Bullpen, Offense Fail Again, Cubs Lose. No, This Is Not A Rerun.
by Al Yellon on Apr 23, 2010 8:01 AM CDT
in Chicago Cubs Recaps
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PrintStop me if you've heard this one before: the Cubs' offense failed repeatedly to get runners home and the bullpen turned a close game into a blowout (well, as much of a blowout as a 5-2 loss to the Mets can be).
You can stop there, because last night's loss, sending the Cubs to a 6-10 record and giving them their fourth series loss of 2010, was depressingly familiar. The Cubs left 10 men on base, including RISP in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 7th and 8th innings -- even though they managed to score single runs in the last two of those.
Tom Gorzelanny pitched well enough, not allowing a hit until the fifth inning but then being touched for four runs in the sixth. Two of those runs were unearned when Mike Fontenot couldn't handle a ground ball with the bases loaded and two out. In Fontenot's defense, he was screened from the play by Rod Barajas, who was on first after a walk. It wasn't interference or obstruction; Barajas just got in the way of Fontenot's view of the ball.
Justin Berg essentially put the game out of reach by getting nicked for a single run in the bottom of the 8th. That makes the team ERA in the 8th inning 10.69; opponents are hitting .348/.443/.652 in the 8th, and Cubs pitchers have issued 12 walks to the opposition in 80 plate appearances, with a BB/K ratio of 12/9. In all other innings Cubs pitchers have struck out at least twice as many as they have walked.
You may still disagree with the move of Carlos Zambrano to the bullpen -- even though it hasn't officially happened yet and he won't be available to throw until tomorrow -- but it's clear that the team had to do something. Those numbers are awful and although it wouldn't have changed the result of yesterday's game, where the Cubs never had the lead, there are already four games this season where eighth-inning relief failures have cost the Cubs games.
Some competent setup work would, therefore, have the team record at 10-6 instead of 6-10, and that would be fine.
Obviously, it's not just the bullpen failures that are costing the Cubs games; I mentioned the 10 men left on base last night. The Cubs have left 10 or more on base five times already this season. Four of those games are losses (the other is the 9-3 victory over the Mets on Wednesday, when the Cubs had 23 baserunners and scored enough to win even while leaving 14).
I'm not sure what's wrong with Aramis Ramirez but he doesn't look like the hitter he was even in the second half of 2009, when he hit .310/.394/.523 in the second half even while nursing the shoulder injury. If he's still hurt he needs to go on the DL, and Chad Tracy, who has not started a single one of the first 16 games, should start a few. If Tracy isn't deemed capable of starting, why is he even on the team? Bench players need to start every now and then to keep them fresh.
On to Milwaukee. Maybe the Brewers got all their run-scoring for the week out of their system in Pittsburgh.
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I listened to the game this morning at work, and the only thing I can say is: UGLY
"A waist is a terrible thing to mind." - Terry 'Fat Tub of Goo' Forster
@Twitter as @brommmietze
It wasn't any more pretty being there
Also, it went from comfortable to incredibly cold in a few innings.
All these games are the same...
And its extremely frustrating sitting down for 3 hours every day watching this team fall apart at the end of games. I think I’m just going to turn the game on in the 8th innings. That always seems to be the turning point of the game.
We're Cubs fans and with that said
we have hope! Hope is what sustained us all these years. It’s tough to watch these losses, but remember it’s not life or death. Keep your fingers crossed it’s got to get better. Hope always remains!
Saratoga
As difficult as it may be at times, yes, we do continue to hope and believe
"A waist is a terrible thing to mind." - Terry 'Fat Tub of Goo' Forster
@Twitter as @brommmietze
What now, Rudy?
What is most frustrating is that they are getting a lot of runners on base, but completely choking with RISP. I hope Rudy has some way of helping the Cubs out of that hole, otherwise this is going to be a very long, mediocre season. Ramirez is definitely not himself. I was able to watch the NY feed here in DC last night and on the extra slow motion replay, he was swinging over the top of virtually EVERYTHING. I agree, it’s time to give Chad Tracy some starts at 3rd and let A-Ram spend some time with Rudy in the batting cage to regroup.
I've been wondering if Rami needs to have his eyes checked.
Sometimes vision deterioration sneaks up without being noticed by the person being affected.
"A waist is a terrible thing to mind." - Terry 'Fat Tub of Goo' Forster
@Twitter as @brommmietze
by eths on Apr 23, 2010 8:22 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
I always thought this happened to Sosa, too.
After the beanball from Torres he was never quite the same hitter.
"One of the things I like about baseball is that between innings you can go to the restroom.'' ~Manny Acta.
That or..
the roids started to wear off
by BadDecisions on Apr 23, 2010 8:28 AM CDT up reply actions
Are you familiar with the old robot saying, "Does not compute"?
by dr stabbingworth on Apr 23, 2010 8:53 AM CDT up reply actions
That is why I love cats
"Chicago baseball fans, who are composites of scar tissue and mortifying memories..." - George F. Will
...
"A waist is a terrible thing to mind." - Terry 'Fat Tub of Goo' Forster
@Twitter as @brommmietze
Have you ever had General Tso's Chicken...
because…well…
www.facebook.com/craighudak
by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 10:51 AM CDT up reply actions
I can always tell when they try to serve me Orange Tabby though
Not nearly as delicious as Calico or Persian.
LOL
www.facebook.com/craighudak
by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 10:53 AM CDT up reply actions
Eating handfuls of faeries
I think`
www.facebook.com/craighudak
by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 10:57 AM CDT up reply actions
I think that puts you into "Crazy Cat Lady" territory
Just sayin’
"Who ever heard of the Cubs losing a game they had to have?" -Frank Chance
"If [Ruth] had [called his shot], I would have knocked him down with the next pitch." -Charlie Root
Don't they taste just like chicken?
"And away we go..."-Pat Hughes
by katie casey on Apr 23, 2010 10:54 AM CDT up reply actions
wait...does this mean
you tasted them?
"And away we go..."-Pat Hughes
by katie casey on Apr 23, 2010 10:54 AM CDT up reply actions
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_MaJDK3VNE
"A waist is a terrible thing to mind." - Terry 'Fat Tub of Goo' Forster
@Twitter as @brommmietze
wait for it....
As I've told you before, I never repeat myself.
by santoswoodenlegs on Apr 23, 2010 3:34 PM CDT up reply actions
Beware of the pay back
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_R8prS1jsvI&NR=1
"A waist is a terrible thing to mind." - Terry 'Fat Tub of Goo' Forster
@Twitter as @brommmietze
!!!
Forget all that other stuff. I gotta believe.
by drewishdrewid on Apr 23, 2010 2:24 PM CDT up reply actions
whups. wrong one.
Forget all that other stuff. I gotta believe.
by drewishdrewid on Apr 23, 2010 2:30 PM CDT up reply actions
Don't you hate linking the wrong image?
"Juuuuuuussst a bit outside. He tried for the corner and missed..."
- Harry Doyle
by Rusty in Peoria on Apr 23, 2010 2:30 PM CDT up reply actions
especially
when it happens because of photobucket screwing up. I KNOW I was selecting the code from the right thumbnail…
Forget all that other stuff. I gotta believe.
by drewishdrewid on Apr 23, 2010 2:31 PM CDT up reply actions
TWSS?
"Juuuuuuussst a bit outside. He tried for the corner and missed..."
- Harry Doyle
by Rusty in Peoria on Apr 23, 2010 2:32 PM CDT up reply actions
yeah
I saw it here a week or so ago. New I needed to save it.
Forget all that other stuff. I gotta believe.
by drewishdrewid on Apr 23, 2010 2:32 PM CDT up reply actions
you're welcome
As I've told you before, I never repeat myself.
by santoswoodenlegs on Apr 23, 2010 2:36 PM CDT up reply actions
I totally understood the first one
"Well-behaved women seldom make History"---Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
by cooliogirl47 on Apr 23, 2010 2:32 PM CDT up reply actions
I would hope the staff would have thought of that
I just like to think that if aramis wasn’t seeing like he used to he would speak up and get glasses or contacts. I think he needs to sit sporadically until he figures it out. They can’t afford to have what amounts to an automatic out in the middle of the line up.
by iowacityCUB on Apr 23, 2010 9:00 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions
what about.....
Putting Soriano in the 4 spot? He is hitting relatively well (.308?) and maybe moving him to the cleanup position and putting Rami in the 6 hole fires up the offense and gives Rami time to get on track.
yeah, smart idea...
take AB’s away from a great hitter…and give them to a not so great hitter. Next you’ll want to move Z to the pen and give his innings to Gorzo and Wells. DUMB.
As I've told you before, I never repeat myself.
by santoswoodenlegs on Apr 23, 2010 3:18 PM CDT up reply actions
now, remember
you can’t call ideas dumb… you gotta let ‘em play out! otherwise you’d be close minded! and ignoring a wake up call!
There is no infinity button for failing in sports. At some point, things turn. They always do. - Bill Simmons
definition of insanity
is doing the same thing expecting different results.
It is you who are dumb
If we score tons of runs it won’t matter how many our pitchers give up. Or, trade Soriano for Brian Roberts.
www.facebook.com/craighudak
by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 3:22 PM CDT up reply actions
Who is Zeke, by the way?
www.facebook.com/craighudak
by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 3:23 PM CDT up reply actions
That's "Mrs. Zeke" to you, Daver.
I spent 90% of my money on women and drink. The rest I wasted - George Best
My sweetie can take care of herself quite well, thank you.
She doesn’t need my intervention. She can rip anyone (including me) a new one quicker than a jackrabbit on a date.
“…and the horse you rode in on…” comes to mind…
"Look, what do you want me to do?"
Mrs. Zeke
if you’re nastay
www.facebook.com/craighudak
by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 3:24 PM CDT up reply actions
Seriously....
I teach high school. If SWL wants to call me dumb, he is gonna have to go way further than that to upset me.
And if we are going to take AB’s away from a poor hitter, and give them to a better hitter, right now, the better hitter is Soriano. Not suggesting a lifetime change, just a switch to fire up the offense and give ARam a chance to get on track.
Watching the world wake up from history
"Who ever heard of the Cubs losing a game they had to have?" -Frank Chance
"If [Ruth] had [called his shot], I would have knocked him down with the next pitch." -Charlie Root
I mentioned this awhile back
when I brought up how his strikeout numbers were trending. That’s not a physical issue, and it may not even be a mental issue, it really seems like a vision issue. Even then, there may be nothing wrong with his eyesight, but it could be that now things are moving to fast for him and he can’t track the ball anymore.
Quick question about that…I remember reading about contact lenses that are infrared, basically allowing you to pick up the baseball out of the background. Are those illegal, or am I dreaming that up?
www.facebook.com/craighudak
by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 9:12 AM CDT up reply actions
I'm not dreaming them up
Nike has a kind called Maxsight, which are basically what I described. Also, here’s a link for them:
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1208/is_17_229/ai_n13662135/
www.facebook.com/craighudak
by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 9:24 AM CDT up reply actions
Actually
the link above is for another kind of contact lens, but it still confirms what I was thinking
www.facebook.com/craighudak
by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 9:24 AM CDT up reply actions
3 in a row!
I’m so tired this morning…That article is about Maxsight lenses. My migraine meds need to kick in.
www.facebook.com/craighudak
by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 9:27 AM CDT up reply actions
Well
with no infra-red receptors, I knew they wouldn’t be that. Those sound interesting and are discontinued. I’d guess they are like blue-blocker glasses.
I'm just going to go back to bed...
www.facebook.com/craighudak
by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 9:30 AM CDT up reply actions
Like seeing in 3-D!
If you are nearsighted, I can’t reccomend LASIK enough. I had it two years ago and am still very happy with it.
I'm singing, "GO CUBS GO! GO CUBS GO!" -- DrCrawdad on Jun 12, 2009 7:23 AM CDT
Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true! -- Homer J. Simpson
by Shanghai Badger on Apr 23, 2010 9:31 AM CDT up reply actions
Wait, you only see in 2-D?
I spent 90% of my money on women and drink. The rest I wasted - George Best
I have a friend who has a "dog eye"
and he only sees in 2D
www.facebook.com/craighudak
by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 10:22 AM CDT up reply actions
Never heard of a "dog eye"
Probably sounds more awesome than it actually is.
I spent 90% of my money on women and drink. The rest I wasted - George Best
The old Blue-Blocker commercials said it was like seeing in 3D
My reaction to that was pretty much the same as yours to my comment.
I'm singing, "GO CUBS GO! GO CUBS GO!" -- DrCrawdad on Jun 12, 2009 7:23 AM CDT
Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true! -- Homer J. Simpson
by Shanghai Badger on Apr 23, 2010 1:33 PM CDT up reply actions
No thanks
I’m protective of the vision I have left. Ain’t no one coming near me with a laser!
There is no infinity button for failing in sports. At some point, things turn. They always do. - Bill Simmons
What if it gave you laser vision
like Superm…Supergirl, how about then?
www.facebook.com/craighudak
by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 3:00 PM CDT up reply actions
How about simply putting laser beams on a frickin' shark?
Can we do that? Somebody throw me a frickin’ bone here.
One mustn't forget that at least part of the trajectory
is seen by the batter using peripheral vision. This part of why the ball appears to do things which are not physically possible. A small loss of peripheral vision might go unnoticed but still effect “seeing” the ball, IMHO.
Sir Linkalot
Lady Linkalittle
Ritter von und zu Link
"A waist is a terrible thing to mind." - Terry 'Fat Tub of Goo' Forster
@Twitter as @brommmietze
Where do you come up with these names?
I didn't believe it last August, but it turns out that love survives.
"To [Vermont Cubs Fan], good luck, stay strong!"
-Captain Richard Phillips-
by Vermont Cubs Fan on Apr 23, 2010 10:56 AM CDT up reply actions
I just realized that this would be nice too: Here art thine Linkletters
As to where I get them from? Heck if I know…
"A waist is a terrible thing to mind." - Terry 'Fat Tub of Goo' Forster
@Twitter as @brommmietze
I've had the same thought.
