Cubs Forget To Take Bats To Pittsburgh, Lose To Pirates 2-1
by Al Yellon on May 31, 2010 3:50 PM CDT
in Chicago Cubs Recaps
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PrintI don't get it.
I just don't get it. Sure, the Pirates are a better team than they have been in the last couple of years, although you wouldn't have known it from their five-game losing streak coming into this game.
But just as the Cubs dominated the Pirates for the last three seasons (32-15 from 2007-2009 and 24-8 from 2008-2009), the Pirates have done the same to the Cubs this year, winning their sixth in seven meetings today, 2-1 over a punchless Cubs lineup that had only four hits and three walks, but somehow managed to leave eight men on base.
Does this sound familiar? Sadly, yes, it does.
I don't get Randy Wells, either. Only three days after throwing 16 pitches and retiring zero of six hitters in the worst start of his career, he threw five solid innings today and allowed just three singles and three walks. I was thinking Lou pulled him too early, but at 90 pitches it was probably time. Wells has had two absolutely horrific starts this year, but the rest have been decent-to-excellent. What does this mean? A lack of focus?
Unfortunately, Wells' relief, James Russell gave up a game-tying homer to Garrett Jones on the third pitch he threw.
Stop me if you've heard this one before. Wait, no, don't. Bob Howry actually came in and threw a good 1-2-3 inning. No, I'm not making that up. Howry's ERA in 3.2 Cubs innings is zero. Go figure.
And then the Cubs reliever who has been as solid as anyone in the league in a setup role -- Sean Marshall -- gave up the winning run on a RBI single by Bobby Crosby, who came into the game 2-for-8 as a pinch-hitter.
You can't make this stuff up. You wouldn't want to make this stuff up.
Andrew Cashner made his major league debut (for those of us who care about these things, wearing #48), but we can't really draw any conclusions from it, because he threw exactly one pitch and got Ronny Cedeno to pop up to end the eighth inning.
I really just don't get this. But then again, I don't get the whole National League this year. Consider this: on April 29 the Braves lost to the Cardinals, their ninth loss in a row, and were 8-14. Since then they have gone 21-8 and today beat the Phillies (who have lost seven of their last nine and scored a total of ten runs in the nine games) to take over first place in the NL East. Who would have expected either of those things to occur just a couple of weeks ago?
The Cubs look bad. There are still adjustments to be made -- glad to see Lou start Mike Fontenot at 2B today, and let that continue (at least platooning him). The future is in the major leagues with Cashner, Tyler Colvin and Starlin Castro. Maybe this team has a Braves-like run in them. A new month starts tomorrow. We can still hope.
Until then, you've got more than 24 hours till the next game to ruminate about how the Cubs keep losing games like this.
Finally... I have no problem with honoring veterans with patriotic caps on holidays. I do have a problem with caps as ugly as the ones the Cubs (and a lot of other teams) wore today. Who on Earth decided that the Cubs -- whose biggest rivals wear red -- should have a white cap with a red bill? Some teams (Yankees, Indians among them) got to wear white caps with blue bills. Those are still ugly, but at least they'd have been closer to the Cubs' color scheme. If MLB wants to do this next year, at least design an attractive cap.
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just think
we get the stros next. we play just as well against them.
"Baseball is ninety percent mental. The other half is physical." -Yogi Berra
3 more hours to wait, though...
"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 supposed to be 2008-2009?
(32-15 from 2007-2009 and 24-8 from 2008-2008)
Things work out best for those that make the best out of the way things work out - Coach Wooden
That's what I was wondering, too.
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 May 31, 2010 5:40 PM CDT up reply actions
Yes, it was.
Had to go out right after I posted this. Will fix it.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Why isn't Colvin playing every day? Will he qualify for Rookie of the Year?
"Hey-Hey! Home Run! Attaboy Ronnie!" ~ Jack Brickhouse
well
Self-Proclaimed President of the Castro Boobird Face Kicking Club
by jesus christos on May 31, 2010 4:03 PM CDT up reply actions
if he plays
who pinch hits?
huh? LWDYWMTD?
Things work out best for those that make the best out of the way things work out - Coach Wooden
He might qualify for ROY NEXT year at this pace...
Nobody cares about your fantasy baseball team
by carmen_fanzone on May 31, 2010 4:05 PM CDT up reply actions
yes he will
can get there through active days on roster or through PA’s, he’ll eclipse both quite easily
follow me on twitter for fantasy sports analysis @http://twitter.com/DrewDinkmeyer or get the full analysis at www.fantistics.com
by DartmouthCubsFan on May 31, 2010 4:20 PM CDT up reply actions
Next year's caps....
Which would actually be an improvement.
Nobody cares about your fantasy baseball team
I understand why they wanted to rotate between red, white and blue
but I wish they’d resisted it and stuck with the pretty navy ones from a few years ago.
Those looked sharp with EVERY uniform.
Things work out best for those that make the best out of the way things work out - Coach Wooden
A large American Flag on the sleeve or right chest....
…would do the trick for me.
Or why couldn’t they have done Red, White, OR Blue Caps, depending how they looked with each particular uniform?
Nobody cares about your fantasy baseball team
by carmen_fanzone on May 31, 2010 4:09 PM CDT up reply actions
Or why couldn’t they have done Red, White, OR Blue Caps, depending how they looked with each particular uniform?
that makes way too much sense
Self-Proclaimed President of the Castro Boobird Face Kicking Club
by jesus christos on May 31, 2010 4:10 PM CDT up reply actions
White, with a blue bill and blue pinstripes.
And make the bill rather short, like in the dead ball era when the Tinker, Evers, and Chance were turning double-plays in Chicago.
Yankees suck.
by Steaming Pile on Jun 1, 2010 9:05 AM CDT up reply actions
A better tribute would
be every team donating that day’s profit to a veteran’s group…
but that’d never happen either.
Things work out best for those that make the best out of the way things work out - Coach Wooden
by Allie on May 31, 2010 4:11 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Well, none of these are ever really well thought out...
I mean, Breast Cancer Awareness? It’s a great, great cause. But, like you said, make a donation. Next we’ll be seeing teams with pink hats every Mother’s Day weekend.
Nobody cares about your fantasy baseball team
by carmen_fanzone on May 31, 2010 4:14 PM CDT up reply actions
Hey, that's not his REAL hair!
It’s a wig!
Wonder if Ronnie’s considered trying Ronald’s ‘gamer’…
''Lou's going to keep his job. We're going to go to the playoffs. You can mark the day I said it, today.'' - Marlon Byrd (Monday, May 17, 2010)
I subbed
in the Bozo Band a few times back in the 70s. Fun.
Numbers may not lie, but they don’t tell the whole truth (and nothing but the truth), either. -- Doug Glanville
Subbed in the Bozo Band
What a gig! Any pot smoking going on?
"I'd rather hit home runs you don't have to run as hard." -- Dave Kingman
by BucknerKongCardenal on May 31, 2010 9:34 PM CDT up reply actions
Tough game to watch today...
… the middle of the order, especially Ramirez killed any chances the Cubs had. Soriano’s at-bat in the 9th was poor, swung at ball four.
Great to see Fontenot in there at second, at least Lou has realized that Theriot is awful.
Russell was due for a “bad” outing, but he’s still better than Grabow. Howry has been decent so far, but that last out he recorded is a home run in most parks.
As for the hats, what was wrong with the one’s they used last season: the red ones with the stars and stripes within the Cubs’ “C”, they were decent, not sure why they ditched those.
"You've got to get your damn shirts rolled up and go out and kick somebody's ass. That's what you've got to do. Period." -- Lou Piniella
Maybe we need the media
to ask Lou about more players stats. Maybe he doesnt know Rami is hitting in the 140’s.
"Baseball is ninety percent mental. The other half is physical." -Yogi Berra
And he'll respond with something like:
“What kind of baseball do you play?” And then start Ramirez again and again.
"You've got to get your damn shirts rolled up and go out and kick somebody's ass. That's what you've got to do. Period." -- Lou Piniella
So, we just sit Ramirez for the rest of the year?
Nobody cares about your fantasy baseball team
by carmen_fanzone on May 31, 2010 4:11 PM CDT up reply actions
No, I never said that.
But if they continue to play him every day, we will lose a lot of games.
"You've got to get your damn shirts rolled up and go out and kick somebody's ass. That's what you've got to do. Period." -- Lou Piniella
No
but they need to figure out what’s up. If he’s hurt, stop trying to “play through” it and DL him. If he’s NOT hurt than stop playing him every day at clean-up until he’s not awful anymore.
Things work out best for those that make the best out of the way things work out - Coach Wooden
Well, that's the thing...
..and I agree with you and tripdenton. I was only asking because the Cubs seemed to have tried it all….sitting him for a few games, letting him “play through it”, etc….and nothing’s worked. I guess the next step is the DL, but if that doesn’t work and he continues to suck, what do you do?
Nobody cares about your fantasy baseball team
by carmen_fanzone on May 31, 2010 4:16 PM CDT up reply actions
I have no idea
I’m just going to keep hoping we never have to find out and 17 days on the DL cure whatever is up w/ Rami.
Yep. I’m offically at the “close my eye and pretend it goes away” phase of the season. Sigh.
Things work out best for those that make the best out of the way things work out - Coach Wooden
you have to
at least try tracy. if he doesnt workout, at least you know your options were tried. play Rami as a bench player, or DL him and see if he can get his groove bavk in a “rehab” in AAA. Even Ethier for the dodgers is going to AAA for a few games to get back in the groove. He wasnt exactly struggling when he went out.
"Baseball is ninety percent mental. The other half is physical." -Yogi Berra
When did he "sit a few games?"
Or do you mean in total? I can only recall him sitting a single game here and there. And even when he was sat due to “injury,” he was still pinch hitting that day.
he missed like 3 games due to the thumb injury
but point taken they haven’t been sat that much
I guess I'm just a worrier, that's why my friends call me whiskers
by Nunyabidness on May 31, 2010 4:47 PM CDT up reply actions
then you ACTUALLY move him down in the lineup where he can't hurt us as much
Because he’s been moved down for a grand total of about 5 games. If after the DL spot, he’s still awful, stick in the 8th spot, and be done with it.
I guess I'm just a worrier, that's why my friends call me whiskers
by Nunyabidness on May 31, 2010 4:47 PM CDT up reply actions
you hit it right on the head.
we went through this with sori last year. he wasnt as cold to start, but after he went cold it kept going and next thing you know we were done for the year. cant do this again.
What gets me is we have a 3rd baseman in AAA who is hot, and another that is sitting on the bench that isnt as good as a Rami, but is better than him now.
"Baseball is ninety percent mental. The other half is physical." -Yogi Berra
You don't bat Ramirez 4th until he gets straightened out
I don’t know if he needs a DL stint or not. But bat him lower in the order. Soriano is batting like a 3-hole hitter the last several weeks; he could move up. A successful lineup bunches your productive hitters together. This dead weight in the 3-4 spots is killing us.
Rami's stature and history with the club bought him two months to work out of it.
Unless he is still injured or has a vision issue, then ’time’s up’.
''Lou's going to keep his job. We're going to go to the playoffs. You can mark the day I said it, today.'' - Marlon Byrd (Monday, May 17, 2010)
There shouldn't be an unless
if it is/was one of those things, get it taken care of. Put him on the DL. If it’s not, then put him there anyway, so he can “rehab” in Iowa until he figures it out.
It never gets to be easy
by chitownhawkeye on May 31, 2010 5:45 PM CDT up reply actions
Right. My 'unless' wasn't an OK to leave the situation static.
Rami’s got to sit until his problem is diagnosed and dealt with…
We have met the enemy and they are us! ~ Walt Kelly, Pogo, 1971
How many teams bat a player cleanup
who is hitting .163?
Lou is insane for continuing to do this, and Rami needs to have the guts to take himself out of the lineup (until he can figure out what is wrong).
If you think you've seen it all...just wait!
by CubFanSince1970 on May 31, 2010 4:54 PM CDT up reply actions
How many teams play ANY player regularly batting .163
other than a pitcher. Batting him further down is rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. It is like keeping Grabow on the roster.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on May 31, 2010 5:00 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Why not sit his unproductive ass down - Lou sat Theriot down
One walk in one month," Piniella said of Theriot, who entered Monday batting .286 after staying over .300 for most of the season. “That’s kind of hard to do.”
What I can’t figure out is why Lou will sit Theriot down, for his lack of patient hitting apparently but not Ramirez with his crappy hitting. Fact is, even with only one walk Theriot’s BA/OBP was GREATER than Ramirez’s for the month of May – .238/.259 versus .183/.253 for Ramirez. Theriot also had 25 hits versus 13 for ARam. Meanwhile, ARam struck out 17 times versus 11 times for Theriot – and Theriot had 30 more PAs than Ramirez.
I may not play Lou’s type of baseball but for the love of money I am baffled by his quirky thinking and weird unproductive lineups.
