Clearing my conscience

Since the Cubs were off yesterday, a bit more on fantasy ball. I promise I won't keep mentioning it once I'm finally satisfied with my roster, which I'm not yet.

Still trying to void my team of NL Central rivals, unfortunately I was aced out of picking up Tom Gordon to clean the slate by someone higher up on the waiver list. I was stuck grabbing Salomon Torres in a desperation move to pick up a few more saves, and his 36.00 ERA this week must be a sign that I should stay out of the division and dump him at the first possible opportunity.

So as it stands, my list of ex-Cubs includes Juan Pierre, Kenny Lofton, Sammy Sosa, Jamie Moyer, Greg Maddux, Jon Leiber and Jon Garland (yes, he started out in the Cubs system) to go along with six current men in blue, with an ex-White Sock for good measure. The White Sox, incidentally, haven't actually worn white socks in several years, and their black socks evoke memories of the Black Sox scandal that brought us the first dictatorial a-hole of a commissioner, who enforced apartheid in MLB until his death. But I digress.

Even with an ex-Cub factor that would make any pennant-winner shudder in the Series, I moved up to third place among 14 teams as I face, and lead, the league-leader in head-to-head competition this week.

And I dumped both my Oakland A's, my weak spots at catcher and shortstop, in favor of a couple of American Leaguers, one of whom nobody's heard of (yet is batting .469 in increasing playing time) and one from a team nobody cares about (but is hitting .349).

A shoulder to cry on

Y'know how the Cubs said they didn't want to have to count on Mark Prior this year? Mission accomplished! After shoulder surgery, he's officially out for the year. Better luck in 2008, Mark...

On the plus side, Ryan Theriot will get more game time. He's been moved to shortstop, his natural position, because neither Cesar Izturis nor Ronny Cedeno are hitting their weight and they're both skinny guys. I'm all for it, because I'm getting creamed at short in my fantasy league and had trouble finding a spot for him too.

More proof

Replays showed Derrek Lee was safe in his attempt to steal third base on the pitch before Aramis Ramirez homered last night.

An instant replay rule would have meant a Cub win in regulation instead of a loss in extra innings.

Fantasy update

The more I looked at my all ex-Cubs idea, the more I thought there was no point in waiting until next year.

So today I picked up Jamie Moyer...

Get well soon, Ronnie!

Hopefully Ron Santo's irregular heartbeat wasn't caused by Ronny Cedeno getting thrown out stealing second base on ball four the other day.

Sometimes a Fantasy

I don't get many requests, and I was meaning to get to this eventually, but I joined my first fantasy league this year.

I'm having a blast so far, and not just because there's a very good chance I could emerge at the top of our 14-team league after today's games. I'm following more teams and more divisions than I have in several years, but it's kind of weird pulling for players on teams I hate, so I only have one non-Cub from the NL Central and no Mets.

It's a head-to-head league, meaning each week's stats are compared with one other team in order to determine record. Just like in the big leagues, you can have a lousy day (week, in this case), but if whomever you're facing has a lousier one you'll win the majority of the 11 weekly categories. Halfway through the first week I was down 11-0, made some quick roster changes and put an appropriate Lee Elia quote on my "smack talk" header, and wound up a respectable 5-6. Last week I went 10-1, and this week looks good with one day left - 8-2-1 with an outside chance at going 11-0 with most of my starting pitchers on the hill today.

Pitching stats include wins, saves, strikeouts, ERA and WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched). I didn't take any until the fourth round of the draft, but still wound up with Roy Halladay (4th round), Trevor Hoffman (6th), Rich Hill (8th), Jon Garland (10th), Greg Maddux (13th) and Adam Wainwright (18th).

I soon realized I needed more pitchers and needed to manipulate my lineup regularly, so I've added and dropped a few since then, with Al Reyes of Tampa Bay currently remaining as a second save-category guy. I figure even the worst teams win about 60 games a year and somebody's got to pick up those saves, but there are only so many guys who fit in that category and you need more than one to compete on a weekly basis.