Aramis appears to be suffering from a physical inability to see the ball combined with a complete loss of mental confidence. It’s hard to watch.
The other night they were using the slow motion camera on Aramis
and they showed him lifting his head before he would have made contact.
Basically, he isn’t keeping his eye on the ball.
I spent 90% of my money on women and drink. The rest I wasted - George Best
Sounds like a golfing problem
I hate when I lift my head on my downswing. So frustrating.
www.facebook.com/craighudak
by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 10:26 AM CDT up reply actions
Well, I believe Jaramillo is a big video guy...
…so let’s hope he’s on that and working with Aramis to cure it.
speaking of Rudy ...
I don’t know if he’s worth his contract. But Fontenot sure looks like he’s recovered, and Geo is hitting well for average. And Sori does look better.
I don’t know whether a hitting coach can be blamed for bad situational hitting, but hitting, generally, doesn’t seem too bad.
Thanks buddy! It makes me feel good way deep inside to know you approve of me!
It touches me in a very special way!
Point to the doll
for where he touched you.
www.facebook.com/craighudak
by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 10:49 AM CDT up reply actions
LOL
Dave,
Can’t you be a little more supportive of our friend TJ11 trying to turn his life around?
Either that, or at least create another LIND post while your caps key is stuck!
Respectfully,
vonde6
"Wait, are you saying I'm a sunshine-pumping, koolaid-drinking, Soriano-loving, rainbow-rising, unicorn-riding, double-clutching, Sweet Lou-backing, Hendry-supporting, hey hey whaddya saying, Cubs are going all the waying, glass is overflowing, Rothschild is all-knowing, Cubs fan? - ballhawk
THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKIN ABOUT!!!
"Wait, are you saying I'm a sunshine-pumping, koolaid-drinking, Soriano-loving, rainbow-rising, unicorn-riding, double-clutching, Sweet Lou-backing, Hendry-supporting, hey hey whaddya saying, Cubs are going all the waying, glass is overflowing, Rothschild is all-knowing, Cubs fan? - ballhawk
cue will Smith photo
"Chicago baseball fans, who are composites of scar tissue and mortifying memories..." - George F. Will
** jumping up down, waving his hand in the air **
Mir. Timmy, Mr. Timmy, Dat Cubfan is being cruel to his CapLocks key!
"A waist is a terrible thing to mind." - Terry 'Fat Tub of Goo' Forster
@Twitter as @brommmietze
You want to know something?
If TJ11 is being serious, I am willing to give him this chance. Besides, as a very famous Nazi victim (Anne Frank) wrote:
“I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart.”
I used that as my sig line for a long time.
I didn't believe it last August, but it turns out that love survives.
"To [Vermont Cubs Fan], good luck, stay strong!"
-Captain Richard Phillips-
by Vermont Cubs Fan on Apr 23, 2010 1:05 PM CDT up reply actions
I do, I do, I do...
"A waist is a terrible thing to mind." - Terry 'Fat Tub of Goo' Forster
@Twitter as @brommmietze
Oz is sooo hot ... ***sigh***
"A waist is a terrible thing to mind." - Terry 'Fat Tub of Goo' Forster
@Twitter as @brommmietze
I think I'm somewhere over the rainbow.
Definitely not in Kansas anymore.
I didn't believe it last August, but it turns out that love survives.
"To [Vermont Cubs Fan], good luck, stay strong!"
-Captain Richard Phillips-
by Vermont Cubs Fan on Apr 23, 2010 1:12 PM CDT up reply actions
Massive BCB fail... Reply appeared in the wrong sub-thread.
"A waist is a terrible thing to mind." - Terry 'Fat Tub of Goo' Forster
@Twitter as @brommmietze
Wow. How did that go from way down there to up here?
I didn't believe it last August, but it turns out that love survives.
"To [Vermont Cubs Fan], good luck, stay strong!"
-Captain Richard Phillips-
by Vermont Cubs Fan on Apr 23, 2010 1:15 PM CDT up reply actions
Not the first time I've seen it happen. And no idea what causes it.
"A waist is a terrible thing to mind." - Terry 'Fat Tub of Goo' Forster
@Twitter as @brommmietze
TWSS
As I've told you before, I never repeat myself.
by santoswoodenlegs on Apr 23, 2010 1:17 PM CDT up reply actions
Yeah, I knew that was a risk.
I didn't believe it last August, but it turns out that love survives.
"To [Vermont Cubs Fan], good luck, stay strong!"
-Captain Richard Phillips-
by Vermont Cubs Fan on Apr 23, 2010 1:18 PM CDT up reply actions
Always practice safer posting!
"A waist is a terrible thing to mind." - Terry 'Fat Tub of Goo' Forster
@Twitter as @brommmietze
Oz?
As in the prison that has Adibisi as a prisoner?
www.facebook.com/craighudak
by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 1:13 PM CDT up reply actions
Scroll down a coupl of hundred comments
"A waist is a terrible thing to mind." - Terry 'Fat Tub of Goo' Forster
@Twitter as @brommmietze
you know ...
it’s almost MORE frustrating this way. Some of the guys are doing better, but it’s not helping.
Now, if Geo can just get that SLG going...
I love to play baseball. I'm a baseball player. I've always been a baseball player. I'm still a baseball player. That's who I am. - Ryne Sandberg
by Bill Potter on Apr 23, 2010 10:43 AM CDT up reply actions
A few AB against Jeff Suppan might just do the trick.
I spent 90% of my money on women and drink. The rest I wasted - George Best
Hopefully he's not living in the past.
In the last 7 days his SLG is .571…
I spent 90% of my money on women and drink. The rest I wasted - George Best
This week is entirely different.
We shall see what happens in North Chicago.
I didn't believe it last August, but it turns out that love survives.
"To [Vermont Cubs Fan], good luck, stay strong!"
-Captain Richard Phillips-
by Vermont Cubs Fan on Apr 23, 2010 11:00 AM CDT up reply actions
Seems like the makings of a great
LEAD OFF HITTER!
4/9/10: Carlos Silva strikes out Joey Votto on three pitches. Is that what you mean by "small sample size"?
Time to put that new gazelle-like frame to the test
I can almost hear the TWSS keys clicking into place as I post this…
"Wait, are you saying I'm a sunshine-pumping, koolaid-drinking, Soriano-loving, rainbow-rising, unicorn-riding, double-clutching, Sweet Lou-backing, Hendry-supporting, hey hey whaddya saying, Cubs are going all the waying, glass is overflowing, Rothschild is all-knowing, Cubs fan? - ballhawk
Forget all that other stuff. I gotta believe.
by drewishdrewid on Apr 23, 2010 2:48 PM CDT up reply actions
Wild Thing
you make my heart sing.
"Manny Trillo is coming in to pinch run. You know, for a lot of teams, you would pinch run for Manny Trillo." - Harry Caray
He was subbed in late.
Tracy was going to face a LHP pitcher late in the game, so after the pitcher was announced, Lou brought Ramirez off the bench.
I love to play baseball. I'm a baseball player. I've always been a baseball player. I'm still a baseball player. That's who I am. - Ryne Sandberg
Yeah I know.
But I’m still mad about it. This matchup stuff starts ticking me off after awhile. Just let the guy rest. Maybe if we didn’t have 12 pitchers, we’d have someone else to go to. Don’t mind me…I’m really upset with the Cubs today. My husband wants to send me off to a hut outside the village.
"And away we go..."-Pat Hughes
I agree with you.
A day off can be as much about mentally clearing the clutter as it is working in a batting cage. Getting sent up to hit in a situation in which the team is looking for an extra-base hit isn’t necessarily the best situation to be put into when your swing mechanics are completely off.
I love to play baseball. I'm a baseball player. I've always been a baseball player. I'm still a baseball player. That's who I am. - Ryne Sandberg
Maybe some of us need a day off?
I’m actually serious – for a change. Unplug. Push back. Get out. Pick a day and don’t watch/listen to the Cubs game. Oh, and no fair picking an off day. And with apologies in advance to Al and all the BCB advertisers, definitely don’t read/comment on BCB for a day.
Maybe you’ll come back refreshed and reenergized. Maybe you’ll still be cranky and ornery. But I’m guessing you’ll have a little more insight as to how players might feel when they’re more or less forced to take time off from doing something they enjoy doing. I think this is one of those times when it’s a lot easier to say it (take a day off) than actually do it.
Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."
Oh, and I'm using the collective "you" - not you specifically...
Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."
Agreed
Something else you can do is watch a couple non-Cubs games for a day or two, and just enjoy baseball without any emotional investment. Take a look at the Twins in their new stadium, or the Rays with their young stars, or even a local minor league game.
Sittin' on the ledge and sippin' Kool-Aid...
You can watch those games...
… AND the Cubs game.
Sorry, not doing this.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Absolutely you can do both
I took Ballhawk’s comment as being directed at the diehard crowd that watches the Cubs exclusively and uses the team’s fortunes as their overall emotional weather vane.
Sittin' on the ledge and sippin' Kool-Aid...
Exactly.
Some folks here sometimes seem to get wound up just a little bit too tight on a regular basis. When things are good, it’s not an issue because all the tightness gets expended in a rousing “Go Cubs Go!” fashion on a regular basis.
But when things suck, that tightness just keeps getting wound tighter and tighter… tighter and tighter…. until…
Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."
BLAERGFKJDHFKJNFKJNSDKJnb
That’s me throwing up
www.facebook.com/craighudak
by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 11:24 AM CDT up reply actions
what is happening
in this picture? Is that dude’s HIP broken???
Forget all that other stuff. I gotta believe.
by drewishdrewid on Apr 23, 2010 2:49 PM CDT up reply actions
His leg is going in one wrong direction
while his foot is going in another wrong direction
www.facebook.com/craighudak
by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 2:51 PM CDT up reply actions
The question is not
“what IS broken” the question is “what is still intact in that guy’s leg”
Yikes.
There is no infinity button for failing in sports. At some point, things turn. They always do. - Bill Simmons
and that's
a PRACTICE. Look, there’s a guy with a clipboard on the field!
Forget all that other stuff. I gotta believe.
by drewishdrewid on Apr 23, 2010 3:30 PM CDT up reply actions
Yo, man, we talkin' 'bout PRACTICE.
"Juuuuuuussst a bit outside. He tried for the corner and missed..."
- Harry Doyle
by Rusty in Peoria on Apr 23, 2010 3:37 PM CDT up reply actions
Watch non-Cubs games?
What, do you want me to not follow baseball at all?
I didn't believe it last August, but it turns out that love survives.
"To [Vermont Cubs Fan], good luck, stay strong!"
-Captain Richard Phillips-
by Vermont Cubs Fan on Apr 23, 2010 10:56 AM CDT up reply actions
I tried last night
it did not work. I do enjoy watching other teams though.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on Apr 23, 2010 11:14 AM CDT up reply actions
It tells me the Cubs aren't playing good small ball.
I mean, come on. with that many RISP, some of them had to be on base with fewer than two outs. Can’t anyone bunt, or hit a sac fly, or something? Cheap runs are still runs.
Yankees suck.
by Steaming Pile on Apr 23, 2010 11:03 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
It's sad that 16 games into the season, the template for a recap of a loss is already set.
But that’s the way it’s gone – poor situational hitting and bullpen implosions. Good times.
I love to play baseball. I'm a baseball player. I've always been a baseball player. I'm still a baseball player. That's who I am. - Ryne Sandberg
Possible Caption:
♫Move…slide your rump
Just for a minute let’s all do the bump, bump, bump…♫
"One of the things I like about baseball is that between innings you can go to the restroom.'' ~Manny Acta.
The bullpen wasn't remotely the problem last night...
The bullpen allowed one earned run in 2.1 innings. The problem was the offense and the defense. The two unearned runs allowed after Russell entered were due to Gorzellany allowing baserunners and Fontenot committing an error.
If it weren’t for the fact that we’ve already zeroed in on the bullpen stinking, I highly doubt that the bullpen would have been mentioned in the title.
the bullpen/offense debate ...
is approaching Less filling/tastes great proportions.
Keep in mind that we WERE facing Johan Santana. It’s not like we were shut down by a No. 5 starter.
by elgato on Apr 23, 2010 8:32 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
No disagreement that Santana was a key factor...
I’m just saying that the bullpen was not the reason we lost this game. Yet for some reason, Al made it the #1 word in the title and stated it as one of the two problems in the first sentence of the post.
The offense’s inability to score (admittedly against a very tough pitcher) was the primary reason we lost. The second reason we lost was because of the sixth inning. In that inning, two problems arose:
1) Gorzellany ran out of steam and allowed two runs and left two baserunners on
2) Fontenot committed an error which allowed two more runs to score.
None of this was the fault of the bullpen.
The only reason that I can come up with for mentioning the bullpen at all is to try to manufacture more of an argument for moving Zambrano to the bullpen. But this game was not the game to push that argument.
I know what you're saying ...
but here’s the thing. Z is moving to the pen because the relievers we have aren’t getting the job done. Yes, we can argue about whether the offense is more of a factor in the 6-10 start, but the bullpen has NOT been good.
Is Al picking on the pen to further his argument? Maybe. But the reason he HAS an argument is that the pen has been really bad. And it didn’t hold things again last night.
Well, yes and no
The bullpen was not why the Cubs lost last night. Lack of timely offense, and a key defensive failure, is why.
Your first point is a good one. But I don’t think it applied to last night’s game.
by Not Bruce Froemming on Apr 23, 2010 9:52 AM CDT up reply actions
I'm just saying why the pen might have been mentioned again.
If D-Lee makes an inoccuous error that doesn’t amount to much, it probably won’t get mentioned by Al. If Soriano makes one, it almost certainly will be mentioned because it’s part of a pattern.
But I’ll stop pretending to know what it’s Al Yellon’s head. :)
I see what you're getting at
I’m sure Al has his biases, like we all do.
by Not Bruce Froemming on Apr 23, 2010 9:59 AM CDT up reply actions
The bullpen did it's job last night...
