Gov. Rod Blagojevich introduces former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris, left, to succeed President-elect Barack Obama in the Senate on Dec. 30, 2008 in Chicago.   (Phil Velasquez/Chicago Tribune) 

The Senate Ethics Committee's rebuke of Sen. Roland Burris of Illinois on Friday was criticized by some as too weak but was welcomed by the senator, whose office declared him cleared of "any legal wrongdoing."

Burris, chosen by disgraced former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich to succeed President Barack Obama in the Senate, received a "qualified admonition" for his actions regarding the appointment.

Although finding no "actionable violations of the law," the Ethics Committee cited behavior by Burris that "reflected unfavorably on the Senate."

"The committee found that you should have known that you were providing incorrect, inconsistent, misleading or incomplete information to the public, the Senate and those conducting legitimate inquiries into your appointment to the Senate," said the letter from the panel's six senators.

Burris, a Democrat, will not lose any pay or privileges because of the admonition. The best-case scenario for a senator investigated by the committee is the outright dismissal of a complaint. That did not happen in the case of Burris.

Key concerns the committee highlighted in its letter to Burris:

--"Your sworn affidavit and sworn testimony before the Illinois House of Representatives were inconsistent, incomplete, and misleading." This referred to his dealings with an Illinois House panel considering the impeachment of Blagojevich. A Sangamon County prosecutor found that Burris' statements were incomplete and vague but there was "insufficient evidence" to charge him with perjury.

--"Your shifting explanations in your sworn statements appear less than candid." Burris made contradictory statements about contacts with Blagojevich aides.

--"Your Nov. 13, 2008, call with Robert Blagojevich, while not rising to the level of an explicit quid pro quo, was inappropriate." This referred to a phone conversation between Burris and the governor's brother and fundraiser that was caught on a federal wiretap.

The committee noted that in the Nov. 13 call Burris "appeared to agree to write a check and even potentially raise money for Gov. Blagojevich" and "repeatedly brought up your desire to seek the Senate seat."

Blagojevich is accused of trying to trade the Senate seat for campaign cash and favors, though the federal indictment against him does not include allegations involving Burris.

Burris, who is not seeking a full term in 2010, declined to be interviewed. His office issued a statement welcoming the news that the panel "cleared the senator of any legal wrongdoing."

In the statement Burris gave his thanks to the committee for its "fair and thorough review of this matter."

Burris was in Chicago to attend services Saturday for Michael Scott, the Chicago school board president who committed suicide Monday. Burris spokesman Jim O'Connor said the senator plans to return to Washington later Saturday, when a pivotal vote on health care reform is scheduled.

Although the 72-year-old lawmaker avoided a harsh sanction, such as a censure or expulsion, the cloud over him is unlikely to lift soon.

State Rep. Jim Durkin, a Republican from Western Springs, issued a statement slamming Burris for taking a "victory lap" after the ethics panel's announcement.

"He is an embarrassment to the state of Illinois and he should apologize to the people he represents," said Durkin, who was one of Burris' questioners when he appeared before the Blagojevich impeachment panel.

Congressional authorities said Burris' punishment fell into the middle tier of potential outcomes. Burris could have faced a weaker discipline: a private letter of admonition or private letter of qualified admonition. In his case the panel made its punishment and findings public.

More serious options that were not chosen in this case are expulsion or censure. Since 1789 the Senate has expelled only 15 of its members. Censures  --  less serious than expulsions, because the lawmaker stays in office  --  have occurred only nine times. Burris' public, qualified admonition was the first such action by the Senate Ethics Committee this year.

In 2008 the committee delivered an identical rebuke to then-Sen. Peter Domenici of New Mexico. He was slapped for calling the U.S. attorney in New Mexico in 2006 and inquiring about the timing of indictments.

An expert on Congress, Norman Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute, said the admonition for Burris likely was too mild and that Burris "probably deserved a censure."

 "Everybody knows he was not truthful about his wheeling and dealing to try to get the Senate seat, (and) a public admonishment with no additional penalty won't signal any real outrage on the part of the Senate," Ornstein said."

He noted, though, the committee chose to make its sanction public. "At least they did not cover it up with a private letter," he said.

Political scientist Ross Baker of Rutgers observed that the admonition  would have been a "serious obstacle" if Burris  were running for a full term. Baker added, "When he (Burris) departs the Senate in 2011, it will be nothing but a painful footnote to a Senate career that began and ended in great controversy. The world outside the Senate will little note nor long remember it."

