100 Years

Sooo, the Cubs are less than 48 hours away from Opening Day and I am a nervous wreck.  There are a hundred reasons why.  Of course, it doesn’t help that it is the 100 year anniversery of the last time the Cubs won the World Series.  Lou has tried to make it a point that the players are only responsible for the time they’ve been with the Cubs.  But this is not a story that will die quickly.  Everyone is running with this story and as long as the Cubs are in it, the 100 year anniversery will always be brought up. The black cat, billy goat, Bartman, all will be brought up ad nauseum.  In fact, ESPN has been kind enought to give up a year by year summary about what went wrong each season for the past 100 years!! It’s actually pretty entertaining!

The Weather

 I have also been a nervous wreck staring at weather reports every 5 minutes.  Whether it is Tom Skilling, Weather.com, accuforcast, intellaforcast, every cast you can think of to figure out what the weather will be on Monday.  I have not missed an opening day since I came back from college, yet it looks like it will be raining every hour of the day on Monday, with possible thunderstorms.  Those of you that live in Chicago know that the weather here can change in an instant, but will they call off Opening Day?  The Cubs are planning on honoring Ernie Banks with a statue in front of Clark and Addison, but will it get rained out too ?  The ceremony is supposed to start at 10 AM.  I am hoping the Cubs quickly make a call on this one, especially since it is supposed to be clear on Tuesday.

The Blog

Adding to my worries is the complete remodeling of the MLBlogs websites.  I didn’t find out about this until Friday night, and now that we are back up, all my pictures, half my videos, my chat board, baseball scores, and poll question are now gone!!  Thanks MLB, like I really needed the extra headache before opening day.  Couldn’t have done this in January, when everyone is watching football.  ERRRRRR!!!  I will work on the site all day tomorrow so that everything is up and running for Opening Day

The Competition

I know you aren’t supposed to make a big deal about spring training stats, but I am sorry if I am a little worried.  It didn’t help that Lilly and Marquis got lit up by the Mariners Friday night.  As I look at our division, Milwaukee looks awfully tough. And now that Cincinnati has some pitching, could they surprise everyone?  How bad would it be if Dusty Baker’s team wins the division? I don’t know if I could live that down.  Cincy has a couple of young starters who have been tearing spring training up.  Chris Capuano getting injured for the Brewers is like the Scott Eyre injury for us-their team will be stronger because of it. 

Looking in the Mirror

Watching the Mariners hit three mammoth home runs off Lilly was a scary sight.  He was known for giving up the long ball, but did great in his first season in the NL.  Can he keep it up, or will there be a little drop off?  Will Rich HIll finally find the strike zone now that he is out of Arizona?  Will Marquis fade in the second half again?  Are Fukudome, Lee, and Soto’s bad spring batting averages making anyone nervous?  Do we have a leadoff hitter that can get on base?  Will Kerry Wood stay healthy?  Will Howry get off to another slow start?  Can Marmol repeat his 07 magic?  Will Pie prove that he belongs is the majors? How many lineup changes will Lou make?   

I know it is just another season, but this one seems different.  For whatever reason, I am feeling a little nervous.  Maybe I am remembering all of the hopes I had after the Cubs made it to the playoffs the year before, and then saw my heart get broken.  After 1984, we were going to win it all in 1985.  We were in first place on June 12th, only to see our whole starting rotation get injured and our offense disappear.  The Cubs finished 23 1/2 games out. After the amazing 1989 season, we had a good young core, but 1990 was a disaster. The Cubs finished 18 games out of first place.  After we made into the playoffs in 1998, we were going to go all the way in 1999, but Kerry Wood gets injured, the team stinks, and we finish 30 games out of first place.  And then there was 2004.  After being 5 outs away from the World Series, the Cubs look even stronger in 2004.  The Cubs were competitive that year, wild card leaders on September 25th, but the Cubbies loses seven of their final nine games and miss the wild card by three wins. 

And here we are again.  The Cubs are the 2007 Central Division Champs.  Picked by many to win the division again, picked by some to make it to the World Series.  The Cubs start the season with three games against Milwaukee, and finish with three games against Milwaukee.  What happens between those two series is anyone’s guess. I’ll trust our man Lou to take us to the promise land. 

I will be going to as many games as possible, and as usual, I will chronicle the entire Cubs season.  I will be at Opeing Day and will report on the Ernie Banks ceremony and the atmosphere around the ballpark.  Please feel free to chat during any game, and always check back for any Cubs related news. 

 As Lou said when he was leaving Vegas

“This is going to be no picnic for us, I can tell you that. We like our team and we feel good about our team but, believe me, we’re going to have to go out and play. It’s important we get off to a good start.

