WGN Morning News Blog

Glad I'm under contract for a few years. Could you imagine trying to re-negotiate now? "Gee, Pat, we'd love to give you a bump, but we're kind of tied up with Alfonso for the next 8 years. Can you wait until then?" Don't think I'm taking a shot at Tribune now- quite the contrary. $136 million is unthinkable money! And I'd pay him before I paid me too! I didn't hit 41 homeruns last year. I didn't even SAY "homerun" 41 times last year.

I'm glad the Cubs landed Soriano. If anybody deserves to make $34,979.42 an hour, it's this guy. He swings that bat like a lumberjack and runs like a gazelle! But I fear for myself and my WGN teammates. A month or so ago, some upper management types started floating the idea of a new holiday charitable donation- to The Alfonso Fund. At the time, most of us thought it had something to do with the guy who played Carlton on "Fresh Prince of Bel Air,"or maybe there was a little boy named Alfonso who wasn't good at math or something. But now I have my doubts.

Then there was the "Brown Bag" program they suggested. I assumed we'd be providing surplus and donated edible fruits, vegetables and other food products to low income individuals 60 years of age and older, much like they do in the great state of California. But I've since heard that no, they actually want us to bring our lunches IN BROWN BAGS. The money budgeted for our cafeteria could finance one of Soriano's at-bats.

I hope my doubts are just those- doubts. I don't want my volunteer spirit to die because of a growing suspicion that I might not benefit personally from the Soriano signing. I'm hoping for a Cubs winner like everyone else, but I'm also hoping for open bar at the WGN Holiday Party.