Tribune reporter Ray Long in Springfield and Alexander C. Hart of the Tribune Washington Bureau contributed to this report.

--Katherine Skiba

Click HERE for a WGN-TV report on this story.

Get the full story: dailyherald.com

The head of the Chicago police sergeants' union was charged with looting union dues to pay for steak dinners, gambling trips to Las Vegas and a second residence in the city's Sauganash neighborhood.

Sgt. John  Pallohusky, a 21-year veteran assigned to the detective division, was arrested at his Northwest Side home early Friday on felony theft and money-laundering charges for allegedly embezzling  about $600,000 over the last several years.

"This case makes this a very difficult day for all of us in law enforcement," said State's Attorney Anita Alvarez.

Pallohusky, 53, is accused of writing checks from the Chicago Police Sergeants' Association to himself and depositing them into his personal accounts. He is also accused of using  association credit cards for  personal use.

The union funds were built by the $25 each member pays per pay period, according to the complaint. Some $765,000 in dues is collected each year from the 1,200 members of the union.

"We will do everything possible to recover these funds," said Police Superintendent Jody Weis, who noted that the investigation continues.

Union officials said they were cooperating with the investigation and that the organization is "fiscally sound." Edward  Maloney, the union's general counsel, said the board of directors will run the union's day-to-day operations. The board "is deeply upset by the charges," he said.

Attorney Robert Kuzas, who is representing Pallohusky, denied wrongdoing. "I don't believe he misappropriated one penny of the union's money," he said.

The Police Department's Internal Affairs Division opened an investigation after Chase Bank noticed in August that Pallohusky had deposited tens of thousands of dollars into a personal account from a union credit card account, authorities said.

Prosecutors moved to seize Pallohusky's two homes and more than a dozen bank and brokerage accounts. In a recent 12-month period,  Pallohusky used $75,000 in stolen funds on dinners in Loop steakhouses and restaurants, the charges alleged.

--Annie Sweeney

Chicago police foot patrol officers arrested Roosevelt Billups, 42, in the 100 block of North State Street about 5 p.m. Wednesday, police said.

Someone who saw Billups in the area called police after recognizing him as a suspect in three incidents involving fake bombs, said Chicago Police News Affairs Officer Gabrielle Lesniak.

Billups is suspected of planting hoax bombs outside 100 N. Riverside Plaza -- which is the Boeing headquarters -- and One Prudential Plaza, a police source said.

Billups, of the 100 block of North Francisco Avenue, faces three counts of felony disorderly conduct in connection with false bomb threats, one count of felony possession of a controlled substance, and a misdemeanor charge of drug paraphernalia possession, according to police.

Police previously had issued a community alert regarding suspicious packages resembling explosive devices being planted on three occasions near prominent downtown buildings. The person calling police recognized Billups as the person wanted in connection with those incidents, according to a police news release.

News Affairs officers said they could not say when the community alert was issued, or when the fake bombs were planted. They also refused to confirm where the crimes took place.

Billups was scheduled to appear in Cook County Bond Court on Saturday.

--Liam Ford

When the purported seller of plasma TVs at bargain-basement prices lured undercover detectives to gangways and then brandished weapons, the officers pulled out their guns and made arrests.

Two brothers and a third suspect  --  described by police as associates  --  were arrested in separate stings earlier this week, police announced Friday.

"This was where a thug meets a white-collar education," Detective Joseph McGuire said. "It's robbery by appointment."

The bandits started off by claiming to be selling smaller electronics such as $100 Xboxes and then graduating to higher-priced TVs for $500.

Dwayne Williams, 20, was charged with robbing a dozen victims on eight occasions. Most of his crimes took place within a three-block range of the 8700 block of South Parnell Avenue, a block away from his grandmother's house, police said.

Police said Williams learned the scheme from Jalmar Smalling, 19,and his brother, Jamelle, 18, who each were charged with five counts of armed robbery and one count of attempted robbery.

To add legitimacy to their ads, the three always asked for "serious buyers only" and requested that buyers contact them by phone, not e-mail, police said. But that proved to be their downfall.

"Those were the two phrases we were looking for," Lt. John McMurray said. "We had an idea, based on the language in the ad, that this was our individual."

Detectives built the case over a month, scouring the Web site every day for ads and subpoenaing Craigslist for information on previous posts.

