West Side Charlie's Cubs Page

Looking back

2010-07-26T02:09:00.003-05:00

Sunday night's Nick Digilio Show covered the topic of movies and records that make you feel old when you realize they came out 30 years ago, and it sparked a memory for me.

Friday was the 30th anniversary of my first Cubs game, a 14-6 loss to the San Francisco Giants. The first Cub runner I saw score was Steve Macko, driven in on one of four hits by Bill Buckner after the Giants had opened up a 9-0 lead. My neighbor Chris had had his glove signed by Macko in blue Sharpie, and Chris was instrumental to my becoming a baseball fan and memorabilia collector, so I guess that's appropriate.

Macko played just four more games, succumbing to cancer the following year at age 27. Preston Gomez was fired either that day or the off-day that followed and spent the rest of his long career as a coach. Buckner won the batting title that year, was traded in 1984 and made one of baseball history's most famous miscues in 1986.

All in all, thirty years down the road it's still a fair representation of my life as a Cub fan.

Byrd a shooting Star

2010-07-13T22:56:00.003-05:00

What an All-Star Game for Marlon Byrd. Came in late, fought off a walk and scored an insurance run on the game-winning hit, then as a center fielder playing right, made a rally-killing assist with the game on the line in the ninth. Brian McCann should drop some of his MVP bonus on a nice steak dinner for Marlon next time the Braves are in town.

Of course this means the NL finally has home-field advantage in the World Series. If fate has a sense of humor, it will end in five.

The Carlos Zambrano situation

2010-07-09T22:27:00.004-05:00

I've had a couple of requests to comment on the Carlos Zambrano situation, and I've gone back and forth on whether to write about it.

Once a player progresses from ejection to league suspension to team suspension and beyond dealing with the same problem over the course of several years, at some point it crosses the line from being a baseball issue to being a real-life issue. You can only rant and rave so many times before realizing it isn't going away on its own.

If a problem isn't physical, I think it stops being any of our business as fans. All we really need to know is that a problem exists, it has nothing to do with his ability to throw a baseball 90+ miles an hour, it's being addressed, and that the team hasn't set a timetable for his return.

Anger is a very real issue, and a lot of people struggle throughout their lives to control it. It could cost Joe Sixpack his job, or his family, or his health, or land him in jail. The people who love him suffer too. So unless you're part of the solution, if someone tries to get help to make a fundamental change in their life, step off and let them. It shouldn't matter if it's an athlete, an entertainer or some guy from your neighborhood. Wish them well, hope for the best and leave it at that.

Good luck, Big Z.

Take me out... of the broadcast

2010-06-29T20:50:00.002-05:00

Usually WGN radio carries all of the Cubs' seventh-inning singers even if the TV side doesn't. Tonight was an exception.

They skipped out on baseball's favorite public-domain song because the singers were from their opposition down the dial, Mike and Mike from ESPN radio.

Rules rant: Interleague play

2010-06-24T21:01:00.007-05:00

I don't generally post my meta-thoughts about baseball, but one of my hobbies within the game is waxing theoretical on changes I'd make if I was in charge of things. One of those coincides with this week's action, and since there hasn't much to talk about lately here on the West Side, I have some thoughts on improving interleague play on the eve of Part II of the Crosstown Classic. Like I've said before, I get some wacky ideas but some of them have merit. Determine for yourself which this is...

Fairness in scheduling should be a top priority, and if interleague play is to be a permanent fixture, MLB needs to straighten up the mess it's created. The 2003 Astros faced Boston and New York back-to-back on the road, went 1-5 in those games and finished one back. The 2003 Cubs missed the Red Sox, faced the Yankees at home and beat them two out of three, and won the division. Go Cubs and all, but that's not fair. And neither had six games to beat up on the Royals like the Cardinals do every year.

I'm against it on principle, but if it's to be done, here's how:

Since it's all about boosting revenue, don't schedule all the interleague games to compete with one another, schedule them all season long. Would I watch the Royals and Nats without Strasburg on the mound if there were 13 other interleague games going on? Doubtful. But if it was the only one that night, I might tune in. With 30 teams, there are enough interleague matchups to play one or more every day throughout a six-month season, and revenue for those games would be up almost across the board over the way it's done now.

The Dodgers and Angels just played a mid-week series, an opportunity wasted. City series should include either a Fox Saturday game or an ESPN Sunday night game, if not both. Same for series pitting former World Series opponents against one another. Haul out the veterans on Saturday afternoon for a national audience, put up some bunting, maybe wear vintage-style uniforms and make a big deal out of it since you won't host them again for another six years. Play off the history and bring a little excitement to the table when Pittsburgh-Baltimore rolls around and they're a combined 50 games out of first.

Season-long interleague play could also correct MLB’s inability to divide 30 by 6. An odd number of interleague games every day provides an even schedule for the rest of six five-team divisions. That, in turn, would straighten out the mess of scheduling interleague games with uneven divisions. The Cubs still haven't played in Fenway Park since 1918 when it touted as one of the arguments for interleague play 14 years ago.

With 18 games per team – a three-game series against each team in one division plus three against a particular rival to even out the home/road balance - that's 270 games overall to fit into roughly 180 days. Each team would be left with 8 games per team outside their division and 16 per division rival.

Or they could totally level the playing field by eliminating the rivalry games and boosting the schedule to 30 interleague games. With a stronger divisional schedule of 18 games against each opponent, teams would simply play three at home and three on the road against everyone in three other divisions, one of which is in the other league. In a three-year cycle, that's 2x3^1 (6), 2x3^2 (18) and 2x3^3 (54) games for the Cubs against each AL, NL East/West and NL Central team respectively. It may not have as much revenue potential without as many local matchups, but it's fair and the math is great. There happen to also be 2x3^1 outs in an inning, 2x3^2 innings pitched and 2x3^3 outs per nine innings between 2x3^0 (2) teams. Poetic, almost, the way baseball revolves around powers of three. Ancient mathematicians would approve.

So who changes leagues? Part of me wants to send the Brewers back because their move to the NL was a little shady, but I think it would make more sense to bump the Rockies to the AL West and send the Astros back to the NL West. Denver is the fairest travel option for a division with teams in Seattle, Dallas, LA and the Bay Area, and the NL West would line up similarly - three teams on the coast, one in Texas and one in between.

NL Central - Cubs, Brewers, Cardinals, Pirates, Reds
NL West - Astros, D-Backs, Dodgers, Giants, Padres
AL West - A's, Angels, Mariners, Rangers, Rockies

They can fix it or scrap it entirely, but the status quo just ain't right.

Just a couple of wacky ideas. More of these to come if the Cubs' season doesn't pick up...

What'choo talkin' ' bout? Willis?

2010-06-02T09:46:00.003-05:00

Scratch Dontrelle Willis off the list of possible additions, traded to the Diamondbacks yesterday for starter Billy Buckner and a sack of cash. Oh, wait, traded *with* a sack of cash for Buckner.

Buckner, incidentally, has a career record of 6-11 with an ERA over 6 while making a hair over the league minimum, which is actually better than Willis has performed for Detroit at nearly $10 million per over the past three years.

Remember back in the old days when the team getting the bigger name would be the one giving up the cash? Not that I go back quite that far, but when the Cubs got Rogers Hornsby after the 1928 season, they sent five players plus a then-record $200,000 to the Boston Braves for him. These days he'd have been a salary-dump trade, and that money would have been sent the other way to cover a contract a team like the old Braves never would/could have afforded in the first place.

Staff inflection

2010-06-01T13:44:00.004-05:00

I always find it amusing when my posts turn into forecasts...

Yes, fans, the Cubs' pitching staff is being shuffled and redealt. Carlos Zambrano is back in the rotation, Tom Gorzelanny is back in the bullpen, John Grabow is out for the moment on the 15-day DL, and Andrew Cashner is up from Iowa, having successfully made his major league debut yesterday throwing a total of one pitch.

It still couldn't help them beat the Pirates, who have given the Cubs an extraordinary amount of trouble this season, but I find it comforting to see moves made when the team is stagnating.

And while I wouldn't count on it happening, I wouldn't mind seeing the Cubs take a chance on Dontrelle Willis if they can get the Tigers to eat most of his $12 million salary. Clearly the American League hasn't worked out for him, and I think it would be nice if he resurrected his career for the team that drafted him before sending him to Florida in the Matt Clement trade.

Lucky seven for Silva

2010-05-29T17:57:00.009-05:00

Carlos Silva dominated today, allowing only two hits and striking out 11 with no walks over 7 innings to improve his record to 7-0.

Silva, 31, has won five straight starts after getting no-decisions in three of his first five, and the Cubs are 9-1 through his first ten appearances. A pair of rallies saved Silva from a loss in a no-decision against Arizona May 1, and an eighth-inning grand slam off of Esmailin Caridad cost him a win when the Cubs lost Silva's debut in Cincinnati 5-4. Unlike hard-luck starter Tom Gorzelanny (2-5. 3.66), the Cubs have scored four or more runs in all ten of Silva's starts.

Ron Santo's old teammate Ken Holtzman was a perfect 9-0 as a starter in 1967 while splitting time between the Cubs and the Illinois National Guard.

Howdy, Howry

2010-05-24T00:28:00.004-05:00

The Cubs brought back Bobby Howry today, and he picked up pretty much where he left off in Chicago, giving up an RBI double and an intentional walk in a third of an inning.

Actually, that's not fair to Howry. You can't blame a guy for an intentional walk. And before earning the nickname "Home Run Howry" in 2008 (13 in 70 innings), he pitched in more than half of the Cubs' games over 2006-2007 while maintaining an ERA in the low threes. He pitched similarly well for the Giants last year before running into trouble with Arizona this season.

Whether or not Howry becomes a difference-maker, I see more moves coming to the Cubs' pitching staff. There's no reason to keep Carlos Zambrano in the bullpen - salary aside, he really only had one bad start, and he's given up six runs in the equivalent of two starts' worth of relief appearances. Not stellar, but not worthy of a staff ace being in the bullpen. The problem is, there's no room at the inn as far as the rotation goes.

Since Ted Lilly is a quality starter in a contract year and can't get run support to save his life anyway, I would start shopping him for at least one quality reliever and a prospect or two. If they really need two left-handed starters in a given series, give Sean Marshall a spot start. Beyond that, I'd be a little less gun-shy about shuffling relievers back and forth from Iowa if they're not getting the job done for the parent club.

John Grabow, whose runner Howry allowed to score today, would be on that list regardless of his major league experience. His career numbers indicate he's a halfway decent pitcher, but there's clearly something wrong this season. If there are merely some kinks in his game, let him fix them where it won't hurt the Cubs instead of in the late innings with a small lead.

And while he wasn't a Cub, I offer my condolences to the family of former pitcher Jose Lima, who died of a heart attack Sunday at the age of 37. While his name appeared on an unconfirmed list of players in the Mitchell Report, Lima first became a controversial figure in 1998 when he was accused of grooving pitches to fellow Dominican Sammy Sosa to give him an edge over Mark McGwire in the home run race. While Sosa did hit three of his last 17 homers against him that year - Lima won all three of his starts against the 1998 Cubs, incidentally - McGwire tagged him for one too. Regardless, it's a sad day when someone's life ends at such a young age.

Turning the corner?

2010-05-19T22:27:00.003-05:00

Don't look now, but the Cubs have won four in a row, good for the third-longest win streak in the NL.

The Starlin Castro experiment is a success so far, Aramis Ramirez is starting to get clutch hits like his walkoff homer Monday (no matter his average, he always seems the most likely Cub to hit one of those), Derrek Lee has reached safely in eight of his last nine games and at 5-0 Carlos Silva is making the Milton Bradley trade look like the Eric Karros and Mark Grudzielanek for Todd Hundley trade.

On the downside, Geovany Soto's batting average (.289) is falling back to Earth and so is Ryan Theriot's (still a robust .317). And I don't understand Jeff Baker starting in the outfield for the first time in two years when Tyler Colvin is getting the job done.

But still, Castro, Soto and Kosuke Fukudome have on-base percentages above .400, Alfonso Soriano is having his best season as a Cub, Marlon Byrd is still kicking butt, and they can still throw five guys out there who are batting over .300. Tom Gorzelanny (3.09) finally got some run support in Philadelphia tonight to pick up his second win. Apart from a couple of arms in the bullpen - but not Carlos Marmol (1.31), Sean Marshall (2.11) and James Russell (2.77) - the cylinders are clicking.

Now it's time to get consistent. The Reds should take care of themselves (their Next Big Thing, $30 million Cuban pitcher Aroldis Chapman, is struggling mightily with his control in AAA), but I don't want to see the Pirates breathing down the Cubs' necks anymore, and they need to make the most of the Brewers' current nine-game losing streak. If Trevor Hoffman comes around, there's nowhere for Milwaukee to go but up.

A Starlin is born

2010-05-07T14:30:00.011-05:00

The Cubs called up 20-year-old Tennessee (AA) shortstop Starlin Castro today. He is slated to start for the Cubs tonight in Cincinnati and become the first major league player born in the 1990s. In honor of the occasion, I compiled a list of decade debuts:

Starlin Castro - born 3/24/1990, debuting 5/7/2010
Albert Pujols – born 1/16/1980, debuted 4/2/2001
Wilson Alvarez – born 3/24/1970, debuted 7/24/1989
Tim Conroy – born 4/3/1960, debuted 6/23/1978
Lloyd Allen – born 5/8/1950, debuted 9/1/1969
Dick Ellsworth – born 3/22/1940, debuted 6/22/1958
Johnny Antonelli – born 4/12/1930, debuted 7/4/1948
Walt Masterson – born 6/22/1920, debuted 5/8/1939
Joe Cicero – born 11/11/1910, debuted 9/20/1929
Mickey O’Neil – born 4/12/1900, debuted 6/19/1919
Stuffy McInnis – born 9/9/1890, debuted 4/12/1909
Lefty Herring – born 3/4/1880, debuted 5/16/1899
Amos Rusie - born 5/30/1871, debuted 5/9/1889
Frank Pearce – born 3/30/1860, debuted 10/4/1876

So he joins a varied mix of players, though it represents a fair amount of talent for a random selection of young prospects. Rusie is in the Hall, Pujols should be a lock and McInnis deserves a look from the Veterans Committee. Alvarez (once), Ellsworth (once) and Antonelli (five times) were all-stars, and Alvarez threw a no-hitter. On the other end of the spectrum, Cicero and Herring played fewer than 50 games and Pearce's debut was also his finale, his major league career over at age 16. Oddly enough, Castro was born on Alvarez' 20th birthday, Antonelli on O'Neil's 30th, and eight of the 14 were born between March 4th and April 12th.