Hitting is based on runs, hits, home runs, RBI and batting average. In the early rounds I thought it was best to "own" a position, so I picked up Chase Utley as a deep first-round choice at 2B. After Utley, I drafted Derrek Lee (2nd round), Aramis Ramirez (3rd), Juan Pierre (5th), Magglio Ordóñez (7th), Pat Burrell (9th), Jason Kendall (11th), Bobby Crosby (12th), Ray Durham (14th), Matt Murton (15th), Brian Giles (16th), Jacque Jones (17th), Kevin Youkilis (20th), and a few guys I've already dumped off my roster.

Sammy Sosa wasn't on the list of available players on draft day, but I kept checking until he did and added him. He generally sits on my bench, but I managed to add him for two of his three homers. I figure if he gets into a couple of those hot spells where he hits homers in bunches, he might win some categories for me.

Somebody waived Ryan Theriot, probably expecting he wouldn't get enough playing time to contribute much, and I jumped at the chance to take him too. I find myself checking pre-game rosters and activating him at the last minute, since he's good for four of the six hitting categories. As I mentioned the other day I added Félix Pié (who has no hits since I added him), and grabbed Chone Figgins when somebody didn't want a player on the DL taking up roster space. I'm willing to wait with him on my bench for a couple of weeks for the across-the-board numbers he can put up.

So obviously I'm heavy on Cubs, ex-Cubs and ex-White Sox. If Jonesy is traded (Toronto looks like a good fit), my numbers will improve with more playing time for Murton and Theriot. I'm weak at catcher and shortstop in a weak market (one guy drafted four catchers, including Joe Mauer, Ivan Rodriguez and Michael Barrett), and Maggs hasn't turned it on yet, but I'm getting production out of Youkilis, Giles and Durham as utility players (five utility players' stats count, five bench players' don't), so the roster is pretty well rounded. Guys have been making roster moves like crazy - 14 teams picking from 30 MLB teams leaves a lot of flexibility at some positions - but with a few exceptions I'm pretty much locked in for the summer.

I think I can already count on doing this every summer from now on. Next year I think I'm going to see what I can do with a team comprised entirely of ex-Cubs...

Suggestions for Unky Lou

I don't want to get into the details about today's loss because it was too stupid to believe, so just two notes:

1. When Henry Blanco is due up in the 7th with the game on the bases at any time before the All-Star break, pinch-hit for him.

2. Ronny Cedeno needs a wake-up call. Set the alarm for Iowa.

Time to change, time to re-ar-range

Yes, the Cubs' bullpen picked up its second loss in two days today, but hopefully we're seeing a bit of the future with Félix Pié in center field.

Pié got his second extra-base hit in two big-league games, a first-inning triple, and scored twice. I'm still fawning over his 10th-inning assist yesterday in his debut, a frozen rope to the plate for what, though it proved a futile gesture in the end, was a game-saver. I promptly added him to my fantasy league team in the hope that he sticks around.

I'm also hoping the Cubs will hit the trade market early this year. While there's a wealth of talent, particularly in the outfield, the bullpen has some shaky pieces. Except for Bobby Howry (not bad at 3.52), Cubs pitchers are either really getting it done or really not getting it done.

Scott Eyre was lit up tonight for the third time in six appearances and boosted his ERA up to 14.40. Will Ohman, last night's loser, is at an even 9.00. After the last couple of days it's clear Angel Guzman wasn't the reliever who needed to be sent down, and there were six guys at Iowa under 2.00 when he got there.

The Cubs need a solid setup man, a second closer-type, and there are probably several teams out there who could use a 25-30 HR/85-90 RBI guy like Jacque Jones and might want to take a chance on one of the relievers who aren't taking care of bidness. While Jones is off to a better start at the plate this year and was quietly one of the only guys to step up after Derrek Lee was injured last year, it would take an unreal amount of heroics to overcome the first half of last April in the eyes of Cubbie Nation when the Cubs have a clear need for better outfield defense. A vacancy would make room for Pié and/or Ryan Theriot, who like last year seems to do nothing but get on, over and in.

Theriot-Pié-Soriano would give the Cubs a ridiculous amount of speed both in the outfield and at the top of the order, with Cliff Floyd available when they need extra pop in the starting lineup or a spot start for Theriot at second or third.

I don't think it's ever too early to start tweaking the roster, and I'd like to believe one of the purposes of stockpiling talent in the off-season was to give the Cubs more trade bait once the holes start to identify themselves.

