CubsChic

Who said these Cubs/Sox games were getting stale. I saw some silly headline to that effect the other day and didn’t bother to read the article. You’re not a true fan if you don’t enjoy these games, especially when they’ve for the most part been very competitive. Yesterday’s was no exception. I’m hoping today’s game isn’t nearly as exciting. I could handle a huge Cubs win. It would certainly help Ronnie’s blood pressure.

It’s a beautiful day for baseball. Sorry Ernie, but they won’t be playing two.

Well, that will teach me to walk away from the TV. After Hoffpauir’s go-ahead homer in the 8th, I thought the Cubs might actually get away with squandering numerous scoring opportunities yet again. (They were 0-8 with runners in scoring position.) When they returned from the commercial break, I guess I wasn’t all that surprised to see that the Tigers had won the game. Gregg says that the ball slipped out of his hand and that he could have hit that pitch out of the park. Hey, the guy’s human. It’s the walk before that ill-fated pitch that bothers me more.

D Lee had two more hits, extending his hitting streak to 20 games. But he can’t carry this team all alone. Ramirez has been traveling and working out with the team, but he probably won’t be back until the All-Star break. Speaking of which, who will get the honor of representing the Cubs at the All-Star game this year? My bet is on Lilly, as he’s been the ace of the staff in my opinion. If Soriano gets voted in it will only be from fans from other cities that haven’t seen him play lately, or maybe Cub fans who’ll only vote for Cubs, regardless of stats. I’m in favor of the players picking the teams and leaving the fans out of it. Especially since Selig has stupidly made the results of the game such a huge impact on post-season play.

The hits were there Monday night in Atlanta, but just not at the right time. The Cubs stranded base runners in seven innings and the Cubs managed no run support for Dempster at all. Let’s hope the better bats were shipped to Detroit ahead of the team and this was just a one-game reversion to the frustrating ball the Cubs have played the last month or so. Too bad they couldn’t add to their win streak, which ended at four games, tying their longest of the season. Now that the weather’s finally heating up, it’s time for the Cubs to get hot, as well.

So now it’s Big Z’s turn to right the ship. Lou has a lot of options for DH, so it will be interesting to see what line-up he puts together. Zambrano isn’t going to be happy about not hitting, but I can’t see Lou not using Fox or Hoffpauir in this situation. They need the at-bats more than Zambrano.

As thrilled as most Cub fans are about the latest two exciting victories over the Indians, I think most are a little sad that they had to come at the expense of Kerry Wood. He’ll always be a Cub at heart. I’m sure some of his current teammates are giving him a hard time about throwing two victories our way. That being said, we’ll take them any way we can get them.

D Lee has woken up. That makes four homers in the last three games. Everyone has gotten into the act with clutch hits and good fundamental ball. They executed a hit and run. Soriano even stolen a base. Now if we could just get him on base more often. One of the keys the last few days is that the Cubs are taking walks, something that wasn’t happening during this latest funk.

With the Sox beating the Reds last night, the Cubs crept into third place, only 2.5 behind the Cards. Let’s see the Cubs go on a June surge instead of the typical June swoon.

Could yesterday’s come-from-behind victory over the White Sox be the turn-around game of the season for the Cubs? With their lack of timely hitting, especially late in games, I think very few fans thought they had a shot of winning that game, especially once Marmol gave up a few runs. What a pleasant surprise.

I’m just glad we split the two games and got back to .500. I hate being under, but being even isn’t much better. With as poorly as we’ve been playing, we’re lucky to be treading water. Once the bats get out of this funk, which you have to think will eventually happen, then it’s time to go on a tear. Kinda like the Rockies just did, winning 11 in a row (luckily for us, seven of those were against the Cardinals and Brewers).

