CubLogger

Cluster f***k in the OF

2007-08-26T12:44:00.000-07:00

With the rosters about to expand and Sori about to return, this cub fan is worried.
I'm still in shock regarding the lineup deceisions Loupa made against the giants.
If you're going to have murton up, you need to play him every night. Screw the matchup implications, he has proven that when he gets to start every night, he can find his rhythm.
Jake Fox had all of one good game in his stint with the big boys and aside from two nice HR's, i dont' trust Daryl Ward to man anything that doesn't involve the clubhouse food spread.

So what happens when Sori gets back. Clearly we will have too many outfielders. I know that the prevailing theory is that bench guys need to start every once in a while, but my theory is that sometimes, bench guys need to be just that, Bench guys. THey need to get used to that role as much as the starters need to get used to their roles. How is murton supposed to get into a rhythm if he's on the bench every other night, or 2 out of every 3 nights?

Floyd, Monroe, Ward are experienced enough to be quite valuable pinch hitters.
Godenot, Pie, Ronny late inning defensive and pinch running substitutions.
And let derosa be the guy who gives the "real starters" a break.

Me and My Bro

2007-07-18T11:41:00.001-07:00

Nothing new to report, just trying to get this piture onto my blog. But i swear i just heard bob brenley say that you dont lose much defensively if you rest DLee and Aram on the same day. I'm intrigued as to how drunk the gerbil spinning the wheel in his brain really is today. This pic was taken 2 summers ago waiting for the L. i cannot for the life of me remember who they were playing that day but i do remember it was hot as ballz and I think they won

The Kendall trade Day 1

2007-07-18T10:51:00.000-07:00

Pretty unimpressive for the following reasons
1.Kendall known for patience at plate and vs. zito, NO CUB walked, but kendall definitely didnt
2. chance for put out at home and he fumbled the ball
3. 2 wild pitches though the Marmol one was absolutely ridiculous
4. Kendall also known for ability to "frame" pitches well, yet the Cub pitchers received virtually no Borderline strike calls . (the ump was being pretty stingy but still)

I know one game is not a good sampling, and i still like the trade in principal, lets hope he got his opening day jitters out.

Ken Griffey + DLEe equals World Serees

2007-07-16T16:56:00.000-07:00

Yes, i know i mispelled that, but it was for the sake of rhyming
Like shakespeare never had weird spellings for crap
So, with all this talk of Griffey having to be traded and the lack of a "true" centerfielder, why would the cubs NOT go after Jr?? They've got some talent to trade away and they also have Jock. ooh, sick burn on jock.

I love this cubs team and I wish that Cliff were less fragile than Sammy J. was in "unbreakable" but whatev. Keep Darryl Ward, Pagan, Cliff and Derosa platooning in RF/off bench and get Jr. bat him 5th and take home the trophy.

ps. am i the only one who thinks it would be mildly entertaining to see Sammy back in RF for the pennant run? How bout calling of the the rangers, and getting Lofton and Sammy for i dunno, Wood. They are almost just that dumb.

Long Live the Lillyhammer

2007-04-05T23:40:00.000-07:00

Me and some folk were talking about this yesterday
"Lillyhammer" has got to be ted lilly's nickname

Thoughts on first series. Z- still a had case Bullpen- still shaky, Marquis and Lillyhammer- worth the money, Uncle lou- jury still out

Lets get our hitters going in Milwaukee

I'm Back With Polls

2007-04-03T01:46:00.000-07:00

Hehe, its funny cause it Says Polls.

Anyways, Cublogger is back in business. with a renewed sense of energy

Put up some new polls and a theory on Z's performance. Hope you all read

Call me a sinic but...Big Z is a Baby!

2007-04-03T01:27:00.000-07:00

Big Z is a baby.
Am i the only one who saw today's performance coming? The cubs need to sign this head-case before he lays another egg. To put it bluntly, Z sucked today because of his contract negotiations. Having extended the deadline with hopes of a quick settlement, Z went into today's game trying win himself some more money. In trying to make one last "impression" on the cubs brass, he pushed, over-worked and flat out sucked out there today.

Not to say that if he had been signed it would have been any better, or even if they hadn't extended the deadline. Z shouldn't be the opening day starter because he's too emtional and too immature with his whole approach.

He abandoned all thoughts of giving up fewer walks as soon as he got on that mound and tried to earn himself another. 5 million

The cubs better sign him soon, before he "throws" another game.

Jacque for a Pitcher

2006-12-17T12:18:00.000-08:00

Is there anyone out there who thinks we couldnt' get a number 3 or 4 starter for Jacque Jones.

I think we're fine at the corners without him. I really like Mamu and the cubs need to keep him in the lineup. He actually knows what a Ball looks like

We have enough power, we do NOT have enough OBP guys yet. Unless you can get jacque to play center field

Somebody Must GO!!!

2006-05-14T22:37:00.000-07:00

I know this is reactionary, and I know that there are people out there who are going to disagree
but I'm sorry, someone has got to be fired.

I don't care who, I need to see something different. I just saw the pitch count total from today's 9-0 reaming and I almost vomitted.

How can dusty not impose a "you must take at least one pitch rule"

So I don't care who it is, but its gotta be soon. If steinbrenner's team was ever this bad mid-may, do you think that The Pitching Coach, Manager, hitting Coach and GM would all still have their jobs.

I can think of multiple reasons why each of them should be fired, and really wouldn't mind if we got rid of the lot, and started all over. Worked for the Marlins three years ago and the astros 2 years ago.

Fire Jim Hendry

2006-04-12T08:58:00.000-07:00

How did he NOT see this coming??? How can anyone let a whole season rest on the assumption that Wood and Prior would be healthy?? He already knew that wood would be "pre-damaged" goods coming off of surgery and has he actually met Mark Prior? the man who more and more resembles Samuel Jackson's character in Unbreakable.

There were so many available starters last offseason, that to not have signed just one of them, should go down as one of the worst "non-moves" ever.

So here we are with Jerome Williams and Glendon Rusch being forced to give up their perma-seats at the clubhouse food table, and start 40% of the games.

The cubs have younger options and they need to use them now, because their older

options should have reached their expiration date. But hey, how could anyone have forseen this problem??

In the Cubs version of this movie, we know who Sam Jackson's Character would be, so would Mad Dog be Bruce Willis?

Cockiness? Callousness? Crapiness!

2006-04-11T17:40:00.000-07:00

So, after a huge, uplifting and momentum swinging series vs. St. Louis, the cubs come out and lay not just an egg, an egg would have been too perfect....

Rusch seen here sniffing the crap residue
left on his hands

.....they laid a big fat turd on wrigley field today against at best a mediocre team and mediocre pitcher.

So, were they cocky, did they take start taking the division for granted?

The main problem obviously was Michelin Man Glendon Rusch. The 2nd problem is that when the wind is blowing out, the cubs don't even attempt small ball. Do they know that walks and singles are just as good with the wind blowing out? Notice the cubs netted exactly ZERO walks.

So, the moral of the story, the cubs need to play solid baseball regardless of the weather, and the cubs need to call up Hill or Guzman BEFORE rusch's next start!!!

I Found Missy Stark!!!

2006-04-11T09:26:00.000-07:00

Rachel Nichols, you've been bumped to #2.
How sad a day it was when the sultry sexy blonde, Melissa Stark, stopped gracing the MNFscreens,

Nichols, still holding strong at #2

Well, blame it on vacation, but while watching MSNBC, I found myself thinking "DAMN she's hot!"
and then, wait a minute, those lips, that hair, its Missy!!!

Warm up the Tivo, i'm back in love!!!

Missy, once lost, now found.

Random Ramblings

2006-04-10T16:54:00.000-07:00

I hate off days, but today's was just made the best off day ever with the announcement that DLee has finally been signed. Hazaaa.... seriously, I'm extatic.

In a Cubs.com article, Hairston is already starting to bemoan the 2nd base situation. You had to see that coming. Although I can't stand Neifi starting, he has more bench value than hairston because he can play more positions and switch-hits.

I'm not so much worried about the situation turning ugly, but it could turn into a waste of resources when we could possibly package hairston or walker along with Hill/Guzman for a solid #2** starter. (**Insert poop joke here) I hate these seasons where its "Wait for Prior and Wood" and then they come back for like two combined starts, go back on the shelf and we've lost any possible trading positioning we had earlier in the season. I still don't trust Williams or Williamson, so get another starter, have Rusch be the swing man, and option the Williamsonses to the grounds crew.

Anyways, I'm going to raise a glass to Hendry and DLee and worry about tomorrow tomorrow.

WTF is taking so long

2006-04-09T07:50:00.000-07:00

Now, maybe now, that Hendry has been given his contract, dude can concentrate on locking down one of the best players in the game?? Is anyone else becoming more and more skeptical about how close they really are. I mean, how can you be "very close/ wrapping up lose ends" for a month?

Seriously, how was this not finished last november?? The Cubs need to get their heads out of their collective asses and give him whatever he wants RIGHT NOW. because you know, if he plays out this season, his stock will be so high that the cubs might not be able (cough) willing to keep him.

Lets face it, its not like this is a Franchise known for making the smart move early and saving themselves trouble/money. (see greg maddux circa 1990, matt clement).

So Please, Chicago "Braintrust". (and I'm using that term very liberally) Give the man the extra whatever that he wants so we can all sleep a little better tonight.

ps. anyone else thinking that a 3 way deal involving Prior for Zito is not looking so bad right now?

Murton needs a nickname.

2006-04-03T14:38:00.000-07:00

We have ARam, Dlee, Big Z, Mad Dog....but Matt Murton is a mouthful and I have a feeling we're going to be saying/typing it a lot this year. Here's a few I had in mind.
Feel Free to make suggestions.

"he's not Holly"
"the anti Burnitz"
"Mean Matt Murton"
"Matty"
"Double M"

this one I actually like the best, it came from a dude named Brick, from online conversation today.

"MaMu"

No More Neifi?!?!?!?!

2006-04-03T13:35:00.000-07:00

Call Me a Neifi hater. Go ahead, do it. And congrats to him for getting an RBI single. Lets just hope that Dusty remembers that a lot of "dudes" got RBI's today.

I'm fine with Neifi on the bench. He switch hits. Can play many positions, and has good AB's almost every time up. But he needs to stay on the bench. How comforting was it to see the youngsters for the Cubbies coming through. Pagan, Murton and Cedeno all made great contributions.

Lets just hope that today's game wasn't just an "experiment" for dusty and we keep seeing the young guys get a chance, and hit some hit and runs.

If I were Sean Marshal....

2006-03-31T06:08:00.000-08:00

I would get a restraining order against Larry Rothschild and Mark O'Neal.
Lets just hope we don't see any articles about Roth "working on his mechanics" any time soon.
Honestly, if I were Andy McPhail, i'd probably Co-Sign that restraining order App.
Do you think the cubs ought to have a Manual that they give to all rookies upon enering their club house

1. Don't chat online with Z
2. Don't sit in Recliners
3. Don't take Mechanics advice from anyone but your AA coach
4. Don't go into training room without a Mask covering your mouth and bubble-wrap covering your body
4.5 Memorize the Chad Fox story and try to avoid repeating it. Especially the part about signing with the cubs.
5. Don't Pee at theUrinal next to Moises Alou
6. Don't accept any sort of Vitamins from Sammy.

(yes, I know the last two aren't Cubs anymore, but I think its just good sound advice nonetheless)

Question Marks Hurt My Brain

2006-03-20T14:27:00.000-08:00

I'm a Cub fan, and always will be. Hence the constant bitching, moaning, and frequent ulcers. I've never followed another baseball team, ever. So here's my question, do all fans of all teams go through this feeling of hopelessness, despair and anxiety in the middle of march? or is this just a Hendry, Dusty, Rothschild, Mark O'Neal created problem.

Really, i'm dying to know. The question marks are too many to count, but here's just a few. and just for kicks, I'll put in parenthases who I think is to blame. (Unlike the Bush administration, I LOVE TO PLAY THE BLAME GAME)

Who will be the 5th starter? (Hendry, Dusty, Roth.)
Why didn't the cubs sign another starter over the offseason, or look for one quickly now? (Hendry)
Who will be the every day 2b? (Hendry, Dusty)
How long will it be until Wood and Prior are off the DL? (Roth./ O'neal)
Why is Larry Rothschild still the Pitching coach..... See Chad Fox, Mark Prior, Kerry Wood, Carlos Zambrano's "Internet Elbow" etc? (Dusty, Hendry)
Why does it sound and feel like Murton and Cedeno will lose way too much playing time to Mabry and Neifi? (Dusty, Hendry)

The most glaring problem I'm beginning to see is Rothschiled as a pitching coach. Clearly his "programs" and "workouts" are doing way more harm than good. At some point, Hendry and Macphail have to realize that this guy is killing their investments. If I sucked as much at my job at Rothschild does at keeping pitchers healthy, I would have been fired ummm. maybe the 2nd or third time Prior visited the DL.

