As hard as it might be to recall, the Cubs were in first place on Aug. 7, 2009. Then Carlos Zambrano said he couldn’t pitch, the bullpen lost to the Colorado Rockies that day, and they’ve been 49 games under .500 since that day.

Would Brian Urlacher ever play for another team besides the Bears?

Despite vigorously denying he gave one of his horses an illegal performance-enhancing mixture, trainer Doug O’Neill was suspended 45 days — a ban that won’t take effect until after his superstar colt, I’ll Have Another, tries to win the Triple Crown. After a nearly two-year legal battle, California racing officials agreed with O’Neill but still found fault because of a rule that says trainers are ultimately responsible for horses in their care. The ruling Thursday doesn’t prevent O’Neill from saddling his Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner in the Belmont Stakes on June 9. The suspension and $15,000 fine — which …

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Miami Beach police say a New York Knicks player has been arrested on a bench warrant for not having a valid driver’s license. Sgt. Bobby Hernandez says 26-year-old J.R. Smith was stopped Thursday night on Washington Avenue in South Beach. A routine search revealed the bench warrant and he was arrested. Details were not immediately available on what led police to stop Smith around 8:30 p.m. Hernandez says Smith was taken to the Miami-Dade County jail, where officials say he bonded out early Friday. No attorney was listed on jail records for Smith, whose legal name …

Just when the White Sox were turning a corner … Just when John Danks was making some strides … The injury bug has reared its ugly head. "Seems like if it’s not one thing, it’s something else at this point,’’ said Danks, who’s headed to the 15-day disabled list with soreness in the back of his left shoulder.

Tim Tebow is enjoying the camaraderie with his new New York Jets teammates. When the quarterback came into the locker room on Thursday at OTAs, a few teammates busted out into chants of "Lo-lo! Lo-lo!" — a reference to Lolo Jones, the U.S. Olympic hurdler who recently told HBO’s "Real Sports" that she doesn’t believe in premarital sex, something she has in common with Tebow and prompting some to suggest that the two link up. Jones even weighed in on the banter, writing on her Twitter page: "Ask Tebow if he wants a glass of milk. If he says yes, …

ST. LOUIS — A streaker who ran naked onto the field during a Cardinals game says he did so because he lost a bet. Twenty-two-year-old Collin Grundstrom of Jefferson City was captured at Busch Stadium after shedding his clothes before the start of the seventh inning Thursday night. Officers retrieved his shorts from the stands and made him put them back on before leading him away. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Grundstrom is charged with violating two city ordinances — being a spectator running on the playing field, and lewd and lascivious behavior. He was jailed overnight. The head …