Bail was set at $500,000 each for Jalmar Smalling and Williams and at $450,000 for Jamelle Smalling.

Tribune reporter Carlos Sadovi contributed to this report.

--Kristen Mack

Awesome timelapse video by Joshua Mellin

• Police went undercover and arrested three men for using Craigslist to set up a series of robberies.
• Block 37 hit a huge snag today as a judge stripped the project from its developer and handed it over to CB Richard Ellis.
• A public memorial service will be held for CPS Board of Education President Michael Scott this Sunday at the UIC Forum.
• Another convention - the World of Wheels - is ditching McCormick Place but this time, it's relocating within the area to Roesmont.
• Someone really has issues with WGN Radio's programming.
• Skip the insane crowds and help out local crafters by doing some Christmas shopping at tomorrow's DIY Trunk Show. It runs from 10 a.m. til 5 p.m. at Pulaski Park Auditorium. [via GB]

So what of the CNC's content? Today's main story focuses on the profits for Chicago Parking Meters LLC, the private company to whom the city's parking meters were leased; company projections are for almost $80 million in revenue for 2010. At that rate, it won't take them long to make up the price they paid for the 75-year contract. So it's a good start. We'll still need more time to see how well the section pans out, and while nothing in today's edition is ground-breaking, it seems it's off to a decent start and at least we know where to look to keep track.

Homelessness became personal to me a little over a year ago: I began to volunteer with a homeless day shelter in my community, and actually took the time to get to know the people that previously might have just slowed me down on my walk to work, or annoyed me with solicitations on the train. 

I was forced to take a step back and slow down on my own for more than a year after I was laid off from my full-time job in the corporate environment. I contemplated the next step in my life. During that period, I also spent time weekly with the homeless people in my neighborhood. Though we shared unemployment as a commonality, it seemed on the surface there was little else.

After a year of serving them coffee, playing hundreds of card games and watching the economy suffer severely, I began to realize that we were not so different. The judgments I previously would have made (though perhaps kept to myself) about why these men were in the situations they were in, had been destroyed. As I found my own income and savings dwindling, still without a job and unable to afford my own apartment, I began to see how easily someone can slip through the cracks. I realized the privileges that I was thankfully born into would most likely keep me from slipping.

Thankfully, I now have the opportunity to be back in school full-time, pursuing a graduate degree in social work. I found myself interning at the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless because, after I sifted through part-time job opportunities, I read that “housing is a human right in a just society” and I knew theirs was a mission I wanted to be a part of.  

- Tabitha Pederson, Development Intern

Master’s candidate, Social Service Administration at theUniversity of Chicago

We asked interns and volunteers to write about how "National Hunger and Homelessness Week"  (Nov. 15-21, 2009) makes them think about the work they are doing with the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless.

I have been an intern with the Speakers Bureau at the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless since August 2009. Before beginning my internship, I was spent more than15 years working with homeless families – I volunteered at two South Side shelters, Sousa House and Fresh Start.

I knew that homelessness was a big issue in Chicago, but I never knew how big the numbers were for youth. When I started working with the Speakers Bureau, I reviewed a CCH fact sheet and my heart started racing. It stated, “A study led by the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless (CCH) showed that 73,656 men, women, youths, and children were homeless in Chicago during fiscal year 2006.” I was astounded by those numbers, and so grateful that I am a part of CCH and the Speakers Bureau.

In its mission statement, CCH says, “We organize and advocate to prevent and end homelessness because we believe housing is a human right in a just society.” My work with the CCH Speakers Bureau has been a great experience. I go out with our Speakers Bureau as they tell their stories of being homeless. Speakers Bureau leaders are the faces of homelessness.

A week before this National Hunger and Homelessness Week, the Speakers Bureau participated in the National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness -- the Resolve 2009 conference held at Loyola University Nov. 6-7. Melody DeGagne, Charles Jenkins, Miracle Ladde and myself spoke at the conference on a panel called “Faces of Homeless.” There were 165 students in attendance at this panel. It was such a powerful discussion afterwards because these students come from all over the United States, and after our homeless leaders spoke, students wanted to know how our leaders could come to their schools or how could they could get more involved with helping homeless people. Their sincere attitude about homelessness and all the ways that they wanted to help touched my heart. We also had a powerful workshop the next day with Melody, another intern, Elli, and myself.

