As a few people have noted, I may have been a bit too hard on our little Neifi. Oh Neifi, you so crazy!

So, seeing as we are at the all important 9/162nd point of the season, it is time to note that a few Cub players - often maligned but the witless bloggers out there (me) - are on pace for truly historic seasons. And, as you might have expected, all roads lead back to...

Neifi Perez - Perez is on pace to be the first man since Ted Williams to top the .400 mark. Neither Tony Gwynn nor Ichiro! have managed this feat and so I think it is shameful that this is being swept under the metaphorical rug. Go Neifi go!

Derrek Lee - On pace to top the single season record for RBI with a solid 198. That would put former Cub Hack Wilson, who only managed 190 RBI, on the back-burner (where he belongs...loser). The only real question this season is going to be if Lee can break the record in 154 games so as not to face the same controversy that dogged Ichiro! last year. Lee is also on pace for 162 walks which, while not a record, is certainly impressive. It is important to remember that Lee is generally a slow starter, so we could easily be seeing the first 200 RBI season.

Ryan Dempster - Is on pace for an impressive 46 losses, which (and I haven't done the research) has to be the most losses in a season in some time. While an 0-46 recond would be tough for Dempster to live down, it would still be mighty cool. This poor record will be nicely offset by the 46-0 record that Glendon Rusch is on his way towards. It seems like the MVP is going to be a pretty tight battle between Lee, Perez, and Rusch with Lee probably pulling it out.

So remember folks...things might seem bad at times, but you just have to look on the bright side of life. It could always be worse...you could, after all, be Jose Macias.

oh, and I think Mark Prior pitched yesterday. Anyone have any word on that?