If Fontenot fields that thing cleanly, maybe nobody is talking about the bullpen.
by SouthernCub on Apr 23, 2010 10:02 AM CDT up reply actions
Last night
2.1 innings and 1 earned run. That is fine. No bullpen shuts out the opponent all the time.
the bullpen did allow two inherited runs to score
… thanks to an error.
I know what you’re saying, and I agree that the offense has been the biggest problem this week. The bullpen, though, was the bigger (or as big of a) culprit before the NY series.
The error was not the bullpen's fault, which was my point.
I’m not defending the bullpen for the season. That group has had its fair share of failures this year. I’m not even defending the bullpen during the NY series.
My only beef is with the idea that the bullpen should have been any part of the storyline from last night’s game, let alone being the title and first sentence of the recap.
I’m neither condemning nor supporting the Zambrano-to-bullpen idea in this thread. I’m just saying that the recap from last night’s game wasn’t the right place for the bashing of the bullpen and the argument for moving Zambrano.
to paraphrase Ron last night ...
leaving men on against Johan Santana and K-Rod isn’t the same thing as leaving men on against, say, Jeff Suppan.
But, ha, I guess we did that, too.
Yeah, that's true.
Great pitchers really do bear down in key situations. Honestly, I wasn’t really expecting the Cubs to win this game, but I did start to get my hopes up when I saw them hitting Johan. I’m just glad they avoided the sweep. If they can take two of three from the Brewers this weekend, it’ll have been a 3 and 4 road trip, which, while not good, is at least good enough for treading water at the moment.
frankly ...
The fact that Soriano is hitting gives me some hope for the offense. We’ll see if it’s misplaced.
Totally agree.
At the risk of sounding like Lou, if one is hoping to win major league baseball games scoring less than 5 or 6 runs, that individual is kidding him- or herself. And as long as the Cubs continue to fail to produce runs, the bullpen is really a less important side issue.
Some timely hitting would take all the pressure off the bullpen.
Right now they have to be perfect to keep us close. I put most of the blame on the offense. Even if the bullpen has a hold last night, we lose because of the 10 men stranded. This has to turnaround and it’s seemingly all of them, except Byrd.
This is only the beginning....Lou Pinella end of '07 season and Chicago Transit Authority (the band when they were really good).
Berg put it "out of reach" by giving up a run?
Perhaps that is true but only if your offense can’t hit it’s way out of paper bag. Not that giving up a run is good but it tells how pathetic the team is at offense.
Very glad I went to a movie last night.
Does A-Ram have hit under .100 for Chad Tracy to get a start?
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
I'm going out tonight to a fundraising dinner.
I didn’t want to go originally, but it’ll force me not to watch. I need a night away from them. Hope you enjoyed your movie.
"And away we go..."-Pat Hughes
Hell yes I enjoyed it
It was LOCAL HERO one of my favorite films ever. I tried to get a group of friends to go but they said why bother since it was on DVD. It was great seeing on a big screen and a great film.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on Apr 23, 2010 8:51 AM CDT up reply actions
Hmm... I would have guessed you were going to see...
The Assassination of the Chicago Cubs by the Coward Lou Piniella
Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."
HAHAHAHAHAHA
Now I wanna see a Photoshop’d movie poster of this!
Sittin' on the ledge and sippin' Kool-Aid...
No but my next film is going to be
“Who is “Sweetheart” and Why is She Saying These Terrible Things About Me" directed by Lou Piniella
Ballhawk might be one of the few to get the reference
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on Apr 23, 2010 10:37 AM CDT up reply actions
Re: Local Hero
That’s an amazing film-haven’t watched it in a few years but I might have to rectify that this weekend-at the very least it’ll take some of the sting out of all of teh horrible baseball we’re being exposed to.
by bluekoolaide on Apr 23, 2010 11:15 AM CDT up reply actions
Very good movie
for forgetting your troubles. Right now I just want to go to Scotland and walk on the beach but not eat any rabbitts.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on Apr 23, 2010 1:00 PM CDT up reply actions
My guess is
Aramis will have to be hitting at .050 before Tracy gets a start. Sad that they can’t recognize that he’s pressing in every possible way.
I didn't believe it last August, but it turns out that love survives.
"To [Vermont Cubs Fan], good luck, stay strong!"
-Captain Richard Phillips-
by Vermont Cubs Fan on Apr 23, 2010 9:04 AM CDT up reply actions
Lou has a plan, we just have to figure it out.
When you manage at such a high level, its hard for us common folk to understand sometimes.
We will win tonight, everybody calm down!
We just have to get past these tough teams and get to the easy part of the schedule.
I'll be interested to see
if you can keep this up for the entire season. If you can, I’ll give you some grudging form of credit, I guess. :)
by Not Bruce Froemming on Apr 23, 2010 8:47 AM CDT up reply actions
ditto
altho, at some point in the season I’m probably gonna tell him to STFU! :)
"Well-behaved women seldom make History"---Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
by cooliogirl47 on Apr 23, 2010 8:50 AM CDT up reply actions
where's that yin yang photo...
"Chicago baseball fans, who are composites of scar tissue and mortifying memories..." - George F. Will
This one?
"Who ever heard of the Cubs losing a game they had to have?" -Frank Chance
"If [Ruth] had [called his shot], I would have knocked him down with the next pitch." -Charlie Root
that is amazingly mesmerizing
kinda like TJ11’s positivity
by cubsonWGN4ever on Apr 23, 2010 12:28 PM CDT up reply actions
Does it come in a black light, 3-D version?
Like wow, man… far out…
"Look, what do you want me to do?"
If it does, I'm sure Spencer's carries it.
I’ll just hop into my Rally Nova and cruise over to the mall and see…
Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."
Oh my.
That is truly something.
I didn't believe it last August, but it turns out that love survives.
"To [Vermont Cubs Fan], good luck, stay strong!"
-Captain Richard Phillips-
by Vermont Cubs Fan on Apr 23, 2010 1:05 PM CDT up reply actions
unfortnately
The first month of the season was supposed to be our “easy part of the schedule.” Ugh…
And before they went to Pittsburgh
they weren’t looking all that good.
by Not Bruce Froemming on Apr 23, 2010 8:58 AM CDT up reply actions
The Brewers have had the Pirates' number the last few years.
Since 2007 the Brewers are 36-12 vs. Pittsburgh.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Not too many.
But 36-12 since 2007? That’s dominance.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Scoring 20 runs in a ballgame says the odds are you score 0-1 the next game.
It’s just the karma of baseball…
"Look, what do you want me to do?"
where's that baghdad bob photo...
"Chicago baseball fans, who are composites of scar tissue and mortifying memories..." - George F. Will
This team sucks
"You win because of the quarterback. We have to get that position stabilized. We're fixated on that." -- Jerry Angelo (12.30.2008)
Jerry Angelo trades for Jay Cutler! (4.2.2009)
.
by SackMan on Apr 23, 2010 8:53 AM CDT reply actions 3 recs
rec'd
for reading my mind-except I had a gentler version- “Cubs stink”.
"And away we go..."-Pat Hughes
I'm normally as "Go Cubs" as you are acting,
but today I’m mad. I’m handling last night’s loss the way I usually take mathematical elimination. I don’t know if it’s all the runners left in scoring position or the Z-move or what. I want my optimism back.
"And away we go..."-Pat Hughes
by katie casey on Apr 23, 2010 10:22 AM CDT up reply actions
You are right!
Like the scale, I shouldn’t let their daily ups and downs affect my mood.
"And away we go..."-Pat Hughes
by katie casey on Apr 23, 2010 10:52 AM CDT up reply actions
This is like reading Rex Morgan!
Every statement must end with an exclamation mark!
Not that there’s anything wrong with that!
"Wait, are you saying I'm a sunshine-pumping, koolaid-drinking, Soriano-loving, rainbow-rising, unicorn-riding, double-clutching, Sweet Lou-backing, Hendry-supporting, hey hey whaddya saying, Cubs are going all the waying, glass is overflowing, Rothschild is all-knowing, Cubs fan? - ballhawk
TJ...sometimes I would like to put my hands around your neck and just squeeze!
wouldn’t that be fun?!?!
"Well-behaved women seldom make History"---Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
by cooliogirl47 on Apr 23, 2010 2:26 PM CDT up reply actions
Need help? I'll be glad to.
"A waist is a terrible thing to mind." - Terry 'Fat Tub of Goo' Forster
@Twitter as @brommmietze
you betcha!
"Well-behaved women seldom make History"---Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
by cooliogirl47 on Apr 23, 2010 2:28 PM CDT up reply actions
"wait - see if you can guess what I am now..."
Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."
I'm a zit! Get it?
"Who ever heard of the Cubs losing a game they had to have?" -Frank Chance
"If [Ruth] had [called his shot], I would have knocked him down with the next pitch." -Charlie Root
Bluto!
"Well-behaved women seldom make History"---Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
by cooliogirl47 on Apr 23, 2010 2:33 PM CDT up reply actions
I used to work with his brother
And before you ask it wasnt Jim. He had another younger brother Tom, This was at the height of SNL. I was a waiter and Tom was a bus boy. He was funny but very shy and it was a long time before I even knew who his brother was. Their father was a prominent Dupage county judge.
"All of us are in the gutter...some of us are looking at the stars." Oscar Wilde
wow, a judge? that must have been a trip when they were teenagers
and I never knew there was another brother.
"Well-behaved women seldom make History"---Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
by cooliogirl47 on Apr 23, 2010 2:41 PM CDT up reply actions
after the start of this season....
As I've told you before, I never repeat myself.
by santoswoodenlegs on Apr 23, 2010 2:41 PM CDT up reply actions
where's the alka seltzer?
"Well-behaved women seldom make History"---Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
by cooliogirl47 on Apr 23, 2010 2:42 PM CDT up reply actions
They took the bar!
The whole f***ing bar!
"Who ever heard of the Cubs losing a game they had to have?" -Frank Chance
"If [Ruth] had [called his shot], I would have knocked him down with the next pitch." -Charlie Root
me after the season
"They say you don’t win a pennant in April, but you can sure lose one." - Ryan Dempster
I think more appropriate
to describe how so many have been angry, is this:
“I want him brought from his happy holiday slumber over there on Melody Lane with all the other rich people and I want him brought right here, with a big ribbon on his head, and I want to look him straight in the eye and I want to tell him what a cheap, lying, no-good, rotten, four-flushing, low-life, snake-licking, dirt-eating, inbred, overstuffed, ignorant, blood-sucking, dog-kissing, brainless, dickless, hopeless, heartless, fat-ass, bug-eyed, stiff-legged, spotty-lipped, worm-headed sack of monkey shit he is! Hallelujah! Holy shit! Where’s the Tylenol?”
www.facebook.com/craighudak
by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 2:46 PM CDT up reply actions
here's the eggnog, "it's good, it's good"
"Well-behaved women seldom make History"---Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
by cooliogirl47 on Apr 23, 2010 2:49 PM CDT up reply actions
I feel like Ralphie
being booted down the slide by Santa while he’s saying “You’ll shoot your eye out kid-ho ho ho”
"And away we go..."-Pat Hughes
You WILL shoot your eye out
Lesson learned. Want any more nuggets of wisdom?
Oh. You do? Well here’s anothr. Snake venom is not liquor. BOOM.
www.facebook.com/craighudak
by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 2:59 PM CDT up reply actions
I think "this team sucks right now"
would be more accurate. We don’t know if it will continue to suck.
by Not Bruce Froemming on Apr 23, 2010 8:56 AM CDT up reply actions
Not sunny, just realistic
And are you getting paid by the exclamation point these days?
by Not Bruce Froemming on Apr 23, 2010 9:00 AM CDT up reply actions
This has the potential
to be almost as irritating as the caseless nattering nabobs of negativism who often permeate this site … ;)
by Not Bruce Froemming on Apr 23, 2010 9:08 AM CDT up reply actions
Oh, that's good
For the kiddies around here, look up that one. EE just hit a grand slam.
by Not Bruce Froemming on Apr 23, 2010 9:22 AM CDT up reply actions
You sure Nixed on that one
"A waist is a terrible thing to mind." - Terry 'Fat Tub of Goo' Forster
@Twitter as @brommmietze
You're going to be Nixon us with that post.
I didn't believe it last August, but it turns out that love survives.
"To [Vermont Cubs Fan], good luck, stay strong!"
-Captain Richard Phillips-
by Vermont Cubs Fan on Apr 23, 2010 10:57 AM CDT up reply actions
the one from Spiro Agnew, or from NBF?
"Wait, are you saying I'm a sunshine-pumping, koolaid-drinking, Soriano-loving, rainbow-rising, unicorn-riding, double-clutching, Sweet Lou-backing, Hendry-supporting, hey hey whaddya saying, Cubs are going all the waying, glass is overflowing, Rothschild is all-knowing, Cubs fan? - ballhawk
the Silent Majority are offended
"Wait, are you saying I'm a sunshine-pumping, koolaid-drinking, Soriano-loving, rainbow-rising, unicorn-riding, double-clutching, Sweet Lou-backing, Hendry-supporting, hey hey whaddya saying, Cubs are going all the waying, glass is overflowing, Rothschild is all-knowing, Cubs fan? - ballhawk
I'll get the plumbers on it right away, sir!
"A waist is a terrible thing to mind." - Terry 'Fat Tub of Goo' Forster
@Twitter as @brommmietze
Next thing you know
we’re all going to be worried about Billy Williams being in a slump, and Ray Burris is going to the bullpen.
by Not Bruce Froemming on Apr 23, 2010 2:24 PM CDT up reply actions
Rose Mary Woods will know what to to do...
"A waist is a terrible thing to mind." - Terry 'Fat Tub of Goo' Forster
@Twitter as @brommmietze
18½ minutes of glorious silence
Hello darkness, my old friend
I’ve come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence
"A waist is a terrible thing to mind." - Terry 'Fat Tub of Goo' Forster
@Twitter as @brommmietze
I now have this strange urge to go the mall and buy a pair of jeans
and listen to some 70’s/80’s funk band music…
Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."
the issue is ...
I don’t know how this team will get that much better as currently constructed. Other than an Aramis rebound, I don’t see a lot of room for improvement.
