Category: Cubs

Overhaul in Wrigleyville

Andy McPhail stepped down as Cubs’ president On the heels of the somewhat unexpected news that Cubs’ prez Andy McPhail has stepped down comes the more expected news (and perhaps news that most Cubs fans have been waiting for) that Dusty Baker will not be returning as manager next year. First things first… I wasn’t … Continue reading “Overhaul in Wrigleyville”


Andy McPhail stepped down as Cubs’ president

On the heels of the somewhat unexpected news that Cubs’ prez Andy McPhail has stepped down comes the more expected news (and perhaps news that most Cubs fans have been waiting for) that Dusty Baker will not be returning as manager next year.

First things first… I wasn’t aware of any rumblings in the executive office and didn’t see McPhail’s resignation coming. John McDonough, Cubs’ senior vice president of marketing and broadcasting will replace MmcPhail in an interim role.

The big question is how safe is Jim Hendry’s job. It’s my feeling that as interim prez, McDonough won’t make too many hasty moves unless his position is solidified,

That said, McDonough had this to say:

“My goal is singular. The purpose of why I’ve been asked to do this job is for the Cubs to win the World Series — not win the Wild Card or win the division or win the pennant. It’s time to win. It’s time to win the World Series.”

I’m a pretty cynical guy and I know he’s supposed to say the right stuff but I have to say I’m glad he chose THESE words to say.

As for Baker, he officially didn’t find out till today that he was out but on Sunday, he knew the writing was on the wall.

Fortunately, the Cubs gave him a win for a going away present. Some classless fans who love kicking a man when he’s down, booed Dusty whenever he made a pitching change.

Others held signs that said “Keep Dusty”. Ok, let’s not get carried away here. Charity can go a little too far.

As for Baker?

“At this point, no,” Baker said. “I am what I am, and I am who I am. My dad taught me a long time ago to speak with truth and honesty and be yourself with no regrets.”

Which Rich?

Hill as an Iowa Cub If the Cubs were to keep Rich Hill on the roster for the 07 season, which Rich Hill would they get? To say Hill is having a roller coaster season would be a misnomer. To be more accurate, it would be like one big well, Hill. No pun intended. Hill’s … Continue reading “Which Rich?”


Hill as an Iowa Cub

If the Cubs were to keep Rich Hill on the roster for the 07 season, which Rich Hill would they get?

To say Hill is having a roller coaster season would be a misnomer. To be more accurate, it would be like one big well, Hill. No pun intended.

Hill’s pre- August stats:




































GS CG GF W L Sv Sho IP H R ER HR BB K ERA
5 0 0 0 4 0 0 22 2/3 29 24 24 6 18 12 9.53

Since the beginning of August, something in Hill has caught fire:




































GS CG GF W L Sv Sho IP H R ER HR BB K ERA
9 1 1 6 2 0 1 64 2/3 44 21 16 6 17 61 2.23

Does this mean Hill is a lock for the rotation in 07? Well, his improvement increases his chances but with the Cubs’ situation, nothing is a sure thing aside from perhaps Carlos Zambrano.

That said, Hill, who is a Big Ten product from Michigan, came into the bigs with a reputation from the minors. He dominated when pitching for Iowa just this year when he was named Cubs Co-Minor League Player of the Year

And right now, he claims the only complete game for the Cubs all year.

Is Rich Hill inconsistent or was it just it a matter of adjusting to the bigs?

Theriot gets Hot on MLB Radio

Maybe in an attempt to show that MLB Radio doesn’t ALWAYS focus on East coast teams, Stayin’ Hot with Seth and Bone interviewed Cub rookie Ryan Theriot yesterday. You can hear the interview here. Baton Rouge native Theriot struck a chord with co-host Darryl Hamilton who is also from Louisiana. While I’m on the topic, … Continue reading “Theriot gets Hot on MLB Radio”

Maybe in an attempt to show that MLB Radio doesn’t ALWAYS focus on East coast teams, Stayin’ Hot with Seth and Bone interviewed Cub rookie Ryan Theriot yesterday.

You can hear the interview here.

Baton Rouge native Theriot struck a chord with co-host Darryl Hamilton who is also from Louisiana.