New Category for the $100,00 Pyramid: Things Stubborn and Clueless Managers Say
“What kind of baseball do you play?”
“Look, what do you want me to do?”
“We’re not left-handed enough.”
“Dude, that’s not my department.”
“Walks just clog the bases.”
::insert Don Baylor sound byte here::
Sittin' on the ledge and sippin' Kool-Aid...
I hope Lou REALLY shakes it up tomorrow instead of just talking about doing it.
How about…..Fontenot 2B, Castro SS, Colvin CF, Soriano LF, Fukudome RF, Nady 1B, Soto C and Baker 3B. D. Lee needs a day off.
YES!
Byrd, Lee, Theriot, and Ramirez all need a day off.
"You've got to get your damn shirts rolled up and go out and kick somebody's ass. That's what you've got to do. Period." -- Lou Piniella
dome batting fifth
why?
Self-Proclaimed President of the Castro Boobird Face Kicking Club
by jesus christos on May 31, 2010 4:08 PM CDT up reply actions
You could flip him and Fontenot if you like.
I like the LRLRLR. I like Font and Castro getting on for Colvin and Sori. And then Fukudome, another high OBP guy getting on for Nady and Soto to hopefully drive in. What line up would you like to try?
How about Tracy at 3rd base?
"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.
Lead off
I think I’d switch Fukudome and Fontenot, but otherwise I’m with you—why the hell not. We look utterly lifeless.
The Bucs have some of the worst pitching in the league, and we seem to turn them into the ’96 Braves every time we show up.
That was one frustrating ballgame.
Agreed.
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 May 31, 2010 5:43 PM CDT up reply actions
There's really nothing left to say about this Cubs team that hasn't been said over the last two months.
Both the Cubs and Sox should get down on their hands and knees and thank the Blackhawks for diverting attention away from their pathetic excuse for professional effort. In another week or so, they won’t have that luxury.
Just boring, lifeless, UGLY baseball.
At PREMIUM prices from now through Labor Day.
Enjoy!
''Lou's going to keep his job. We're going to go to the playoffs. You can mark the day I said it, today.'' - Marlon Byrd (Monday, May 17, 2010)
by Zeke on May 31, 2010 4:05 PM CDT reply actions 2 recs
boring, lifeless and ugly
truly sums it up.
they’ll make you laugh (at them), they’ll make you cry (tears of desperation)
by Emelie on May 31, 2010 4:10 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
...unfortunately...
The Cubs better realize they are at a tipping point where a significant chunk of their fan base is about to move from anger (at the way they are playing) to apathy.
Which will be far worse for them and for business…
''Lou's going to keep his job. We're going to go to the playoffs. You can mark the day I said it, today.'' - Marlon Byrd (Monday, May 17, 2010)
Yes and Ricketts
will soon figure out how much $$ he is about to lose . Some of the folks with season tickets are staying home . Before long the light will go off in his head . The Lugnuts are looking better each day .( You are right )….
Cheaper too!
At least the kids TRY and care. They have fun too.
Something I can’t say about this year’s Cubs…
''Lou's going to keep his job. We're going to go to the playoffs. You can mark the day I said it, today.'' - Marlon Byrd (Monday, May 17, 2010)
Saw Ricketts walking down the ramp after the game yesterday.
We nodded to him. He ducked behind a door on that walkway. I seriously wondered if it was a janitor’s closet and if he was hiding from the fans. Maybe he saw the look on Mr. Casey’s face and got scared. :)
"And away we go..."-Pat Hughes
Were the veins on his forehead standing out?
That could send someone into a broom closet…
We have met the enemy and they are us! ~ Walt Kelly, Pogo, 1971
No
Maybe he sensed my oncoming wrath which when it comes will be much worse than anything poor mr. casey can dish out.
"And away we go..."-Pat Hughes
were you wearing your BCB shirt?
"Well-behaved women seldom make History"---Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
by cooliogirl47 on May 31, 2010 5:53 PM CDT up reply actions
thats why he ducked out of sight!
"Well-behaved women seldom make History"---Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
by cooliogirl47 on May 31, 2010 6:22 PM CDT up reply actions
That's a good point
a lot of people get unhappy about the complaining and the anger over the way the team is playing, but if people are emotional at least it shows that they still care. Apathy is worse. I didn’t feel much when the Pirates scored in the 8th today, even though I knew it meant the game was over at that point. I’m getting less and less frustrated as the season moves on.
Ramirez should hit 7th or 8th and sit every third day or so. He shows no signs of getting better; give someone else a chance to produce. It isn’t little league where everyone has to play and we don’t want to damage someone’s self esteem. He isn’t getting the job done right now. He can still turn it around but right now he is absolutely killing us in that four hole.
I don't like hockey...or any other sport for that matter.
Guess I’m stuck with boring, lifeless and UGLY.
"And away we go..."-Pat Hughes
I guess we'd better get t-shirts made up...
BLEED CUBBIE BLU
We have met the enemy and they are us! ~ Walt Kelly, Pogo, 1971
Very very very very disappointing game, but...
Just when I think this team is turning it around, they lay an egg yesterday against the Cards and look like a freakin little league team today against the Pirates.
I don’t know how much longer Ricketts can look at this mess without doing anything about it, just saying.
That’s all I’m going to say for now, I guess. I could vent and bitch and moan but there is really no point. It’s still just a baseball game, just another season. As much as I want this team to succeed, it’s not the end of the world.
I’m going to enjoy the rest of this holiday with my family now. I have relatives that died in both WWII and Vietnam.
I hope everyone has a great rest of the day, and God Bless America
A-well-a Byrd, Byrd, Byrd, well the Byrd is the word.
Not going to happen
Very limited athleticism, very limited effort and complete inability to situationally hit. These three problems have plagued this Cubs team for nearly 18 months and there is absolutely nothing that would indicate these three things will be even remotely corrected the remainder of 2010. Sounds like a broken record but that is what this club is and what this club will be absent extensive roster turnover.
"When the day comes with that last winning run and I'm crying and covered in beer. I'll look to the sky and know I was right to think someday we'll go all the way." - Vedder
I'd say since 04......
With 08’s team hiting so good it covered up many of the zits
The best defense is a good offense.....Lou Pinella...still hasn't managed the Cubs to a post season win. D. Lee still doesn't have a post seasson RBI for Cubs...ditto for Soriano
"It's so simple, it's unbelievable," manager Lou Piniella said. "When you score runs, you win."
I agree
it just so happened that a great majority of them were raking that year.
I am sure everyone feels the same as me, hearing and talking about this team’s consistent faults that never get fixed. Too slow, no clutch hitting, waste good pitching day in/day out, bullpen that can’t hold leads-when we get them. Oh, and my personal favorite, playing guys in key lineup spots that are hitting way below the Mendoza line because they are injured and Lou won’t DL them.
Just think if Silva was having a year like a lot of people thought he would have. Sheesh!
"WGN, Channel 9 Cubs Baseball, Excitingly, Importantly, Dramatically Yours." - Jack Brickhouse
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results
so we keep sending Lee and Ramirez up in the three and four hole and get no results, so Lou keeps doing it over and over. Give me a break, I think he needs to be sent down to AAA (Lou I’m talking about). He says he needs to get Colvin some playing time. REALLY. He forcing me to play him. FORCING YOU. He deserves to play more. So does Tracey. Lee deserves to play less. HES FORCING YOU TO. Ramirez deserves to play alot less right now. HES FORCING YOU. It doesn’t take a Casey Stengel, or Whitey, or COx, or Torre to figure it out. Time to get out of the drivers seat, or get head in the game.
So Al has is quickly moving into acceptance.
At first Al was in denial saying “It’s early, the cubs have has soild pitching the bats will come around.”
Then Al moved onto bargining “Move Z to the pen, that will fix things.”
Then Al moved onto anger “Fire Lou!!!”
After today, one of the most horrific, weak-ass, unispired performance of the year by this “baseball team,” Al’s comments seem like he has move from anger (which today should have pissed off every fan) to almost acceptance.
Grieving is a hard process but after two months Al seems to have started to come to terms with how bad this team really is.
Good for you Al.
I figure by July over 70% of folks on this board will be there with you.
I wish I was there but I’m still pissed at this teams lack of heart, insane free agent choices, wretched front office, and the sad, old bitter manager that is allowed to continue using his decissions to infurate the press and the fans like a vindictive 15 year old girl.
Sincerely,
BCPD
Stuck in the third stage of greif.
(This story was produced by BCPDnewservice. Our motto: If you don’t like this story then suck it!)
by BrewCrew'sPrinceofDarkness on May 31, 2010 4:24 PM CDT via mobile reply actions 1 recs
70% of this board will not be around BCB but will be checking out the Bears pre-season.
The Cubs team (and especially the manager) have given up and it’s not much fun following them.
"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.
Football
college and pro, can’t get here soon enough. So far, this promises to be a long summer.
It never gets to be easy
by chitownhawkeye on May 31, 2010 5:50 PM CDT up reply actions
College bball!
MSU: preseason #1!
GO GREEN!
We have met the enemy and they are us! ~ Walt Kelly, Pogo, 1971
Hey.
I’m not quite there yet. This season still could turn around…. one thing that still needs to be done is to replace the manager.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
You still have me beat.
I haven’t reached the replace the manager phase yet. I’m mad at him for sure. But not to the point of replacement…YET.
"And away we go..."-Pat Hughes
How many times does he have to start A-Ram at clean up
for you to get to that point?
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on May 31, 2010 8:27 PM CDT up reply actions
IDK
I’m getting there. Right now I’m more mad at the players for not doing their jobs.
"And away we go..."-Pat Hughes
Ok but some of them
like Colvin, Fontenot , Tracy, Russell & Stevens don’t get much of a chance to do it.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on May 31, 2010 9:08 PM CDT up reply actions
Everybody loves the back up QB....
…..until he comes in and it’s no improvement.
What happens if Tracy’s brought up and he starts out 2-16?
Nobody cares about your fantasy baseball team
by carmen_fanzone on Jun 1, 2010 5:16 AM CDT up reply actions
Then we could know with certainty that this team is screwed
Instead of trotting out false hope day after day, only to have it crushed.
and what happens if we leave ARam at 3B and in the #4 slot...
…and he goes 2 for the rest of the season?
You can “what if” whatever you want to make your argument look better. But the bottom line is this – right now ARam is in an offensive abyss with no tangible evidence to suggest he’s getting himself out of there anytime in the reasonable future. The only thing to cling to is the fact that he’s a “veteran” and he’ll “snap out of it” pretty soon because that’s what veterans do.
Look, for better or worse, the Cubs have a back-up plan in place. And it sure seems to me that this is the kind of situation where you would use your back-up plan.
Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."
+1
How often do we see a starting quarterback struggle with winning games, or throwing interceptions, and the team replaces him with a backup, for the sake of winning a few games.
The Cubs seem incapable of doing that.
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 Jun 1, 2010 6:36 AM CDT up reply actions
I've never said leave him at cleanup, ballhawk...
…and the odds of him continuing to hit .163 are slim.
Yes, right now, the only things we have is that it’s an injury like Soriano’s last year that was kept quiet or that he will indeed “snap out of it”.
Yes, maybe we have to move on to a back up plan. Yes, he’s killing us in the lineup. Yes, Chad Tracy is hitting like Micah Hoffpauier at Iowa and will continue to do so when he’s called up.
My question is not about any of these things, per se. My question is what do you do with Rami the rest of the year? Seriously. What do you do with him? I’m asking because I don’t know.
Nobody cares about your fantasy baseball team
by carmen_fanzone on Jun 1, 2010 2:17 PM CDT up reply actions
"…and the odds of him continuing to hit .163 are slim."
Unless whatever is causing him to hit so low changes (injury healed, psyche changed, etc.), I would say the odds are good of him continuing to hit .163 or worse. Playing him every day in some form in the same manner does not appear to be fixing that ailment.
What do you do with him for the rest of the year? Anything other than the status quo. Simply because he was your starting 3B on opening day doesn’t mean he is for all 162 games. Give him a two week break (on the DL or otherwise). Platoon and make him absolutely untouchable for a game unless you’re in the 16th inning and are dying for a fresh bat.
Baseball statistics for the past 120 years disagree with you...
Nobody cares about your fantasy baseball team
by carmen_fanzone on Jun 1, 2010 5:50 PM CDT up reply actions
Well since we're all playing armchair managers here (including Lou)...
First and foremost, ARam is the Cubs starting third basemen. Barring blockbuster trade, serious injury or early retirement, that’s not in any doubt, at least to me.
But it ought to be fairly obvious that the status quo isn’t working. You know how Lou looked and talked in last night’s post-game? To me, that’s how ARam looks at the plate. He doesn’t know what to do.
I’m assuming Lou, Rudy, Alan and anyone else on the coaching staff have already had the heart-to-heart talks with him. I’m also assuming ARam 1) knows that he’s struggling right now, and 2) there’s no way in hell ARam is going to ask to be taken out of the lineup. Few players would.
