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SAMARDZIJA CALLED UP, OR:
THIS REUNION JUST GOT AWKWARD

by Chris Sprow

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Who thought he'd beat Brady to relevancy?

A few minutes ago, the Cubs passed along a note that they'd called up Jeff Samardzija, the man who used to be Brady Quinn's favorite target at Notre Dame, back when Charlie Weis was still a genius, and back when Samardzija was widely speculated on as a first-round pick along with his quarterback.

When Samardzija skipped the NFL and signed a pact with the Cubs, you had to assume it'd be Brady who would first be under the bright lights. The minor league road can take a number of years. And while the long-haired one isn't being called on to take the Cubs to the World Series, his Triple-A numbers in six starts (4-1, 3.13, 40 K's in 37.1 IP) suggest he could be making this cup of coffee a permanent position, and soon.

Meanwhile, you knew Brady would eventually get some PT based on his Q-rating, but the guy is languishing behind Derek Anderson in Cleveland, and perhaps worst of all, has suffered the indignity of being forced to occasionally hang out with us! How could things get worse?

Consider that another fellow backfield mate, Julius Jones, is also doing just fine in the NFL as the new likely starter in Seattle, and Brady might be feeling a little envy these days.


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