You should see the way some of them act when KFC is brought into the clubhouse. Heads start popping out of the lockers like little chickens!

…“At least we are still in first place, for now.” The Prior and Wood rotation part 2…A slumping offense that for whatever reason appears to have lost the productivity from its no. 3 hitter…It’s a team game and maybe someone will get hot and a pitcher or two will perform well?

You guys see this new show, it is called the Amazing Disappearing Offense

Jingle: One day they are studs, the next they are duds
                It is the Amazing Disappearing Offense
               One day it is WOW! the next it is HOW?
               It is the Amazing Disappearing Offense
              But don’t you worry, we are in no hurry, it wouldn’t be fun unless we actually could score a run,
              It is the Amazing Disappearing Offense

        Friday night’s episode. B Arroyo shuts us done…………..Again……..ha ha ha

as I said yesterday
1) 4.5 game lead.
2) the failures of past cubs teams doesn’t have anything to do with this year’s team….

repeat those two lines in your head as often as neccesary

oh and go padres.

I hope this is just a team funk, because come on, really now, Randing-F’ing-Wolf? Are you kidding me?

Of course, they swung for the fences instead of hitting the ball hard (see the ’stros HR for an example of just trying to hit the ball hard).

This has to change and change before October 1st. Because you’re not going to see Randy-F’ing-Wolf in the playoffs. You’re gonna see Cole Hamels (see pre-Rami granny last Thur), or Yohan Santana, or Danny Haren, or Brandon Webb, or CC Sabathia.

Come on boys, let’s go back to that latest hot streak.

Who’d a thought 6 weeks ago the Cubs would want to get on the road ASAP?

to go opposite of instinct. Let’s see the Magic Number, Al.

…and an ill-advised visit to the game thread immediately following the loss, I told myself I would make this a “no baseball” day. No reading the sports section. No visiting any baseball sites. And no BCB. Well, here it is not yet 9:30 and I’ve done all three. I guess I just need the support.

I agree with pretty much everything you’ve written, Al. This team does need a road trip. The other day someone mentioned that perhaps this losing streak is a regression to the mean following a seven-game win streak. I think perhaps it’s a regression to the mean in light of the team’s stellar home record this year. More home losses were likely to come sooner and later – they just came in a bunch.

Here’s hoping the team can regroup and take advantage of hitter-friendly GABC in Cincinnati tomorrow. I have not given up on the 2008 Cubs. Not by a long shot.

I’d also really love it if the Cubs dropped that Bon Jovi song. Not so much because I think it’s cursed or anything, more because I’d rather take a fungo to my outer ear than listen to Bon Jovi.

OK, seriously, I’m gonna take a break from baseball today. No, really…

With Hill now available as an emergency catcher, why not just use Blanco in that situation? He’s no Wonder Hamster, but he is having a career year – I really hope that Lou will start using him to pinch-hit against LHP more often, rather than resorting to Cedeno or McGehee.

The Brewers were 4.5 games back going into Monday’s game. The Cubs then lost three more games in a row. The Brewers then lost three in a row themselves. Had the Brewers taken two of three from the Mets, they would have been only 2.5 games out and very much in the thick of the NL Central race. You could have made a case the Brew Crew would have been favored to win the division had that happened because of the weak remaining schedule of Milwaukee and the strong remaining schedule of the Cubs.

There’s a big difference between being 4.5 back and 2.5 back this late in the season. The Brewers still have six games left with the Cubs to make up ground, but Milwaukee really hurt its chances getting swept by the Mets.

The argument for the 40 man roster spot is mute since they had to make room for Casey. Dubois (sp) has major league experience already….and has some power. He is not a world beater but he is a better option than Casey.

Also need Pie’s speed and late innning defense

but after reading various Trib bits I’m less sanguine. It bothers me to no end that he’s gone MIA and Lou has no idea what’s going on.

This high-maintenance diva turn does not become the man. C’mon Z, grow up.

Hopefully Z was not trying to be superman on Tuesday when he sould of taken the day off.

Loosing does funny things to you, but then so does winning

I’m not sure who it will be but it seems like Lou is hoping it’s McGahee. The hitting sure looks like it did against AZ last October. Let’s get it out of the way now.

I really expected Dempster to be our stopper at home last night. He was for the most part but the fact that the offense failed to score a single run for the second time in three games was really surprising. The clutch hits can’t come too soon.

