Bleed Cubbie Blue: FanPosts

Command and control

2009-07-04T22:24:35Z

There was a question during Harden's very poor performance against the Brewers this afternoon. Someone came in late to the game thread and asked what exactly happened to him. I mentioned he had bad command of the strike-zone with his fastball, and another blogger mentioned it was his control. I disputed this notion, and he said "those two words mean the same thing." In any event, Harden was pitching strikes, but had virtually no command on where his pitches were going within the strike-zone. It really didn't have much to do with his control otherwise he would've walked a bunch of guys; instead he was getting hit very hard all over the field. There is a nice piece on Pitching Tips Blog if anyone is interested in some clarification on the two terms.

Command- a pitcher's ability to pitch within the strike-zone.

Pitching command means being able to locate any pitch within a certain section of the strike zone instead of just trying to throw the ball over the plate with no purpose.

Control- a pitcher's ability to pitch strikes or not.

Pitcher's ability to improve control and throw strikes more consistently

Done Being Patient With Soriano

2009-07-04T20:53:45Z

I am fully aware that Alfonso Soriano is an important part of this team, specifially the offense. Why he is penciled into the lineup every day, though, is beyond my understanding. Let's take a look at some numbers, and perhaps you will see why this slump doesn't appear to be going away anytime soon.

Since May 17th, he has hit 2 HR's, and his batting average has dropped from .280 to .226. 42 games is quite a long "slump", especially when there are other competent players sitting on the bench. All this being said, I do want Soriano as my everyday left fielder, so here's what I'd do:

Put Soriano on the DL effective Monday, when Reed, Aramis, and Guzman are all scheduled to be activated. That would allow the club the ability to option 1 less position player. Send him down to extended Spring Training (or anywhere, really) where he can work on his swing next week and then he'd obviously have the all star break off as well. Once those 15 days are up (only 10 games by my calcuations, though feel free to double check that) we should have a better idea of who the other casualty will be, and Soriano could once again man left field, hopefully refreshed and rejuvenated.

In the meantime, I'd like to see this lineup:

Fuld
Theriot
Lee
Fox
Bradley
Fukudome
Soto
Fontenot
Pitcher

As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts. But I feel very strongly about not wanting to see Soriano in the lineup tomorrow. At this point, he's a liability both at the plate and in the field. Let's hope he gets straightened out really soon!

Center field vs. last year

2009-07-04T20:17:07Z

I have been a lifelong fan of the Cubs for over 50 years. Last year I watched Jim Edmonds play with confidence, show leadership and get quality at bats. Nobody has even mentioned his loss to the club this year. Fukudome is better suited for right field. We need a front line top drawer 2 way center fielder NOW ! If we have to trade a starter to get one it should be done. I know Reed platooned with Jim but what a savvy veteran he was !

Questions about new ownership...

2009-07-04T13:07:24Z

It is being reported that we are about to have an owner...the Ricketts. So, I might be behind on these discussions, but what does this mean for the future of the team? Wrigley? Is he gonna bring a big payroll? Be a tightwad? Yankees type payroll? Marlins like? Are they/he all about preserving Wrigley? Build a new park? Rename it? Please help...just generally, is this good for the team and fans? Is he gonna be passionate about winning? Thanks for helping...

Mike Fontenot demotion?

2009-07-03T22:22:09Z

The Cubs have some interesting roster moves to make on Monday when Aramis Ramirez, Reed Johnson and possibly Angel Guzman return from the disabled list. One player they will be watching this weekend is second baseman Mike Fontenot. He's batting .194 with 12 RBIs in his last 45 games.

"Fontenot's another kid who we need to get a little more consistent with the bat and help us more offensively," Lou Piniella said. "He's capable of it. He's been working with Von Joshua on some things. He's starting to show he's having better at-bats, even though he makes an out. There's no reason he can't hit in the .250, .260 range with a little power for us."

Fontenot does have options left, and Andres Blanco has played well at second. Blanco also is switch-hitting again. He's hit safely in eight of his last 12 games.

Link

I'm honestly not surprised by this. Blanco is by far the best defensive 2nd baseman on the Cubs roster, and he's Theriot's backup. He's also hit better than Fontenot recently. With the newly acquired Jeff Baker (who can play all over the infield and outfield), and (unfortunately, barring a DFA or release) Aaron Miles, Fontenot is expendable.