“We have no excuses. Let’s tee it up Monday and go get ‘em.”

Maybe the baseballl gods be kind to the Cubs and let’s give ‘em everything we got.

Go Cubs!
 

Vegas baby! The Cubs are headed to Vegas.  It was a wild one today at HoHoKam park, with the Cubs and Brewers ending up in a 10-10 tie after 10 innings.  Ted Lilly had his start moved to tomorrow since he will be facing the Brewers in six days here in Chicago.  Corey Bailey pitched for the Cubs today (who? exactly), followed by Rocky Roquet, Sean Marshall, Tim Lahey, Matt Avery, Les Walrond, and Edward Campusano.  The person who had the most to win or lose was Marshall. With the 25 man roster nearly set, the only decision Lou has to make is whether to go with Marshall or Carmen Pignatiello to substitute for the injured Scott Eyre.  Marshall didn’t help his cause any, giving up one run on one hit and three walks in one inning of work.  You want to make Lou mad?  Be a reliever who walks people. 

”The way Pignatiello is pitching, it’s starting to make you review your choice a little bit,” Piniella said. ”Not that we don’t like Marshall. We do like Marshall, but boy, this young man has really, really pitched well this spring. And he’s done that role before.”

Now you’re speaking our language Lou.  Micah Hoffpauir hit two home runs, Soriano hit a three run blast, and Ronnie Cedeno also homered for the Cubs.    There were errors, 4 wild pitches, 2 players who were hit by pitches, and plenty of missed opportunities.  Both teams had plenty of chances to win this game, but they left it a tie.  Considering  the fact that the Cubs didn’t win the division until the last series of the year, would you expect it to be any other way?

Sports Illustrated Jinx

Anyone nervous that Sports Illustrated has picked the Cubs to make it to the World Series?  Baseball analyst Tom Verducci has the Cubs and Tigers meeting in the 2008 Fall Classic, with the Tigers winning the series. When told about SI’s prediction, Lou replied

"Let’s hope they’re right about getting to the World Series part — not the conclusion,"

If Si is right, it would be a rematch of the 1945 World Series, the last the Cubs appeared in.  The last time Sports Illustrated felt the Cubs were going to win it all was in 2004, with the infamous cover that said "**** Freezes Over", with Kerry Wood on the cover.  We all remember how 2004 ended!!

Fan Favorite

There are many reasons why Cubs fans love Kerry Wood.  One of the reasons I’ve always liked the guy is the way he respects the history of the Cubs and Wrigley Field.  The Trib was asking its readers to pick a song that would be appropriate to play as Wood came out to close games.  When asked about his preference, Wood said;

"Fans are so loud at Wrigley Field in the ninth inning I don’t think you’d be able to hear any noise on that sound system anyway. I’ve never really thought about what song I’d use."

Thank God someone in the orginization respects Wrigley traditions.  Whenever I watch the Cubs play in other stadiums, it reminds me how much I love the friendly confines.  You especially notice this during the playoffs.  When the Cubs were playing in Arizona, the noise was nonstop, lights were flashing, and it seemed more like a prosfessional wrestling match than a baseball game.  Call me old fashioned, but I can do without the mutlmedia experience at a ballgame.  Real Cubs fans know when to cheer, when the game is getting excited, and they don’t need to be prompted by flashing signs and loud music.

WGN and the Cubs Celebrate 60

The Cubs and WGN celebrate sixty years together this season.  On April 16, 1948, WGN aired its first Cubs game, which the Cubs lost.  To celebrate this anniversery, WGN will air a two-hour special called "Cubs Forever: Celebrating 60 Years of WGN TV and the Cubs" at 6 p.m. April 20.  Despite this successfull partnership, WGN will only be broadcasting only 71 games this season.  WGN TV, which is affiliated with the CW network.  The CW doesn’t want to carry night games because they interfere with their nightly programming, and the Cubs would rather have more games on Comcast Sports Net, which the Cubs partly own.  Unfortunately, the Cubs and WGN don’t realize the long term affect this has on the Cubs fan base.  When I was growing up in the early 80′s, I would run home to watch Harry broadcast the Cubs games.  And it wasn’t just me either.  In the 80′s, there were two teams that people could watch anywhere- The Cubs (on WGN), and the Braves (on TBN).  Since they were on cable, people could watch them anywhere in the US.  That caused the Cubs fan base to expand across the US.  Anywhere the Cubs go, you hear fans cheering for them.  People come from all over to see a game at Wrigley Field.  Now, you need to search through hundreds of channels to find the Cubs games.  My brother, also a huge Cubs fans, misses more than half the games because he now lives in Colorado.  If the Cubs aren’t on WGN, he can’t watch the games.  IUnless he decides to purchase the MLB TV package for over 100 dollars.  Squeezing every cent out of you

Friday Night’s Game

If you are not going to your local watering hole or having a wild night out, don’t forget that Friday nights game against the Mariners will start at 9:15 p.m. CT.  I will be chatting live, so if you have a flat screen, an old style, and a laptop, hop into the discussion.

