MLB

A key addition to the team in the off-season, White Sox slugger Jim Thome has been even better than advertised. A prodigious hitter, Thome is known as one of the nicest guys in the league. His 2006 is off to a blazing start too, helping the Sox in their title defense.

A pair of frustrating losses Thursday night left two of Chicago's pro sports teams wondering what could have been. For the Bulls, the end came after a roller coaster year that bottomed out for good after the Miami Heat knocked them out of the playoffs' first round. For the Cubs, the end came just one month into the season.

A daily baseball columnist for ESPN.com, Rob Neyer has written five books, including his Big Book of Baseball Blunders, which hits shelves this month. The Heckler talked with Neyer about Chicago's GMs and his World Series predictions.

Well, I lost 10 large betting that less than $25 million of the Cubs payroll would hit the disabled list before Ken Griffey Jr., but you don't win championships in April and you don't make fortunes then either. Rafael Furcal should have his probation revoked for costing me that sort of cash. A successful May will put us on the road to recovery and back in the good graces of our local bookies. Here are Pete's picks for this month:

Carlos Zambrano has positioned himself as the Cubs ace heading into the 2006 campaign. He recently signed a one-year $6.5 million deal that sets the stage for a huge payday next year. Read on as Zambrano shares his enthusiasm for the coming season, his goals for the year, and what it's like playing for Dusty Baker.

Thank you, Barry Bonds. Now I may have company in the "this guy is such a jerk, we won't elect him to a Hall of Fame that already has Ty Cobb as a member"-class of MLB greats. If you want to grab lunch sometime, give me a call. We can discuss ways to get back at Selig. I've always been a big fan of flaming bags of dog poop on his doorstep, but I'm open to suggestions. In the meantime, let's gamble!

Would you have a gigantic evening of binge-drinking the night before the most important job interview of your life? If you're a Sox fan, you're probably saying, "Why not?"