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If tying is like kissing your sister, than having Carlos Marmol pitch is like having your sister's ugly friend ask you to play spin the bottle with her.

The White Sox marketing department has come up with a lot of rules for its "Grinder Ball" ad campaign—which actually seems far-removed from the homer-happy, "Go Go" South Siders of this season. With all those rules, the team can be forgiven, then, for failing to remember a few here and there. This week, they forgot number 43: No matter how the Sox are doing, they should never, ever, lose to the Royals.

Following a successful trade of Greg Maddux—the only semi-reliable Cubs starter this side of Carlos Zambrano—to the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Cubs’ four-game win streak was snapped Monday night as Mark Prior showed why he may never get a victory this season. The former ace surrendered three long balls and six earned runs to the Arizona Diamondbacks, dropping him to 0-5 on the year with a Glendon Rusch-like 7.20 ERA.

There were skeptics when Kenny Williams was hired as the White Sox general manager in 2000. There are no more questions. It's clear Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf made the right move when he promoted Williams and his burning desire to win. With a World Series title under his belt and the Sox competing for another, he has become the model for what a GM should be.

It was '70s Night at Wrigley Field Tuesday, and for some reason, most fans decided to celebrate by wearing clown wigs and random big hats. But on this most special of occasions, what was most obvious during the Cubs 9-3 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks is that if you have been umpiring since the '70s, perhaps it's time to retire.

Last month, Guillen found himself embroiled in controversy when he called Sun-Times columnist Jay Mariotti a "fag." This time, however, his putdown will be encouraged.

The White Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates put on an offensive showcase for the half-capacity crowd at PNC Park yesterday afternoon, racking up 14 hits each in what turned out to be a surprisingly spirited match up. Even more surprising was the fact that the Pirates actually won a game.