Meanwhile, once again White Sox fans got to see something I haven't. Sammy Sosa, of all people, was the only Ranger to reach base off Mark Buehrle - on a walk - and was promptly picked off two pitches later. No runs, no hits, none left times nine.

The Cubs are coming up on 35 years since Milt Pappas was a 3-2 pitch away from perfection back in the closing weeks of the 1972 season.

Wasted opportunity

I had my first problem with Lou Piniella's managerial style as a Cub today.

In a classic pitchers' duel, the Cubs had their only real scoring opportunity of the day opening the sixth inning. Ryan Theriot followed Alfonso Soriano's leadoff double with a single to put runners on first and third with nobody out.

With a base open, my instinct was to send Theriot on the first pitch and get out of a potential double-play situation. Maybe even try for a delayed double-steal and score Soriano in the event of a bad throw down to second.

But instead of forcing Kyle Lohse's hand and maybe inciting a walk to set up the force, Theriot sat there as Jacque Jones waved at three increasingly bad pitches and Derrek Lee looked at three straight good ones. Had either one of them hit the fly ball that Michael Barrett followed with, we'd have seen extra innings today, but with two gone it was just another out and a scoreless inning.

So where was the call? And what was Jacque Jones doing batting third in the first place when he's still sitting on a goose egg in the RBI department?

It's sad. The Cubs wasted an outstanding start from Ted Lilly and flawless bullpen work by not jumping on Lohse when he left a door open. Soriano's double that inning was the only Cub hit that didn't come off of Theriot's bat, and sometimes you're only going to get one shot against a pitcher having a good day. That's exactly what the Reds did.

In the end, the only run of the day came off a walk, a stolen base and one of only two Reds hits on the afternoon.

All you can do is chalk it up to being only 1 of 162, get ready for the Padres tomorrow and hope Cub pitching was as good as it was today.

The color barrier

With seemingly half the Major Leagues prepared to wear #42 in tribute to Jackie Robinson, here's a little history on how close we were to talking about #39...


Up in my room, Jackie was dealing the cards. We finished the first hand. I pulled out a cigar and lit it. Jackie said he didn't smoke.

"I hear you went to see Mr. Rickey last week," he said, casually.

The surprise showed on my face. "Yeah, that's right," I said after a while. "How did you know?"

"I was over there myself," he said. "What happened with you?"

"Nothing much. We talked, or rather, Mr. Rickey did. Man, he's the talkingest man I ever did see."

"Did you sign?"

"You mean did I sign to play for him?"

"Yeah."

"No. I didn't. I did agree that I wouldn't sign with any other team before next season, but I let him know right quick that I didn't want to play for no Brown Dodgers. Heck, Jackie, I'm an established star in our league. I've put in a lot of years, and I'm not going to give it up to take a chance on something that's just getting started and might not last. No sir, not me."

"Did Mr. Rickey tell you he wanted you to play for the Brown Dodgers?"

"No, come to think of it," I said. "He didn't even mention them. He didn't mention signing with anybody in particular. But I told him I wasn't interested in signing. I told him I was making three thousand for six months with Baltimore and two thousand more playing winter league ball. I told him I got a bonus of two or three hundred at the end of each season, too. And Mr. Rickey said, 'that's good money,' and I told him, 'darned right it is.' And then he started talking about something else. I don't know what. He talked about everything. How about you?"

"I signed," Jackie said quietly. "But it's a secret. Mr. Rickey told me to keep it quiet, so you got to promise me not to tell anybody."

"Sure, okay, I won't say anything. It's okay for you, I guess. You've only been in the league one year. I'm a little younger than you, but I've been at it longer, and I'm established. And I've got kids to think about. You can take a chance with a new league, and it don't make much difference. But it's like I told Mr. Rickey, I can't afford to."

Jackie waited until I was finished. Then he picked up the cards from the table and shuffled them idly.

"I didn't sign with the Brown Dodgers," he said quickly. "I'm going to play for Montreal."

Jackie wasn't calm now. His voice was loud with excitement. He knew he was revealing something important, something eventful. He watched me carefully, waiting for my reaction.

"What do you mean, Montreal?" I asked.