Poll

Should the Cubs demote Mike Fontenot

What to do with the bench

2009-07-03T18:19:18Z

When Aramis Ramirez and Reed Johnson come back Monday, the Cubs will have some roster decisions to make. One of the easiest ways to open an extra bench spot, would be to go to 11 pitchers, using Heilman and Marshall for two innings each time they go out. But it would be a huge surprise to see Lou do that. That means, we've got 4 bench spots (minus the backup C) and several guys vying for that spot. Here's a rundown on what I see each being valuable for and what the Cubs might do.

Our defense v. RHP is likely to be Ramirez-Theriot-2B-Lee, with Soto behind the plate, and Soriano-Dome-Bradley. That 2B spot is an open question, more to follow. Reed Johnson is the only certain change in the defense v. LHP, taking Dome's spot. So, RJ grabs one of the four bench spots.

Reed Johnson

Defensive value: Can play all three OF spots

Offensive value: Mashes LHP; below average v. RHP.

Sam Fuld

Defensive value: Can play all three OF spots

Offensive value: Can get on base and has a little speed

Jeff Baker

Defensive value: Can play 3B, 2B, and corner OF competently

Offensive value: Mashes LHP; has potential v. RHP, including some power

Andres Blanco

Defensive value: Best middle IF on club

Offensive value: None; v. RHP he is hitting .218/.283/.255

Mike Fontenot

Defensive value: Good 2B; competent 3B

Offensive value: Up for debate; was one of the best hitting 2B last year

Micah Hoffpauir

Defensive value: Competent 1B; below average corner OF

Offensive value: Up for debate; has shown power, but his K rate is accelerating

Jake Fox

Defensive value: Up for debate; previously considered to be none

Offensive value: Looks to be solid

We have four spots to fill after RJ from the pool of Fuld, Baker, Blanco, Fontenot, Hofffpauir, and Fox. The first thing to decide is who should start at 2B v. RHP. I'd play both Fontenot and Baker over Blanco, at least for now. So, Fontenot takes my starting 2B v. RHP role. That leaves three bench spots and five players.

Fuld seems to be the easiest to discard; despite his good showing, he doesn't offer enough different from RJ. I think if you want to argue for Fuld, you have to argue against RJ, and really, that's just not realistic. Three spots - four players.

Blanco offers the SS backup, so that Riot can rest. I'd keep him.

I like Jeff Baker and think he's the first choice for a platoon partner with Fontenot, so I keep him, too.

That leaves Jake Fox and Micah Hoffpauir. Fox is hitting; Micah isn't. Fox is right handed, though, and initially, you'd think no one on this bench is really proven against right-handed pitching. Look at Fox's splits, though. He's actually killing RHP and not doing that hot v. LHP. So, I'd keep Fox and say "Happy trails" to Swing 'n Miss Micah.

Booing or not booing and why

2009-07-03T12:56:35Z

This was in the game thread and Al touched on it in the last paragraph of his game post. I figured it belonged in its own thread and not as a hijack.

To boo or not to boo?

I personally try not to boo unless I am perceiving a real lack of effort or I see a flat-out stupid play.

An outfielder making a bad throw after hustling to get to the ball is NOT boo-worthy to me. That same outfielder throwing to the wrong base IS boo-worthy.

I try not to boo failure when there is effort. But in general, I am pro-booing, or at least, pro-choice booing.

I think the fans pays their money and deserve to see a product. At the end of the day, this is entertainment. If you went to a rock concert and saw a shoddy show, you'd be upset.

I am anti-cursing, anti-invective and certainly anti-racist comment, but good old-fashioned booing? Bring it on.

I get most of the arguments against it. It's lame. It can be disruptive to other fans and the average fan, after 6 beers, wouldn't know a smart play from a dumb one. Fair enough.

But there is one argument that burns my ass and that is the reason for the thread.

"The player knows he failed! Why boo?"

Folks, we do not boo to provide information. We do it to vent. By that same logic, D. Lee should not have been cheered when he hit the grand slam, since he is an intelligent baseball player and knew he just hit a homer.

"Booing doesn't help!"

It is not MY job to make the player hit, field or pitch better. There are highly-paid coaches armed with state-of-the-art video equipment to do that.

I am not there to serve the player's needs. They are there to entertain me and provide me with a nice distraction to my day. I have a job, a wife, several dogs and a baby on the way. At any one time, I am stressing out over something.

The Cubs (and Bulls and Packers and Blues and Illini) provide release from that.

