Cubs LOB: 3

See Me
Feel Me
Touch Me
Heal Me….

From the P-D last night:

Isringhausen will be examined this morning by team orthopedist Dr. George Paletta. Isringhausen and team officials have denied a physical ailment is the reason for his recent struggles; however, club sources indicated Thursday he has been receiving treatment on his arthritic left hip.

“I don’t know what we’re going to do,” Isringhausen said. “I wish I could say I was hurt, my arm was falling off, or I couldn’t land. I can’t do that. People (hitters) standing at home plate tell you what the end result should be. I’m not getting any swings and misses, so that says something about my stuff. I feel healthy. But maybe my ‘healthy’ just isn’t good enough.”

The club is expected to put Isringhausen on the disabled list today or broach the possibility of designating him for assignment, a procedural move that would place him on waivers before reassigning him to a minor-league affiliate. Either way, a roster move is considered likely.

That sounds like an injury to save face to me. I dunno.

I agree Al, he “pitched”. We all know he can strike batters out. His velocity was mixed well, and I really think he projects to at least #3, and a slight possibly as a #2. The fact that he can touch 95 on the gun (with the weight loss) and if he could add a change he could be in the rotation for a long time in the Cubs organization.

Howry could turn things around in the bullpen, as Lilly has in the starting rotation. Eyre hasn’t pitched much this season. He could be a quality LHP in the pen, as he has been in the past. To this point, I am bit concerned that Marmol and Wood have been the only effective relievers. Bullpen depth doesn’t much matter, when your starters are doing well. However, a team can’t always depend on its starters to do well. I’m not panicked, but this is an issue the Cubs will have to address, if Howry and other relievers don’t begin to perform better.

Looked like yet another well-played game by the Cubs today. It’s such fun to see a Cubs team playing with this sort of confidence. Scoring runs in bunches, making the key plays (like DeRosa’s tumbling catch in right) and generally pouncing on opposition mistakes instead of vice versa.

Shaping into a very good home stand. I’m hoping this form continues into the next home stand when I’ll be in town. Glad to hear of the arrival of the summer weather too:)

...this is a good team and this is a lot of fun right now!

great game today. pittsburgh has just played awful against us this year.

The Cubs are the best team in baseball right now. When was the last time anyone make that argument? Not the hottest team, but the flat out best team in baseball. Certainly not last year or in 2004. In 1989, Oakland was the best team from wire to wire. In 1984 the Cubs were clearly the best team in the NL, but Detroit was maybe the best team of the 1980s from beginning to end. The 1977 team got red-hot for a month and a half (in honor of my name) but they were just flukey.

You could make an argument that the 1985 Cubs were the best team in baseball before all five starters hit the DL. The 1969 team was clearly the best team in the NL for the first two-thirds of the season, although Baltimore had a hell of a team in the AL. It would be close between those two. All the Cub pennant-winning teams of the 1920s and 1930s paled next to the Ruth-Gehrig-DiMaggio Yankee dynasty.

I’d say you have to go back to the first part of 1969, but otherwise, the last time the Cubs were the best team in baseball was the Tinkers-to-Evers-to-Chance days.

It sure is a fantastic change of pace to play spectator to clubhouse blowups instead of having to watch them in the Cubs clubhouse. Things are not well in St. Louis with Isringhausen and Billy Wagner seems to have dug himself quite a hole with his teammates after this tirade. I know it’s still very early into a long season but if the Cubs continue to keep their heads down with the solid crew they have, it could be a great summer.

now the soriano is playing well?

or maybe its that Chinese food…...........ugh, I think it is….......brb

I could honestly see 6 players going to the game:

Zambrano
Dempster
Soto
Lee
Fukudome
Soriano

With players outside looking in including:
Wood
Ramirez
Marmol

What.

The.

Hell.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080516&content_id=2712769&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb&partnered=rss_mlb

Yet the saying “It’s just Fonzie being Fonzie” irks the living daylights out of me. Maybe if I lived in Boston, I’d understand it all. Still, it’s nice to see Soriano playing great baseball, now that he’s decided to come off his mountain and rejoin the major leagues (a.k.a., the Planet Earth).

Interesting game … though Howry kind of-well-sucked.

that’s the sound you would hear if you licked your finger and touched Soriano right now. The guy is sizzling hot. Very nice ot see him turn things around. I heard him say after the game the hitting coaches have been working with him.

It’s great to see this team play like they have been. Hope it continues for a long time.

Sure hope Gallagher can continue to throw well, what a lft he would be for the rotation.
Interesting to see what is up with Hill, can Howry be hurt also? I know it takes awhile for him to get going, but his velocity is down it appears.Damn if he ever gets going the end of the game gets that much stronger.
All those Soriano bashers are no where to be found. I am sure he will get into another minor funk, and then snap out of it again. Just be burnin in September and October Sori.
Game at a time fellas, lets have a great summer.

First of all so many people came by to say hello to Al that I think he is officially
the Mayor the Bleachers. By the 8th I was not even paying attention when I guy in
business shirt and slacks came by to talk. I was too busy reading the paper while
Howry was giving up too many runs. After he leaves Al says that was Crain Kenney.
Damn I missed my chance to lobby for my favorite issues , getting Wrigley to switch from
horrid Pepsl to Coke ( some of us are old enough to remember when they did sell Coke) and dumping Edmonds. Alas I can’t take Mr. Kenney up on the lunch invite to season ticket holders as I would have to fly in if I was one the chosen few and with NYC- Chicago fares hitting $400 that is just a bit too much of my budget.

My game highlight was when I was returning to the bleachers after visiting
friends in the main park and one of the security guards said he remembered me
from the Conventions. ” You ask a lot of questions” he said. I do indeed.

So it’s 8:39am EST and they’ve yet to show highlights of the NL Central leading Cubs, despite showing almost every other “non-important” interleague game….. just ridiculous in my opinion. I don’t get a chance to watch a lot of sportscenter, is this normal treatment for the cubbies or am i overeacting?