Mechanically Challenged

2006-03-14T19:33:00.000-08:00

He Has Perfect Mechanics!!!! He'll NEVER BE injured because of his Perfect Mechanics!!! He's the best thing since sliced bread and sliced cheese combined!
This is what we heard throughout Mark Prior's first 1.5 years on the cubs. Video of him with all that fancy equipment at USC. Well, after the hubbub of his first year, and after many (cough) "tune-ups", Mechanic Boy is back in the shop once again. This time with a sore shoulder

I don't know who to blame, I don't know how this could have been avoided, but if I were a "pitching coach" , or "manager" trying to find a new job, I definitley wouldn't want Larry Rothschild's or Dusty's resume especially in regards to:

1. How to avoid pitching injuries
2. How to rehab injured pitchers. (hint Do Not Use Chad Fox as Reference)
3. How to avoid walks (as a pitching staff)
4. How to put a batting order together
5. How to put a bullpen together.
6. How to have good fielding pitchers.
7. How to have a fundementally sound team
8. When to take pitchers out of games
9. When to calm a pitcher down after an idiot fan simutaneously screws 25 baseball players and millions of other fans.

But Look on the bright side, when prior "comes back" in June, it will be like trading for an all- star, without giving anyone up.

I'm now going to vomit.

A pre-emptive strike

2006-03-13T18:12:00.000-08:00

So I was wrong about yesterdays WBC classic. Turns out it was on ESPN2 and I'm an idiot. Or, it turns out that I'm just a very Clairevoyant. Tonight: USA vs Korea, Played at 10ET, tape delayed and shown on espn 2 at 1AM Et.

I rest my case. So, In case you missed it the first time around:

This was written on Sundayd During St. Patty's Day Training.
The WBC, much maligned, much criticized has actually won over a couple of synics, myself nearly included. Imagine if we could only actually watch the games!!

In a media culture where ripping NBC's Olympic Covereage is so easy, even Dubyah could do it, ESPN had the chance to offer a better alternative, but has dropped the ball.
Not that it's ESPN's fault that this thing is taking place during March Madness, blame Bud for that, but ESPN played into that criticizm by choosing to tape delay these games, even though most of them are being played in a US timezone.

How cool would it have been if this afternoon, I could have flipped between the ACC Champ Game, and USA vs. Japan. I, like a growing number of americans have gladly embraced my TiVO or DVR. If I wanted to watch the damn thing at 8PM tonite, I could have chosen to do that. (and my way, I don't have to watch the commercials)

Just as with the Olympics, in this internet, cell phone crazed world, it is far too easy to know the score of these games as they're happening. and believe me, Baseball is one of the WORST games to watch when you already know the outcome. Sports Center is going to show you the best parts anyway, might as well watch Family Guy. So, to the sports divisions of all the Major Networks and ESPN, I join the people in saying: PUT AN END TO TAPE DELAYING GAMES!!!

Umm, My Bad??

2006-03-12T21:53:00.000-08:00

Please disregard the last post, though I thought it had some good moments, I clearly
1. Was a little "altered" when I wrote that last post.
2. need to know how to work my TV better
3. Wish I had ESPN2HD

WBC= Olympic Sized Poor Planning

2006-03-12T14:07:00.000-08:00

The WBC, much maligned, much criticized has actually won over a couple of synics, myself nearly included. Imagine if we could only actually watch the games!!

In a media culture where ripping NBC's Olympic Covereage is so easy, even Dubyah could do it, ESPN had the chance to offer a better alternative, but has dropped the ball.
Not that it's ESPN's fault that this thing is taking place during March Madness, blame Bud for that, but ESPN played into that criticizm by choosing to tape delay these games, even though most of them are being played in a US timezone.

How cool would it have been if this afternoon, I could have flipped between the ACC Champ Game, and USA vs. Japan. I, like a growing number of americans have gladly embraced my TiVO or DVR. If I wanted to watch the damn thing at 8PM tonite, I could have chosen to do that. (and my way, I don't have to watch the commercials)

Just as with the Olympics, in this internet, cell phone crazed world, it is far too easy to know the score of these games as they're happening. and believe me, Baseball is one of the WORST games to watch when you already know the outcome. Sports Center is going to show you the best parts anyway, might as well watch Family Guy. So, to the sports divisions of all the Major Networks and ESPN, I join the people in saying: PUT AN END TO TAPE DELAYING GAMES!!!

Viva Viva La Mexico

2006-03-09T14:50:00.000-08:00

I thought the WBC thing was kinda cool, seeing all of those stars on the same field. blah blah blah
But hey, if the US has the chance of being eliminated and thus Barrett and Lee can return home un harmed, well then, I'm painting myself Green Red and White and heading to the local Taqueria. Now we just need to hope that Venezuela doesn't get too far.

On second thought, maybe keeping these players away from the dusty, larry, o'neal and the rest of the M*A*S*H*-North Side Unit, is what's best for these guys.

Anyone else wondering why Neifi didn't get invited to play in this thing?

Too Soon For Cedeno

2006-03-02T21:22:00.000-08:00

For the purpose of me playing devil's advocate, and the fact that we are talking about the Cubs, I'm wondering if I'm the only cub fan out there who's just a bit worried about ronny cedeno being handed the starting SS job?

Please don't get me wrong. I'm not one of the crazy Neifi fans who are on Dusty Baker's cool-aid mailing list. I want Cedeno to succeed, and the cubs need him to succeed, or at least not flop. But given their recent track record in regards to grooming young position players to be successful Major Leagurs, I'm not sure I trust the Cubs enough to think that they actually know what they're doing.

Let's look at the most recent example: K Man K Pat - need I say more. But before him, and again, my mind is a bit "spotty", I go back to Dwight Smith, Jerome Walton and then Mark Grace before I can think of young cubs position player, brought up through the organization, that has had any success at the Big League level. Now again, as it states at the top of my blog, I'm hardly ever right. I could be forgetting some huge name, and I don't keep a track record of all the A Ball players that got traded as players to be named later and then turned out to be superstars. (Cough... Dontrelle Willis) So someone PLEASE set me straight, send me a comment with a name that proves I'm not a complete burnout...

Okay, so back to Cedeno. The cubs have now had two off-seasons since the first nomar half-season ended with a thud. Since then, at least 4 quality, big name, short stops have switched teams, and been difference makers, (Cabrera, Eckstein, Renteria-who's been moved twice, and Furcal) and even more recently, Tejada was complaining about his situation, sort of, i guess, or whatever. I'm not really sure what was going on there, but it was fun to dream.
Side note- anyone remember that the cubs could have just as easily gotten Cabrera instead of Nomar in that '04 deal, and paid less for him- How DID the Red SOx do that year?

And I like Cedeno's bat, but I'm not a fan of his defense. (threw the ball into the dirt costing a run on wed.)And I dont' mind Murton as much because the outfield is a little less defense-crucial, and because of the Dusty/ Neifi Brokeback-esque love fest, Cedeno got about half as much playing time as Murton, (or Rex Grossman, or Tim Thomas, pick your sport)

So I pose just this one question: Which would you rather have. An untested rookie starting with Neifi as his backup.
Or Cedeno as the Back-up infield guy, learning from one of the best in the league in Tejada, and Neifi Reuniting with Kkorey and Sammy in Baltimore.

But Like I said, its February, what the hell else am I gonna do but think of this crap?
Here's to hoping I'm wrong, and the Cubs "brain-trust" knows exactly what its doing.

If Carrie Muskat Were Sitting right here

2006-02-27T21:21:00.000-08:00

It's hard to say what I'd do.......I have only two questions.... How did she get this job? and who deals his drugs? cause I want that number

Why do people even email her? its not like she's going to say anything that hendry or dusty wouldn't say. Hell, i'd rather have a dusty mailbag, at least then we'd have to translate some of his
"it is what it is"'s. or "you can't teach fundementals". Why even have a mailbag if you're going to have such rousing q & a's as:

If Matt Murton can provide a 20-homer season and Jacque Jones adds 30, will the Cubs have enough power to lead the National League in home runs?
-- Nick R., Maryville, Tenn.

The Cubs would rather lead the National League in wins, pitching and defense than home runs.

That's her answer to THAT question? Yes, I know its a stupid question, but that answer doesn't even come close to answering a similar question. Had the reader just said "enough power", would she have answered it the same way? Dude wanted to know if the Cubs are content with what they have power-wise. Is she so chicken- sh*t about offending dusty or hendry, that she she has to call the writer on some f**ing technicality instead of discussing a real concern like a real person.

Why don't the cubs just hire Bush's bitch McClellan, even he gives less assinine answers. I know I'm just complaining about nothing right now, but its February, what the hell else do we have to do. Cubs.Com should ditch The Mailbag before Carrie Muskat's brain turns to total mush. (have I mentioned I hate february?) Here's to hoping Carrie Muskat and Joe Buck elope to alaka just before Russia tries to reclaim it. cause you know that's gonna happen soon.

Too much to ask?

2006-02-25T15:49:00.000-08:00

So here we are in the third annual Wood/ Prior spring trainging watch. I know I've harped on this Muskat chick having to be the Cubs mouthpiece, but seriously, how can you put a positive spin on prior throwing his first 20 pitches off a mound since Sept. (But she found a way)

I guess I need Mark or Dusty to draw me some sort of diagram that demonstrates the effect of a respritory infection in september on the throwing arm. I've had pneumonia lots of times,and though I'm not a big league pitcher, my arm never hurt once. Hmm, go figure. So like I said up top, is it too much to ask to go thrugh a spring where we're actually sure of what the starting rotation will look like on opening day? Can someone please explain why, with sosa's money off the books, one of Milwood, Morris, Garland, vasquez or Loiza didn't even get a sniff from Hendry?

Below is a fun round of Cubs over/under cause I'm pissed and bored and its still Feb,

What the Hell Else do we have to do??

1.Number of games played BEFORE Kwood makes a start: 13.5

2. Number of Games Dusty Manages : 161

3. Number of Starts Wood/Prior Make Combined: 39

4. Jacque Jones BA: .299

5. Juan Pierre SB: 49

6. Juan Pierre HR: 1.5

7. Ramirez Errors: 9

8. KWood Total Days on DL:27.5

9. Postseason Games Played by Cubs in 2006: 5

10. World Series Games Managed By Dusty over rest of career: 4

Spring Training Over/Under

2006-02-17T12:09:00.000-08:00

What the Hell Else do we have to do??

1.Number of games played BEFORE Kwood makes a start: 13.5

2. Number of Games Dusty Manages : 161

3. Number of Starts Wood/Prior Make Combined: 39

4. Jacque Jones BA: .299

5. Juan Pierre SB: 49

6. Juan Pierre HR: 1.5

7. Ramirez Errors: 9

8. KWood Total Days on DL:27.5

9. Postseason Games Played by Cubs in 2006: 5

10. World Series Games Managed By Dusty over rest of career: 4

Baker Fundementally F'd Up

2006-02-17T11:37:00.002-08:00

Greetings fellow bloggers. Since pitchers and catchers have returned, I will once again climb atop my soap-box and decry all that is afoul with these not-so-loveable losers. Dont' get me wrong, I'm just as hopeful about this year as I am about every year, but I find it hard to be hopeful when Rusty Dusty is still at the helm. Here are two quotes that sound so similar to those we heard in the midst of last year's flounder fest, It just takes the wind out of my cubbie sails before I even get them out of the basement.
Baker speaking on fundementals:

As for fundamentals, Cubs manager Dusty Baker said the Cubs won't do anything different, just place a different emphasis on the workouts.

"You can't do much differently -- they are what they are," Baker said. "We'll stress it more. We'll give it more importance. Fundamentals are the same whether you're playing Little League, high school, Pony League, it doesn't matter. It'll be more of a refresher course."

WON"T DO MUCH DIFFERENTLY. THEY ARE WHAT THEY ARE. In the cubs case, he really needs to see they Aren't what they Aren't, cuase the cubs Sucked at fundementals last year. Hit and runs, squeeze plays, sacrifice bunts, pitchers fielding, you name it they sucked. Yes dusty, its true that TECHNICALLY, its the same as in Pony League, but you can't coach these guys like they're in Pony league. When will dusty ever come out and say; "WE Suck at this, and we have to get better or changes will be made".

So there's that, then there was this when talking about Wood's return. See if this sound familiar:
"Whenever we get [Wood] back, it'll be like making a trade and getting a player," Cubs manager Dusty Baker said Wednesday. "Our main thing is to try not to rush Kerry, and hopefully he's ready when we need him.

What kind of Kool Aid is this guy feeding Hendry, or Vice Versa. This argument was used almost all of last year. "Wait till Prior Gets Back, Wait Till Nomar gets back, Wait till Wood gets back"

Hey Dusty, We're F'ing tired of waiting. And frankly, we've caught on to your little scheme. You and Hendry troll the Waiver wires for any pitcher who is damaged goods, then you act like you're geniuses for picking him up and proclaim his arrival as a trade for nothing. If this is how you rationalize never getting a good pitcher on the Free Agent market, that's fine, but its now starting to look like you let these guys get injured so you never have to make any trades at all.

Whew. I'm exhausted and its only the middle of Feb.

Baker Fundementally F'd Up

2006-02-17T11:37:00.001-08:00

As for fundamentals, Cubs manager Dusty Baker said the Cubs won't do anything different, just place a different emphasis on the workouts.

What kind of Kool Aid is this guy feeding Hendry, or Vice Versa. This argument was used almost all of last year. "Wait till Prior Gets Back, Wait Till Nomar gets back, Wait till Wood gets back"

Whew. I'm exhausted and its only the middle of Feb.

Baker Fundementally F'd Up

2006-02-17T11:37:00.000-08:00

As for fundamentals, Cubs manager Dusty Baker said the Cubs won't do anything different, just place a different emphasis on the workouts.