So this is where Lou needs to take action and to date has failed to do so. It’s pretty simple – plug Baker in there for a few games or (as you pointed out farther below in the thread), do the injury check thing, and if he’s hurting, DL him and call up Tracy.
Personally, I favor the DL approach, because that won’t leave us a man short on the bench, it’s face-saving for ARam, and 15 days ought to be long enough for a professional like ARam to clear his head, rest his body, and get back in the swing (pun intended) of things.
And to answer your question on what do we do with him the rest of the year? It’s easy – he’s our starting 3B and middle of order hitter. He just needs a two week break now to rest and recharge. I’d happily put up with two weeks of average-at-best (or even below average) production from Baker and Tracy if it means getting ARam back to his normal numbers.
It just boggles my mind that at this point in the season, Lou and/or Jim is/are unwilling to pull the trigger on a DL stint for ARam. It’s only 15 friggin’ days.
Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."
by ballhawk on Jun 1, 2010 4:21 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Well said, ballhawk.
Nobody cares about your fantasy baseball team
by carmen_fanzone on Jun 1, 2010 5:51 PM CDT up reply actions
Yes it could
still come around but it had better happen very soon I’m thinking. They’re not far from the point of no return for this season. I was listening to the game on the radion in my truck when the Pirates went up 2 -1. I knew it was all over right then. Pitiful hunh.
by iowacubfan69 on May 31, 2010 9:05 PM CDT up reply actions
I knew it was over when they tied the game.
I shut it off. Of course I stupidly turned it back on a little later. Ugh.
"And away we go..."-Pat Hughes
Like yesterday
I knew it was over when Lou handed in the line up card.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on May 31, 2010 9:09 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Out with the old, in with the new
The future is in the major leagues with Cashner, Tyler Colvin and Starlin Castro.
Sadly, I agree. If the past two months are any indication the best days of DLee, ARam, & Zambrano are well behind them. Now comes the painful process of watching this team muddle about 0.500 for the rest of this season. It may take years before the full potential of the youngsters are met and before the Ricketts, minus Hendry/Piniella, field a truly competitive team. At least this club has prospects so the pressure to sign over-the-hill over-priced free agents diminishes.
The patience of Cubs fans shall be tested again.
The selling of patience
Time will be needed to let some of the exorbitant contracts expire and for the prospects in the system to ripen. What I hope Tom Ricketts does is sell this as a plan of retooling vs. rebuilding, so that he doesn’t incite the “My grandparents died waiting, I want to win now” crowd and ends up caving in to the pressure of doing something hasty just to prove he cares.
Baseball is of course a business, and much of business relies on a give-and-take between buyer and vendor. If Ricketts sets sail on a 2-3 year journey of retooling – particularly if it involves a new field manager and front office – we’ll see if he placates fans by way of Family 4-Pack bargains and the entertainment options that a Triangle Building would provide (Cubs Hall of Fame museum, shopping, dining).
Sittin' on the ledge and sippin' Kool-Aid...
Many Cubs best days were behind them before the season started. Look at all the pre-season comments...
There were a lot of ‘ifs’. IF so-and-so returns to form, and IF so-and-so can keep up their play and IF this happens and that happens the Cubs can contend.
Very few IFs panned out. And some that did weren’t even a real IF (Sliva).
If, Dog, Rabbit.
In this case, no ifs, many ‘dogs’ and definitely no rabbit.
''Lou's going to keep his job. We're going to go to the playoffs. You can mark the day I said it, today.'' - Marlon Byrd (Monday, May 17, 2010)
i'd actually say
a lot of the “ifs” panned out
Carlos Silva, Randy Wells, Tom Gorzelanny, Marlon Byrd, Fukudome, Colvin
unfortunately the “ifs” have been countered with some surprising declines, specifically Aramis
in general we’re right about where the projections indicated we would be.
follow me on twitter for fantasy sports analysis @http://twitter.com/DrewDinkmeyer or get the full analysis at www.fantistics.com
by DartmouthCubsFan on May 31, 2010 9:31 PM CDT up reply actions
That is a source of a lot of frustation here (and with me)
The off-season question marks are working out, and the starting pitching has been good. But the team has been dismal.
This is probably the definite sign that it is time to set aside the 2007-2008 memories and do a major restructuring of this team. At this point I almost hope the Cubs don’t climb into accidental contention in a weak division, becuase that will just provide an excuse for postponing the moves they need to make to become a good baseball team. And they aren’t a good team now….:-(
i understand that
I was at this point last season. I reached acceptance that the window had closed in August of last year and have been trying to come up with ideas to improve things going forward since then
I feel similarly to lucking into contention in a bad league. I said this all offseason that I was concerned the heard mentality of win now might force some unnecessary roster/salary commitments that linger into our next window. It’s why I was so critical of the Byrd signing. not because he won’t be worth his contract, but because his contract blocks “some” of the flexibility to rebuild things
follow me on twitter for fantasy sports analysis @http://twitter.com/DrewDinkmeyer or get the full analysis at www.fantistics.com
by DartmouthCubsFan on Jun 1, 2010 9:09 AM CDT up reply actions
I'm OK with the Byrd deal (except the ever-popular back loading)
At his salary, he could also be a very useful 4th outfielder option and be a contributor to a 2012 team (2011 does not look good for the Cubs). I’m more interested in seeing management working on strategies to pare down the 8-figure salaries, even if it means eating a few million for each salary they ship off, as in the Silva-Bradley deal.
I don’t see the talent in the farm system to replace all the remaining 2007-2008 core players and don’t think the current veterans will bring that kind of talent in trades. So a plan to contend that does not involve a lot of lean years will also include some (well-planned) free agent signings (not unreasonable for a higher budget team like the Cubs). But, unlike the Yankees, there will still be a budget for the team, so a necessary first step is moving out a lot of the current salary structure.
The worst part is they are painful to watch.
I’ve gotten to the acceptance phase in many seasons. But unless they start playing the younger guys, it will be hard to watch.
if were gonna lose
lets at least get the youngsters some experience. IMO If we dont start winning , we will be sellers at the deadline and we will see that happen. And if we have to sell off players, Lou wont be coaching the youngin’s.
"Baseball is ninety percent mental. The other half is physical." -Yogi Berra
The unfortunate part is
we probably wouldn’t find too many buyers for our overpaid, under achieving players……because their value is at an all time low. It’s our baggage sadly.
Who would want Soriano, Fukudome, DLee, Ramirez, and Z?
Or Grabow, Howry, Theriot, Jeff Baker, etc……..
"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.
I find it impossible...
…to scoreboard watch, or worry about what other’s do and how it affects us in the standings, when our team is so horrible.
Seriously. Can’t do it.
Nobody cares about your fantasy baseball team
by carmen_fanzone on May 31, 2010 4:44 PM CDT up reply actions
It is better for the Cubs technically
but I can’t do it. I really hate the Cards and have nothing against the Reds other than their
announcers. Part of me wants Baker to win given how most people here think he was the worst manager ever and never gave young players a chance. With good young , mostly injury free rosters he has done a very good job.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on May 31, 2010 4:46 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Rec'd
Despite the harangue (not Harang) we heard that day on BART in S.F., I never bought in to the “Dusty is the problem” stuff.
Truth is, Dusty is one of the better managers in baseball and his record reflects that. Given the talent, he is about as good as it gets. Plus, players love playing for him.
No, no, no.
Dusty is a bad manager. One of the best managers in baseball would NOT have let the Cubs choke the Wild Card lead in 2004.
Dusty is a pretty wretched in game manager
in terms of strategy but a lot of managers are and Lou is much worse. One of things I liked about Dusty was what many other Cub fans hated, players loved him and he made each and every one of them feel like an important part of the team. Many people felt he did not have enough disipline but I much prefer a manager that players are inspired to play for to one who routinely wins polls as manager they would least like to play for. Another of Dusty’s issues was that he was too stubborn about admitting some of his comments like “walks clog the bases” or darker skinned people play better in the heat where not serious. You can actually hear him laughing on the 2nd one, but he insisted on defending it later.
I think Dusty could do a lot better with the current Cubs roster.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on May 31, 2010 5:08 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Oh, lord ...
can we have a third option? I’m not defending Lou AT ALL, but talking hypotheticals about Dusty managing the 2010 Cubs makes me want to vomit.
Yeah
Wonder what Baylor could do with this team.
"I'd rather hit home runs you don't have to run as hard." -- Dave Kingman
by BucknerKongCardenal on May 31, 2010 9:31 PM CDT up reply actions
He had a knack for getting performance
from the big salarys
The best defense is a good offense.....Lou Pinella...still hasn't managed the Cubs to a post season win. D. Lee still doesn't have a post seasson RBI for Cubs...ditto for Soriano
"It's so simple, it's unbelievable," manager Lou Piniella said. "When you score runs, you win."
Hire Jim Essian
"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 last two years
that Baker managed here, he was terrible. To suggest he is one of the better managers in baseball certainly wasn’t born out of his years spent in Chicago.
If a quality pitching start is 3 runs and 6 innings, then a quality hitting day is 1 for 4.
Actually I did not suggest he was one the best managers
but he was nowhere near as bad as some and better than Lou is now by a wide margin. He had to deal with devastating injuries to the pitching staff in particular.
With a good young roster that he has now he is doing a very good job. Actually communicating with players is one of Dusty’s top skills and it sorely lacking in Lou.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on May 31, 2010 5:17 PM CDT up reply actions
I am the one that said Dusty is of the better managers
and I stand behind that.
The fact that he has struggled with bad teams…so has LaRussa, Torre and all the others.
Dusty should not be mentioned in the same thought as LaRussa and Torre
Unless it’s to contrast.
How are your HTML skills?
You just may be the right man to convert that DustyMustGo.com website to DustyComeBack.com.
My reply was to azjazzman
who claimed Baker was one of the better managers in baseball.
If a quality pitching start is 3 runs and 6 innings, then a quality hitting day is 1 for 4.
Well, it's interesting
managers are always terrible when the team is losing. But, look at the managers in the NL playoffs last year…Torre, Tracy, LaRussa…all of them have had seasons where they struggled with teams with losing records. All of them have been fired. Charlie Manuel is an exception, but he has had his ups and downs.
Yet, these are the managers generally considered to be the best in the NL. You gotta look at body of work. If you look at Dusty’s entire career, you have to conclude he is one of the better managers.
only if you completely ignore the level of talent he had on his teams
that were successful.
Dusty is a bad manager, who was handed some very good talent. The fact that the Reds are as good this year is not a testament to his managing. They are a combination of young talent finally coalescing, and the rest of the NL being weak.
I guess I'm just a worrier, that's why my friends call me whiskers
by Nunyabidness on May 31, 2010 5:20 PM CDT up reply actions
Sorry
but that is B.S. There are plenty of examples of teams with superior talent that didn’t win.
Discounting Dusty’s success by saying he was handed teams with talent is bogus. And it only works in retrospect which makes it even less relevant.
How many people picked the Cubs in 2003?
Those who did not know the top two starters and closer
would go on the DL?
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on May 31, 2010 5:28 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Well, Dusty mismanaged the final 10 games.
A time when everyone was back and healthy. And a span the began with the Cubs in a two-game lead for the Wild Card.
Instead of getting the team to focus, Dusty started sparring with Steve freaking Stone!
everyone was back and healthy?
I don’t think so. He mismanaged games but he did not have the best options.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on May 31, 2010 5:35 PM CDT up reply actions
In the final week?
Who wasn’t healthy, DS? Prior and Wood both made starts (Prior was incredibly in the last 10 days). But the entire starting lineup, the entire rotation and the entire bullpen — minus maybe Borowski — were all healthy.
I meant Jobo
However continuing to use Hawkins was really on Lou and
that was the killer.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on May 31, 2010 5:56 PM CDT up reply actions
You mean on Lou
But injuries didn’t cause the collapse in ’04. Dusty is the one who let things boil over.
I did
I do think the major injuries in 04 were a key factor in the Cubs not making it. I think Dusty did a decent job in keep them in a race till the end but the last 10 days were ugly.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on May 31, 2010 8:29 PM CDT up reply actions
Dusty Baker is player's manager
but he couldn’t strategize his way out of a wet paper bag.
He is great at building chemistry but Dusty Baker will lose you on average 4 games a year because of his poor managing choices.
He has be out coached in the playoffs, which makes him a liability you cannot afford in such pressure packed games.
(This story was produced by BCPDnewservice. Our motto: If you don’t like this story then suck it!)
by BrewCrew'sPrinceofDarkness on May 31, 2010 8:42 PM CDT up reply actions
I agree in part
but Lou is actually worse in game strategy. Dusty makes far better use of his bench. He may indeed lose 4 games with some boneheaded moves but I think he wins more than that because he gets every player on the team to believe he is important. Lou’s teams get flat out run over because they have no gas at all Dusty has made it a lot further down the road.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on May 31, 2010 9:13 PM CDT up reply actions
I think this year Lou is trying to get fired.
