So, to recap the Cubs late-season and offseason activities:

1. Don't offer arbitration to Rich Harden after not trading him to the Twins at the waiver deadline - thereby ensuring they get nothing in return when he signs as a free agent elsewhere (Texas).

2. Suspend Milton Bradley for the last two weeks of the season - thereby ensuring every other team in the league (even the Rays) know that there is no way in the world the Cubs would bring him back. That has the curious effect of creating a less than robust trade market for him.

3. Go to the Winter Meetings with one goal in mind - trade Milton Bradley - and leak rumors to Tweet-hungry reporters about the strong market for Bradley, even though you have already destroyed the market for him (see No. 2). Strangely, the Cubs left Indy with Bradley still a member of the team.

3a. Acquire Carlos Silva for Bradley.

4. Do nothing to pursue Roy Halladay - even though the Blue Jays approached the Cubs about a possible trade.

5. Erect signs in the bleachers to block casino ads across the street. I don't feel strongly about this, but it is the biggest "change" to come to the Cubs so far this offseason.

6. Announce a renovation of Wrigley, but assure male fans they will continue to have to pee into troughs (or get to, depending on their pissing proclivities) - even though toilet technology has improved exponentially since the invention of the urine trough. It's rather like the Chinese and chopsticks; they know there's a better way - they're just stubborn at this point.

Which all leads to one question: Does anyone believe that Mark Cuban would have spent his first offseason negotiating with himself, ensuring Wrigley continues to smell like urine and not making a signature move to announce his presence with authority? Neither do I.

And it's a shame he didn't get the chance to do so (or preferably not do so).