I have always been an advocate, but this experience has led me to want to continue in community organizing and community practice after I graduate next year with my master’s degree in social work. I feel so privileged to be interning at CCH, being a part of such a powerful organization helping to fight and one day end homelessness.

-Vanessa Matthews, Speakers Bureau intern

Masters in Social Work (MSW) candidate

DePaul University, Chicago

Photo AP/M. Spencer Green

Previously it was announced that Congress was providing $6 million in assistance to bulk up the barricade, and just last week the state announced it would be dumping the poison Rotenone into a canal near Romeoville to kill off the fish, but it looks like these measures have come too late. An order has been issued to "clean out" the Sanitary and Ship Canal in an emergency effort.

Henry Henderson, Director of the Natural Resources Defense Council's Midwest Program did not mince words about the Army Corps of Engineers' shortcomings -- in a statement issued this afternoon, Henderson said:

"Today’s announcement that Asian carp have gotten past the electric fish fence is sobering, but predictable. The responsible federal and state agencies have known about this problem for 13 years, but have utterly failed to act with the urgency that this threat requires. The prospect of 100 pound fish off of Oak Street Beach and leaping out at boaters in the Great Lakes should spur action that should have been undertaken years ago. We have seen how zebra and quagga mussels have literally transformed Lake Michigan, and I fear that the Asian carp could do far worse to the ecosystem... The Army Corps of Engineers needs to stop reacting to events, and get ahead of this problem with real solutions...The only thing aggressive about the virtual fish fence has been its multi-million dollar price tag."

• John Mayer, find tickets for his Battle Studies tour with the AMEX early on sale.
  
• American Apparel, with 4 stores in Chicago, you can look your best after dark.
  
• GroupOn, using collective buying power to bring you one ridiculous coupon each day.

With the trade of Aaron Heilman yesterday, the Cubs' 40-man roster stands at 33 players -- so they've got plenty of room to add players they want to protect. This article from the Atlanta Braves website gives some details on how this process works and also about some other upcoming deadlines.

The number of players added by tonight may also give us a clue as to upcoming trades or free-agent signings -- if the Cubs don't fill out the roster to the full 40-man limit, it may presage some acquisitions.

Post your guesses as to who the Cubs might add to the 40-man roster (or who -- cough Neal Cotts cough -- might be removed). Once the Cubs post the full list, I'll update this post, either later today or tomorrow.

UPDATE: From the press release today:

The Chicago Cubs today added five players to the 40-man roster, including left-handed pitcher John Gaub, right-handed pitchers Rafael Dolis and Blake Parker, catcher Welington Castillo and outfielder James Adduci. Chicago's 40-man roster now stands at 38.

Gaub and Parker are no surprise, as they were in the Arizona Fall League and expected to be in the mix for the 2010 bullpen. There are two open spots; this could portend a trade, a free-agent signing or possibly a Rule 5 pick the Cubs have their eyes on. Stay tuned.

Pitcher John Grabow became the first of the 171 free agents to reach agreement on a new deal, getting a $7.5 million, two-year contract Friday from the Chicago Cubs. The 31-year-old left-hander combined to go 3-0 with a 3.36 ERA last season in a career-high 75 relief appearances with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cubs.

Try putting yourself in the Bears shoes. Why would you want to talk to Bob Costas? Why would you want him to grill Jerry Angelo on the warts of his football organization? Why would you want him to probe Lovie Smith about some of the decisions he's made? Why would you want him to have access to Jay Cutler only to undress him about all those interceptions?

Can you blame the Bears for being arrogant and stupid?

Yes!

America has an obsessions with awards.

I've always thought the Hollywood people stepping all over each other to win the three dozen or so different awards they bestow upon themselves was quite unseemly. Yet, they can't get it right.

Jackie Gleason never won an Emmy, one of the most heinous crimes in the annals of showbiz. Andy Griffith never won an Emmy for The Andy Griffith Show! More recently, Jason Alexander never won an Emmy for Seinfeld. Unbelievable. Was the Academy just doing the opposite?

This week, the Bears return to what was their happy home. After losing in yet another creative way, Soldier Field will feel like a home - a home that is on the brink of a bitter divorce. Here, Bears fans will split, warming up their baseball rivalries for the 2010 season.

