OK, that headline is just to piss you off; I love the World's Cup. Now, to piss you off more, Slog Sports Lovers, it's: Cubs v. Mariners' Week!

Or weak, as in both teams' hitting. But Sweet Lou Piniella brings the Cubs to Safeco Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday this coming week. Only the ugly reality of teaching for a living keeps me from being there for all three games, but as it is I switched my class schedule this summer from T Th to M W to be able to make the Thursday afternoon getaway game, when Carlos Silva is scheduled to start against . . . well, the Mariner's website ain't saying yet. But the first 20,000 fans get Mariners rally towels.

The Mariner's pitchers have been hot, and delusional Cubs fans everywhere (which is to say all Cubs fans everywhere) thank the M's for sweeping the Cincinnati Reds, keeping our NL Central/Wild Card hopes on life support. But more important matters:

First, Slog Commenter Slake and I had a wee bet (one whole beer!) about the Silva-Bradley trade. I claimed that Silva would win more than 10 games, and Bradley would start fewer than 100. Slake did some math to synch this season-long assertion up with the Cubs visit next week, and bet me that Silva would not have 4 wins by the time the Cubs came to town, but that Bradley would have 43 or more games started.

Well, Silva is 8-2, after starting the season 8-0, so I win that half of the bet. Bradley has appeared in 48 games already (even with his Mental Health Break) so I lose that half. Later this Cubs v. Mariners week: A Slog Poll to determine how to pay this bet off. Is it a push? Do we each owe each other half a beer? Or one beer each?

Second, a commenter (sorry for not recalling whom exactly) suggested we have a Sports-Friendly Slog Happy after Thursday afternoon's game. Well, I checked with the Powers That Be, and it turns out as a Slogger, I have the awesome power to convene an unofficial Slog Happy at will. So, after Thursday's game, anyone who cares to join me will convene. . . where? I'm a lowly out-of-towner, and while I have my Seattle bar preferences (the Triangle, the Comet, Liberty) I want to open this up to direct participatory democracy, just to see what that feels like (we don't get much of that in Daleyland). So, we'll have another Slog Poll sometime this week to determine the location of the Sports-Friendly-Slog-Happy Thursday.

Hope to see you at Safeco. I'll be in Section 243, row 8, seat 7, 8 , 9 or 10. Prime foul ball territory from left-handers. I'll be the guy in the Cubs hat keeping score. And Thanks, Dad, for making me a Cubs fan. If Mom had had her way, I'd be one of those douches who roots for the Dodgers.