwaukee. For the last three years or so, we've made a trip of some sort like this. Last year it was to Peoria, to see our Class-A Chiefs and then-skipper Ryne Sandberg.

Decked out in our best Cubs blue or some facsimile thereof, we cheered on our team to a 7-1 win. The enthusiasm was overwhelming....The staff bonding was palpable....We saw a great night of hitting from first baseman Derrek Lee and a solid outing from right-hander Randy Wells. Also, rookie outfielder Tyler Colvin made a spectacular catch in the ninth inning, robbing the Brewers of a home run. Colvin then caught another running line drive to center to end the game. An auspicious start for the 2006 first-round pick, indeed.

But the main attraction was Miller Park's famous Klement's Sausage Race. The contest traditionally pits five cased meats against one another in a foot race that can only be described as whole-hog chaos.

Unbeknownst to us, however, our own Hayley DeWitte and Vijay Tekchandani were participating in the race! They successfully kept it quiet until it started filtering out into the stands where we were sitting. For those of you who don't

know, Vijay serves as a community affairs assistant and Hayley is general manager Jim Hendry's executive assistant. Hayley donned the "Hot Dog" costume, while Vijay became the "Polish".

And they were off!

Out of the gate, Vijay the Polish had good position in the middle of the pack, but the Italian Sausage blew right by him, along with the Brat. Hayley the Hot Dog pulled up the rear of the pack. Down the home stretch, Vijay maintained his lead on the Chorizo, but the Italian and Brat were just too many lengths ahead to catch.

Alas, try as their little legs might, Vijay the Polish came in third and Hayley the Hot Dog came in a distant fifth. Alas, try as their little legs might, Vijay the Polish came in third and Hayley the Hot Dog came in a distant fifth.

Despite coming up short of victory, the experience was "wurst" remembering.

"It was awesome," Vijay said. "I was on Cloud 9. I actually false started before they said go, so I took a step back right from the start. But I was really concentrating on not falling, to be honest."

--MIke Huang

Fans at yesterday's Cubs-Brewers game were witness to a deeply touching, on-field ceremony to recognize Medal of Honor recipients.

Cubs photographer Stephen Green was stationed at the front of the upper deck to catch the proceedings. Players from both teams met over 60 veterans at the foul lines, exchanging custom-made pins for Congressional Medal of Honor Society coins. The USO of Illinois presented the U.S. flag in centerfield.

Today, there are fewer than 100 living recipients, and with Chicago hosting the 2009 Medal of Honor Convention, fans yesterday gave the U.S. heroes a moving welcome to Wrigley Field.

On Sept. 2, Geovany Soto chaired the 2nd Annual Rooters Ball at Harry Caray's Italian Steakhouse in downtown Chicago. Organized by the West Side Rooters Social Club, the event benefitted Chicago Cubs Charities, supporting the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and the Major League Baseball Dominican Development Alliance.

Several current Cubs players joined Soto, including Alfonso Soriano, Aramis Ramirez, Derrek Lee, Carlos Marmol, Jake Fox, Sam Fuld, Randy Wells and John Grabow. Also present was "Mr. Cub" Ernie Banks, chairman of the West Side Rooters Social Club.

We talked to several players, in Spanish, about their charitable support:

VL: Why are you participating in the Rooters Ball?

Geovany Soto: Well, growing up in Puerto Rico, I was lucky that I had everything I needed and I was healthy all my life. But I saw the needs around me, and I thought that, if I ever had the chance, I would love to help kids. And in this case, kids with diabetes need a lot of help. Also, when I was playing in the minors, I had a coach [Alan Dunn] whose son was diagnosed with diabetes. I had a really good relationship with him and his son, and that painful moment for them affected me because they were important to me.

Alfonso Soriano: Geovany invited me. I am here supporting him in this worthy cause. Tonight we are participating for the Chicago Cubs.

Jake Fox: No. 1, I have great respect for Geovany Soto, and when he invited me to participate, I did it gladly. This is a noble cause, and when a player of his caliber asks you to help, you do it because that's what friends are for. Another reason is that my wife has diabetes. She is a Type 1 diabetic, and every time I can help JDRF, I am first in line.

VL: We know some of the proceeds from this event will go to the Dominican Republic through the MLB Dominican Development Alliance. What does it feel like to know that you are helping the Dominican community?

Continue reading 'Rooting for a good cause'...

Aug. 25, 2009

It has been a long time since my last diary. We have been struggling in August and do need to start winning at this point of the season. We only have about 40 games left. The team and each player must perform at their best in order to win. I have been feeling good, although it is a little difficult to adjust to playing center- and rightfield positions, and to starting and coming off the bench.

On-base percentage? I am not really thinking about any number, but it is a good thing to get on base no matter what the situation is. I think this has been one of my offensive strengths since I was in Japan. Although I don't know if I have a good eye at the plate, I do have good vision!

I hit my 11th home run of this season, and it made it the 11th consecutive year of hitting double-digit home runs [since his rookie year in Japan]. I am not looking for a home run at the plate, but I am happy when I get it.

I am really proud of Mr. Takeshi Yamasaki, who achieved 350 home runs and 1,000 RBI the other day. It is simply fascinating. [Mr. Yamasaki is currently 40 years old and playing for the Touhoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in Japan.] We had talked over the phone and he was really happy, but he also told me that he will do anything he can do to take his team to the playoffs. He also said I need to do my best for my team.

Again, I would like to congratulate him on surpassing 1,500 hits, 1,000 RBI and 350 home runs. I do want to continue performing my best until the end, so please keep cheering for us.

-- Kosuke Fukudome

Special thanks to Cubs Japanese interpreter and media assistant Hiro Aoyama for the translation.