Now we just need to roll these good vibes over to today’s game against the Indians. It will be nice to welcome back DeRosa and Wood. I’m sure they’ll get a warm reception from the fans, although I hope we don’t have the occasion to face Wood. I’ll be at Sunday’s game, barring yet another rainout. I’ve been rained out of two games so far this season (Cards and Sox). I’m ready for a little warmth and sunshine at the old ballpark, especially since my seats are in the shade. But if I have to trade conditions for wins, I’ll take the wins any day.

Sixty games into the season and we’re right where we started (.500). Lucky for us no one else in the NLC seems to want to run away with it. If the Cubs’ bats ever wake up and the pitching stays this consistent, it could be an interesting season yet.

My apologies to my readers for a lack of posts so far this season. I plan on correcting that, hopefully with five to six posts per week from here on out. One major difference between this season and the last two has been my lack of posting. Hopefully, if I get back to doing my job, the Cubs will get back to doing theirs and we’ll all end up in the playoffs again. (Oh, if it were only so easy.)

I’m off to tonight’s Cubs/Sox game. It’s going to be a wet one, but I think they’ll squeeze it in between storm clusters. My S.O. will be with me and he’s 6-1 so far this season, so hopefully that bodes well for the Cubs.

Plenty more to catch up on in later posts…

Better buckle up your seat belts, because I have a feeling this season’s going to be a bumpy ride. After finishing the preseason with an 18-16-2 record (they do allow ties during the preseason), the Cubs got clobbered in their two exhibition games in NYC. I know that they’ll be going into tonight’s season opener aware that these games actually count, but I hated to see our starting pitching get pounded so badly by the Yankees.

Lou waited until the last minute to finalize his bullpen. I like the fact that he let the guys win or lose their spots on the mound; even if it means that Samardzija got sent down to Triple A. Rule 5 pick-up David Patton and Angel Guzman made the opening day bullpen roster and Chad Gaudin was released. (More on what Rule 5 is in a later post.)

Kudos to MLB for allowing the Cubs to play the first two series in domed ballparks. It will be cold enough next week for our own opening day at Wrigley. The Cubs should be honored that they get to play in three home openers this season (Houston, Milwaukee and Wrigley), four if you count the first games ever played at the new Yankee Stadium last weekend.

So now we sit back and see if this line-up is really as good as it looks on paper, because these boys really hit the ball in the pre-season. Can they stay healthy? How much will we miss DeRosa and Wood? Can Soto avoid the sophomore slump? For answers to these questions and more, stay tuned…

The Cubs are playing a split-squad game against Cleveland right now. (I’ve got Pat and Ron on in the background.) Lots of strange names, as most of the regulars went to Vegas for the split-squad game against the White Sox this evening. (That game will be on WGN TV tonight.)

Although we’re facing the Tribe today, we won’t be seeing Woody or DeRosa. The former isn’t scheduled to pitch today and the latter is with Team USA playing in the WBC.

So enjoy your double serving of Cubs baseball today. With the sun out in Chicago today and a warm-up on the way, can spring be far behind? Opening day is only 33 days away.

The first spring training game of the season starts in about an hour. How fitting is it that the Cubs are facing the Dodgers? No time like the present to wipe the slate clean and start a new season full of possibilities. I know, I’m the eternal optimist when it comes to my baseball.

I’m just excited to be able to listen to Pat and Ron this afternoon. It’s in the low 40s outside, so I can almost imagine spring is around the corner, too. I’m one of the few people who internally cringe when we get a freakishly warm day in February, as I want the weather gods to hold those days for early April, when I’m freezing my butt off at Wrigley.

Samardzija gets the start today, so it looks like Lou is going to give him a shot at winning the fifth starter position. Not many other positions up for grabs, but there will be some jostling for bullpen and bench positions. Let’s just hope nobody gets hurt.

I don’t think the Cubs have replaced Corey Provus yet, who left to cover the Brewers games. I’ll miss him, but not as much as Ronnie will. That position is as much being Ronnie’s right-hand man as it is part-time broadcaster. It’s Ronnie’s birthday today, so I hope they’ve found a good temporary replacement for Corey in the short-term.

