Baseball Heats Back Up After Break

By Marcus Gilmer in Miscellaneous on Jul 18, 2008 9:21PM

Lord, the All Star Break has seemed almost as tortuously long as the All Star Game itself. But we're finally back to ball as both the Sox and Cubs hit the field tonight for the first time since Sunday. While both teams stand at the top of their division, most national attention will be focused on the Cubs as they try to snap their century-long title drought. We shudder at the number of times the word "curse" will be mentioned over the next several months, especially since there's no such thing.

The White Sox open up a weekend series at home against the formidable Kansas City Royals and then are visited by the Texas Rangers to start next week. Good news for Sox fans, too: closer Bobby Jenks was activated from the DL and will likely be available this weekend after completing a successful rehab assignment in Birmingham. Ace Mark Buehrle, coming off a stellar June (4-0, 1.60 ERA in 6 starts), takes to the mound for the Pale Hose tonight. No word on how much Ozzie's inferiority complex will factor into the team's playoff chances.

The Cubs open the second half of the season on the road in Houston for a three-game series this weekend followed by a series in Arizona to start next week. Outfielder Alfonso Soriano is still healing from the broken bone in his left hand, but could rejoin the starting lineup next week when the Cubs return to Wrigley to face the Marlins. The Cubs hope a healthy and rested Zambrano, new acquisition Rich Harden, and a hot offense can carry them into October. And the first person who mentions "Bartman" gets a Sammy Sosa boombox upside their head.