Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!
OK, 1 down, 2 to go on the Cub sweep.
The big event in last night's game was obviously Dusty's decision to let Zambrano bat in the 7th inning - to which Zambrano responded by hitting a 2-run homer. Is Dusty an idiot savant or what? Perhaps his most telling comment was "He'd seen Miller a few times, so I just took a chance. He was swinging as good or better than anybody I could've brought off the bench who hadn't seen Miller." Now granted, Zambrano's been pretty hot lately (3 for 4 in his last start) but maybe it tells us a little more about what Dusty thinks of his bench. Still it's hard to imagine leaving Choi on the pine in that situation. All's well that ends well I suppose.
In some good news, it appears Dusty is considering replacing Estes with Cruz in the starting rotation depending upon their performances tomorrow and today, respectively. The bad news, of course, is that doing so will probably require that Bad, Bad Estes show up tomorrow, and this team really can't afford that right now. It's a tough Catch-22.
And in some bad news (for me, not so much for the rest of you) is that Denver's FOX affiliate will not be showing the game today. Why, you ask? (Or perhaps you don't - humor me here.) Because they are choosing to show the A's-Angels game instead. It's funny, I could have sworn Denver was home to a National League franchise and that people here would rather watch a game between teams they are somewhat familiar with. Oh well, why should I question the geniuses at FOX and MLB? They're obviously smarter than I am.
It's a testament to the game of baseball that it continues to survive, even when the people running it seem to be trying as hard as they can to destroy it.
posted by
Derek at 9:56 AM MST [link] --
wFriday, July 25, 2003
The Cubs head to Houston today for a 3-game series. They trail the Astros by 5 1/2 games, making this as "must-win" a series as a late July series can be.
I find myself hoping for some kind of sweep. If the Cubs sweep, they're 2 1/2 out and right back in the race, with momentum and knowledge they can beat the best teams in their division (if not the league - see the recent Philly and Atlanta series if you have any illusions remaining about that.) If Houston sweeps, the Cubs are 8 1/2 out, and the season is pretty much over barring some events which are completely unforeseeable at this time.
But please, don't give me a 1-2 or 2-1 series here, where my heart ("they can still do it! all they need is . . .") and mind ("what, are you nuts?") battle each other constantly. Where my team is not fighting for a title, but just battling to stay within range of a slight possibility that there might be a chance that if the Cards can't pick up another pitcher to replace Morris and J.D. Drew and Rolen get hurt again and Pujols slumps and the Astros stop hitting and their relievers get tired and the Cubs could just catch a couple of breaks and if they just start winning their home games and Aramis Ramirez plays like he did in 2001 and some guys could just be more patient at the plate and Good Estes showed up more often and the relief pitchers threw like they did in May and if they'd just dump Alfonseca and Lenny Harris and Juan Cruz could just stop being such a headcase and Alex Gonzalex could just hit better than .250, I know he has it in him . . . well, that might just be enough to get them to the playoffs.
Then, well anything can happen in a best-of-five, right? I mean with Wood, Prior and Zambrano, that's a rotation nobody wants to face in a short series, and if the Cubs bats could just get hot for a couple of days, I mean Maddux isn't the pitcher he used to be and Sheffield is due for a slump, and . . .
posted by
Derek at 1:16 PM MST [link] --
wThursday, July 24, 2003
Ouch.
Look up "pain" in the dictionary and you'll see the scorecard from today's 14-6 shellacking.
Kerry was "lights out" all right - as in Philly knocked his lights out.
Highlight: Big Choi's 3-run shot after he came in on a late double-switch. He should've started over Karros against right-hander Padilla anyway, it was nice for him to prove it.
That is all. Resume weeping.
posted by
Derek at 4:48 PM MST [link] --
w
Just checking in with some brief notes about the Cubs blogworld as Pat and Ron start their engines on WGN radio - here's hoping Kerry is lights out this afternoon.
It's the Cub Reporter's 2nd anniversary today (or yesterday). The granddaddy of Cub bloggers, Christian's site should be your first stop each day or after any newsworthy Cubs event. Head on over and offer your congratulations.
Jason at the Clark & Addison Chronicle is supposed to be studying for the bar exam next week, but I couldn't help noticing that he's posting an awful lot lately. As a veteran bar exam participant, I can empathize. Pay Jason a visit and wish him the best of luck - trust me, this is not an experience worth repeating. Many times. Don't ask me how I know this.
And in my favorite post of the day, Scott at The Northside Lounge is marshalling up a Cub blogger army. I have been elevated to the rank of "rubber band shooter," an appointment I accept with enthusiasm, if not outright glee. March over there and sign up - you better join before you get drafted.
Sgt. Hulka: Son, there ain't no draft no more.