And that’s kinda scary.
You don't think the bullpen will improve?
And you also don’t know what trades/callups will bring, either.
by Not Bruce Froemming on Apr 23, 2010 9:07 AM CDT up reply actions
well, I said "as currently constructed" ...
so I’m not accounting for callups or acquisitions. But, no, I don’t think this bullpen will get better without some new blood. I don’t think guys like Berg, Russell, Caridad, etc. will get better if they routinely get torched.
I think there's potential for those guys to get better
and there’s always the likelihood of new blood.
Right now, I think the biggest problem on this team is Ramirez. And he’s the guy I was least concerned about a month ago. He needs to get back to his old self hasta pronto.
by Not Bruce Froemming on Apr 23, 2010 9:16 AM CDT up reply actions
Not trying to be argumentative ...
but what about the young guys’ performances gives you cause for optimism?
Caridad and Russell,
I think, have the potential to be pretty good.
by Not Bruce Froemming on Apr 23, 2010 9:25 AM CDT up reply actions
Well, I like what I saw from Caridad last season
and the bulk of this one. Same this season and spring with Russell.
It’s not as if they’ve crapped the bed virtually every time out, the way Samardzija has. From what I’ve seen, they’ve been mostly good.
by Not Bruce Froemming on Apr 23, 2010 9:28 AM CDT up reply actions
I don't know if I'd agree that Caridad has been mostly good this year.
Russell’s been fine, I guess. But whatever, that’s all subjective, and I agree that neither of them has been Shark bad.
I often wonder if the Cubs thought they might be overexposing some of the young arms going into this season — kinda like making a guy straight out of college the starting QB on a team with a bad offensive line.
For the current performance AND development going forward, Hendry could have done a real disservice to guys like Caridad and Russell. To use a somewhat appropriate football cliche, they both should have been holding a clipboard this year — i.e. they shouldn’t have been put in such high-stakes positions.
I don't know about that
Throwing some of these kids into the deep end of the pool to see what they can do isn’t a bad idea. Plus the bullpen is so fungible from one year to the next.
I think Hendry rapidly is approaching “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” status.
by Not Bruce Froemming on Apr 23, 2010 9:47 AM CDT up reply actions
there's throwing someone in the deep end ...
like the Cubs did with Marmol in 2007. But remember, Marmol didn’t start the season with the team and was usually behind Howry and Dempster in the bullpen hierarchy that year.
Then there’s throwing 4/7 of the bullpen (Caridad, Russell, Berg, Shark) into the deep end at the same time to start the season. I know the Guzman injury really changed the math, but going with (essentially) four rookies was a bad, bad idea.
+10 BCB Points for using "fungible"
and also for pointing out the mercurial nature of a major-league bullpen year in and out.
Sittin' on the ledge and sippin' Kool-Aid...
totally agree with the mercurial nature of bullpens ...
But essentially four rookies, including one as your primary setup guy? That was a bad idea from Jump Street.
It's got me rethinking my own opinions
I’ve always had the belief that rookie pitchers should start out in the bullpen as a way of cutting their teeth on major league hitting. But the way these guys are getting lit up has me scratching my head. While you want them to gain exposure, you need them to gain confidence too.
Maybe a better way to indoctrinate rookie pitchers is to use them in relief, but not in a set-up or closer role. Maybe have them come in as the 6th-7th inning guy instead?
Sittin' on the ledge and sippin' Kool-Aid...
Exactly!
That’s what Marmol did in 2007. I’m not saying that rookies shouldn’t get opportunities. I’m saying that FOUR rookies shouldn’t get opportunities in the same bullpen and the same time.
I liked what I saw as well.
I saw no reason not to completely trust him with the important set up duties.
I mean when a sept. callup comes in and does a nice job in meaningless games, of course it should be assumed that he is ready and no other bullpen help was needed.
the tell
You know, when you go from complete farce to sarcasm, you forget to add the exclamation marks. Just wanted to let you know, before some of these other poker players are tipped to your hand.
"Wait, are you saying I'm a sunshine-pumping, koolaid-drinking, Soriano-loving, rainbow-rising, unicorn-riding, double-clutching, Sweet Lou-backing, Hendry-supporting, hey hey whaddya saying, Cubs are going all the waying, glass is overflowing, Rothschild is all-knowing, Cubs fan? - ballhawk
You are a very clever person!
Sometimes I do not believe exclamation points are needed! Sometimes I do!
Go Cubs!
The cause for pessimism and the 'pen centers around Lou's history with young 'pen arms.
But we’ve got some guys with talent and some that got projected well to boot. I don’t think these guys will provide a shut-down ’pen by the end of the year, but I do think at least two will step up.
4/9/10: Carlos Silva strikes out Joey Votto on three pitches. Is that what you mean by "small sample size"?
who projected them well?
And why do you think “at least two” will? What do you base that on?
Two is a small percentage of the 8 or so guys in the mix.
PECOTA/CHONE etc. projected some of these guys well enough if I recall correctly.
4/9/10: Carlos Silva strikes out Joey Votto on three pitches. Is that what you mean by "small sample size"?
Wait ...
so you figure that two of the guys will succeed because that’s a small percentage of the total? Sorry, dude, but that logic isn’t that sound.
Now, if PECOTA/CHONE etc. are saying they’ll do well, that’s something else. But saying, “We have eight young pitchers, two of them have to do OK,” doesn’t carry a lot of weight.
Well it's not just two out of a random set of 8.
Some of these 8 were liked by Cubs’ coaches and some projected well and some I don’t expect good MLB work in 2009 from. But out of the first two categories, I figure some will work and some won’t.
4/9/10: Carlos Silva strikes out Joey Votto on three pitches. Is that what you mean by "small sample size"?
Well this gets to whether you think timely hitting is a skill or more baseball luck.
Besides the ‘pen as mentioned already, I’d think we’ll start to string more hits together eventually. Soriano had some great double digit ABs last night.
4/9/10: Carlos Silva strikes out Joey Votto on three pitches. Is that what you mean by "small sample size"?
Exactly correct.
I didn't believe it last August, but it turns out that love survives.
"To [Vermont Cubs Fan], good luck, stay strong!"
-Captain Richard Phillips-
by Vermont Cubs Fan on Apr 23, 2010 9:03 AM CDT up reply actions
It's our anniversary today so we're going to
celebrate by cooking up a nice dinner, sip some Champagne and turn on the Cubs! And then on Sunday we’re driving to Milwaukee to watch in person! Can’t wait! If bad baseball was to drive me away, it would have done it in the 1950’s.
One of Lee Elia's 15%
We're going to the game on Sunday too.
Maybe we’’ll get to see Z’s first bullpen appearance.
"And away we go..."-Pat Hughes
That would be exciting.
And a memorable game one way or another.
One of Lee Elia's 15%
by waiting4cubs on Apr 23, 2010 9:19 AM CDT up reply actions
We few; we happy few; we band of brothers, and sisters.
For he today that sheds cubbie blue with me shall be my brother, or sister.
Be he ne’er so vile, this season shall gentle his condition.
And fans in Chicago now ashamed,
Shall think themselves accursed; and hold their fandom cheap,
Whenever Cub fans speak who cheered with us upon this 2010 campaign.
Happy Birthday and apologies to Shakespeare.
One of Lee Elia's 15%
by waiting4cubs on Apr 23, 2010 9:14 AM CDT up reply actions
Another week or so of these kind of games...
…and we’ll be quoting Lee Elia! ;-)
Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."
And PRINT it!
I'm singing, "GO CUBS GO! GO CUBS GO!" -- DrCrawdad on Jun 12, 2009 7:23 AM CDT
Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true! -- Homer J. Simpson
by Shanghai Badger on Apr 23, 2010 9:30 AM CDT up reply actions
Oh, just you wait till tonight's game preview.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Alas, poor Yorkis! He pitched not well.
And he’d probably have a spot in the 2010 bullpen . . .
I'm singing, "GO CUBS GO! GO CUBS GO!" -- DrCrawdad on Jun 12, 2009 7:23 AM CDT
Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true! -- Homer J. Simpson
by Shanghai Badger on Apr 23, 2010 9:32 AM CDT up reply actions
Tracy, or not Tracy?
That is the question.
I'm singing, "GO CUBS GO! GO CUBS GO!" -- DrCrawdad on Jun 12, 2009 7:23 AM CDT
Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true! -- Homer J. Simpson
by Shanghai Badger on Apr 23, 2010 9:35 AM CDT up reply actions
Cubs Call Up Rosencrantz & Guildenstern, DFA Laertes and Polonius
Sittin' on the ledge and sippin' Kool-Aid...
Expectation is the root of all heartache.
I can’t top that one.
I'm singing, "GO CUBS GO! GO CUBS GO!" -- DrCrawdad on Jun 12, 2009 7:23 AM CDT
Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true! -- Homer J. Simpson
by Shanghai Badger on Apr 23, 2010 9:39 AM CDT up reply actions
My Cubs are problematic
"A waist is a terrible thing to mind." - Terry 'Fat Tub of Goo' Forster
@Twitter as @brommmietze
O! let me not be mad, not mad, sweet Lou; Keep me in temper;
I would not be mad! King Lou, er… Lear 1. 5
One of Lee Elia's 15%
by waiting4cubs on Apr 23, 2010 10:36 AM CDT up reply actions
Lou
is Fortune’s Fool.
Forget all that other stuff. I gotta believe.
by drewishdrewid on Apr 23, 2010 3:31 PM CDT up reply actions
Oh my.
Are you going to pull something that sounds like Beowulf?
I didn't believe it last August, but it turns out that love survives.
"To [Vermont Cubs Fan], good luck, stay strong!"
-Captain Richard Phillips-
by Vermont Cubs Fan on Apr 23, 2010 10:58 AM CDT up reply actions
Maybe it's
“Once upon a bleacher seat dreary,
while I blogged, weak and weary,
over many a quenching big gulp….”
"And away we go..."-Pat Hughes
by katie casey on Apr 23, 2010 11:04 AM CDT up reply actions
for my bladder control
I am leary
www.facebook.com/craighudak
by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 11:05 AM CDT up reply actions
Is it Beowulf's birthday, too!!??
One of Lee Elia's 15%
by waiting4cubs on Apr 23, 2010 12:43 PM CDT up reply actions
Beowulf is cool.
Hwæt. We Gardena in geardagum,
þeodcyninga, þrym gefrunon,
hu ða æþelingas ellen fremedon.
Oft Scyld Scefing sceaþena/ þreatum,
monegum mægþum, meodosetla ofteah,
egsode eorlas. Syððan ærest wearð/
feasceaft funden, he þæs frofre gebad,
weox under wolcnum, weorðmyndum þah,
oðþæt him æghwylc þara ymbsittendra
ofer hronrade hyran scolde,
gomban gyldan. þæt wæs god cyning.
etc. etc.
"A waist is a terrible thing to mind." - Terry 'Fat Tub of Goo' Forster
@Twitter as @brommmietze
Depends which Ozzie you're referring to.
It could be either Ozzie Guillen or Ozzy Osbourne.
I didn't believe it last August, but it turns out that love survives.
"To [Vermont Cubs Fan], good luck, stay strong!"
-Captain Richard Phillips-
by Vermont Cubs Fan on Apr 23, 2010 1:06 PM CDT up reply actions
Definitely not Harriett's Ozzie
"All of us are in the gutter...some of us are looking at the stars." Oscar Wilde
My reply auto-magically relocated itself to another sub-thread.
"A waist is a terrible thing to mind." - Terry 'Fat Tub of Goo' Forster
@Twitter as @brommmietze
Does it matter which...
both ramble and are hard to understand….
"Why people, who have not committed any punishable offense, listen to Country and Western music is absolutely beyond me" - John Cleese
Hwæt
The original barbaric YAWP?
4/9/10: Carlos Silva strikes out Joey Votto on three pitches. Is that what you mean by "small sample size"?
In modern German "Hört!" which could be translated as "Lo!" in modern English
"A waist is a terrible thing to mind." - Terry 'Fat Tub of Goo' Forster
@Twitter as @brommmietze
I never liked it, actually.
Maybe that’s just me.
I didn't believe it last August, but it turns out that love survives.
"To [Vermont Cubs Fan], good luck, stay strong!"
-Captain Richard Phillips-
by Vermont Cubs Fan on Apr 23, 2010 1:24 PM CDT up reply actions
I heard it once read in the original Old English.
Even if you don’t understand very much, the sound of the language has real “umph” and power.
"A waist is a terrible thing to mind." - Terry 'Fat Tub of Goo' Forster
@Twitter as @brommmietze
I heard part of it read that way, too.
Old English sounds like a close relative of German. No surprise, since both are Germanic languages.
I didn't believe it last August, but it turns out that love survives.
"To [Vermont Cubs Fan], good luck, stay strong!"
-Captain Richard Phillips-
by Vermont Cubs Fan on Apr 23, 2010 1:30 PM CDT up reply actions
Probably the closest Germanic relatives of English on the continent are Frisian, Dutch, Danish and Norwegian.
Also some of the North German dialects are close to Anglo-Saxon (Old English).
If you speak German and English, then you can latch on to these languages very quickly.
But I fear that we are straying way off topic here.
"A waist is a terrible thing to mind." - Terry 'Fat Tub of Goo' Forster
@Twitter as @brommmietze
Happy anniversary!
You shall see a Cubs win!
I didn't believe it last August, but it turns out that love survives.
"To [Vermont Cubs Fan], good luck, stay strong!"
-Captain Richard Phillips-
by Vermont Cubs Fan on Apr 23, 2010 9:09 AM CDT up reply actions
Happy anniversary!
It will be happy regardless of how our baseball team does tonight.
Thanks, and you are right.
One of Lee Elia's 15%
by waiting4cubs on Apr 23, 2010 9:18 AM CDT up reply actions
caption:
Baby Ruth?
"They say you don’t win a pennant in April, but you can sure lose one." - Ryan Dempster
by razgriz23 on Apr 23, 2010 9:09 AM CDT reply actions 2 recs
Caption:
I’ve got the winning lottery tickets here in my glove. Want to see them?