While I’m on the topic, I gotta say Darryl “Hambone” Hamilton lends some fresh air to the MLB Radio staff. He’s laid back and adds a bit of hipness that they sorely need. I’m leery of most ex-jocks who make the transition to the broadcasting/analyst role (Joe Morgan has done ok) but Bone is smart, funny and topical.

Pappas interviewed on Cubscast tomorrow

Cub fans, On the 34th anniversary of his no-hitter in 1972 (the last by a Cub), Milt Pappas will be interviewed by the folks at Cubscast for a special Saturday edition of the Cubs-oriented podcast. I’ll be out of town but will anxious to download that show as soon as I get back. Update: I … Continue reading “Pappas interviewed on Cubscast tomorrow”

Cub fans,
On the 34th anniversary of his no-hitter in 1972 (the last by a Cub), Milt Pappas will be interviewed by the folks at Cubscast for a special Saturday edition of the Cubs-oriented podcast.

I’ll be out of town but will anxious to download that show as soon as I get back.

Update: I just listened to the Cubscast interview with Milt Pappas. It is well worth the listen. The direct link to the download is here.

Nice start for Robbie at Daytona

I know it’s only been a few days but I thought I’d check in on how former Illini and newly acquired Cub catcher Chris Robinson was faring in Daytona. Well, he’s already making his presence known. In his first game at Daytona, “the new guy” had 3 hits and 3 rbis. Through four games, he … Continue reading “Nice start for Robbie at Daytona”

I know it’s only been a few days but I thought I’d check in on how former Illini and newly acquired Cub catcher Chris Robinson was faring in Daytona.

Well, he’s already making his presence known. In his first game at Daytona, “the new guy” had 3 hits and 3 rbis.

Through four games, he is 6 for 17 with a double and a homer.

Can’t blame Dusty for this one

Cub starter and Springfield, IL native Ryan O’Malley left the fifth inning with a strained elbow in his second MLB start and his Wrigley Field debut today. O’Malley looked good in his first start pitching 8 shutout innings against Houston. The game is still in progress but there isn’t much hope as the Phils have … Continue reading “Can’t blame Dusty for this one”

Cub starter and Springfield, IL native Ryan O’Malley left the fifth inning with a strained elbow in his second MLB start and his Wrigley Field debut today.

O’Malley looked good in his first start pitching 8 shutout innings against Houston.

The game is still in progress but there isn’t much hope as the Phils have a 6-3 in the 9th.

U of I catcher alum heading to Cubs organization

This is probably one of the best news I’ve heard regarding the Cubs in a long time. They’ve shipped off infielder Neifi Perez to Detroit for a minor league catcher. Yes, I know a lot of Cub fans are happy to rid the team of Neifi but I’m happiest about who they got… 22- year … Continue reading “U of I catcher alum heading to Cubs organization”

This is probably one of the best news I’ve heard regarding the Cubs in a long time. They’ve shipped off infielder Neifi Perez to Detroit for a minor league catcher.

Yes, I know a lot of Cub fans are happy to rid the team of Neifi but I’m happiest about who they got… 22- year old Chris Robinson.

Robinson is a former Illini player . I got a good look at him two seasons ago (his senior year). He definitely was an impact player with the bat. He wasn’t what I would call a “slugger” but he had occasional pop. Mostly a line drive doubles hitter, though. His batting averges for the three years with Illinois were .306, .359, and .353. Not only that both his OBP and Slg improved each year.

His defense is good (he’s got a great arm!) and he was a real leader on the Illinois team. He was chosen to the All-Big 10 First Team in his senior year.

He had a period of adjustment in the minors but this year, he seemed to had hit his stride. He’s hitting .282 in A ball.

Realistically speaking, I don’t know what the plans are for Robbie. Most likely he will report to Daytona, the Cubs’ A affilliate. I’ll be keeping an eye on him from time to time.