What kind of Kool Aid is this guy feeding Hendry, or Vice Versa. This argument was used almost all of last year. "Wait till Prior Gets Back, Wait Till Nomar gets back, Wait till Wood gets back"

Whew. I'm exhausted and its only the middle of Feb.

Gotta Get Tejada Part 2

2005-12-30T17:18:00.000-08:00

Two days ago, getting Tejada seemed like a mere "way too expensive pipe dream" but now the Orioles position being incredibly weakened, its time for Hendry to get back in the mix.

Tejada coming out and actually DEMANDING a trade, clubs now know that the Orioles really HAVE to dump him. Maybe they'd be willing to give up the pitcher now, or maybe they'd take less than Prior. Maybe just Cedano, Murton, KKpat, or maybe even walker instead of Murton. Either way, with the Cubs being so out front in the first round of negotioations, if they pu**y out now, then we'll all know how the '06 season will go.

Give Jaque a Break

2005-12-27T18:16:00.000-08:00

While most of you were being Hendry apoligists last year, I was hammering him. Now you've finally jumped on the HendrySucks Bandwagon which is great. What took you so long? I Have to say, though not in defense of Hendry, that you need to layoff the Jaque Jones deal. What else could he have done? Obviously Burny wasn't working in RF, and shy of Hendry having the sack to make a trade for Abreu, what were his other options??? Jones makes less than Burny would have, is faster on the bases and plays better defense.

What's really going on is you're pissed that Hendry was too cheap for Furcal so he had to use all trade bait on Pierre and maybe Tejada. This lineup and pitching staff, IN COMPETENT HANDS, could be a playoff contender.

Pierre
Walker
Lee
Ramirez
Murton
Jones
Barret
Cedeno

If they had a coach that preached patience and baserunning, this lineup could be quite difficult to meneuver around. Just look at the '03 Marlins. They didn't have a bunch of power, they just drove you nuts cause all of them made you work.

So stop being pissed about Jaque Jones and just hope that Dusty over the offseason has read "Managering for Dummies" (or has at lest looked up what OBP stands for) and while you're at it, hope that some team is dumb enough to take KKorie and Neifi for a starting pitcher. Or that the A's jump in the Game and offer up Zito to the cubs.

Horrible Announcing Part 3

2005-12-25T14:59:00.000-08:00

watching this Bears/Packers game is making me absolutely sick. Not "Jim Hendry Offseason Sick", but pretty sick. The game is tied, but if you were just listening to these guys, you'd think that the Bears were spotted the first 7 points for no apparent reason.

A lot of you got on my about bitching about the announcing of Brenley, Buck and others. Some of you asked "What More do you want from an announcer"?

Here's my problem with most announcers these days. Keep in mind that I just think Brenley and Kasper suck and this commentary is merely about national announcers. It seems like any game I watch, the announcers have a pre-determined "thesis" for the game, or some idea/player that they MUST promote.

Last week it was Mike Vick. Sure, they talked about the bear's defense, but only in the 2nd half, and when they finally did get around to praising the Bears D, it was because they had Stopped Mike Vick. THAT is what made the Bear's D good. They built up Vick for a half, when Vick clearly was struggling, now all of a sudden, the Bear's defense was good because they were stopping Vick, thus still proving their theory of Vick's greatness.

This week, they're playing Farvre. Now, Bret Farvre is someone who can DO NO WRONG. He could sereiously CarJack a Bus Full of Nuns, and the announcers would say "He's getting in touch with his spiritual side". I cannot watch any more games with this guy playing. Not because I don't like him, but the entire Broadcasting community in this country has decided that tWahey should suck this guy's dick, and now also apparently all the officials in the league. I'm going back to this game. Oh, BTW, War Prior for Tejada and Zito. War Joe Buck going Mute. War Bears getting a home bye. War Lovie Smith coaching the Cubs.

Dusty vs. Lovie

2005-12-22T10:02:00.000-08:00

With nothing new to comment on and all of the blogosphere NOW hopping onto the Jim Hendry sucks bandwagon, I'm looking more forward to this week's Bears/Packers game than I am to spring training, and these are some reasons why:

Lovie's team has an identity, makes no excuses, and plays solid fundementals.
Dusty's team is the Cubs. (the cubs had more of an Identity when they were the loveable losers than now)

Lovie is not afraid to pull his starting QB if he clearly isn't getting the job done
Dusty's boss had to take KKorey out of the Major Leagues for a month to keep Dusty from playing him.

Lovie's has Brian Urlacher, one of the most fundementally sound defensive players in the game.
Dusty isn't a big believer in fundementals, he just assumes that everyone can play.

Lovie's team plays and thrives in sub freezing temps.
Dusty's team complains when its cold, complains when its hot, complains about the day games.

In two years, Lovie has turned a horrible team into a Super Bowl contender
In two years, Dusty has turned a World Series contender into a mess.

Please feel free to add any comparisons of your own.

Ps, there's been lots of starting pitchers being traded and signed. Good thing Kerry Wood will be healthy by um...... wait, I spoke to soon.

Horrible Announcing Pt. 2

2005-12-18T18:07:00.000-08:00

Okay Joe, we get it. You like Mike Vick.

Why No More Nomah??

2005-12-18T08:55:00.000-08:00

Since there is absolutely NOTHING happening in cubland, and I mean NOTHING. The Cubs.com site still has the Pierre Press conference as their 2nd article; I'm just going to pose this question and let you all in the Blogosphere respond. Why not sign nomar for one more year? This would definitely enable Hendry to trade walker and still have 4 quality middle infielders to choose from for the starting jobs. Put cedeno at SS, nomah at 2b, neifi on the bench, preferably with some sort of harness or seatbelt similar to Kkorey's and then Hairston could platoon and replace whomever is injured that particular day, or I guess he could play right.

This way you get some REAL VALUE by trading Walker. Nomar, (when healthy) seemed to provide a little bit of spark in this lineup. Keep in mind they still have not had him healthy for a whole year. I'm not saying its the best idea ever, but it quite possibly isn't the worst idea ever either.

Patterson in Right?? Wrong

2005-12-14T23:08:00.000-08:00

I just read on Trib Page and Cubs.com that the cubs are thinking about trying Patterson in right. Now before I cry myself to sleep, (which I've been doing quite recently lately) I thought I'd paste in my posting from just about a month ago when it looked certain that we'd be getting furcal. Keep in mind, this is BEFORE the Marlins Dumped Delgado, Furcal Went To LA, Bradley Got Traded, and now Pitcher Javier Vasquez has just gone to the South Siders. Maybe my "letter" shouldn't have gone to Hendry as much as the Trib. Co. Clearly this guy does not know how to build a winner and when he's on the cusp of having a winner, ala '03, does not know how to close the deal in the offseason. So, here it goes, then I'm off to bed.

One last thought, how come its the opinion of most of those in the blogosphere that Kkorey doesn't have the arm for right but not of Dusty, Hendry or these two writers? Seriously I'm asking, has it been proven that he doesn't, or is it just opinion? Also, it seems that most of you don't really want Jaque Jones, and after looking closer at his numbers, I'm not as hopefull for his coming to chicago, but even if he and Kkorey have similar offensive numbers, I'd take jones just for the defensive aspect. Jones seems to have a really good feel for that position and has made some incredible plays. and didn't KPat have a ball bounce off his head last year??

The Below was Written on Nov. 13

So now its Hot Stove League TIme. 3 days ago Peter Gammons reported that Furcal was definitely going to the Cubs and that it'd be done relatively quickly. Well the latest on Chicago sports.com indicates that the Cubs may not be willing to give him the money he wants. But hey they have resigned walker and neifi to two year contracts. The Cubs should just chance their Motto to, "why pay for 5 years of an all star SS when, we can get an average short stop for half the time" In fact, if you look closer at that Articleon Cubs. Com Hendry says

""We've got a lot of priorities," he said Tuesday. "We've got a lot of things that need to get better. If you start prioritizing early, then it will not enable you to get a guy like [Derrek] Lee."

In other words, "we Got lucky with Derek Lee, so if we do the smart Needed thing early, we many not get lucky late" I don't know about Hendry, but I'd rather be good than lucky and to me that one statement shows how Sub-Par of a GM he really is. YOU DON"T WAIT FOR PEOPLE TO CALL YOU WHEN YOU NEED 4-5 NEW POSITION PLAYERS!!!!!

Dear Mr. Hendry

2005-12-13T09:12:00.000-08:00

Dear Mr. Hendry, in case you haven't noticed, you STILL have a gaping hole in Right Field. Did you close your eyes and hope that it would fill itself? Were you and Dusty trying to convince each other that John Mabry could be an every day player?? Or, are you petitioning Bud's office to change the rules only requiring 8 fielders? Now is not the time for queasy stomachs. Last time I looked this is your last year to make something big happen and if it were my job on the line, and I had a good deal of cash still on reserve, I'd be pulling all the stops. Its been said before that Prior has not yet had one full healthy season. He's a little older than Z and is clearly not as durable. So if there is someone out there that can be had by offering up Cedeno, Prior, Hill, Walker, in any combination, that deal has to be done. Use Priors money to land another Quality, DURABLE Starter, and use the rest for that Gaping hole in Right, and that other Furcal Sized one in the infield.

Now, if you have finally woken up, you'll notice that Jaque Jones will not be returning to the twins. He bats lefty, has speed, and is a tremendous fielder and his Career Stats are pretty outstanding.
Plus, and here's the good part, he only made $5 Mill last year. But hey, we here in the Cubs Blogosphere don't need to point out who's available and what their stats are....... Do We??

Horrible announcing

2005-12-11T19:22:00.000-08:00

Is it just me or could Play By play announcers be any worse? I guess I really started noticing it when the Cubbies dumped Stone and Carey for Kasper and Brenley... Just looking at the latter two names is enough to not take them seriously before they even open their mouths. Then being stuck with Joe Buck for what seemed like a 15 game WS. Its brought me to a point that lately I cannot listen to any announcers. Luckily the big tv has split screen so I can play video games and just watch the game in the little box. Add the pause button on the xbox, rewind on the tivo and the laptop with stat-tracker and I become a pretty smelly person by the end of a sunday... but I digress. Right now I'm just pissed i didn't TIVO the sunday game so I could FF through the Horrible Half-time banter on sunday night football. Favorite quote heard lately " I don't want to hear Randy Moss and Terrell Owens mentioned in the same sentance, because they are two completely different people" Not sure who it was but it did make me fling myself to my death in the halo game I was playing.

Gotta Get Tejada

2005-12-09T08:21:00.000-08:00

I was stunned when I saw two things happen yesterday. 1. Renteria get traded for a top prospect. (Something the Cubs still have a few of) and 2. Tejada demanding a trade.

Since losing Furcal, Hendry has been pretty quiet about his plans for a SS, but with tejada available, he has to make a move. Tejada to me has long been one of the most underrated of the SS's in the league. He's Charismatic, he's a clubhouse leader type, and he has power. I could live with a stinker in right if we had an infield of Tejada, Hairston, Aram and Lee. Put Murton in there at the 6 spot and this would be a lineup with both speed and power. Something the cubs have not had since the beginning of the sosa era.

Could they pull off such a trade involving Cedeno, Patterson and Walker?? if they got tejada, would they really need Cedeno anymore. Clearly there is something about Cedeno that dusty does not like. He's so over-defensive about how he does play younsters "Look at the bullpen last year" . Oh yeah dusty, how'd that work out for you, but it still took him till the September callups to get Murton and Cedeno in the lineup for any considerable playing time. Well, if Hendry is sticking with Dusty, and if Dusty is going to stick with the Likes of Neifi and Walker over cedeno and Hairston, then lets give him a Veteran who's actually good. (actually, I do like walker, but they aren't keeping his trading block status a secret from anyone)

So lets see if Hendry can finish off this winter with the same sort of umm... effort as he started it with... and lets bring in a Young, Fast, Powerful and a strong leader who can finally Solidify SS, the way ARAM and Lee have solidified the corners.

Juan More Outfielder

2005-12-07T19:07:00.000-08:00

Could this finally be the end of the KKorey Paterson era in chicago?? From all accounts it seems like it could be. Jim Hendry finally woke up from his nap and did something this offseason but lets not celebrate too much yet. They still need to find another Right Fielder and currently Neifi Perez is the starting SS. Now, if he could swing a deal to bring Abreu here, I would be Hendry's biggest fan but I'd even settle for Bradley, Kearns or Huff, though I think taking a gamble on Bradley might pay dividends.

On the other hand, Hendry really needs to look back to the end of the '04 season. With the Sammy situation, and everyone complaining about everything, does he really think Dusty can keep a leash on Bradley enough, especially since we all know how Dusty's final contract year in SF ended. So far, I give hendry's offseason a B+ with room for improvement once the right fielder is aquired.

Hmmm... too bad they couldn't swing a trade for Castillo AND Pierre.

Year of the Quarterback

2005-12-04T14:12:00.000-08:00

I'll take a break from my normal ranting about the cubs "offseason aquisitions". Can we really call any of them "deals"?

Though the addition of Mabry is a good idea, now how bout two outfield STARTERS

Okay, enough of that.

has anyone thought about how many good quarterbacks there are this year. I mean, maybe its just cause i'm a bit "altered" right now, and all of you are gonna be like "dude, we've known that for a long time" but whatever, I gotta get it down.