Go Cubs!

It seemed like only yesterday, that I was grilling Jim Hendry at the Cubs Convention about the Brian Roberts trade rumors.  Now, on all sides, the deal is officially dead.  Andy MacPhail, president of baseball operations in Baltimore said,

"We worked at it this long and we don’t have deal.  There’s other sides characterizing it as an impasse. You make the judgment."

MacPhail is another of a long line of front office people who have to deal with moranic owner Peter Angelos.  Many GM’s have quit due to Angelos’ meddling in baseball operations.  Roberts is said to be a favorite of Angelos, and the Cubs bent over backwards to get him, but GM Jim Hendry is not stupid, nor is he a ******.  Roberts would be a great fit for this team, but he isn’t A-Rod. The Cubs offered Matt Murton, Ronnie Cedeno, Eric Patterson, Sean Marshall, Sean Gallagher, etc.  The Orioles could have gotten four good young players for Roberts, who has expressed that he doesn’t want to be part of the Orioles rebuilding plan.  Do you know who is going to pitch second for the Orioles?  Steve Trachsel!! That team needs help, big time. 

Bye Bye Thunder Matt

Sad to say, but the Cubs made some more cuts today, and as expected, Thunder Matt Murton and his neon red hair was pretty much told that he was not making the team.  Murton, a career .296 hitter, but who couldn’t play a lick of defense.  With the Reed Johnson signing, Murton was the odd man out.  Lou sadly bid him farewell

"I hope we can find a Major League job for him, because he’s a good player, and he deserves that," Piniella said. "I’m sure that, if he’s not going to be here, that Jim will try to accomodate him as much as possible."

Also cut was Alex Citron, which surprised me.  The Cubs picked him up after the White Sox let him go, and he had a decent camp, but with Ronnie Cedeno out of options, Cintron was let go.  Cintron’s arm hasn’t been the same since he had surgery on it, and he seems to have health problems.  Ronnie Cedeno and Mike Fontenot are both headed to Chicago.

Rule 5 pick Tim Lahey is also expected to be put on waivers, meaning he will probably be picked up by some other team. 

"You know, coming in, you may be in this situation," said Lahey, who has appeared in 10 games this spring. "I know the rules. I can look around and do the math. They have a great staff put together and I know where I’m at. It really is a kind of wait and see thing."

That means that the Cubs bench looks like this; Reed Johnson, Daryle Ward, Henry Blanco, Ronny Cedeno, and Mike Fontenot. 

Not bad

There is still the question of the left handed pitcher to take Eyre’s spot.  The two candidates to fill that role are Sean Marshall and Carmen Pignatiello.  Marshall has proved he can handle big league hitters, doing a good job starting for the last two years.  He is especially strong against lefties.  Left-handers hit just .203 against Marshall last year, while righties hit .280.  The other candidate is Carmen Pignatiello.  Carmen has looked great all spring, and should have a 0.00 ERA, but Johnson lost the ball in the sun and wasn’t charged with an error.  I am partial to Piggy, but either one will do.  The question is, how long is Eyre out?    Cubs medical staff identified the bone spur before the start of last season.  Lou wasn’t happy that Eyre didn’t tell him his elbow was acting up.

”I probably should have said something a couple weeks ago,” he said, referring to when the discomfort began. ”But you just kind of pitch through it and deal with a little bit of pain. It’s not being a tough guy. It’s just kind of how I was taught to play the game.”

No big loss here

Oh Yeah, Wednesday’s Game

Got to say it was a little disappointing.  I wonder if it will ever click with Carlos.  All the stomping around the mound, snatching the ball out of the air from the catcher, etc.  Carlos had a good spring, but he struggled for one inning in his start today.  Zambrano, who’d given up only one earned run in 15 previous Cactus League innings, was torched for four earned runs on four hits in four innings, striking out five while walking one batter and hitting another.  The big blow came in the bottom of the second, when Carlos hit Kendry Morales, the first batter of the second, then gave up a single to Robb Quinlan (no my b key didn’t get stuck, but his mother must be a drunk or just can’t spell),   who was thrown out by Fukudome, but Morales moved to third.  With one out and a runner at third, Z walks the catcher, Jeff Mathis.  He was ahead of him 1-2, and then walked him.  Z strikes out Brandon Wood, leaving runners at the corners for Dee Brown, who had one RBI all spring.  What does Carlos do?  Leaves a fast ball upstairs on a 1-2 count for a three run homer. 