RARE FEATS IN BASEBALL

Ichiro Suzuki On Monday night August 14th Justin Duchscherer picked Ichiro off first base to end the game and preserve a 5-4 Oakland A’s win over the Seattle Mariners. Suzuki is such a heady ballplayer that I’m banking this was the first time something like this happened to him, with 2 outs in the 9th … Continue reading “RARE FEATS IN BASEBALL”


Ichiro Suzuki
On Monday night August 14th Justin Duchscherer picked Ichiro off first base to end the game and preserve a 5-4 Oakland A’s win over the Seattle Mariners. Suzuki is such a heady ballplayer that I’m banking this was the first time something like this happened to him, with 2 outs in the 9th and him carrying the tying run.


Jose Reyes
August 15th saw the Philadelphia Phillies defeat the NY Mets 11-4, despite Jose Reyes hitting three homers for the Metropolitans. Earlier this year the Mets lost a game in which Reyes batted for the cycle.


Ryan O’Malley
August 16th saw the Chicago Cubs win two against the Houston Astros. The first win came in 18 innings (the game started 8/15), with Rich Hill picking up the victory 8-6 in relief. Hill was supposed to have started the next day. As luck would have it, the Cubs minor league team was playing in Texas, so the Cubbies called up Ryan O’Malley who threw eight innings of shutout ball, as Chicago defeated Houston 1-0.


David DeJesus
Thursday the 17th of August saw David DeJesus homer on the 1st pitch of the ballgame to give KC the lead over the White Sox. The Royals went up 2-1 when the first batter in the 2nd inning Emil Brown hit a home run.


Pablo Ozuna
Remarkably ChiSox leadoff man Pablo Ozuna knocked one over the fence to tie the game in the 1st and Jermaine Dyes knotted the game in the 2nd when he hit a leadoff homer for the Good Guys in the bottom of the 2nd.

It was the first time in the history of baseball that leadoff hitters for both teams in the 1st & 2nd innings went yard. The White Sox went on to win the game 5-4 over the Royals.

8/16/06 Linescore of the Day: Miguel Cabrera

3 for 5, 2 HR, 3 runs, 5 rbis Let’s face it, I’m a sucker for rbis, especially when they come in bunches of five. 3B Miguel Cabrera was a big part of Florida’s 15-4 win against the recently hot Dodgers. Cabrera was 3 for 5 with 2 dingers and 5 rbis. Teammate Cody Ross … Continue reading “8/16/06 Linescore of the Day: Miguel Cabrera”

3 for 5, 2 HR, 3 runs, 5 rbis

Let’s face it, I’m a sucker for rbis, especially when they come in bunches of five. 3B Miguel Cabrera was a big part of Florida’s 15-4 win against the recently hot Dodgers.

Cabrera was 3 for 5 with 2 dingers and 5 rbis. Teammate Cody Ross banged in 4 ribbies against his former ‘mates despite an injury.

Did I mention the Dodgers have been hot? They were on a 17 of 18 streak. Best in franchise history since 1899 when they were the Superbas.

Rookie Watch: Ryan O’Malley

I should take my coffee break more often. See, all the professors in the department where I work were congregating for their normal 10am coffee break. Knowing my interest in baseball and my blog, they waved me in like they had something really important to tell me. Turns out one prof has a cousin whose … Continue reading “Rookie Watch: Ryan O’Malley”

I should take my coffee break more often.

See, all the professors in the department where I work were congregating for their normal 10am coffee break. Knowing my interest in baseball and my blog, they waved me in like they had something really important to tell me.

Turns out one prof has a cousin whose kid is going to make his debut for the Cubs today. Ryan O’Malley? Turns out he’s a Springfield product from Sacred Heart-Griffin. He says O’Malley was an All-Stater while there.

Of course, if you paid any attention to the boxscores you know what he did against the Astros. Oh what the heck. Let’s post them, anyway.

8 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 6 BB, 2 K (Win)

If he can keep this up for the foreseeable future (read: next year and beyond), this is a shot in the arm for the Cubs’ pitching staff. But one game at a time. And this is a great start.

Here are his college and minor league numbers. They look real good except for the first two times he played at Iowa (he didn’t pitch a lot either time so it just may be indicative of small data sampling). His Iowa numbers looked better in ’06.

Anyway, I’m looking forward to seeing more of Ryan. With the loss of Wood and Prior, now is the time to evaluate the Cubs’ pitching talent. From what he did against the Astros, O’Malley has shown he may some.