The Bruce Lee bobblehead has no fear...

This might arguably be the best promotion of the baseball season.

Courtesy of the San Francisco Giants, it will be Bruce Lee Tribute Night this upcoming Tuesday for their game against the Diamondbacks at AT&T Park.

Break out the tissues...

Videos of reunions of returning soldiers and their loved ones always are something special to see. This is one of the latest, featuring a soldier returning home from Afghanistan and providing a surprise for his mother, courtesy of the Greenville (NC) Drive, a Single A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox in the South Atlantic League.

Houston, we have a problem...

With the Cubs in rebuilding mode for at least this year and most likely through at least 2014, we here at Wait Til Next Century say we are going to miss the Houston Astros when Houston moves to the American League West next season. The 'Stros have stunk just enough to keep a very bad Cubs team (currently riding a six-game losing streak, which is one of many such streaks this year) out of last place. Last night, they provided yet another example of how bad things have been at Minute Maid Park:

Three Blind Mice...

Here's something you don't see every day: the DJ at a ballpark getting ejected from a game by the umpire.  This happened last night at the Cubs' minor league affiliate in Daytona Beach, Fla.

Zambrano vs. Dempster

Ryan Dempster

With the Major League Baseball trade deadline upon us at 3 p.m. CDT today, we likely will see Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster heading out of Chicago, likely to the Dodgers.

Dempster has been good for a woeful Cubs team, going 5-5 in 16 starts (mainly because of little run support), but holding a 2.25 ERA, including a 33-inning scoreless streak earlier this month. Since becoming a starter in 2008, he has been consistently steady for an unsteady Cubs team, including winning 17 games in 2008 and 15 in 2010. However, he likely is out of Chicago, joining Geovany Soto, who went to the Rangers last night, and Reed Johnson and Paul Maholm going to the Braves, all for prospects.

Carlos Zambrano

Waddle and Silvy on ESPN 1000 Radio this morning had an interesting question as they discussed Dempster's likely departure, and that is who was the better pitcher for the Cubs, Dempster or Carlos Zambrano.

Zambrano was pretty good during his 10 years at the Friendly Confines, winning 125 games before being traded to the Marlins after last season. He was known for his bouts of awesomeness, including a no-hitter against the Astros Sept. 14, 2008, in a game moved to Milwaukee's Miller Park due to Hurricane Ike hitting Houston. He won 16 games in 2004 and 2006 and 18 games for the NL Central title-winning Cubs in 2008. He also had a good bat for a pitcher.

However, he was also known for his temper and bouts of immaturity. He was suspended in 2010 after he had a tirade against then-teammate Derrek Lee, and last year, he was pretty much booted off the team in September after yet another meltdown. He was traded to the Marlins and equally fiery manager Ozzie Guillen, but that has not translated to success, going 5-9 so far this season. That has led to a demotion to the bullpen.

So here's the question: Who was the better pitcher for the Cubs: Ryan Dempster or Carlos Zambrano? Cast your votes now.

Cubs vs. Sox showdown

During what has been a long, torturous season for the Cubs, there have been few bright spots.

Sure, we saw Ryan Dempster have a 33-inning scoreless streak this past month. The Cubs also had a stretch where they won 15 of 20 games around the All Star break, a brief tease of respectability that ended with a sweep at the hands of the Cardinals last weekend by a combined score of 23-1, including a 12-0 loss last Saturday that saw the Cardinals score a team record 12 runs in the seventh inning.

Beyond that, the only bright spots, besides the promises from Theo Epstein for a brighter future, have been in commercials. We featured ex-Cubs Kerry Wood and Andre Dawson shilling State Farm Insurance recently. But there also have been these great spots by New Era with actor and Cubs fan Nick Offerman of "Parks and Recreation" and fellow actor and White Sox fan Craig Robinson ("The Office") squaring off.

Round 1 appeared in April at the beginning of the season.




Round 2, which premiered in May, had Robinson quizzing Offerman on how far he would go to end the Cubs' World Series drought.



Round 3, appearing for the first time a week or so, ago, have an ultimate staredown.




Unfortunately for the Cubs, the Sox got the better of them in the overall series, taking four of the six games they played, including sweeping the three at Wrigley Field in May. So continues the long season.

50 Shades of Nationals Grey...

Relief pitchers are notorious for being a little, shall we say, odd. A few members of the Washington Nationals' bullpen continued that tradition, reading the bestselling novel, "50 Shades of Grey."