”I just made one mistake,” Zambrano said. ”Otherwise, I threw the ball good. I think the most important thing is my command. My command is good.”

I wasn’t as impressed as Carlos.  Granted, Theriot screwed up a double play ball that lead to another run off of Zambrano, but he still is throwing too many pitches to no-name chumps. 
I looked up an article about Brandon Webb last season.  The interviewer asks Webb about 2004, his second season in the league, when he led the NL in losses (16) and walks (119) as Arizona lost 111 games.  Webb said

" Painful. I started trying to be too fine, to pitch around contact and strike everybody out. I finally learned you’ve got to let them hit the ball. Be aggressive."

Webb is a very similar pitcher to Zambrano.  Webb finally figured it out.  You don’t need 27 strikeouts.  If you are facing A-Rod or Pujols, nibble around the corners. But walking Jeff Mathis?  Giving up a homer to Dee Brown?  Z has got to learn to use his defense, stop walking people, keep his pitch count down, and he’ll stay in games longer.

The Cubs bullpen looked great for the most part.  Howry and Pignatiello each pitched a scoreless inning, and Wood pitched 1.2 innings with 2 strikeouts.  The only problem was Marmol.  Anyone else concerned about his lack of control this spring?  Marmol gave up only one hit and one run, but walked two and hit another guy with a pitch.  Marmol has 10 strikeouts in 10 innings, but he also has 8 walks.  Last season, in 69 innings, Marmol struck out an amazing 96 batters and only walked 35. Let’s hope Rothchild gets him back on track.

Offensively, the Cubs were terrible against the Angels starter Jared Weaver. Weaver mowed down the Cubs, giving up one earned run on six hits and no walks while striking out five.  Luckily for the Cubs, Weaver was pulled after six innings.  The Cubs were able to tag Angel’s closer Francisco Rodriguez for five runs in the seventh to give the Cubs a 6-5 lead. Felix Pie continued his monster spring, going 3-5 with two stolen bases and an RBI. Cedeno was 2-5 with two RBI’s and Fontenot was 2-4. 

On Deck

The Cubs have now won four games in a row!!  The Cubs face the Brewers tomorrow at 2:05, but don’t expect to see much.  Neither the Brewers nor the Cubs want to show each other anything since they face each other in four days when their seasons start.  Look to see a bunch of minor leaguers for both teams.  Look for the regulars to get tuned up this weekend, Friday and Saturday, against the Mariners in Las Vegas.

Go Cubs!!

More roster cuts and a new signing have the Cubs closer to have their 25 man roster complete.  The Cubs optioned outfielders Sam Fuld and Eric Patterson to Triple-A Iowa and assigned left-handed pitcher Les Walrond and infielders Micah Hoffpauir and Casey McGehee to Minor League camp. I can’t say I will miss Fuld or Walrond, but the rest of these guys performed well.  I really look forward to seeing Eric Patterson starting next year over Mark DeRosa.  The Cubs also signed Reed Johnson to a one-year contract.  Johnson has decent career numbers, can play all three outfield spots, and is a good hustle guy.  Chicago’s spring roster of 32 players consists of 17 pitchers , two catchers, eight infielders (one non-roster invitee) and five outfielders.  One of the pitchers, oft injured Angel Guzman, was placed on the 60 day disabled list, and the other, Chad Fox, will be cut.  So let’s look to see who’s left.

Pitchers

  Starting Rotation- Zambrano, Lilly, Dempster, Hill, Marquis

Bullpen- Eyre, Hart, Howry, Lahey, Lieber, Marmol, Marshall, Pignatiello, Wood, and Wuertz. 

A major league team usually carries 12 pitchers, we have 15 left.  Few things to remember.  First off, Eyre will not go back to Chicago with the team.  He has a bone spur in his pitching elbow, so he won’t come initially.  The other thing to remember is that Lahey is a Rule 5 pick up.  Some people have been asking what that means.  The Rule 5 Draft occurs during the last day of the winter meetings.  It’s designed to keep teams from stockpiling young players. A player drafted onto a Major League roster in the Rule 5 draft must remain in the majors (on the 25-man active roster or the DL) for all of the subsequent season, or the drafting club must attempt to return him to his original club. However, since a returned Rule 5 player must first be placed on outright waivers, a third club could claim the player off waivers. But of course, that club would then also have to keep him in the majors all season, or offer him back to his original club.  SOOOO, what does this mean for Lahey and the Cubs? The Tampa Bay Rays chose first in the draft and picked Lahey from the Minnesota Twins, and was then traded to the Cubs for cash consideration.  If Lahey does not make the 25 man roster, he would be put on waivers and any other team could take him and add him to their 25 man roster.  If no one took him from waivers, he would go back to the Twins.  The Cubs like Lahey, and wouldn’t give him up and get nothing in return.  So which three pitchers go?  I have to be honest, I don’t know.  I don’t like Eyre, and I think Marshall is a starter.  If it were up to me, I’d trade Eyre and put Marshall in Triple A.  That would still mean I would have to get rid of one pitcher.  I just don’t know who. 