What does this all mean for the Cubs? Chad Tracy will play more, but at Iowa. Mike Fontenot will start less at second, probably spot struggling Aramis Ramirez more at third and pinch-hit more if Castro becomes a starter. Ryan Theriot will play either more second base or exclusively second base, depending on Castro's performance at short.

We can only guess how his numbers will compare, but I wouldn't expect anywhere near his 20 RBIs and 20 runs scored with a .376 average in 26 games - not only because he's jumping from AA to the majors, but because without much power I don't see him batting above seventh in the lineup anytime soon unless Kosuke Fukudome struggles in the two spot.

But good luck to the youngster, and here's hoping for a long, healthy and successful career in Cubbie blue.

Big numbers at the plate

2010-04-28T16:49:00.003-05:00

For a 10-12 team, the Cubs have remarkable offensive numbers. While Derrek Lee (.203) and Aramis Ramirez (.155) are struggling mightily for balls to fall in, most everyone else is getting the job done.

Geovany Soto leads the pack with a .362 batting average and an on-base percentage of .516. That's not a misprint, Soto has reached base in more than half of his plate appearances through more than ten percent of the season.

Ryan Theriot has developed a knack for multi-hit games - seven of them during his current eight-game hitting streak - and is at .333 through today's loss. He leads the league in hits, five stolen bases put him in the top 10, and he's even managed to drive in 10 runs. It's nice to see him producing at the top of the order. I've been suggesting it for three years.

Marlon Byrd has done a fine job both at the plate and in the field, also hitting .333 and leading the team in RBI. A great free-agent signing at a bargain price. Milton who?

The record skips again with Kosuke "Mr. April" Fukudome, another .333 with an OBP of .423, and even starter Randy Wells is 3-for-9 at the plate. And Tyler Colvin is at .325, Mike Fontenot at .308. Starlin Castro (.377 with 18 RBI in 18 games at AA Tennessee) will just have to wait.

That gives the Cubs a lineup option with six players batting over .300, seven if Wells is pitching, and Alfonso Soriano is one multi-hit game away at .292. Yet with the exception of the recent series against the Brewers, they have trouble pushing all those runners over and in, particularly in tight games. I think it's time to shuffle the lineup. Here's my suggestion:

1 - SS - Ryan Theriot
2 - RF - Kosuke Fukudome
3 - C - Geovany Soto
4 - CF - Marlon Byrd
5 - LF - Tyler Colvin or Alfonso Soriano
6 - 2B - Mike Fontenot
7 - 1B - Derrek Lee
8 - 3B - Aramis Ramirez

If your 3-4 hitters are both struggling at the same time, you're going to leave runners on base and have trouble winning games. I'm not saying Lee and Ramirez should remain at the back even beyond the upcoming series against Arizona - Lee shares the team lead in walks and has a respectable OBP of .326, and Ramirez has quietly extended a hitting streak to five games, showing that the worst is probably over - but just shake things up a bit and put all the hot bats in a row to make the most of the opportunities they create. I want more dogpiling like in the Brewers series, especially against a Diamondbacks team that always seems to give the Cubs headaches.

And my wacky idea of the day is to see if Tyler Colvin can play any first base - he never has in pro ball - to occasionally spell D-Lee and get his bat in the lineup more often. Put him there during batting practice, and maybe give him a couple of late innings in the next 8-2 game to see what happens. At age 24, he could have a bright future in Chicago for a long time. Until there's an everyday spot for him - barring a trade that means 2012, after Fukudome's contract ends - every bit of versatility beyond playing all three outfield positions will make him that much more ready when the Cubs can give him 600 at-bats a year.

Surprise, surprise

2010-04-23T15:03:00.006-05:00

I'll admit I was surprised to see Carlos Zambrano moved into a setup role, which he is expected to take on Saturday. Obviously given the size of his contract this is a temporary move, but I did dump him from my fantasy league.

Big Z has traditionally been a slow starter. While the Cubs keep starting him on opening day, his record in those starts is less than exceptional. He's been beaten up so far in 2010, but hasn't exactly given up rocket shots off the walls or into the seats, rather a lot of Texas-league loopers that added up to disaster.

To brag a bit, so far my preseason projections are looking good. Carlos Silva has made the Bradley trade look like a stroke of genius (though even if he had Tommy John surgery it would still be a good trade), and Tom Gorzelanny and for the most part Sean Marshall have both pitched well. Geovany Soto has been on a tear after a slow start, the three outfield starters are collectively hitting over .300, Mike Fontenot has improved on his 2009 production so far, and there have been questions about middle relief, particularly with a couple of the unproven younger guys. Aramis Ramirez is off to an awful start, and while that long-term injury fortunately hasn't happened, it does appear that the Cubs can't win without him contributing. Oh, and Carlos Marmol has an earned run average of 1.17.

So let's hope the Cubs can put their New York trip behind them, and that the Brewers are burned out after outscoring the Pirates 36-1 in a three-game sweep and handing them their worst loss in their 129 seasons in a 20-0 rout.

Carlos Marmol, you are RIDICULOUS!

2010-04-15T06:15:00.004-05:00

I'd still send them back to the American League if I was commissioner, but there's always high drama when the Cubs face the Brewers. Yesterday was no exception.

Ryan Theriot and Kosuke Fukudome sparked a seventh-inning rally Wednesday to trim a run off the Milwaukeeans' 4-2 lead, and after the Brewers scored twice in the top half of eighth, the same two guys each hit a two-run single in the bottom half to give the Cubs a 7-6 win.

Not to be lost in the excitement was the performance of Carlos Marmol. For the second time in his last three outings, he struck out all three batters he faced to nail down the save. No slouches, either - the meat and potatoes of the Brewers' lineup in Corey Hart, Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder; all of them all-stars, all of them swinging.

Marmol is 14-for-14 in save opportunities since taking over the closer's role from Kevin Gregg late last August. He's struck out nine of the 16 batters he's faced in four and a third innings so far in 2010, allowing one hit and two walks. A bit of math tells you that more guys have struck out against him this year than have even hit fair balls. While I'm biased toward my Cubbies, I'm entertaining the possibility that the Cubs could have a Mariano Rivera-type closer on their hands for a good long time.

I'm a bit young to vividly remember the Bruce Sutter era on the north side, but I've seen a lot of closers come and go without the dominating stuff Marmol has. Big Lee Smith never gave me that confidence in the endgame; neither did Rich Gossage, Mitch Williams, Rick Aguilera, Randy Myers, Tom Gordon, Rod Beck, Antonio Alfonseca, Joe Borowski, LaTroy Hawkins, Ryan Dempster, Kerry Wood, Kevin Gregg... see where I'm going with this?

The Cubs aren't very well represented on the list of single-season save leaders. The two over 50 in a season, Myers and Beck, are also the only two over 40. Plenty of ex-Cubs appear on the all-time list, 7 of the top 25, but only Smith, if even him, is associated first with the Cubs around the leagues. The best of the lot, Dennis Eckersley, made one relief appearance here before Tony LaRussa struck gold with him in Oakland.

I'm not saying the Cubs need a 60+ save guy like Francisco Rodriguez to take it to the next level - ideally a dominant team would score too many runs to present that many opportunities - but settling in with a young closer who allows you to wipe your brow and relax with a short late-inning lead, as opposed to making a Maalox run during the seventh-inning stretch, is a necessary element for repeated postseason appearances.

Unless the wheels come off the wagon in the next couple of years or Marmol develops chronic shoulder or elbow problems, Jim Hendry would do well to lock him down for the long haul before he reaches free agency in 2013.

Meet the new boss, not like the old boss

2010-04-12T21:10:00.005-05:00

Today was a good day. I've seen my share of 40-degree home openers, and this time the bats were as warm as the temperatures on this mild April afternoon. Aramis Ramirez got off the schneid with a big home run, playing the percentages by going with Xavier Nady against Doug Davis instead of Kosuke Fukudome paid off with another, and Jeff Baker added a third in a nice win. But this Opening Day, for me the game itself took a back seat to the first look at the new administration.

It was the first home opener for the Ricketts family as owners, and I like what I saw. Picking a random family dressed in Cubs gear out of the stands to throw out the first pitch was a classy move, and it didn't seem like a gimmick. There was never anyone to provide a "one of us" feeling during the Tribune era, and giving a high-profile moment to some of "us" right from the start instead of having some celebrity handle the ceremonial bit leaves the impression that they're not all talk, that you or I or anyone else in Cubbie Nation really could bump into Tom Ricketts at any given game and have a minute of his time to talk about the team. I can't picture any previous Cubs owners having that kind of relationship with the fans, from three generations of Wrigleys to Charlie Weeghman to Charles Taft and all the way back to the inception of the team.

Whether or not that translates into championships in the near future remains to be seen, but at least they give off the impression that they care as much as we do and want to share their experience.

A couple of notes on the coverage - WGN really needs to stop sending Robert Jordan out to cover baseball even when providing full team coverage. He referred to Ernie Banks as "Mr. Cubs" in a segment that aired three times today, a tell-tale sign of a reporter working somebody else's beat. I remember seeing him reporting live from one of the more rambunctious Wrigleyville bars after the Cubs clinched a playoff spot, maybe it was 2003, looking scared out of his wits. It was kind of hilarious. But big props to anchor Steve Sanders, apparently in a live shot from his home, fingerpicking "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" on acoustic guitar. I've seen him play on the noon news, and he has some nice chops.

In any case, it was a good day, a good win and a good start for the Ricketts family.

Already pointing fingers

2010-04-12T05:20:00.002-05:00

The Cubs should have won their six-game opening road trip, or at least the three-game set at Cincinnati that slipped away in the late innings Sunday. Why the Cubs have had so much trouble in the Great American Ballpark in early April for the past several years is beyond me.

Alfonso Soriano was the goat of the day yesterday, dropping one fly ball and letting another fall safely foul, contributing to the Reds' comeback. Naturally it was a prominent topic on the call-in shows.

We know by now what to expect from Soriano, and defense isn't it. He came up as a second-baseman and fought a move to the outfield once he was on his third big-league team. And he just isn't very good at it. Like tee-ball coaches, Lou Piniella needs to accept that and play him where his glove will be the least possible liability. For the time being I say that should mean a move to right field.

Slipping under the radar because of the Soriano snafu is the performance of Esmailin Caridad. Caridad took it on the chin for the second time in three days yesterday, entering the game just in time to walk in the game-winning run, inherited from and charged to John Grabow, after giving up a game-winning grand slam Friday.

I just don't think you pitch an unproven youngster with the game on the line two days after an outing like that. I'd like to see him pitch effectively in some 8-2 games before dropping him back into a clutch situation.

But roll it back to before Grabow got in trouble. Sean Marshall came on in relief after Soriano's hop and drop, giving up the unearned tying run on a single before snapping off two swinging strikeouts. Is there really so little confidence in Marshall that he gets pulled after 2/3 of an inning? With the excess of potential starters, including Marshall and yesterday's starter, Tom Gorzelanny, the Cubs should be able to get from starter to closer using one pitcher most of the time. No major league team should need four pitchers to get five outs. I've said it many times, the more pitchers you use in any given game, the better the odds of finding the guy whose stuff isn't working that day.

And I can't fail to mention that the Cubs let a guy off the hook in his professional debut by scoring only once on seven walks and four hits in six and a third. Mike Leake also went 2-for-2.

At least it's only one of 162, but I'd prefer to not see this kind of baseball become a habit. The Cubs need more games like Saturday's, when they won without leaving a single runner on base for the first time in over 13,000 games since 1924.

Let's hope the Cubbies turn it around at home and put all that behind them. Ryan Dempster and the Brewers' Doug Davis square off in the home opener at 1:20 this afternoon.

2010 Preview

2010-04-05T06:58:00.004-05:00

Opening Day is here, another long winter passed. Every spring Opening Day brings out the optimist in me with projections leaning on the Cub-friendly side, though I nailed it last year saying the Cubs "could be in a heap of trouble in the power department if Aramis Ramirez misses an extended period of time". Anyhoo...

Offense-wise, I expect improvement. Derrek Lee was the only starter who hit above expectations in 2009, and Ramirez missed two full months, a third of the season. The Cubs could reasonably expect more offense from all three outfield positions, third base and catcher. In the outfield, Marlon Byrd is a step up from Milton Bradley’s productivity as a Cub, and Tyler Colvin will take starts away from him, Soriano and Fukudome if they don’t pull their weight. On the middle infield, if Mike Fontenot hits like he can over a full season, or Starlin Castro forces his way into the lineup, there should be an improvement over last year’s production with the addition-by-subtraction of Aaron Miles. Unless Geovany Soto is really the player we saw in 2009 rather than in 2008, there should be improvement from his lineup slot - he dropped a bunch of weight and his eyebrows are less aggressively trimmed, so at least he looks serious. And D-Lee is in a contract year.

I’m not worried much about the rotation. Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster, Ted Lilly and Randy Wells are a solid front four (though I think the Cards are stronger in their top two with Carpenter and Wainwright), and Sean Marshall has patiently earned a shot. Carlos Silva looks better than he was with Seattle – if his mother being able to enter the country makes a difference, and off-the-field things like that really can, we could be in for a very pleasant surprise – and I think Tom Gorzelanny can be a decent swingman. Carlos Marmol gets his first shot at closing all year, so I’m concerned about how well he makes the transition as well as his control this spring, and practically every team has middle-relief questions every year, the 2010 Cubs included. We’ll just have to wait and see.

For all their problems, the 2009 Cubs still finished in second place, and none of the departed players will be missed except for maybe Jake Fox and Rich Harden. The Cardinals have been the best team in the Central since they picked up Matt Holliday, but if the Cards pitched over their heads last year – Carpenter, Wainwright, Franklin – the Cubs can make it close.

Barring a long-term injury to Ramirez, Lee, Marmol or one of the front three starters, I see the 2010 Cubs in the 90-72 range and in the running for the Wild Card, depending on who pops up on the trade market.

