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Torii Hunter gets a bubbly bath from teammates Howie Kendrick and Chone Figgins.

Sweep, sweep, sweep: Three of the four baseball division series were three-and-out for the luckless losers -- and to think, the Cubs weren't even involved this year!

Before we salute the achievements of the Dodgers, Angels and Yankees, another personal pet peeve (yes, just like the throwback uniforms ... did everyone enjoy the Broncos' Milk Duds look Sunday?) -- It's one of the great mysteries of professional sports, one that defies logic but is perpetuated every October: Why do baseball teams feel the need to spray champagne after winning a first-round playoff series?

Lou Piniella has said he plans to fulfull the remaining year on his contract, but ...

Another easy win Tuesday night in Milwaukee for the Cubs, who are 3-0 since they jettisoned the malingering Milton Bradley. Meaningless games, you say? Not necessarily. If the Cubs finish up the season on a nice roll, it could help ensure the return of Lou Piniella as manager for the final year of his contract, despite the failure to achieve a playoff berth this season.

The big question for Cubs fans: Do you really want to see Lou back in the dugout in 2010?

Umpires were just one of Milton Bradley's many problems in a disastrous season.

Rarely, if ever, have we seen a free-agent signing blow up so spectacularly in a general manager's face: Cubs GM Jim Hendry rolled the dice on Milton Bradley and it came up snake-eyes almost from the get-go. And virtually everyone else could see it coming.

On Sunday, Hendry finally threw up his hands and suspended the mercurial outfielder for the rest of the season. But where do the Cubs and Bradley go from here?

Carlos Zambrano has a no-trade clause, but has hinted he would go to certain teams.

Carlos Zambrano, the enigmatic Cubs ace, was in fine form Tuesday. Pitching a day after the one-year anniversary of his no-hitter against the Houston Astros, Zambrano baffled the Brewers for four innings, striking out eight and leading 4-0. In the fifth, he completely fell apart, yielding five runs before escaping with a no-decision in the Cubs' 13-7 victory.

It was just the latest chapter in a disastrous season for Big Z. He missed a crucial stretch of August games due to a bad back that may have been caused by excessive batting practice, and admitted he has been "lazy" about doing preventative abdominal exercises. He twice has been on the DL and was suspended six games for "inappropriate and violent actions" after melting down during a May game against the Pirates. When Zambrano unraveled during a June loss to the White Sox, a local baseball columnist urged the Cubs to cut the hotheaded hurler immediately.

That was ridiculous, but it's certainly reasonable to ask: Would unloading Zambrano be addition by subtraction?

Derrick Rose will renew excitement in Chicago come October, as will the Blackhawks.

Typical Sox: After taking three of four from the Red Sox, they get blown out by the A's on Tuesday and miss a rare chance to gain ground on Detroit. They're still eight games out, way too big a deficit to make up even with six remaining games vs. the Tigers.

Typical Cubs: They spank the Pirates for the second straight day, but again fail to gain any ground either on St. Louis (which rallied in the ninth to beat Milwaukee) or on wild-card-leading Colorado. Amazingly, the Cubs still haven't gained as much as a half-game on St. Louis on any day since Aug. 4, falling from a tie for the division lead to 11.5 games out.

Baseball season is over in Chicago, and no matter how exciting Jay Cutler and the Bears may be, we can't talk about them every day. So thank goodness that some familiar friends from last spring soon will be back in action.

"I'm here to play ball. I came here to win a championship. Ain't nothing I'd rather do. If I could do anything, one, I might cure the lupus my aunt has; two, another aunt got both legs cut off because of diabetes; I might give her legs back. But No. 3 on the list would be win a championship in this city so that people can have what they deserve."

Most ridiculous quote ever? You be the judge.

More, after the jump...

You can't browse the Interwebs nowadays without finding a sports writer or thirty anxious to hand advice out to new Cubs owner Tom Ricketts. The national guys are doing it. The bloggers are doing it. This paper's columnists are doing it.

So I think that means we get to do it too, right? Me first, you guys second.

Ken Williams (above) says this would be his most disappointing season if the Sox don't get in the playoffs and ''do well,'' while Jim Hendry acknowledges he'll be "very disappointed" if the Cubs don't make it to the postseason.

I'll be away from the blog next week doing back-to-school stuff with my offspring (Ricky O'Donnell once again will fill in ably here), and I can't help but wonder where the Sox and Cubs will stand when I return. Three weeks ago, I posed this question: Cubs and Sox both in the playoffs, just one ... or neither? I liked both teams chances back then, but while the Sox still have high hopes, time rapidly is running out on the Cubs.

Cubs manager Lou Piniella and his coaches watch another late lead slip away.

Lou Piniella has seen enough. Finally fed up after closer Kevin Gregg blew yet another save Monday in a crushing 4-1 loss at San Diego, the Cubs manager vows there will be changes made to the back end of the bullpen.

If so, contact the CPD immediately. He will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

This man is clearly a criminal, the type who would drop you during a keg stand. I bet cheats in beer pong. He probably stole those sunglasses from someone's girlfriend, too. Surely, no man would buy those.

Mark Prior's once-promising career seems to have come to an abrupt end.

Mark Prior was the Chosen One, the golden boy who was going to lead the Cubs to the promised land. He was the second coming of Tom Seaver, with massive thighs and pitching mechanics that were supposed to make him impervious to injury. When he pitched the Cubs to the 2003 NLCS, the sky seemingly was the limit.

As all Cubs fans know, it all came apart due to an endless series of elbow and shoulder injuries. Last weekend, his star-crossed major-league journey apparently came to a dismal end with the news that he would be released by the San Diego Padres.

The Reds' Edwin Encarnacion was called out despite beating the tag of Koyie Hill.

Is it just me, or has the quality of umpiring taken a decided downturn in the major leagues this season? After seeing yet another obviously safe baserunner called out at the plate Sunday in the Cubs-Reds game, I'm wondering if it might be time to expand the use of instant replay beyond its current restriction of being employed solely to rule on home runs.