In my opinion, the mid-late 80's was the erra of great QB's. I'll list just a few

Marino, Montana, Elway, Essiason, Simms, Kosar, and just a bit later Farvre and Young. I think we could all agree that those were the best of that generation's QB's. Give or take a few. So what's that? 8, 10 topps.

Now just look at some of the top notch qb's this year. and I'm not talking abou the most prolific, but the teams where the QB is the 1st or 2nd best player on the team.

Manning, Manning, Rothlesburger, Brady, Palmer, Mcnabb (before injuries), Brees, Vick, Plummer. So there we have 9 quarterbacks having either really good Seasons, or in the middle of Dominant careers. ** Also receiving votes (but not serious votes) Kyle Orton, Joey Harrington, Bledsoe and Farvre (hehe)

Could we be looking at the dawning of another QB era? Am I just blanking on all of the 90's. Does Bret Farvre really suck?? All of these can be answered by you.

Idea for the Infield

2005-11-13T11:56:00.000-08:00

1B D Lee
2nd Base - Walker/ Nomah Platoon
SS- Cedeno/Nomah/ Neifi Platoon
3B- Aramis/Nomah Platoon

Okay I know thats a lot of platooning, but anyone who's followed the Cubs the past 2 years knows that the Probability of Nomah, Aramis and Walker being healthy at the same time on any given days is equal that of Kerry Wood and Mark Prior being.......
I rest my case.

Above Solution:
A. saves Money
B. ensures that Nomar will Play when Healthy but cubs have a plan when he's not.
C. Cedeno/Walker infield is solid defensively and a good 1-2 Combo
D. When Neifi is in lineup, gives cubs an OB threat in the bottom of the order
E. Money Could be Spent on 2 Outfielders and 2, that's right 2 Starters.

Hot Stove Lukewarm for Cubs

2005-11-13T08:47:00.000-08:00

After taking a couple of well needed months off from this debacle known as the Chicago cubs, it is now once again my favorite time of year! When next year is almost upon us and the Cubs are actually .500 for 3 straight months.

First lets say how conflicted I was watching the White Sox in the world series. Now I know that I'm supposed to hate and root against the White Sox on sheer principal. even got my first Sox Sux shirt this summer. But here's a couple reasons that made it hard not to root for the Sox. Not only were they playing the Astros who I hate only slightly less than the Cardinals. But this team is FUN TO WATCH. as opposed to their North Side Bretheren who even in victory require 6 beers and two sedatives BEFORE they get to their bullpen. I wrote this pretty early in the summer and it sums up my thoughts on this whole cubs/sox "Rivalry". BTW this was posted on Aug. 8

I watched today's game with my "SUX" Jersey on, purchased after Prior beat Pitt after the break. My Mom said, "You know you'll root for them if they get to the series". Of course I shrugged her off but lately its become quite apparent that this hatred of the Sux possessed by all Cub Fans is more irrational than ever before, and almost rooted out of jealousy. I'm not jealous that they are winning and we're not, though if they win the series after the Red Sox last year, I'm quite sure I'll move to Mongolia and become a monk. But dammit, they play good baseball. How frustrating is it that in the two years since BartGate, the SUX have gone from being the Twin's whipping boy to the best team in baseball. They run the bases well, play great defense, know how to bunt and have a manager who will actually get after his players.
Somehow, the Southsiders figured otu how to win faster than Dusty can figure out what OBP means.

So now its Hot Stove League TIme. 3 days ago Peter Gammons reported that Furcal was definitely going to the Cubs and that it'd be done relatively quickly. Well the latest on Chicago sports.com indicates that the Cubs may not be willing to give him the money he wants. But hey they have resigned walker and neifi to two year contracts. The Cubs should just chance their Motto to, "why pay for 5 years of an all star SS when, we can get an average short stop for half the time" In fact, if you look closer at that Articleon Cubs. Com Hendry says

""We've got a lot of priorities," he said Tuesday. "We've got a lot of things that need to get better. If you start prioritizing early, then it will not enable you to get a guy like [Derrek] Lee."

In other words, "we Got lucky with Derek Lee, so if we do the smart Needed thing early, we many not get lucky late" I don't know about Hendry, but I'd rather be good than lucky and to me that one statement shows how Sub-Par of a GM he really is. YOU DON"T WAIT FOR PEOPLE TO CALL YOU WHEN YOU NEED 4-5 NEW POSITION PLAYERS!!!!! Okay, I'm going to watch the Bears. First game fo theirs I'll see all Year until the -----------

New Manager?? NEW POLL!!

2005-08-30T12:16:00.000-07:00

What a week... as depressing as it was saddening. Can you imagine just one week ago Dusty was going on about how this was his "favorite" time of year because of being "in the chase". Now one week later, two outfielders have been traded and Kerry Wood and ARam have been shelved. Nomar is playing third, and poor Matt Murton just now has been called back up.

I for one am anxious to see how Murton, McLain and Cedeno do this next month, that is IF dusty actaully plays them. Today on Cubs.Com, he offered us this nugget as insight into what his plans are for the youngsters.

"In my mind, Corey [Patterson] is still young. Our whole bullpen is young," Cubs manager Dusty Baker said. "We've been having 'young' out there for a long time and if not young, then inexperienced from [Roberto] Novoa to [Michael] Wuertz to [Will] Ohman to [Todd] Wellemeyer. Half our team is either inexperienced or young."

Baker will pick the right spot for the kids like Murton and shortstop Ronny Cedeno.

"I believe in matching young guys up so they have success," Baker said. "I've seen young guys get ruined.

"We've still got to win games, too. This isn't some great experiment. I play everybody on my team. They're going to get at-bats, big time."

Clearly, someone has been hearing his critics. Just a couple of questions for the Master guru

1. How come you say "I belive" as if its some wise thought that should be taken seriously?
2. Is KKorey one of those young guys that has been ruined? and if so....
3. Is Korey being ruined the reason he gets so many AB's?
4. Isn't riding the bench behind a guy like Korey more ruining for a rookie?
5. and lastly, what does "Big Time mean"? We've heard it so often but I don't really know what it means.

New poll is up, so take a look. Its kind of a "Dare to Dream poll" about who should be Dusty's successor as soon as Hendry stops smoking the Crack. I picked 4 guys that should be "available" this off-season if the Cubs came calling. Let me know what you think.

Chasing What???

2005-08-23T12:07:00.000-07:00

I talked about Cubs.Com yesterday and how I only really check it for the Injuries and the Dusty's Fired post. But I can't do it any more. Its almost like big brother is writing these articles. Check out this one called Thrill of the Chase. Dusty talks about this being his favorite time of year because the Team's behind and its just so Fun to be in that position!! WHat a bunch of Propoganda BS. I'm trying to figure out who is in more denial, Dusty for saying this stuff or Carrie Muskat for printing it without laughing. The funny part of the article comes just moments after talking about this being the "Fun" part of the year and Carrie laid this gem on us:

The Cubs started the day 6 1/2 games back, which is not an impossible feat, Baker said. But winning the Wild Card isn't the team's No. 1 goal. The Cubs entered Monday's game four games under .500. That's a problem. (really)??

"No. 1, we've got to get back to .500. That's how it is. That's our first task," Baker
said.

So, If i'm hearing this right, its "fun" to be 5 games under .500, and fun to be behind 6 teams. (including the brewers) What part of this second paragraph would make any reader think that Dusty hasn't completely lost his mind talking about still being "in it" . (Also, why wasn't staying above .500 the first task when Murton was riding the pine while Holly and Burny did their best '05 Sammy Sosa impersinations)

Its time, ONCE AGAIN!!! To sell the scrap and keep the gold, let some of these guys get picked up by ACTUAL CONTENDERS and get some good youngsters in return. Does anybody doubt that Hairston, Walker, Holly, and Nomar couldn't help someone out for the next 7 weeks. Especially because any other Manager would know how to use them better than dusty. I hate to be so down on a team that I love so much, but this stuff is absolutely infuriating. btw~~ Maybe Jerome Williams should spend more time discussing scouting reports and watching film than working on his "Luck".

A Strong Vote Of...... Contentment??

2005-08-22T11:15:00.000-07:00

Every day, my first website after my Email is Cubs.Com. Not to see the score of the game they just lost, or to check the inevitable injury report, but to see if Dusty has been fired yet. While that hasn't happened, I'm going to take the article on McPhail as a glass-half-full situation and say that the writing is on the wall. While there may not be a chance that the Cubs will outright fire Dusty, i'd think they'd be hardpressed to say "No" if anyone sought permission to speak with him.

Probably the telltale line in the article was

----

Once injuries are off the table, dissatisfaction with a team perceived to be underachieving begs the question of the job security of MacPhail's top generals, general manager Jim Hendry and manager Dusty Baker, and while the rumor mill spins at this time of year, MacPhail gave each a vote of "contentment," while saving his confidence for the organizational game plan.

"I am very content with Jim, and I know he's very content with Dusty," MacPhail said. "I'm confident we're going to put it together. I'm confident that the formula is going to get us there, and despite having what appears now to be a hovering-around-.500 year, I'm still confident we're going in the right direction."

I'm not sure what Content means, but it sounds to me like its less than confident and a lot less than "Happy". If the cubs finish this year under .500 even by one game, McPhail's contentment should quickly change to discontent, and Pink Slips should be handed out all around the office.

I Miss Murton

2005-08-21T14:11:00.000-07:00

Hmmm... C orey has sucked against lefty's. Corey's sucked this past week. Runners on base.... if only we had a young, strong, disciplined righty off the bench. Doh... I'd even have pinch hit macias for Korey in that situation.

Hey Dusty, WHat Happens when we ASSUME??

2005-08-21T11:39:00.000-07:00

Well, I thought I heard it all out of Dusty the Master Apologist this year until I read the report on Cubs.Com yesterday talking about "trouble on the Base Paths" and almost vomitted. Can this guy get on his players, or himself about anything? He in a roundabout way found a way to blame everyone but Himself, his coaching staff and especially Corey for the botched squeeze on friday. Check it out:

--"I don't even know if he's ever been involved in a squeeze play," Baker said. "We instruct guys in Spring Training about when to leave, when to do this, when to do that. But the thing about teaching at this level, there's a lot of things that you assume that they already know and were taught.

"They might have been taught, but [they haven't been] applying it. Therefore, most of your teaching is done after a mistake. A lot of things you assume they may know until they make a mistake, and then you have to teach them then."--

I just have one question for the Penultimate Players Manager, What the f**k is spring training for? Isn't that where the coaches go over EVERYTHING so that they don't have to ASSUME anything? How can Hendry just sit there while this guy comes up with excuse after excuse. Anything short of, "Corey Messed Up" is a cop-out. Maybe they're still trying to build him up so they can trade him. But I have a feeling that GM's will be just as unwilling to trade for someone who wasn't trained properly rather than a kid who messes up a lot. Either way, it points out the glaring reality that Dusty, all coaches in charge of Defense/Baserunning, and KKorey need not be invited back to Arizona next spring.

Dusty's Fightin the Law

2005-08-15T17:30:00.000-07:00

So Burnitz is Struggling, everyone knows it, Lawton hit a HR yesterday and I Believe had at least one other hit, so who does lineup GURU put in the game? batting 7th BTW, of Course Woddy Harrelson himself.

Any reason why Lawton couldn't bat leadoff and Murton bat 6th, 7th or 8th? What is Dusty's infatuation with slow corner outfielders who wouldn't be starters on any other team?

In Need of Neifi

2005-08-14T20:33:00.000-07:00

Okay, the Cubs won today, and I'm convinced it was entirely out of spite. Nice to see Nomar getting his groove back though he did almost throw the game away. Is anyone else wondering where Neifi has been lately. Had macias not come through with the two RBI hit, I know I'd be screaming for Neifi, but even Hollandsworth's PH didn't make much sense when you have a guy on the bench who can switch hit. Am I mistaken in thinking that Neifi could also have played LF for those two outs? I'm just wondering, anyone else have any ideas.

So now the Mighty Cubs are only 6 out of the Wild Card and with a Sweep or Win in Houston could definitely considered back "In It". (Poor Matt Murton, someone should really poke him with a stick periodically so that the bench doesn't permantly sag where he sits).

Here's to hoping that the Cubs just light up the Juice Box. That's always fun.

False Hope Springs Eternal

2005-08-14T11:32:00.000-07:00

We can all lament the pain and anguish that comes with being a cubs fan and even I pointed to the cruelty inflicted by their Ineptitude in 8 straight games followed by two good performances vs. the league's best. Fortunately for me I had already given up on the season so now it just makes me chuckle. THe unfortunate part is that dusty will probably see those two games as a reason to "stay in the race" meaning he'll be running Wood out there when he should be resting, and he'll still be playing Burnitz and Hollandsworth inexplicably more than they should be playing.

The fact of the matter is, if they lose today, and I have no reason to expect that they won't, other than Prior pitching, the cubs will be in the same exact position as they were before the series with the Cardinals, and mathematically speaking, in worse shape. (they'll have four fewer games to play with)

Unfortunately, Dusty looks at the facts much like the Bush administration, with limited understanding or accountability. While nothing will have really changed in the past four days, the party line probably will be a lot more optimistic than it was four games ago, and foolishly so. Hendry needs to understand that as long as Dusty continues to manage this way, stubbornly and blindly avoiding all common sense and reason, this team could go till the next presidential election before it even sniffs the playoffs, and with a Payroll this big, with two #1 pitchers and two sluggers just now entering their prime, we can't afford to wait two more years to make another run at it, we need to start building for the future NOW.