Cruiser: There was one?
posted by
Derek at 12:38 PM MST [link] --
wWednesday, July 23, 2003
Cubs lose, 3-0. Not much from the new Cubs, but on the other hand it seemed no one could figure out Wolf's 65 MPH breaking ball. If Clement's first three innings had been as good as his last four, they'd still be playing. Oh well, some games are just like that.
At least I had Tony Gwynn to amuse me during the ESPN broadcast. If you didn't know better, you'd swear he was some redneck wearing' a cowboy hat and chewing on a piece of grass. His pronunciation of Grudz's name was good for a laugh each time he came up - "Grew-juh-LAW-neck."
Have a good night.
posted by
Derek at 7:49 PM MST [link] --
w
The Tribune sports section always has a column entitled "In the Wake of the News." King bozo Rick Morrissey writes it now, and if I remember correctly Bob Verdi used to write it. The title always cracked me up - it sounds so important and dignified, when in reality it means "the news just passed me by and I'm trailing behind it."
That's how I feel this morning. I turned off the Cubs game last night with the Cubs down 8-2 in 5th inning, tried to watch a movie and then passed out. In the meantime, the Cubs traded Jose Hernandez, AAA pitcher Matt Bruback and a low minor league player to be named to Pittsburgh for CF Kenny Lofton and 3B Aramis Ramirez. I, of course, did not learn about this until this morning when I received an e-mail from Cubs.com.
Everyone has had their say already - Christian at The Cub Reporter has admirably catalogued the responses so far, as has Jason at the Clark & Addison Chronicle. Most agree the trade is good for the Cubs, but differ as to how good. I don't know what I'll be adding to the discussion, but will try anyway.
What did the Cubs give up?
I'm not much of a minor league scout, so here's my sophisticated method for evaluating trades of minor leaguers: If I've heard of him, we're probably giving up too much. If not, we're not. I've never heard of Matt Bruback, so good job on that one. We'll see on the player to be named.
Keep in mind, I had never heard of Dontrelle Willis when he was traded to Florida last year, so my prospect evaluation science is obviously not perfect.
Jose Hernandez? Well, we got him from the Rockies for Bellhorn and another minor league player I've never heard of. Bellhorn was not playing, and will likely never be more than the good utility guy we thought he was prior to 2002. Hernandez was playing occasionally, hitting little, striking out a lot. The Cubs are not giving up much here, either.
Kenny Lofton
I lobbied unsuccessfuly for the Cubs to pick up Rickey Henderson to fill the hole at center a couple of weeks ago. Well, Kenny Lofton is a pretty similar acquisition. Prototypical leadoff guy in that he gets on base and steals bases. Short-term solution to Corey Patterson's (and perhaps now Tom Goodwin's) injury-related absences, as Lofton's a free agent after this season. Added benefits are that he's a real center fielder, he loves Dusty and he responded well in a similar situation last year when he was traded to the Giants late in the season.
In short, Lofton is the perfect fit for the Cubs' situation: low-cost, short-term, fills leadoff need and provides veteran presence for a potential playoff run. I mean, I guess it would be great if he was batting .400, but in reality I can't think of a better solution.
Aramis Ramirez
Ramirez is only 25, has flashed potential but has largely not reached it. Let's assume this year's Aramis Ramirez is what he will always be. If that's the case, we've got a poor defensive 3B who hits pretty well with decent power. At the very least, we're getting something along the lines of Mark Bellhorn 2002 and a vast improvement over this year's Bellhorn/Hernandez/Martinez/Harris situation. In addition, he's better than the revolving door of third base "solutions" over the past 15 years. With Ramon Martinez returned to full-time utility guy and Lenny F. returned to full-time pinch hitter, the Cubs are absolutely better at 3rd than they were yesterday.
The 2001 Aramis Ramirez was a real good hitter with lots of power. If that guy shows up on a consistent basis, the Cubs are for real. If he doesn't, he's only signed through 2004 - the Cubs can cut bait at that point and continue to search for Ron Santo's replacement.
One of the knocks on Ramirez is his attitude. But sometimes a change in scenery - especially one in which a player is traded from a hopeless situation to a potential playoff race - can positively affect such a player. In addition, Ramirez has already expressed some excitement about playing with fellow Dominicans Sosa and Alou.
In short, Ramirez improves the Cubs, but to what extent we simply can't say at this point. He's no Mike Lowell, but the Cubs did not have to risk their future in order to get him as they would have for Lowell.
Conclusion
A solid move for the Cubs. They adequately filled the short term hole at center, improved at third and kept their future intact. At this time next year we'll have a better idea of whether Ramirez is just a placeholder or a critical piece of a future World Series Cub team.
posted by
Derek at 11:41 AM MST [link] --
wTuesday, July 22, 2003
Up is down.
