With the Cubs' trade of Cesar Izturis to the Pirates, the City of Chicago celebrated the ninth year of its groundbreaking garbage compact with the City of Pittsburgh. The agreement, reached in 1998, allows Chicago to dump light-hitting utility players and washed-up prospects into Pittsburgh. In exchange, Pittsburgh agrees to give these players a stable home as they transition into jobs in the insurance industry.

The pact was first formalized nine years ago, when the Cubs shipped Brant Brown to the Pirates in exchange for future All-Star Jon Lieber. Under the pact, the Cubs were also able to unload Bobby Hill and Jose Hernandez in 2003, receiving the services of Aramis Ramirez.

Some controversy occurred later during the 2003 season when the Pirates inexplicably tried to unload some excess refuse to the Cubs in the form of overweight, sausage-hater Randall Simon. The City of Chicago called this a violation of the pact and sought relief through the courts. The courts sided with Chicago, and after the Cubs were able to strip the last vestiges of talent off of Simon for 6 rbi's in 2003 postseason, the chubby DH was sent back to the Pirates as a free agent in the off-season.

Since the Simon incident, tensions had remained high between the two cities. But the announcement earlier this week that Izturis would be shipped to Pittsburgh seems to indicate that Cubs can begin comfortably shipping their garbage to Pittsburgh once again.

Labels: Aramis Ramirez, Brant Brown, Cesar Izturis, Chicago Cubs, Jon Leiber, Pittsburgh Pirates, Randall Simon