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

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?

Soriano: I am from the Dominican Republic, and when I was young, there were no organizations helping us on the island. I did not get help from anybody, and when I signed a contract [with the Hiroshima Carp] really young, 17 years old, and left for Japan, I felt I was not prepared to go there. If the major leagues can help these kids prepare better, it will be really good for them to have more knowledge.

Carlos Marmol: Yes, I feel honored that Geovany invited me. I would help not only the Dominican communities but any other country. Thanks to God that I see lots of people helping us. I hope this continues.

Ramirez: Not only that, even if the money was not going to the Dominican Republic, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation is also really important. Many kids suffer from diabetes and I am here to support them too, it's not important if the money goes to Santo Domingo or not.

VL: As a baseball star, do you feel the responsibility to help and inspire Dominican kids?

Soriano: If all these kids who like baseball in the Dominican or the world see me as an inspiration to better themselves and succeed, it's something really big to me. We are all responsible and try to help because fans know us and respect our opinions.

Marmol: Yes, I do. As long as God gives me the opportunity to help others, I will do it gladly as thanks for everything that was given to me. I hope that the players after me will be willing to do the same.

VL: Jake, you are returning to play in the Dominican this winter. What have you learned from your experience there?

Fox: I will play for Licey in Santo Domingo, and I am grateful for all the help the team gave me to play there. I have a lot of respect for Dominican players. It's difficult to play baseball in another country because it's difficult to learn the culture, the way of life and get used to the food. I have new respect for the players that come here....I studied Spanish for two years. Also, I learned Spanish from the Latin players in the minors. My favorite players are the Latin players because they have a lot a heart for the game and they are always happy people.

VL: What is your favorite food, and where did you learn to speak Spanish?

Fox: I like tostones (fried plantains) a lot! It's my favorite food. I learned Spanish in college. I studied Spanish for two years. Also, I learned Spanish from the Latino players in the minors. My favorite players are the Latino players, because they have a lot a heart for the game and they are happy people, always.

--Joaquin Castillo (Photo courtesy Harry Caray's)

Des Moines--It felt more like a Sunday, with the way the guys sauntered into Principal Park this morning around 11 AM. But from what I am told, it was a much-preferred and welcomed alternative to the typical 4 AM wake-up call for 6 AM flights to further Pacific Coast League cities like Portland, Fresno and Salt Lake City.

Today, the guys were headed to Omaha, Neb., just a short two hours away down Interstate 80, and I was going with them.

Everyone's seen the 1988 film "Bull Durham" starring Kevin Costner. There's a classic scene where Costner's character Crash Davis is telling all his teammates about his time in the big leagues while strumming a guitar confiscated from a shrill Nuke LaLoosh.

Well, right-hander Justin Berg, who apparently plays in a band in his off-season, brings a guitar on the road, as does rightfielder Brad Snyder. But neither pulled out their axes on the bus.

"I only play in my hotel room," Berg said. However, during his brief cup of coffee earlier this season, I saw Berg's guitar in the home clubhouse. In fact, I saw the guitar before I saw Berg. But on this trip, the guitar and wa-wa pedals were stowed below.

Some guys slept, some guys just listened to music. Left-hander JR Mathes watched a movie on his laptop. It was surprisingly quiet, guys weren't even talking to each other much. Because Omaha was so close, manager Bobby Dickerson, who normally flies ahead of the team to rent a car for the staff, simply drove ahead in his own truck so that the staff would not have to rent a car. In the minor leagues, cutting costs is applicable all over.

Dickerson is a fair, but tough manager, who is not afraid of calling out a player, but will offer a pat on the back just as readily. At the Triple-A level, many of the players have "grown-up" responsibilities, supporting spouses and children, mortgages. In a short trip like this, he allowed several players who had family with them to drive themselves to Omaha. So the bus was a little light of personnel.

I asked infielder Bobby Scales--who himself is married-- about the seeming lack of interaction among his teammates. A veteran of nearly 11 minor-league seasons, Scales has seen a lot and his insight was enlightening.

"Part of it is the technology," Scales said. "You mentioned Bull Durham. Yeah, they put a lot of stuff in movies, but really, if you think about it, technology has changed things. Guys have a lot personal entertainment devices, so guys aren't really talking all that much. I think guys back in the day probably talked more because there was nothing else to do.

"The other thing is this team is very heavy on both ends, there aren't a lot of guys in the middle," Scales added.

"There are a bunch of older guys, maybe 27 or older then a bunch of guys 24 and younger. So there's a gap there. What do you talk about? I talk about my wife and my house, but these younger guys don't want to hear that."

The busiest guy on the bus was trainer Matt Johnson, whose duties also include acting as the traveling secretary--arranging bus and plane rides, keeping track of meal money and hotel arrangements. Or in the case of this photo, coordinating travel arrangements for the end of the season for outfielder So Taguchi, who lives in St. Louis.

"Sometimes there's a lot to do that isn't necessarily athletic training," said Johnson, the LaGrange Park, Ill., native said. "First and foremost, our job is to keep these guys healthy, but there are a lot of other things you have to do as well. It is the minor leagues."

--Mike Huang

It was business as usual for these farmhands, most of them strolling into the clubhouse around 10:00. Poker chips lay strewn across a table in case an impromptu game might just break out during a rain delay. Clubhouse manager Cleo Welch was busy cooking breakfast--big fluffy pancakes, some eggs.

Five guys were taking early cage work with hitting coach Desi Wilson. Utilityman Matt Matulia, catcher Chris Robinson, and infielders Darwin Barney and Bobby Scales were all taking their hacks.

Andrea told me that when she asked the players to fill out a questionnaire at the during the season, the player teammates voted as the "most intense" was Scales. In the cage, that was evident.

Always quick with a smile and a guy who loves to talk about college football--especially his alma mater the University of Michigan--you'd never think Scales was that intense given his usually cheery disposition when we last saw him in Chicago. But there he was, talking and muttering to himself, motivating himself, trying to talk himself into squaring up the ball better and not swing a bad pitches. He takes his job very seriously, and after getting his first taste of the big leagues this year, he desperately wants to return.

Outside, the pitchers started throwing long toss; Jeff Samardzija looked relaxed, as did lefty James Russell. Playing a different kind of long toss was Micah Hoffpauir and Matt Craig. They were throwing the pigskin around a little bit.

As a guy who was with the big-league club most of the season, Hoffpauir is in the awkward position of being a strong consideration for a call-up but he has put up mediocre numbers at Iowa.

"I don't have any control over what happens in Chicago," Hoffpauir said. "My numbers aren't what they should be, but I've been working things out, trying to right the ship here."

He has tried to prevent the impending Sept. 1 date from hovering in his mind, despite his eagerness to return to Chicago. Like Scales, when you get that taste, you want more. There's something special when the skipper calls you in on that day.

"For younger guys, they probably aren't even thinking about [Sept.1]; they're just happy to be in Triple A," Hoffpauir said. "But for some older guys, they might be a little more disappointed. But I remember when me and Koyie Hill went up at the same time. Pat [Listach] called us in. We both had been up once already, so he told us together. But Casey McGehee hadn't been up yet. So when it was his turn, they called him in by himself to make it a little more special."

It was Chris Robinson's last game, too, chipping in a single for good measure. Afterward, he shook hands with every one of his teammates and coaches and set off to the Great White North and Team Canada. To a man, Iowa personnel and the team all said Robinson was one of their favorite players this year.

The I-Cubs took down the Redhawks again, 2-0, behind some fine pitching from Mitch Atkins, John Gaub and Blake Parker.

--Mike Huang

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