Infielders

Derek Lee, Mark DeRosa, Ryan Theriot, Aramis Ramirez are the starters.  Backing them up are Daryl Ward, Ronnie Cedeno, and Mike Fontenot.  Ward is the best pinch hitter and will make the team.  That leaves Ronnie Cedeno and Mike Fontenot.  Fontenot plays second and a little bit of short.  Cedeno can play both well, but erratically.  Both are hitting well this spring, but Cedeno cannot be optioned to Triple A anymore.  Again, if he doesn’t make the team, he has to be traded or we will lose him without any compensation.  Another tough choice.

Outfielders

Soriano, Felix Pie, and Fukudome start in the outfield left to right.  Reed Johnson was signed to be hit against lefties, which helps because Pie struggles against lefties.  Daryl Ward can also play right field, as can DeRosa.  That means the odd man out would be Matt Murton

Ideally, the Cubs could package Cedeno and Murton and get some young players for them.  Other than that, I am having a tough time putting the 25 man roster together.

Today’s Game

On Tuesday, Rich Hill struck out six and gave up two runs, five hits and one walk over five innings Tuesday against the San Francisco Giants.  I twas by far his best performance, although he still seems to be struggling.  He gave up a towering home run to Randy Winn of the Giants and seemed to lose his composure.  The offense helped out though, and the Cubs bats seem to be heating up.  Theriot was 1-4, Johnson was 2-5 with a double, D-Lee was 1-3 with a 2 run homer, A-Ram went 2-2 with a walk and a double, Murton went 1-3 and Soto was 2-3 with a two run homer.  The only guy who really had a bad day was DeRosa, going 0-3. 

In the pen, Kevin Hart went 1.2 innings and looked great, but left the game with runners on first and third and two outs.  Sean Marshall came out of the bullpen and struck out Fred Lewis on a curve ball, but Henry Blanco dropped the ball and Lewis reached first, loading the bases.  Rich Aurilia hit a 2 run double to tie the game, but Murton hit Cedeno, who threw it to Blanco who tagged Lewis out before he could cross the plate, keeping the game tied at 4.  The runs went against Hart’s ERA.  Wuertz came in and continued to dominate.  He hasn’t allowed a run all spring.  Pignatiello came out in the ninth, and he also had not allowed a runner to score all spring.  He got the first batter he faced to pop out, but Johnson, who moved over to right later in the game, lost the ball in the sun.  allowing the runner to make it to third.  That run scored and ruined "Piggy’s" perfect spring.  Should have been an error on Johnson.

Right now the Cubbies are on a three game winning streak.  Let’s pick up some steam before the season starts.  There is no one left on this team that stinks anymore.  I don’t mind the Johnson signing, as long as Pie gets the majority of starts.  He has had himself a nice little spring.

On Deck

Tomorrow Carlos Zambrano will make his final spring start on Wednesday at 3:05 p.m. CT when he faces the Angels in Tempe. This will be Z’s last start before Opening Day.  Can you believe it?  Five more days to go!!

Go Cubs!!

Ok, I have to admit, I was a little angry after hearing that Jon Lieber was moved into the bullpen and Marquis and Dempster got the starting jobs.  Again, when someone tells me there is going to be competition for a spot, I take their word for it. 

"Dempster has worked hard, and he’s thrown the ball well here," manager Lou Piniella said. "We told him we’d give him every opportunity to start this spring, and we did just that.

"He came to camp with the mindset to get a spot in the rotation, and he worked really, really hard and threw the ball well all spring. He had one bad inning, actually. And Marquis has pitched well also. … So we’ve got ourselves a really nice pitching staff here, bullpen-wise and starting pitching-wise. What can I say? These guys have all competed well, and they all deserve it."