And if that means booing, even when it is illogical, ill-conceived and against my own rules, is part of that.

Creative Writing: July 1, the Day that Changed Everything

2009-07-02T17:15:09Z

(Please forgive this morning writing foolishness if it is not your cup of tea, or your cup of Old Style. Go Cubs).

From the World Book of History of the early 21st Century.

Looking back, it was the day that changed the world as we knew it.

It was July 1, 2009. It was Canada Day, but the happy-go-lucky celebrations sweeping across the Great White North held no sway in hardscrabble Pittsburgh, where the Chicago Cubs were playing the hometown Pirates. The favored Cubs were scrambling like a badger thrown in a pool, just trying to keep their heads above water. The Pirates had long since given up that challenge, choosing instead to sink, rock-like, towards the bottom of the standings.

There were many reasons for the Cubs troubles - age, attitude, ineptitude, a lack of appreciation for the misunderstood genius and talent of Aaron Miles - but many among the hard-core fans thought that there was just one thing that was needed to solve the problem. Manager Lou Piniella needed to have a tantrum.

The hue and cry had been tremendous. Lou isn't showing enough fire. Lou needs to get thrown out of a game. It had worked in 2007: he screamed like a child who had been told that he wasn't getting a candy and like magic, the Cubs found their feet, rocketing to the top of the division before being unceremoniously dumped back into reality by a bunch of snowbirds in Arizona in the playoffs. There were some who argued that a tantrum and ejection would do nothing to change the Cubs fortunes, but the "real" fans knew that a tantrum was just what would be needed. It would make a difference. It would solve everything.

They didn't know how right they were.

And by now, you know the history. The Cubs tenuously holding on to a lead in the later innings. Runners in scoring position. A rookie pitcher named Randy Wells at the plate, who had been turned from a catcher into a pitcher because of an inability to make bat contact ball. The ball slapped back to the mound. The Pirates' pitcher, a man whose name is lost to time and legend, fumbles the ball and throws late to first. Wells was safe, but the umpire, known historically by the nickname "Voldemort," ruled him out. No run scored. Once again, the Cubs denied.

There was a buzzing across the stadium, a rumble, like that split second before an earthquake or an explosion, where the subconscious minds of all those in attendance freeze for a moment in fear and anticipation of what they know is to come, what they know they cannot stop. Lou Piniella strode from the dugout like an angry panda bear. Each step moved him, and the world, closer to fate.

The argument, the famous hat throw, have been so ingrained into polite society through repeated viewings that there is no need to rehash the particulars here.

And when it was over, the fans in Pittsburgh, the television audience across the world, knew that they had seen a transformitive moment in history.

And of course, the tantrum was just what the Cubs needed. The slumbering bats came alive, the pitchers regained their collective confidence and the Cubs did begin to win, and would go on to win the World Series that year. But that accomplishment was dwarfed by the magnitude of other events caused, both directly and indirectly, by the actions of the day. To document them all would take 100 pages, but here are the most significant.

The Israelis and Palestinians, seeing the essence of futility of their battle captured perfectly in the tantrum, finding common ground and agreeing to peace.
A scientist, distracted by the tantrum during the midst of a critical experiment, discovered the basics of a cold fusion generator solving the world's energy issues.
Then-Cubs outfielder Milton Bradley, witnessing the event, has an epiphany and renounces all forms of violence and takes a vow of silence. He goes on to become the first man to hit .400, and later became commissioner of baseball.
"Director/Producer" Michael Bay, seeing that all his cinematic efforts paled in comparison to the angst captured in the tantrum, leaves Hollywood and enters a Buddhist monastery. The world is spared from a dozen planned Transformers sequels.
The alien race, the Squq8qst, who were planning to commence an invasion of our Earth with an ultimate goal of stealing the planet's supply of horseradish, immediately gave up on their plans of conquest and immediately surrendered without a shot being fired.
In the next two years, Piniella becomes one of the most popular names for children, both boys and girls. Over 240,000 children. Tragically, over half are spelled incorrectly by parents who don't realize that Piniella has two "I"s.
The Piniella-inspired two-day growth of beard look becomes the newest fashion statement. This results in a economic boom in the electric razor/clipper industry. The rally buoys the stock market to levels that allow the US economy to flourish for over two decades, until the unfortunate "St. Louis Incident".
Ronnie "Woo-Woo" Wickers, an obnoxious alleged Cubs "fan" who made a living by being famous for making a sound akin to an air raid siren, is in fact identified as being James J. Bulger, a Boston-based mafioso and a Red Sox fan who had been on the FBI's 10-most-wanted list since the 1980's. His siren-like wail was all part of a master plan to get people to not notice his true identity.