I didn't believe it last August, but it turns out that love survives.
"To [Vermont Cubs Fan], good luck, stay strong!"
-Captain Richard Phillips-
by Vermont Cubs Fan on Apr 23, 2010 9:11 AM CDT reply actions
I like it, VCF
You might have a future in the photo-caption biz.
by Not Bruce Froemming on Apr 23, 2010 9:12 AM CDT up reply actions
So who does this team go after
to generate some offense, and how do they acquire him? It’s clear that Castro isn’t sniffing the majors until June 1st, and even then, it’s not a guarantee he’ll be playing. The team clearly needs a sparkplug and someone to start hitting in these RISP. Perhaps if they had just one person who could do that effectively, maybe the rest of the team would follow their lead.
www.facebook.com/craighudak
by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 9:15 AM CDT reply actions
I think his name is "Aramis Ramirez"
If he starts hitting like he usually does, I think a lot of other stuff falls into place.
by Not Bruce Froemming on Apr 23, 2010 9:17 AM CDT up reply actions
I know
but right now, he’s shot, and the way his numbers are going, recovery looks a long way off. I don’t even know what I’m thinking…This team has Soriano, Byrd, Nady, Lee, Ramirez, Soto, and even Soriano on it and not a damn one is doing a good job of consistently batting runs in.
I’m still of the mindset of fixing the bullpen first, but yeah, the offense is clearly a problem, and it has been since the start of last year. It’s really making life feel like last season never ended, and this is just a continuation of that.
www.facebook.com/craighudak
by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 9:21 AM CDT up reply actions
I agree with you Bruce. You are, as usual, right on the money.
ARam has put to much pressure on himself. I believe as the rest of the team starts producing more, he will ease up and be the Ramirez of old.
Indeed
Last nights’ two ABs were a microcosm of the season so far. He’s in a situation where he should be producing and he just falls flat. It’s not going to go on forever, because something is obviously off and they’ll find it.
4/9/10: Carlos Silva strikes out Joey Votto on three pitches. Is that what you mean by "small sample size"?
I'm not well educated on the player
but what if he turns out to be like Andruw Jones. Didn’t his production just completely fall off a cliff?
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by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 9:25 AM CDT up reply actions
Andruw's did.
He’s a different style hitter than ARam for one, and a player who didn’t take care of his body.
Yes, it’s possible that Aramis has fallen off the cliff with a severe, unfixable eye problem. But that’s not likely at this point.
4/9/10: Carlos Silva strikes out Joey Votto on three pitches. Is that what you mean by "small sample size"?
I hope not
You become attached to good Cubs players, whether if they stay on the team or not, and I would hate for his career to be affected by this as much as I hate losing his help. I hope he makes a roaring comeback.
www.facebook.com/craighudak
by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 9:30 AM CDT up reply actions
If Ramirez went through a streak like this in, say, July,
I think everybody would be a lot more ho-hum about it than right out of the box.
by Not Bruce Froemming on Apr 23, 2010 9:35 AM CDT up reply actions
No question
But this is the only data available.
I still think he’ll hit.
I'm singing, "GO CUBS GO! GO CUBS GO!" -- DrCrawdad on Jun 12, 2009 7:23 AM CDT
Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true! -- Homer J. Simpson
by Shanghai Badger on Apr 23, 2010 9:49 AM CDT up reply actions
Ah, but
it’s never the only data available. We always have a history of performance to compare.
4/9/10: Carlos Silva strikes out Joey Votto on three pitches. Is that what you mean by "small sample size"?
Indeed
I'm singing, "GO CUBS GO! GO CUBS GO!" -- DrCrawdad on Jun 12, 2009 7:23 AM CDT
Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true! -- Homer J. Simpson
by Shanghai Badger on Apr 23, 2010 1:37 PM CDT up reply actions
I haven't thought about who's available, but just thinking about the "type" of player we need...
I think the best thing the Cubs could do is get a Kenny Lofton-type player. A bona fide leadoff hitter that’s going to get on base and cause some consternation – for the other team, this time – on the basepaths.
You’re definitely right in that a sparkplug is needed, and a Thome or Ortiz-type that says “climb on my back boys, I’ll take us there” would be great as well but frankly I think we already have those guys in Lee, Ramirez and yes – even Soriano. They just need a sparkplug in front of them.
Problem is, those types don’t grow on trees. And we’re kinda limited to MI or maybe CF. But I’d love to see a 2003-redux when Hendry brought Lofton over in mid-season.
Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."
So what Kenny Lofton type player is out there and available?
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
I'm starting to think back to 2004
and it’s making me sad the team didn’t keep Lofton.
www.facebook.com/craighudak
by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 10:06 AM CDT up reply actions
Not really
Patterson was coming back for a full season after being injured. Little did we know how awful he would become.
by Not Bruce Froemming on Apr 23, 2010 10:13 AM CDT up reply actions
Not really
that it’s making me sad the team didn’t keep Lofton?
www.facebook.com/craighudak
by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 10:15 AM CDT up reply actions
I wasn't really sad about Lofton
because he was aging and Patterson appeared to be a better option. C’est la vie.
by Not Bruce Froemming on Apr 23, 2010 10:29 AM CDT up reply actions
frankly ...
I wish the Cubs had re-signed Lofton and traded Patterson. And, yeah, that’s with the benefit of hindsight. But I remember being concerned about the lack of a table-setter given Corey’s hackishness.
I just remember Lofton always getting on base with a single
and then the next thing you’d know he would be standing at 2nd, and then he’d be crossing home.
www.facebook.com/craighudak
by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 10:18 AM CDT up reply actions
Also, I'm full of crazy today
but perhaps they should bring on the guy they should have gone after a couple years ago: Scotty Pods. You’d have to trade for him, but I wouldn’t think it would take much.
www.facebook.com/craighudak
by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 10:13 AM CDT up reply actions
A couple of years ago, maybe.
Now? Not so much.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
He's playing very well right now
and is coming off of his best year. He seems one of those guys people doubt, but generally comes through.
www.facebook.com/craighudak
by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 12:42 PM CDT up reply actions
Last year was not Pods' best year.
I present as evidence his 2003 season, better in every way.
Pods can’t play CF, can’t really steal many bases any more, and is 34. I am SO glad the Cubs did not go after him.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Huh, that's how old Soriano is...
how much $ are we going to be paying him for the next how many years?
As I've told you before, I never repeat myself.
by santoswoodenlegs on Apr 23, 2010 12:55 PM CDT up reply actions
Thanks!
While you’re at it, why don’t you give me a paper cut and pour lemon juice on it!
"Manny Trillo is coming in to pinch run. You know, for a lot of teams, you would pinch run for Manny Trillo." - Harry Caray
You'll get nothing and like it!
www.facebook.com/craighudak
by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 1:03 PM CDT up reply actions
You are correct
Even still, he had a great year last year, had 30 SB, and already has 7 this year. It certainly looks like he can steal enough bags. His OPS was also better than what it was in the previous two years, and even better than 2006. He’s experiencing a resurgeance of sorts. Perhaps 34 is too old though, but he’s playing great ball, better that a lot of people on the team now.
www.facebook.com/craighudak
by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 12:58 PM CDT up reply actions
His OPS+ was 98.
His 30 SB came in 43 attempts — that’s a 70% success rate, below the 75% that base stealers should have.
Pods’ 2009 season was overrated. He’d have cost too much. Glad the Cubs stayed away.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
I think the actual Kenny lofton is availible!
by JB 23 on Apr 23, 2010 10:16 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions
Or Ricky Henderson... =)
"Manny Trillo is coming in to pinch run. You know, for a lot of teams, you would pinch run for Manny Trillo." - Harry Caray
BRIAN ROBERTS
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on Apr 23, 2010 10:39 AM CDT up reply actions
I'll see your LIND
and raise you a DUNN.
www.facebook.com/craighudak
by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 10:43 AM CDT up reply actions
Why would you get a player that makes that little money
We have Dome and Sori. They make much more money so they must be better. JH nows this, we need to see his vision….
YEA...wait...
His body is kinda wrecked right now. Do we have another BROMG on standby?
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by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 10:43 AM CDT up reply actions
apparently my exclamation marks
are broken
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by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 10:44 AM CDT up reply actions
Just like Puny Roberts' body
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by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 10:44 AM CDT up reply actions
well, first a bit of hindsight...
Don’t know how far talks went (or if they even started) last year, but it would have been nice to see Rajai Davis (OAK) out in CF this year. And Craig has the right idea in Scotty Pods except I doubt he can play CF anymore.
As to who’s available… Seems like the Angels always have an extra MI they haven’t figured out how to use yet. It may be a reach, but I wonder how Izturis would do in the leadoff spot?
Back to CF… I’d love to know what the Rockies are going to do with their glut of outfielders. I can’t seem them trading Gonzales but Fowler seems to have a fallen a bit out of favor with them. I think he’d be ideal in Wrigley. His range would certainly help out our LFer, and no doubt his speed could cause some Lofton-esque havoc at Wrigley.
Another possibility is Borbon from Texas. He’s struggling with bat now and Texas has enough OF options they can afford to wait on him. But maybe they have a need elsewhere that we can fill in exchange for Borbon.
Last one that comes to mind is Morgan from Nationals, and that’s only because they have Taveras on their bench they’re not using much.
Most of the options seem to be in the outfield, and there’d have to be some tough decisions made with our existing outfield. Trading Byrd or Dome would probably have to happen.
Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."
Well, I've heard the Nats did inquire about Kosuke.
Morgan and Kosuke’s wOBAs over the past couple seasons have been very similiar - with Dome’s being a touch better. But Nyjer does have the speed (and stolen bases) that Kosuke doesn’t.
You're point about where a guy like that would play is the most important one.
The Cubs since Soriano moved to left in 2007 (and really after Fukudome was signed before 2008) have had few places where a sparkplug could play. As you correctly point out, the only spots right now would be center and the MI positions.
Moreover, the Cubs middle-infield players are bargains (relatively speaking) that help make it possible for the Cubs to pay so much to the aging veterans — who, barring injury, can’t really be benched for a long period of time. And that’s not just pride on the part of Lou and Hendry. It’s optimism.
A lot of us have said that this year is the last go-round for this core of players. The patch jobs since 2008 really haven’t worked, and that’s because the Cubs needs are hard to fill, considering the available resources AND the guys who are already guaranteed roster spots. It’s not just about fitting square pegs in round holes, it’s about fitting cheap square pegs into holes that are already filled (in some cases) by expensive round pegs.
I get what you were saying
No worries!
www.facebook.com/craighudak
by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 10:21 AM CDT up reply actions
NYC Cubs Fan
I was disappointed with my only chance to see the Cubs after going to Tuesday’s and Thursday’s games. It was good to see that 40% of the crowd were Cubs fans. But the Mets fans did all the cheering and I mostly drowned my sorrow in pulled pork sandwiches.
Gordzilla looked pretty good, but the hitting was pretty not inspiring. They are aware spring training is over correct? These games do, in fact, count.
Well, when they weren't booing and cursing at David Wright
When Gorz still had them without a hit in the 5th, the Mets fans around me were getting pretty mad at their team.
This team...
is pathetic. Or at least it has been 10% of the way thru the season. I was so stoked about baseball season starting up. Now I don’t even look forward to the games. Yikes.
You are the sunshine of my life
www.facebook.com/craighudak
by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 10:16 AM CDT up reply actions
I feel your pain.
"And away we go..."-Pat Hughes
by katie casey on Apr 23, 2010 10:22 AM CDT up reply actions
Offensive
Leadoff doubles and runners at 3rd and less than 2 out. Painful. I think they’re waaaay too uptight at the dish right now. Is Rudy working on their mental approaches as well as their physical mechanics? I hope so. Situational hitting is seriously lacking with this team.
Scott Bora$ is satan.
by Canadian Cubs Fan on Apr 23, 2010 10:13 AM CDT reply actions
How is having Carlos Zambrano in the bullpen going to help the offense?
And the eighth and final rule: if this is your first time at Fight Club, you have to fight.
The offense needs a separate fix.
www.facebook.com/craighudak
by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 10:26 AM CDT up reply actions
It won't
and the same crap we’ve been seeing will keep happening because these aren’t good players that are coming up in these situations. Baker, Fontenot, Theriot, Nady, Soto? What do you expect? This team is poorly constucted and it shows.
"Any player who gets the opportunity to play at Wrigley should welcome it"
One of these things is not like the other
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by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 10:32 AM CDT up reply actions
to be fair ...
some of those guys are hitting better than they did last year (Fontenot, Soto). But the lack of execution is really frustrating.
More so than execution
it’s timely hitting. It’s great and all that they’re getting on base, but uh, yeah, you can figure the rest out.
www.facebook.com/craighudak
by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 10:34 AM CDT up reply actions
Execution?
I’m all for it!
"Any player who gets the opportunity to play at Wrigley should welcome it"
I'm all for the Excellence of Execution:
Bret “The Hitman” Hart
www.facebook.com/craighudak
by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 10:52 AM CDT up reply actions
Sure glad
I’ve been too busy this week for baseball…
"I mean, if we can’t take Colvin after the spring he’s had, something is wrong," -- Lou
Think you're too good for us huh?
I see how it is.
www.facebook.com/craighudak
by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 10:55 AM CDT up reply actions
I'll be back in the soup with you all over the weekend ;-)
"I mean, if we can’t take Colvin after the spring he’s had, something is wrong," -- Lou
c'mon in, the waters fine
Hmmmm…seems to be getting warmer and warmer…
"Wait, are you saying I'm a sunshine-pumping, koolaid-drinking, Soriano-loving, rainbow-rising, unicorn-riding, double-clutching, Sweet Lou-backing, Hendry-supporting, hey hey whaddya saying, Cubs are going all the waying, glass is overflowing, Rothschild is all-knowing, Cubs fan? - ballhawk
FRUSTRATION
I am as frustrated as all of you about how the Cubs have been playing since the season began. I still have a slim of “hope” but it’s fading fast. I am giving the Cubs a month to improve or the 2010 Chicago Cubs and I are going to have to part. Until next year….