Trade what you can to get what you can, and let the young kids play. Maybe Andy McPhail is just waiting till the offseason to fire the whole lot of them, I guess we can hold out hope for that.

Jerome Williams Sucks

2005-08-13T13:28:00.000-07:00

No witty title, just straight to the point. The funniest of those Photo-Comparisons pointed out the uncanny similarity between williams and a Batting Tee. The only difference is that Batting tees don't walk 2 batters an inning.

ITs time to give Sergio Mitre another chance. When that guy is on, he's unhittable, when Williams is "On" he's quite hitable. And we haven't seen Williams be ON in oh, two months.

I don't know what to say about the last two games other than that this team clearly is quite Masochistic towards its fans and likes playing well every once in a while to make the suffering that much worse. I did see Murton beat out a double play ball the other day which was pretty cool. I had to check and make sure he was actually wearing a cubs jersey! I don't know why Dusty continues to fool himself into thinking we're actually in this race, and/or that Burnitz gives us a better chance in right than Murton. At least with murton, all three of our outfielders would be fast, that has to be good for something right?

Okay, back to watching little dots light up on my screen. I hate FOX

Tickets for Sale/Trade

2005-08-13T10:32:00.000-07:00

No, I'm not giving up on this team, though these past two games against the Cards are enough to have any Cub fan committed. I have two tickets for the Sat. Sept. 10th Game AT the Giants. Unfortunately I cannot attend. I'm hoping to find some bay area cub fans who can use them before I let Giants fans have a go.

Ideally I'd be hopin to trade if anyone out there has two tickets to the Friday, Sept. 9 game but that might just be wishful thinking.

They are in Section 336, Row 16, Seats 3 and 4

$75 for the Pair should do it, or Best Offer.

email me at: smalbrecht23@yahoo.com

Time to Waive goodbye

2005-08-09T21:15:00.000-07:00

As one other blogger mentioned recently, hopefully the K man will do just well enough to get himself traded. I agree whole-heartedly. While we're at it, go ahead and put Walker, Burny, Holly, Macias and Nomar on the Waiver wire. I love Nomar and wish he had been a cub in his prime, but its time to get value out of him in another player since we have gotten little out of him as a player. This team needs to change its dimensions, or at least one of them and that's age. See what you can get for these guys and lets BUILD a team with youth and talent. I think Lawton is a keeper and once Baker is gone Murton will be an everyday player. I think Hairston should get a shot at every day 2B when he comes back. An infield of Cedeno, Hairston, Lee and ARam really wouldn't be the worst thing ever.

I look around the league and see all of these players that could have ben had who could have helped the team this year and the only real thing we can say about this past offseason is that We got Burnitz to replace Sosa. Think about these players and the impact they're having on their teams while the cubs went for Old, Slow and Impatient ummm.... Home Run Hitters?

Eric Byrnes
Guillen, the one on the Nationals who likes to fight people
Jason Kendall. faster, and more selective than Barret.
David Eckstein, Orlando Cabrera, Renteria, take your pick
MATT CLEMENT... (reason number one of many to also fire Hendry)
Any of the Devil Rays OF if we just offered them a Bag of Cheeto's in return
and honestly this is without me doing any sort of research on the subject.

Let's all please hope that Hendry saying its not Dusty's fault is just smoke screening for the firing that should happen before the end of the season. He is too stubborn to "give up" and let Cedeno and Murton play and hence he needs to be fired before he ruins another young position player.

For Dusty, and the Season, The Fat Lady has already left the building

2005-08-08T22:11:00.000-07:00

It took me a long time to come aboard the fire dusty bandwagon, but nowI just hope there's room for me in the front seat. How could things have gone this bad? Well, unfortunately hindsight is 20/20 and that's about all we have right now.

The cubs were just barely keeping their heads above the water when DLee was challenging the triple crown and .400. Now that he's come back to earth, the cubs have sunk to the bottom. (did I mention we're 2.5 games behind the BREWERS??)

We also could and should have known that Neifi's heroics during Nomar's first month out would go away, and they did.

Corey Patterson's demotion was too little too late, as was the addition of Lawton.

Why did we let Mat Clement go again? He and Z were the only two in the rotation who were A. Young and B. Durable. Our whole bullpen situation would have been solidified at the beginning of the year if A. Dempster Doesn't Start, ever, Clement is Still in the Rotation, and Glendon Got to start. We'd still have LaBlow in the 7th or the 8th, Dempster in the 9th. And Wuertz, Ohman, Wellemeyer for Middle relief.

Again, Many of the Above statements have little or nothing to do with Dusty, which is why I think hendry should go too, but when you look around the League, at Atlanta, Oakland, THE WHITE Sox, the Astros and DID I MENTION THE BREWERS. All teams picked to end up Way behind the Cubs, all teams with what some would call "inferior talent" and all teams, (i'm guessing) with a smaller payroll, who are all out-achieving these cubs, but are doing it in SOLID ways. Good Defense, good baserunning, good pitching, timely and patient hitting.

It is time for this relationship between the Team, the Fans and This Manager to end. It was a nice little honeymoon for about a season plus 10 games in '03. But I'm just going to go ahead and chalk that up to two pitchers whose arms have now nearly fallen off, one "Corked up" sammy, and a little majic. In short, a team can overcome bad managing only on rare and special occasions, otherwise, you get the mess of what we are watching every night.

I'm surprised my WGN feed isn't getting scrambled, its just that dirty.

Dead and Hardly Kicking

2005-08-07T22:32:00.000-07:00

Well tonight we witnessed 25 guys with no pulse "run: around a baseball field for 2 hours. I may have used the term Run a little too liberally, since they didn't do much of that either. I think its time for some players to get put on the waiver wire to see what we can get for them. It is time to start thinking about next year. I'm serious, crazy as it sounds, there is probably a Market out there for both a Macias and Hollandsworth type. They have served the Cubs "well" and now its time to cut our losses and move on.

I've said this before but its worth repeating. In a year when both the A's and Braves have like 3 rookie of the year candidates on their teams, it is so frustrating to see Matt Murton not getting to go out there and do what he can do. Macias playing center field is not an option for a team even pretending to be in a playoff race, which is the only reason I can think as to why Murton didn't get at least one start this weekend.

The past week of baseball was not only losing baseball, but it was BAD baseball. The cubs got beat by teams with no more talent than them, but with more heart, brains and more "with-it-ness" than the Cubs have had all year.

It should be funny though listening to Brenley and Kasper the last two months. You have to think they'll be wary of being too critical. Look for lots of akward pauses.

Question: How come Spiers is the only coach to come out Publicly saying that the defense has been crappy. I'd start to worry about little Darren Baker's future. His father clearly can't reprimand those he is in charge of and spoils those that have done nothing to deserve it

Gimme My Murton

2005-08-04T12:47:00.000-07:00

Another bismal afternoon for a cubs team that could have won if dealt a better hand by their manager. I try to ignore Brenley and Casper when i can, but sometimes nuggets of info. slip through such as, you usually try to avoid using your backup catcher unless extremely necessary. because who knows what could happen inury-wise. So, when they double switched inthe 8th(when defense matters most), in comes Barret to catch.

Couldn't Murton just as easily been put in for macias or walker (putting macias at 2nd). SO lets say that doesn't work and you want Barret's bat in the 9th, how is Lawton, a leftie who had never seen wagner better than Murton, a righty who'd never seen wagner before. Seems to me you go for the righty when all else is equal.

I'm changing the channel to TBS and swallowing the remote, I've gotta see some rookies play.

Lawton vs. Macias....hmmm

2005-08-04T10:16:00.000-07:00

Last time I checked, Lawton could play CF, last time I checked he could play it better than Macias. Last time I visited her, my 70yr old Grandma hit better than macias, and (yes in case your're wondering, My grandma IS NOT better than Lawton)

I'm going to the Golden Gate bridge to listen to the rest of the game. (I may or may not use a bungee cord, we'll see)

Hey at least Ramirez is hitting behind Lee.

Speechless...

2005-08-03T22:24:00.000-07:00

Or wordless, not sure what you call not being able to type, but whatever. Well today's loss was just another symptom of a poorly managed, poorly coached and unprepared team. Everybody has pretty much already said all there is to be said about it. The lineup sucking, the stupid Barrett play, dusty's unwillingness to play youngsters..... etc. So I thought I'd look at it from a different point of view.

I watched today's game with my "SUX" Jersey on, purchased after Prior beat Pitt after the break. My Mom said, "You know you'll root for them if they get to the series". Of course I shrugged her off but lately its become quite apparent that this hatred of the Sux possessed by all Cub Fans is more irrational than ever before, and almost rooted out of jealousy. I'm not jealous that they are winning and we're not, though if they win the series after the Red Sox last year, I'm quite sure I'll move to Mongolia and become a monk. But dammit, they play good baseball. How frustrating is it that in the two years since BartGate, the SUX have gone from being the Twin's whipping boy to the best team in baseball. They run the bases well, play great defense, know how to bunt and have a manager who will actually get after his players.
Somehow, the Southsiders figured otu how to win faster than Dusty can figure out what OBP means.

I'm not sure what the point of the above paragraph was other than to say that, the Cub fan's pain this year is made even more wickedby the success of the Sox. They were put together better, they are managed better, and they play better ball.
Too bad Sox fans are too stupid to realize what a treat they have......(hehe, you knew that was coming)

Flip Flop This...

2005-08-02T18:35:00.000-07:00

So, after Burny nearly runs the team OUT of another inning, Aram comes through in the clutch, finally! Then , with the Bases loaded, after another lee IBB, Burny strikes out swinging. Does anyone else think that this whole Flip-Flopping of the batting order is just silly. Who thinks that ARam wouldn't provide better protection for Lee regardless of who's pitching. How come Dusty is such a "numbers man" when it comes to stuff like this. (flip flopping order) but won't play the Percentages by running to keep his team out of a double play??

Okay, I'm gonna go now and watch Dempster try to save this bad boy.

BTW- dont' forget to vote on the new Poll: What will happen with the rest of the Cub's season?

Turning Two...

2005-08-02T17:11:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if Dusty understands double plays. Why not have the runners moving when Neifi is up to bat? He should know that the chances of Neifi lining into a double play are far less than grounding into one. Maybe Dusty doesn't know that the runners are allowed to move before the ball is hit.... HE IS ABSOLUTELY MADDENING!! Please LA DODGERS, take him off our hands, I can't stand another year of this

And Down the Stretch.....

2005-08-01T14:40:00.000-07:00

Well, we survived the trade deadline with little damage and hopefully a rejuvinated lineup. So what's next?? I have mixed feelings about the rest of the season, I think it could get really ugly real fast, or this team could get on a tear. Just look at what the A's and Astros are doing. Does anyone actually think that the Cubs lineup is worse than the 'Stros. I know that the offense has been scuffling, but in the end, It will as it always does come down to pitching. Maybe Williamson and Wood will give the bullpen a much needed boost, but I wish we had gotten a reliever the past couple of days. The Indians had one out there and Baez is still available. Maybe Hendry is waiting till friday to see what happens with the Lineup and Pen and then maybe can make a waiver deal if the team stays in it.

I guess all we can do is just enjoy the next month, because it could be the last meaningful month of baseball that we see. Here's to hoping they're getting some sleep on today's day off, and do an A's imitation the next couple of weeks.

Need another team meeting?

2005-07-28T14:51:00.000-07:00

After Brenley "ranting" about the Cubs having more patience at the plate, they absolutely Mailed in today's game vs. the DBacks. I'm not sure which Cubs batter saw the most pitches, but clearly they did not see enough. I know that Walk's been struggling but he seems to be such a catalyst at the top of ther order, not just because he's a professional hitter, but because he takes pitches. Ronny Cedeno should not be the #2 hitter. If you're gonna give Walk the day off, Bat Neifi 2. Either way, they HAVE TO TAKE MORE PITCHES.

In other news, Left Field has become a Bismal for this team. They have got to do something to upgrade there if they seriously think they're going to contend for the Wild Card. Why hasn't the Kearns deal happened yet? How much would the Sox demand for Manny?? Could we get any use out of Jose Cruz Jr. who just got sent down by the DBacks, or could they pry Jose Guillen away from the Nats?

Jim Hendry, you are now on the clock...

Need some time Off!

2005-07-25T07:56:00.000-07:00

Whew...what a series. I'm exhausted and I didn't even play in the last two games! Okay, didn't play in the first one either, but you get the drift. I feel bad for these guys having to go another week without a day off. I know we should probably all be in a good mood, but even though we won the series, we could have just as easily swept it, OR BEEN SWEPT. Honestly, who of you didn't think it was over after the Cards tied it up in the Bottom of the 9th? I know I did. And after Barret struck out with the Bases loaded, I had ZERO faith in Neifi. Not that I'm a Neifi hater, but I had run out of faith at that point.

A couple questions- why isn't DLee getting the love from the National press? Why is he just an MVP contender and not the frontrunner? Anyone else get the sinking suspicion that they'll give it to Poo-Holes just because Bonds beat him for it the last 3 years? And then last night I heard them adding another "Contender" to the list. Can't remember who it was, but I was pissed.