Projected standings:

1. Cardinals
2. Cubs
3. Reds
4. Brewers
5. Astros
6. Pirates

Cub fan Carlos Hernandez Gomez, 1973-2010

2010-01-23T20:54:00.006-06:00

I lost a dear friend in Carlos Hernandez Gomez on January 17th. Some of the memorials mention his Edward R. Murrow Award for a story on the Billy Goat curse, and I remember how excited he was when he told me WBEZ would let him do it. He was a baseball fan, often wearing a jersey of fellow boriquen Roberto Clemente or a Ruth-era-style Yankees cap - I've heard the word "throwback" a lot this week - but above all he was a Cub fan, and we talked about them often.

One of the games we went to was Ryne Sandberg's last, in 1997. Carlos got a ticket in the lower deck behind first base, and after I shot the pre-game ceremony, we sat together to watch the game. I wanted to run a photo of Sandberg leaving the field for the last time, so I figured I had a good seven innings before I had to get back to the photographers' well by third base. We were in mid-conversation when he trotted off during the fifth. I stood up and snapped a shot anyway, though I knew it was hopeless.

I had several options to run with the story and for a front-page teaser, but the one I took from 150 feet away, which to the layman is a lousy photo, is a personal favorite among the thousands I took at Cub games. It's gone from a facepalm to a snicker to a cute story to a cherished memory over the years, not in what it is, but why it is. I was watching Cubs history with my buddy Carlos.

Carlos knew Sandberg was my favorite Cub, and when City Council honored Ryno's Hall of Fame election in 2005, he got me a personalized autograph. That's just the kind of guy he was.

Calls for the Hall

2009-11-11T11:51:00.003-06:00

It's nice to see separate Hall of Fame ballots for managers and umpires and for executives and pioneers go to the Veteran's Committee. I think nearly all of them should be admitted. The Hall of Fame has some gaps in coverage, particularly the recognition of non-players, and this can help even the balance.

But are there really no coaches worthy of recognition? Where are the scouts responsible for finding the sandlot heroes in the Hall, or the pioneers who spread the game to the countries they now mine for talent? How about a nice shoutout for Jimmie Reese, who was still coaching major leaguers past age 90?

Maybe next time.

Year, schmear

2009-04-06T17:48:00.003-05:00

All right, enough. I’m tired of hearing about “the year”. I’m tired of the 99-100-101 years and counting. It doesn’t matter to me whether the Cubs last won a championship in 1908 or 1969 or if they ever won one at all if I wasn’t around to see it. A lot of teams don’t even have a 1908 to point to. So, enough.

I’m willing to say for the record that I think the Cubs are going to win their third consecutive division title. Beyond that is anybody’s guess. Unless Uncle Lou changes his habit of playing the last week of the season like it was the last week of spring training, he should expect the same results. Last year the Cubs opened by losing three of their first four games, and in 2007 it was six of their first nine. This year, even with almost 40 games on the spring schedule, the first time the Opening Day lineup appears together is Opening Day. I don't like that. Spring training is about more than getting your timing down at the plate or stretching your arm out to a whopping five innings.

What worries me? The World Baseball Classic. Most of the guys around the leagues who participated in 2006 weren’t ready when the bell rang. I’m glad Big Z didn’t go, but Ted Lilly isn’t ready and neither is Kosuke Fukudome. At least neither is going to be counted upon every day out of the gate. I’ve been known to make some off-the-wall suggestions, so here’s another – I’d swap Lilly’s and Aaron Heilman’s roles for a couple of weeks and use Fukudome as a defensive replacement until he starts, to use a golf term, to grip it and rip it.

What else? I don’t think Rich Harden is ready either, after giving up nine walks and seven homers in only 13 innings of spring work - reliever David Patton threw more innings than that. And the Cubs could be in a heap of trouble in the power department if Aramis Ramirez misses an extended period of time, though the excess of outfielders provides adequate trade bait.

Apart from guys staying healthy, I don’t have a lot of major concerns. This team is going to win a lot of games, and it’s going to be a fun summer. Go Cubs!

Tabula DeRosa

2009-01-03T14:48:00.002-06:00

The two-time defending NL Central champs cleared the slate of their top run-scorer of 2008 on the year’s final day, sending Mark DeRosa off to join Kerry Wood in Cleveland in exchange for a slew of minor-league pitching.

A lot of people in Cubbie Nation are furious about this, but I’m not.

You don’t see World Series won by teams whose leader in runs scored played 20+ games at four different positions, and the role the Cubs need out of that roster spot isn’t that of a 500-a.b. player regardless of how well he performs. With Aramis Ramirez locked in at third and Mike Fontenot batting .360 in the second half from the left side at second, there wouldn’t be 80 starts for DeRosa on the infield. With a surplus of outfielders and one more coming, and hopefully a DL-free Alfonso Soriano, there’s no room out there for 50+ starts either. There’s simply nowhere to squeeze in the number of at-bats Mark DeRosa deserves.

There’s talk the Indians will start him at third and finally give DeRosa an opportunity to show what he can do for somebody over the full 162 games, and that just wasn’t going to happen here. He played well beyond his price tag for the Cubs, and a chance at an extra 100 at-bats, right before what will probably be the biggest contract of his career, is the best thing that could happen for him this year. More power to him.

I see Aaron Miles as a better fit for the Cubs’ expectations of that roster spot anyway, the versatile sub as opposed to the short-term solution – maybe 300 at-bats, good glove, not necessarily a nine-inning guy, can switch-hit, can jump in anywhere in a pinch (even on the mound) and won a World Series ring coming out of the NL Central. As a bonus, he may have a chip on his shoulder over the Cardinals non-tendering him two years in a row.

Pie to be deserted after Gathright signing?

2008-12-16T16:42:00.006-06:00

Speedy center-fielder (and car-jumper, as seen on YouTube) Joey Gathright, formerly of Lou Piniella's Devil Rays, has rejoined his former manager in a one-year, $800K deal. Gathright essentially offers what the Cubs need out of Felix Pie's roster spot in 2009.

The Cubs are still shopping for left-handed pop for the outfield, and with Pie out of options they'll lose him unless he stays on the roster all season with veterans Alfonso Soriano, Kosuke Fukudome, Reed Johnson, Mark DeRosa, Gathright and Outfield Candidate 6 ahead of him in line for playing time.

Maddux to call it a career

2008-12-05T21:54:00.005-06:00

The word is out that Greg Maddux will announce his retirement Monday at the Winter Meetings.

I hate to see him go, it would have been nice to see him climb into the top five in wins, but admittedly since his return to the Cubs I've been increasingly interested in what he's going to do after his playing days are over.

If I was Jim Hendry, I'd be first in line after he walks away from the podium to talk about working in the Cubs system. If he wants to chill out for awhile, start him as a special instructor in Mesa next spring with an offer to join Ryne Sandberg in Peoria after he spends a little time with his family. Maybe throw him a cookie like running #31 up the flagpole with Fergie Jenkins. Even for a team that's been hesitant to retire uniform numbers, it's hard to argue against it. Maddux locks himself down with Jenkins as the only two pitchers in history to retire with over 3,000 strikeouts and fewer than 1,000 walks (Maddux winds up with 999 - I wonder if that affected his decision...).

There's no question as to whether Maddux will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. What remains to be seen is how many BBWAA voters have a policy of not voting for first-ballot players and if Tom Seaver's record voting percentage will hold up.

Speaking of Cub pitchers who wore #31, I was saddened to hear about the recent passing of Kevin Foster at the far too young age of 40. Our paths crossed a few times in the late '90s and he always seemed like one of the good guys. He's the third member of the 1998 Wild Card winners to leave us, following Rod Beck and Geremi Gonzalez.

As a side note, yeah, it's been awhile. I didn't really feel like talking about the playoffs (though I should note it feels good that back-to-back division titles is now considered disappointing in Cubbie Nation), and we're still waiting on changes apart from the bullpen. Kerry Wood's performance as a closer priced him out of a Cub uniform if Carlos Marmol's going to keep looking like the Next Big Thing, but the inexpensive addition of Kevin Gregg as insurance leaves more money to fill the innings vacated by Scott Eyre and now Bob Howry.

Hopefully letting go of a hot prospect in José Ceda for Gregg won't backfire, but considering the Cubs got Ceda one-for-one for Todd Walker, Jim Hendry essentially got a mid-level closer for a utility man who had 62 games left in his career. If the Cubs can wrangle a lefty who can take the mound 70 or 75 times, I won't be too worried about the 2009 bullpen, at least not for now. There are bigger roles to fill in the outfield.

I think two factors are being overlooked in the outfield as far as offense is concerned, first that regardless of his lineup position we still haven't seen a full season of what Alfonso Soriano can do, spending a good amount of time on the shelf in 2008 while still leading the Cubs in home runs, and second that Kosuke Fukudome was a rookie living in a new country last year. Even when they signed him, they had to be expecting more out of Year 2 than Year 1 in that contract, and if they want to add a left-handed boomer I'd like to see him starting in center field.

Jake Peavy's name has also been thrown around, but I'd be hesitant to drop that much money and talent on a starting pitcher whose numbers are distorted by a pitcher-friendly ballpark. I'd be more interested in Randy Johnson even at 45. You may not be able to count on 200 innings (like Rich Harden), but he's one of the most intimidating pitchers in history, he's undefeated at Wrigley and there will still be days where he'll go out and dominate.

We'll see what happens. Just over two months to Mesa...

Butterflies...

2008-10-01T16:03:00.000-05:00

“This is what we’ve waited for. This is it, boys, this is war…”

I haven’t been all that nervous about the upcoming playoffs over the past couple of weeks, but with the hours ticking down to the first pitch I’m starting to get butterflies.

I’ve let my Cub-fan-ness get in the way of objective reasoning in the past when going into a playoff series. With the Cubs being in the postseason for the second time in a row, and a reasonable expectation that the Cubs can make regular October appearances, it’s different this time around. The novelty of just getting there is gone.

It’s not unreasonable to expect that the team with the National League’s best record should march right through, but still, let’s take it one series at a time.

The Dodgers, by most indicators, are the weakest of the four NL playoff teams. They have the fewest wins, the fewest run scored and the lowest run differential, and they’re the only NL playoff team below .500 on the road. They led the NL in ERA, but in one of the best pitcher’s parks in the game with a schedule weighted with three division rivals finishing 14 or more games below .500. Apart from Manny Ramirez’ performance over the past two months, I’m not all that impressed.

The Cubs meanwhile enter the postseason with the league’s best home record and scored 56 more runs than any other team in the NL. Their home record is six games better than the #2 Brewers, and if the series goes five games, the Dodgers would see Ryan Dempster, who went 14-3 at Wrigley, twice at Wrigley. That has to be a daunting statistic to a team that went 36-45 on the road, once again, in a schedule laden with 88+ loss teams.

I feel good. It’s going to be chilly tonight, and that can’t be good for L.A.

And just as an aside, I think it sucks that the entire series, as well as the next one, will be on cable. I’ll be the guy at the bar wearing the Walkman…

Less than ninety minutes to go. Brace yourselves, folks!

Get ready, folks!

2008-09-20T16:12:00.001-05:00

With the Cubs’ Magic Number at one, the race to the ninth inning is on.

The Cubs took an early 3-0 lead in the second inning against the Cardinals at Wrigley this afternoon and added two more runs in the fourth, the second coming on a perfectly executed squeeze by starting pitcher Ted Lilly.

If the Cubs’ score holds up, it would put the Cubs in back-back postseasons for the first time since 1907-1908. Those are pretty good years as far as Cubbie Nation is concerned.

The slumping second-place Brewers have been in desperation mode this week after losing the Wild Card lead they’ve held much of the season, firing manager Ned Yost and today starting C.C. Sabathia on only three days’ rest. As I’m writing, the Brewers took a 2-1 lead over the Reds at Cincinnati.

It doesn’t really matter how you clinch, but every team wants to finish the job themselves with a putout in front of the home fans. While I’d just as soon see the Cubs finish their game first, I’m almost curious to see what happens if the Reds come back for a walkoff win while the Cubs are still on the field.

For now, start chilling the champagne and let’s hope that five-run Cub lead holds up for four more innings.

No-no, no, no-no, no-no-no-no...

2008-09-14T23:21:00.004-05:00

The phrase "first time since" has come up a lot for the Cubs this year, and tonight was one that I've been waiting to fall by the board for a long time.

I was a fetus when Milt Pappas threw the Cubs' last no-hitter, and I get the feeling that the generation that lived and died with Leo Durocher's Cubs doesn't understand what it's like hanging your definition of a low-hit game on Chuck Rainey, who fell short at the end, and Kerry Wood, who fell short at the beginning. They got to see Milt Pappas do it. And Burt Hooton do it. And Kenny Holtzman do it twice. And if they're a little older, Don Cardwell and Toothpick Sam Jones.

My generation, or speaking for myself at the very least, wondered for years who was going to be the guy to do it. For a long time there wasn't an obvious choice. We haven't even seen them lose a no-hitter. Then Woody came along, but he never got one. And Mark Prior, but that didn't pan out.

But there was always something special about Carlos Zambrano. Keeping a team hitless into the middle innings was something he'd do a couple times a year, but there was always a question of Big Z keeping his cool and keeping his head in the game long enough to take it through nine innings.

I held my breath when he struck out in the eighth inning, holding his bat over his head like he was about to break it over his knee, like we've seen before. But when he paused and changed his mind it became that one moment where you no longer believe it's going to happen, you just know it's going to happen, and you can sit back and enjoy the ride.

Any Cub fan knows Z takes great pride in his hitting, and to see him go back to the dugout and laugh about it instead of letting it get to him, well, I hope when he finally hangs up his spikes we look back at it as the moment where he turned a corner. Not just as a pitcher and as a staff ace, but as a man.

Tonight, Carlos Zambrano, you are the man.

Down the stretch they come

2008-08-31T17:59:00.003-05:00

It's hard to be disappointed to see the Cubs split a home series against a team battling for a division title, but the Cubs have spoiled their fans of late. Here are some breakdowns that explain why:

The Cubs came into the Phillies series having won their last nine series, for the first time since 1907.

They're 24-1 since the All-Star break when scoring four or more runs.

Two losses made for their longest losing streak in five weeks.

They have a ten-game cushion over the Phillies for a playoff spot.

And the biggest divisional lead in the NL.

And, still, the most wins in baseball.

