Your 2008 NL Central winning Chicago Cubs

When Carlos Zambrano led the Cubs in no-hit fashion to their third straight win last night as the Phillies completed a four-game sweep of the Brewers, the National League Central Division race ended.

The Cubs are now nine games up on the Crew in the loss column, a lead even delusional Cubs fans should feel comfortable with a week after unwarranted panic. I can't tell you how many times during the recent slump I heard the year 1969 mentioned, but for something like that to happen you also need a team behind you playing well and gaining ground.

The Brewers clearly are not the 1969 Mets, who went 22-5 down the stretch to catch the slumping Cubs. Oh, and the Mets won 100 games. People don't realize the Cubs weren't even winning the division on Sept. 10, yet blame the Cubs for some sort of epic collapse. I wish people would do a little research before they open their mouths, but I digress.

It's now time for the Cubs to start figuring out their playoff roster and give their pitching a few extra days off. They've already started doing that with Zambrano and Rich Harden, but I think in the next two weeks you'll see Sean Marshall and Angel Guzman start a few games to further rest the rotation. They should also give Carlos Marmol a lighter load in the bullpen.

A decision also needs to be made in right field, where Kosuke Fukudome has all but lost his starting role, which I certainly don't agree with. I know his bat hasn't been at all productive since the first half, but his glove has absolutely saved the Cubs a number of times. Had he not been in right against the Cardinals the other night to rob the Redbirds of a couple runs, we would have been talking about another blown lead rather than a close win.

Whoever was expecting Fukudome to hit 25 homers and drive in 100 runs was drastically mistaken. I told many people at the beginning of the year I slated him in for .280, nine home runs and 70 RBIs. He's going to fall short of even that, but his glove makes up for it in a lineup that has been able to produce for the majority of the year without his bat. If you want to point fingers for offensive production, look no further than Derrek Lee.

But after this weather-shortened weekend for the Cubs, they've put the division out of reach. I think a couple of weeks of coasting will do this team some good.

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