How should one react to his second-favorite team trading its biggest name to his very favorite team? Rejoice!

The Cubs’ acquisition of All-Star shortstop Nomar Garciaparra by no means assures them of a playoff spot, but it addresses their most serious need. The Cubs have hovered near the top of the National League in team ERA all season long, but are only seventh in the league in runs scored. And that figure is pretty misleading because the Cubs, in spite of leading the league with 143 home runs, have tended to hit those dingers with few men on base thanks to a woeful .324 team on-base percentage (good for 12th).

The only spot the Cubs had open to really improve offensively was shortstop, and General Manager Jim Hendry went out and got the best shortstop available. While Garciaparra is still recovering from an Achilles’ tendon injury, he has done well so far since returning in June, with 5 home runs, 21 RBI and a .367 OBP. And the Cubs didn’t give up anyone currently on their major-league roster, thus making it a pure addition with regard to this year’s club.

Still, there are no guarantees. One hitter rarely makes a difference. As illustrated by yesterday’s 4-3 loss (their 20th one-run loss of the year), there are have been too many days when the Cubs just haven’t been able to get over the hump on offense. It’s unclear whether Garciaparra, not fully healthy and new to National League pitchers, can jumpstart the offense. But he was the best shot at the playoffs the Cubs had, and Hendry made it happen.

As for the Red Sox, they made the best of an impossible situation. Garciaparra obviously was not going to re-sign with them at the end of the year, upset over the team’s refusal to meet his contract demands and its serious flirtation with Alex Rodriguez last winter. Considering that any team trading for Garciaparra was gauranteed only two months of a physically iffy player, it was hard for GM Theo Epstein to get the pitching the Red Sox desperately needed.

Speaking of re-signing Garciaparra, if he continues to insist on taking nothing less than $60 million over four years, it would be unwise of the Cubs to meet that price. They could much better use the money to get equal or better production from an outfielder to replace Moises Alou. But that is months away. Perhaps Garciaparra will fall in love with Cubdom and take less money over less time for the chance to play on the North Side. Perhaps he will be reinvigorated by his trade to the Cubs, and will help lead them to the promised land.

Perhaps.

Finally, some good news:

Mark Prior threw a five-inning, 73-pitch simulated game Tuesday and hopes to return to the Chicago Cubs’ rotation Sunday against the Philadelphia Phillies. Prior felt no pain in his tender right elbow while throwing to teammates Jose Macias, Paul Bako and Tom Goodwin before Tuesday’s game against the Cardinals. Macias tagged him for a homer.

Whoa! Hold up. Macias hit a home run off Mark Prior. Uh-oh.

Seriously, though, it’s good to know this seems to have been a momentary flare-up. On the other hand, no real problem means no real solution. It could flare up again at any time, and could plague him for who knows how long.

It doesn’t matter now, really. Even without Prior in the regular rotation, the Cubs have had great starting pitching all year long. But with a barely average bullpen and well below average offense, the Cubs won’t win the division. Not this year. Not with the way the Cardinals have played.

Frankly, it’s a stretch to think they’ll even get the wild card. Simply put, the offense has let this team down.

The discomfort in Mark Prior’s elbow has returned. Even if it’s only a “stiff elbow” similar in magnitude to what kept Prior on the DL until June, that could mean a few crucial pennant-stretch weeks without the Cubs’ ace. Of course, it could be more.

This team has shown that it can still compete — if not for a division title, at least for a wild card berth — in spite of any number of injuries, including significant stints on the disabled list for the Sosa, Wood and Prior. So I don’t expect that the Cubs will fall off the face of the Earth because of this turn of events. After all, they came back to win tonight, thanks to a fine relief effort from Glendon Rusch.

As I’ve said before, the future of the Cubs as a franchise that can be a perennial World Series contender is wholly dependent on the health of their young pitchers and to a great extent on the excellence of Prior. The Marlins won the World Series last year with a big gun — A.J. Burnett — on the DL. The Cubs could do it too. It’s not impossible!