It might almost be a relief for the Cubs to head back on the road after the three-game set against the Astros that begins Monday. They went 8-1 on the road in a home-heavy August schedule to push their road record above .500, one of only four NL teams that can make that claim. With any luck, the Mets can push that number to five this week as they head into Milwaukee.

With 25 games to go, there are two last pertinent numbers. Magic numbers. For defending their Central Division title, 22, and for becoming the first Chicago baseball team to play in consecutive postseasons since 1908, 16.

It's not going to be a cakewalk, next weekend's series in Cincinnati could be their last against a sub-.500 team and they still have a dozen games remaining against the Brewers and Cardinals, but I'm starting to taste it.

Travelin' man

2008-08-13T21:30:00.007-05:00

While the Cubs were about to complete the sweep of today's day-night doubleheader against the Braves, I noticed ex-Cub pitcher Julian Tavarez is on his third team of the year.

Like a one-man Cliff's Notes of Braves history, Tavarez has gone from Boston to Milwaukee to Atlanta in 2008.

I can't name another player who pulled off that trifecta, in order, in one season - or Philly to K.C. to Oakland, Milwaukee to St. Louis to Baltimore, or any other three-city franchises for that matter. If you can name one, drop me a line at westsidecharlie (at) gmail.com.

Cubs holding solid in Central race

2008-08-10T23:36:00.003-05:00

The Cubs took two out of three against the Cardinals this weekend, finishing off a 6-3 homestand and pushing St. Louis seven games back in the NL Central.

That seven-game differential is comforting, because I'm still worried about the Brewers. Milwaukee picked up a game this weekend while hosting the NL-worst Washington Nationals, shrinking the Cubs' lead to four games and extending their winning streak to five. Four games is also the Brewers' advantage in home/road scheduling the rest of the way.

With the league's top three teams all playing in the Central, though, the Cubs' lead over the Brewers is less important than their lead over the Cardinals, running second in the Wild Card race. It would take two teams in the Central getting hot, or one from the Central and two from the East, to push the Cubs out of playoff contention. At least, barring a total collapse by the North Siders.

If I was the Cubs' GM, with about three weeks to go before the trade deadline I don't see many moves that need to be made. Among position players, I'd only bounce Daryle Ward in favor of Micah Hoffpauir (who hit four home runs for Iowa the other day). With the additions of Chad Gaudin and Jeff Samardzija, the only pitcher I'd move would be Bobby Howry. While he's fallen completely off the radar, my first choice would actually be to bring Rich Hill back for a couple of middle-relief appearances to see what he's got before finalizing the roster on September 1.

Regardless, after 118 games if the only moves I'd make would be at pinch-hitter and relief-inning-eater, we're dealing with a good ballclub. All the Cubs need to do is to play consistently and stay healthy, and... well, we'll talk about that later.

Throwback blowback

2008-06-12T07:39:00.003-05:00

The Cubs will be holding their first "throwback" game today. The Cubs and Braves will be wearing replicas of their 1948 jerseys and smoky links will be a buck apiece for the first hour of the game.

First off, what took them so long? The Cubs are usually at the top of the curve in terms of marketing gimmicks, and even the White Sox were doing these by the mid-'90s.

Second, 1948? A year the Braves won the pennant and the Cubs finished LAST? How about a throwback to 1906, when the Cubs finished 66-1/2 games ahead of them? Considering it's the NL's best home team vs. MLB's worst road team, that might be more appropriate.

And the smoky links, I don't get that at all. You could gorge yourself at the ballpark for a buck in 1948, possibly including the price of the ticket. Maybe they're splitting the difference by using 1978 prices. At least it's on regular TV.

In any case, a win on getaway day would put the Cubs over a month between home losses by the beginning of the next homestand. It's nothing we Cub fans haven't seen before, but usually those months are October through March.

Cubs erase eight-run deficit in two innings

2008-05-30T19:10:00.003-05:00

I turned off the gamecast in the top of the first. I was busy anyway, and four quick Colorado runs didn't look promising. I checked back to find it 9-1. Oof. This is how they celebrate having just climbed to the best record in the majors?

By the next time the Cubs had put up a three-spot in the sixth and a pair of runs in the seventh with two men on. I whipped out my dinosaur of a Walkman (aside: Why can't someone put an AM radio in an mp3 player?), and in a matter of moments Mark DeRosa made it a six-run seventh with a two-run homer and put the Cubs up 10-9 for their biggest comeback of the 21st century.

This is how they celebrate having just climbed to the best record in the majors.

The Cubs' ability to come back late in the game against the bullpens of the National League is reminiscent of a lot of basketball games we saw here on the West Side back in the '90s. If you're too young to remember, there were a lot fewer leads at the half than the final standings imply. Somehow there was never a sense of dread when the Bulls trailed by a dozen halfway through the third. Likewise, if this Cubs team trails by one or two runs at the stretch it never feels like the ballgame is over. But eight? That's the kind of win that can put you up to the next level.

I was in the front row of the bleachers when the 2003 team erased a 6-0 sixth-inning St. Louis lead to win 8-7 and start their longest winning streak of the year. I was watching at home when the 1989 team erased a 9-0 Houston lead to win 10-9 and maintain a slim lead in the East. Those were landmark moments for two teams that won their divisions, and this team is stronger than either of them.

To a less dramatic extent, the Cubs have been doing it all season. Not just crooked numbers, big crooked numbers, fives and sixes on a regular basis. Today's seventh inning was their 14th 5+ run inning (versus three allowed) and their fifth in the seventh inning or later. They've put up six-run innings in every inning but the second, sixth and the ninth, and the Cubs haven't played as many ninth innings as most teams.

Today it was Blanco, Hoffpauir, Fukudome, Edmonds and DeRosa. If you can put up nine RBIs in two innings without Lee, Ramirez, Soto or Soriano getting any of them, you can survive one of your big guns having an ice-cold playoff series.

It is a GREAT day to be a Cub fan.

Geremi Gonzalez 1975-2008

2008-05-26T20:04:00.003-05:00

Former Cub pitcher Geremi Gonzalez was struck by lightning and killed yesterday on a beach in his native Venezuela.

Here's a picture I took after the 1998 Wild Card playoff win against the Giants, right after Gonzalez sprayed the first half of that bottle on me.

Litmus test for Wood

2008-05-24T21:22:00.005-05:00

I mentioned it on Opening Day, but has anyone else noticed that when Kerry Wood hits the first batter he faces, he has a bad outing?

In the opener it was a hit batter, a sac bunt, an intentional walk, a single, a strikeout and a two-out double. It cost the Cubs and Wood a win when Kosuke Fukudome's 9th-inning homer only tied the game.

It happened again May 1 against the Brewers for a blown save and another Cub loss, a hit batter, a double, a single, a walk, a strikeout and another double, with Wood escaping more trouble when a runner was thrown out at the plate.

Tonight it sent the game in Pittsburgh to extra innings for another blown save on a hit batter, a single and two sacrifices.

Woody's been almost lights-out outside of those appearances, and if you can tell that quickly when it's not his day, taking immediate action might put a few more ticks in the Win column.

The hits just keep on comin'

2008-04-23T03:21:00.002-05:00

How about a little shoutout for Gerald Perry?

After 20 games, and keep in mind 14 teams use designated hitters, Cub hitters rank third in MLB (2nd NL) in walks, second in MLB (1st NL) in both on-base percentage and hits, and lead the majors in runs scored and pitches drawn per plate appearance.

Perry has track record as a hitting coach of improving teams in those categories, but it’s been awhile since we saw that in Chicago. The chance of starting eight fielders all with on-base percentages over .400 (Fukudome .477, Soto .429, DeRosa .415, Johnson .415, Lee .411, Ramirez .409, Theriot .408, Cedeno .406) might be a first in Cubs history.

That pitches-drawn category might seem like a minor statistic at face value, but there aren’t a lot of stellar bullpens out there, and the more starters you force out early on pitch counts, the more late runs you’re going to score and the more teams you’ll put away before they can chip away at your lead. If this was a playoff series against the Mets and New York had to burn four relievers for 77 pitches in three innings like they did yesterday (without even pitching the ninth), you compromise their bullpen for the next day too.

I don’t like to get this excited this early, but it just feels like there’s a different atmosphere this year. There’s an awful lot to like about these Cubs, and to twice shut down and then pile on a Mets team that’s been predicted to win the NL, even with Soriano on the shelf, is a very good sign.

Oh, and the ex-Cub of the Week is former reliever Todd Wellemeyer, who’s 2-0 in four starts for the Cardinals with 26 strikeouts in 25 innings.

Let's Play 1-2/3!

2008-04-09T22:59:00.007-05:00

Twenty-seven innings is three games, right?

Well, not so much. The Cubs outlasted the Pirates in 15 innings last night on the heels of a 12-inning win to open the series in Pittsburgh. Despite a series of mini-disasters, the Cubs find themselves the winners of four straight and two games above .500.

The win was particularly encouraging. After letting a win slip away in the ninth and again in the 14th, they didn't let it turn into a loss. Sure, you're supposed to beat teams like the Pirates, but a difference between contender and pretender is the ability to actually do it when there's a hiccup or two in the bullpen and almost every pitch for six innings could be your last.

I'm reminded of the 1986 NLCS. The Mets beat the best of a good stretch of Astros teams in back-to-back long extras, 12 innings and 16 innings. Jesse Orosco gave up a game-tying 14th-inning homer in game 6, but had more left in the tank than the 'Stros' Aurelio Lopez and eventually won the clincher. Last night, Kevin Hart gave up a game-tying 14th-inning homer of his own, but settled down enough to give the bats one more chance and earn his second relief win in five days.

But relief pitchers aren't used the same way anymore; the five Roger McDowell relief innings that got the Mets to Orosco in the 14th would now be handled by four or five pitchers and start an inning or two sooner. Get past about the 12th inning these days and a lot of teams start to find themselves stuck with whoever's out there come hell or high fastballs.

Even after 14 innings of eight-hit ball, the Cubs still had two starting pitchers in the pen in yesterday's callup Sean Marshall, who pitched the 15th for his first professional save, and Jon Lieber. And while the 2008 Pirates are no 1986 Astros, the Cubs could theoretically have gone into the 20th or 21st inning with a fresh veteran pitcher who would have made most rotations, and I don't think there's another team in either league that could say that.

In other news, the most recent in a sporadic series of Ex-Cubs of the Week is Corey Patterson. Yeah, that Corey Patterson. He's batting .323 for Dusty Baker's Reds and is tied for second in the majors in home runs with four in eight games after a ninth-inning game-tying shot last night off Eric Gagne and the Brewers.

How's This for Openers?

2008-03-31T23:56:00.002-05:00

Two delays rained down on Wrigley before the Brewers offense did likewise on Opening Day today, but from the Cubs’ perspective, most of the story could be told in first-pitches.

Carlos Zambrano threw his first for a strike, as well as the next four. Kosuke Fukudome’s first pitch bounced off the warning track and up against the wall for a double. Carlos Marmol’s first pitch scored him an inning-ending strikeout. Kerry Wood’s first pitch hit Rickie Weeks in the back. Bob Howry broke the rhythm, as Craig Counsell waited for a second pitch before his leadoff double, which would eventually lead to the winning run.

But Zambrano looked good, and so did Marmol. And Fukudome’s double merely set the stage for a 3-for-3 debut with a walk, capped by a dramatic three-run game-tying ninth-inning homer.

Rain delays, extra innings and Cub losses are nothing we haven’t seen before, but it was a good day for oddities. In case seeing a pitcher record a strikeout on one pitch wasn’t weird enough, Fukudome was picked off second base by a catcher. Not an assist from a catcher, a catcher. Mark DeRosa was already sliding into second when Jason Kendall ran him down in no man’s land, like a deer in the headlights between second and third. Kendall, incidentally, opened the season batting ninth behind Ben Sheets.

And the Cubs threw the shift on Prince Fielder, with shortstop Ryan Theriot positioned just to the weird side behind second base and DeRosa on the edge of the outfield grass over Derrek Lee’s right shoulder. It backfired twice, turning one routine double-play grounder into a 4-3 fielder’s choice because nobody was covering second, and later finding a hole for what would have been another routine grounder to second.

An entertaining game even if it didn't turn out as we hoped, but win or lose it's nice to have that first game on the books. We made it through another winter folks, and it's going to be an exciting summer.

Getting antsy

2008-03-24T13:24:00.005-05:00

I've written several pieces lately to post here, but any or all of them could be rendered useless once Lou Piniella finalizes his rotation, reportedly later today, and Jim Hendry decides if he wants to pull off a trade before opening day.

For the record, I don't think the Cubs need Brian Roberts, at least not at the price that's being rumored. The Cubs may seem to be overstocked in starting pitching, but I don't like the odds of both Ryan Dempster and Jon Lieber giving the Cubs 30+ starts this year. If they dump off a boatload of young starters to upgrade by one tool at one position, it could seriously backfire on them. And I don't think second base should be the Cubs' top priority in terms of solidifying the roster anyway.

Personally, I'd add a center fielder to serve as an insurance policy on Felix Pie. I've already been shot down a couple of times making this suggestion, but I'd like to see the Cubs bring back Kenny Lofton. As a free agent he costs money instead of prospects, and he's sought-after at the trade deadline every year if Pie proves capable of playing every day.

Sidenote, I had my fantasy league draft last weekend. The team looks good so far, I'd say about top three in a 14-team league with lots of parity. More on that in future posts, if last year was any indicator.

(ed. note: Lou Piniella announced, apparently while I was writing the above post, that he's going with Dempster and Marquis in the rotation and adding Lieber to the bullpen. See what I mean?)

Branding the ballpark

2008-02-29T13:25:00.005-06:00

For the sake of the argument, I don't care what the name on the marquee is. What did the Wrigley family ever do for me? What did they do for the Cubs in the last 40 years they owned the team after Bill Veeck left the franchise? Zip. Zero. Bupkis. One World Series in the first five years of that period, in a season when half the league was off fighting the Axis. Big f'n' deal. Even the St. Louis Browns got into a Series during the war. And they lost too.

Cubbie Nation should have no more loyalty and no more respect for the Wrigley name than Blackhawks fans have for Bill Wirtz, just like White Sox fans owe nothing to Charlie Comiskey. Names associated with failure, cheapskatery and decades of bad decisions.