When it comes to Lou’s strategy he’s an old school guy. No more no less.
In 2008 he fell in love in Howry which I think was his way of proving to Hendry he needed another arm in the pen or he just need Howry to start to dominate games.
This year Lou keeps running Lee and Rami out there because I think he thinks if Lee and Rami don’t turn it around there is no hope for this team (and in all due honesty, he is more than likely right).
This season aside I have not seen his decisions cost this team games that they should have won. Dusty does it at least once a month.
(This story was produced by BCPDnewservice. Our motto: If you don’t like this story then suck it!)
by BrewCrew'sPrinceofDarkness on May 31, 2010 9:22 PM CDT up reply actions
And Lou will lose how many according...
to your math and poor choices??
The best defense is a good offense.....Lou Pinella...still hasn't managed the Cubs to a post season win. D. Lee still doesn't have a post seasson RBI for Cubs...ditto for Soriano
"It's so simple, it's unbelievable," manager Lou Piniella said. "When you score runs, you win."
This type of nonsense
cracks me up.
If you lay the failure of 2004 on Dusty, then how do you explain the fact that the year before, the same Dusty brought the Cubs closer to playing in the World Series than any manager in 65 years? Or did he get take stupid pills in 2004? Or was he just lucky?
Oh, I don't know ...
how about the fact that Dusty made some ridiculous decisions in the Marlins series (not going to talk to Prior, not bringing in Clement)? I’ll grant you that 2003 wasn’t as much of a Dusty f-up as ‘04, but it wasn’t exactly something that should excuse him from overseeing a disastrous finish in 2004.
Or managing a disappointing ’05 team. Or managing a laughable ’06 team.
It's not B.S.
Baker finished in 1st place his initial year here, the dropped to 3rd, then 4th and finally 6th his final year when the team lost 96 games.
If a quality pitching start is 3 runs and 6 innings, then a quality hitting day is 1 for 4.
So what?
In SF he won 103 games his first year, then had three straight losing season, followed by 6 straight winning seasons, topped off by a World Series berth.
In Cincinnati, he now apparently has a winner in his 3rd year, after two losing seasons.
A team with
Barry Bonds and Kent in the lineup in their prime had a lot to do with Baker’s success. There were few problems to fix so he had few managerial decisions to make. As soon as there was a problem. Baker was incapable of fixing it. That’s the same issue Lou has. He’s not a problem solver, he’s a maintenance engineer.
If a quality pitching start is 3 runs and 6 innings, then a quality hitting day is 1 for 4.
I would add he got us MUCH closer to a WS birth
than Lou ever has.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on May 31, 2010 5:57 PM CDT up reply actions
Exactly
He won some playoff games while manager of the Cubs, which is more than Lou can say at this point.
He also managed disappointing to disastrous teams in 2004-06.
I’d take Lou 2007-08 over Dusty any day of the week — even though the ’03 Cubs got the farthest.
wow..
yanking Z pitching a gem after about 75 pitches to “save” him for a possible game 5 was one of the worst playoff decisions Ive ever seen,,
Favre-enfreude
The thrill of seeing an epic Brett Favre fail. Derived from schadenfreude - satisfaction or pleasure felt at someone else's misfortune.
is it really that awful
if marmol manages to NOT become a Cub in the playoffs?
Things work out best for those that make the best out of the way things work out - Coach Wooden
Agreed
3 years later, and people are still bitching about that move, while conveniently forgetting that the game was tied, and you don’t get a 1/2 win for a tie. They didn’t score, anyway.
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 Jun 1, 2010 5:56 AM CDT up reply actions
Yes
Marmol was lights out this year, but he failed at the worst possible time. That’s on Lou?
"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 have a problem with the philosophy in general..
You never know what the reliever will have comming out of the pen. You knew Zambrano was on that night. Even if Marmol had shut them down, I still wouldn’t have like the move.
Let’s say Marmol shuts them down and the game goes extras..then you’ve already spent your best reliever and your best chance at winning the game..
Favre-enfreude
The thrill of seeing an epic Brett Favre fail. Derived from schadenfreude - satisfaction or pleasure felt at someone else's misfortune.
agree with you az..
I don’t have time to get too much into it tonight, but totally agree..
Favre-enfreude
The thrill of seeing an epic Brett Favre fail. Derived from schadenfreude - satisfaction or pleasure felt at someone else's misfortune.
Jim's always been the problem......
Dusty was just a bit more…well….whats the word I’m looking for…..“passive/aggresive”
The best defense is a good offense.....Lou Pinella...still hasn't managed the Cubs to a post season win. D. Lee still doesn't have a post seasson RBI for Cubs...ditto for Soriano
"It's so simple, it's unbelievable," manager Lou Piniella said. "When you score runs, you win."
Actually the rain delay works for me
both starters will be messed up and a rain out is even better. I don’t have anything against the Reds but all things being equal better if they don’t win.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on May 31, 2010 5:02 PM CDT up reply actions
Yeah
like how the 20 inning game messed up the Mets pitching before the Cubs played them.
How’s that work out, Al?
Desperation has clearly set in when you are hoping for things like rain outs and extra inning games to help your team.
Never said I was not desperate
The rain out or delay has no direct effect on the Cubs. They won’t play either for a long time.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on May 31, 2010 5:09 PM CDT up reply actions
There is no help
when you are struggling below .500, even in a weak division.
No matter who wins between the Cards and Reds, somebody will put another game between themselves and the Cubs.
I will still chear for anything
other than injuries that hurts the Cardinals.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on May 31, 2010 5:18 PM CDT up reply actions
I'll explain Randy Wells to you
Simply put, he’s a #4 or #5 starter this year. The type of starts he gives us are what you get from a typical #4 or #5. He’s a cheaper Jason Marquis….much cheaper
That being said, he’s young enough to improve. It’s just for 2010, that’s who he is.
He pitched a good game today. Just sayin'
"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.
More to the point
the league has now developed a scouting report on Wells.
The report says, swing early in the count, and be patient after the first couple of pitches, as his M.O. is to get you to chase.
Teams that have better scouts and disciplined hitters, like the Cardinals, will tend to have more success against Wells.
I'd say he is even a decent #3
On most teams. He’s just not ace material.
I guess I'm just a worrier, that's why my friends call me whiskers
by Nunyabidness on May 31, 2010 5:02 PM CDT up reply actions
Home Grown #3 starter is nothing to sneeze at.
Wells is the kind of workman like player that gets teams into the playoff’s.
Wells is not the problem. The only reason this team is sinking as slowly as it is is because of the starting pitching.
In fact, NEW RULE: Unless a starting pitcher gives up more than 5 runs an inning you can’t talk crap about him.
(This story was produced by BCPDnewservice. Our motto: If you don’t like this story then suck it!)
by BrewCrew'sPrinceofDarkness on May 31, 2010 8:36 PM CDT up reply actions 2 recs
WOW!
That was a really bad performance by the offense today!
DLee striking out w/ RISP and Rami absolutely embarassing the club in the 4-hole!
Note to Lou. Bat Lee 6th and Rami 7th for two weeks and see what happens.
We have to call up Tracy now. Even if he hit .250, it will be a hundred points better than what Rami is batting right now.
If you think you've seen it all...just wait!
by CubFanSince1970 on May 31, 2010 4:50 PM CDT reply actions
I wouldn't
bat them next to each other because that creates a black hole in the offense. I would move them down in the order though. I would hit Ramirez 7th or 8th when he is in the lineup.
Rami
needs to be on the bench, at this point I am firmly in the bring back Tracy camp. I had a wise old platoon sergeant in the army tell me one time "all the atta boys in the world can be erased by one oh f*** ". I think Rami’s used up his attaboys at this point and GDP Lee’s not far from it.
by iowacubfan69 on May 31, 2010 9:23 PM CDT up reply actions
even BB seems to be questioning more and more of Lou's moves in the broadcasts.
seems like BB is trying to audition for the “interim manager” role—whenever the Ricketts finally get the stones to make the move.
Getting rid of Lou very soon will clearly demonstrate and set the tone for an ownership that is impatient and wants to win NOW. I can’t think of a Cubs fan who wouldn’t embrace this new ownership attitude.
Carlos Silva lemonade: made from freshly squeezed Milton Bradley lemons. -- the Jim Hendry kook book.
honest question about Ramirez situation
It’s fairly obvious that the guy is killing us right now and batting him 4th clearly compounds the problem. Right now, I think it goes without saying that we’d have a better chance to win games with Tracy playing 3rd. But can this team really make a playoff run without Ramirez getting right and can Ramirez get right if he doesn’t play?
My take is that Lou believes that if Ramirez doesn’t turn it around then the team is going nowhere this year. With that belief in mind, the only thing he can do is keep trotting the guy out there. He’s essentially sacrificing wins now so that hopefully the guy comes alive. not sure I agree with the strategy, seems like a DL and ‘rehab’ at Iowa would be best for all parties
by neifi on May 31, 2010 4:53 PM CDT reply actions 2 recs
Nicely said!
I think you might be onto something here!
If you think you've seen it all...just wait!
by CubFanSince1970 on May 31, 2010 4:56 PM CDT up reply actions
this was the same dumbassed belief that kept Soriano in the lineup when he was clearly hurt
Lou just doesn’t want to manage. He wants to trot the same lineup out there and just sit back and collect a paycheck. The NL is weak this year, we COULD compete with ARAM hitting like normal, if we actually tried to replace him until he gets right. But that would take a plan, and good execution, neither things Lou is remotely good at.
I guess I'm just a worrier, that's why my friends call me whiskers
by Nunyabidness on May 31, 2010 4:56 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
agree
that is bad managing. however, in comparison to the soriano situation, I think that Lou has a much more reasonable argument that Ramirez is necessary to the team’s possibility of success. Though, I would still DL him and send him down if it were me. It just seems that he always wants to give these guys one more chance before making tough decisions.
I'm not sure what you don't get Al
This is the fourth time in five games that the team has managed exactly one run in a game. While we may have won one of those games, it still shows that this team is just not very good. The fact that we have a manager, and a general manager who couldn’t tell their heads from their assese doesn’t help.
I guess I'm just a worrier, that's why my friends call me whiskers
What's not to get?
We have a manager who has gotten into bunker mentality. He’s got the backs of veterans who are playing terribly. In return, they have his. So we see Lee and Ramirez still in the 3-4 slots. Lou promises lineup changes and the only change is Fontenot for Theriot. That’s not a change. That’s a tweak. Today neither Lee nor Ramirez were good enough to hit any ball out of the infield.
If you look at the winning streak, it was built around shutouts. Over the last 14 days we’re hitting .232. The three outfielders were .229, .219 and ,167. Yet Lou tells us he can’t find a start for Colvin. In fact Tyler started only 4 games in May although he batted .346 and had a 1.072 OPS. Can anyone justify Piniella’s actions.
I used to be a big supporter of Lou, but no longer. He promises changes but continues to repeat the same foolish mistakes. He gave up on Tampa and now he’s given up on the Cubs, As mediocre as the NL is this year, there is absolutely no reason to believe we are even mediocre. We have a losing record to the worst of the mediocre teams. We’re not scoring runs against below average pitchers and we’re embarrassed by the better ones.
I’m sorry you don’t get it Al. I do. Lou has stopped managing. He’s a token presence in the dugout. As long as he’s here our chances of a .500 team is nothing but a fantasy.
If a quality pitching start is 3 runs and 6 innings, then a quality hitting day is 1 for 4.
by tharr on May 31, 2010 4:55 PM CDT reply actions 4 recs
Lou tries to fit a square peg into a round hole
He really isn’t a flexible enough guy that he can shift the puzzle pieces around according to the game at hand and according a player’s increasing/declining rate of production. Many old school skippers are like this – they continually pigeonhole players according to “the book” and “the percentages” with little regard for the immediate situation. Instead of letting current circumstances dictate who bats where and when to go to the bullpen, the likes of Lou base their decision making strictly on the conventional wisdom of the past and who got you there before.
Sittin' on the ledge and sippin' Kool-Aid...
I am pretty sure Al agrees with you on Lou
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on May 31, 2010 5:20 PM CDT up reply actions
well, then I don't understand Al not understanding
I think it would be quite clear to Al what the problem is at this point
I guess I'm just a worrier, that's why my friends call me whiskers
by Nunyabidness on May 31, 2010 5:21 PM CDT up reply actions
Again I know Al agrees Lou is the problem
I think I have established myself as Lou’s biggest detractor for over two years but as a Cub fan I still start every game hoping they will win. I was on a full scale rant yesterday sitting in the bleachers with Al re the line up and for good measure I dropped by Kasey to rant too but Kasey STILL believes Lou is a great manager. I assure Al wants him gone and has said so.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on May 31, 2010 5:26 PM CDT up reply actions
I know Al and I agree
that Lou should go. I think we may point to slightly different reasons for that. It seems he feels a change is necessary to revitalize the team. I simply believe lou should go because he’s doing a terrible job.
P.S. Al, if I misstated your position, I apologize.
