GOOD CUB, BAD CUB

From your Chicago Tribune:

Nomar Garciaparra rescued two women who had fallen into Boston Harbor, his uncle and a witness told the Boston Herald.

Garciaparra, the former Red Sox shortstop who played for the Chicago Cubs last season, was in his Charlestown condominium with his uncle Friday night when they heard a scream and a splash, said the uncle, Victor Garciaparra.

As soon as the two-time American League batting champ ran out the door to help the woman, her friend also fell in, hitting her head on the pier, said Victor Garciaparra, who oversees his nephew's business and charitable ventures.

Victor Garciaparra jumped from the balcony to the water 20 feet below.

"I swam towards them and by the time I reached them, Nomar was already there holding the girls up," he told the newspaper. "But he couldn't get them up without help."

From your Chicago Sun-Times:

A civil trial has been scheduled for January in a breach of contract lawsuit brought by the owners of a Naperville gift shop against Chicago Cubs pitcher Mark Prior after Prior's disastrous autograph-signing appearance at the store last year. ***

The owners of Just Ducky Too filed suit in August 2004 against Prior and Upper Class Collectibles. They contend Prior and the company reneged on an $80,000 contract, wherein Prior agreed to sign limited-edition Wrigley Field figurines and Cubs memorabilia during a three-hour, in-store appearance on June 3, 2004.

Hundreds of Chicago area residents flocked to Just Ducky Too that evening, intent on buying the merchandise and chatting with or having their photographs taken with Prior.

The lawsuit, however, contends Prior behaved rudely during the meet-and-greet and signed only 196 of the contracted 300 baseballs, bats, jerseys and other paraphernalia before leaving the store within 45 minutes of his arrival.

Scores of upset children and adults were abandoned in Prior's wake.

Naturally, Chicago White Sox fans have expressed outrage at the Cubs related stories and attribute them to a biased, anti-Sox Chicago media.