Category: Cubs

Monday Roundup- Barry, Andruw and Cubs’ Wild Card Chances

Barry ESPN calls it “The Barry Show”. I call it media overload. Update:  Bonds didn’t disappoint Giant fans in his first at-bat back.  He nearly hit a homerun.  It was ruled ground rule double and he eventually scored.   Andruw Is it official?  Has Andruw Jones after hitting his 49th homerun, now reached his full potential?  That may … Continue reading “Monday Roundup- Barry, Andruw and Cubs’ Wild Card Chances”

Barry

ESPN calls it “The Barry Show”.

I call it media overload.

Update:  Bonds didn’t disappoint Giant fans in his first at-bat back.  He nearly hit a homerun.  It was ruled ground rule double and he eventually scored.

 

Andruw

Is it official?  Has Andruw Jones after hitting his 49th homerun, now reached his full potential? 

That may be a bit harsh.  After all, AJ has hit over 25 HR for the last 8 years, driven over 100 runs for 4 years and scored over 100 for 3.  But am I the only one who feels that he hasn’t played up to his potential (at least what we were told he could do when he came up) until now? 

In 2006, Jones will have to deal with “perceived expections”.  Whether or not, he can match this year’s performance remains to be seen.

 

Cubs Wild Card Chances?

Wait, can that be right?  Ok, they may be slim but after going nine for their last twelve, their names are beginning to be mentioned.  At this point, they are 5 1/2 games back in the Wild Card race.  And the difficult part is that there are lots of teams ahead of them.  But that won’t stop a die-hard from from hoping. 

Bleed Cubbie Blue takes us back to 1995 when the Cubs were in a very similar situation as they are now.  They lost the last two games of the season and didn’t win the Wild Card race.  But it was dang close.

 

Cubs/Cards… Feel the Rivalry

I walked into my son’s third-grade classroom two days ago to find his teacher wearing a genuine St Louis Cardinals jersey.  That was the day after the Cubs defeated the Cards 5-2.  I almost went up to give her heck about it but I decided to save my son the embarrassment.  Closer examination revealed it had a … Continue reading “Cubs/Cards… Feel the Rivalry”

I walked into my son’s third-grade classroom two days ago to find his teacher wearing a genuine St Louis Cardinals jersey.  That was the day after the Cubs defeated the Cards 5-2.  I almost went up to give her heck about it but I decided to save my son the embarrassment. 

Closer examination revealed it had a big red “5” on the back.  I had to give her credit for that.

Aflac Trivia Question for that game:  Two pitchers drafted by the Cubs in 1984 have amassed over 500 wins in their career.  Who are they?  It’s an easy one.  Answer later.

The Cubs have just finished a yummy 2-1 series win over the Cards.  That puts them at 8-4 over them for the year.  If they can avoid a four-game sweep at home, they can win the season series against St Louis for the first time since 1995.  A friend and I were discussing this and his comment was “Now if we could only beat teams like Pittsburgh”. 

Aflac Trivia answer:  Greg Maddux and Jamie Moyer

 

 

GOOD FRIDAY

I’m reading the newspaper (actually the Sports section, the only section worth reading) and I notice it’s a BIG sports day in Chicago. The Chicago Bears are playing a preseason game against the Buffalo Bills at Soldier Field, the White Sox & El Duque are matched up against the Mariners 19-year-old phenom Felix Hernandez in … Continue reading “GOOD FRIDAY”

Cub_ticket.jpg

I’m reading the newspaper (actually the Sports section, the only section worth reading) and I notice it’s a BIG sports day in Chicago. The Chicago Bears are playing a preseason game against the Buffalo Bills at Soldier Field, the White Sox & El Duque are matched up against the Mariners 19-year-old phenom Felix Hernandez in Seattle, and the Chicago Cubs are playing the Fish from Florida at Wrigley Field. Upon closer inspection I see that hot shot lefty Jason Vargas will be on the hill for the Marlins. I don’t have a ticket for this sold out contest, but that has never stopped me in the past. I call a ticket broker just north of the ballpark, he assures me he has something for me, and I’m on my way. I must have been excited to see this 22-year-old lefty cuz I paid $100 for a $50 ticket. I had a choice of 4th row behind the Cubs dugout for $125 or 15th row on the Marlins side for $100. I chose the $100 ticket so I could get a closer look at Vargas.

