From The Windup is FanHouse's daily, extended look at a particular portion of America's pastime.

I don't know if you've been paying attention, but there are some things going on in this country right now that are far more important than whether or not the Cubs will win the World Series, or whether New York will collapse on itself should the Yankees miss the playoffs.

No, I'm not talking about the new Beverly Hills 90210 - though it's nice to see Lori Loughlin getting work - I'm talking about the upcoming election for President of the United States. Yeah, you've probably noticed in the last few weeks that all your favorite crappy sitcoms and celebrity dancing shows haven't been on in favor of a bunch of people giving speeches in front of sycophants. We call these the Democratic and Republican National Conventions.

For the first time in my life, I've paid pretty close attention to both of these conventions this year. You see, even though I've never been shy about my feelings about this country of ours, and those who have been chosen to run it, I've never actually exercised my right to be a factor in the decision.

That's right, at 27 years of age, I have never voted in a single election. Not for President, not for Governor, not even for Student Council President in high school. So when November 4th rolls around in two months, I will be stepping into a voting booth for the first time, and though I'm somewhat excited about it, I still face a pretty tough question.

Just who am I voting for?

Relax, Cubs fans, there's no need to panic after all, at least if you believe the company line. Carlos Zambrano finally underwent an MRI yesterday (one day after inexplicably skipping his previously scheduled exam) and the results weren't all that bad, just a touch of inflammation and rotator cuff tendinitis. He received an anti-inflammatory shot, and if all goes well, he could end up missing just one start. From Dave van Dyck of the Chicago Tribune:

"Hopefully, by time we get to St. Louis [on Tuesday] he will throw [in the bullpen]," general manager Jim Hendry said. "If that proceeds in a positive fashion, he will be ready to start, probably by the end of the series in Houston."

"So he'll just be missing, hopefully, this one start. Obviously, he'll have to get his strength back from not pitching. Once the shot takes its proper course, he will begin throwing in St. Louis."

Is mere rest and a touch of cortisone all he needs? It's possible. After posting a 1.78 ERA in five July starts, Zambrano posted a 7.43 ERA in five August starts. On the surface, such a sudden drop in performance suggests there might something more serious going on in Big Z's arm ... if only it didn't look so familiar.

Last season, Zambrano posted a 1.39 ERA in July followed by a 7.06 ERA in August. What happened down the stretch run? Zambrano re-discovered his groove with a 3.44 ERA in six September starts. It's frustrating, but inconsistency is a hallmark of Zambrano's career, as is being an workhorse who always bounces back. I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt that he'll be okay.

If there's one thing I've learned from watching political coverage this year, it's that if you don't like something, you should turn it off. Sure, it might make you a less informed citizen, but it also won't turn you into a raving lunatic who wants to tear his eyeballs out because DICK MORRIS OH MY GOD I HATE YOU. Like I said: turning things off is important.

So it goes with the Cubs. If Carlos Zambrano's apparent injury shenanigans keep up, and the Cubs keep losing, even more fans are going to be driven to the brink of insanity. Just like the gentleman pictured above.

See what you're doing, Carlos? Slam poetry and motorcross, man. Slam poetry and motorcross.

(HT: BLS)

It's the worst time of the year to be a Cubs fan right now, for the calendar has finally turned over to September, and that means it's time for the Cubs to collapse. So here we are on September 4th, and the Cubs have lost their last five games, but luckily for them the Brewers haven't gained any ground on them in the process.

That's the end of the good news, though, as millions of Cubs fans woke up this morning to read their copy of the Chicago Tribune and were hit with this headline: Zambrano's season is in jeopardy.

The silence surrounding the pain that is said to be in Carlos Zambrano's valuable right shoulder could speak volumes and the Cubs seemed to be preparing for the worst Wednesday, that Zambrano could be out for a long period, perhaps the rest of the season.

Manager Lou Piniella, who served as team spokesman, said he knew little of Zambrano's examination by team orthopedist Stephen Gryzlo, why Zambrano skipped his MRI appointment or how long Zambrano would be out, although Sean Marshall will start in his place Sunday.

Oh, but it gets worse. Zambrano isn't the only member of the Cubs rotation who is dealing with a mysterious injury right now, as Rich Harden has had his next start pushed back to next Wednesday thanks to some discomfort in his throwing arm.

Obviously, this is horrible news for a Cubs team that seemingly had everything going for it all season. While I don't think any of this will keep the Cubs from making the playoffs (their lead is still rather comfortable), it sure as hell isn't going to help them end their World Series drought.

With the playoff chase coming down to the wire, our MLB editor rounds up the five biggest pennant race stories in Eye Toward October.

- Wild, Wild West: The contenders in the NL West might not have gaudy records -- only the Diamondbacks sit above .500 entering play Thursday -- but that doesn't mean the race won't be plenty entertaining. Think about the last couple of days.

Tuesday Dodgers phenom Clayton Kershaw and prized acquisition Manny Ramirez powered Los Angeles to within 1 1/2 games of first-place Diamondbacks. Wednesday Arizona's own trade catch Adam Dunn gave the D'backs a walk-off win and some breathing room ahead of their final series with the rival Dodgers.

All the while, the Rockies, the darlings of last year's postseason, are lurking. Colorado is 17-14 since the beginning of August, and lest you think it isn't a real factor well back of Los Angeles and Arizona, the Rockies will play both clubs a combined nine times in the coming weeks.

The beauty of a protracted pennant race, especially one with three teams battling for a lone playoff spot, is that it's bound to be exciting even if the teams aren't great, or even very good.

When Carlos Zambrano missed his start on Sunday, everyone shrugged and said it was a precautionary move with an eye towards October. Things appear much more serious now, as Big Z left his start against the Astros after five lackluster innings, saying that he couldn't pitch any more. He left to be examined and the Cubs dropped their fourth straight, allowing the Brewers to narrow the division lead to 4 1/2 games.