Music to my ears. Although it’s not the full team yet, at least some Cubs arrive today to officially turn the page on a new season. Although picked to win the NLC by almost all sources, the Cubs also made an awful lot of changes to a team that won 97 games last season. Wood and DeRosa will be missed, both on the field and in the clubhouse.

Only so many questions will be answered by the end of spring training, mainly who the closer will be (Marmol or Gregg). It looks like center field and second base will be platoon projects. How will Fukudome react to this new situation? How will Soto’s continued maturation be impacted by Blanco’s departure? Will Soriano, Bradley and Harden be able to stay healthy? Of course, I only listed those three because they’re already fragile. Anyone could go down, leaving a huge hole now that DeRosa isn’t there to play Mr. Versatility. (Can you tell I’m still disappointed in that trade?)

I haven’t even talked about the potential new ownership of the Cubs on this blog yet. I’ve been waiting for the deal to be final; but of all the people in the bidding, I think a young guy who met his wife in the bleachers at Wrigley won’t be messing the place up too much. Much more on this later, especially as the bankruptcy court and baseball’s owners start weighing in on the deal.

Only 12 days until the first spring training game! 

Today Hendry continued his bullpen house-cleaning, unloading Rich Hill to Baltimore and Michael Wuertz to Oakland. We get a player to be named later for Hill and two minor-leaguers for Wuertz. It won’t be hard to wish Rich Hill all the best, especially since he’ll be in the AL. Who the Cubs eventually get for him will probably depend on how well Hill pitches. He seemed like a good kid who just couldn’t get out of his head the last few years. Lou doesn’t have lots of patience for walks and Hill continued to walk batters in winter ball.

Regarding Wuertz, I’m sure my significant other is heartbroken about this. He’s going to have to pick a new least-favorite Cub. Hopefully that won’t be an easy task, and not because there will be too many from whom to choose. For Wuertz at least the Cubs got a former first-round draft pick in Richie Robnett. The left-handed outfielder has spent the last five seasons in the A’s minor league system. It seems to me that any left-handed bat has a shot at making the Cubs’ team this season, so he’s got to be psyched about this trade. The other pick-up was Justin Sellers, a young infielder who is supposed to be above-average defense-wise. Maybe a future Ronny Cedeno replacement?

Some people think he wasn’t given enough time to prove himself, but the simple fact is that Felix Pie was out of options, and with the addition of Bradley and Gathright, the outfield is now too crowded. The Cubs couldn’t send him back to the minors for yet more development without potentially losing him on wires. Sorry for getting a little too technical, but it means that another team could grab him for nothing. At least Hendry got something for him.

What the Cubs got was two pitching prospects. Left-hander Garrett Olson was 9-10 over 26 starts with the Orioles last season, with an ERA of 6.65. Righty Henry Williamson comes from Class A. So after the DeRosa and Pie trades, the Cubs now have five new young pitchers. How soon until the Peavy trade talks rekindle? Olson was supposedly one of the pitchers that the Padres were coveting in earlier discussions…

I won’t miss Pie and I hope Soriano doesn’t miss him too much. Those two seemed to have a fun chemistry and enjoy playing together. Maybe Gathright and Soriano will bond. I’d love to see Gathright jump over Soriano in the outfield, just as he’s jumped over cars in the past, but I’m sure there’s something about no extreme jumping in Gathright’s contract.

This guy’s got game, and I’m not talking board games. If he can stay healthy, he could be a huge upgrade in right field. He’s a switch-hitting All-Star who led the AL in on-base percentage (.436) last season as a DH. He hit .321, with 22 home runs and 77 RBIs. He has had health problems in the past, but a season of primarily DHing has rested his surgically repaired right knee.