It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining, the humidity was down, and the wind was blowing in off the lake. The Marlins were taking batting practice. Nothing like it as Bleacher Bums (a richer version from days gone by, as it now costs $25 to sit out there) scrambled for baseballs that would be thrown back if hit by Florida batters during the game. A J Burnett came over to say hello to some friends and was besieged by autograph hounds. Burnett signed about thirty autographs for mostly youngsters before joining his team. I was fortunate enough to wander down the rightfield line to where the visitors pitchers warm up before entering the game. As luck would have it Jason Vargas started throwing a little long toss with a bullpen catcher right in front of me. A little fan shouted for Josh Beckett to toss him a baseball and Josh obliged. When the batting cage came down it was time for me to head to my seat. Lee Smith, the alltime saves leader, threw out the first pitch. Later he would lead the faithful in “Take Me Out to the Ballgame”. Why isn’t Big Lee in the Baseball Hall of Fame?

Before Jason Vargas could take the mound he was staked to a 2-0 lead, and before long it was 7-0. Vargas was a position player in college and picked up two hits and a drive to the warning track in his three plate appearances. But what I really came to see was this kid pitch. Jason was cruising, not allowing a run through the first five frames, before getting knocked out of the contest when the Cubbies made it interesting scoring five times in the sixth. Maybe Vargas was tired or maybe the Cubs hitters finally figured him out. Either way this young southpaw keeps hitters off balance with a breaking pitch that’s about ten miles per hour slower than his 89 mile an hour fastball. The Marlins hung on to beat the Cubs 7-5 and give Jason his 5th win in six decisions. After the ballgame I walked six blocks to one of my favorite restaurants the Chicago Diner. The Chicago Diner is completely vegan unless you ask for cheese. Being a vegan-in-training myself, it was nice being able to enjoy my meal without being concerned with what was in my food. A nice dip in my pool was in order after gorging myself on vegan lasagna.

The Chicago Bears preseason game had gone long enough to once again illustrate that Chad Hutchinson is not the answer to the starting QB question. Hutchinson pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals not too long ago, maybe he should try hockey. Rookie Kyle Orton threw a TD pass and Jeff Blake engineered a game winning drive at the end of the game to make it a good day so far.

Next up was the Chicago White Sox going up against Felix Hernandez. Felix was dominating the Sox hitters (not that difficult to do now a days) and it looked like Yorvit Torrealba’s solo blast might just be enough for a 2-1 Mariner winner. But I’ve seen the Seattle Mariners enough this year to know they have a knack for losing, especially seeing I placed a C-note on them before the season thinking they’d win more than they lost. What was I thinking? But thunder came from an unexpected source as rookie Sox outfielder Brian Anderson gave the White Sox a 3-2 lead sending a hanging breaking ball over the leftfield fence with a runner aboard. Anderson also accounted for the White Sox only tally with his first career homer off a 96 MPH heater that went far into the Seattle night. Willie Bloomquist tripled with two outs in the 8th to plate Torrealba and tie the game at three. Bloomquist squeezed in the Mariners first run of the game. This pitching duel was destined for extra innings. Tadahito Iguchi blasted a two run shot off Everyday Eddie Guardado in the 12th to give the White Sox the win. It was their 17th win in their last at bat this season. Iguchi redeemed himself with the homer to left after failing to bring in the go-ahead-run in the 10th with one out and Anderson on 3rd when Julio Mateo struck out Tadahito. Final score Good Guys 5 – Mariners 3. All I have to say is, it was a good day all around. GO SOX GO!!!

A Night of Baseball

Last night I got together with my buddy Brando for the first time in weeks.  It was six hours of total baseball.  The Shot Heard ‘Round the World We sat down and watched The Shot Heard ‘Round the World.  That’s the HBO Sports movie about Bobby Thomson’s homerun against Ralph Branca.  Very good documentary.  I’m … Continue reading “A Night of Baseball”

Last night I got together with my buddy Brando for the first time in weeks.  It was six hours of total baseball. 

The Shot Heard ‘Round the World

We sat down and watched The Shot Heard ‘Round the World.  That’s the HBO Sports movie about Bobby Thomson’s homerun against Ralph Branca.  Very good documentary.  I’m a sucker for watching any footage about baseball’s past and this one didn’t disappoint.  Check it out if you get a chance.

By the way, I never heard about the controversy regarding the Giants stealing signs during the 51 season and playoffs.  That charge was levied by NYG catcher Sal Yvars and denied by everyone else.  Anyway, that was new to me.

