Perhaps worthy of comparison to the boys of Delta Tau Chi, the Cubs’ 2006 season at the midway point has been the roughest first half in recent memory.
Go ahead and blame it on injuries, that song’s been in payola rotation since Kerry Wood signed his first lease on that DL spot, but it’s worth mentioning that the 1985 Cubs squad, historic in becoming the first major league team to have its entire starting rotation on the disabled list simultaneously, only finished seven games below .500 (77-84-1) under the tutelage of Jim Frey.
Similarities? Chris Speier (.243) and Gary Matthews (.235) were there. There was a rookie starting shortstop and an outfield that missed 137 starts. They went through a slew of young pitchers, including Reggie Patterson, Dave Beard, Derek Botelho, Dave Gumpert, Ron Meredith, Jon Perlman and Jay Baller. They also got off to a quick start, opening 35-19, but going 42-65 the rest of the way doesn't look quite so dismal anymore.
Maybe if you don't want to default back to the injury excuse, you shouldn't keep counting on players with chronic injuries hoping you'll win the lottery.
So on to the report card...
Who gets an A? That's a toughie. I don't think anyone deserves one. Scott Eyre would be close, but it was his ill-advised throw that landed Derrek Lee on the DL. Eyre, Bob Howry, and Carlos Zambrano get A- grades. Zambrano's a gimme, save for his first couple of starts, and Eyre and Howry have more than adequately plugged the gap they were signed to plug. Unfortunately this season that accomplishment is comparable to doctors at Parkland Hospital treating JFK's neck wound.
Todd Walker and Michael Barrett also get A-minuses. If there's a productivity-to-respect ratio, Walker would lead the team. Barrett, at .320, only gets the minus for his 10-game suspension, which forced Henry Blanco to remember how to hit Major League pitching. And they're the only Cubs with more walks than strikeouts, unless you count the pitching of Jerome Williams and Rich Hill.
B's, I've got some B's for the kids. Matt Murton and Ronny Cedeno get B's. Yes, there are kinks to work out, but considering there's about one season of combined ML experience there, they've done well and have a bright future. Murton has a knack for getting timely hits in big spots, Cedeno has the tools to become one of the elite defensive shortstops in the game, and both could easily become regular .300 hitters for years to come. Put Sean Marshall on that list too. His 5-7 record doesn't reflect the promise of a kid who was expected to pitch at AA this year instead of making the parent club out of Spring Training, much less being the Cubs' first non-emergency left-handed starter in years.
I'll also give B's to Ryan Dempster and Derrek Lee. Dempster's B is more understandable after reading Sparky Lyle's The Bronx Zoo, which really helps the reader get into the mindset of the closer, than by watching his performances over the last month or two. The more often you're in the situation, the better you do, and a closer who doesn't face a save situation for three weeks is going to have trouble. Giving him an inning for its own sake when you're down six runs doesn't help when he doesn't have that adrenaline rush of the game being on the line.
Lee, well, that one fateful throw was so awful he should have let it go through to the backup. Furcal would have beat it anyway. Split-second decisions don't allow room for error, though, and the same competitive nature that got his wrist broken is what makes him a great player. I'll make the same argument as when I suggested the Cubs should have re-upped on Nomar Garciaparra: A few months with him beats not having him at all... but always have a backup.
Maddux gets a B as well. Apart from his stellar April, he's a great guy to have around if you wind up with a throng of young pitchers.
That leaves a lot of guys with low grades, borderline pass/fail grades, and that includes the entire coaching staff and front office. Enough frustration that I don't want to think about them, much less write about them.
So I won't.
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