--Even though the team remains for sale, general manager Jim Hendry was given a four-year contract extension. Hendry is the first GM in team history to preside over consecutive postseason appearances.
--RHP Rich Harden's 2009 contract option was exercised by the Cubs. He was 5-1 with a 1.77 ERA after being acquired from Oakland, and for the season he was 10-2 with a 2.07 ERA. --RHP Carlos Marmol suffered minor injuries in an Oct. 7 auto accident in his native Dominican Republic. According to reports, Marmol needed seven stitches to close a gash on his forehead.
--SS Ryan Theriot led Cubs regulars in batting average (.307), on-base percentage (.387) and multi-hit games (58). His OBP jumped from last year's mark of .326, and that could tempt the Cubs to make him their leadoff hitter next year and drop LF Alfonso Soriano down to fifth or sixth, where he can better use his power. Theriot's defense and range are adequate and sometimes his arm leaves something to be desired, but, overall, he was a huge plus.
--RF Kosuke Fukudome went 1-for-10 in the NLDS, and manager Lou Piniella even sat Fukudome in Game 3 against Hiroki Kuroda, against whom Fukudome had success in Japan. Piniella seemed fed up with Fukudome as September wore on. The Cubs are toying with the idea of allowing Fukudome to bring a hitting coach with him next spring from Japan. It might be the language barrier, but Fukudome and hitting coach Gerald Perry haven't gotten on the same page. GM Jim Hendry is expected to chat with Fukudome before Fukudome heads back to Japan for the winter, but his poor performance in the second half is forcing Hendry to look for more left-handed hitting help.
--2B Mike Fontenot has made the Cubs take a look at letting him start next year. Fontenot is a left-handed batter, something the Cubs need. He plays creditable defense and can hit the ball with authority. If the Cubs move LF Alfonso Soriano down in the order, they can mix and match their top two in the order among SS Ryan Theriot, Fontenot and CF Reed Johnson.
--LF Alfonso Soriano endured his second consecutive miserable playoff, and that might hasten his move from leadoff to the middle of the order. Soriano was 1-for-14 (.071) against the Dodgers after going 2-for-14 against Arizona last year in the NLDS. Good teams can game-plan Soriano perfectly, throwing him sliders low and away and watching him flail away. When Soriano isn't on base or hitting home runs, the offense usually doesn't go.
--1B-OF Micah Hoffpauir did not make the postseason roster, but the Cubs had him working in Arizona in case they advanced. Hoffpauir is no kid at 28, but he hit 25 homers and drove in 100 in only 71 games at Class AAA Iowa (Des Moines).
BY THE NUMBERS: 6 -- Runs the Cubs scored in the NLDS for the second consecutive year. The Cubs led the NL in runs scored during the regular season with 855.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "You'd be lying if (you said) you didn't read it every day. You'd be lying if you said you don't know it's there. It's there. It's not that we carry it on the field with us. We'd love to be able to bring a championship to Chicago. Guys in here want nothing more than that." -- 2B-OF Mark DeRosa on the weight of the Cubs' century-long inability to win the World Series.