Cubs open with a bang

2008-02-28T20:28:00.002-06:00

The Cubs opened their Cactus League season by showing a little bit of everything I was hoping for out of the players I’m counting on to keep the Cubs playing October baseball. Cubs over the Giants 12-6 in the opener on the road in Scottsdale.

Three hits and a stolen base from Ryan Theriot in the leadoff spot. A triple and a three-run homer for Mike Fontenot. Kosuke Fukudome got on base three times in three trips including a walk and a hit-by-pitch. Felix Pie had a homer, a double and a walk in three trips. Derrek Lee had a hit and a walk in two trips. Geovany Soto got a hit. Ronny Cedeno had a RBI, stole a base and scored a run. Even Koyie Hill and Micah Hoffpauir each had a hit and an RBI. Best of all, as a team they drew six walks while only striking out three times.

On the pitching side, four of the six runs were given up by pitchers with no Major League experience who weren’t expected to make the cut a month from now, five if you add Sean Gallagher, who has a lot of veterans to squeeze past to make the cut. That left one run, a solo homer, on three hits over 5-2/3 innings among Ryan Dempster, Neal Cotts, Carmen Pigniatello, Jose Ascanio and Kevin Hart.

Meanwhile the Cubs scored 10 of their 12 runs against three pitchers who were on the Giants roster all last year; Noah Lowry, Edwin Correia and Brad Hennessey.

Sure, it’s just the spring training opener, everybody’s still getting their feet wet after a long winter and both managers have to play as many guys as they can to visualize their final rosters. But boy oh boy, it’s a good way to start.

Leading the arms race

2008-02-09T23:52:00.001-06:00

Brian Roberts rumors notwithstanding, the Cubs will have a surplus of pitching going into Mesa next week.

Kinda nice to hear that, eh, Cub fans?

I’d say the front three starters are set in concrete – Carlos Zambrano, Ted Lilly and Rich Hill. But what after that? The Cubs have a bevy of starters fighting over two spots, many with some established cred around the league. Jason Marquis started hot last year, but even after his ERA started to balloon he still only had one sub-.500 month. Lefty Sean Marshall gave up three or fewer earned runs in 15 of 19 starts last year and dropped his ERA from over 5 to under 4. Jon Lieber is back, supposedly at full health for the first time in three seasons. Then there’s Sean Gallagher, trying to be the next in a continuing series of emergent stars out of the farm system. That makes seven.

And what about Ryan Dempster? The Cubs plan to give Dempster a shot at the rotation while Kerry Wood, Carlos Marmol and Bobby Howry fight over his closer’s spot. If one or more of those guys goes lights-out in Mesa and Dempster doesn’t break the rotation, does he become a swing man after reliably closing out games in ninth-inning save situations?

At least two of the three guys fighting over the closer’s role will work setup, while Shingo Takatsu and returning former Cub Chad Fox, effective before Dusty Baker burned him out, will also be trying to crack the bullpen as non-roster invitees. Scott Eyre will have one of those slots, and probably Michael Wuertz, but what about Neal Cotts? Or playoff invitee Kevin Hart? Or new Cub Jose Ascanio? Or Carmen Pignatiello?

Obviously the Cubs won’t be bringing 19 pitchers out of Mesa. And the Iowa Cubs will be stocked with quality pitchers ready to step in and fill any cracks that develop. But there’s enough surplus talent to serve as trade bait.

I’ve said before that the Cubs don’t need Roberts. Not only has Ryan Theriot put up better numbers in the leadoff slot given his number of plate appearances and green lights on the basepaths, but the addition of Roberts would mess with the role of the very effective Mark DeRosa. His versatility at multiple positions offers the perfect chance for Mike Fontenot to develop as a Major League second baseman alongside his old double-play partner Theriot.

If it was up to me, I’d stand pat instead of looking for one more offensive piece and wait to see if a mid-season offer comes along that they can’t refuse. Every year there are teams that need pitching help to fortify playoff runs, just like there are always teams that give up after two months and look to move quality veterans to cut payroll.

Sit back and crack open a cold one, folks. It looks like we’re in for an exciting summer.

More additions, but not the ones you were expecting

2008-01-19T07:18:00.001-06:00

The Cubs may not have traded for Brian Roberts... yet... but they've added a pair of veteran pitchers via free agency without sacrificing the farm system.

The Cubs' last 20-game winner is coming back. Jon Lieber turns 38 in the opening week of the season, so don't expect the same pitcher who went 20-6 seven years ago. He was 3-6 in a dozen starts in an injury-shortened 2007 season for the Phillies, but he's only two years removed from a 17-win season. He joins Carlos Zambrano, Ted Lilly, Rich Hill and Jason Marquis among Cub starters even before we talk about Ryan Dempster moving to the rotation or Sean Marshall, Sean Gallagher, Angel Guzman and whomever else is battling to emerge from the minors.

Shingo Takatsu was signed to a minor-league deal and will get a look-see in spring training. At 39, he would be the oldest Cub in Mesa. The right-hander put up one solid Major League season, closing out 45 games for the White Sox in 2004 after a lengthy career in Japan. Putting up a 2.31 ERA in '04 followed by a 5.20 ERA in '05 before returning to Japan it's a coin toss whether he'll be effective, but "Mr. Zero" would be one more veteran in a well-stocked bullpen late in the game (over 300 career saves between the two continents) if he's still got it. If he makes the club, the Cubs would have four players who speak at least some Japanese, joining Alfonso Soriano, who played there as a teenager; Derrek Lee, whose father and uncle played there while he was growing up; and of course, Kosuke Fukudome.

In any case, more typical Jim Hendry moves, stockpiling enough Major League talent to fill whatever unexpected gaps might turn up. I'm under the impression that after getting burned when Derrek Lee was hurt two years ago, he doesn't want to ever be left in the lurch again in what may continue to be baseball's easiest division to win.

Leadoff tradeoff

2008-01-10T13:54:00.001-06:00

Rumors are abound that the Cubs are about to dump off a lot of young talent to bring in Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts to bat leadoff. Sean Marshall, Sean Gallagher and Ronny Cedeno have been talked about as "part" of the package to bring Roberts to the north side.

I don't get it. Is Alfonso Soriano a leadoff hitter "only" or not? They're ready to jettison that line of thinking as soon as a career .280 hitter who once stole 50 bases becomes available?

Roberts seems like a good guy despite his appearance in the Mitchell Report and his subsequent confession, but the overlooked factor is that the Cubs already have somebody who can give the Cubs a higher leadoff average than Soriano and still steal a load of bases.

I'm talking about Ryan Theriot.

Theriot has a higher career batting average than Roberts as a leadoff hitter as well as a higher success rate as a base-stealer. Last season he stole 28 bases in 32 tries, and the only thing keeping him from 50-60 or more is more green lights from Lou Piniella. We know Soriano can steal 40+ bases too, but last year he only had 25 attempts. The only edge I see Roberts having over Theriot in the leadoff role is that he can switch-hit.

And personally I don't think the combination of Mark DeRosa and Mike Fontenot failed last year. DeRosa, in fact, hit for a higher batting average than Roberts too, with a similar OBP.

I'm not saying the Cubs might improve their chances with an all-star second baseman, but the upside of Brian Roberts over the status quo isn't worth what the Orioles are asking. Not at the expense of a 25-year-old starting pitcher who knocked a point and a half off his ERA last year like Marshall, and Gallagher and Cedeno and who knows who else. They don't need to strip-mine their farm system for roles they can already fill.

'Dome Arigato

2007-12-12T10:09:00.000-06:00

Well, the Cubs did it again. For the second off-season in a row, the name at the top of their wish list was locked in.

Signing a four-year deal for around $50 million, Kosuke Fukudome fills a couple of needs, as a left-handed hitter with some pop and a high on-base percentage and, as a converted infielder, a strong corner-outfield arm.

The Cubs outbid the White Sox, Padres and Rangers to bring their first Japanese position player to the team (Hideo Nomo was briefly a Cub, dropped after a brief spring training stint several years ago). Apart from what he can bring to the ballclub on the field, it’s a smart move in terms of expanding the Cubs’ fan base in Japan and opening up new marketing opportunities.

Considering that it doesn’t take top-level talent to command an eight-figure salary in the majors these days, bringing in one of Japan’s best hitters for around $12m a year seems like almost a bargain.

His 2007 numbers are incomplete due to surgery to remove bone chips from his elbow, but as the 2006 Central League MVP he put up a .351-31-104 year with 47 doubles and a .438 OBP in a season 20 games shorter than MLB’s. His .305 career average is held back by a pair of .250 seasons in his first three years, and at age 30 he’s in the prime of his career. If his elbow’s 100 percent (and we’re not talking about muscle or ligament problems, just a little housekeeping), I could easily see him in the neighborhood of .315-25-90 with 100+ runs scored and leading the Cubs in walks next year with better things to come after his first few trips around the league.

We’ll have to wait and see where he winds up in the lineup next season, but it’s definitely a big step up from the production the Cubs got out of the right field position in 2007.

I tried coming up with a suggested Opening Day lineup, but it’s just too hard to tell so far. I doubt Jim Hendry doesn’t have a few more tricks up his sleeve, but even if he stands pat, things are looking very good.

Home Field Advantage

2007-10-06T06:18:00.001-05:00

There have been some pretty weird home field advantage situations in the first round.

Midges swarmed Yankees reliever Joba Chamberlain on the mound in Cleveland, leading to the game-tying run scoring on a wild pitch and an eventual Indians win. Some folks around the web are saying the Off! sprayed on Chamberlain actually attracts midges, along with bright light, perfumes and carbon dioxide emissions, like those you might find around 45,000 people at a night game.

It makes me wonder if it wouldn't be possible to pull off something like that intentionally. Put one of those ultrasonic bug repellers next to a P.A. mic, have guys on the sidewalk by the "knothole" in right field open up boxes full of things that respond to them, watch them converge where the most lights are focused, then turn on the mic at the end of the inning and make 'em go 'way. Sounds like an '80s teen flick.

Meanwhile, a 17-year-old fan in Boston plucked a foul ball away from the Angels, keeping a rally alive for the Red Sox. Nice grab by the son of one a Red Sox limited partner. If you're listening, Cubs brass, here's the idea.

Teams have a responsibility to encourage their minor leaguers to become the stars of tomorrow. So what better time than the playoffs to honor the organization's top 50 defensive prospects with a pre-game presentation of a new glove? Show those fine young men what they're playing for by giving each of them a front-row playoff ticket.

Just a few notes...

2007-10-05T16:22:00.000-05:00

...in case any of the Cubs are reading.

Play like there's no tomorrow. Repeat as necessary.

The biggest heroes are often players the enemy overlooks.

Line drives, instead of towering drives, keep a rally going for the next guy.

Laying down a bunt or drawing a walk doesn't make you any less of a man.

If Rich Hill is in command deep into a close game, see if he can go nine.

Get something started and you may never have to pick up a check in this town again.

Monday-morning QB

2007-10-04T11:08:00.000-05:00

I know, awful metaphor. It's neither football nor Monday. Still...

The big question after the Cubs' Game 1 loss is whether Carlos Zambrano should have stayed in the game.

I can't blame Lou Piniella for pulling someone to go on three days' rest if you have a couple-three runs' worth of lead, but that wasn't the case. And if anyone on the staff has the guts to muscle through a long outing (which 85 pitches isn't) and go again on short rest, it's Big Z.

But if you're going to hold somebody back for Game 4, you better make damned sure you get to a Game 4. And then give him an 85-pitch outing if that's what you have to do.

I have no problem with Carlos Marmol being the first call out of the bullpen if Zambrano had to come out, but I say you have to stay with a hot pitcher instead of rolling the dice. Every time you go to the bullpen you take the chance of getting someone who doesn't have his best command that day.

Hopefully Marmol won't take too much flak for the loss, but to paraphrase what Piniella said after the game, when you score a run on four hits you can't expect to win many ballgames.

One out of two in the visitor's ballpark is a successful playoff road trip, so hopefully Ted Lilly can keep doing what he's been doing all year and right the ship.

Congratulations

2007-10-03T23:54:00.000-05:00

The Cubs lost tonight, but I have reason to celebrate.

Today is my parents' 40th anniversary, and I love them and I'm proud of them.

More on the Cubs later.

Ex-Cub Factor: Round One

2007-10-02T23:31:00.000-05:00

With Steve Trachsel left off the postseason roster, the Cubs are the only team in the playoffs with no ex-Cubs. Boston is next, with only Eric Hinske, who was traded before making the big leagues.

Diamondbacks
Juan Cruz
Augie Ojeda

Phillies
Antonio Alfonseca
Tom Gordon
Jamie Moyer

Rockies
LaTroy Hawkins

Red Sox
Eric Hinske

Angels
Justin Speier
Gary Matthews Jr. (injured)

Yankees
Kyle Farnsworth
Jose Molina

Indians
Joe Borowski
Kenny Lofton

Instant Replay

2007-10-02T09:30:00.001-05:00

As I mentioned, I caught last night's game on the radio, but there's a lot of buzz about an instant replay rule. Two questionable calls, one that ended the game and another that could have prevented extra innings in the first place, define the fate of the 2007 Padres and could have cost the Rockies their playoff run.

Two years ago the White Sox eked out a win against the Angels after an incorrect trapped-third-strike call, which tied the ALCS at 1 and pretty much popped the Angels' bubble for the rest of the series. Twenty years before that, Don Denkinger got hate mail and death threats for missing a call.

For all the ideas Bud Selig has taken from other sports, this is one where he really dropped the ball. They say nobody's perfect in baseball, and that includes umpires, but that's a copout. Unlike players' imperfections, those of the umpiring squad largely take place when the play is over, merely rulings that can be corrected.

How many times have you seen a really good manager tirade, the kind where he really gets his money's worth after getting the ax, when the ump really did miss the call? In that amount of time they could have checked the replay, made sure the call was correct, or corrected, and gone on with the game. You shouldn't lose a manager or player or coach for the rest of the game and/or the length of a suspension over something that either is correct or it isn't.

You can put a camera on something the size of a golf tee these days. Networks embed cameras in the infield as it is. Put cameras with fixed angles around the bases fair and foul, on the foul poles and along the walls. Put a video engineer in a monitor room with the TV angles too. Put a dedicated replay umpire in one of the photo pits to call up for angles and show them to the crew chief. Done. Around MLB it would cost less per year than one halfway decent free agent.

