Cubs win, 2-1. They are, at this moment, in a 3-way tie for the NL Central lead with St. Louis and Houston.
The lack of offense is a little disturbing, but can't complain about the result. Masao Kida, the Dodger starter, hadn't pitched since 2000, and it was his first major league start ever. Why is it that the Cubs always have so much trouble with pitchers like this?
This is the second Prior start in a row where Sammy provided all the RBIs. Do you think they get together before each of Prior's starts?
Mark: Hey Sammy.
Sammy: Hey Mark.
Mark: What's up?
Sammy: Nothing. You pitching today?
Mark: Yeah.
Sammy: OK. I'll try for 2 RBIs. Can you keep them to one run?
Mark: Guess so. Last time you got 3 RBIs.
Sammy: I think only 2 today.
Mark: OK. 1 run then. High five?
Sammy: I don't think so.
posted by
Derek at 4:05 PM MST [link] --
w
Well, I usually expect a 7-1 game to be a little less stressful (and a little shorter) than yesterday's win over the Astros. It's a strange game when you're up 6 with 2 on and 2 out in the top of the 9th, and yet you don't really feel like it's in the bag yet. Clement was OK - it's one thing for a pitcher not to have his best stuff, it's another thing entirely for him to be a complete spaz. Watching that guy try to field and swing a bat is really painful. Maybe the NL could allow the Cubs to use a designated hitter and a designated fielder when Clement's on the mound, just to spare all the fans the associated discomfort. We could let Augie be DH/DF so as not to give the Cubs an unfair advantage in the 9-hole.
Just a great series for the Cubs, especially to win 3 straight after losing the first game. The starters and relievers are all throwing so well that I'm at the point where I expect victory 80 percent of the time (the other 20 percent are the Estes starts, naturally, and we even won the "Estes game" on Wednesday).
So Choi had a big 2-RBI double and a walk yesterday, do you think Dusty noticed?
Cub Bloggers, me included, generally give the Sun-Times's Mike Kiley a lot of crap for the stupid things he writes, and rightly so. But he wrote something today about looking forward to the Dodgers series that I liked, so fair is fair, credit where credit is due and all that:
With the Cubs just a half-game back of both Houston and St. Louis, there definitely is a sense of impending thunder on the horizon with Mark Prior, Wood and Carlos Zambrano poised to fall upon Los Angeles like an anvil over the next three days at Wrigley Field.
Game time in 15 minutes, let's hope we can declare the Dodgers' season over on Sunday.
posted by
Derek at 1:05 PM MST [link] --
w
At 9:30 PM MDT yesterday, Let's Play Two received its 5000th visitor. Thanks, whoever you were!
As always, please take this moment to crack open a beer and toast this momentous occasion. I'm at work, so I'll have to wait until later in the day, but don't let the early hour stop you.
On behalf of myself and the rest of the Let's Play Two staff, I'd like to thank:
Everyone who takes the time to stop by. You know who you are. You're pretty quiet for the most part, but I know you're out there. As much as I do this for myself, it's gratifying to know (or at least assume) that other folks get something out of this.
The Cub Blogger Army (see links at left). Pretty cool, loosely-knit community of diverse voices. With so many people talking about the same stuff all the time, you'd think it would be more competitive, but in fact everyone seems to feed off the others to create a sort of productive, wandering free-form discussion.
And of course, the Cubs. They decided to be involved in a pennant race this year, making doing this thing all the easier.
See you again at 10,000!
posted by
Derek at 8:27 AM MST [link] --
wWednesday, August 13, 2003
I don't generally voluntarily enter into pointless arguments, though I can be dragged into them. To me, a pointless argument is one in which the positions of at least one (and often both) of the participants are so firmly entrenched that there is simply no possibility that he/she will be convinced by the other.
Plus, if you disagree with me, you're an idiot, and arguing with an idiot is definitely pointless.
The topics which form the foundation for a pointless argument generally include religion, politics and most likely both - and Pete Rose.
Which is why I have never addressed the Pete Rose lifetime ban/hall of fame debate in this space. For what it's worth, my position is as follows:
1) The rule says if you bet on games involving your own team, you're permanently suspended.
2) The evidence suggests that Rose most likely bet on games involving his own team. The main reason we can't say we know for sure is that Bart Giamatti agreed not to hold hearings or make determinations on this issue when Rose agreed to a permanent suspension.
3) Ergo, Rose should be, and is, permanently suspended.
4) Lifetime suspension is the most severe punishment set forth in Baseball's Rules and Regulations.
5) It must therefore be assumed that betting on games involving your own team is the worst crime one can commit against the sport.
6) Election to the Hall of Fame is the highest honor that can be bestowed upon a ballplayer.
7) I cannot accept the proposition that a player who has dishonored the game in the worst way possible could somehow be eligible for its highest honor.
And this is from a bleeding heart liberal, folks, one that loved Pete Rose when he was a player.
The only reason I bring this up is that Rob Neyer caved in today. In the past, every time the Pete Rose issue reared its ugly head, Rob would (a) reiterate that Pete Rose was a great player but was and remains a scumbag, and (b) point to the Pete Rose FAQ (recommended reading for anyone interested). But today Rob said ah, what the hell, let the guy in.