This is about the worst news the Cubs could get at this time of year and it has the Cubs fans running for cover out of fear that the sky is falling. Even Lou Piniella was bristlier than usual after the game:

''If he can pitch, he can pitch,'' Piniella said. ''If he can't, we'll put [Sean] Marshall in the rotation and go from there.''

[...]

''Did anybody think this thing was going to be real easy?'' Piniella said. ''You didn't hear that from me all year. We're in a stretch here where things aren't going our way, and we've just got to keep battling and keep our confidence up.''

Obviously this is bigger than just putting Sean Marshall in the rotation if Zambrano is hurt. His ugly August might suggest an injury, but after a short DL stint in June he came back strongly. This situation may be similar to that, though if it's not the Cubs are going into the playoffs lead by Rich Harden and Ryan Dempster in their rotation. That's a scary thought for anyone.

From The Windup is FanHouse's daily, extended look at a particular portion of America's pastime.

Though it shouldn't be, as Brinson told us yesterday, the NL Cy Young race is likely a closed deal as things currently stand -- unless Brandon Webb keeps laying eggs. The Rookie of the Year race won't even be a contest with Geovany Soto running away with it. The MVP, however, is wide open.

In order to make sure we leave no stone unturned, let's examine the criteria. First of all, there are two predominant methods taken when people want to argue about MVP.

1. Bloggy/Spreadsheet Guy Who Never Played Baseball Method: Look at VORP. Whoever has the highest VORP should be the MVP, because the game of baseball isn't played on a field with human beings. It's played on a computer spreadsheet with robots that don't feel emotion or pressure.

2. Old, Stubborn Writer Guy Method: Check out the Triple Crown numbers for the everyday players on contending teams. If you have a 1.500 OPS and 200 steals and play Andruw Jones (circa 2003) defense on a last place team, you just don't count. You can't possibly be valuable to a team unless said team is good.

With the playoff chase coming down to the wire, our MLB editor rounds up the five biggest pennant race stories in Eye Toward October.

- Champs Getting Stronger: The Red Sox have suddenly opened up a sizable four-game edge in the wild-card race after winning Tuesday while the White Sox and Twins lost. The news gets even better when you consider that Mike Lowell and Josh Beckett are set to return on Friday, with J.D. Drew and pitcher Bartolo Colon possibly returning next week.

It's easy to compare the 2008 Sox to the last Boston team that defended a title. Like this year's version, the 2005 team was ravaged by injuries to key players. There's one major difference, though, and that's the depth in the organization. GM Theo Epstein's vision of making the Red Sox a nine-figure player development machine has bloomed fully, and because of it Boston has a very real chance to repeat.

Their minor league system is among the most robust in the game, far different from the Dan Duquette era, and it's enabled the Red Sox to plug many of the holes they've had over the course of a trying season.

When Julio Lugo went down, Jed Lowrie came up and improved the team. When the team needed a spot starter for Josh Beckett, they turned to pitching prospect Michael Bowden. When the team needed another outfielder because of Drew's injury, they were able to deal a prospect with good upside for Mark Kotsay because of their minor league depth.

It's been a pretty remarkable season for the Chicago Cubs, as they currently own the best record in baseball and are a serious threat to end one hundred years of futility and win the World Series this October. Still, even with all the things the Cubs are doing in 2008, none of it matches what Koyie Hill has done.

The Cubs called Hill up to the club yesterday as part of the September call ups, but the fact that Hill is still even playing baseball is a miracle. After all, not many people return to the game after cutting off three fingers and a thumb in a table saw accident.

It happened last October 16th when Koyie was making a window frame for his house. His table saw got stuck in the wood, and before Koyie knew what hit him, he was missing the thumb, pinky, ring, and middle finger from his right hand. He was then rushed to an emergency room where a hand specialist sewed the fingers back on, but was told by doctors he'd never play baseball again.

Little did the doctors know that they were creating the perfect "baseball hand."

From The Windup is FanHouse's daily, extended look at a particular portion of America's pastime.

While discussing the Cy Young on Sunday night, Joe Morgan said, predictably, that it was "Brandon Webb's to lose". In fairness, he's probably right. But ... I don't really think he should be. See, the Cy Young is all about perception.

Headshots via Getty Images
Well, not all about perception, but there's a pretty hefty chunk of voting attribution distributed towards the feeling of performance, rather than the strictly statistical discussion of how various pitchers have excelled throughout the season.

If that wasn't the case, then Randy Johnson would have won the Cy Young in 2004, when he very clearly outperformed Roger Clemens on the mound.

In an "ideal" world, there would be someone stuck squarely in the upper left quadrant above -- a pitcher with obviously dominant stats that were publicly recognized (because his team didn't stink). That rarely happens, though, and this year's Cy Young race is, when you really start breaking it down, one of the most intriguing we've seen in a few years.

After all, we have the heavy favorite in Webb, the best pitcher in the National League in Tim Lincecum, the discussion incumbent (Johan Santana), the early season surprise (Edinson Volquez) and a few darkhorses in Danny Haren and Ryan Dempster, the latter which is nothing short of shocking.

See, it's perception that led smart baseball guru types Bill James and Rob Neyer to create a formula entirely devoted to predicting the Cy Young balloting. Not "should win" mind you, but "will win" based entirely on what the voters tend to look for in their winner.

As you can see from the list, Salomon Torres is the eighth most likely pitcher to win the CY. I'm willing to bet he won't get any votes come the end of the year. But a guy who deserves some votes, or at least some Award-worthy buzz, for what he's done since the beginning of July, is CC Sabathia.