Teams could even get sponsors for replays like they do with everything else. "This instant replay brought to you by Ralph's Syrup of Ipicac. When you need an instant replay, think of Ralph's."

There's just too much at stake. You throw a $100,000,000 roster out there to try to get yourself a World Series, you deserve correct rulings. For that matter, if you're a fan who has to get cable to watch the playoffs you deserve correct rulings. Or the thousands of bartenders, waitresses, cab drivers, hotel employees, merchandisers, etc., who can have a really good week if their team advances another round. All on the shoulders of four people when, again, nobody's perfect.

Round one (ding!)

2007-10-02T00:35:00.000-05:00

I followed the Rockies-Padres Wild Card playoff on the radio from KOA-Denver. My grandfather's old Panasonic portable transistor has the best antenna in the house, and I listened through 1,000 miles of wavering static and station interference, but I caught a heck of a game. Just the outcome I was looking for, a Rockies win in multiple extra innings where they used ten pitchers. For good measure, the ex-Cub factor poked the Pads in the snoot as Michael Barrett couldn't keep Matt Holliday from getting through with the winning run in the 13th.

As long as the red-hot Phillies are in the other bracket, let them face the hot team since at least one streak will be snuffed out and maybe the winner might get burned out in the process.

The Cubs and Diamondbacks open in Phoenix Wednesday night, Carlos Zambrano against Brandon Webb. Webb is 4-0 in his last five starts, Zambrano 4-1 and working on a 14-1/3 inning scoreless streak. The Cubs are coming off a pair of shutouts and a warmup game, the D-backs off the vapor trail of the Rockies' rampage to the Wild Card playoff. With Zambrano's 12-4 road record this season, I'd say the Cubs have the edge in Game 1.

A Little R&R

2007-09-29T23:44:00.000-05:00

With the division title wrapped up, Lou Piniella trotted out the B-squad today and the Cubs still beat the Reds.

Ryan Theriot was the only regular starter in the lineup as a rested and relaxed Rich Hill powered through the Cincinnati lineup, taking a perfect game into the fifth inning and a no-hitter into the sixth as he, Sean Marshall and Scott Eyre combined on a one-hitter and a 4-0 win.

Despite the sweep at the hands of the Marlins, the Cubs have won 12 of their last 17 games.

The Cubs' opponent in the first round has yet to be determined, as four teams could wind up the regular season tomorrow with 89 wins, leaving ties for the NL East and the Wild Card. That could leave two playoff teams burned out with pitching rotations thrown out of whack. Sucks to be them, hopefully.

Part One of Four

2007-09-28T23:26:00.000-05:00

Now we're there and we've only just begun
This will be our year, took a long time to come
-The Zombies

The Magic Number is zero.

One for the Money

2007-09-28T21:26:00.001-05:00

The Cubs finally regained control of their destiny tonight, with Carlos Zambrano shutting down the Reds over seven innings to pick up his 18th win in a 6-0 victory and guaranteeing at least a Game 163.

The Magic Number is one.

This post is essentially just a marker, as the Padres lead the Brewers 4-3 in the 8th inning. I plan to be among Cub fans for the big moment if it comes tonight, and I only popped back home to post, so I have to cut this short.

Go Cubs!

Two for the Show

2007-09-27T22:09:00.000-05:00

Any curse on the Cubs must be over.

There's no way a cursed team could play the kind of series they completed today, getting swept by the last-place Marlins, and still creep closer to the postseason.

The Magic Number dropped to two tonight as the Brewers continued to do their part by committing five errors and giving up a pair of four-run innings in a 9-5 loss to the Padres, who take a one-game lead in the Wild Card race with three to go.

Barring a total collapse, I think the cluster of five teams battling over the other three playoff slots - Philly and the Mets tied in the East, three teams still in the hunt in the West and all five of them in a tight Wild Card race - will benefit the North Siders. While they've managed to hold a two-game lead through a three-game losing streak, everyone else on the NL side will have spent the last week of the season going all-out, maybe burning themselves out, just to get there.

The race could be over tomorrow, folks. This year's Cubs could clinch a division title after being down farther than the '69 Mets were, and we all know how their season wound up. Keep your fingers crossed.

Three the Hard Way

2007-09-26T22:19:00.000-05:00

It came the hard way, but the Cubs' Magic Number is down to three with four games to play.

Despite another Cub loss to Florida (nine straight over two seasons), the Cardinals pounded the Brewers for four eighth-inning runs to put the game in Milwaukee out of reach. A ninth-inning rally fell short, keeping Milwaukee two games behind the Cubs.

Tonight's Cubs looked like the Cubbies of old, sending fly balls into the vast expanse known as the Dolphins Stadium outfield. While Derrek Lee hit one that would have been out of any park in the majors, the rest of the lineup wasn't as successful.

The Cubs were also hit by poor defense at a crucial moment, as Mark DeRosa overthrew Ryan Theriot on a sure-fire double-play ball that led to a three-run Marlins rally instead of ending the second inning. Two assists from Alfonso Soriano helped keep the game from getting more out of hand as the innings went by, but the damage had been done and the three runs were the margin of victory.

In other news, Sammy Sosa homered again for Texas, giving him 21 along with 92 RBIs in only 113 games. Those ribbies would rank second on the Cubs.

Meanwhile, ridiculous rumors have circulated about Alex Rodriguez's agent talking with "prospective Cub owners" (Mark Cuban?) about a ten-year deal that would include partial ownership. Apart from the obvious tampering issues, MLB rules against player-owners, the future Cubs ownership still undecided and the general silliness of signing a 32-year-old for ten years, I wouldn't mind A-Rod coming to the North Side. Yes, the Cubs have third base locked down for a few more years with Aramis Ramirez, and Ryan Theriot is doing well at Rodriguez' old shortstop position, but I think the Cubs could find a place to put A-Rod. Personally, I'd look at putting him in right field, which is a question mark with plenty of time to be answered, because he has better wheels than Ramirez. But we can start talking about that, say, five weeks from now.

Four

2007-09-23T18:22:00.000-05:00

It may have taken the Cubs' bats a few months to warm up, but they sure got hot at the right time.

The Cubs teed off while reducing their Magic Number to fore, um, four, while completing a weekend's sweep of the Pirates with an 8-0 win. Milwaukee, meanwhile, was busy losing three of four to the Braves gives the Cubs a 3-1/2 game lead with a week to go.

Compared to playoff runs past, the Cubs are storming towards the finish this time around. One of my favorite sayings of the Wild Card era has been "get hot at the right time", and that's exactly what happened. Ten over .500 is now the team's high-water mark of the year, and their 10-2 record in their last 12 games is tops among division leaders.

Carlos Zambrano picked up his career-high 17th win, giving him 30 decisions on the season, which Cubs pitchers haven't reached in recent memory. There are still people who want to brush him aside at 13 losses, but if you have a rotation full of guys who give you 30 decisions with four more ticks in the win column, your team's going to be in good shape. As we saw with the 2005 White Sox, dominant pitching late in the year and playing your best ball when it counts the most will get you towards that ultimate goal.

The Cubs finished the home half of the schedule with a 44-37 record, respectable, but about a third of the way down the league. Three over .500 on the road with only Florida and Cincinnati left on the schedule, however, ranks them third in the league with room to move up. If there's a lesson to be learned from the Brewers, if you want to be in the right place with a week to go, you can't rely solely on dominating at home.

I can taste the postseason, and I think the Cubs can too. Even though the Brewers will now host the Cardinals, who have been in a death spiral in September, the odds of Milwaukee making up three and a half games in seven days when they close with four against the Wild Card leading Padres are pretty slim. They're just not playing the kind of ball you need to play down the stretch when you're in a race.

Next up for the Cubs, Ted Lilly vs. Dontrelle Willis Tuesday night in Florida. 15-7 and 3.78 vs. 9-15 and 5.32. Sounds good to me.

Go Braves!

2007-09-22T18:50:00.001-05:00

I'm not used to rooting for Atlanta, but pending the outcome of the Phillies-Nationals game, the Braves' win over the Brewers today gives the Cubs... are you ready for this...

the biggest divisional lead in the National League.

The Bell Lap

2007-09-20T11:39:00.000-05:00

This is not a drill.

The Cubs are in first place with nine games left after a stunning series win against the Reds, not exactly blowing out the competition but still taking two of three in dramatic come-from-behind fashion.

This time the Cubs have a real leader at the helm, a guy who’s been there before and won it all. Going into this season, the Cubs had been managed by a World Series winner for exactly one game in my lifetime, an interim game managed by Joe Altobelli. Jim Frey didn’t win one, losing to his future Cub boss in 1980. Don Zimmer came up empty, as did Jim Riggleman and Dusty Baker.

Even though Lou Piniella’s 116-win Mariners team didn’t take the cake, his 1990 Reds stunned Tony LaRussa’s A’s, so I figure the Cubs would be in pretty good shape as far as leadership, going into the playoffs as an underdog.

And heroes, can we get even more heroes? While everyone’s talking about Carlos Zambrano, Ted Lilly notched his 20th quality start last night, keeping the Cubs close enough for late-inning heroics. Mark DeRosa hit Reds pitching like it was batting practice, boosting his 2007 numbers against Cincy to 24-for-45 (.533, and that's a batting average, folks, not a slugging percentage). Matt Murton delivered a clutch RBI (and yes, despite the umpire’s ruling the ball was caught, and Ryan Theriot tagged up just to be sure anyway). More solid bullpen work, this time from Bob Howry. Geovany Soto is giving us hopefully a taste of things to come for years down the road.

So while this isn’t a team that relies solely on marquee players to get the job done, even the guys who are there for their bats are coming up with sparkling defense. For a guy who used to be known as a defensive liability, Alfonso Soriano gunned down one of the league’s fastest runners at the plate by a good 20 feet. For a guy who used to be known as a defensive liability, Aramis Ramirez leaped and stabbed a line drive in mid-flight at third last night as if he’d been studying game films of Brooks Robinson from the 1970 World Series.

When on any given day you don’t know which guy is going to come up with that game-breaking hit or game-saving play, or which bullpen pitcher is going to slam the door, the opposition is on edge for all 27 outs on both sides of the ball.

Still, it’s not going to be that simple. The Cubs have an easy remaining schedule at first glance, but against teams that have given them trouble this year. The Brewers finish the season with two series at home, where they dominate, but head to Atlanta for four this weekend – which could break the race wide open – and close against the Padres, who are fighting for a playoff spot themselves.

Like Lou says, one series at a time. Keep winning series and the rest will take care of itself. They didn't get down when Aaron Harang shut them down Tuesday, and ugly or not, the Cubs managed to win two out of three in a series when they were outplayed. In a historical context, it didn't matter that the 1960 Pirates were outscored 55-27 in seven games against the Yankees, just like it didn't matter to the 1984 Padres (yeah, I said it...) that they lost Game 1 to the Cubs 13-0. Put those losses behind you and go out there trying to win more games than the other guys, and good things happen.

After 153 games, the Cubs are going into the bell lap in first place. They don’t have the record of the other division leaders, but first place is first place and as recent history shows, it’s not just a cliché that anything can happen in the playoffs.

I don’t want to hear talk about a goal of being division champs. Division champs are footnotes. It’s time for a World Championship. And looking at this team, how many of them will be back next year, how many young players are making an impact and are still on the upswing in their careers, this is only the beginning.

Go time

2007-09-17T23:05:00.001-05:00

My fantasy league is over, so I have more time to write. I have a post coming on tonight's huge win over the Reds, but in the meantime here's another vintage reminder of the Cubs' World Series champs. Makes a nice wallpaper.

...And it's one, one, one strike you're out at the ol' ballgame

2007-08-18T19:33:00.000-05:00

Carmen Pignatiello, fresh off of his Major League debut, threw a one-pitch strikeout today.

One pitch?

Yup. Thanks to the rain delay in the eighth inning, Pignatiello inherited a 1-2 count from Bobby Howry, threw a strike to Chris Duncan and was done for the day. Total line on Pignatiello, one pitch, one strike, one strikeout and 1/3 inning pitched.

The Ueck

2007-08-17T21:40:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago I learned I can just barely get Brewers radio from where I am. A bit static-y, occasionally fading in and out with a powerful Chicago station a few ticks away on the dial (yet WSM in Nashville is closer on the dial and comes in more clearly), but audible. I guess I could get their broadcasts all along, but this is the first year there was any point.

It's kind of neat to hear Bob Uecker call a game. I like Ueck. When he sings at Wrigley, he changes the words - "I'll root, root, root for the Brewers, you can root for the Cubs" - respectful of the hosts while not betraying his ballclub. Clever fella. And unlike a lot of funny guys with microphones, he calls it straight. While after several batters another voice chimed in, it's about 95% Uecker on the broadcast.

Tonight I caught the game with two Brewers on base in the eighth, one out, and the tying run at the plate. As Milwaukee typically chokes when I'm following the game - when I was on the press list, Sammy Sosa hit the Brewers like they were throwing batting practice - they made two quick outs. Three batters into the top 9th, Adam Dunn hit one into the third deck for a two-run homer to give the Reds a five-run lead and put the Cubs three outs away from sole possession of first place.

Of course, the real purpose of this post was the last fragment of the previous paragraph. With 6-7-8 due up against former Cub David Weathers in the 9th, a Johnny Estrada one-hopper to second, a fly ball to center by .224-hitting pinch hitter Craig Counsell and a J.J. Hardy line-out to Ken Griffey Jr. did the deed.

No ties this time, no by-percentage-points, the Cubs are all alone atop the Central. And not that we need a cherry on top, but if two scores hold up tonight, the White Sox will be tied with the Royals for last place.

Playoff bound?

2007-07-30T01:07:00.001-05:00

By the end of the day, the Cubs could be in first place.

Let that soak in for a second.

Once as far back in the standings as the '69 Mets, the '07 Cubs rank second in the league in the loss column, ahead of first-place Milwaukee.

Here's a reminder of what they're playing for, from the last time an '07 rolled around (Chicago Daily News archive photo):

Chicks dug the dead ball, too.

Izturis is a tourist

2007-07-19T11:48:00.000-05:00

One of the Cubs' unproductive roster spots was freed up today, as shortstop Cesar Izturis (see previous post) packs his bags and heads to the Pirates for the infamous Player to be Named Later.