So, its back home to face Schmidt who owned the Cubs last year, but allegedly he's having an off year so we'll go with that. Still would like to hear your opinion on the Polls. #1- What should the Cubs do next? #2- Who should they fire first?

Kkkkarlos!!!

2005-07-22T18:48:00.000-07:00

Having the Klown down at Iowa, I need to have someone else's name started with K's. Our man Z is doing exactly what we needed tonight, now if Todd Walker could get the ball in the air, we'd have a one run lead, and Dlee would have come to the plate with a runner at 2nd. Question, why not have Hairston try to take 2nd on that Single up the middle? then if the Cards try to throw him out, Z can go home, or at best, no DP situation. Or, since walker had already shown a tendancy towards ground balls against this pitcher, why not have hairston running??

I like everything I'm hearing about this Kearns deal. Any news from Peter Gammons on this? Regardless of wether or not we're Buyers or Sellers (see poll), hendry NEEDS to make a deal that will make this team better for more than just a year or be fired! (See other poll). I'd love to keep Walker but I think we could do with Hairston at 2nd if we can land a Juan Pierre type of CF, then we're young all around, especially if we have Kearns and Murton. Well, back to the game.

Final thought: Do the Cardinals just take Asshole Pills before every game or do they make sure that they only sign Assholes. I am sure they are all great guys, and I never see anything bad said or written about them, ever, but they all seem like Assholes to me. Maybe I jut don't like Red

NEW POLL: So, What Next?

2005-07-22T06:58:00.000-07:00

Hear that?? That's the sound of the Cubs season's last couple of Gasps. No amount of medication or Alcohol could get me excited about the upcoming Cardinal series and I have a sinking suspicion that nothing good can ever come of it. They might want to Rest all their Starters plus Dlee and Aram just for percautionary measures. But after the performances of the last two nights, I think we can safely declare this team a playoff "Pretender".

SO I've read a couple postings about what to do next and the action I can get behind is Getting rid of everyone except: PRior, Z, Dlee, and ARAm. I think you could make a good argument that Barret could be included in that bunch, but I for one would be fine with that. THink of the YOUNG talent we could fetch for a Todd Walker, or even a Greg Maddux at the Deadline. SO I've kept the old Poll up.

The more I think about it, the more I see teams like Oakland and Atlanta constanly be able to reload and reload, and the way the White Sox were able to make such "Smart" moves. (that last statement pains me) I think Hendry should be, and might already be on the Hot Seat. The Failure of the Patterson project, as documented by The Cub Reporter, shows a systemic failure that may have tainted more than just a few of our highly talented position players. But I think we can build around this team:

Prior
Zambrano
Mitre

Barret
Ramirez
Lee
Cedeno
Murton, but the question remains, does the Trib.Co care that much to make a Grand Overhaul, or will we stay constantly bombarded by failure and excuses, as has become the norm this year.

Dare to Dream~~~~~

2005-07-19T06:20:00.000-07:00

Okay, I know i'm not usually one to be hopefull, optimistic, or whatever, and I'm sure this will just go down as plain crazy but--- The Red Sox now need a 2nd basemen. The cubs have two of them. The Red Sox are always looking for starting pitching, the cubs have an extra one of those and the cubs NEED a centerfielder/leadoff hitter. So, here it is.

Red Sox Get:
KKKKPat
Sergio Mitre
Jerry Hairston

Cubs get: Johnny Damon+ a middle reliever, dunno who

The cubs have done business with the Sox before and this will also give the cubs the inside track on signing Damon in the offseason.

Let me know your thoughts other than: You're crazy

Moday MuSIngs!

2005-07-18T07:45:00.000-07:00

Did you See my man Farnsy throw down?? It looked completely unprovoked and everything, its like he wanted to let Paul Wilson and the Reds along with the Royals that '03 was no fluke!! Man I miss that guy. Does anyone think that Mitre should be sent back down? Not because he doesn't deserve to be up in the Bigs, but 12 pitchers is too many. He's not getting the work he needs, and to that point, nobody is really getting as much work as they need. You've got Rusch as your Long Reliever and then two matchup lefties, and two matchup righties. I just don't think Mitre is cut out for the bullpen. He does so well as a starter, i'd rather see him called up for spot starts but still be starting in Iowa to stay sharp. Then, maybe we could see Pie (and other teams could too for that matter)

So, the Cubs SHOULD sweep this series, but we all know what happens when we say that. Look for Aramis and D-Lee to have a big series in that tiny ballpark as long as they don't overswing because of the Ballpark.

Whoever had the idea of going after J. Pierre has it right, in fact, I think I wrote that 2 months ago, but Bargain Basement Hendry might not have the Gumption to do so. Here's the deal though, the cubs problem when they lose is usually offlense. If Hendry hasn't noticed that then well, whatever. They have GOT to get another outfield bat and a stereo-typical leadoff hitter would be even better. I love Hairston's energy but not sure if he's the leadoff hitter to make a playoff push. He could definitely be used as part of a package deal because Walk is doing just fine at 2nd. Anyways, that's it for now, still looking for Hendry to make a big move on the Who should be fired poll. But hey, if the trib. co. keeps wanting to pay him to squander 100million, who am I to object, right??

Hot Sunday

2005-07-17T12:07:00.000-07:00

Never visit Miami in July, also, never visit miami in June or August! I say this just because it does look hot today at wrigeley and I wouldn't be out there unless I were paid millions of dollars. good game so far. I will now eat my words wherein i declared that Lee was "cooling off". It was a silly comment made in the heat of the moment of a bad loss. I'm hoping that excuse works for me even though I DON"T make millions of dollars. Now I'll pick on Hairston. Great first at bat, made wells work, but in his second at bat, he watched two fastballs go STRAIGHT down the middle. Is he getting too "pull happy"? Thats the only thing I can think of cause everything he did swing at was inside and he pulled them well into the stands. Its just a theory and hopefully my writing about it will Reverse-Jinx him back into hitting.

BTW, two polls still up. One will last only the next 6 innings. "HOW LONG WILL THE LOSING STREAK LAST"? and if anyone should be fired, "WHO SHOULD BE FIRED FIRST" Right now Dusty is leading that one, but if Hendry keeps shopping for free agents at the Tommy John clinic and Biglots, I think he might make a move on Dusty.

Wedding CRASHERS!!!

2005-07-16T15:41:00.000-07:00

So, visiting the folks shouldn't usually involve a movie such as this, but dad wanted to see it so whatever. The movie starts out with Guns a blazin'!! Some absolutely histerical moments and the movie really never lets up. An akward cameo at the end and the fact that they tried to turn it into a chick flick are the only drawbacks, but overall, I give it two White Flags!

Hot Girls and Nudity are always a plus in my book and this had both. (Vince Vaughn's Girlfriend is absolutely flaming!)

I'd love to hear your comments, or if you just want to make fun of me for seeing the movie with my folks, that's cool too!

They're Back- Part II

2005-07-16T15:34:00.000-07:00

Having returned from Wedding Crashers (review to follow) to my TiVo'd Cubs game, btw, tivo is the best way to watch a cubs game, especially a maddux game where the mistakes are HR's and there are no walks. But once again, the Cub's bats are silenced by a virtual unknown. The 6th Inning summed it up. Lee and Ramirez both come up with runners on the Corners and less than 2 outs and neither could get the ball in the air to score just one run.

Now, after everything MVLee has done this year, I'm not about to start bagging on him, but it looks as if he's cooling off just a bit. he completely guessed wrong that entire at bat. I know those knee high fastballs are low, but hey if the ump calls one, you probably shouldn't watch another go by you.

So, the new POLL QUESTION is attatched, how long will this losing streak last??? Will they just drop 5 straight and nullify the latest winning streak, or will they rebound and take this series?? I guess we'll just wait and see tomorrow. Or I can just look up the opposing pitcher, and if I've heard of him, EVEN IF HE"S GOOD, the cubs have a Chance, if he's a nobody, prepare for another dozen or so Double Plays by the Bucos!

They're Back

2005-07-15T18:56:00.000-07:00

So after taking some much needed rest and swinging by Wrigley for thursdays efficient Put-Away by prior, I'm back with some thoughts. How long will this win streak last, and most importantly, when it ends, how long will the ensuing losing streak last. This team has the talent to never lose (except against the cardinals) but this Jekyl and Hyde offense is about as frustrating as anything. My only hope is that the difference between this winning streak is that the 1-2 hitters are producing and they're getting on for the big boppers. or to put it another way, the difference is that KKK Pat is no longer with the team so they're no longer over-swinging to over compensate. Plus, I love the bottom of the order. perez is like a leadoff hitter "lite" and gets things going so the lineup can turn itself over. So here's to a hopefull sweep of the Bucos! and bring on the Red Birds

Who Should the CUbs Fire Frist??

2005-07-09T12:29:00.000-07:00

I've taken a week's worth of losing pretty hard. And I'm running out of people to blame. Check out the Poll on my site and vote on who you think the cubs should fire first. I'm torn on this because I can see reasons to fire them all right now. And KK Pat was going to be on the Poll but now he's been sent down which to me means that no one, not even the Mets were stupid enough to trade for him. I'm just pissed as hell. There is no reason that this team w/ 4 aces and a triple crown candidate should be so far under .500. They are wasting time trying to field a Mediocre team around their OverRated rotation and you end up with an overrated, underperforming team. Congratulations! So I ask again, who should be fired first???

Jerry's Justice Served

2005-07-04T08:34:00.000-07:00

So, I'm pissed off about yesterday's game. Cmon, coming back twice only to throw a double play ball away, but at least the top of the lineup wasn't as futile as 8-9 hitters usually are.

Now, not to say I told you so, but thought you should all check out a posting I wrote about TWO weeks ago, and I'm pretty sure that was BEFORE corey went 0 for whatever as leadoff.

http://cublogger.blogspot.com/2005/06/somebody-needs-some-bench-time.html

Put Jerry or Todd in Left

2005-07-01T11:58:00.000-07:00

Since Dusty has clearly lost his mind when it comes to the Center Fielder who shall remain nameless, why not try one of our two 2nd basemen in left where clearly we have a need. Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't both of them play in the outfield during spring break?? and wasn't it because we had two good 2nd basemen and wanted to get them both in the lineup? and didn't Jerry Jr. play a corner OF position last year?? How come dusty has yet to notice that every time Jerry Jr. plays, he does well. Yesterday was a great example, but even when he comes in as a PH, he has a quality AB and hs had a couple of key hits.

In other News poor DLee will not have any more RBI's the rest of the year, unless he keeps hitting solo shots. Does dusty understand what the word RUN PRODUCER means??

I'm sick of it, so i'm going back to watching this lineup flounder due to nobody's fault except for the Stubborness of the Front office and the Manager.

Anxious Feeling

2005-06-26T12:14:00.000-07:00

Today's Prior return has been having me anxious all week. (i understand, I need to get a life) Well, he passed the first test and his arm didn't fall off after the first pitch. haven't written lately because I've said it all before. I cannot get over this lineup, especially the 1-2 hitters. I've said it, most of you have said it. Clearly Dusty doesn't know that the CBA exists and also isn't quite clear on how RBI's work. People need to be ON BASE to score. Poor D Lee might as well just take a walk every time up, at least that way Aramis can knock him in and maybe He'll win the batting title.

So, my next plan is to have all of us in the CBA write dusty a letter a day. "Fan Mail" if you will, with only one sentance.

"Hey Dusty, I can strike out 4 times every game, I think I'm ready to bat leadoff".

Hairston is Being Under-Utilized as well as Walker. I'd have to look it up but Walk has got to be one of our leaders in walks. So who's he getting on base for? Holly and Barrett.?

Like I said, its all been said, resaid, hashed and rehashed. My only question is, why isn't the Media getting on dusty any more? Maybe they are on Chicago talk radio, but I'm talking about the WGN guys, (wait, i know the answer to that), and ESPN? Harold reynolds goes on and on about how everyone loves to play for him. Has he asked Jerry Hairston, or Chad Fox how much they LOVE playing for dusty? I jsut saw them interviewing Sarge Matthews about Patterson and he said he's "excited" about the lineup and the Sox announcers were talking as if Patterson leading off was a good thing. They had to be chuckling to themselves after that interview. Maybe Ozzie, after today's game will talk with dusty and give him some advice about OBP, Walks, and the stat of RBI.

Somebody Needs some Bench Time

2005-06-23T12:49:00.000-07:00

That's it, I'm done with Kkkkorey. He could even hit a game winning HR today and I would still feel the same way. That would of course mean that he didn't swing and miss at the ball, and that's just crazy talk. Someone please explain to me what Hairston Jr. has done so terribly wrong that he should be having to watch Korey bitch, moan, demand, request, and swing and miss........ repeat.

TRADE K PAT, trade him now, and if he's batting leadoff tomorrow, I'm going surfing in the Pacific. (I dont' know how to surf, and am not that great a swimmer)

1. Hariston
2. Walker
3. D Lee
4. Burny
5. Aramis
6. Neifi
7. Holly
8. Barret

How come we can all see this except for Dusty

What's a Walk??