UUUUhhhhh, didn’t Jon Lieber pitch the best out of all three of them?  But then I remembered, baseball is not just a game, it is a business.  The Cubs are trying to trade Jason Marquis.  He still has a huge contract that only a desperate team will touch.  Marquis always pitches great in the first half, then completely loses steam.  Get a couple of good starts out of him, then trade him when his value is high.  Nobody will want to trade for Marquis if he wasn’t even good enough to earn a spot on his team’s rotation.  Plus, Kerry Wood is always getting hurt.  After having back spasms or falling out of the shower, or just his arm falling off, Lou will have to move Dempster back in the bullpen, either situation, Lieber will be back in the starting rotation in no time.  Lou will not put up with Dempster’s strikeout to walk ratio during the regular season.  Dempster has struck out 18, but walked 11 batters.  If he keeps that up, he will never get out of the fourth inning.  He was given a 4-1 lead today, but couldn’t hold on to it because of all the walks.  I will trust Lou will do the right thing, like he did last season.  Piniella said he told Lieber

"When things are all said and done, we’re going to need more than five starters, believe me. That’s always been the case with every club. No team is lucky enough to get away from that."

The other thing that has me worried is the fate of two young Cubbies who have impressed me the most this spring, Carmen Pignatiello and Eric Patterson.  As you all know Carmen Pignatiello is competing with Sean Marshall and Les ******) Walrond for the job opening created when Scott Eyre’s fat @$$ got injured.  Now, I know that Pignatiello is a longshot, considering he has given up zero runs while pitching more innings than Eyre, who has given up 8 runs, and Walrond, who has given up six runs.  This has been the biggest headscratcher for me this spring and I promise all of you that it will be brought up at next year’s Cubs Convention.  Eric Patterson has really impressed me.  I was down on the kid since he was a Patterson, and the fact that he was showing up late during the NL Central race last season.  He has won me over with his incredible speed and timely hitting.  This kid looks like a game, like a legitimite lead off hitter.  He hit the clutch RBI single today with two outs to win the ball game in the bottom of the ninth.  The Cubs will take Daryle Ward, Henry Blanco, and probably Matt Murton, for the bench. You need a backup catcher.  Alex Cintron, Mike Fontenot and Ronny Cedeno are all on the bubble, and the Cubs are expected to sign another outfielder, probably Reed Johnson, to back up Pie. Cedeno has been mentioned as trade bait, and has recently been a man on a mission.  Cedeno was 1-3 today with an RBI.  And all this talk about getting a back up centerfielder, has anyone noticed Pie heating up.  In 53 bats this spring, he’s hitting .340 with a slugging percentage of .566.  Let him hit, let him learn to bat against lefties. That’s the only way he’ll learn. 

Rich Hill pitches tomorrow against the Giants at 3:05 for his next to last start before the season opens.  Let’s see if he can finally get under control

Go Cubs!

Lou just announced his starting rotation, here goes;
Zambrano, Lilly, Dempster, Hill, and Marquis

Jon Lieber, who besides Zambrano has thrown better than everyone else, gets sent to the bullpen.
What a load of ****. These guys get paid multimillion dollar salries and they care more about themselves then the team. Lieber acted like a professional the whole time, saying he would pitch wherever the Cubs asked him too. Some reward he gets. Maybe if he would have acted like a baby like Marquis did, he would have gotten the job. Lou just didn’t want to see Marquis and Dempster pout. What a joke. Apparently Lou told Lieber he’d be the first to get a start if Hill or Marquis or Dempster struggle. Whoopee, thanks Lou.

I thought Lou would be differen then some of the other managers, who play guys based on salary and how long they’ve been with the club, or a veteran over a rookie. I thought the person who performed best would get the job. Doesn’t seem like all that much has changed. From Lieber getting the shafy, to Pignatiello having to earn a spot over Eyre despite pitching a thousand times better than him, it’s just the same old ****.
Kerry Wood was also named the Cubs’ closer.
Game starts at 3:05 today. Stay tuned for more info.

The Cubbies bats finally came alive today on Easter Sunday in a 7-3 Cubs victory today.  Six of the runs came in the first inning, as former Cub Greg "Mad Dog Maddux was given a whuppin’ by the Cubs.  The first five Cubs managed to reach base.  Eric Patteson led off the game by reaching on an error by Khalil Greene.  Patterson stole second off of Maddux/Michael Barrett.  Soriano singled, moving Patterson to third, and Soriano stole second.  With runners at first and second, Lee walked.  A-Ram came through with a nice 2 RBI single. Fukudome then walked, Maddux’s second of the inning, and the bases were loaded with no outs.  Then, Michah Hoffpauir pops out and Geovany strikes out.  Just when it looked like the Cubs would blow this golden opportunity, Ryan Theriot hit a huge bases clearing double, giving the Cubs a 5-0 lead.  Clutch.  Marquis hit an RBI single to add another run.  Speaking of Marquis, he had a shakey first inning, He gave up two singles and a home run to the first three batters he faced, cutting the Cubs lead in half, but then Marquis was able to settle down and not give up anymore runs.  In the end, Marquis went  4 1/3 innings,allowed four hits and three runs while striking out five. He retired the final 11 batters he faced.  If you listen to Lou, sounds like Marquis will be in the rotation.