If a quality pitching start is 3 runs and 6 innings, then a quality hitting day is 1 for 4.
Ding ding!
Winner.
I still haven’t seen those “changes” Lou promised. Show me changes. Take Ramirez and DLee out, give Colvin a start more than once every two weeks! Those would be changes, but Lou has quit. And if he has quit, it is time for him to go.
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 May 31, 2010 5:51 PM CDT up reply actions
Lou's kind of old, though
Changes to my grand parents mean going to lunch 15 minutes earlier/later. Perhaps that’s what Lou meant.
(And man, are they cranky when they are 16 minutes earlier/later)
Did you see him resting his chin on the padded railing in front of the dugout?
He really looked like he’d rather be most ANYWHERE else…
We have met the enemy and they are us! ~ Walt Kelly, Pogo, 1971
Remember Lou's FIRST day as the Cubs manager? He looked a lot younger...
We have met the enemy and they are us! ~ Walt Kelly, Pogo, 1971
No, I was out of town the whole day.
I took a day trip down to Southwest Vermont/Northwest Massachusetts today, and only just got back.
It seems I didn’t miss much from the Cubs today. My day was probably better because I missed the game. Also, there’s a wildfire raging in Canada, and winds sent a huge cloud of smoke into Vermont this morning.
@ DartmouthCubsFan, did the smoke cloud inundate New Hampshire too?
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 May 31, 2010 5:57 PM CDT up reply actions
I totally agree
Lou takes far, far too long to make any corrective issues regarding veteran hitters. It was obvious early last season that Soriano was no longer a capable lead off hitter and it took a while before he was moved from that spot.
Lou is going to sink or swim with Fukudome, Lee, and Ramirez in the heart of the lineup day in and day out regardless of how the team is doing or how those guys are hitting. In the meantime, he’ll blame Theriot and talk (more and more goddamn talk from Piniella) about how hard it is not to put Colvin in the lineup.
These moves are long overdue. Long past any reasonable time that should be given to veteran players. It’s time for Lou to either leave or make changes. Now. Tonite. Still it will be at least 2 weeks late.
by jerry morales rules on Jun 1, 2010 9:21 AM CDT up reply actions
I was getting close to tuning out the Cubs (to a certain extent) ...
until the recent streak of hot play. But after going to Wrigley to see the Pujols show yesterday and watching the team barely muster one run (a gift one, at that) against the Pirates? I’m going to go find something else to do with my free time for a while. Frankly, this group hasn’t consistently shown that it’s worth the hours and hours I devote to it.
Lou’s decisions are maddening — and the team would probably be in a better spot now if Colvin had played more and if Aramis and Lee weren’t STILL in the middle of the order. That said, Lou might be figuring that unless Lee and Aramis turn things around, the team isn’t going anywhere — so that’s why he continues to play them, and hit them 3-4.
Is he right? I don’t know, but I doubt it. Could he get them to turn it around without putting them in key RBI spots? Probably.
But this nucleus isn’t that good. Let’s face it, play some kids for the rest of the year and hope for better in 2011. I think things will be better.
because they'll have a new manager?
I guess I'm just a worrier, that's why my friends call me whiskers
by Nunyabidness on May 31, 2010 5:00 PM CDT up reply actions
Partly, yeah.
Also, I think the bullpen will be better. And I expect Colvin and Castro will be playing more, and I think Theriot will be gone.
I know we are all very frustrated, BUT
I am still clinging on to our 2007 run for hope. On May 31, 2007 we were 22-29, 6.5 out of 1st place. Heck, it got worse from there. on June 21 of that season we were 32-39, 8.5 games behind Milwaukee, and fresh off losing a series to last place Texas. From there we turned it around. In no way am I predicting that to happen, but I think it should still give us hope. I’m gonna give us the month of June to turn it around, thanks to a very weak schedule that goes: 2 at Pittsburgh, 3 at Houston, 3 at Milwaukee, 3 vs the White Sox, 3 vs Oakland, 3 vs the Angles, 3 at Seattle, 3 at the White Sox, and 3 vs Pittsburgh to wrap up the month. If we can’t jump back in the race playing that competition then we are done.
I just can’t convince myself that we are really this bad. I mean Ramirez and Lee can’t really hit this bad for the whole year can they? We eventually will get some clutch hits won’t we? And I just can’t really believe that the Reds or Cards are gonna win more than 85-88 games. Going 62-48 the rest of the way, which I do not think is impossible, would put us at 86-76 which would probably give us a chance in the N.L. Central. I mean if you look at all the close losses we have had we are only a clutch hit or 2 away from being in the thick of it. Maybe we are this bad, but I’m not going to give up until we get through June still playing like this. And if then we are still struggling I will give in to all the “Fire Lou” and “Fire sale” talk.
Anybody else still holding out hope for this year?
It's simple Cubs in the spring and summer, Vols in the fall and winter.
Hope for the playoffs? No.
The thing is, the 2007 team got better because of Lou — because of some big changes he made. I don’t see that happening. Lou was changing things still in place from the Dusty era. Given Lou’s stubbornness, I don’t see him changing things from the way he put them in place.
And that’s why Al wants a new manager. I see the logic, but not a good replacement OR a good way to revive the season.
At this point, I think we end the season right around .500 in third behind Cincinnati and St. Louis.
Before they are mathematically out, then there is always hope, no matter how slim
"A waist is a terrible thing to mind." - Terry 'Fat Tub of Goo' Forster
I don't get it either. Do the Cubs like to give up and lose???
When they faced the Rockies, Phillies, Rangers, and the Dodgers, I saw a team with a lot of fight in them. I saw a team that played good defense and just enough offense to win the game. Even when they lost, they had made an improbable rally. Then the Cardinals came, and the Cubs decided to quit. Now to Pittsburgh, and I would rather see the Iowa Cubs swing the bats than see this bunch commit out after out after out. I said after the first week of the season that the offense was the culprit. It’s holding true right now.
by braziliancubsfan on May 31, 2010 5:01 PM CDT reply actions
Cause our manager looks at how much they get payed, and not the stats.
by braziliancubsfan on May 31, 2010 5:13 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
it's not that simple
he looks at who is a veteran, and where they have batted during most of their career. I honestly don’t think money plays into it. He’s just lazy, and stubborn.
I guess I'm just a worrier, that's why my friends call me whiskers
by Nunyabidness on May 31, 2010 5:23 PM CDT up reply actions
then why does he bench theriot and not ramirez? Why does he not ever bench Lee?
by braziliancubsfan on May 31, 2010 5:26 PM CDT up reply actions
he hasn't benched Theriot ...
he sat him for one game. He’s done the same thing with Ramirez.
Theriot needs to be benched too
A lot of players need to be riding some pine
the only players that don't deserve to get benched are Castro
and Soriano. Every once else has to take a seat.
by braziliancubsfan on May 31, 2010 5:29 PM CDT up reply actions
Castro has not been hitting well lately
In terms of benching you have to look at the alternatives. Nady is probably the only guy who can play 1B and I am not convinced he would be much better at bat and certainly not fielding. Only one I want out of the regular line up is A-Ram. Everyone else needs to platoon and share a little more so Colvin & Fonty get more at bats and Tracy gets a shot at 3rd.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on May 31, 2010 5:34 PM CDT up reply actions
he's been hitting more than any other Cub
I hate Fukudome for taking fast balls strikes and k’ing on breaking ball.I hate D-Lee and Rammy for not doing their jobs, I hate how Geo Soto, Byrd, and Theriot are all in a slump and I hate how this offense doesn’t do their job and how the pitchers need to pitch shutouts for this team to win.
by braziliancubsfan on May 31, 2010 5:38 PM CDT up reply actions
Castro is .277
the past 14 days and .313 for the month. Add to that the hits his defense has prevented and I’d prefer to keep him in the lineup.
If a quality pitching start is 3 runs and 6 innings, then a quality hitting day is 1 for 4.
maybe its just me, but doesnt he seem to hit better when he's higher in the lineup
"Well-behaved women seldom make History"---Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
by cooliogirl47 on May 31, 2010 5:50 PM CDT up reply actions
I've been lobbying for
him in the leadoff spot. His speed would actually put some threat into opposing pitchers. He can’t steal hitting 8th and Lou won’t turn him loose in front of Lee.
Actually his best numbers are at # 8 but the small sample size doesn’t signify any bias to hitting down in the order to me.
If a quality pitching start is 3 runs and 6 innings, then a quality hitting day is 1 for 4.
thanks for checking, and I like the way you think
"Well-behaved women seldom make History"---Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
by cooliogirl47 on May 31, 2010 6:00 PM CDT up reply actions
Sori is hitting .229
over the last two weeks. He could use a day or two off.
If a quality pitching start is 3 runs and 6 innings, then a quality hitting day is 1 for 4.
Sori's .229 looks good when stacked up next to DLee and Rami...
They are buying Sori some time and taking the heat off of him…
Who’d a thunk it?
We have met the enemy and they are us! ~ Walt Kelly, Pogo, 1971
Absolutely amazing
The team has hard decisions to make during the off season or maybe by the trading deadline.
If a quality pitching start is 3 runs and 6 innings, then a quality hitting day is 1 for 4.
Not so hard really.
The players themselves are making it pretty clear what needs to happen.
We have met the enemy and they are us! ~ Walt Kelly, Pogo, 1971
To everyone but Lou
FYI Iowa got killed today 8-0 mostly due to a terrible bullpen and managing only 3 hits, two by Tracy.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on May 31, 2010 6:00 PM CDT up reply actions
This totally changed my mind about Tracy.
He is the ANSWER for this team.
It will be tough
with all the huge contracts (Sori, Rami, Fukudome, Z)
Nobody will take those guys now.
If you think you've seen it all...just wait!
by CubFanSince1970 on May 31, 2010 6:10 PM CDT up reply actions
tell me
what’s dlee hitting? What’s rammy? or soto, byrd, or fukudome?
by braziliancubsfan on May 31, 2010 5:50 PM CDT up reply actions
Last 14 days
Lee .262
Rami .100
Soto .111
Byrd .167
Fukudome .219
Theriot .196
Fontenot .563
Colvin .467
Nady .300
Notice the starters and the guys not good enough to earn a spot in the lineup. The starters above had 15 RBI. The three bench guys had 10 RBI.
If a quality pitching start is 3 runs and 6 innings, then a quality hitting day is 1 for 4.
jeez
"Well-behaved women seldom make History"---Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
by cooliogirl47 on May 31, 2010 6:10 PM CDT up reply actions
D Lee was 5 for 6 in the first two games of the dodger series,
then he quieted down a ton
by braziliancubsfan on May 31, 2010 6:12 PM CDT up reply actions
He wasn't even close on any pitches today.
really disheartening to watch.
If you think you've seen it all...just wait!
by CubFanSince1970 on May 31, 2010 6:15 PM CDT up reply actions
WOW!
The whole baseball mindset that says “you have to play the veterans until they retire” is crazy! this seems to be what Lou is doing right now.
At the ML level, at least go with the guys who are currently having the most success (and highest BA)! Otherwise, it will be a long season.
If you think you've seen it all...just wait!
by CubFanSince1970 on May 31, 2010 6:14 PM CDT up reply actions
BA might not be the best judge ...
but I see your point.
Yes, I know what you are saying
I do consider a good OBP to be valuable also.
But look at Soto. I believe his OBP was around .425 start of game, but he is batting only .111 in his last few games and not really helping the offense much.
If you think you've seen it all...just wait!
by CubFanSince1970 on May 31, 2010 6:19 PM CDT up reply actions
assuming we're facing a righty tomorrow ...
here’s my lineup …
Fukudome, Castro, Colvin, Soriano, Fontenot, Soto, Tracy, Nady
Kinda weird — and it assumes Ramirez goes on the DL — but why not?
Pitt is likely to
use a RH bullpen guy. And assuming even Lou knows what he’s doing lately. is a very dicey proposition.
If a quality pitching start is 3 runs and 6 innings, then a quality hitting day is 1 for 4.
I totally agree
but trust me, the numbers are relatively as bad as the sOPS+ numbers. If it is appropriate to bat the hot and sit the cold, it plain to see that Lou couldn’t have chosen the exact opposite.
If a quality pitching start is 3 runs and 6 innings, then a quality hitting day is 1 for 4.
I know it sounds crazy that they are playing the veterans--Lee and Ramirez--
even with such horrible numbers.
But, you play Fontenot everyday (and maybe Colvin too) and they are going to hit some big slumps too. We saw what Fontenot does as an everday player (not much). And I’m still not sure about Colvin (but maybe you stick him in there for now).
Fact is, there isn’t a whole lot of solutions right now.
Batting .163 after two months is NOT a slump
and as long as Lou and others continue in that mindset nothing will change. Z gets yanked out of the rotation for TWO horrible starts ( one so so and one good one as well) and A-Ram is still in at clean up? Lee has has been far better than A-Ram and he is clearly in a slump and should be moved down in the order. A-Ram has no business on an MLB roster.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on May 31, 2010 9:18 PM CDT up reply actions
Lee had the same thing last year.