For those interested, here is the box score of that game.

Cubs/Cards game

After that we settled down to watch the Cubs defeat the Cardinals.  The Cubs managed to eke a victory out.  Up by a run, Demster managed to force Pujols to ground out with a runner on second.

Far be for me to spit at success but Brando and I got into a discussion about whether it was the right move to pitch to Pujols.  Brando felt strongly that Pujols should have been walked intentionally.  I’m not a big advocate of the intentional walk especially when it puts the winning run on base.  But as an APBA league manager who has had Albert on his team since he was a rookie, I knew what Brando was getting at.  A.P certainly should not have gotten any good pitches to hit and the second Dempster pitch looked pretty juicy.

For what it’s worth, Bleed Cubbie Blue felt the right decision was made to pitch to Pujols.

Hindsight is 20/20 and the Cubs went 3-1 for the series.

Sandberg to the Hall!

ryno.jpg

Today Ryne Sandberg is in Cooperstown, NY.  He’s had a long journey but his induction is well-deserved.  I hope he’s enjoying himself.  It’s like a party being thrown in your honor.  A very big party.  With thousands of people.

As a Cub fan, I’m thrilled.  I remember vividly Ryno’s selfless play without the ego we see so much of today.  The kind of attitude we need more of now.

As most baseball fanatics do, let’s break his career down by the stats:

Games 2164
AB 8385
Runs 1318
Hits 2386
RBI 1061
Doubles 403
Triples 76
HR 282
Walks 761
Strikeouts 1260
Stolen Bases 344
Batting Average .285
Slugging Average .452
On Base Percentage .344
Gold Gloves 9
All-Star Selections 10

… and one MVP in 1984.

Which leads me to a trivia question.  Who was the last NL non-pitcher to win the MVP without hitting 20 homers?  The answer of course, is Sandberg.  Terry Pendleton came close in 1991 with 22.

If we look at Sandberg’s stats in a vacuum, they look pretty awesome.  However, consider that:

  1. Sandberg hit these numbers not as a firstbaseman or leftfielder but as a secondbaseman, a much more demanding position.
  2. His play at second base was clearly superior (hence, 9 Gold Gloves).
  3. and probably most importantly, Sandberg was one of the best if not the best secondbaseman of his era.

So, Cub fans rejoice!  We have one more in the Hall.

Wood to the DL… then to the pen

Word from the Cubs organization is that Kerry Wood is headed to the disabled list again.  That’s no surprise.  Baker alluded to this to the press yesterday so it was pretty much a foregone conclusion.  The question is for how long.  I guess that depends on Wood.  What is a surprise, at least to some, … Continue reading “Wood to the DL… then to the pen”

Word from the Cubs organization is that Kerry Wood is headed to the disabled list again.  That’s no surprise.  Baker alluded to this to the press yesterday so it was pretty much a foregone conclusion.  The question is for how long.  I guess that depends on Wood. 

What is a surprise, at least to some, is that he when he comes back, he’ll be pitching out of the pen.  This idea has been floating here and there for a while now.  I think it’s high time the Cubs give it a try.  Wood might respond well to it.  Baker said it best:

 ”Usually it (the discomfort) comes up somewhere between 60 and 70 pitches or something like that,” Baker said. “That’s the thinking behind it. Woody wants to try that before we take a more serious measure. … This might be better for him in the short run, so we’re going to try it.”

The idea here is that the Cubs season is salvageable and Wood may be able to contribute to the team in this role.  Who knows?  Woody just might be a born short reliever and no one knows it yet.

But first thing first.  Wood needs to get healthy.

 

Cubs Tie Series With the Cards…

…but given the lineup the Cards used, the Cubs actually had a fighting chance.  Rolen, of course is out with a sore shoulder, Pujols was taking the day off due to a shoulder strain, Yadier Molina is out with a broken hand and Walker has a sore neck.  It’s gotta be one of the weakest lineups … Continue reading “Cubs Tie Series With the Cards…”

…but given the lineup the Cards used, the Cubs actually had a fighting chance.  Rolen, of course is out with a sore shoulder, Pujols was taking the day off due to a shoulder strain, Yadier Molina is out with a broken hand and Walker has a sore neck.  It’s gotta be one of the weakest lineups the Birds have used all year.