"[Marquis] hasn’t done anything in spring — except get me mad once — to lead me to believe he won’t be in the rotation," Piniella said.

Pinella is expected to make an announcement on what the rotation will be tomorrow. 

"When you’re in this business here," Piniella said Sunday, "you turn pages real quick and you let people compete. It’s been really good competition for the starters. I enjoyed seeing Lieber and Dempster and Marquis all compete for jobs. The amazing part about it is nobody deserves to be in the bullpen, but that’s going to be the case."

Rich Hill starts tomorrow against the Giants at 3:05. Is this his last chance to save face after a horrible spring, or will Marquis be traded?  Who knows?

Bullpen Impressive

Probably the best part of Sunday’s game were the quality arms coming out of the bullpen.  Crawly’s Cub Kingdom favorite Carmen Pignatiello took over for Marquis in the fifth, going 1.2 innings and giving up one hit and no runs while striking out two batters. Kerry Wood followed in the seventh, also giving up one hit and striking out two.  Tim Lahey followed in the eighth, only going 2/3rds of an inning and giving up a hit and the only walk of the day.  He did strike out two batters.  Les Walrond got the final out.  Bob Howry ended the game with a 1-2-3 ninth.

Speaking of the Bullpen

Looks like Scott Eyre could possibly start the season on the DL.  You never wish injury on any players, especially Cubs players, but this could end up helping the club. This now opens up a spot for Carmen "Piggy" Pignatiello or Sean Marshall.  Both have far outperformed Eyre, especially Piggy, who still hasn’t given up a run this spring. 

Some New Signings??

As we get to this time of year, players begin getting cut and other teams see if there is anyone on the scrap heap who could help them out.  Switch-hitting center fielder Jeff DaVanon was released by the Padres, and right-handed hitting outfielder Reed Johnson  was released by Toronto.  Lou has mentioned that he wants to have a right handed hitting center fielder to platoon with Pie.  Neither of these guys will complain about playing time or interfere with Pie’s progress like a Coco Crisp or Marlon Byrd would.  These guys would just be happy to have a job.  Pinella met today with Hendry, and afterwards saidhe feels the

“odds increased a little bit today that something could happen [with the roster].”

Maybe it’s something minor, like signing DeVanon or Johnson, or maybe one of the big trades will happen.  Brian Roberts and his agent met on Sunday with Andy MacPhail.  Maybe the Coco Crisp deal goes through.  But there are too many questions that need to be answered, and Opening Day is only a day away!!  Tim Lahey is a rule 5 guy.  If he is not making the roster, then he will have to go on waivers and lose him.  They would keep him on the roster or trade him to avoid getting nothing for him.  Lou cannot possibly tell Dempster or Lieber that they are going to the bullpen.  And how could you send Marquis to the bullpen after his pring and the money he’s owed.  One of them has to go. Will Jim Hendry be on the phone all night????!?!! Keep it tuned here for all the latest updates.

Cubs vs Giants at 3:05.  Go ahead and grab your laptop during the game and chat as it is going on.  I’ll probably start chatting around 3:30ish.

Go Cubs!

You know what they say about ties right?  In a game that provided a lot of excitement the Cubs and Sox ended up tied after 10 innings.  Lilly didn’t have his best outing, but the bats finally came to life.  Unfortunately, we still have a fat slob named Scott Eyre coming out of our bullpen.  Lou went back on his idea of having Fukudome bat second, Soriano third, and Lee fourth.  He used the Soriano batting second and Fukudome batting fifth lineup again.  That bright Arizona sun really played havoc on the fielders, allowing the first Sox run to score when Soriano lost a fly ball in the first, and helped the Cubs when Jermain Dye starting losing every ball hit to him, leading to a 3 run comeback for the Cubs in the tenth.  In a game played before a capacity crowd at HoHoKam, they definately got their money’s worth. 

