Please, Cubs. Start Winning. I'm Tired Of Writing About Losses

The World Cup doesn’t start for another month, and that’ll also produce the obligatory crushing defeat.

I had no real interest in watching last night.

I don’t expect attendance to be impacted much though.

that they get swept today. I would bet it for sure.

What is the o/u? Maybe you can parlay the Cubs and the over. I bet they score a bunch today. Go in for half the money and come out ahead? Just a thought.

I turned down several bets over the years. And one of them, in 2007, I would have won. Cubs-Cardinals in August, Cubs won, 2-1. A co-worker wanted to bet me the Cubs would lose that game.

it never fails! (except when it does)

…and the “old” Lou probably would have already had at least one by now and we wouldn’t be in this mess. Unfortunately, Lou has repeatedly said he’s not that way any more and recent evidence has backed that up so if Lou were to have a tirade now, it would probably look comical and contrived. Good theatre but wouldn’t achieve its goal.

No doubt though that the team needs some firing up, i.e. a good kick in the pants. So if not Lou, then who? Next time Hendry talks to the media, should he channel a little Lee Elia? That’d be interesting. I’m pretty sure Hendry has the vocabulary to pull it off. Or maybe Tom Ricketts comes down to the locker room and gives a little inspirational speech? Win one for the Gipper Redux?

In all seriousness, I think a player has to step up and do something. The next close play that goes against us, somebody needs to object long and loud – just don’t make contact with the umpire. An ejection might help – a suspension probably doesn’t. Or maybe a dustup at 2B during a double-play. If somebody takes out Riot or Fonty with a hard slide, I’d love to see a little fire & brimstone coming right back. i keep hearing those two are scrappy – I want some proof!

At some point. the players have to step up and play like they are being paid to play!

Lou is already trying things to get them out of their funk, but a manager can only do so much.

I think replacing Lou could put a spark in this team.

Plenty of teams have won without playing that style. But if you’re going to rely on the long ball, you also have to take pitches and get runners on base so the HR are three-run jobs, not solo HR.

The Cubs could have put Morton on the ropes last night by taking some of the pitches outside the strike zone instead of swinging at them.

They are pretty much mediocre everywhere -because they are a mediocre team.

Would have been WORSE than Nady. At least Fuld could have been used for defense and pinch running , not to mention bunting, drawing walks and even hitting. However since Lou does not in fact play small ball hard to say if he really would have been used but Joey Gathright would have been more use than Nady at this point.

At this point I would take SCALES over Nady or Fuld, or Aducci, or LaHair. I really hope Nady discovers he has say tired arm and has to go on the DL for a few weeks. I know I am prejudiced as I felt from the the start he was not healthy and should not have been on the roster out of Spring Training . I can’t say if he is really bad or just has not have enough opportunity, but he really isn’t a bench player and he is not going to get the chance to do much else.

I really, really want Tracy to start tonight, which is a sign of how desperate I am.

That’ll make the team start hitting.

It’s like they forget about 2007-2008. When is the last time a manager came in and even gave us back-to-back seasons of hope, with a team that wouldn’t be described as outstanding by any means. Sure they blew it in the play offs, but now we are supposed to expect every season to at least go to the playoffs, and if it doesn’t, we need to fire the Manager. Sometimes I question the moves Lou makes, but I am by no means MLB management material. I chalk up the strange moves as risks that a good manager probably has to take sometimes to give the team a fighting chance. I don’t see why anybody has anything bad to say about Lou, I am happy for what he has done with this club.

it is not Lou’s fault that the team can’t hit!

The players HAVE TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY for this problem at some point.

Depression, gloom and doom are possibilities but not indifference.

to say that Hendry signing Nady was a mistake. Let’s see how things look in July… then we can start that conversation.

Consistently Hendry makes ridiculous acquisitions, and for that, well…. I think a case can definitely be made for him to go. Lou on the other hand does not deserve the blame.

But your three points are all valid, and would definitely help.

These three things alone may not turn the season around, but they’d be savvy, logical moves. In past seasons, we’ve seen Kosuke and Aramis lead the way in showing other Cubs hitters to be patient at the plate. Geo seems to be doing that this year, and it was hard not to notice last night that, with him out of the lineup, the offense seemed to be swinging a little too freely.

The only thing remotely hopeful I can say at this point is a win tonight and two out of three from the Reds could still give the Cubs a .500 road trip.

They’ve apparently said they want to see if he continues his success down there before they move him up. I simply do not understand why. Lou has rearranged every other spot and player in the lineup, but for some reason Soto is locked into the 8th spot.

Just another head scratchingly stupid decision by Lou

Rec’d.

…..and I love the use of the word “stupider”

It makes much more sense to hit ARam higher than Soto because we need to get his out over with to clear the bases for Soto.

Also, If lou used Marshall and Z for multiple innings then there would not be time for Grabow to pitch…He makes the most money so he must be our best reliever. he needs to pitch more.

3) Use Marshall in more leveraged situations, Use he and Z as multi-inning relievers

HES A LEFTY HE CANT FACE RIGHTIES

Simple fix

And I fear this upcoming one won’t be so kind.

Which is why the first thing on Ricketts’ “to do list” should be to get a new GM and begin the painful process of fixing this mess.

My worst case scenario is that he uses a .500ish record to rationalize staying the course with Hendry.

I’m sick of hearing about upgrades to Wrigley Field. I want to see our owner put new people in place and start to change the organizational philosophy.

Between the NTCs, the big contracts, and the fact that the Cubs need to hang onto some veteran talent it won’t be quite so easy to turn over the roster. Maybe bringing up Castro and Cashner might cause a spark. Beyond that, my feeling is that any kind of shakeup will be something along the lines of an emotional tirade or a brawl.

I don’t even know who can be added after this season. Carl Crawford would be awesome, but he’s pretty much exclusively a LF, and we already have one of those. Plus, there is way too much noise coming from NYY about Crawford – they usually get what they want.

I don’t even know. Carlos Pena? Sit this offseason out and wait for a true difference-maker? It’s a rough situation to be in.

His success is predicated on his ability to throw strikes with his curve ball.

He simply is not ready yet. There is absolutely no reason to call him up now.

You hit on the main point when you said:

Lee and Ramirez are not hitting the doubles that would drive them in.

There are plenty of baserunners and opportunities. The Cubs’ .345 team OBA is fourth in the NL (and only two points behind 2nd place). They just have to get the hits with runners on base. Starlin Castro isn’t the answer.

is almost ready there are some flaws in his game. He needs to improve on his defense alittle and his base stealing ability isn’t very good.

that is Lou Pineilla’s managing. We already have one promising you position player that is being completely jerked around and misused. Honestly, the way Colvin has been used this season, Jim Hendry needs to step in and say

“Lou, if you aren’t ACTUALLY going to play Colvin 2-3 times a week like we agreed was needed then he’s not yours, and you can’t have him”

Send Colvin down to Iowa where he can play every day and continue to progress and bring up Fuld or some other bench warmer who can sit for seven straight days, and then pinch run.

Bringing Castro up right now, when there doesn’t seem to be any plan of attack or identity to this team sounds like just about the worst idea I’ve heard since signing Milton Bradley to a three year deal.

I don’t know if Colvin is WORTHY of playing 2-3 times a week right now, we simply haven’t seen enough of him to know that. But when he has gotten remotely consistent playing time he’s looked good. This constant yo-yoing between seeing NO time, and then playing like two days in a row, and then getting NO time is not healthy for a young player. I worry we’d see the same with Castro