I know, he’s had a problem with his temper, including getting thrown out of four games last season. He sustained the previously mentioned knee injury when he was being restrained from a confrontation with an ump, although the ump was later suspending for instigating the incident. Now Lou can earn his money by showing Bradley who’s the boss. I’ve read that past teammates have enjoyed playing with him and he hasn’t been a clubhouse problem. It will be interesting to see if he and Zambrano can co-exist in a locker room, but if Bradley performs I think that will go a long way to him fitting in well.

I think it’s pretty funny that he’ll be wearing #21, previously worn by Sosa. Bradley has worn that number since a rookie, so he wasn’t trying to make any statement. Let’s hope the return of the number brings back the offensive production without half the drama.

Today the Cubs traded my favorite player, Mark DeRosa, to the Cleveland Indians. He wasn’t my favorite player just because of his striking good looks, as much as my significant other might believe. DeRosa was the most versatile and unselfish man on the roster. He played wherever and whenever he was asked, without complaining in the clubhouse or to the media. He helped the younger players improve their skills and gave the older players days off when necessary. He will be missed, maybe just a little more by the female fan base.

The Cubs got three pitching prospects for DeRosa, who became more expendable after the Cubs signed second baseman Aaron Miles. One of the pitchers, lefty John Stevens, was put on the 40-man roster. The others, left-hander John Gaub and right-hander Chris Archer, will need to work their way through the Cubs minor league system. The buzz about the Cubs trying to get Jake Peavy from the Padres has also resurrected, as one of the stumbling blocks was that the Cubs didn’t have enough young pitching to trade in return. With talks almost complete with the Rockies to trade starter Marquis for reliever Luis Vizcaino, there would be a spot for Peavy in the rotation. Hendry certainly isn’t standing pat after the winter meetings.

They started building the hockey rink at Wrigley Field yesterday. I’m not opposed to them holding the Winter Classic on New Year’s Day at Wrigley, I just have no interest in attending. Hockey isn’t my cup of tea when I’m in a comfortable environment, let alone when I’m freezing my butt off. I hope the fans that do attend enjoy themselves. I can imagine the bathrooms (great heaters) will be crowded.

My only concern is for the field. I don’t care how frozen that ground is, all those trucks can’t be good for the new turf. I’m sure professionals have been consulted, but who was in charge when they allowed the Police concert to trash the outfield? I’m just saying that sound minds have not always prevailed when it comes to taking care of the Friendly Confines.

I chuckled last night when they showed pictures of Wrigley during the snowstorm. The announcer said that it was the first time that snow had been reflected in the lights of Wrigley. (The lights were on for the rink construction.) How wrong he was. I remember a night game six years ago or so that was snowed out just before game time. All those layers on and no game to watch…

Oh, the Cubs announced that they’ll be selling tickets to skate at Wrigley on Jan. 4. Tickets are $10 for one hour of ice time. Funds will go to Cubs Care. It makes sense to use the rink more than just one day after all that set-up. There won’t be a skate rental, so bring your own. Tickets are expected to sell out and I think might be limited to neighbors of Wrigley.

Today just might be the day that Ron Santo is finally voted into baseball’s Hall of Fame. He fell only five votes shy during the last vote, so if anyone is put in by the Veterans Committee this year, it should be Ronnie. He needs at least 75% of the committee to vote for him. The committee is comprised of the 64 living Hall of Famers.

He’s got the stats, Gold Gloves and All-Star Game appearances to more than qualify for a spot in the Hall, but his heart is what really should put him over the edge. He’s been a great ambassador for the game. The fact that he did what he did on the field, while keeping his diabetes a secret, is even more remarkable. Let’s hope that I have good news to post later today.

After exploding onto the scene by striking out 20 in only his fifth major league start, Kerry Wood took Cubs fans on a wild ride for the last eleven years. Alternating trips to the disabled list with a commanding presence on the mound, he made an amazing transition to the bullpen when it was finally realized that he had great stuff, for only a few innings at a time.