Welp
See ya later!
www.facebook.com/craighudak
by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 11:25 AM CDT up reply actions
Look, what do you want him to do?
He stuck with it for as long as he could…
I spent 90% of my money on women and drink. The rest I wasted - George Best
I think I'm going to start calling into ESPN 1000
WGN and The Score talking like Lou.
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by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 11:41 AM CDT up reply actions
You are what you is.
And right now, this team is either asleep or inept…possibly both. My gut feeling tells me we’re gonna see them stumble around for the next 2 months with wins sprinkled here and there, just enough to keep some of our hopes alive while we wait for the “breakout” that never comes. After the break, if we’re more than 10 games back, I’d expect to see some players traded, released, or reassigned. Sadly though, I expect them to be juuuuuuuuust close enough to make Hendry believe we just need another “bat” and do something stupid.
As I've told you before, I never repeat myself.
by santoswoodenlegs on Apr 23, 2010 11:44 AM CDT reply actions 5 recs
Sort of what I think...
…except I think they will put a decent run together in the summer, but they will indeed fall short of the playoffs.
I will than wait anxiously to see what Mr. Ricketts does, because that will tell me a lot for the years to come.
"I don't like them fellas that drive in two runs but let in three" Casey Stengel
thats about how i feel too
There is no infinity button for failing in sports. At some point, things turn. They always do. - Bill Simmons
Rec'd for troof
This is pretty much spot on, which is why I’m not exactly getting too worked up over how things are going.
www.facebook.com/craighudak
by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 11:48 AM CDT up reply actions
I'm just going to try and enjoy the boobs this year...
and laugh at dumb stuff this team will do.
As I've told you before, I never repeat myself.
by santoswoodenlegs on Apr 23, 2010 11:49 AM CDT up reply actions
wins...I meant enjoy the wins...
As I've told you before, I never repeat myself.
by santoswoodenlegs on Apr 23, 2010 11:49 AM CDT up reply actions
I don't see why not
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by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 11:54 AM CDT up reply actions
Of course.
After all, a pair of boobs is just a W with curves…
Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."
And an M
Or a pair of O’s with more O’s in the middle…
I guess I’m just trying to say that boobs are awesome. It may have been said before, but it bears repeating.
"Who ever heard of the Cubs losing a game they had to have?" -Frank Chance
"If [Ruth] had [called his shot], I would have knocked him down with the next pitch." -Charlie Root
I expect to see a lot more boobs than wins
Are you familiar with the old robot saying, "Does not compute"?
by dr stabbingworth on Apr 23, 2010 12:56 PM CDT up reply actions
It's usually a 2:1 ratio....so yeah.
As I've told you before, I never repeat myself.
by santoswoodenlegs on Apr 23, 2010 12:58 PM CDT up reply actions
Possibly
I’m certainly concerned that Hendry will believe we’re in it if we’re not.
But when you break things down piece by piece, the offense is doing better than expected as individuals, just not as a team. And a bullpen is easier to fix than a rotation or the offense.
4/9/10: Carlos Silva strikes out Joey Votto on three pitches. Is that what you mean by "small sample size"?
Is this the worst fielding team in all of MLB?
The Bull pen sucks, hitting sucks, and everytime I look at a box score there is at least 1 or 2 errors. It is one thing to just be bad but it is another to be just plain lazy.
Going into last nights game
Cubs were 2 for 15 with the Bases Loaded. Nice. Sure the eighth inning has hurt this team, However I still think the biggest issue is that this team does not hit with runners on. For two years now this team has killed itself.
I see the Cubs load the bases I don’t see a ball in the gap, I see a pop up in foul ground to the firstbasemen.
Like I said and will continue to say, Lou needs to step down, a new look is needed. Hell I don’t know if will change anything, but this story is getting old.
you can't beat the classics
As I've told you before, I never repeat myself.
by santoswoodenlegs on Apr 23, 2010 12:23 PM CDT up reply actions
apparently you can beat them 10 times in 16 games
I guess I'm just a worrier, that's why my friends call me whiskers
by Nunyabidness on Apr 23, 2010 1:19 PM CDT up reply actions
You're right, they did the same thing soo many times last spring
It got so bad that every time they had the bases full , I just EXPECTED bad things to happen instead of being hopeful.
A $146 million nightmare is what this is
A dysfunctional aging lineup, significant defensive issues, a $95 million set up man in the bullpen, a steady procession of no-name kids being asked to fill huge boots in the pen, etc.
What do you do? Sell Derrek Lee and Ted Lilly to the highest bidder come the trade deadline and start what will be a slow and painful process of unwinding this horrific payroll situation. That and pray like hell that Starlin Castro and Andrew Cashner can be part of a longer-term solution.
The Blackhawks and the Stanley Cup in 2010.
by BLou on Apr 23, 2010 12:47 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
Oh my
www.facebook.com/craighudak
by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 12:48 PM CDT up reply actions
::swoons::
As I've told you before, I never repeat myself.
by santoswoodenlegs on Apr 23, 2010 12:49 PM CDT up reply actions
Yes, I let him back in.
He claims he’s going to be nice. We’ll see.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
It's been about two weeks, so it's kinda like putting him on the 15 day DL.
No rehab stint in the minors? ;-)
Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."
by ballhawk on Apr 23, 2010 12:59 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
oh that's good
"They come to see me strike out, hit a home run, or run into a fence. I try to accommodate them at least one way every game." - Gorman Thomas
by RiskyBusiness on Apr 23, 2010 1:07 PM CDT up reply actions
You mean the evil BCB?
Man, that would either have been very bad or just nasty.
I didn't believe it last August, but it turns out that love survives.
"To [Vermont Cubs Fan], good luck, stay strong!"
-Captain Richard Phillips-
by Vermont Cubs Fan on Apr 23, 2010 1:29 PM CDT up reply actions
And you believe that? For reals?
"I mean, if we can’t take Colvin after the spring he’s had, something is wrong," -- Lou
Welcome back
And the eighth and final rule: if this is your first time at Fight Club, you have to fight.
Just ran to the kitchen, a got out my last pack (god knows where I will find more) and drank to your health - Welcome back!
"A waist is a terrible thing to mind." - Terry 'Fat Tub of Goo' Forster
@Twitter as @brommmietze
What if
The Cubs are in first place or in the running for a wild card for division title? Still sell Lee and Lilly at the deadline?
Can you see 3.5 months into the future? What are the Powerball numbers tomorrow?
by Not Bruce Froemming on Apr 23, 2010 2:28 PM CDT up reply actions
But the toothless man won the Powerball.
Mega Millions is where it’s at right now. :)
"Juuuuuuussst a bit outside. He tried for the corner and missed..."
- Harry Doyle
by Rusty in Peoria on Apr 23, 2010 2:30 PM CDT up reply actions
Yeah, and what a toothless man
He’s from Missouri, so I’ll bet he’s a Cardinals fan.
(Props to a fellow Peorian for the witty post, BTW.)
by Not Bruce Froemming on Apr 23, 2010 2:33 PM CDT up reply actions
Like this one?
"Juuuuuuussst a bit outside. He tried for the corner and missed..."
- Harry Doyle
by Rusty in Peoria on Apr 23, 2010 2:38 PM CDT up reply actions
Oh, you're gonna make me do this, aren't you.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
I raise you...
"Juuuuuuussst a bit outside. He tried for the corner and missed..."
- Harry Doyle
by Rusty in Peoria on Apr 23, 2010 2:41 PM CDT up reply actions
NO WAY
"Well-behaved women seldom make History"---Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
by cooliogirl47 on Apr 23, 2010 2:42 PM CDT up reply actions
Incomplete without the companion piece
"Who ever heard of the Cubs losing a game they had to have?" -Frank Chance
"If [Ruth] had [called his shot], I would have knocked him down with the next pitch." -Charlie Root
Leitfaden for Cardinals
"A waist is a terrible thing to mind." - Terry 'Fat Tub of Goo' Forster
@Twitter as @brommmietze
is that Mark McGwire hold the sign?
"They say you don’t win a pennant in April, but you can sure lose one." - Ryan Dempster
i mean holding
can’t even type today
"They say you don’t win a pennant in April, but you can sure lose one." - Ryan Dempster
Hence... :)
"Juuuuuuussst a bit outside. He tried for the corner and missed..."
- Harry Doyle
by Rusty in Peoria on Apr 23, 2010 2:47 PM CDT up reply actions
Maybe and maybe not - Depends on what wants to say
The word capitol is used to refer to the building where a legislature (such as the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives) meets while the word capital refers to the city which serves as the seat of government.
"A waist is a terrible thing to mind." - Terry 'Fat Tub of Goo' Forster
@Twitter as @brommmietze
Clever, Sign Man is
Perhaps the only clever Cardinals fan.
by Not Bruce Froemming on Apr 23, 2010 3:54 PM CDT up reply actions
I'm still voting 'Moran' on that one
"Who ever heard of the Cubs losing a game they had to have?" -Frank Chance
"If [Ruth] had [called his shot], I would have knocked him down with the next pitch." -Charlie Root
what on earth is going on with
that guy’s left hand? its all upside down and broken looking
There is no infinity button for failing in sports. At some point, things turn. They always do. - Bill Simmons
It's like he's waving at the camera
While still supporting the sign.
"Who ever heard of the Cubs losing a game they had to have?" -Frank Chance
"If [Ruth] had [called his shot], I would have knocked him down with the next pitch." -Charlie Root
absolutely.my.favorite.EVER
can’t ever see too much of this pic
...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l38blGqVeHc&feature=related
"A waist is a terrible thing to mind." - Terry 'Fat Tub of Goo' Forster
@Twitter as @brommmietze
Forget all that other stuff. I gotta believe.
by drewishdrewid on Apr 23, 2010 3:55 PM CDT up reply actions
what in the world
………what is this?
"They say you don’t win a pennant in April, but you can sure lose one." - Ryan Dempster
are you trying to set a record for most consecutive days posting the same picture?
As I've told you before, I never repeat myself.
by santoswoodenlegs on Apr 23, 2010 3:57 PM CDT up reply actions
Don't listen to him, Drew.
Go for the gold!
I spent 90% of my money on women and drink. The rest I wasted - George Best
if we're going to post
disturbing weird as hell pictures… is it too much to ask for a TITLE so i can at least hide it and see something else?
There is no infinity button for failing in sports. At some point, things turn. They always do. - Bill Simmons
What would be the point, then?
"Who ever heard of the Cubs losing a game they had to have?" -Frank Chance
"If [Ruth] had [called his shot], I would have knocked him down with the next pitch." -Charlie Root
now that's the best comment yet.
Forget all that other stuff. I gotta believe.
by drewishdrewid on Apr 23, 2010 4:01 PM CDT up reply actions
Actually, yeah.
I'm singing, "GO CUBS GO! GO CUBS GO!" -- DrCrawdad on Jun 12, 2009 7:23 AM CDT
Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true! -- Homer J. Simpson
by Shanghai Badger on Apr 23, 2010 4:21 PM CDT up reply actions
Looks like Kevin Nealon to me.
I'm singing, "GO CUBS GO! GO CUBS GO!" -- DrCrawdad on Jun 12, 2009 7:23 AM CDT
Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true! -- Homer J. Simpson
by Shanghai Badger on Apr 23, 2010 4:21 PM CDT up reply actions
you mean it's not John Edwards?
"I mean, if we can’t take Colvin after the spring he’s had, something is wrong," -- Lou
Ahhhh
I'm singing, "GO CUBS GO! GO CUBS GO!" -- DrCrawdad on Jun 12, 2009 7:23 AM CDT
Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true! -- Homer J. Simpson
by Shanghai Badger on Apr 23, 2010 4:41 PM CDT up reply actions
I thought John Ritter
There is no infinity button for failing in sports. At some point, things turn. They always do. - Bill Simmons
Everybody rides A-Rod
Why won’t they just leave him alone?
"Wait, are you saying I'm a sunshine-pumping, koolaid-drinking, Soriano-loving, rainbow-rising, unicorn-riding, double-clutching, Sweet Lou-backing, Hendry-supporting, hey hey whaddya saying, Cubs are going all the waying, glass is overflowing, Rothschild is all-knowing, Cubs fan? - ballhawk
<img src=“”http://s744.photobucket.com/albums/xx81/drewishdrewid/?action=view¤t=roflbot-XPEi.jpg" target="_blank">
"/>
Forget all that other stuff. I gotta believe.
by drewishdrewid on Apr 23, 2010 3:56 PM CDT up reply actions
Since the Cubs are making me miserable
I thought I’d list the good things that happened last night.
1. The Bulls won.
2. The Blackhawks won.
3. The White Sox and Peavy got rocked.
4. Jerry Angelo did not make a terrible draft pick.
5. And for a limited amount of us Packer fans on the board we got a nice OT dropped in our lap
Hopefully the Cubs can produce some magic that I’m not capable of seeing right now.
"All of us are in the gutter...some of us are looking at the stars." Oscar Wilde
Why are you letting a sports team make you miserable
especially in the first month of the season? In fact, I wish a lot of people would stop treating this team as if their parents were getting a divorce. Jeez…
www.facebook.com/craighudak
by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 12:53 PM CDT up reply actions 6 recs
...
"Who ever heard of the Cubs losing a game they had to have?" -Frank Chance
"If [Ruth] had [called his shot], I would have knocked him down with the next pitch." -Charlie Root
rec'd
As I've told you before, I never repeat myself.
by santoswoodenlegs on Apr 23, 2010 12:59 PM CDT up reply actions
Some of us lead miserable and petty lives
We count on the Cubs for some escape from this and right now they are very much part of it.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on Apr 23, 2010 1:02 PM CDT up reply actions
I hope that isn't true
Look, a lot of people were dealt a bad hand. I was dealt a really bad one and the team made for a part of a template for me to follow to stay positive. Why let them get you down though, when there’s so much else in this world to find inspiration in. At the end of the day, they’re just a team playing a game. We’re shareholders of sorts, but other than that, we’re just spectators. If they’re bad, stop watching, unless you love to revel in misery.
www.facebook.com/craighudak
by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 1:07 PM CDT up reply actions
This sounds like something I could say.
