Mid-Season Awards (TJ Style!)
by TJ11 on Jul 14, 2010 11:04 PM CDT
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Now that the season Is ready to resume, I believe its time to look back at the outstanding work done in the first half!
Let's grade the players shall we.....
First, lets go around the diamond......
Derrek Lee A+ His quiet leadership has lead us through some tough times with Big Z. Its always comforting to see him in the 3 hole because we know clutch hits are on the way!
Ryan Theriot A+ I frequently have my children gather around the TV when he is on the bases because he is able to provide me precious learning moments that we use when teaching baserunning drills. Its also fun to watch him show off his cannonlike arm!
Mike Fontenot A Only an "A" for Mike because if Lou does not know he is on the team, there is no way I can give him a higher grade!
Jeff Baker A Same as above......
Starlin Castro A+ As a very young man he is proving that he is on the cusp of stardom. If he can hit .270 and cut down the errors, it will be a pretty successful season. He is already showing Cubfans how SS is supposed to be played most of the time!
Aramis Ramirez B+ Injuries have lowered his grade somewhat. But I am sure that it will be an A+ soon as he continues to get hot at a time when the Cubs need him so badly. Also uplifting is his close relationship with his batting coach!
Geo Soto A+ Has had a nice bounce back season. Continues to hit 8th because Lou knows that is what's best for Geo!
Koyie Hill A A solid defender who has had his grade fall because of possibly playing too much!
Alfonso Soriano A+ His incredible defensive abilities are only overshadowed by his paycheck!
Tyler Colvin A++ He earns the high grade for having to play vs LHP while watching Nady play Vs RHP. A Rising star who may lead this team in HR. Off season workouts have come up big for this guy!
Marlon Byrd A+++ A truely great signing by Hendry. Our only All Star has brought energy to the field and clubhouse. He is fun to watch and hope he is around as the young players start to come up!
Kosuke Fukudome A A signing not quite in the Byrd level but yet another masterstroke from Hendry. He has developed into the highest paid 4th OF in baseball! Outstanding!
Xavier Nady B+ Will be the player we see traded soon when the Cubs make their big move of the July trading deadline!
Now for the Pitchers!
Carlos Zambrano A++++ He gets a high grade for entertainment value alone! If he is "discussing" a groundball with Lee or beating on a Gatorade jug or even getting the job done in the bullpen, its always fun to watch! I know Cub fans hope he remains the highest paid Cub pitcher and never tire of his act!
Ted Lilly A++++++ for being Ted Lilly!
Tom Gorzelanny A+++ For getting a well deserved vaction to the pen. He knows he does not make enough money to stay in the rotation when Z wanted back in!
Randy Wells A Does a wonderful job every other time he pitches!
Carlos Silva A++++ He has pitched well, probably deserves to have 12-13 wins right now. But most importantly-He is NOT Milton Bradley!
Ryan Dempster A+ What a season he has had! Only gives up HRs at times when it does not matter!
Carlos Marmol A+++ When he is off, due probably in part to Lou's amazing use of him, he is human. When he is on, however, he is one of the nastiest pitchers in baseball!
Andrew Cashner A+ he looks Kerry Wood! Plus he throws just as hard! Please be the real deal Andy!
Justin Berg A I bet he is thrilled to be back!
Sean Marshall A++++ He has been a very good reliever for us. I hope he is not traded away!
Brian Schlitter A An odd start for Brian... Hopefully the kid is not hurt for long!
Mitch Atkins A Has not pitched much but looked good after Silva got kicked out on Sunday!
Esmailin Caridad A He is having a season for the ages! Given the setup role after about 11 innings of work last September, he may prove to be one of Hendry's best gambles!
Jeff Stevens A+ Showing why Mark DeRosa was not needed!
Jeff Gray A+ Are Stevens and Gray the same pitcher?
Jeff Samardzija A Another case of the Cubs knowing exactly what to do with a young pitcher!
James Russell A+ What a year he is having!
Bobby Howry A+ What a pickup he has been! I know with his low ERA since joining the Cubs I feel comfortable with him pitching in any situation!
John Grabow A+++++ What an outstanding pickup for Jim Hendry! When player paychecks were going down last fall, JH was not afraid to get this guy top dollar to continue as a dominat reliever! This is something JH can brag about when he talks money with Tom Ricketts!
Just for fun....
Lou Pinella A+++++++ I don't think we could ask for a more energetic, engaged manager than Lou! We are lucky to have him lead our team! From the way he handled the Z bullpen situation to the way he uses his whole roster correctly, it is just like watching a master at work!
Jim Hendry A+++++++ All of this fine work is on Jim! Our team and fine way the contracts are lined up are a blueprint for other teams to see how it is done!
Tom Ricketts-why have these men not gotten the extentions they deserve! I know you do not like making moves during the season, but these are obvious moves to make!
