Justin Berg News

Baseball may be the last thing on your mind when you step outside. But a local man is hoping to change that with his brave, new business.

Cubs pitcher Jeff Stevens had a brief break after the season ended, but he is now pitching in the Mexican Winter League.

The Rib Mountain Town Board on Tuesday night unanimously approved giving a conditional use permit to Eric Greening so he can open a baseball academy.

The Ricketts family, Spring Training, Carlos Marmol's backup, and center field and second base options are among the topics in this week's Inbox.

Filed: Oct. 4, 2009 It's over. The Cubs ended the 2009 season in a game that pretty much sums up the year: They got some good pitching, someone homered, and in the end, they couldn't come through in the clutch, this time losing 5-2 to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Seven former Wisconsin Woodchucks were on Major League rosters this past summer, including Justin Berg, Lance Broadway, Casey Janssen, Mark Lowe, Pat Neshek and Ben Zobrist, while Steve Foster, the Chucks manager during the 2003 Championship season, is the Florida Marlins bullpen coach.

The proverbial "managerial wheels" were turning last night. The Cubs still lost.

Wednesday 09 Sep 2009 Iowa Cubs Finish in Third Place with a .500 Record for 2009 Season Wednesday, September 9, 2009 at 01:02AM MLN Newswire - www.mlntherawfeed.com-Des Moines, IA The Iowa Cubs ended the 2009 season on Monday, September 7 with a 7-2 loss to the Albuquerque Isotopes.

The Chicago Cubs have recalled right-hander Jeff Samardzija from Triple-A Iowa. Better known as a former standout wide receiver at Notre Dame, Samardzija went 1-2 with a 7.81 ERA in two previous stints in the majors this season.

Barring a dramatic burst of upward mobility through the wild-card standings, the Cubs ' future is now -- as in September.

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Manager Lou Piniella motions to Alfonso Soriano to leave the game in the 7th. September 2, 2009 Lou Piniella was asked Tuesday if he was satisfied with the way he has managed this season.

The Chicago Cubs have recalled pitcher Justin Berg and infielder/outfielder Micah Hoffpauir from triple-A Iowa.

Some familiar faces should be returning to Wrigley Field starting Sept. 1. That's the day Major League rosters expand, allowing teams to bring in reinforcements from the Minors.

Cubs pitcher Rich Harden admitted to knowing little or nothing about baseball's waiver process, so it wasn't surprising that he also didn't know he'd been put on waivers by the Cubs and claimed by at least one team.

The Iowa Cubs squandered a 3-0 lead Tuesday night in a 6-3 loss at Portland. Matt Craig was 3-for-4 with two RBIs for Iowa.

John Smoltz has been released by the Boston Red Sox. Now the question remains: Will he pitch again? The 42-year-old right-hander signed with the Red Sox in January after two decades with Atlanta, where he was a Cy Young Award winner and eight-time All-Star. That record prompted Boston to sign take a chance and sign him to a $5.5-million, one-year ...

Jeff Samardzija, hit hard in his first major league start for the Cubs, has been optioned to Triple-A Iowa.

Justin Berg was a 43rd-round Draft pick who went through a handful of rough Minor League seasons, a trade and a role change.

Aramis Ramirez had hoped to return to the Cubs' lineup Friday, and he was in manager Lou Piniella's early plans.