The last few months for me, I have been dealt several very bad hands. I believe a few here know some of the things I’m referring to.
Over the last month, finally, things have started to improve.
I didn't believe it last August, but it turns out that love survives.
"To [Vermont Cubs Fan], good luck, stay strong!"
-Captain Richard Phillips-
by Vermont Cubs Fan on Apr 23, 2010 1:19 PM CDT up reply actions
this is what we do.
Im sure im not alone, but when I vent about the Cubs it helps me feel better and when they win it does as well. At the end of the day its just a game and I can sleep at nite, but when im on here or watching the Cubs play, its different. to me and this is just discussion. Although it seems some are obsessed, I dont think people are reacting like they do in other countries when thier soccer teams lose. Thats crazy.
Jessica, I know that's somewhat tongue-in-cheek
But i’m kind of placing the team over “on the side” so they don’t irritate me. There are too many other things to be concerned with than the inability of a clean-up hitter to get his BA off the I-55 and constant bullpen failures.
i hardly even watch games, but watch recaps on MLB Net. Makes life easier.
And, with this said, Go Blackhawks.
by San Diego Smooth Jazz Man on Apr 23, 2010 1:17 PM CDT up reply actions
Only "somwhat " in jest sadly.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on Apr 23, 2010 2:00 PM CDT up reply actions
In keeping with the Shakespeare theme, let me once again present this famous soliloquy
of course, I’ve changed a few words here and there to make it more appropriate. Strange how I didn’t have to change anything in the last three lines though…
“Lou should have quit hereafter;
There would have been a time for such a win.
Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from game to game,
To the last inning of recorded season;
And all our losses have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief season!
Cubs are but a walking shadow, a poor player
That strikes out and double-clutches his hour upon the field
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury
Signifying nothing.”
— Macbeth (Act 5, Scene 5, lines 17-28)
Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."
by ballhawk on Apr 23, 2010 1:19 PM CDT up reply actions 3 recs
Are you sure you posted this in the right sub-thread?
I didn't believe it last August, but it turns out that love survives.
"To [Vermont Cubs Fan], good luck, stay strong!"
-Captain Richard Phillips-
by Vermont Cubs Fan on Apr 23, 2010 1:20 PM CDT up reply actions
Maybe it was the wrong left thread?
"A waist is a terrible thing to mind." - Terry 'Fat Tub of Goo' Forster
@Twitter as @brommmietze
yeah, Doggie used the word "petty"
and every time I see/hear “petty”, this passage usually comes to mind.
Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."
Rec'd
"Wait, are you saying I'm a sunshine-pumping, koolaid-drinking, Soriano-loving, rainbow-rising, unicorn-riding, double-clutching, Sweet Lou-backing, Hendry-supporting, hey hey whaddya saying, Cubs are going all the waying, glass is overflowing, Rothschild is all-knowing, Cubs fan? - ballhawk
I love posting Shakespeare also (I did it last night). I'm making it green.
"I'm not much of a chemistry guy, you know. Chemistry to me is a pinch-hit double with the bases loaded"--Jim Frey, Chicago Tribune, 1985.
you did it again..brilliant
"Well-behaved women seldom make History"---Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
by cooliogirl47 on Apr 23, 2010 2:22 PM CDT up reply actions
and I wish you'd just let them
I’m willing to acknowledge that there have been some days/nights where the negativity has been bad, but the post police have been working overtime as well.
Good god, I mention how bad the team was with RISP last night during the game, and Not Bruce decides I’m rooting for them to lose. Using his logic, Al is apparently rooting for them to lose as well.
If the guy wants to let the Cubs to ruin his day, do you know what effect that has on you? Zero.
I guess I'm just a worrier, that's why my friends call me whiskers
by Nunyabidness on Apr 23, 2010 1:17 PM CDT up reply actions
Actually
When someone wants to be that emotionally distraught over a team to the point where it completely derails a game thread that I enjoy posting in, then yeah, it does have an effect on me.
You can keep playing the innocent card though. That’s cute, like a little kid saying they don’t know what they did was wrong.
www.facebook.com/craighudak
by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 1:22 PM CDT up reply actions
What I did was wrong?
I’m sorry, I wasn’t aware you set the rules on what’s right and wrong. Are you under the impression that this site is only here for you, and those you agree with?
There are many different ways to root for and follow a game. Just because you don’t like a certain way its done, doesn’t make it “wrong”. Also doesn’t mean those who get upset about the game are the ones who are supposed to vacate the site.
Yes I’ve gotten into bitchfests. As have you. You really going to try and claim you were always the VICTIM and never the instigator in those?
I guess I'm just a worrier, that's why my friends call me whiskers
by Nunyabidness on Apr 23, 2010 3:58 PM CDT up reply actions
you never do what? Mention how bad they did with runners in scoring position?
This is from your recap:
The Cubs left 10 men on base, including RISP in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 7th and 8th innings
I guess I'm just a worrier, that's why my friends call me whiskers
by Nunyabidness on Apr 23, 2010 3:55 PM CDT up reply actions
dood
I’m not going to cast aspersions, because yesterday was pretty sucky, but you brought it up EVERT. TIME. THEY LEFT. RISP.
Forget all that other stuff. I gotta believe.
by drewishdrewid on Apr 23, 2010 4:03 PM CDT up reply actions
Evert?
"Who ever heard of the Cubs losing a game they had to have?" -Frank Chance
"If [Ruth] had [called his shot], I would have knocked him down with the next pitch." -Charlie Root
I had such a crush.
Forget all that other stuff. I gotta believe.
by drewishdrewid on Apr 23, 2010 4:11 PM CDT up reply actions
didn't we all?
That bronzed goddess of the Sun
"Wait, are you saying I'm a sunshine-pumping, koolaid-drinking, Soriano-loving, rainbow-rising, unicorn-riding, double-clutching, Sweet Lou-backing, Hendry-supporting, hey hey whaddya saying, Cubs are going all the waying, glass is overflowing, Rothschild is all-knowing, Cubs fan? - ballhawk
So from that you imply that I want them to lose?
The mind boggles at this complete lack of logic.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
you have to go up a few levels in this thread to see his original point
Good god, I mention how bad the team was with RISP last night during the game, and Not Bruce decides I’m rooting for them to lose. Using his logic, Al is apparently rooting for them to lose as well.
Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."
Mention it once
and it’s OK.
Mention it 15 times and there’s a problem.
by Not Bruce Froemming on Apr 23, 2010 2:30 PM CDT up reply actions
Or a trend.
"Juuuuuuussst a bit outside. He tried for the corner and missed..."
- Harry Doyle
by Rusty in Peoria on Apr 23, 2010 2:31 PM CDT up reply actions
Or keeping track of a stat
which apparently verboten if you don’t agree with it.
Just ignore it Sally, it’ll go away.
There is no infinity button for failing in sports. At some point, things turn. They always do. - Bill Simmons
HBCG is feisty today!
I like it!
I'm singing, "GO CUBS GO! GO CUBS GO!" -- DrCrawdad on Jun 12, 2009 7:23 AM CDT
Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true! -- Homer J. Simpson
by Shanghai Badger on Apr 23, 2010 3:44 PM CDT up reply actions
Someone has to be.
Why not me! :-P
There is no infinity button for failing in sports. At some point, things turn. They always do. - Bill Simmons
*Sigh*
Forgive them, Lord, they know not what they do.
by Not Bruce Froemming on Apr 23, 2010 5:52 PM CDT up reply actions
Facts make me confuzzled
"A waist is a terrible thing to mind." - Terry 'Fat Tub of Goo' Forster
@Twitter as @brommmietze
Actually
The rest of my life is incredibly good so maybe I’m “miserable” by comparison. I am no where close to jumping off a ledge whether it be real or figurative. After 54 years of pulling for the Cubs though I admit I get disproportionally upset over individual losses in a 162 game season. Look at my tag line and my recent posts. I’m an incurable optimist.
"All of us are in the gutter...some of us are looking at the stars." Oscar Wilde
Great forecast for tomorrow, eh?
I'm singing, "GO CUBS GO! GO CUBS GO!" -- DrCrawdad on Jun 12, 2009 7:23 AM CDT
Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true! -- Homer J. Simpson
by Shanghai Badger on Apr 23, 2010 2:08 PM CDT up reply actions
And we won't have heat exhaustion
I'm singing, "GO CUBS GO! GO CUBS GO!" -- DrCrawdad on Jun 12, 2009 7:23 AM CDT
Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true! -- Homer J. Simpson
by Shanghai Badger on Apr 23, 2010 2:15 PM CDT up reply actions
I'll take a #4 to go please
"They come to see me strike out, hit a home run, or run into a fence. I try to accommodate them at least one way every game." - Gorman Thomas
by RiskyBusiness on Apr 23, 2010 1:10 PM CDT up reply actions
OT: Kind of lost in all this is a story about Billy Williams.
Several of my family members were having dinner at a restaurant in the Chicago area, and while they were there, Billy Williams showed up.
They got a bunch of autographs, one relative gave Williams a bottle of his wine (he’s a winemaker in Napa, California), and they chatted amicably for a while.
Not sure if any autographs are available for me, but oh well. Someday.
I didn't believe it last August, but it turns out that love survives.
"To [Vermont Cubs Fan], good luck, stay strong!"
-Captain Richard Phillips-
by Vermont Cubs Fan on Apr 23, 2010 1:09 PM CDT reply actions
That's cool.
Billy Williams is a class act, one of my childhood heroes. Glad he was nice to your relatives.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Love Billy Williams
He was in Peoria a few times over the last couple years to watch his granddaughter play in the Illinois high school softball state finals. From all accounts, he was a real gent.
He and Fergie Jenkins are my all-time favorite Cubs.
by Not Bruce Froemming on Apr 23, 2010 2:32 PM CDT up reply actions
Ted Williams is also dead.
Well, mostly, anyway.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
I see what you did there.
"I'm not much of a chemistry guy, you know. Chemistry to me is a pinch-hit double with the bases loaded"--Jim Frey, Chicago Tribune, 1985.
oh boy, this thread is head-ing nowhere fast...
Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."
Before it comes to a head.
"Juuuuuuussst a bit outside. He tried for the corner and missed..."
- Harry Doyle
by Rusty in Peoria on Apr 23, 2010 2:16 PM CDT up reply actions
This thread just leaves me cold
"Who ever heard of the Cubs losing a game they had to have?" -Frank Chance
"If [Ruth] had [called his shot], I would have knocked him down with the next pitch." -Charlie Root
He's probably having some interesting conversations with Walt.
"Juuuuuuussst a bit outside. He tried for the corner and missed..."
- Harry Doyle
by Rusty in Peoria on Apr 23, 2010 2:29 PM CDT up reply actions
A head cold?
"A waist is a terrible thing to mind." - Terry 'Fat Tub of Goo' Forster
@Twitter as @brommmietze
Some observations
Lee had a .189 BA and only 1GR in April 2009
Byrd is hitting .146 vs RHP and .650 vs LHP
If you have the tape of last night’s game look at the double over Sori’s head in the 6th. He clearly misplayed the ball which probably would or at least could have been caught by another player.
In 16 games, we are 0-15 with 1 walk from the leadoff hitter. In 2009 we were .319
With 0 outs, our BA is .217. In 2009 it was .274.
If a quality pitching start is 3 runs and 6 innings, then a quality hitting day is 1 for 4.
I don't understand your "leadoff hitter" point....
As I've told you before, I never repeat myself.
by santoswoodenlegs on Apr 23, 2010 1:55 PM CDT up reply actions
It is the first hitter of the game
16 games. O-15 with a walk.
If a quality pitching start is 3 runs and 6 innings, then a quality hitting day is 1 for 4.
Leading off the game?
Is that what you’re talking about?
"Any player who gets the opportunity to play at Wrigley should welcome it"
Leadoff hitter
So, I went and plugged our “regular” lineup into the lineup run calculator over at Baseball Musings, using the season to date stats. Our lineup should be scoring 4.413 runs a game it says.
Flip Soto and Theriot in the order and that goes up to 4.808 runs.
It thinks our ideal lineup would have been
Soto – Soriano – Fontenot – Byrd – Lee – Ramirez – Fukudome – Pitcher – Theriot
good for over 5 runs a game.
We are scoring 4 runs a game so far.
4/9/10: Carlos Silva strikes out Joey Votto on three pitches. Is that what you mean by "small sample size"?
Of course, that's because of all the walks Soto has drawn.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Also because Soto's lack of speed messes with the pitcher's mind.
When he looks over to 1B and sees Soto, he says, “I know he’s slimmed down, but he can’t be a lead-off hitter, he’s too slow,” and the next thing you know, the pitcher has lost his concentration and throws a meatball to Fukudome.
4/9/10: Carlos Silva strikes out Joey Votto on three pitches. Is that what you mean by "small sample size"?
Both
When Geo lost weight, he didn’t lose any of his intangibles (because their weight is not calculable by man), but he did concentrate them, making them more powerful, and causing players around him to be affected in strange ways.
4/9/10: Carlos Silva strikes out Joey Votto on three pitches. Is that what you mean by "small sample size"?
almost like a black hole!
Forget all that other stuff. I gotta believe.
by drewishdrewid on Apr 23, 2010 4:09 PM CDT up reply actions
that's a spicy
meat-a-ball.
Forget all that other stuff. I gotta believe.
by drewishdrewid on Apr 23, 2010 4:08 PM CDT up reply actions
Fontenot hitting in the 3 hole. Theriot hitting behind the pitcher. Rami hitting 6th, and Soto leadoff. What an amazing lineup.
by cubsfaninatl on Apr 23, 2010 4:13 PM CDT up reply actions
Even better than Kool Aid
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTT1TSdWjkQ
"A waist is a terrible thing to mind." - Terry 'Fat Tub of Goo' Forster
@Twitter as @brommmietze
for sure!