"I'm going to be the first Negro in organized baseball," Jackie said. "I'm flying up to Montreal tomorrow for the official signing ceremony. It's going to be a big thing - cameras and everything. Mr. Rickey says that in a year or two I can make the big leagues. Do you realize what this means, Campy? It's the end of Jim Crow in baseball. I'm all excited. I'm proud, and I'm scared, too."

I sat dumbfounded. My cigar went out, but I didn't realize it and kept puffing away. For the longest while I didn't say a word. I just sat and stared at Jackie. He didn't seem to notice how I felt. His face was still all lit up. His eyes were looking past me. He was a picture of happiness. Then he grinned at me. I grinned back, and broke into a laugh.

"I'm really happy for you, Jackie," I said. I know you'll make it, and I wish you all the luck in the world. Now take a good look at yours truly. You're looking at a dumb boy. Man, you're looking at the all-time prize. So that's what it was all about. Well, I'll be darned." ...

Jackie got up to leave. I put my hand on his shoulder.

"I'm glad for you, Jackie, real glad. Don't you be afraid of nothing. You're a good ballplayer, you'll make it. It won't be as rough as you think. I've played with white teams, lots of them - with them and against them. They're men, just like us. There's nothing to worry about."

"I hope so," he said. "I sure hope so."

-Roy Campanella, "It's Good to be Alive", 1959


For people of my race this was a heroic saga, and I was the hero. For years it was my name that was in the headlines, but the real hero of the story was Branch Rickey. It may seem like an overstatement, but I really believe that in breaking down the color barrier in baseball, our "national game," he did more for the Negroes than any other white man since Abraham Lincoln. He helped bring about a new national outlook on race relations. ...

In his crusade to smash the color barrier, Mr. Rickey needed every talent of his complex character, plus the foresight of a chess master. Long before I entered the picture, he spent $150,000 scouting the United States, Latin America, Cuba, for promising Negro players.

When he signed me to play with Brooklyn, he consulted a New York sociologist to gauge Negro reaction, and addressed a group of thirty prominent Brooklyn Negroes. "This step we have taken in organized baseball," he said to the group, "is certain to benefit greatly every Negro in the nation. But one big risk to Jackie Robinson's success is - bluntly - that the Negro people themselves could ruin it. So I'm here tonight to beg you to do what you can to see that no Negro adds to the burdens of Jackie Robinson. We don't want Negroes to strut, to hail his entrance into the Major Leagues as a victory by Negroes over white people. We don't want brawling in the stands. We don't want any premature Jackie Robinson Days or Jackie Robinson Nights - you must remember that white ballplayers are human beings, too. We don't want what can be another great milestone in the progress of American race relations turned into an ultimate tragedy."

-Jackie Robinson, from "The Most Unforgettable Character I've Met", 1961

With Robinson celebrations planned all over baseball, it's crucial to remember that Jackie wasn't the only one involved in integrating baseball. He wasn't in a position to demonstrate the initiative of Curt Flood, who battled the reserve clause all alone and sacrificed his career in the process, but he had the strength of character to handle the greatness that was thrust upon him. And if Branch Rickey and Happy Chandler aren't prominently mentioned when all the ceremonies are going on, it will be a serious disservice to the others who fought so hard to integrate the game of baseball.

It's been awhile...

I had several lengthy posts nearly completed during spring training, but the situation kept changing faster than I could post them. Before I could comment on Felix Pie and Jake Fox, they'd been sent down. Before I could say I think Mark Prior should start the year in the minors, he was sent to the minors.

And unlike the Dusty Baker regime, I don't have many beefs (beeves?) with Lou Piniella. When Rich Hill allowed a couple of baserunners on errors the other day, before I could finish shouting "Send someone out there!" at the TV, Piniella was already on his way.

I could say I'd rather have Ryan Theriot starting at second, but Mark DeRosa's producing. I might suggest popping him in for some starts in right until Jacque Jones gets hitting, but that's really about it. And as I was typing this, Piniella put Theriot in at second as part of a double-switch. It's nice to know that the first full-time Cub manager in my lifetime who's won a World Series is thinking the same things I am.

Other than that I've been busy with my first-ever fantasy team. Like Uncle Lou, I have Ramirez and Lee on the corners too.