Why, you may ask?
(1) Because even though most people believe Rose bet on Reds games, they don't care. Nice logic, Rob.
(2) More "logic":
(a) There's no evidence that Rose bet against the Reds.
(b) Betting against your team is worse than betting for your team.
(c) So, the punishment for betting on your team to win should be less than for betting for your team to lose. Ergo, Rose's ban should be less than permanent suspension.
I agree on points (a) and (b), but (c) has its problems. Given the clear language of the pertinent Rules, isn't it pretty damn likely that betting on your team, period, was deemed worthy of lifetime suspension? And that while betting against your team is worse than betting for it, baseball is simply not authorized to mete out a harsher sentence, like, say, capital punishment?
(3) So, if MLB follows Rob's lead and changes the rule, then Rose is no longer permanently suspended. So, hey, I guess he's eligible now!
Hey, maybe he can manage again, too!
Sure, if you think that's how we should do things. Look, Rose's strategy has been pretty clear from the outset. Agree to suspension so there will be no official findings with respect to his wrongdoing. Admit nothing. Deny everything. Then wait. Wait for Giamatti to die (that didn't take long). Wait for the owners to install a spineless buffoon in the Commissioner's office. Then wait for a public afflicted by a short attention span to become nostalgic. "Gee, but he ran to first when he walked! If only modern ballplayers played like Charlie Hustle did! And we're punishing this guy?" And finally, wait for people lke Rob Neyer to wear down. How long would it take? 20 years?
Guess again - only 14 years, 15 at the outside.
If you think we ought to reward this kind of cynical manipulation of our favorite sport and its fans, then sure, Rob. Change the rules! Go with the flow! Everyone else is doing it! Let the man in!
But I still can't cave in that easily.
posted by
Derek at 12:48 PM MST [link] --
w
Augie Ojeda update - I was a bit curious about whether Augie had ever been intentionally walked before last night's game. Turns out it was his third time - he was also walked once in 2000 and once in 2001. Not too surprising I guess, given that he usually bats 8th, right in front of the pitcher's spot.
I still think intentionally walking a guy with a .000 batting average in front of Zambrano last night was insane, even though it paid off when Carlos struck out and Lofton popped up.
posted by
Derek at 11:58 AM MST [link] --
wTuesday, August 12, 2003
Man! Sorry for the lack of posting - as you may or may not have noticed, I tend to do my blogging over lunch at work, and for the past week I've just been too damn busy. The Cubs have lost 3 of 4 since then, scoring only 1 run in each of the 3 losses, so you haven't missed much - I would've just been bitching and moaning anyway.
What a difference a day makes! Last night may have been amateur night at Wrigley (bush league plate discipline, bush league baserunning and the typical Kerry Wood outing - one crappy inning surrounded by brilliance) but tonight the Cubs are playing like a well-oiled machine. A couple of missed opportunities, but stellar defense and a totally dominant pitching performance by my man Carlos Zambrano, my favorite current Cub.
In my last post I alluded to the fact that Shawon Dunston was my favorite Cub back in the late '80s and early '90s. Was he their best player? Well, no. In fact, looking at his stats now, I'm surprised to find they were even worse than I had remembered, and as a number one overall draft pick he was something of a disappointment. But he was the guy who always busted his ass, whether he was running, throwing, diving, sliding or swinging. Kind of like Pete Rose without all the talent, crappy personality and gambling problems. His best year, 1989, coincided with the Cubs' only playoff appearance during his eleven-year stint, and his style of play fit perfectly with Don Zimmer's crazy bases-loaded-squeeze managing style. I loved watching opponents shake their heads when he turned a single into a double, and I loved watching Mark Grace shake his glove hand in pain after catching one of Shawon's throws from short.
And Zambrano's approach to the game in his second season has earned him the top spot in the hearts of the Let's Play Two staff. Sammy's the superstar, Wood's got the tough guy rep, and Prior is (to me) the ace of the staff, but Carlos comes up big start after start and is a blast to watch. I can't even remember the last time this guy had a bad outing.
His last 5 starts:
July 20 - dominated Florida, pitching on both sides of a rain delay, defeating Dontrelle Willis and going 3 for 4 with 2 RBIs.
July 25 - after being victimized for 3 unearned 1st-inning runs, Carlos shut down Houston before hitting a game-tying 2-run homer in the 7th, a game they went on to win to ignite their recent hot streak.
July 31 - sealed a series victory over the NL-leading Giants. After retiring Bonds with bases loaded, he pumped his fist, prompting Bonds to promise after the game "he will respect me." Instead Carlos took Bonds to task for the way he grandstands whenever he homers.
August 7 - without his best stuff, he dominated the Padres for 6 innings to extend a 4-game Cub winning streak.
And as I write this, he has just earned his 5th straight victory, a complete-game, 3-0 shutout against Houston, striking out 10 in the process. The Astros hadn't been shut out in 62 games before that. It was great watching him go out to the mound, pumping his fists saying "one more, one more!" And I swear I had chills when he came up in the 6th after Augie Ojeda was walked intentionally (huh?) to load the bases. Of course Carlos struck out, but there's no denying he brings a lot of much-needed energy to this team.
posted by
Derek at 8:38 PM 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
