I might never understand this year's Chicago Cubs

  I was 13 when I listened to my first Cubs game on the radio. The Cubs were in Miller Park and they were struggling. Milton Bradley was up to bat. Then, the lights turned off. I think that Bradley had a base hit after the lights turned back on, but I forgot who won the game. I think the Cubs won. I was still believing that Bradley would turn it around. Anyway, I went back to school and told one of my friends that also listened to the games on the radio before he discovered that he had CSN, and I mentioned to him that Ron Santo sounded depressed. One year later, I'm now 14 and smarter than I was a year before, and now I know that Ron Santo was just being a Cubs fan. Just another fan that saw so much potential that the team had but got half of that expected potential.

  53 games into the season, and the Cubs are 5 games under .500.  The starting pitching has been really consistent. The fact is, they need to pitch shutouts in order for their team to win. The offense can only hit against Brewers pitching. The bullpen, except for Marshall and Marmol, has been young and very bad. John Grabow has been the worst, and he is one of the veterans in the pen. But though Grabow has been terrible, and no one should defend him, I'll say this. This problem can be fixed and it has, as they sent him to the DL just a couple of days ago. But there is one problem that can't be fixed, and that's this years offense.

  I made a post after like the first 6 games of the season and said that it hasn't been the pitching or the bullpen that was to be seen as the culprit, but rather the offense. I didn't like what I saw from the first week of the season. It reminded me an awfully lot like the '09 offense. The only difference, the Cubs have gotten more hits and. But they also seem to have taken fewer walks, and though the Cubs have gotten more hits, they haven't got more extra base hits. Derrek Lee looks old, and just when we thought he was heating up, HAHAHA!!! he pulled a yeah-yeah-yeah-No! on us. Ramirez used to be an RBI machine. Now, it looks like that machine is all rust. Byrd had such a great start, but has been terrible as of late. Theriot..... ever since he was moved to 2nd, he has been a different hitter. In a different hitter in not as good, but bad. Fukudome has cooled off, and that I'm not surprised. At the end of the day, I'll say that he was a worse signing than Soriano. Geo Soto was terrible at the beginning, then he was one of the hottest hitters, and then he forgot how to swing the bat, looking at pitchers right down the middle for called 3rd strikes and having terrible at bats. It seems like the whole team has been having terrible at bats. The best two hitters on this team have been Soriano and Starlin Castro. But off course, Soriano will still piss the hell out of you when he swings at ball 4, and Castro had that one been game in his Wrigley debut, but has been really good other wise.

 Then we get to the bench. Mike Fontenot has been good, but he has no place to play in the lineup. Baker has been all right, Xavier Nady had the big game today (4-4), and should be getting more start, and then we get to Koyie Hill, who is your typical back up catcher, then Tyler Colvin. Why this kid isn't in the Minors is baffling the heck out of me. This is a very good young player. The Cubs organization has already committed to playing Byrd, Soriano, and Fukudome for the next two years. What do you want to do, waste another talent? Again, send him to the Minors, so he actually learns and develops. Lee wont be back next season, not at the way he's playing. Why don't we develop him as a 1st baseman? What are you gonna do? Sign Prince Fielder? Albert Pujols? Promote Brian LeHair to the majors? Bring back Xavier Nady to play 1st base? I don't think so. And yet, I also don't think they'd develop Colvin as a 1st baseman, but who's your future at 1st?

  I am confused this year. There is still a lot of baseball left. And though my mind might be off the Cubs for the Blackhawks and Brazil in the World Cup, I never miss a game. And summer vacation is coming. I don't want to waste it cheering for a overpaid team. I want this team to show some fight and spirit, now. To bad they're to busy collecting their paychecks. Prove me wrong and start beating the Pirates, starting beating the Astros, and start winning some series. Otherwise........ I don't know. I just don't know what to expect anymore. Especially from this offense.