He was paid well and, unlike many of his peers, felt he owed the Cubs some loyalty for the money he took when he wasn’t able to pitch. For that reason, he’s taken less money from the Cubs than he probably could have made from other teams over the last several years. Hendry is doing him a favor by letting him go to free agency without a feeling that he’s letting his team down. After last season as a closer, Wood will get a nice contract from some team, hopefully in the American League so we don’t have to face him.

I’ll miss Woody. I think he was a quiet leader in the bullpen and truly loves the game. I won’t miss his theme song (Welcome to the Jungle by Gun’s N’ Roses), although I do like the concept of theme songs for pitchers. Playing Rubberband Man for Marmol is fitting, but I’m just not sure it’s intimidating to opposing players. We’ll have to wait and see whether Marmol or the newly acquired Kevin Gregg begins the season as the closer, although I believe the job is Marmol’s to lose.

The awards continue to flow in for the Cubs, with Lou winning the NL Manager of the Year yesterday. He received 15 of the 32 first-place votes by members of the Baseball Writers Association of America. Votes were placed prior to the post-season, so the Cubs’ meltdown in the playoffs had no impact on the vote.

Lou deserved this as he pushed all the right buttons on the way to a NL high 97 wins. His Cubs were either in first or tied for first for 151 of 181 days in the season. Although I don’t always agree with Lou, such as his babying of Soriano, I think Lou’s a class act who knows baseball and how to motivate a group of professionals with a wide range of personalities. His classiest move - donating his $100,000 bonus for winning this award to Cubs Care.

Now all of baseball knows what the Cubs and their fans knew all of last season, that Geovany Soto was the top rookie in the National League. Soto got 31 out of 32 first-place votes placed by members of the Baseball Writers Association of America to win the NL’s Rookie of the Year Award for 2008.

Soto’s numbers were not only strong (.285 average with 23 homers and 86 RBIs) but he also called most of the games for one of the leagues best pitching staffs. One shining moment was being behind the plate for Zambrano’s no-hitter. Soto is the first rookie catcher to hit at least 30 doubles and 20 homers in a single season and his .504 slugging percentage ranked second among all Major League catchers.

Staying true to form, Soto gave due credit to his veteran back-up, Henry Blanco, who helped him learn the ropes in the big leagues. Just what we like in our young stars, humility to go with all that talent. Here’s hoping for a long relationship between Soto and the Cubs, and more post-season honors in both of their futures.

Last night’s game was tough to watch as a life-long Cubs fan. I had so much hope for this team’s postseason chances, even after a Game 1 loss. Now, I’m not giving up all hope. We could still be back at Wrigley next week for a Game 5. The errors just shocked me, especially given how good the defense had been this year. The bats started to wake up late, but by then the hole was too deep.

At least the fans were behind their team for the most part last night. The growing boos annoyed me though. I know it’s not the normal fans during the playoffs, but if you’re going to boo every time a player gets out, sell your ticket to someone who is a real fan. It’s not like the players aren’t trying their hardest. Yes, errors where made. That’s no reason to boo the player when he comes up to bat five innings later. We applaud our pitchers when they strike out the opposition, giving him credit for good pitching. Why don’t we assume the opposing pitcher is pitching well when he strikes out our players? Instead, the booers come out and act like our players are just bad or aren’t trying hard enough. True fans don’t act that way. Of course, when players don’t run hard, either in the field or on the basepaths, I do get annoyed. I don’t boo; I just stop cheering for that player.

Another change last night was what I believe to be new speakers at Wrigley. Not only did the National Anthem have an echo to it, but the music played between innings was way too loud. Now I’m not some old fuddy-duddy, but I like to be able to talk with people sitting next to me without yelling. I had a headache by the middle of the game and it wasn’t because of the score. So may I please suggest that the volume of the music be turned down, along with the boos.

Now on to LA, where it’s do or die for this year’s team. If they lose, my heart will break a bit, but I’ll still love my team.