Now that we have looked back, we are free to look at our future! A division crown, A pennant? Or shall we dream...A World Championship! Only time will tell just how far this amazing team will go!
This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of SB Nation or Al Yellon, managing editor (unless it's a FanPost posted by Al). FanPost opinions are valued expressions of opinion by passionate and knowledgeable baseball fans.
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Laughed the entire time reading this.
My favorites are Theriot, Gorz, Kosuke and Grabow.
by Dcr18 on Jul 15, 2010 12:18 AM CDT via mobile reply actions
This is absolutely outstanding. F'in brilliant.
Ryan Theriot A+ I frequently have my children gather around the TV when he is on the bases because he is able to provide me precious learning moments that we use when teaching baserunning drills. Its also fun to watch him show off his cannonlike arm!
Geo Soto A+ Has had a nice bounce back season. Continues to hit 8th because Lou knows that is what’s best for Geo!
Alfonso Soriano A+ His incredible defensive abilities are only overshadowed by his paycheck!
Kosuke Fukudome A A signing not quite in the Byrd level but yet another masterstroke from Hendry. He has developed into the highest paid 4th OF in baseball! Outstanding!
Ted Lilly A++++++ for being Ted Lilly!
Randy Wells A Does a wonderful job every other time he pitches!
Those had me laughing, hard. TJ, I searched for all the “!”, there were 53 exclamations used in this post. This is your new gold standard. Well done, sir. Please, recommend this!
Dan
"The riches of the game are in the thrills, not the money." --Ernie Banks
Awwww....
… you couldn’t have found a way to give Aramis even an A- ?
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
I do feel kind of bad about Nady and ARam getting the only grades less than an "A"!
They probably should have been higher since they have both done so much to help the Cubs be where they are at right now. Sorry guys!
Were you bribed?
I’d have given them a C+. 
Except for Ted Lilly-with him you are spot on. 
"Fasten those seatbelts!"-Pat Hughes
One thing is for sure...
You wouldn’t be around to tell us.
"The ones who want to achieve and win championships motivate themselves." - Da Coach
by Sandberg's evil twin on Jul 15, 2010 12:11 PM CDT up reply actions
I think you were very mean to Aramis and owe him an apology.
The man works his tail off for you and can’t get an A. tsk. tsk.
"The ones who want to achieve and win championships motivate themselves." - Da Coach
by Sandberg's evil twin on Jul 15, 2010 12:06 PM CDT reply actions
Normally, I have the type of sense of humor that can laugh at absurdity.
And I admit that this is clever and funny stuff, but I have a hard time laughing at a team that has become a civic embarrassment while the other team across town is in first place. It makes me sick to my stomach.
"Don't complain to me about the stormy weather, boys. Just bring the ship into port." --Steve Stone, September 2004
A "civic embarrassment"?
A little over the top. And what the Sox do has nothing to do with the Cubs. There are five other first place teams in baseball. Want to blame the Cubs’ problems on the Braves? It doesn’t work.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
by Al Yellon on Jul 15, 2010 2:22 PM CDT up reply actions 2 recs
He isn't
“blaming” the Cubs problems on the Sox—you are putting words in his mouth.
It does pour salt in the wounds when the Cubs rivals are doing well while we’re in the tank. It’s even worse if you live in Chicago and have to hear the media carrying on about the miracle rise of the White Sox while we hear about how Ricketts is confident in Jim Hendry.
DEJESUS!!!
I love this...
It’s even worse if you live in Chicago and have to hear the media carrying on about the miracle rise of the White Sox while we hear about how Ricketts is confident in Jim Hendry.
If as you claim the media is doing this, at least it’s true.
"Don’t belittle entire fanbases or neighborhoods…simply because they are within proximity to some people who don’t operate (or look) the same way you do." - AndrewJStone 6/29/2010
Haha
When I read this about an hour ago… I almost put get ready for a Crawdad attack.
"Actually, Major League Baseball is more like Neverland
And the Lost Boys don’t have to ever grow up. Some do, anyway, but that is not a universal characteristic"
by Madison Cub Fan on Jul 15, 2010 5:17 PM CDT up reply actions
Nah, it's spot on.
The Braves don’t play in Chicago, and therefore don’t factor into the “civic” part of his sentence. Do people in the broadcasting typically toss reading comprehension out the window, or are you just having a laugh? ;-)
I hate when people say "reading comprehension".
It’s condescending.
In any case, I stand by my statement. What the White Sox do is irrelevant to what the Cubs do. They’re on a run and local media is covering it. Would you rather they ignored it? Then they wouldn’t be doing their jobs. You, on the other hand, and everyone else here, can choose to pay attention or not.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Hey, I don't care one way or the other.