"Well-behaved women seldom make History"---Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
by cooliogirl47 on Apr 23, 2010 2:22 PM CDT up reply actions
best hangover remedy on the planet
"Well-behaved women seldom make History"---Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
by cooliogirl47 on Apr 23, 2010 2:23 PM CDT up reply actions
This is a lie
ADMIT IT
www.facebook.com/craighudak
by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 2:43 PM CDT up reply actions
ITS NOT, at least it works for me :)
"Well-behaved women seldom make History"---Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
by cooliogirl47 on Apr 23, 2010 2:46 PM CDT up reply actions
The only thing that would work for me
is sticking my head in a bucket of water for 5 minutes. I haven’t been brave enough to try that yet.
www.facebook.com/craighudak
by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 2:48 PM CDT up reply actions
anything to unshrink your brain
your brain shrivels up with the lack of water with a hangover
"They say you don’t win a pennant in April, but you can sure lose one." - Ryan Dempster
Not exactly
It’s more swollen meninges than shrunken brain…
"Who ever heard of the Cubs losing a game they had to have?" -Frank Chance
"If [Ruth] had [called his shot], I would have knocked him down with the next pitch." -Charlie Root
It doesn't matter anyway
because always get the migraine to go with the hangover, so I get twice the “fun”. It’s been a long time since I’ve been like that though…like…two years.
www.facebook.com/craighudak
by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 2:53 PM CDT up reply actions
where's my sound effects?
can’t have a star floating across the screen without sound effects
"They say you don’t win a pennant in April, but you can sure lose one." - Ryan Dempster
I do.
As I've told you before, I never repeat myself.
by santoswoodenlegs on Apr 23, 2010 2:22 PM CDT up reply actions
Caption:
“Well, the outfield doesn’t hop anymore, so I’m gonna do it. I don’t care what team you play for.”
"Juuuuuuussst a bit outside. He tried for the corner and missed..."
- Harry Doyle
by Rusty in Peoria on Apr 23, 2010 2:26 PM CDT reply actions
...
In Fontenot’s defense, he was screened from the play by Rod Barajas, who was on first after a walk. It wasn’t interference or obstruction; Barajas just got in the way of Fontenot’s view of the ball
Correct me if someone is 100% sure on this. I’m pretty sure that that is something anyways. Where if the umpire is certain that the runner caused the fielder to commit an error by getting in his view you can call the batter out. I know it is a little league rule and their rules are very similar to MLB. It’s one of those things that are never called because the umpire has to be sure it was the runner’s fault.
I didn’t get to see the play so I don’t know.
United we stand and united we'll fall......down on our knees the day we win it all!
quote fail by the way.
The top part was Al’s recap
United we stand and united we'll fall......down on our knees the day we win it all!
by Bricks and Ivy on Apr 23, 2010 2:37 PM CDT up reply actions
I see what you're trying to say.
I saw the play. The view-blocking was inadvertent, just happened to be at that place at that time. It was not intentional, and you’re right, the umpire can call the hitter out if he rules interference or obstruction.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Caption: Golly, Shazam, Surprise, Surprise, Surprise!
That is the Gomer Pyle-iest photo ever taken of Tom Gorzelanny, a very Gomer Pyle-y looking dude.
MLBMilestone.com - following the numbers to Cooperstown
brewers lineup
Weeks 4
Gomez 8
Braun 7
Fielder 3
McGehee 5
Edmonds 9
Zaun 2
Eacobar 6
Suppan 1
cubs, anyone?
Soriano
Soriano
Soriano
Soriano
Soriano
Soriano
Soriano
Soriano
Dempster
"They say you don’t win a pennant in April, but you can sure lose one." - Ryan Dempster
He'll be managing
"They say you don’t win a pennant in April, but you can sure lose one." - Ryan Dempster
how 'bout
bugs bunny
bugs bunny
bugs bunny
bugs bunny
bugs bunny
bugs bunny
bugs bunny
bugs bunny
elmer fudd
ditka can drive the team bus to miller park and compete in the sausage race
More like
Road Runner
Daffy Duck
Bugs Bunny
Michael Jordan
Foghorn Leghorn
Wile E. Coyote
Elmer Fudd (Veteran Presence)
Tweety
Bill Murray
www.facebook.com/craighudak
by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 3:02 PM CDT up reply actions
And @FakeLouPiniella will be taking a nap
(might be NSFW)
"A waist is a terrible thing to mind." - Terry 'Fat Tub of Goo' Forster
@Twitter as @brommmietze
i'm dumb
but what movie are we quoting?
There is no infinity button for failing in sports. At some point, things turn. They always do. - Bill Simmons
Swung on and belted is a Chip-ism
Not sure what the other one is from.
www.facebook.com/craighudak
by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 3:24 PM CDT up reply actions
Be sure to wrap it up
www.facebook.com/craighudak
by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 3:27 PM CDT up reply actions
Ah Chip...
I forgot how he sounded when he was good… (or at least, when I didn’t mind him calling games) but this last post season was a rough one on him.
Its like he forgot what words meant.
There is no infinity button for failing in sports. At some point, things turn. They always do. - Bill Simmons
The playoffs were the final nail in that coffin
www.facebook.com/craighudak
by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 3:30 PM CDT up reply actions
You'd think so
but TNT keeps trotting Dick Stockton out there year after year.
Good god, is he awful.
There is no infinity button for failing in sports. At some point, things turn. They always do. - Bill Simmons
No, really
Wasn’t Chip released?
www.facebook.com/craighudak
by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 3:33 PM CDT up reply actions
I think so
but you never know whether or not that sticks.
Also, I loathe Dick Stockton. The fact that he is AWFUL at every facet of his job while millions of talented people can’t find a job drives me a little crazy.
There is no infinity button for failing in sports. At some point, things turn. They always do. - Bill Simmons
I can't even hear the man's voice in my head
so I guess I’m lucky I don’t remember him. Is he worst than famous contributor to the book “Baseball for Dummies”, Joe Morgan?
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by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 3:36 PM CDT up reply actions
for me?
yeah.
Morgan at least has Miller who isn’t completely horrible. Stockton is supposed to do PxP and he can’t even remember what SPORT he’s calling, let alone the team members.
I am a PxP snob. I need someone who can be my eyes and tell me in clear words what just happened.
There is no infinity button for failing in sports. At some point, things turn. They always do. - Bill Simmons
TBS gave him the heave-ho
And then Fox Sports South hired him almost immediately thereafter. He’s only calling Braves games (again).
"Who ever heard of the Cubs losing a game they had to have?" -Frank Chance
"If [Ruth] had [called his shot], I would have knocked him down with the next pitch." -Charlie Root
first name Willie?
As I've told you before, I never repeat myself.
by santoswoodenlegs on Apr 23, 2010 3:40 PM CDT up reply actions
no, no, no...
we pulled dr venkman from the starting rotation and thru him in the bullpen when yosemite sam came off the DL…
but in all honesty, if you’re too young to remember this there IS an actually bugs cartoon where bugs plays all nine positions…check it
also…glad you put MJ at cleanup…his lifetime BA w/ birmingham is slightly higher than aram right now…nice
reply fail...oops
sorry tazmanian devil is my secretary
it's funny because only 1 real person out of all on that list were actually in baseball in real life
"They say you don’t win a pennant in April, but you can sure lose one." - Ryan Dempster
I'm talking about
real life baseball not cartoons…but I do love “Baseball Bugs”. My favorite of the Bugs Bunny cartoons
"They say you don’t win a pennant in April, but you can sure lose one." - Ryan Dempster
I'm talking about
real life baseball not cartoons…but I do love “Baseball Bugs”. My favorite of the Bugs Bunny cartoons
"They say you don’t win a pennant in April, but you can sure lose one." - Ryan Dempster
♫TALKIN' BAAAAASSSSBAAAALLLLL♫
As I've told you before, I never repeat myself.
by santoswoodenlegs on Apr 23, 2010 3:30 PM CDT up reply actions
♫We'll watch another season in the sun♪
♪Cub relievers can’t retire anyone♫
I'm singing, "GO CUBS GO! GO CUBS GO!" -- DrCrawdad on Jun 12, 2009 7:23 AM CDT
Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true! -- Homer J. Simpson
by Shanghai Badger on Apr 23, 2010 3:46 PM CDT up reply actions
Royals Release Juan Cruz
Go get him, Jimmy!
Cruz
"Any player who gets the opportunity to play at Wrigley should welcome it"
One go 'round
is enough
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by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 3:46 PM CDT up reply actions
This makes me sad
www.facebook.com/craighudak
by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 3:48 PM CDT up reply actions
...
"Who ever heard of the Cubs losing a game they had to have?" -Frank Chance
"If [Ruth] had [called his shot], I would have knocked him down with the next pitch." -Charlie Root
"Is this the sign?!"
“Yeah, it’s a sign. A sign for goin’ out of business!”
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by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 3:51 PM CDT up reply actions
Yes, have some.
I'm singing, "GO CUBS GO! GO CUBS GO!" -- DrCrawdad on Jun 12, 2009 7:23 AM CDT
Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true! -- Homer J. Simpson
by Shanghai Badger on Apr 23, 2010 3:53 PM CDT up reply actions
...
As I've told you before, I never repeat myself.
by santoswoodenlegs on Apr 23, 2010 3:51 PM CDT up reply actions
So majestic
www.facebook.com/craighudak
by Craig in South Bend on Apr 23, 2010 3:52 PM CDT up reply actions
do we really want him back?
"They say you don’t win a pennant in April, but you can sure lose one." - Ryan Dempster
is there room in the bullpen for him?
if not get the bulldozers out
"They say you don’t win a pennant in April, but you can sure lose one." - Ryan Dempster
uh
no
"The roar from the crowd really fired me up," Burish said. "In warmups there were a lot of signs. One said 'Burish, my grandma is pregnant.' I don't know what that means. I skated by it and said, 'it's not mine.' "
by jesus christos on Apr 23, 2010 4:17 PM CDT up reply actions
I remember when Cruz started for the Cubs...
which leads me to ask – would we move Randy Wells to the bullpen for him?
4/9/10: Carlos Silva strikes out Joey Votto on three pitches. Is that what you mean by "small sample size"?
I'm copying this over from Zeke's
fanpost (61-101) Just for kicks:
DartmouthCubsFan posted:
Petcota Projections for 2010:
Pirates – 73 Wins
Nationals – 77 Wins
Royals – 77 Wins
Cubs – 77 Wins/blockquote>
And as a group let us compare to current records:
KC – 6-9
CHI – 6-10
PIT – 7-8
WAS – 8-8/blockquote>
Interesting…
There is no infinity button for failing in sports. At some point, things turn. They always do. - Bill Simmons
Wow, a whole bunch of nothing in this thread
"Chicago baseball fans, who are composites of scar tissue and mortifying memories..." - George F. Will
welcome to friday night games!
There is no infinity button for failing in sports. At some point, things turn. They always do. - Bill Simmons
Is that anything like Friday Night Lights?
Because I love that show.
"I mean, if we can’t take Colvin after the spring he’s had, something is wrong," -- Lou
Never seen it
But if its full of words that really say nothing and random images… then yeah! totally the same!
There is no infinity button for failing in sports. At some point, things turn. They always do. - Bill Simmons
I was thinking of that show Friends
"Chicago baseball fans, who are composites of scar tissue and mortifying memories..." - George F. Will
Look up the videos of Friends without the laugh track
It’s painful
"Who ever heard of the Cubs losing a game they had to have?" -Frank Chance
"If [Ruth] had [called his shot], I would have knocked him down with the next pitch." -Charlie Root
I am glad to say I have never
watched a complete episode of Friends in my life
"Chicago baseball fans, who are composites of scar tissue and mortifying memories..." - George F. Will
me neither. not even part of one.
"I mean, if we can’t take Colvin after the spring he’s had, something is wrong," -- Lou
a thread to match the Cubs season so far
As I've told you before, I never repeat myself.
by santoswoodenlegs on Apr 23, 2010 4:26 PM CDT up reply actions
This thread is at the plate with Cubs RISP?
"Who ever heard of the Cubs losing a game they had to have?" -Frank Chance
"If [Ruth] had [called his shot], I would have knocked him down with the next pitch." -Charlie Root
by Clutch16 on Apr 23, 2010 4:27 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
In the 8th inning no less!
There is no infinity button for failing in sports. At some point, things turn. They always do. - Bill Simmons
but not the BP ERA, he he
"Chicago baseball fans, who are composites of scar tissue and mortifying memories..." - George F. Will
You need to do a poll, he he
"Chicago baseball fans, who are composites of scar tissue and mortifying memories..." - George F. Will
TWHS
As I've told you before, I never repeat myself.
by santoswoodenlegs on Apr 23, 2010 4:36 PM CDT up reply actions
Hell yes, and better than {bitch} {bitch} {bitch} {complain} {complain} {complain}
;-)
"A waist is a terrible thing to mind." - Terry 'Fat Tub of Goo' Forster
@Twitter as @brommmietze
and only slightly better than fatchicksinpartyhats.com
As I've told you before, I never repeat myself.
by santoswoodenlegs on Apr 23, 2010 4:35 PM CDT up reply actions
Most threads have been more like this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buvVtO8mmrc&NR=1
"A waist is a terrible thing to mind." - Terry 'Fat Tub of Goo' Forster
@Twitter as @brommmietze
How does reversing the logic sound (re: bullpen vs. offense)?
Try this:
It’s not that the bullpen is bad, it’s that they can’t get people out with RISP. Make a pitch here or there, and we’re looking good! Just hang on and water will find its own level.
But the offense blew it again. When the game was still close, they failed to get the job done, and eventually the other team just pulled away. Look at their batting average in innings 7-9!
Official MCM Pessimist.
Oh, I'm sorry; did I poke a hole in the echo chamber?
by The Jade Scorpion on Apr 23, 2010 4:43 PM CDT reply actions
Cubs offense last night
They should have scored more runs last night, but it didn’t fuel more concern about the offense because they did get 10 hits. Fontenot hit a fly ball in the 8th with the bases loaded that scored a run, but he should have walked and a run would have scored anyway without wasting an out. Not that he’s the only hitter who swings at bad pitches, just saying it wasn’t a good game for Fontenot.
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