Through April and a good part of May if I remember right. And people were calling to bring in Hoffpauir. That was dumb.
Same thing happened with David Ortiz last year…and a good part of this year.
I’m not advocating Rami in the clean-up. Bat him seventh. But don’t take him out for Chad Tracy.
You can NOT keep a guy hitting .163
in the line up PERIOD. Especially one that strikes out as much as A-Ram. I mean seriously how bad does a formerly great player have to be to be taken out. If he goes down to .150. If Grabow had actually been a great pitcher for the last 5 years would you still want him and his nearly 10 ERA on the team? A -Ram is just killing the Cubs and moving to him down will not solve the problem.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on May 31, 2010 11:54 PM CDT up reply actions
DFA!
Nobody cares about your fantasy baseball team
by carmen_fanzone on Jun 1, 2010 5:19 AM CDT up reply actions
Lee was hitting .194
on May 13 last year. Lou sat him down over a long weekend and when he returned, he hit in 10 of the remaining 12 games. By the end of the month his BA was .248.
If a quality pitching start is 3 runs and 6 innings, then a quality hitting day is 1 for 4.
We're 3 weeks past May 13
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 Jun 1, 2010 5:57 AM CDT up reply actions
And it's not even May anymore
New month, new 3rd baseman please!
and manager
who will let him play
If a quality pitching start is 3 runs and 6 innings, then a quality hitting day is 1 for 4.
Also Lee continued to draw walks even in a slump
A-Ram is continues to strike out at a rate almost twice his average.
Not to mention 30 points higher even on a terrible BA is significant
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on Jun 1, 2010 10:52 AM CDT up reply actions
Lee has played in 51 games in 2010.
He’s hitting .233/.341/.368 with 6 HR, 23 RBI, 31 BB, 46 K
After 51 games in 2009:
.277/.356/.451, 8 HR, 31 RBI, 23 BB, 39 K
He’s still got a way to go to even match last year.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
::chokes:: ::runs out room:: ::gagging noises::
"A waist is a terrible thing to mind." - Terry 'Fat Tub of Goo' Forster
you guys realize
everyone slumps at points during the season, days off aren’t some end-all be-all cure
its just the course of a 162 game season
follow me on twitter for fantasy sports analysis @http://twitter.com/DrewDinkmeyer or get the full analysis at www.fantistics.com
by DartmouthCubsFan on May 31, 2010 9:35 PM CDT up reply actions
slump indicates there was some good period
A-Ram has been awful all year. One walk off homer does not make up for the rest of the season. Even Sori had a decent start last year and Lee has had his moments this year and draws walks. A-Ram is beyond horrible and saying the Cubs can’t win without him or it is just a slump in 162 game season is not going to make him better.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on May 31, 2010 11:58 PM CDT up reply actions
....but sitting him down for the rest of the year will?
Sure.
Nobody cares about your fantasy baseball team
by carmen_fanzone on Jun 1, 2010 5:21 AM CDT up reply actions
Who suggested that?
If a quality pitching start is 3 runs and 6 innings, then a quality hitting day is 1 for 4.
Well....
A -Ram is just killing the Cubs and moving him down will not solve the problem.
Your mileage may vary, but….
Nobody cares about your fantasy baseball team
by carmen_fanzone on Jun 1, 2010 2:07 PM CDT up reply actions
and your solution is what?
Are you okay with just leaving ARam in, assuming no visible signs of injury? Just keep running him out there, day after day, keeping him in the #4 slot? You’re that confident that he’s going to all of a sudden one day figure it out and turn it back on?
That’s a possibility – not one that many would agree with but certainly a possibility. I’d just like to know if that’s your thinking on this.
Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."
1. Determine if he's injured, take appropriate action
If the answer to 1 is “no”…..
2. Platoon him with Baker or THE SAVIOR and drop him to 7th in the lineup until he comes out of it.
He’s not going to bat .163 all year. He really, truly isn’t.
Nobody cares about your fantasy baseball team
by carmen_fanzone on Jun 1, 2010 2:04 PM CDT up reply actions
Now that seems workable
But at the beginning of the year I would have said Ramirez isn’t going to be hitting .163 at the beginning of June. So, sometimes the unthinkable becomes reality. The problem is that Lou hasn’t been capable of using other options to improve the team rather than waiting.
If a quality pitching start is 3 runs and 6 innings, then a quality hitting day is 1 for 4.
my comment
was in reference to Soto….
follow me on twitter for fantasy sports analysis @http://twitter.com/DrewDinkmeyer or get the full analysis at www.fantistics.com
by DartmouthCubsFan on Jun 1, 2010 8:39 AM CDT up reply actions
Free Chad Tracy!
I am so tired of the superhero-esque “playing when hurt” BS. Ramirez is playing hurt. He needs to sit down on the DL and HEAL. And if it takes six weeks, it takes six weeks. We have a capable backup in Chad Tracy. No, he isn’t Rammy, but he is better than Rammy now and certainly better than Fontenot.
The Cubs need to tell Rammy to shut it down for a few weeks, heal up, and be ready for the second half.
Free Chad Tracy.
I think I speak for everyone here when I say, "Wait, what the hell are you talking about?"
I don't think Aramis is that hurt.
He was playing horribly BEFORE the thumb injury in Texas. My guess is that he would have kept playing if he had been hitting well.
Aramis is in the mother of all funks. That’s not to say he should keep playing — or, good god, keep hitting fourth — but if he were really hurt, I think he would have been DL’d.
Hey, did you just call Aramis a mother funker?
i keed ;-)
Sittin' on the ledge and sippin' Kool-Aid...
Like Soriano last year?
.163 is past the funk stage. If he is not injured than his career might be over. Either way he needs to on the DL or sitting on the bench rotting if he refuses to go.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on May 31, 2010 5:23 PM CDT up reply actions
agreed- whether he's actually hurt or not is irrelevant
he shouldn’t be playing either way.
also, pretty sure he can’t refuse to go on the DL, can he? i know he can refuse a rehab assignment, but I can’t imagine he’s enjoying this all that much either
Lou needs to stop playing him.
Or send him down to eighth in the lineup. But the problem is that both moves make perfect sense, which is probably why they won’t ever be done with Lou managing the team.
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 May 31, 2010 5:54 PM CDT up reply actions
I am sure that if the pitcher batted 8th, and there were two outs and men on 3rd and 2nd
and Rammy was in the 9 hole (this will never happen offcourse) they’d walk the pitcher to get to ARam
by braziliancubsfan on May 31, 2010 5:56 PM CDT up reply actions
You know,
I can see that happening too. Ramirez has been dead weight in the Cubs’ lineup this year.
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 May 31, 2010 5:58 PM CDT up reply actions
He will never do it
out of “respect” for the player.
If you think you've seen it all...just wait!
by CubFanSince1970 on May 31, 2010 6:21 PM CDT up reply actions
But he should...
for the sake of the TEAM!
If you think you've seen it all...just wait!
by CubFanSince1970 on May 31, 2010 6:21 PM CDT up reply actions
I go back to his shoulder injury...
He’s not been the same Rami since then. Baseball is full of players who made slight adjustments to their hitting or pitching to compensate for a slow healing injury and then permanently messing their original game up to the point of totally washing out.
I hope this isn’t the case with Rami, but the longer it goes on, the longer I have to believe it traces back to the fateful dive and him writhing on the ground in agony.
''Lou's going to keep his job. We're going to go to the playoffs. You can mark the day I said it, today.'' - Marlon Byrd (Monday, May 17, 2010)
I don't remember him hitting back up to his normal standard when he returned.
I could be mis-remembering though…
''Lou's going to keep his job. We're going to go to the playoffs. You can mark the day I said it, today.'' - Marlon Byrd (Monday, May 17, 2010)
Well, higher average/less power - that's a sign of making an adjustment.
Nothing wrong with making adjustments- we all do it. At least he’s still fielding pretty well (though his range is down from last year)…
''Lou's going to keep his job. We're going to go to the playoffs. You can mark the day I said it, today.'' - Marlon Byrd (Monday, May 17, 2010)
This sad tale
will continue like a Steven King novel, 1200 pages or so.
When continues to run out Ramy in the 4 hole and Lee in the 3 spot this team will continue to slide. 52 games into a season and our 3 and 4 hitters have been horrible and they continue to hit in the same spot.
Theriot has had a horrible May, and finally today he gets a day off. Second day off for the month. Colvin simply is getting screwed. Byrd has gone from 933 OPS to a still respectable 831, however is average has dropped 49 points since May 1. Fukudome has gone from a unreal OPS 1.114 to 882, and dropped his average only 60 points. Colvin meanwhile has gotten 29 AB’s for the month of May. But you see Lou is not the problem at all, just need more patience.
Yes players need to perform, I get it. However when you have a manager that has lost his team, lost the ability to lead a team, and stands by veteran ballplayers until they hit .150, the manger then becomes the issue that needs to be addressed.
Unfortunately this choir has been preached to more than once.
Oh the Horror.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on May 31, 2010 6:01 PM CDT up reply actions
lol
"Well-behaved women seldom make History"---Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
by cooliogirl47 on May 31, 2010 6:01 PM CDT up reply actions
Why is everyone upset? We won some games last week!
As I've told you before, I never repeat myself.
by santoswoodenlegs on May 31, 2010 5:24 PM CDT reply actions
Yea...
And the offense showed up one day….woot woot
The best defense is a good offense.....Lou Pinella...still hasn't managed the Cubs to a post season win. D. Lee still doesn't have a post seasson RBI for Cubs...ditto for Soriano
"It's so simple, it's unbelievable," manager Lou Piniella said. "When you score runs, you win."
Dusty Baker is the last manager in the last 100 years to lead the Cubs to a post season series win....
"Take the hands off the clock, we're gong to be here a while"
The worst team in the league is beating the crap out of us.
"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)
.
We don't play the Astros till later in the week.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on May 31, 2010 5:31 PM CDT up reply actions
We have met the enemy and they are us! ~ Walt Kelly, Pogo, 1971
''Lou's going to keep his job. We're going to go to the playoffs. You can mark the day I said it, today.'' - Marlon Byrd (Monday, May 17, 2010)
best strip ever created
they’ll make you laugh (at them), they’ll make you cry (tears of desperation)
The Chicago Cubs
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 May 31, 2010 6:00 PM CDT up reply actions
now you've made me cry :(
"Well-behaved women seldom make History"---Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
by cooliogirl47 on May 31, 2010 6:01 PM CDT up reply actions
I hope so too! Go Hawks!
"Well-behaved women seldom make History"---Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
by cooliogirl47 on May 31, 2010 6:03 PM CDT up reply actions
Cubbie-Tim will
"Well-behaved women seldom make History"---Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
by cooliogirl47 on May 31, 2010 6:08 PM CDT up reply actions
will you be there?
"Well-behaved women seldom make History"---Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
by cooliogirl47 on May 31, 2010 6:09 PM CDT up reply actions
he does really good write-ups on the Hawks
"Well-behaved women seldom make History"---Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
by cooliogirl47 on May 31, 2010 6:09 PM CDT up reply actions
yes he does and yes i will
i might just right a post about this team
by braziliancubsfan on May 31, 2010 6:11 PM CDT up reply actions
cool and cool, I love reading other posters stuff
"Well-behaved women seldom make History"---Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
by cooliogirl47 on May 31, 2010 6:12 PM CDT up reply actions
well
The month of June is make it or break it for the Cubs and it starts tomorrow. They play one team that currently has a winning record (the Oakland A’s). That’s it. If they can’t find a way to win almost 2/3 or more of their games, I think we can pretty much count them out. And if Lee and Ramirez aren’t producing, it doesn’t matter who plays because in order to win, the Cubs need those guys to produce. They are the foundation of the offense, and if they are going to crumble for the rest of the year, the whole team is going to come crashing down.
by jr19 on May 31, 2010 6:21 PM CDT via mobile reply actions
the thing is ...
that while they’re rebounding, they shouldn’t be hitting third and fourth.
im not sure
That they will score runs unless Lee and Ramirez hit anyway…no matter where they are in the lineup. I mean, you could move Soto up to 5th, put Soriano in the 4 hole, bat Byrd 3rd…mix and match what you want to do with leadoff and the two hole. I suppose it could help temporarily, but the table setters have been abysmal lately. Maybe you lead off with Castro or Fontenot and bat Colvin in the two hole (assuming Kosuke isn’t playing). There’s a lot you can try but the big hitters (Lee and Ramirez) need to do just that…hit.
by jr19 on May 31, 2010 6:37 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
Agree
This team is bulit around Rami, Lee and Sori being the heart of our lineup.
If they can’t produce to their norms, then we (the Cubs) are in deep trouble.
there isn’t enough on the farm to turn this season around.
If you think you've seen it all...just wait!
by CubFanSince1970 on May 31, 2010 6:24 PM CDT reply actions
Sorry for being sp pessimistic...