This team is a civic embarrassment (to steal the term) whether you compare them to the Sox or not. I’m just pointing out that ctcoff99 wasn’t blaming the Sox (or the Braves) for the Cubs woes. All he was saying is that a rival team, who was once performing as poorly as the Cubs, has now managed to turn it around and blazed back into contension. Juxtapose that fact with the fact that the team he roots for continues to be mired well below the .500 mark despite being a historically talented team, and it’s no wonder he feels sick to his stomach. He sees how a team like ours (a local, if not divisonal, rival) could turn it around, and is faced with the reality that our team hasn’t (yet).
And the phrase “reading comprehension” may be condescending to you, but I don’t know any other way to say “you seem to have somehow missed the point ctcoff99 was trying to make, and it’s difficult for me to understand how that could take place, as his meaning was well articulated.” I chose to use a term that fit the bill, that’s all.
You could have said "you missed his point".
I don’t think the Cubs are a “civic embarrassment”. You still think so after the last two days?
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Civic embarrassment is silly.
By that definition almost every city with a team would be one often. That may be the result of the low attention span bred by the net and instant news, the devouring of petulant stories and videos, I’m not sure. But no matter where it comes from it’s silly to think a team of major league players trying to win is an embarrassment. I’d reserve that term for a team that had many criminals as the Bengals had. Then you’d have something to be embarrassed about.
"The ones who want to achieve and win championships motivate themselves." - Da Coach
by Sandberg's evil twin on Jul 16, 2010 10:08 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Fun Post
As I scanned the grades I was a bit perplexed, but I like what you’ve done here!
In the 8th grade Mike Ditka won his school's Science Fair with a model of a working volcano. There were 17 other working volcano's made that day, but only one named Mount Ditka.
by Lester A. Wiltfong Jr. on Jul 15, 2010 2:21 PM CDT reply actions
You should visit more often
There would be no confusion
Hands down Theriot is the best
"Actually, Major League Baseball is more like Neverland
And the Lost Boys don’t have to ever grow up. Some do, anyway, but that is not a universal characteristic"
by Madison Cub Fan on Jul 15, 2010 4:00 PM CDT reply actions
You've given yourself away this time
With this grading scale, we now know that you are a Harvard professor.
"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 give TJ an A++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
for this post. Well done, you had me laughing literally. kudos
so now we have two different awards, the HANIES and the TJ’s?
Unofficial Self Appointed President of the Player Formerly Known as Castro Blocker Fan Club
Bleed Castro Blue
A+++++++++++++++++++
for givng TJ a job well done and the great award idea
"Well-behaved women seldom make History"---Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
by cooliogirl47 on Jul 15, 2010 7:03 PM CDT up reply actions
A+++++++++++++++++++++++++
for giving me such a nice grade for acknowledging the good job done by TJ
Unofficial Self Appointed President of the Player Formerly Known as Castro Blocker Fan Club
Bleed Castro Blue
A+++++++++++++++++++++++++ for being the first person to give me such an exceptional grade, thanks
"Well-behaved women seldom make History"---Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
by cooliogirl47 on Jul 15, 2010 8:07 PM CDT up reply actions
A+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
To all of you!
Big win for the Cubs tonight!
Only 15 more in a row and we will be right back in it!!!!
Keep the faith!
"Manny Trillo is coming in to pinch run. You know, for a lot of teams, you would pinch run for Manny Trillo." - Harry Caray
this is the 39 game win streak i spoke of
like any overly excited guy, i was premature the first time i said it
Unofficial Self Appointed President of the Player Formerly Known as Castro Blocker Fan Club
Bleed Castro Blue
Not necessarily.
True, we lost three after starting a winning streak. But I think we played well in that series overall, got a few bad breaks, and continued some momentum now. I don’t think there is every anything bad about hoping for a streak to continue.
"The ones who want to achieve and win championships motivate themselves." - Da Coach
by Sandberg's evil twin on Jul 16, 2010 10:12 PM CDT up reply actions
I'm coming out of my hibernation to say only one thing.
This is hilarious and absolutely brilliant. This guy needs his own sports column or show!
And hitting a home run every 10 at bats.
His batting average is pretty close to Derrek Lee’s by the way. And he bats third every day!!!
I'm happy he got traded and his having success so far.
Hopefully he will continue to perform for them. Doesn’t look all that likely given his low BA, but I wish him the best. Seemed like a good guy….just wasn’t gonna work for him with the Cubs.
Shut Up Joe Morgan
by Sandberg's evil twin on Jul 21, 2010 3:39 AM CDT up reply actions
Its odd. The Grinch still loves the guy and Al for some reason likes to mock him for it at every turn.
I agree with you SET, it was not going to work out here, but I hope he has a nice career.
is quad A kinda like A+++
if so he ranks ahead of Rami on the TJ-o-meter
Unofficial Self Appointed President of the Player Formerly Known as Castro Blocker Fan Club
Bleed Castro Blue
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