I caution Bears fans to stick together by attacking the real problem: the Chicago Bears. Frankly, the Bears fans' effort has been downright disappointing. Sure, some made posts to forums and friends' Facebook pages (which were totally entertaining!), but if you really want change, you have to make it happen. Let's face it, voting for change but doing nothing about it is so 2008.

Just like your first Cabbage Patch doll (although I never had one of those so I could be wrong), there are adoption papers. For real Chicago buffs the really cool part of this gift is that their names will be on a board in the museum's lobby.

Oh Mom...are you reading this?

Adopt An Artifact here

View full size photo »

The Detroit Tigers player has agreed to host a TV and online series titled "Stadium Secrets" where he takes sports fans on an exploration of stadiums.

The concept is similar to Authentic’s "Cities of the Underworld" on History channel.

"Authentic will be providing an exclusive, VIP experience for fans everywhere – a behind-the-scenes journey that will be exciting for all of us. I am eager to begin working on this project and look forward to a successful partnership," Granderson said.

Sounds interesting. I'm hoping Granderson gets to explore Wrigley Field in detail starting next summer. In the meantime, after the jump I'm going to examine Granderson's numbers in detail, explain why he's a perfect fit for Chicago and the Cubs, and look at who the Cubs might have to give the Tigers in exchange.

We have to first start this discussion with a couple of assumptions. First, we assume that Milton Bradley has been, or will be, traded before any Granderson deal, thus opening up center field for the Cubs (with Kosuke Fukudome moving back to right field, a position he plays better; this would solidify Cubs defense in two positions). It is, of course, possible that Bradley could be part of a deal for Granderson, but I am going to operate here under the assumption that he's not, that Bradley will be dealt to some other team (the Rays?) and that any Granderson trade would be a separate transaction.

Second, I think you have to assume that Granderson has to be, at this stage of his career -- he will be 29 on March 16, not old, but getting toward the end of his "best" year capability -- platooned, at least to some extent. His career splits:

vs. RHP: .292/.367/.528, .894 OPS
vs. LHP: .210/.270/.344, .614 OPS

Last year it was even more extreme:

vs. RHP: .275/.358/.539, .897 OPS
vs. LHP: .183/.245/.239, .484 OPS

Against RHP, Granderson hits almost as well as Aramis Ramirez -- All-Star level. Against LHP... well, he's basically Aaron Miles. So you'd probably want to re-sign Reed Johnson to give Granderson a break against LHP. Johnson doesn't hit righthanders, but against LHP his career line is .313/.378/.463, an OPS of .841, nearly as good as Granderson vs. RHP. These two together would produce outstanding offensive numbers from the CF position and good defense. The Tigers started Granderson in 155 games in 2009 because, well, they really didn't have any other choice. The other eight (remember, the Tigers played 163 games in 2009) games were started by Josh Anderson (1), Clete Thomas (2) and Ryan Raburn (5), and of those guys, only Raburn can hit (he hits LHP pretty well -- the Tigers could have gotten more offense out of CF if they had played Raburn there a bit more often vs. LHP).

So a modified platoon of Granderson and Reed Johnson would be, in my opinion, the ticket to success for the Cubs outfield. I say "modified" because Johnson would also have to spell Fukudome in RF from time to time; on those days, Granderson would have to start in CF vs. LHP. Sam Fuld would stick with the team as the fifth outfielder, someone who could take over in the late innings for Alfonso Soriano. The Cubs' outfield would be very good defensively and close to outstanding offensively.

Granderson's contract, though it has three full years to run (and a 2013 option) is not onerous. Like many Jim Hendry contracts in recent years, it's backloaded. In 2010, Granderson is due to make a somewhat-reasonable $5.5 million; that increases to $8.25 million in 2011 and $10 million in 2012, with a $2 million buyout in 2013 (all figures, as always, from the excellent Cot's Baseball Contracts), that would increase to $13 million (with some escalators to that based on performance) if the option is exercised. That would make the total financial commitment $25.25 million (presuming the buyout is done), spread over four years from 2010-2013. That's not unreasonable for a player of Granderson's ability.

Now -- how do you get him? The Tigers seem to be in partial-sell mode; that is, they'd like to shed some of their big-dollar contracts, but not get into full rebuilding mode. Thus, you'd need to get them at least a couple of players who could step in right now and contribute at the major league level. I can't find the link right now, but in a recent Baseball America online chat, a question was asked to BA's Jim Callis about this type of deal:

Q: Would Josh Vitters, Jake Fox, and Jay Jackson be enough for the Cubs to land Curtis Granderson if he really is available? Would you do that deal if you were the Cubs?