More a situation of no room in a crowded infield than not giving the Cubs about what they expected, the move allows Ryan Theriot and Mike Fontenot more playing time in the middle infield. AA catcher Jake Fox got the call to fill Izturis' spot. The Southern League home run leader, Fox adds needed lineup muscle and can also chip in at either corner position in the infield or outfield.

For real?

2007-07-18T23:22:00.001-05:00

The Cubs won again Wednesday. With Carlos Zambrano on the mound, even with both Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez out of the lineup, they beat the Giants 12-1.

That's 27 wins in 40 games. That's nearly a quarter of a season at a .675 clip, the best in baseball since June 3.

While they probably won't play .675 ball the rest of the way (which would give them about 96 wins), .675 won't be necessary to get to the playoffs. Not with Milwaukee losing ground rapidly even before putting their ace on the shelf until possibly September. Even with a few missing puzzle pieces the Cubs have better than .500 talent, it's just a matter of which end of that spectrum is closer to the truth and by how much.

One of those pieces has been put in place, at least. In essentially a three-way deal of Michael Barrett and a prospect for Jason Kendall and a prospect with a brief loan of Rob Bowen, Jim Hendry re-solidified the catcher position with veteran talent. I like Kendall as a ballplayer, and he'd driven in more runs at Wrigley Field than any other road park over his career.

His numbers weren't great with Oakland this year, though they've improved somewhat and he hit for higher average in interleague play than against the American League. Maybe Kendall's just a National League kind of hitter; we'll have to wait and see until he's used to the new surroundings. But at least there's one catcher on the active roster who isn't a rookie, and he's still close to a .300 career hitter.

With less than two weeks remaining before the first trade deadline, the Cubs are still looking for buyers on at least Jacque Jones and Cesar Izturis, who should be playing everyday somewhere, and there's a lot of talent out there to be had. The team I'm looking at personally, and I hope Jim Hendry is, is Texas.

Eric Gagne sure would be nice to have in a stretch run, even with Ryan Dempster, a decent closer but not in Gagne's class, soon to be activated from the DL. Factor in Carlos Marmol and Kerry Wood (remember Kerry Wood?), who's also soon to be activated, that's some serious gas in the 7th, 8th and 9th innings.

Kenny Lofton may also be on the table, since he's a free agent after this season. Nobody's really laid claim to center field for the Cubs this year, and Lofton's developed a quirky habit of finding his way onto playoff-bound teams, five different ones in the last six years. He's still a .300 hitter and a stolen base threat (20 so far this year) even at age 40, and he was a huge part of the Cubs' division title in 2003. With Angel Pagan, Felix Pie and Jones splitting time in center, it would be nice to have a veteran hitter there to stabilize the position for the push.

Either of those potential acquisitions put more guys on the table. Between Alfonso Soriano, Felix Pie and this winter's free agent crop I don't see a starting job for Matt Murton next year and beyond, and if the Cubs pick up an everyday outfielder like Lofton, between Cliff Floyd, Mark DeRosa and Angel Pagan there won't be anywhere for him to play this year, so they might as well trade him. The Rangers could do worse than Murton, with Jerry Hairston Jr. and Frank Catalanotto both hitting under .230 in their outfield. If Gagne is added, and Kerry Wood stays off the DL for more than a week, there will be expendable veteran bullpen arms.

Whichever suitors Texas picks, I think the Cubs do have the depth of talent to step up a couple more roster spots before the deadline and make a good team better. Just a game over .500 the rest of the way, with a favorable schedule, would put the Cubs at 84 wins. It won't take many more than that to win the Central.

Crunching some numbers

2007-07-06T02:06:00.000-05:00

I was looking at Felix Pie's game log today...

April 17 - debuts with 5-7 Cubs
May 9 - last game before demotion by 16-15 Cubs
Record: 11-8

May 10-June 2 - Chicago goes 6-16

June 3 - returns to 22-31 Cubs
July 5 - Cubs are 43-41
Record: 21-10

With Pie - 32-18, .640
Without Pie - 11-23, .324

Oddly enough, the Cubs are playing even better when he's on the bench, 6-1 in May before Pie was sent back to Iowa, and 9-2 since he lost the starting role the second time.

With a record like that, I'll forgive a .217 average.

Defining Lou Piniella's Cubs

2007-07-04T23:39:00.000-05:00

The Lou Piniella Cub era is starting to take shape.

Moves still need to be made, and a couple of kids need to put all the pieces together consistently, but the core of the Cubs' offense for the next several years could be shaping up. And they're winning.

Without a permanent solution in right field, without a bona fide starting catcher, with up to five rookie- to rookie-plus starters on any given day including the pitcher, and before Piniella's first trade deadline as manager, they're winning. Above .500 at the halfway point and closing ground on a Brewers team that blew an opportunity to put away the division early.

It's been a good month.

The kids are getting the job done. Despite fewer than 100 career at-bats, Mike Fontenot was a sparkplug in the two-slot, where he needs to return, slugging over .600. He re-forms a double-play combination that's won before, joining his partner Ryan Theriot from Louisiana State's 2000 College World Series champs, with a coach in Alan Trammell who played next to the same guy for 19 years.

Felix Pie, even at .220, is a force to be reckoned with. Though he's been riding the bench lately, he's had enough playing time to jump to third on the team in stolen bases and a tie for second in triples, and I drool at the prospect of double-digit outfield assists and Gold Glove potential at two positions for years to come.

Carlos Marmol has also stepped up his game. Upper 90s on the speed gun, wicked movement on his slider, and in the games I've seen, he keeps the ball down. Regardless of whether he was imagined as a starter, he's doing a great job in the setup role and shows definite closer potential.

And Sean Marshall has pitched well. And when Rich Hill is on, he's on.

That's six guys making an impact at bargain-basement prices on a team that made headlines for its spending spree in the off-season.

Throw them all together, along with Aramis Ramirez, Derrek Lee and Alfonso Soriano, and you could be looking at six starters, possibly seven including the pitcher, on Opening Day 2010.

Even if 2007 doesn't turn out to be the year, this will be the core of a team Cub fans will talk about for a long time to come.

Pie better after first cup of coffee

2007-06-09T00:07:00.001-05:00

I know, Alfonso Soriano hit three homers tonight and the Cubs are hot, but I couldn't pass up the headline when I thought of it.

Closer mentality

2007-05-18T12:57:00.000-05:00

Big Cubs loss yesterday. I was on the phone with a friend discussing the game while the collapse was underway.

My comment before Ryan Dempster was removed was that you don’t bring in your closer when it’s not a save situation, and that bit of wisdom could have given the Cubs a win. Instead of bringing Scott Eyre to eat an inning with a four-run lead and then going to Dempster if he got in trouble, Unky Lou did it the other way around.

When you establish a closer mentality, you just don’t have the same fire when it’s not a tight game. You need that adrenaline rush of having the game on the line when you step on the mound, and if you don’t have it right then and there it’s hard to reacquire it mid-inning.

Oh well, it’s just one out of 162. Bring on the White Sox.

I heard on the radio that some Sox fans were outside the park with a “1908” sign. Maybe not the right thing to insult your opposition. In case they need reminding, that was the year the Cubs did two things the White Sox have never done in their history – defend their league title (for the second year in a row, mind you) and repeat as world champs.

Streaking

2007-05-11T21:59:00.000-05:00

Just a few brief comments on Cub streaks...

The Cubs have now dropped three of four after winning seven out of eight.

Derrek Lee failed to reach by either a hit or a walk in tonight's loss at Philadelphia for the first time this season.

But while Alfonso Soriano hasn't shown much run production yet this season, tonight he extended his own hitting streak to a career-best 19 games - best in the majors this year - and hasn't gone hitless in over a month. He has at least one base hit in 26 of his 27 games as a Cub.

Pay attention: Attention doesn't always pay

2007-05-11T18:38:00.000-05:00

Okay, one more bit on the fantasy league.

One thing I find myself paying attention to on a daily basis is my bench. I stockpiled an excess of starting pitchers so I can accumulate more stats in week-to-week competition. But yesterday I forgot to activate one of them.

...and he got racked for 11 hits and seven earned runs in five innings.

Dead ball?

2007-05-10T11:52:00.000-05:00

Remember not too long ago when Rich Hill (1.73) was leading MLB starters in earned run average? Now he doesn't even lead the Cubs, though his numbers remain stellar.

Now at 1.70, Jason Marquis' three-hit shutout last night gives the Cubs two starting pitchers with ERAs below 1.80 (and three below 2.80 with Ted Lilly).

A gander through the bullpen stats shows some stellar numbers as well - Neal Cotts 0.77, Michael Wuertz 1.84, Angel Guzman 2.19, Ryan Dempster 2.50, Bobby Howry 2.60 - and Will Ohman (3.86) would be right there with them except for one ineffective mid-April outing. Despite a poor record in extra innings, you can't reach the 14th inning stretch on multiple occasions without several innings of superior clutch relief work when a single hanging breaking ball can give you the L.

Despite the league's second-best batting average to back it up, who would have figured the Cubs' problem would be scoring runs in tight games?

Slow start? Really?

2007-05-06T15:06:00.000-05:00

While everyone's looking at his home run and stolen base totals, Alfonso Soriano has hit safely in 22 of his 23 games as a Cub. Today he extended his hitting streak to 15 games. And he has fewer hitless games than Derrek Lee.

Didn't knock on wood

2007-05-04T16:41:00.000-05:00

Derrek Lee's doubles streak ended within hours of my comment about it.

Instead, he went 2-for-3 with a home run and raised his average to .422.

I'll take it...

Double your pleasure

2007-05-04T11:22:00.000-05:00

Derrek Lee has at least one double in eight consecutive games. I haven't been able to find records on doubles-hitting streaks, but I'd be willing to wager it doesn't happen often.

Lee has only one home run, but 17 doubles in 26 games, reaching safely in all of them with a batting average of .415, is a pretty good tradeoff. He leads MLB in batting average by 30 points going into the weekend series against the hapless Washington Nationals, who hopefully won't find their hap in the next three days.

Clearing my conscience

2007-04-27T05:45:00.000-05:00

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

2007-04-25T16:11:00.000-05:00

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

2007-04-24T18:44:00.000-05:00

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

2007-04-23T19:52:00.000-05:00

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!

2007-04-22T12:05:00.001-05:00

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

2007-04-22T08:32:00.000-05:00

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

2007-04-20T20:13:00.000-05:00

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

2007-04-18T22:10:00.000-05:00

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

2007-04-15T17:48:00.000-05:00

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

2007-04-14T13:50:00.000-05:00

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...

2007-04-09T14:55:00.000-05:00

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.

Don't Mess With DeJesus

2006-11-06T21:21:00.000-06:00

As excited as I was about the prospect of a Cubs coaching staff devoid of ex-Cubs, Uncle Lou went out and hired Ivan DeJesus as a "special assistant". Whatever that means.

I remember DeJesus as the slick-fielding shortstop. His were the moves I tried to imitate as a kid before his departure, the "dance of the middle infielder" I like to call it. Just by watching him on TV I learned how to go to the hole and make a decent throw off the wrong foot. Ironically, my first Cub game was one of the five he missed in 1980. But I digress...

DeJesus came over with Bill Buckner and got us Larry Bowa AND Ryne Sandberg when he left, so there will always be a couple of fond memories there. Without that trade, the Cubs might have gone another 14 years before reaching the postseason. But he's still one of the players associated with some bad Cub ballclubs at the end of the Wrigley era.

Maybe DeJesus will be different. He's yet another new Cub coach with managerial experience, contrary to Clines, Matthews, etc., and he had some success managing on the minor league level with the Astros organization, so maybe he'll be good for the Ronny Cedenos and Ryan Theriots of the Cub system. But it sure would be nice to go in with a clean slate.

Help Put Ronnie in the Hall

2006-11-02T17:05:00.000-06:00

If Ron Santo can't get in the Hall through the BBWAA vote or the Veteran's Committee, let's you and me put him there as a broadcaster.

Voting is now open for the Ford C. Frick Award, which you can do through cubs.com. Pat Hughes and Steve Stone are also eligible, and conveniently you can vote for up to three every day.

New Blood

2006-10-31T22:02:00.000-06:00

Let’s face it. Joe Girardi was the overwhelming fan favorite in this year’s manager search because Joe’s one of us. One of us. One of us. One of us.

The line that some of you may remember from the Ramones’ classic “Pinhead” came from Tod Browning’s 1932 film Freaks.

But while Cubbie Nation was chanting “one of us”, how many of us stopped to think that the long list of Freaks who were “one of us” never got “us” anywhere? The drought that Sarge, Gene Clines, and Chris Speier were trying to end as coaches, and Fergie and Billy and Zim and Billy Connors and Lee Elia and many others, is the same drought that every one of them tried and failed to end as Cub players. Building a New Tradition it's not.

So in comes Lou Piniella, responsible for seven of the nine .500+ seasons in the Mariners' 30-year history and Cincinnati's only pennant and title in that same span. Ten division titles as a player or manager and three World Series rings. Could have been more if Randy Johnson could win in a Division Series.

His first choice was Alan Trammell, who ranks 6th in Gold Gloves and 3rd in Silver Sluggers among shortstops. Played in a World Series and won it. Inherited almost as big a mess as Girardi's in Miami and turned it into something that was a couple of free-agent starting pitchers away from a pennant.

He brought up Mike Quade, who spent three years as a base coach in Oakland that all resulted in postseason play. He knows the farm system and its recent graduates, as does new bullpen coach Lester Strode, the Cubs' longtime minor league pitching instructor.

Matt Sinatro is the new first-base coach, one of Piniella's guys from Seattle. I've been hoping Vince Coleman would have gotten that job, but if you can't put a base-stealer there, go for a guy who used to try to throw out base-stealers.

The lone holdover is Larry Rothschild. It's tough to say if it's going to be a good call since Dusty Baker never knew how to handle a pitching staff. Lou and Larry did win a ring with the Reds (Rothschild won another with the Marlins in 1997), and Larry got his part of the job done for the Cubs in 2003 and 2004. But while Rothschild managed to put the Cubs atop the history books in strikeouts, it took a lot of pitches on a lot of young arms to get there, and Carlos Zambrano is the last man standing. With all the young pitching on the bubble Rothschild and Strode might be the sanest move, but the acquisition or reacquisition of a couple of reliable starting pitchers will make all the difference. We'll just have to wait and see.