It’s much less likely, however. More depressing is the prospect that Prior’s career will be continually hampered by injuries of one sort or another.

Damn it, damn it, damn it.

Then again, four-game win streaks tend to have that effect on my psyche. Especially when they’re capped by a ninth-inning rally on the road against your main rival’s closer.

Sosa’s close to getting back, Wood says he feels good, Patterson’s starting to figure it out, Lee’s getting hot … things are looking up! (For now.)

That’s pretty much the way to win championships, especially in today’s NBA. While the Lakers were not at full strength considering the injuries of Karl Malone and Horace Grant, the Detroit Pistons truly dominated the series from start to finish.

They deserve the credit for playing great defense, hustling after the loose balls and displaying great team play on the offensive end of the court. I would have loved any team that beat L.A., of course, but I think the Pistons are a team that the NBA can be proud of.

They showed that a team without a single dominant superstar could win a championship , and perhaps more importantly the demonstrated that an Eastern Conference team could win in the Finals without a Jordan on the roster.

Way to go, Pistons! Congratulations also to Larry Brown, a fantastic coach who’s finally getting his due.

I must admit that I have often had occasion to wonder, after Sport‘s left a pile on the ground, what might ever become of that cute little turd were I not to scoop it up. Now, finally, the answer has come in the form of a Korean animated film being adapted for American audiences. The film is called “Doggy Poo.”

According to the Official Doggy Poo Web site:

Once upon a time, a little doggy poo lived on the side of a road. He felt all alone in the world. He believed that nobody needed him for anything, and that he had no purpose in life. If only Doggy Poo had a reason for being, then he wouldn’t give up on his dream to be useful to the world.

One day, Doggy Poo meets a lovely dandelion sprout. Will she explain his purpose in life? Will she help make his dream come true?

Of course, Doggy Poo learns about his vital role in the cycle of life. Or, as the film so memorably puts it: “Sometimes dreams really do come true.”

Here’s a trailer for the movie, and here’s a trailer for the DVD with 80 minutes of special features. The latter trailer is really the one to watch for outright hilarity.

Of course, you mustn’t forget to buy the 15-song Doggy Poo CD or download your Doggy Poo wallpaper …

Scoop up these treasures today!

We’ll miss you … Ray.

The Cubs may yet contend for a playoff spot this year, though games like today’s — which I had the gross misfortune of attending — make it very difficult to see how that’s possible. But you never know how this team could turn around once Sosa and Wood come back.

Certainly, the mediocrity of the Central Division could make it easier for the Cubs to stay in the thick of things for quite some time. But the hopes some Cubs fans may have had that their team could not only repeat as division champs but win 100 games for the first time since 1935 have long since faded away.

Now we hope only that they’ll finish above .500 in consecutive years for the first time since 1971-72. After today — when even Prior stuck up the joint — it’s tough to stay positive.

On the other hand, I’m glad that though I’ve kept score of many of the hundreds of Cubs games I’ve attended over the years, I have not kept any ongoing log of wins and losses. The Cubs cannot have won more than 40 percent of those games. It certainly doesn’t feel like it. But I’m relieved to not know for sure the exact nature of their terribleness in my presence.

Sometimes ignorance really is bliss.

After an incredible six innings of two-hit, eight strikeout, shutout ball from Mark Prior in his first major-league outing of the year, Joe Borowski blew his second save of the year.

He now has an 8.02 ERA this year. I like the Borowski as much as anyone, but right now he is costing the team games, and there doesn’t seem to be any sign that will change soon. I think Hawkins is too valuable to waste as a closer, but at this point I’d certainly rather see Farnsworth or Remlinger out there in the ninth inning. Baker needs to make a change.

In the meantime, as glas as I am to have Prior back, he cannot win games alone. The Cubs should just be hoping to be at .500 by the All-Star Break. There’s still no firm return date on Wood or Sosa (not to mention Grudzielanek), and right now this team sorely needs Sosa’s bat back in the lineup. The Cubs are now in fifth place, five games out. The season is slowly slipping away.