Jim Callis: I would think so. The Tigers have to dump salary, so I might try to hold onto Vitters and see if Detroit would take Ryan Flaherty, or hold onto Jackson and offer a lesser pitcher. But the Cubs are in win-now mode, and I think they'd bite.

I'd do this deal. Starlin Castro may be the flavor-of-the-month after his .376/.396/.491 performance in the Arizona Fall League, but I think he has higher upside than Vitters, who also hit well in the AFL (.353/.380/.455), and I would not trade Castro. It's entirely possible that Vitters will become a good major league player -- but you're getting a good major league player in return. Jake Fox is miscast in the National League; though he worked hard at playing 3B, C, LF and RF, his best position is DH. Throw in the fact that he played college ball at the University of Michigan, and he's a natural for Detroit. Jay Jackson has been up and down in the Cubs organization and while he has talent, I'm not quite sure what role the Cubs have in mind for him. He was exclusively a starter in 2009 after starting and relieving in 2008.

Callis thinks this would get a deal done and I'd do it -- but I suspect the Tigers might ask for Andrew Cashner instead of Jackson. That's a high price to pay -- Cashner has a shot at the major league bullpen for the Cubs in 2010 and he could even be viewed as a closer candidate by the Tigers, who are likely to let Fernando Rodney walk. (Rodney had a decent year in his first full season as closer, but will be 33 in March.)

I'd still do Vitters, Cashner and Fox for Granderson. For those of you who say, "No way! Keep those prospects! We can't give up both Vitters and Cashner!", I say that one of the things you can do with your prospects is turn them into productive major league players. The Cubs did this in acquiring Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez; when D-Lee was acquired he was just about the same age Granderson is now.

I might even do Vitters, Fox, Cashner AND Jackson for Granderson. To illustrate why, let me tell you a little story I just read about from Cubs history. Take it for what it's worth, because it came from the new edition of Leo Durocher's (ghostwritten by Ed Linn) autobiography, "Nice Guys Finish Last" (mini-book-review: recommended, for its interesting take on Durocher's era in baseball history). In it, he describes having discussions along with GM John Holland, with the Baltimore Orioles in the winter of 1971 about trading for Frank Robinson. According to the book, the Orioles asked for five young players -- pitchers Earl Stephenson, Jim Colborn, Bill Bonham, Joe Decker and outfielder Brock Davis. Durocher's book says they hedged, asking to make it four-for-one, not wanting to give up both Decker and Bonham.

You know what? They should have offered Baltimore GM Frank Cashen a handshake and done the deal right then and there. The next day, Robinson was traded to the Dodgers -- for four minor leaguers, only one of whom (Doyle Alexander) had a significant major league career.

The day after that, the Cubs traded Stephenson, Colborn and Davis to the Brewers for Jose Cardenal. Stephenson and Davis never had any significant impact in the major leagues. Colborn did have a few decent major league seasons, winning 20 games for the Brewers in 1973. Bill Bonham never became the big winner the Cubs thought he would; eventually he was traded to the Reds for Woodie Fryman and Bill Caudill. Joe Decker was traded to the Twins (with Bill Hands) a year later for Dave LaRoche.

None of those deals would have had the impact that getting Frank Robinson to play right field for the 1972 Cubs would have had. At 35, Robinson was past his best years, but would have been a far better hitter in Wrigley Field than he was in Dodger Stadium that year. (Robinson also got hurt in 1972 and missed almost 60 games; whether that would have happened to him as a Cub is unknown, obviously.)

The 1972 Cubs finished fourth in the league in runs scored and would have been a better offensive team with Frank Robinson than they were with Jose Cardenal; neither Bonham nor Decker had any significant impact on the '72 team.

The point is, that sometimes you have to take team "prospects" -- who may never pan out to what you hope they will -- to win now. Trading Vitters and Jay Jackson -- or even Vitters, Jackson and Cashner -- may provide dividends to the Detroit Tigers two or three years down the road. But acquiring Curtis Granderson, who, in addition to his talent on the field, is also, from all reports, a good clubhouse guy who spends a lot of time giving back to the community (and is a native Chicagoan), would go a long way to helping the 2010 Cubs return to the playoffs and give them a chance to win it all.

And isn't that what we all want?

As we often say here... GETITDON EJIM.