2005-06-21T18:50:00.000-07:00

You'd think that eventually, the cubs Batters would notice that when their pitchers throw 4 balls before they throw three strikes, they get to amble, saunter, jog, mosey, WALK, shuffle.... you get the point. They get to go to 1st base. 4 walks by jerome, 1 for the cubs, by Walker I might add, who then set was set up for Barrett and Wilson...one of these days, will dusty or clines tell these guys to take a couple of pitches, just to see what happens. My guess is we'll never know.

In other news, Lee and Aramis, wow and wow...

LEt's see if he sends Jerome out there for the 8th. I hope not, which means he probably will.

WHY, WHY, WHY???

2005-06-21T17:07:00.000-07:00

I read about it this afternoon but had to see it to believe it. Can anyone out there keep a straight face and give me a logical reason why Hollandsworth is batting 2 and walker 6?

I'm all ears.

Tuesday Thoughts

2005-06-21T12:40:00.000-07:00

Well, I took the Weekend off from blogging because I really just didn't have much to say. So, here it is, What Happened?? Was it really that they got spooked because of Yankee stadium? I didn't get to see Saturday's game because of Fox and left on sunday once I saw that Mitre had finally found a lineup that could be patient. And we all know that Friday's loss was Dusty's fault.

Having said all that, Yesterday's win was big. Maddux battled and the defense made some awesome plays. I'm still not quite sure what happend on that double to Center. the one that hit half way up the wall and bounced into Burnitz' glove. Kkkkorey seems to be letting the offensive "slump" get to his fielding.

With rumors of Prior possibly starting on sunday, and Wood sometime next week, I guess we can just hold our breath and hope their arms don't fly off on the first pitch of the game. If they're going good, then who do we put in the pen for long relief. And what do we do w/ mitre and williams. I guess we'll see about williams tonight, but I think Mitre is ready to stay in the Bigs. I think Sunday the grounders just kept finding holes, he really didn't have a Bad outing.

So, if williams looks good, then We could: Trade williams, Put Mitre in the Rotation and Rusch as long reliever. I still haven't gotten to see this Hill guy pitch but maybe He could replace Bartosh as our young lefty. I keep going back and forth on what our biggest need is, but I think its gotta be the bench. Why is it that Macias keeps getting most of the PH attempts while Hairston just sits there? is there something else going on that we dont' know about? Do we need to call Dusty or Hendry and remind them that we got this guy for Sammy and if we're not going to use him, we should probably trade him before he goes sour on the shelf. Or a big bat in left field, putting holly on the bench so that Macias ISN"T our only lefty off the bench.

Quick thoughts: Can Griffey play Left Field?? I'd take an OF of Gridffey, Patt and Burny

Saturday Sux

2005-06-18T08:29:00.000-07:00

I'm going to stop posting mid-game because it makes me too mad to either be right or wrong. Unfortunately, I was right on two counts, but since I'm an eternal pessimist, it didnt' make me feel any better because it meant that the cubs lost the game. (# of walks Z gave up, not pulling z before the 7th)
Maybe Dusty was confused by the pitch count. Maybe he thought that every time the cubs turn double play, the 4 balls that preceeded it don't count. Whatever the case may be, on a day when clearly Zambrano was not on his game, and a day that the bullpen was plenty rested, there he was out there to start the 7th and at that point, I didn't even have to watch, I new how it was going to end. OF course I watched anyway because I like to torture myself.

Why does Dusty continue to trust his starters when they cannot be trusted. What might have worked was Wellemeyer working the 7th, Wuertz Working the 8th and Dempster in the 9th. Instead he leaves Z in to face the top of the Lineup. Sheffield doubles, then A rod takes a hanger back up the middle. So instead of 0 out, 0 on and a 2 run lead, now dusty's tapping his young bullpen with 1 out, 1 man on, and a 1 run lead, IN YANKEE STADIUM and up comes Matsui, a professional hitter, and we all know how it ended from there.

I think we all know that this is Dusty's last year in Chicago. Maybe we could get TB to throw in Huff with Uncle Lou and then we'd have something.

Well, there you have it

2005-06-17T18:18:00.000-07:00

Well, I put the Over/Under at 5 walks, and took the over. Fortunately we're still winning the game so I can just feel good all over. But Z's sinker just was not working so I guess I'd take the walks over the HR's that would have ensued if half of those Balls had been strikes.

In other news, I'm sick of Brenley. Thinking of investing in the XM portable radio just so I don't have to listen to him and can listen to Ronnie S.

Here's to hoping Dusty doens't send Z out for the 7th. I mean they ONLY have 8 relievers in the pen.

I Just Don't Know....

2005-06-17T13:52:00.000-07:00

Trade rumors abuzz and none of the rumored deals are ones I can get behind. The last BIG, mid-season impact move made by Hendry was for Lofton/Ramirez two years ago. Yes he got Lee for Choi but since then, his trades have either been "over-predicted" a-la Nomah, or dump-jobs a-la Lablow and Farnsy..(BTW, does anyone miss that guy? I kinda do. HE'S always had a place in my heart ever since his Body Slam of Paul Wilson in '03)

I dunno what to say, I just have an uneasy feeling and I don't know why. Something is missing on this team, but unfortunately, I think its too much. I've now gone from thinking that all they needed was one more outfielder, especially one that could lead off, to thinking that they also need another starter, and long-reliever. Of course, if they get another starter, and Wood/Prior actually can stay off the DL, then they can put Rusch back into long relief where he's always excelled.

I think, despite my best efforts, that Jim will keep KKKK Pat, but I also think he will get another corner outfielder thus (hopefully) making the bench stronger w/ Holly, however, he might even be able to get one more quality Bench guy.
But I think we're stuck with the Pitchers we have. Maybe Jerome williams will be the fix we're looking for, and maybe Wood's "new mechanics" will actually keep him good and in the Rotation the rest of the year, but if the first 2.5 monts have been indicator, we won't know how this season is going to end until the season ends. Until then, here's to hoping that they can lay a pounding on the Yanks just to make us all feel better.

Woozy Wednesday ;p

2005-06-15T20:02:00.000-07:00

Alert to all cubs players>>>>>>Contrary to popular belief, the runs you score one night do not carry over to the next day. To me this game was lost in the first inning. The CUBS guess right, Dusty does the RIGHT thing, and Barret one-hops the throw on the pitch out, then, bfore the Cubs can even settle down, Pierre has stolen third and scored on a grounder.

HELLO Mr. Hendry, were you watching. If this series has not made it blatantly clear that the Cubs NEED to find that prototypical leadoff hitter, then I dont' know what will. I don't know if anyone remembers how the Cubs took off in '03 after picking up Lofton, but I sure as hell do. Neifi seems to be cooling off, though I am still enamoured with his defense. Hairston can cause havoc on the basebaths, but usually for himself, and KKKorey, well, you all know how I feel about him.
(BTW, did anyone notice Brenley's sort of Back Door insult of Patterson last night, saying that he doesn't change his approach regardless of where in the Lineup he's hitting. To me, that sounded kinda like a shot at KKorey, but Brenley disguised it enough to confuse Korey and not piss off dusty too much)

So, who are some Leadoff hitters out there?
I've got, Lofton, Kotsay, and I'm pretty sure the Marlins won't be dumping Pierre anytime soon unless they start to go in the tank.
(BTW part 2, where the hell were these blisters when Beckett was tearing up the Cubs in the LCS??) I'd love to call it Karma, but he still got to win a World Series, so its some kind of Reverse Backwards Cubs Karma a la Greg Maddux 1990-2003, Mark Grace 2001, Nomah '04-'05. These are just to name a few, I'm sure you guys can think of other examples. Okay, if I don't stop typing soon, I'm just going to give myself an Ulcer. So, off to Gotham they Galantly travel.

Over/Under on Walks Zambrano allows: 5 and I'll take the over. What happened to the "Calmer More Mature Carlos". Maybe he should spend less time thinking up nicknames for himself, and maybe, just maybe, Dempster should pass by Z's locker when he's handing out the Red Bull.

Bring Back our Outfield!!!

2005-06-14T16:05:00.000-07:00

I just posted, so this won't be long, but there are two guys out there just dying to come back to the cubs. I know that this is usually "White Flag's " job, but here goes.

Kenny Lofton- Sitting on Bench In Philly, but having a pretty good season. I dunno who the phils have in CF, but maybe, just maybe,

Korey = Lofton + Lieber

And, out here, in sunny S.F., where Barry Bonds' flax seed oil seems to have lost its magic. Out there in left field, languishing on a BAD team is our main man Alooooo. The giants are trying to get younger, so lets help them. How bout this:

Korey + Kelton/Doobie+ Karonka= Moises + Schmidt

oh, btw, I hate Gary Sheffield and will have to keep from vomitting the first time and every time there-after that I see him in Cubby Blue. Did we forget that he frequented the same "Pharmacist" as Barry and Giambi?

Tuesday Turnaround

2005-06-14T15:43:00.000-07:00

Here we are again, the Cubs look really good and then they drop two in a row in miserable fashion. Slowly but surely they're gaining ground on the cards. I dunno, Brenley can talk till he's blue in the face about quality at Bats, but when dubois can't move the runner over after a leadoff double, then these at bats are still Below quality. And, by the way, if someone wants to let me know what Holly's numbers are against Willis, I'm all ears. Never mind the fact that Walker should have been in the lineup, i'm pretty fuzzy on why Doobie (my new Dubois nickname because he looks stoned out there in left field) was starting yesterday. By the way, did you see the Slow-Mo shot of his one hop catch that "got caught in the lights". IS there any good traid-bait out there in the AL so this guy can relax and just hit?

Willis is a tricky lefty w/ a deceptive delivery, hey, lets start the rookie who's never seen him before just because he's a righty. Honestly, I think on any given night every member of the CBA could pick the cubs lineup, and have a chance at guessing Dusty's lineup.

So tonight we're looking for the Tuesday Turnaround against the cubs real nemesis from the '03NLCS. No, not the goat, no not Bartman, nope, not even Gonzo, yup that's right Josh Beckett, winner of game 5 and long reliever in game 7. I'm more worried that Dusty will start both Enrique and Macias in the same game than I am about the pitcher, but I'm still worried about the pitcher.

Yesterday also highlights the Cubs need for another starter. I dunno what all these trade talkers are smoking when they say we're deep at starting pitcher. Having rookies as two of your starters and one of them is Glendon Rusch, this does not exactly personify depth. They need to get on the phone and Grab up Schmidt or the Rocket before someone else does.

Hmmmm... Walker vs. Patterson

2005-06-13T17:18:00.000-07:00

That's really all the Cubs lineup boils down to, especially against Lefties. I think we'd all agree that Hairston belongs in there, but since when has KKKKorey proven that he can handle a Lefty, let alone a good, deceptive lefty? I've never heard Patterson described as a "professional hitter" before, and that's usually what people say when talking about Walker.

I'm going back to the game, but if anyone can explain this one to me, WITHOUT being a Patterson apologist, I'm all ears!!

(and please don't say its because of Patterson's exceptional Centerfield defense vs. Walker's questionable 2nd base defense. I'm now referring to Saturdays game as Patterdome Gate. I know, not too catchy, but that was probably the silliest play i've ever seen, so it kinda deserves a silly name, don't you think?)

The Pitch is Up..... AND......

2005-06-13T00:05:00.000-07:00

I know that making this post after the game shows that I have the clairvoyance of a phsychic with amnesia, but I just knew Wakefield was gonna be rough on the cubs. I mean, I think Kkkkkkorey actually swung at and missed the same pitch three times before it hit the catchers Mit. With an offense that has exhibited the patience of a 12 yr. old with ADD, any pitcher who's main attribute is that his pitches are slow and they go up and then down, I think we all should have expected what happened tonight.

What wasn't expected was the Cubs sub-par pitching performance. I believe that was the first time Rusch allowed more than Two ER's in his starts. I agree with the fact that we shouldn't be carrying so many pitchers. None of the relievers except for Wuertz are really sharp because they're all sharing playing time with each other. Though, I don't know exactly who they could bring up for the bench.

Hopefully the Marlins will stay mediocre until they leave chicago and the Yankees will all be in therapy by the time the cubs invade the bronx. This stretch of games is turning out to not be so bad. If they can keep taking 2 of three, should be in good shape. Let's see how Koronka does against a team that will make him throw strikes.

BTW, the reds sent Kearns down. Think they'd give him to us for Macias? Think hendry could pull that one off without giggling and blowing the whole thing??

F**k Fox Part II

2005-06-11T14:11:00.000-07:00

So, I live on the West coast, so I guess its my fault, but seriously, The A's vs. the Braves. Fox needs to understand that the Sox and Cubs have probably 2 of the 3 biggest followings in baseball. They need to make this a national game. Especially since it hasn't happened in 86 yrs.

So I'm stuck watching the thing on MLB gameday. Are Wellemeyer's pitches really as bad as those dots make it look?

I also heard during the First of Fox's Game Breaks that there is something wrong with Carlos' leg. Please tell me this isn't due to dusty letting him bat and getting a single. They could have used a pinch-hit there, rather than have their struggling Ace trying to be a hero at the plate.

I'm gonna go back to watching Dots on the computer screen and hop that this snore of a game on Fox will end soon. Course, they'll probably switch to the Yanks-Cards knowing my luck.

Sucky Scheduling

2005-06-10T20:27:00.000-07:00

I just posted this as a comment to a Pirates fan who was B***ing about the Pirates interleague schedule. The next month on the cubs schedule really has me just a tad bit worried. And they still haven't gotten to the real emotional series' against the Cardinals which are always draining for me. I don't know how the players do it!.

