Compared to other similar players, the A's signing of Jason Giambi for a bargain basement price is starting to look like a steal. 

"Who are you?" 

Crane Kenney offered a mea culpa Saturday at the Cubs Convention after a fan asked the club chairman why he had a Greek priest spread holy water in the dugout before last season's playoff opener against the Dodgers. 

A month into its Chapter 11 bankruptcy case, Chicago-based Tribune Co. 

Dr. 

The Cubs look to be strong contenders for the NL Central title for at least a few years to come. 

Long offseasons are nothing new to Cubs general manager Jim Hendry, and so it goes again this winter. 

--SS Ronny Cedeno avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $822,500 contract. 

It wasn?t the below-zero temperatures that told Lou Piniella he was at the Cubs convention. 

Cubs chairman Crane Kenney said again he expects the team's sale to be completed by opening day and the list of potential buyers could be down to one by the end of the month. 

Cubs chairman Crane Kenney said again he expects the team's sale to be completed by opening day and the list of potential buyers could be down to one by the end of the month. 

Because the Cubs Convention always seems to fall on the coldest weekend of the winter, proper layering is recommended, even if that means putting on a blue Zambrano jersey over a black "Central Division champs" hoodie over a yellow "No Lights" T-shirt. 

The postmortems on the 2008 season all have been written, and Lou Piniella is looking forward to a pressure-free year in 2009. 

Chicago Cubs manager Lou Piniella gave Milton Bradley a warm welcome when the two met Friday. 

The Chicago Cubs and utility infielder Ronny Cedeno have agreed to a one-year contract worth $822,500 and avoided salary arbitration.