If necessary, says Hendry, Cubs will pay to play

Hours before the Cubs defeated the White Sox on Friday, long before he even knew the results of Carlos Zambrano's MRI, Cubs GM Jim Hendry was as realistic as an optimist can be.

He all but said Zambrano would spend time on the disabled list, but talked as well of making sure the Cubs' ace was healthy and happy when it mattered most later this summer and deep into the fall.

Still, Hendry said that the Zambrano results -- which the Cubs termed a minor strain -- would not change his approach to the trade market.

"I try to go to work every day open for business and thinking this could be the day we get something done, not that we're actively seeking anything," Hendry said. "I think you have to operate like that because some of our best deals have come out of nowhere, and weren't even on the map a day or two before it happened.

"It's all about timing and opportunity, and what people speculate about is often something that's impossible and not in our hands. The best deals are often the ones not on anyone's radar."

So whether Zambrano misses a week or a month, or somewhere in between -- they'll announce that decision today -- Hendry won't be forced into going after C.C. Sabathia or any other big-name starter unless the terms are right for the Cubs, too.

More significantly, Hendry said he's got the cash necessary to do anything possible to win the World Series.

"At $120-something million on our payroll, I'd have to get something cleared to add a lot more (payroll)," Hendry said. "But I've been assured that if we need to add a piece or two, we'll be able to do it.

"There's no doubt we have the money to get something done if we need it."

The Cubs were probably on the lookout for another reliable starter even before Zambrano went down, and any attempt to get one now will be viewed as desperation and cost them more.

So Hendry may have to wait and watch to see where the market goes, and in the meantime he has little to fear in the NL Central.

The only thing that can stop the Cubs from winning this division is a serious rash of serious injuries, and Zambrano does cause a pause for Cubs fans.

The Cubs were pleased that this MRI showed no structural damage to the labrum of rotator cuff, but that doesn't mean they won't be cautious with someone who holds in his arm such a huge piece of the Cubs' championship puzzle.

And it's no guarantee a month or two from now won't bring another MRI.

Game-changer

Aramis Ramirez might not have had a chance to hit Friday's game-winner in the ninth off Scott Linebrink if not for a gaffe by Brian Anderson in the top of the inning.

Anderson appeared completely overmatched against Kerry Wood when he blasted an 0-1 pitch off the base of the center field wall.

Kosuke Fukudome misplayed the ball, but Anderson wasn't running hard off the bat and was forced to stop at second.

Asked if Anderson should have been standing at third with a triple, manager Ozzie Guillen replied, "Yes, definitely."

Asked if that also changed his choice of hitters after Anderson, Guillen answered, "Yes."

The Sox made three quick outs after the double and Anderson never moved off the base, while Ramirez won the game for the Cubs leading off the bottom of the inning against Linebrink, instead of facing Bobby Jenks had the Sox taken the lead.

Left out

Paul Konerko won't travel with the White Sox to Los Angeles on Monday as he tries to heal from a left oblique strain.

"That thing takes time in the ribs there, and I told him he doesn't need to hurry back and make it worse," Guillen said. "I don't even want him on that plane for so long when we'll be back three days later.

"We need him back, but we need him to be 100 percent. He's a big presence in our lineup and I don't want to lose him again."

Confounding Confines

Ozzie Guillen calls Wrigley Field "the museum of baseball," and enjoys the North Siders' home once the game begins.

But he's never made any secret of his hatred for the old ballpark and all the problems associated with it, from lack of parking to a tiny visitor's clubhouse.

"How about the batting cage (under the bleachers)?" Guillen said. "You got rats out there bigger than pigs. I think the rats are lifting weights."

Lou don't

E-mailer Arlington Heights John, on the Cubs' getting swept by the Rays: "Lou Piniella never won in Tampa Bay before. Why would he start now?"

Summer heat

Greg Cote of the Miami Herald: "Cubs and White Sox are both leading their divisions. Chicago hasn't been this hot since that fire back in 1871."

Sinking ship

Comedian Alex Kaseberg: "The Mets fired manager Willie Randolph, or as the old saying goes, it's like firing the concierge on the Titanic."

And finally...

Ozzie Guillen, defending his opinion that Wrigley Field is a terrible place to visit: "I'm not wrong about that. If you have to walk a mile just to use a (toilet), I know I'm not wrong."