----A couple things to say:
A. The schedule will never be "Fair" it just can't be.
B. Every year, the interleague schedule is as such: Usually two series' against Regional rivals, one home and one away. Then 2-3 more Serie's against a given division. This year the NL Central is matched up against the NL East. Yes, away against yankees and Sox is not a great draw, but any time you get the Devil Rays is almost like beign given 3 games, and I believe you also just complained about "Having" to play Colorado again.
C. I noticed you picked the Reds and Phillies as Comparison teams. Had you checked out the Cub's schedule you would have found a similar situation to the Bucs.
They've Got 1 home series vs. Blue jays. Above .500
1 Home series against Sox. Above .500
1 Away series against Yankees, (honestly I think both our teams just got Immensly lucky that they drew the Yanks this of all years.
Oh, and by the way, the Cubs "regional rival" happens to be the Best team in Baseball this year. The White Sox.
So every one of their interleage games will come against either a Contending team, or In Yankee stadium. YOu wanna check out schedule unfairness, go to this site http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/schedule/index.jsp?c_id=chc and check out the cubs schedule between now and the all star break.

You wanna really investigate something. You and I should both be asking why the NL central teams drew the AL east only 2 years after they had them before. '03. Maybe its because most of the Central teams "regional rivals" are in the AL central so they take care of it that way, but it still seems fishy. ----

Friday Frenzy!!!

2005-06-10T19:47:00.000-07:00

Its Finally FRIDAY!!!! I was bummed being at work during today's Whooping but it was nice to see. I remember looking at the Cubs upcoming schedule before the Padres series and just getting nauseaus, but It hasn't been that bad. So far they're 5-3 vs. the Pads, Jays and Sox. And given the way the cubs were playing back then, I would have gladly paid good money to go 5-3 against those three teams. I thought it was pretty funny how fast everyone got back on the Bad Season Bandwagon after that 4-6 loss to the Jays. Wow, one game and the cubs turn-around is a fluke huh?? But it wasn't just that winning streak. I'd have to check, but I think that the cubs have had the Best record in baseball over the past month. A month ago, that 4-6 loss wouldn't have looked so bad, it would have looked normal. Just think back to how TERRIBLE these guys were in the beginning part of May.

Three positive things that can't be disputed-
1. Lee is quietly staying Hot but is hasn't mattered cause the rest of the Lineup is improving.
2. Ramirez is heating up just when the word is getting out about Lee
3. Barret is coming out of his slump in a big way!!!

Three trade needs:

1. Get rid of Patterson- don't care who they get in return, but i'd like to See WILLY MO or Griffey Jr. (I really like the Name WILLY MO) I also liked someone's idea of grabbing Kotsay from the A's
2. Starting Pitcher- Did anyone see the bandage on Wood's arm after his SIM Game?? You cannot tell me that's normal. I know that when Wood and Prior come back they'll have one of the Best rotations in the league, but that statement just gives me Deja Vu and I'm the one typing it!! Pick up one proven veteren who can always double as a swing-man. Maybe even another young Stud. Ie. Chacon from the Rockies. Who to trade?? I dunno. Remlinger, Macias, Hairston, Koronka.
3. One more proven Bench Player- I liked someone's idea of getting Matt Stairs. Refresh my memor, wasn't he on the CUBS once before?

Other than that, I think the cubs are in great Position to make a run on the Cardinals (if they can beat them head to head this year) and definitely could run away with the Wild card with the NL east teams Beating up on each other. But they'll need more parts if they're serious about going deep in the Playoffs.

Fire Corey Patterson!!!

2005-06-07T19:24:00.000-07:00

Or trade him for that bag of Doritos we might be able to get for him... either way, I want him out of the pantry by the weekend.
Say what you want about the play in the top of the 8th, if he doesn't make the error in the 5th and/or he gets at least a single in the bot. of the 7th, then the play in the 8th doesn't matter.

2 wrongs plus one right does not a right make. (at least I think that's what Yoda once said)

Here it is:
Today's "Corey trade of the day": Patterson to Houston , Clemens to Chicago

Your thoughts???

Lemons Vs. Scabs

2005-06-06T19:34:00.000-07:00

Remember during the 11 run game, Brenley kept talking about Dusty rotating in some of the bench players. What a ridiculuous Idea. I mean if Dusty had done that, they would have been too tired to ALL START TODAY!!! I guess we should just be thankful that he didnt' start Enrique Wilson at third and Todd Hollandsworth at 1st. Hopefully Dusty might have learned that just because the opposing Pitcher is a lefty, doesn't necessarily mean he has to start all available right handers. Hell, even I knew Chacin had good stuff. ( I know because he used to be on my fantasy team and I traded him away, but I digress)

Anyone want to join a "When will Corey be traded Pool"? I've got dibs on July 1.

Get off of Neifii

2005-06-05T16:08:00.000-07:00

I just put this as a comment to someone who truly doens't know a good thing when he sees it and seems to just be a reactionary cubs fan, but I wanted to share it with the rest of you.

At some point, people are going to have to stop using Neifi as their BlogoShpere whipping boy and thank their lucky stars that we have him.

Stop hating on players just because they weren't that good in Kansas City. Last time I checked, lots of players sucked in Kansas City, because Kansas City sucks. I'm just sick of people hating on people who clearly are helping the team. Worry about next year next year, for now, just be happy he's here. He seems to be the only Vocal Leader out there. Let him do his job. ohhh, and as i type, he just got his Thrid hit of the game.

And lastly, next year,God willing. Nomar will back and starting and neifi can be another super sub.

If I were all of you getting on neifi's case, I'd be much more worried about a centerfielder who couldn't hit a curveball if it were on a T. (yes I know curve balls can't be on tee's but you know what I mean).

Putting the K back in Corey Patterson

2005-06-03T21:14:00.000-07:00

Okay, I know there's no K in there, but there might as well be. I have now fallen off the Corey Patterson Bandwagon, and have gotten kicked in the N**ts a couple times on the way down.
This game is a perfect example of his ineptitude. In the second inning, when they really had a chance of getting the padres on the ropes, he strikes out swinging at a pitchers pitch when you knwe they dind't want to put him on. Lucklily the cubs did break through that inning so I could get down off the ledge. Then, he walks with two out and nobody on, (which is great by the way) steals a base, advances to third. Imagine if he had caused that kind of havoc with other men on, or less than one out??

Then again in the 8th when the cubs have a chance against the bullpen, he goes down swinging.

There was a brief time there, maybe no more than about a year and a half, when I whinced when sammy went to bat in an important spot of a game. And I felt bad, this was our superstar and here I am getting anxious that he might strike out. But for as many times as he made me feel bad for feeling that way by launching one, ie Game one against the Marlins, more times than not, he struck out.

Corey is not Sammy Sosa. But what he lacks in pure dominance as a power hitter, he makes up for (allegedly) with his speed and athleticism. Its time to stop talking about Corey's Potential and start talking about his untapped potential. Move him out while he's still got some value.

Wednesday Wishings

2005-06-01T09:26:00.000-07:00

Wow, last night was the first game in a while where I KNEW they were gonna blow it somehow, some way, and then DIDN'T!!! I felt like Dodger Stadium was in the Twilight zone for those three hours. A combined one hit over 10 innings, and the amazing part, is that zambrano didn't pitch two of those innings. Amazing for two reasons, one, that the relievers did an outstanding job, again, but two, Dusty actually pulled Z just at the right time.

Random thoughts: Doesn't it look like Carlos always has to Pee when he's pitching. He just makes me anxious. Why was Blanco catching last night? I mean, its not like Barret isn't absolutely crushing the ball, and oh by the way, has caught Z the last two years. Seems like that passed ball was unnecessary is all I'm saying. Does a SS have to be the opening day starter to be considered for A. the All star game, and B. a gold glove. Name me a short stop in the NL doing a better job than Neifi right now. You just cannot do it. If D-Lee stays even in the top 5 in the triple crown cats, and the cubs stay close, he has got to get the MVP.

So today we'll see what this K guy can do. Luckily, he's breaking in with a slumping dodgers team, but I'm still convinced that they have to make a move for another starter. I would say put Dempster back as a starter, but he seems to like closing and these rookies in the Pen are finally starting to get some confidence which is awesome. By the way, when do we get to see JoBo again?

So, here's to wishing for the first sweep AND 6 game win streak of the year.

Monday MUST READ!!

2005-05-30T18:37:00.000-07:00

Greetings Cub Fans. After a weekend of Boating, Drinking and Sunburn, I return to find the cubs at the .500 mark and much more importantly, a hot Aramis Ramirez. So is this latest offensive "splurge" a sign of things to come, or just an abbiration? Most importantly, what are they going to do about their starting rotation. A group, that , before prior went out, was on such a roll, and seemed to have found its footing. Now is the time to trade for a starter. The reason to do it now, is because you might be able to get a bargain because you won't be bidding against other teams. Maybe we can convince the rocket to come on up to the Windy City or maybe someone like Bronson Orroyo could use a change of scenery. Hey, I'm a cubs fan, I have a license to be dillusional.

So happy memorial day, and enjoy this game.

Ps. What are the odds of Aramis hitting a triple and batting for the cyle?? It just might be crazy enough to happen!!

Putting the Nept back into INEPT!!

2005-05-26T13:05:00.000-07:00

Assuming that this 4-1 loss will hold, it will have been nearly two weeks without the cubs breaking the 4 run mark. Given that some of those games were actually wins is just a testament to the fact that the Starting Rotation is finally starting to gel, though, I've seen bowls of Jello solidy quicker.

I've been taking some time off, not from the cubs, just from blogging. I figured I'd be like that little clubhouse guy that keeps running out there in the jersey being a "good luck batboy". Is this what we've resorted to for good luck these days, dressing chubby little 60yr olds up in pinstripes and sending him out onto the field. Since I've been gone, i've been quite distressed about these trade rumors I see, mostly because of the lack of upside. Unless a quality offensive hitter becomes available, no trade is needed. Dempster, it seems, can handle the closer role until JO-Blow gets back into shape, and other than todays Dinger given up by bartosh, the middle-relief corps has been quite solid, and as said earlier, the starting rotation seems to finally be righting itself. And really, other than injuries, I'd say the starting rotation has been the best part of this team all season long.

So about this offense, any ideas as to who we can pick up. Maybe one of those TAMPA BAY guys. Also, I'm not wild about graves from Cinci, But would take any of their 4 outfielders over any of our three. though, I think if griffey ever became available, and the cubs were lucky enough to pick him up, he'd probably sprain his big toe coming into the clubhouse the very first time, and never play again. He and nomar can make T-shirts.

But I like Willy Moe pena, he seems to have some pop, can play center, and has some speed. I'm just about done with patterson. The only thing i've heard about him is , he showed some promise last summer, and before he got injured. So, let's get this straight, they kept the free swinger, w/ no plate discipline and let go two outfielders who could go deep without thinking twice (sosa and alou). And, by the way, Alou is heating up out here and SF and everyone keeps ranting about what a great "clubhouse presence" he his. Hmm..... clubhouse presence, like the complete opposite of Dusty Baker, and it seems now Corey Patterson.

But what do I know anyways, they just got two on and the Rocks pulled the pitcher. will write more later.

Addition by Subt-errrrrr-action

2005-05-22T10:03:00.000-07:00

What is the front office waiting for, and what is dusty waiting for. This team has proven, that when confronted with crapping or getting of the pot, crapping is clearly not the viable option. Its time to admit that for whatever reasons, bad offseason moves, injuries, etc... the season is not going to turn around. I'm sorry, but Todd Walker and an oft-injured Wood are not going to save the season. So we need to take some of our spare parts and trade them for some quality parts.

Here's my list of players we could live without who, if we move soon, could get some good value for:

Ryan Dempster- Still hasn't convinced me he can close out a game without walking the bases loaded first.
Latroy Hawkins- I thought that Dusty had agreed never to put him in in the 9th especially at wrigley. This guy just needs a change of scenery and Hendry needs to supply it for him.
Jose Macias- The bag of sunflower seeds we could get for this guy would be worth it.
Jerry Hairston Jr. - Its tough to just throw away the guy we got for sosa, but he's not providing the "spark" we thought he would and yesterday got his 2nd RBI of the year. I'd have to say that that's a trade the Orioles won out on. Did I mention we're still paying Sammy?

Other Subtractions that need to happen now- The Trib. Co at some point will start to realize that Hendry is in love with spending their money on Damaged goods. Has anyone checked to see if he buys his groceries at flea markets. Bring in someone who can accurately place value on players, and no, having had Tommy John Surgery is not a plus

Larry Rothschild- I don't know what this guy does other than gets pitchers injured. I'm not sure if its that he and Dusty don't see eye to eye but something just seems off here.

Dusty Baker- I've been on and off the Fire Dusty bandwagon all season long, but I think it's time to give credit where credit is due and then go our seperate ways. Yes, gone are the days of the "Loveable Losers" tag, now they are hardly even loveable. No one is playing with any sort of passion or energy, and just listening to dusty talk puts me to sleep, how am I supposed to assume that its any different in the clubhouse. SOmeone needs to light a fire under these guy's asses and I'm not sure dusty could light a fire on the surface of the sun. Thanks for bringing us to the brink, now we need someone who's not going to sit Idly by as the team wallows in mediocrody.