Black is white.
Pigs fly.
Bears don't shit in the woods.
There are snowballs in hell.
There is peace in the Middle East.
The Pope is Jewish.
A bird in the hand is worth less than two in the bush.
George W. Bush is a genius.
Democrats have spines.
It's not the humidity - it's just the heat.
The Cubs score 15 in two straight games.
Lenny F. Harris steals a base and walks - all in one game.
The Cubs get 20 hits in two straight games.
Tom Goodwin gets 5 hits in one game.
Alex Gonzalez homers in two straight games in innings other than the 9th.
Antonio Alfonseca throws three scoreless innings in two games.
Cubs win.
Cubs win.
Cubs win.
The apocalypse is surely upon us.
posted by
Derek at 8:37 AM MST [link] --
wMonday, July 21, 2003
Well, how about that? 16 runs. It's always nice to play the occasional laugher. Too bad they can't bottle up yesterday's offense, something tells me we're going to wish we'd saved up some of those runs. Other than that, it was also nice to see the offense supply Zambrano with some runs for change, even if he had to do some of it himself with 3 hits. He pitched really well, even after sitting out the 2nd-inning rain delay.
And now for something completely off-topic:
Here's a tip for you homeowners out there. At some point, you may be be toying with the idea of installing a tall wooden fence around your entire front yard. I don't know why this would happen, but trust me, it could. Before following through on this idea, please consider the effect this may have on a future owner of your house.
For example, put some thought into whether the "fortress" look is really something that most people would consider attractive. Consider the possibility that many people would prefer that their house be visible from the street. Similarly, ponder that a future resident of your house may enjoy being able to see something other than a tall wooden fence when looking out their front window.
If after a period of deep thought you decide in favor of installing such a fence, despite the apparent insanity of such an idea, please ask yourself whether the concrete-filled holes in which the 4X4 fence posts are to be embedded really need to be 2 feet deep.
After resolving that question, your first impulse may be to space the fence posts a mere 4 feet from one another. While I certainly can see the benefit of protecting your house should a Humvee with an 86-year old man behind the wheel veer off course on your street, consider how realistic this possibility is, and whether spacing the posts a bit farther apart might nonetheless be suitable for your purposes.
10 down, 12 to go . . .
posted by
Derek at 12:50 PM MST [link] --
wSunday, July 20, 2003
Kerry had that look in the 9th yesterday, the one that says, "Jesus Christ, even Greg Gagne can't hold a lead for me - looks like I'll have to do this myself."
I'm tired, beat, drained, dizzy . . . I was running on fumes, but I've said it a million times before -- we start the game and we want to finish it. I felt like it was my game to lose, and I'm glad they stuck with me.
Maybe it was just the look of somebody about to pass out. In any case, it's pretty clear that the Cubs will have to win many more 1-0 games to have any hope of winning the division. They could've started cardboard cutouts at every position but pitcher, catcher and left field and still won yesterday.
Should Wood have finished the game? He was obviously laboring after walking Rodriguez with two out in the 9th, and Borowski was ready in the pen, probably equally capable of retiring Encarnacion to end the game. Dusty definitely left himself open for criticism by leaving Kerry in there. But maybe that was the point.
If Dusty pulls Kerry, and the bullpen blows the game, everybody will jump all over a bullpen which is pretty fragile right now, and will suffer all the more for having deprived Wood of yet another well-deserved win. If Kerry blows the game, Baker takes the blame, Kerry backs him up, and the team sticks together. Part of a manager's job is to protect the emotional well-being of the ballclub, however psychobabblish that may sound. You'll remember that Don Baylor was pretty awful at this, but it's one of Dusty's strengths.
His comments following Friday's game, critical of his team's inability to take pitches and angry that "whoever pitches against us looks like Cy Young," were the harshest we've heard this year. But even then, he said he hadn't talked to the team about it, because "I don't like to talk when I'm upset too much. My daddy didn't spank us when he was mad. He waited a while." Dusty is clearly the team's "daddy," and he considers it his responsibility to protect his "family."
I really didn't intend for this to become an "I love Dusty" screed, but there it is. I'll be digging in the yard the rest of the day, pathetically watching Dontrelle Willis's crazy windup on my 5-inch black and white TV.
posted by
Derek at 9:12 AM MST [link] --
wReigning NL Central Division Choke Artists
Eamus Catuli
AC016097
wOfficial Let's Play Two Favorite Cub (TM)
Carlos Zambrano
3-3, 3.22, 68 K
5/31: ND,8 IP,0 ER,1 H,9 K
Next start: 6/05 @ SD