I really want to be an optimist about the Cubs fortunes, but it is really hard right now.
If you think you've seen it all...just wait!
by CubFanSince1970 on May 31, 2010 6:26 PM CDT up reply actions
the other thing is ...
that Sori and Ramirez really aren’t going anywhere. A Lee rebound would help the Cubs trade him at the deadline, but otherwise …
Does anyone have info on Rami's option?
Is it a mutual option or just his alone to accept or reject?
If you think you've seen it all...just wait!
by CubFanSince1970 on May 31, 2010 6:28 PM CDT up reply actions
I think it's a player option.
Which is awesome!
TJ--awesome or really awesome???
"Well-behaved women seldom make History"---Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
by cooliogirl47 on May 31, 2010 6:30 PM CDT up reply actions
TJ awesome
No way Aramis exercises the option now. It will be hard for him to hit above .260 for the year.
oh :(
"Well-behaved women seldom make History"---Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
by cooliogirl47 on May 31, 2010 6:33 PM CDT up reply actions
How could I have sincerely thought bringing Ramirez back ...
at this point, was awesome?
no, its me...I didnt know what a player option was, lol
"Well-behaved women seldom make History"---Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
by cooliogirl47 on May 31, 2010 6:38 PM CDT up reply actions
I'd be willing to bet
Aramis returns to form next year, though—so I think we might be thankful that he exercises it.
I’m betting he is going to bust his butt in the offseason out of embarrassment. It’s my theory that he didn’t work very hard this offseason, but what do I know anyways…
I'm calling it right now everybody
Cubs go 17-9 in June to get back in the race. I realize no one is gonna believe it right now, but just watch. There are 4 whole months left, baseball is a long season, and we are not this bad. The Cubs will be in contention come July 1st.
It's simple Cubs in the spring and summer, Vols in the fall and winter.
I don't know about that
I hear Cy Young, Walter Johnson and Sandy Koufax are pitching for the Astros later in the week against the Cubs!!! :)
If you think you've seen it all...just wait!
by CubFanSince1970 on May 31, 2010 6:31 PM CDT up reply actions
Here is a another wonderful number to ponder
Pirates are 6-1 against the Cubs in May and 5-17 the rest of the games.
about that ...
is it possible that the Cubs don’t match up well against a young, athletic team that routinely robs them of hits? The Soriano triple as the exception …
I just don't see the same approach at the plate
as a couple of years ago .
Guys were taking walks, hitting sac flies, bunting well and hitting “their” pitch, so to speak.
Now all I see is guys taking pitches right down the middle and swinging at pitches way out of the zone.
If you think you've seen it all...just wait!
by CubFanSince1970 on May 31, 2010 6:35 PM CDT up reply actions
That isn't right.
Pirates are 6-1 vs. the Cubs and 15-30 the rest of the games.
I don’t really feel any better for having posted that, but their record is 21-31, not 11-18.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Anyone see Lou's post game today?
The man is absolutely lost.
Piniella: “I wish I had some answers”.
"Has it been 102 years already?...it seems like just yesterday."- Me
can you elaborate?
Did he say anything about the lineup?
That's the old "look what do you want me to do" rephrased.
And if the manager doesn’t have any answers, time to find someone who has some.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Wow
I wish I had some answers?!? WTF? Here’s one: don’t bat someone who can’t hit .175 in the cleanup spot!
This team is not going anywhere until Lou is fired or resigns. I’m sick of getting hope when the talent overcomes Lou only to lose because of his asine lineup construction the next day.
If anyone of us told our boss tomorrow “I’m sorry, I don’t have any answers.”, we would be canned on the spot. Hendry get some guts for ONCE and fire this clown. Ricketts if Hendry won’t do it, show him who is the friggin’ boss around here!!! Why is this taking so long? Please someone man up or I have no interest in lining your imcomptent pockets.
Do you want Year One to be real or some GD cheap marketing trick?! Give us a reason to believe the Ricketts era will be different.
by IllinoisCubs on May 31, 2010 8:14 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
yes
Here’s the video…not sure if I’m suppose to post stuff like this on here. If not, my apologies.
http://chicago.comcastsportsnet.com/pages/cubs
"Has it been 102 years already?...it seems like just yesterday."- Me
by Easy Ed on May 31, 2010 6:34 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
wow that was really hard to watch....yikes :(
"Well-behaved women seldom make History"---Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
by cooliogirl47 on May 31, 2010 6:37 PM CDT up reply actions
LOL
He’s a Man with a Plan.
(This story was produced by BCPDnewservice. Our motto: If you don’t like this story then suck it!)
by BrewCrew'sPrinceofDarkness on May 31, 2010 8:28 PM CDT up reply actions
thanks
I really wouldn’t be surprised if Lou resigns soon.
Yeah
he looks, and acts, like a beaten horse!
If you think you've seen it all...just wait!
by CubFanSince1970 on May 31, 2010 6:39 PM CDT up reply actions
Just once...
When he syas “What do you want me to do”? I wish some reporter would say “Hey, Lou…DL ramirez and bench Lee, bring back Tracy and play Colvin and platoon Theriot and Fontenot and play Nady at first”. Wonder what Lou’s response would be?
"Has it been 102 years already?...it seems like just yesterday."- Me
I sounded like he said
he would play Nady at 1B tomorrow and give Lee the day off.
I agree, tho, some beat writer needs to have the guts to suggest that. It would be hilarious to see Lou’s response!
If you think you've seen it all...just wait!
by CubFanSince1970 on May 31, 2010 6:44 PM CDT up reply actions
I agree. Lou would lose what's left of his mind.
"Has it been 102 years already?...it seems like just yesterday."- Me
It was an amazing press conference!
I like when he was asked about moving Lee and ARam. He sidestepped the question earlier when he said Lee would be off, he didn’t mention Rami.
My guess is Theriot batting 2nd and Rami batting 4th tomorrow…..
Yes sir! Big Changes in store for the Cubs!
I don't see Lou stepping down
I believe he truly thinks he is doing a fine job, and will continue to write the lineup card out with the best of his ability.
Actually, thanks for posting that.
That is scary and disturbing and infuriating at the same 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 May 31, 2010 6:46 PM CDT up reply actions
ouch
that was hurtful
I just watched a man who is broken.
The 2010 Randy Hundley Fantasy Camp ruled!!!!
Good god, Lou sounds completely lost
but I do admire his honesty in admitting that he is (at the present) more or less clueless.
"A waist is a terrible thing to mind." - Terry 'Fat Tub of Goo' Forster
I just realized the reason I'm not ranting like my husband
is that I’ve pretty much given up hope for this year. And it isn’t even June Swoon yet! *&^%$#!
"And away we go..."-Pat Hughes
WAIT! WHAT AM I SAYING!?
NO WAY. I’m not giving up yet. Just lost my mind for a sec. Or was that a moment of actual sense? Not sure.
"And away we go..."-Pat Hughes
I was wondering if that was really you katie!!
"Well-behaved women seldom make History"---Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
by cooliogirl47 on May 31, 2010 6:41 PM CDT up reply actions
You had a mild attack of May Madness - it will wear off with time
"A waist is a terrible thing to mind." - Terry 'Fat Tub of Goo' Forster
indeed
I just read
Before they are mathematically out, then there is always hope, no matter how slimand snapped out of it. Thanks.
"And away we go..."-Pat Hughes
I never had much hope for this year
I mean, I wanted them to do well, but I thought winning more than 84 games would be a stretch. At this point, getting meaningful playing time for Colvin, Castro, and Cashner and knowing if they’re going to be sellers at the ASB are the key things to me. If they win 77 vs 82 vs 84, it doesn’t particularly matter.
It's a simple question, Doctor: would you eat the moon if it were made of ribs??
by Invalid User on May 31, 2010 8:24 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
I thought it was going to be tough against the Cards,
but I thought they’d have a better record than last year so I still had quite a bit of hope. Now I’m just wondering if and when they’ll hit 500.
"And away we go..."-Pat Hughes
stanley cup finals game 2 thread is up
Self-Proclaimed President of the Castro Boobird Face Kicking Club
YAY!!!!!
"Well-behaved women seldom make History"---Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
by cooliogirl47 on May 31, 2010 6:40 PM CDT up reply actions
I've Got a Golden Ticket
After that loss, I’m glad my kid wanted to watch Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971) on the NetFlix instant que. That’s the kind of feel good entertainment I needed.
"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
strasburg is coming to the bigs on the 8th
Self-Proclaimed President of the Castro Boobird Face Kicking Club
I'm going to be in DC on the 8th
But unfortunately I have a client dinner that night and can’t go to the game. It’s even worse because I would have stayed that night at the Courtyard near Nationals Park as my meeting is down the street the next day…
If i was on my own, I’d easily drop the $65 for a club seat to watch Strasburg’s first start.
It's a simple question, Doctor: would you eat the moon if it were made of ribs??
by Invalid User on May 31, 2010 8:22 PM CDT up reply actions
Courtyard By Marriott is very close by
You could see it from the seats my wife and I had when we went to the Nats-Orioles game a few days ago.
Sittin' on the ledge and sippin' Kool-Aid...
You act as if
this Cubs team hasn’t been inconsistent all season. Not being able to drive in runs versus a team who has given up 129 more runs than scoring is pathetic.
"Is there any truth to the rumor that the Bears gave up their first-round pick in 2011 for the decals?" - Someone registered as the DailyNorseman at PFT suggesting the Bears gave up picks in order to get Gaines Adams tribute decals. Stay classy Minnesota fans!
by propheteer on May 31, 2010 7:44 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
Listening to Eminem right now and it's
appropriate to the mood. Can’t quote you the lyrics though.
they’ll make you laugh (at them), they’ll make you cry (tears of desperation)
Did he give the Cubs mushrooms?
But he didn’t mean to?
by salparadise23 on May 31, 2010 7:52 PM CDT up reply actions
He asked the Cubs to do something inappropriate... but fitting
they’ll make you laugh (at them), they’ll make you cry (tears of desperation)
Baseball is weird.
The Pirates have outscored the Cubs 37-19 in 7 games. Against the rest of the league, they’ve been outscored 131-278. The Cubs have, conversely, been outscored by the Pirates 19-37 in 7 games. They’ve outscored the rest of the league 201-197.
Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe. - Albert Einstein
by Shawn Domagal-Goldman on May 31, 2010 8:55 PM CDT reply actions
Cubs are 1-6 vs. Pittsburgh, 23-22 vs. everyone else.
Pirates are 6-1 vs. Cubs, 15-30 vs. everyone else.
Bizarre.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Indeed. Bizarre... but that's baseball!
Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe. - Albert Einstein
by Shawn Domagal-Goldman on May 31, 2010 9:33 PM CDT up reply actions
Nice bit of trivia and very strange.
"A waist is a terrible thing to mind." - Terry 'Fat Tub of Goo' Forster
Alas I don't think Lou is watching.
What I don’t get is that Tracy IS a vet. Not like someone is actually asking Lou to play a kid or anything.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on May 31, 2010 9:21 PM CDT up reply actions
good lord...
i am amazed by the chad tracy love, this is totally backup QB syndrome. He’s Chad F-ing Tracy, he of the career 99 OPS+. He’s a league average hitter killing AAA… he’s not the savior of this club. No one player is
follow me on twitter for fantasy sports analysis @http://twitter.com/DrewDinkmeyer or get the full analysis at www.fantistics.com
by DartmouthCubsFan on May 31, 2010 9:38 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Thank you. I think we've agreed on this before.
It’s still amazing. Is this was the same Chad Tracy who started with the Cubs this season??
Point well taken, but
at some point don’t you go with the hot hand? Simply for the sake of winning a few games you might otherwise lose?
Sittin' on the ledge and sippin' Kool-Aid...
if they're going to DL Rami
that’s fine
but “Chad Tracy Watch” i mean.. this isn’t Mike Stanton or Starlin Castro or Matt Wieters or Jason Heyward… its not a top notch prospect we can all drool over to get our hands on and finally see get to the bigs
its a journeyman who hasn’t even played 3B consistently at the major league level since 2007
its nothing to be excited about
follow me on twitter for fantasy sports analysis @http://twitter.com/DrewDinkmeyer or get the full analysis at www.fantistics.com
by DartmouthCubsFan on May 31, 2010 10:45 PM CDT up reply actions
Maybe not
…but it’s alot more exciting than watching a .150 hitter day after day…isn’t it?
"Has it been 102 years already?...it seems like just yesterday."- Me
Not by much.
Because I still have hope for Rami. He is going to turn it around eventually.
And you can’t call Chad Tracy the “hot hand” because he is hitting in AAA. I mean c’mon.
So your suggestion
is to continue doing what isn’t working for a team whose manager doesn’t have a clue what’s wrong or how to fix it,
If a quality pitching start is 3 runs and 6 innings, then a quality hitting day is 1 for 4.
Who suggested Tracy was a savior?
