First place nice, say Cubs, but they're not too excited yet

The Cubs are in first place for the first time in more than three months.

They seem to be enjoying it, but they caution it doesn't mean a whole lot right now.

"I think it's great," said catcher Koyie Hill, who is playing every day in place of the injured Geovany Soto. "I said earlier that to go through some adversity can build a lot of character. But you could go one way or the other.

"I'm proud to be in the position that we are in, but at the same time, there's a long ways to go, a lot of baseball to be played. You only care about being in first place Nov. 4 or 5, whatever day that is, that final day. We'll keep plugging away."

The Cubs were tied for first place April 21 with an 8-4 record. They were 5 games out of first May 25. Their 5-2 victory over Cincinnati on Sunday gave them a 51-45 record, one-half game better than St. Louis. They were at seven games over .500 once, at 21-14.

"It's nice," right fielder Milton Bradley said. "I don't think we're going to get any nicer articles written about us. But we are in first place, so you can't find a negative in that.

"Are we going to get more cheers now? Are we going to start getting bashed by everybody in articles about our lineup and was it better last year and all that garbage? Last year's team is sitting home just like everybody else. There's one champion."

Lee sits out: First baseman Derrek Lee did not play Sunday because of the neck spasms that forced him out of Saturday's game. Jake Fox filled in, but manager Lou Piniella said Lee should be ready Monday night against the Houston Astros.

"He's been looking to get his name in the lineup," Piniella said of Fox. "He told me yesterday, 'Skip, I've already played five positions for you this year.' Let's see how he does."

Fox was 1-for-5 with an RBI single.

"If you'd have told me I'd be doing this two or three years ago, I wouldn't have believed you," Fox said. "But it's been a lot of fun. It's always an adventure showing up every day, seeing where you're going to be, where you might go in.

"It even caught me a little off guard (Saturday), going into first base because that's one position I can play that I didn't think I'd get much time at. Hopefully I've shown I can play out there."

Until next time: Kosuke Fukudome's hitting coach from Japan, Kyosuke Sasaki, has headed home, and the Cubs are more than pleased with the results from the week Sasaki spent with Fukudome.

"He's done a nice job, I told him that, a really nice job," Lou Piniella said. "He gave Fukudome a little bit of a front-knee turn. It keeps him 'in' much better.

"He stays on top of the ball better. He hits the ball to left field, which I think is very important for him and keeps him from spinning. It keeps him steady, and we thanked him for being here, and he'll be back in September."