Everybody cross your fingers for Z and Harden OK?

Its not like the other contending teams haven’t lost 5 in a row this year (except the Angels). Here are the other contending teams longest losing streaks this year. I did not include the DBacks or Dodgers due to their not so impressive records….

Tampa Bay- 7
Boston- 5
White Sox- 7
Minnesota- 6
LA Angels- 4

NY Mets- 5 (twice)
Philadelphia- 6
Milwaukee- 6
St. Louis- 5

I think that if we would have won on Tuesday night, we probably win yesterday. I think the late inning/extra inning lack of a single clutch hit on top of 3 losses in a row may have sapped a little swagger. I think if we win that game, we take a deep breath of relief and we relax on Wednesday. I know the Astros are smokin’ hot right now, but Tuesday night was hard to watch, and to watch Lou make some dumb moves as well. That’s baseball, and we are still in the driver’s seat.

Pie would of scored last night on that close play at the plate

This team has not done anything on base for a while.

Hell they were giving Dero 2nd two nights ago in the 11th and he never moved

…to never read the “Comments” section at the Trib:

Dave G
Plattsburgh, NY

Now with Harden complaining about pain in his shoulder, the season is over.

Lou Holtz
Edmond, OK

I’d love to see the Domer with the name you can’t spell take Zambrano’s place in the starting rotation.

that Z was upset w/ some of his teammates during his start, specifically pointing out Theriot for his botched play on Pence. I guess some of them (the teammates) weren’t taking it very lightly either. This is all per Bruce Levine, so if I hear anything else I’ll let you know. I might have to check the podcast later to verify what he actually said though.

He has to become a smarter pitcher to get to a 20 game winner

What is his high 15 – 16 on good teams

All Cubs players and management should have to spend a day in the lives of one of their diehard fans so they understand how hard it is to go through a day like today, just waiting and wondering what the F is going on… I seriously cannot think straight ! !

WGN: 28-27
CSN: 49-18 (includes CSN+)

Ok so I got a solution:

Win = RoadGames + CSN – Negative Attitudes – Injuries + Einsteins bagels + new Reed Johnson facial hair + no longer pitching Howry + batting fonty 2nd and Theriot 8th

I agree, It work for the fellas at “Animal House”
Bagels hell, few warm Old Styles and some stale Nacho’s
 Lets have a good weekend, guys looked quite tight at home, get on the road and play ball, have some fun.

Well, we were wrong. As much as I am huge fan of Zambrano and what he means to this ballclub it is troubling to see his antics and emotions rear their ugly head once again. At precisely the worst point in a playoff chasing season too!! If Zambrano is upset with his teammates then he needs to deal with that inside the tent.

The Cubs and Zambrano would be infinitely better off if he could grow out of the drama queen phase of his life. Sorry to be harsh (and I’m sure I’ll hear about it from the peanut gallery), but that’s how I feel on the subject. This is TERRIBLE time for all this garbage to be surfacing. Zambrano may have legitimate gripes, but man up and address those gripes in house.

Mark Cuban purchases the Cubs (which I won’t like), decides to make big splash and meets Scott Boras’ asking price of $200 million for 1st baseman Mark Texiera. Derrek Lee is traded.

AHHHHH…….

at Bob Howry.

If there is any truth behind this story then Zambrano is flashing once again his severe lack of maturity and professional teammate skills. You dont’ whine and pout for the public to see. Rather you shut the fuck up and deal with things internally.

rotator cuff tendinitis for Z, he will maybe miss 1 start

WSCR

I really do believe that. He is the dominant starting pitcher on this staff who will be counted upon to shutdown the opponent, stem the bleeding and be the biggest face of the Cub pitching staff in October.

fuck.

(oh, and GO CUBS!!!)

:)

…or at least as good as could be expected for Big Z.

Not thrilled with the AP wire piece on MLB:

Cubs ace Carlos Zambrano has right rotator cuff tendinitis and inflammation, an MRI confirmed on Thursday, a blow to Chicago’s chances of winning the World Series for the first time in a century.

Granted, it goes on to say that if all goes well, they expect him to start next week. But that sentence really pisses me off.

CTL tonight. He was asked about Mark Cuban and his bid to buy the Cubs. Crane said, “If Mark is indeed the highest bidder I expect him to be approved to buy the team.”

He also said there will be concerts at Wrigley next year.

what better way to spread beer-fueled mayhem?"

Greatest line ever.