The point most fans are making is that he is a better option at this time. Why is that so hard to understand? You’re not Lou. We will win more games playing Tracy at 3rd versus playing Rami. Are you opposed to having a better chance at success?
If a quality pitching start is 3 runs and 6 innings, then a quality hitting day is 1 for 4.
Huh?
So he’s going to perform to his career norm if brought up? What is your source on this? I’d like to know.
There is no way possible that he will be worse than Ramirez is at this point, and I’m more than willing to give him a try.
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 Jun 1, 2010 6:33 AM CDT up reply actions
umm...
he’s 30
he hasn’t posted an OPS above .725 in 3 years
he hasn’t played 3B in a significant way in over 3 years
his career OPS+ of 99 is largely driven off of 1 good year, of his 7 major league seasons he’s posted an OPS+ above 99 twice
Nothing is definitive, but its pretty likely that Tracy isn’t going to make that much of a difference.
I just don’t get the tidal wave of support for Tracy that’s brewing. Jeff Baker’s a better defensive and equivalent offensive option at 3B to Tracy and no one is clamoring for him. Regardless either player isn’t going to make that big of a difference in the end. Maybe we go from winning 80 to 82-83… and that’s in the best case scenario for those guys. If we have ANY shot at getting into the 85+ range, we need Aramis to be the player he was. I’m not sure that’s likely given the deterioration we’ve seen but that’s really the only shot this team has at being a contender this year
follow me on twitter for fantasy sports analysis @http://twitter.com/DrewDinkmeyer or get the full analysis at www.fantistics.com
by DartmouthCubsFan on Jun 1, 2010 8:47 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Tracy/Baker would make a decent platoon while Ramirez gets better on the DL.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
At least he'd make contact with a runner at 3rd and less than 2 out.
No whiffs…
We have met the enemy and they are us! ~ Walt Kelly, Pogo, 1971
agreed and i'm fine with that
let’s just not treat Chad Tracy like he’s something he’s not. We’re not throwing away his career while he’s down in AAA. He’s not a superstar. He’s a slightly below league average offensive and defensive player. Is he an upgrade over the well below league average production we’ve gotten so far? Sure.
But is he going to make some tremendous difference in the end result this season? Not likely
follow me on twitter for fantasy sports analysis @http://twitter.com/DrewDinkmeyer or get the full analysis at www.fantistics.com
by DartmouthCubsFan on Jun 1, 2010 9:06 AM CDT up reply actions
Thanks for injecting some reality into this place
And Rec’d.
What seems to be going on here is a rabid switching from one flavor of kool-aid to another. What is the point? A little more acceptance of the real choices that we face seems like a good idea. There is no Savior out there.
"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
He played 3rd regularly in 2007
which would be a tad less than 3 years not way over.
If he hits well under his career average it will still be up to 100 points higher than his average. If you expect the .163 swinging at anything within 5 feet A-Ram to suddenly be his “old self” this week, forget it. Tried it for two months. Like I said I don’t care that much re Tracy but it certainly seems like he should get a fair shot. Baker & Fonty OK as well but no more A-Ram. The time for his being the player he was is over until he goes on the DL and tried a rehab stint.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on Jun 1, 2010 1:22 PM CDT up reply actions
Way too much of this on this site lately
Frankly it is almost making it unreadable at times. In May, The hordes were calling for Mike Fontenot to be released, now they are screaming for him to be starting every day. This team is simply not that good and blaming the manager for every loss or screaming for a league average player tearing up AAA is missing the forest for the trees. I can’t believe I have even heard pining for Dusty today.
by JSB on Jun 1, 2010 8:02 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions 4 recs
rec'd again
"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 will never catch me pining for Dusty ... or Lou either, once he is gone.
I didn't believe it last August, but it turns out that love survives.
Preparing to hike to the summit of Mount Washington in New Hampshire on Saturday....
by Vermont Cubs Fan on Jun 1, 2010 9:11 PM CDT up reply actions
Joy
Not much to say about this, but we have hit June, so now time runs short. Time to fire Lou. But it won’t happen. Unfortunately.
"Chicago baseball fans, who are composites of scar tissue and mortifying memories..." - George F. Will
Avatar provided courtesy of AndrewJStone.
I'm going to go out on a limb here
and make a bold statement:
Continue to start Ramirez. The team’s success depends on him, and this is the only way to get out of it. Also, because Chad Tracy is simply not an option.
Because this team's success depends on Ramirez.
Going into this season, the overwhelming majority of us would have said Aramis Ramirez is the best player on the Cubs. They simply cannot and will not win without him. Remember last year?
Well right now we are not winning with him.
At the very least he should not be batting cleanup.
"And away we go..."-Pat Hughes
The teams success does NOT depend on Ramirez
and if you are waiting for him to suddenly hit .290 the season is over. The single biggest reason for the Cubs horrible hitting is Ramirez. Not that he does not have company but hitting well under. 200 and striking out consistantly and on pitches nowhere near the plate has him in a class by himself. Tracy, Fontenot I don’t care that much except Fonty is a pretty bad fielder. At this point even Baker is a better option.
Why exactly can’t the Cubs win without Ramirez? Imagine if Colvin gets to to start 4 times a week, Tracy hits a whopping .250 and Fonty platoons at 2nd and hits. 300. All of these are not particularly crazy ideas or projections and would actually give the Cubs some real hitting.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on Jun 1, 2010 12:06 AM CDT up reply actions
So you think Ramirez is done as a player?
That is highly unlikely. Players don’t usually go from all-star caliber to garbage at age 32 in a single year. The Cubs are probably not going to make the playoffs even if Ramirez got back to hitting like he has in the past and they definitely aren’t going to make it with Chad Tracy playing 3B every day. You can DL him or move him down in the lineup, but it really won’t matter that much because the Cubs need a healthy and productive Ramirez to make the playoffs. In fact, considering that he is almost 100% likely to exercise his player option, even if you are playing for next year, you need to get him turned around this year. Chad Tracy did not all of a sudden become a good player because he had two good weeks in AAA, and he is not a starting corner infielder on a team that wants to have serious thoughts about making the playoffs this year.
by JSB on Jun 1, 2010 8:10 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions
define success
those changes might result in the team getting their win total into the low 80’s, but they’re not contending without Ramirez snapping back
I agree that Ramirez needs to move down in the lineup and should be DL’ed if the injury is limiting him. I also agree at this point it’s unlikely he’s going to suddenly snap back into an elite offensive player, but that doesn’t mean the team’s success isn’t dependent on him
follow me on twitter for fantasy sports analysis @http://twitter.com/DrewDinkmeyer or get the full analysis at www.fantistics.com
by DartmouthCubsFan on Jun 1, 2010 8:49 AM CDT up reply actions
Denial of the highest order
If you are talking about success at any level that should matter.
What flavor is your kool-aid?
"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
They may not win
as many games as they would have if Rami was hitting but they most certainly will win more than are are currently winning with him in the lineup, ley alone batting 4th.
If a quality pitching start is 3 runs and 6 innings, then a quality hitting day is 1 for 4.
Odd. So many teams have a better record.
With someone other than Ramirez playing third base.
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 Jun 1, 2010 6:01 AM CDT up reply actions
IF Ramierz is healthy
fine, continue to play him 4 days a week batting 7th.
But thats starting to feel like a big “if”. He sure doesn’t look right.
Things work out best for those that make the best out of the way things work out - Coach Wooden
I really can't believe that Ramirez is healthy
He is about to turn 32, past a player’s peak years but younger than when serious decline sets in. When he was playing and healthy last year, he remained a productive hitter. There is just no way a player without a substance problem (no sign of that with Ramirez) goes from highly productive hitter to .160 automatic out unless something is wrong physically. Time to get him on the DL, check him out, and work on healing whatever is busted. Playing this way, the Cubs will still owe him $16.6M for 2011 and the 2012 buyout, so even the economics say the team needs to get him playing better.
I am not willing
to stand under that limb.
If a quality pitching start is 3 runs and 6 innings, then a quality hitting day is 1 for 4.
That's not so much going out on a limb, as demanding the status quo
Lou? Is that you?
I guess I'm just a worrier, that's why my friends call me whiskers
Why
is Chad Tracy not an option? And how can you continue to watch Ramirez go 0fer whatever every day!? It’s insane.
Could be worse guys...
… you could be a Brewer fan right now.
What begins in fear usually ends in folly.
by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on May 31, 2010 9:31 PM CDT reply actions
how about the cubs pitching and brewers offense form as one
Self-Proclaimed President of the Castro Boobird Face Kicking Club
by jesus christos on May 31, 2010 9:37 PM CDT up reply actions
For anyone hanging onto a sliver of June hope...
The Cubs play exactly 3 games this month against teams that currently have a winning record. THREE.
2 @ PIT (21-31)
3 @ HOU (17-34)
3 @ MIL (21-30)
3 vs CWS (22-28)
3 vs OAK (28-24)
3 vs LAA (26-27)
3 @ SEA (19-30)
3 @ CWS (22-28)
3 vs PIT (21-31)
I want to hang onto that sliver… c’mon, boys, make me hang on.
Yeah, we tried that earlier with our soft schedule...
Didn’t work then, either.
Nobody cares about your fantasy baseball team
by carmen_fanzone on Jun 1, 2010 5:27 AM CDT up reply actions
The sun'll come out tomorrow...you can bet your bottom dollar...
We have met the enemy and they are us! ~ Walt Kelly, Pogo, 1971
How'd that work out in April? Early May?
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 Jun 1, 2010 6:02 AM CDT up reply actions
I didn't say it would "work"
I’m grasping at reasons to keep believing… because thinking the season is over on June 1 is a very unappealing option.
Do I think they are cooked? Yep. But finding a reason to think “well, maybe” is better – and different – than being optimistic.
Fair enough.
I agree that it sucks to think the season is over on June 1.
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 Jun 1, 2010 10:56 AM CDT up reply actions
I added a photo to this post.
I think you’ll all find it quite appropriate.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Very fitting
Things work out best for those that make the best out of the way things work out - Coach Wooden
Has Hendry officially reached Lou Piniella "LWDYWMTD" Territory?
by Steven Schweickert on May 31, 2010 10:57 PM CDT up reply actions
Hendry has now reached the WKOBBDYP stage.
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 Jun 1, 2010 6:35 AM CDT up reply actions
Caption: Look, what do you want me to do?
Yes I know it’s not Lou but it still fits.
"A waist is a terrible thing to mind." - Terry 'Fat Tub of Goo' Forster
In Lou's postgame
after he admitted he just didn’t know what to do, one of the reporters asked if he had any options. I believe he said he had plenty of options. My question would then be: why are you choosing the option to do nothing?
If a quality pitching start is 3 runs and 6 innings, then a quality hitting day is 1 for 4.
Well, he said he would "make changes".
However, subbing one guy for another isn’t enough of a change in my book. If he’s that unwilling to make changes, or has truly given up, it is time for him to go.
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 Jun 1, 2010 6:38 AM CDT up reply actions
At this point, Lou's idea of change would be to...
…put Theriot at 2B and bat him leadoff.
I mean, that would certainly be a change from yesterday, right? Well, am I right, people?
Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."
Sigh.
Yes, it would be a change. Not a good change, but a change.
I have some change. Right in my pocket. Let’s see…. fifty-six cents right now.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Al, Somebody made a comment
yesterday about the fact that the Blackhawks run has kept the media pressure off the cubs (and sox) for now. Do you think if things dont turn around by the time the cup is over, which is real quick, there will be more pressure on the Ricketts to make a move?
"Baseball is ninety percent mental. The other half is physical." -Yogi Berra
Well, I dunno.
Obviously, fewer people are paying close attention to baseball now because of the Blackhawks. OTOH, there are plenty of media people covering the baseball teams, too. I’m not sure it really makes that much difference.
The managerial change should have been made weeks ago.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
yeah
just trying to get a feel. Living in ATL, when I talk to local cub fans, alot are calling for change(Lou), I can imagine what its like there. Im sure Ricketts is hearing it. Maybe he needs to hang in the bleachers for a game or 2 again.
"Baseball is ninety percent mental. The other half is physical." -Yogi Berra
I wonder if Ricketts is giving Hendry a long loose leash, or is hiring and firing the manager not a GM type decision?
"A waist is a terrible thing to mind." - Terry 'Fat Tub of Goo' Forster
It's usually a GM decision.
Hendry hired Lou. Right now, I think the only way Hendry fires him is if he’s told to. That could change.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
PHOTO CAPTION:
“I dreamt last night that I ate a marshmallow that wasTHIS big… and when I woke up, my pillow was gone…”
We have met the enemy and they are us! ~ Walt Kelly, Pogo, 1971
lol
(This story was produced by BCPDnewservice. Our motto: If you don’t like this story then suck it!)
by BrewCrew'sPrinceofDarkness on Jun 1, 2010 1:29 PM CDT up reply actions
Photo Caption
“How the hell do I know how the Blackhawks GM did it?”
"Has it been 102 years already?...it seems like just yesterday."- Me
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