But for the first time in a long time, the Cubs' coaching staff isn't loaded down with guys who have proven they don't know how to win at Wrigley Field.

MacBail and Phaker: So Far, So Good

2006-10-02T22:37:00.000-05:00

Heads are rolling in Wrigleyville. All it took was a $95 million payroll and a last-place finish.

With Andy MacPhail stepping down and Dusty Baker not being renewed, the Cubs made more progress in 24 hours than they did in the past two years. Now the marketing guy, John McDonough, takes the title of Interim President. I like the word “Interim” there. It leaves a door open.

We know McDonough is capable as an executive. Needless to say, if there’s one thing the Cubs have been doing right it’s marketing. Three-point-one million tickets sold for the third-worst team in baseball. Does it make him a good club president? Maybe we’ll see, maybe we won’t.

And while I’m not familiar with the working relationship of VP/GM Jim Hendry and MacPhail, Hendry for the interim is no longer a baseball man answering to a baseball man. He won’t have to answer to a Guy Who (once, a long time ago) Won Two World Series.

Hendry’s own job appears safe for now. He’s had a good tenure overall, but failing to cut Baker loose while the ship was sinking in May was a big mistake. The clubhouse needed a new attitude and stronger leadership when the NL was still up for grabs. But that’s mercifully behind us.

So the managerial hunt begins tomorrow, according to the Cubs. Tomorrow... another interesting word choice there. Any coincidence that Joe Girardi is supposedly becoming available tomorrow?

And one would assume that a new managerial regime would also involve replacing members of the coaching staff. Larry Rothschild has to be at least partially to blame for Wood and Prior time-sharing the Disabled List. All Gene Clines accomplished was cutting down the strikeouts, which was as much Hendry's doing. I’ve been saying Vince Coleman belongs in the box at first since long before I started blogging here, at least it would provide a familiar face to all the young Cubs who won’t be forced back to AAA by, ideally, a spending spree worthy of George Steinbrenner this off-season.

McDonough set the bar pretty high by announcing he wanted to win the World Series. It’s time the Cubs walk off with two or three of the pre-eminent free agents. It’s time the Cubs quit shopping in the bargain bins hoping next year’s version of Wade Miller will get into a game before September, or that Jacque Jones is the key to a title, or that the only thing separating the Cubs and a ring is setup relief.

It’s put up or shut up time.

Magic Number

2006-09-12T14:25:00.000-05:00

The Cubs' magic number is 238.

That's what you get you take the number of batters walked by Cub pitchers and subtract the number of walks drawn by Cub batters.

Bad and Worse

2006-09-03T21:47:00.000-05:00

In losing eight of their last ten games, including today's, the Cubs have kept pace with the Reds and D-Backs, and actually gained ground on the fourth-place Brewers. But at this point, even with a finish like the 1935 squad they'd still wind up below .500. Through Sunday they're still three wins shy of half the total of the last '06 Cubs. The 2006 Cubs' 81 losses matches the total losses in 1906 and 1907 combined (223-81).

I can't even bring myself to write about Michael Barrett's injury. Hurts just reading about it.

The Cubs have now set a team record with 19 DL appearances. Wade Miller was finally activated, those "couple of days behind Prior" totaling over 70, and hasn't yet appeared in a game. Prior is on the DL for the third time this year...

And just a comment on the fans, this thing about throwing back opponents' home run balls is getting old. Some little kid wound up with Barry Bonds' 729th homer today and, after much goading from surrounding bleacherites, threw it back on the field. That peer pressure could have cost the kid a year's college tuition or a shiny red convertible on his 16th birthday. A year from now with Bonds closing in on Bad Henry, it might have even brought more. Nice work, you idiots.

Mayday!

2006-08-30T16:06:00.000-05:00

The Cubs have resumed playing like they did in May, finding spectacular ways to lose.

In the last 24 hours, Ryan Dempster has two losses from allowing five 11th-inning runs. In the insult-to-injury department, Dusty Baker let Dempster bat for himself in the top half of the 11th today with two out and two on (he struck out) before giving up three in the bottom half for the L.

Swept by the Pirates... ugh... if there's any consolation, perhaps the worst record in the National League will be sufficient to bring some changes to town for 2007. They still hold a 1-1/2 game advantage over Pittsburgh after the sweep, six ahead of the Royals.

Welcome to the Cubs

2006-08-23T09:16:00.000-05:00

After two starts, Ryan O'Malley has received his official initiation to the Cubs.

His first trip to the D.L.

Notes and Such

2006-08-16T13:38:00.000-05:00

Any radio listeners out there stick it out through the end of the game last night? I found it amusing that the post-game show after 18 innings was brought to you by Marathon.

I'm surprised this isn't making news anywhere else, but the Cubs-Astros singleheader wasn't even the only 18-inning game in the National League last night. So why was I Gamecasting Arizona and Colorado through 18 innings, after five-plus hours of watching Cub relievers squeak through extra-inning after extra-inning that all seemed to involve Astro hitters getting on base and being stranded there?

'Cause it ain't over yet, folks.

The Cubs are the only NL team that's not leading a division to have won more than half of its last 10 games. They've gained between one and three games on everyone in the NL Wild Card race. Seeing as how 10 teams are within six games of the lead in the NL, they simply can't all win. And if the teams at the top can cool off, the Cubs could slide into that pack in a manner of days. If the Cubs continue this year's domination of the Cardinals, that might come sooner than later.

Here's something to consider: The Cubs now have the NL Central's best inter-divisional record. Yes, they've been pounded by the East, the West and the AL, but they're also seven over .500 against the division they face in most of their remaining games. And there's still a mathematical possibility that a sub-.500 team can walk off with a playoff spot.

Meanwhile the newest of the new kids, Ryan O"Malley, is making his MLB debut this afternoon, scoreless through three innings. He got the call when the Cubs placed Scott Eyre on the 15-day DL. Eyre tweaked a hammie while chasing after a dribbler to the right side. I wish someone had told him at the beginning of the season, "Scottie, any ball hit to the first-base side, don't leave the mound." A strategic nightmare, to be sure, but it would have saved the Cubs a lot of trouble this year.

Drinking the Kool-Aid

2006-08-08T09:11:00.000-05:00

The Dodgers caught the Reds last night in the NL Wild Card race.

Let’s all take a look at the Dodgers for a moment. On July 26^th, they were six and a half games back. Ten wins later they’re tied for the top at a mere two over .500, 57-55.

Regardless of how badly a team performs, and LA lost 13 of 14 coming out of the All-Star break, pretty much every team goes into a winning streak of some length, where enough key guys play some of their best ball of the season at the same time, where the bats explode if the starter struggles and you get enough runs to get by when he doesn’t.

While the Dodgers were making headway, the Cubs gained 4 games themselves at the back end of the race. They closed a 5-1/2 game deficit to two on the next spot up, held then as now by the Nationals, and crept up into single-digits on the top spot. Even on their off-day Monday they picked up ground on four teams, and stand four and a half games from a cluster where whomever has the best September will probably take the Wild Card.

Now look not at my mini-protest, but at the measly five games it stands for. There’s talent here, enough buried under the second base controversy and Wood and Prior and Maddux and Lee and slow starts by off-season acquisitions getting used to Wrigley Field for this ballclub to roll off seven or eight wins in a row at some point over 162 games, whether it starts at game 40 or game 110. Even with the rookies staggering through 2006 like newborn colts, enough of them can stay on their feet for the offensive veterans and as strong a front two pitchers as may exist in the NL to get hot behind them and run off a string.

Forget about playing .667 ball the rest of the way to get to .500, and digest this in small bites. Run off seven or eight in a row and that number starts to shrink. Run off seven or eight in a row, and just from all those teams facing each other, you will make major headway on three or four or five teams in that race.

The Cubs still face seven of the nine teams above them, and only the two at the top are even .500 ballclubs. We’re not exactly talking about Detroit or New York or Boston here. Or even the White Sox, Twins or Blue Jays.

Things may have seemed bleak for the last three months, but the Cubs are one hot streak away from getting right back in the thick of things, and this would be a good time to be in one after taking the last two games against a Pirates team the Cubs face seven more times. Who do the Cubs open with tonight? The Brewers. The Brewers minus Carlos Lee (with replacement Kevin Mench mired in a 1-for-17 slump after changing leagues), minus ¾ of their starting infield and possibly minus Ben Sheets.

Mark Prior’s return to form is like making a major mid-season acquisition without giving anything up. Derrek Lee will do the same in a few weeks. Somewhere out there is Wade Miller, making rehab starts. Rich Hill seems to have regained the form that dominated the PCL this season. And Carlos Zambrano may be the best starting pitcher in the league.

Don’t put away the bicarb and Pepto just yet. This might get interesting.

Tortoises and Hares

2006-08-07T10:34:00.000-05:00

Dave van Dyck suggests the White Sox should be more concerned about the AL Wild Card than the Central Division title. D'ya think?

The Sox are only a game closer to the first place Tigers (-9) than the Cubs are to the NL Wild Card-leading Reds (-10). And Ozzie Guillen's still thinking about first place. Good luck with that. Perhaps he should be more concerned that the Twins are right on his tail.

Speaking of the NL Wild Card race, the Dodgers, after losing 13-of-14 coming out of the All-Star break, have won nine straight going back to before the Maddux-for-Izturis trade. They're, surprise, the only team to have gained ground on the Cubs in the last ten games.

The West-leading Padres, meanwhile, have split six games since acquiring Todd Walker (5-of-14, .357, but with only one run scored and no RBIs since the trade). I still contend that the NL West will see several more lead changes before the regular season draws to a close, but if LA can put on a run, that's one less team to worry about in the Wild Card race.

It ain't over, folks, not yet.

Start Me Up

2006-08-05T18:23:00.000-05:00

It was nice to see Mark Prior finally get his first win of the season today. It wasn't the dominating Prior who earned no decision despite throwing hitless ball in his second-to-last start going into today's game, but a win is a win is a win.

Matt Murton collected two more hits, including a homer, nudging him closer to a .300 average which seemed out of reach at the end of June. He's batting .533 in August after hitting .360 in July, and has only one hitless game with 3 or more at-bats since the middle of June.

Let's just hope Murton isn't named Player of the Month. Cub hurlers have treated the pitching equivalent of that honor like a curse this year, as Greg Maddux went into a death spiral in May and Carlos Zambrano got hammered in his first August start. Still, one would have trouble finding another fifth-place team in the history books with two Pitchers of the Month through July.

With the Cub win, they remain 11 games behind Cincinnati in the Wild Card race. Stay tuned...

The Audience is Listening?

2006-08-04T15:01:00.000-05:00

In my last post, I mentioned that Michael Barrett could potentially give the Cubs back-to-back batting titles. Today, Carrie Muskat, the fine reporter for cubs.com, mentioned the same tidbit on the official website.

So if you're reading, hi, Carrie! If you ever need a research assistant to lighten the load for Ed Hartig...

Cubs Winsome, Lose Some

2006-08-03T18:46:00.000-05:00

The Cubs split two against Arizona today, splitting the four-game set to close the season series as Cub rookies started both ends of a doubleheader for the first time since 1978.

The kids were alright, more or less. Juan Mateo won his major league debut in the nightcap. Matt Murton drove in five runs on a MLB-record-tying four doubles to raise his average to .297. Carlos Marmol struggled through the first two innings of game 1, throwing 66 pitches, but only needed 13 to get through the next two. He drops to 4-5, not bad considering the Cubs' overall record. Ryan Theriot collected three hits, including an RBI double in the first game, and Angel Pagan added some excitement by scoring on a squeeze bunt by Henry Blanco, one of three runs he scored in game 2.

There were highlights from the veterans as well, with Michael Barrett going 3-for-4 with a walk in the opener and raising his batting average to .338, still short of the at-bats needed to qualify for second place in the NL, where a strong last two months could give the Cubs back-to-back batting champs for the first time since Bill Madlock did it twice 30 years ago. Phil Nevin went 2-for-2 with a pair of walks in the nightcap and scored twice. Juan Pierre picked up four hits in 10 at-bats on the day. Scott Eyre threw a scoreless inning and a third in game 2 to drop his ERA to a sparkling 2.01.

But there are still some puzzlers in Cubbieland. For example, what better way to help Ronny Cedeno make the announced shift to second base than by starting him at shortstop in game 2, where he made an error today? Even with the team parting ways with Jerry Hairston Jr. and Tony Womack, the Cubs still have a glut of second-basemen as Theriot and Neifi Perez got the starts today.

The return of Mark Grace to Wrigley Field as a Diamondbacks broadcaster makes me hope he returns to the organization someday. Gracie sang "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" in the second game, breaking the visiting-team taboo by saying root, root, root for the Cubbies. He always has been, and always will be, one of us.

In the post-sing interview on the TV side, Grace had good things to say about Murton's approach at the plate. Makes sense, as Murton's more of a Grace-style hitter than a basher. With Gene Clines still holding the spot as hitting coach, it's time the Cubs started picking their coaches from the next generation of ex-Cubs, and Mark Grace knows a thing or two about hitting at Wrigley Field, where the Cubs have been abysmal in day games. I'd still like to see Vince Coleman coaching at first base, but my future coaching dream team includes Grace as hitting coach, Greg Maddux as pitching coach and Joe Girardi at the helm.

Meanwhile the guessing game continues. Wild Card leader Cincinnati has lost four straight to drop to three over .500, and only those D-Backs join Cincinnati on the happy side of .500 in the Wild Card race. With the split today, the Cubs climb to 10 1/2 games away from a playoff spot with only 13 games remaining against above-.500 teams in the final third of the season including six versus a Cardinals team that the Cubs have inexplicably dominated this year, versus 13 remaining against current last-place teams Pittsburgh (10) and San Fran (3). With the National League being a world of suck this year, including a Western Division that's hovering around the .500 mark like a swarm of bees, this is like putting a loved one on life-support and having them make brief rallies that you know only stave off the inevitable.

The ultimate truth, however, is that one of those mediocre-to-sucky teams is going to the playoffs, and all bets are off as to guaranteeing what happens from there. We're still not even at the point in the season when the fissure opened for the '69 Cubs, and anyone who makes, say, a 15-of-20 run against those other mediocre-to-sucky teams can make a major statement in the Wild Card race.