Unfortunately, brand spankin’ new John Rodriguez was in the lineup.  Rodriguez, who has 2 taters in the last six games, continued his tear, hitting 2 doubles before injuring himself by tripping over a nail in the Cardinals dugout.  Don’t worry Cardinals fans.  He thinks he’ll be back soon.

But the ultimate result is that the Cubs won and that the two teams will play the rubber game tomorrow. 

Derrek Lee hit his 32nd homerun today.  That ties his career high from last year.  And he’s got some 65 games to build on that.  For those wondering, he is 17 rbis away from is career high also from last year. 

Gerut-Dubois Trade

I don’t yet know what to think of the Cubs trade of Jason Dubois for Cleveland OF Jody Gerut.  On the face of it, it looks like a good deal and that’s what I’m hearing from a lot of people.  My take on Gerut… He is solid defensively and can play both corners.  He is … Continue reading “Gerut-Dubois Trade”

I don’t yet know what to think of the Cubs trade of Jason Dubois for Cleveland OF Jody Gerut.  On the face of it, it looks like a good deal and that’s what I’m hearing from a lot of people. 

My take on Gerut… He is solid defensively and can play both corners.  He is fast but not really known as a base stealer.  With the bat, he is perhaps above average at best.  He had a good rookie season but hasn’t reached his potential and slipped a bit in subsequent years.  He has a bit of pop in his bat and isn’t afraid to take a walk.  After being out due to injury the first part of the season, he came back and is hitting a solid .275 with a decent OBP (but surpisingly only 1 homerun). 

But a trade is much more than how much you can get for what you give up.  Those who say that Gerut is a good deal for Dubois may be right in one sense but Cub fans need to ask, “How does this help the team?” 

It’s possible that the Cubs see Gerut as their leadoff man of 05.  This bears out since they have lead him off in his first game with the Cubs.  Are they going to platoon him with Hairston?  I guess we’ll see. 

I just know that the people who are saying this a good deal are probably the same people who earlier this year, wrote Jason Dubois in as the Cubs’ leftfielder for the next few years.  I guess a few dropped fly balls can change some minds.

A couple side notes:

Gerut had a blog when he was with the Indians.  Whether it was ghost-written, I don’t know but it’s worth a look.

Gerut, who grew up in the Chicago area, was a Sox fan.

Pawelek Putting Up Zeroes in AZ Rookie League

Mark Pawelek who was the Cubs’ first round pick, is looking good in the Arizona Rookie League.  He’s pitched twelve scoreless with 19 strikeouts.  Unfortunately, he’s 0-2 by virtue of 3 unearned runs.  His control could be better as he has 6 walks but he’s allowed only 5 hits. Hat tip to Baseball Musings for this piece … Continue reading “Pawelek Putting Up Zeroes in AZ Rookie League”

Mark Pawelek who was the Cubs’ first round pick, is looking good in the Arizona Rookie League.  He’s pitched twelve scoreless with 19 strikeouts.  Unfortunately, he’s 0-2 by virtue of 3 unearned runs.  His control could be better as he has 6 walks but he’s allowed only 5 hits.

Hat tip to Baseball Musings for this piece of info.

Lessons in Lineups

The Cubs won 11-1 today.  And this is the lineup they used. Hairston Walker Lee Burnitz Ramirez Hollandsworth Perez Barrett Wood They’ve used a variation of this lineup for most of July.  Either Dusty is reading the Cubs blogs or he is just doing what makes sense.  He’s finally realized that Neifi Perez (with his … Continue reading “Lessons in Lineups”

The Cubs won 11-1 today.  And this is the lineup they used.

  1. Hairston
  2. Walker
  3. Lee
  4. Burnitz
  5. Ramirez
  6. Hollandsworth
  7. Perez
  8. Barrett
  9. Wood

They’ve used a variation of this lineup for most of July.  Either Dusty is reading the Cubs blogs or he is just doing what makes sense.  He’s finally realized that Neifi Perez (with his sub-.300 OBP) and Corey Patterson (now in Iowa AAA) are not leadoff hitters and Jerry Hairston can get the job done, thank you very much.

Walker makes an excellent #2 hitter.  Let’s keep him there.  He has a high OBP and is a good contact hitter.

Now that the table is set, let Lee, Burnitz and Ramirez clear it off.  Simple as that.

This isn’t rocket science, folks.  Somehow, it has escaped our Clueless Fearless Leader Dusty, till now. 

But remember, he is a player’s manager.