Lou still has time to confer with devil

Cub fans who are cast members of the musical Damn Yankees (Metropolis Theatre, Arlington Heights) continue to lament the latest Cubs' playoff swoon.

They debated long and hard, three weeks ago, about sending Mr. Applegate (the devil) to L.A. to offer Lou Piniella a "trade he couldn't refuse" - his soul in exchange for one legitimate clutch-hitting home run threat. Unfortunately, the director - he's a Brewer fan - vetoed the idea, and Piniella was forced to rely on Soriano, Lee and Ramirez. You know the rest the rest of the story.

Now, the Cubs' "braintrust" gathers to plot the team's future in 2009. Consequently, Piniella still has time to confer with Applegate. The show closes Nov. 1, which is longer than the Cubs lasted this year.

Dean Dranias

Aurora