Lilly didn’t have his sharpest game, giving up four runs, seven hits and two walks over six innings, striking out three.  Fontenot lead off and went 1-3.  Soriano looked bad again today, going 0-4 with two strikeouts. Lee picked it up, going 2-4 (with a triple) and drawing a walk.  Aramis went 1-4 with an RBI double, and Fukudome had a productive day, going 2-4 with a walk. DeRosa looked awful, going 0-2 before being pulled.  Geovany Soto and Felix Pie both had huge hits in the sixth inning off Sox starter Javier Vasquez.  Down 4-1 with two outs in the sixth, Soto hit a 2 run RBI double to put the Cubs within one run, and then Pie drove in the tying run.  The bullpen looked sharp too, as Kerry Wood came into the game in the seventh, giving up no hits and striking out two of the three batters he faced.  Howry pitched the eighth, giving up no runs and one hit.  Kevin Hart looked like he would pitch a scoreless ninth, but gave up a two out solo home run to Juan Uribe. 

Down one run to the Sox, Ronnie Cedeno came in and hit a double off of Boone Logan.  Matt Murton came in as a pinch hitter, and drew a walk, and ball four got away from the catcher, allowing Cedeno to move to third.  Soriano flied out, scoring Cedeno and tying the game at 5-5.  The Sox pulled Logan for Mike MacDougal, who walked D-Lee before getting pinch hitter Micah Hoffpauir to hit into an inning ending double play.  Then in the tenth, Lou/Larry sent out Scott Eyre.  Eyre proceeds to give up 3 runs, on  4 hits, and a walk.  It’s only March and I already have my question for Lou for next year’s Cubs Convention. Why does Eyre make the team over Pignatiello? Someone give me one good reason.  I can give you ten good reasons.  Eyre has an ERA near ten and Carmen’s in still 0. 

Luckily, Jermaine Dye lost two balls in the tenth, a pop fly by Blanco and Murton’s game tying hit.  The Cubs had another opportunity to win the game, with the winning run at third base and one out, but Casey McGehee and Sam Fuld couldn’t get it done.

Marquis to Pitch Tomorrow

Jason Marquis will pitch tomorrow against the Padres.  If he pitches another good game, then Lou really has a lot of questions to answer.  Rumor has it that Rich HIll has one more shot to get it together.  If Marquis has a good start, and Hill looks horrible, could he be headed back to Iowa?  Lou says no chance;

"We had a nice talk with Rich this morning, and told him to relax," Piniella said Friday. "Rich puts undue pressure on himself. He’s a very conscientious kid and wants to be a perfectionist and there’s no such thing in this business. I told him, ‘Don’t concern yourself with thinking there’s even a possibility of us taking you out of the rotation,’" Piniella said. "’We like you and go out and relax and throw the ball.’ He thinks a lot."

Let’s wait and see.

Trade Frustrations

You and me aren’t the only ones tired about the Brian Roberts trade talks.  Both Roberts and DeRosa vented to the press on the drawn out talks.

"It’s funny for me," DeRosa said Friday at Hi Corbett Field. "I feel like I’ve done enough … where I shouldn’t be put in this position. Hopefully Jim and [manager Lou Piniella] realize I’m one of the best hitters they have and my bat should be in the lineup."
Snippy snippy Mark.  You weren’t that great, and you definately weren’t an All Star last season like Roberts was.  When asked if he could get over the rumors, DeRosa replied

So has he put the Roberts rumor behind him?

"I’ll put it behind me when I see who starts and I’m playing second, or if he’s here and I’m playing somewhere else," DeRosa said. "I don’t worry about it. I know how good a player he is. I respect what he brings to the table and what he has done.  At the same time, his arrival means I’m not playing second. So unless there’s another spot on the infield, or another spot in the outfield that’s open that I’m not aware of, it makes for an uncomfortable spring."

What about the old saying, there is no "I" in team?  Oh well.  When asked his feelings about the trade rumors, Roberts said

"I think at some point that needs to happen.  I’m not saying it has to be today or tomorrow, but if it gets to be Opening Day, I don’t really want to deal with it for two more months. I can’t imagine that [a trade] would happen on April 20. That doesn’t really make much sense. I’d think if it doesn’t happen by the end of spring training, it’s probably not going to."

He added

"I wouldn’t say it would be a letdown if [a trade] doesn’t happen. I’m going to play baseball either way. I love my teammates, the city of Baltimore. It’s not like it would be the end of the world. But like I’ve said before, everybody wants to win, and you always want to be in a situation where you feel like you have the best chance of doing that."

Translation-Roberts is not interested in the Baltimore rebuilding project.  We have eight more day until Opening Day.  Jason Marquis and Greg Maddux will face each otheron Sunday at 3:05 p.m. CT. Marquis is slated to make his fifth start when the Cubs travel to Peoria, Ariz., to face the Padres. Marquis is 1-0 with a 2.35 ERA so far. He’s given up three earned runs on 14 hits and six walks over 14 innings.  Being a holiday, I will still try to get some chatting in during the game.  Feel free to write whatever you want up there.  Let’s make a nice push this final week.

Go Cubs!