The Cubs need to go 7-4 the next 11 games.

2009-07-02T16:59:45Z

The Cubs are at a pivotal point of the season this week. I think anything less then 7-4 will be the end of post season dreams for many Cubs fans. Personally, I am hoping to take 3 of 4 from the Brewers (we wont face Gallardo), 2 of 3 from the Braves, and a split with the Cards. Hopefully, depending on the other teams other games we would be tied or ahead of either the Brewers and/or Cards. After this week we only have 7 games versus the Brewers(4 at Wrigley), and 3 at St. Louis. I think the Brewers will start to fade significantly in the second part of the season. Also, the Cardinals do not have any plans to make any moves, according to Buster Olney. Olney writes, "The Cardinals have made it clear to other teams that they don't have much payroll flexibility beyond the DeRosa acquisition."

But on a negative note I cannot see the Cubs making any big moves either, due to the impending sale of the team. There are many questions remaining about the Cubs though. Will Soriano and Bradley begin to produce? Will Ramirez stay healthy or reinjure his shoulder, which is common in shoulder injuries? I think benching Soriano was a good thing last night, but we will need him for these upcoming series. As for Bradley, I am not sure if he will snap out of it. He is under a lot of pressure from the fans and media, and so far after a league suspension and a fight with Lou, I don't think he is handling it well. Bradley right now is on pace to produce less then newly aquired Jeff Baker's season last year. Also the aquisition of Baker might help, or it will just be another failed signing (Aaron Miles). I also think Dempster will catch fire now that his daughter has been released from the hospital and is doing better.

Hopefully the Cubs offense will put the month of June, and a disappointing season, thus far, behind them and turn it around. This division is there for the taking, hopefully they don't blow it.

The Top 5 Cubs Games of June

2009-07-01T20:51:19Z

The month of June provided us with plenty of extra Cubs baseball with 21 combined extra innings. If you take out the one rain out that has yet to be made up, that's still 12 extra innings! But maybe all those extra innings wore out the Cubs' bats because of the four times the Cubs were shutout which ultimately resulted in an 11-14 month of June which brings the Cubs to 36-38 for a 4th place spot trailing by 4.5 games... only 4.5 games, the Cubs are still in this thing! The Cubs have their work cut out for them as they go up agianst 1st place Milwaukee and 2nd place St.Louis both in 4-game sets at home.

This month I'm trying something new. Since I rank my personal favorite games by how much I get worn out by excitement after the game is done, I put the 11 wins in an A, B, C categorial order. Category A involves the four walk-off wins. Category B involves the two extra-inning wins on the road and two close games the Cubs won on the road. Category C involves three wins that were sort of ho-hum wins, not that any Cubs win should be labeled as a ho-hum win especially when they're as scarce as they've been lately. Plus, I wanted to not only get every win on the poll, but make it easier to decide by breaking it down into sort of a "seeded" positioning.

Can't wait to see how this poll plays out. Leave comments and good discussions as you usually do.

Biggest Cub Killer?

2009-07-02T12:23:51Z

During lunch the other day a self important fan who i will call 'Steve Hagino' was drooling all over Albert Pujols and how great he was. I mentioned that Albert has not been that terrible to the Cubs over the years and that Carlos Zambrano actually has held him to a low batting average.

As a cheap shot to my friend: even though Steve has been a fan for a long time he only recently visited Fenway to see a game. Anyway I digress; this lead to a discussion as to who the biggest Cub Killer was today. The names Fielder, Carlos Lee, Albert Pujols, and Corey Patterson all came into the mix. just kidding about the last one.

I personally thought Carlos Lee probably has the career Cub Killer numbers but that Fielder has the more recently better numbers. So for discussion purposes I am going to define Cub Killer as that guy who puts the dagger in a certain game, who puts the L in the L flag, not necessarily the guy with a statistical advantage but the guy who just terrorizes our already torturedfanbase :-) Vote early and often....

Yes i purposely left off: Milton Bradley and the Gatorade Machine- technically that would be a Cub suicide.

Poll

Who is the Biggest Cub Killer playing now?

Time To Give Randy Wells His Due

2009-07-02T04:23:56Z

After ten starts, 63 innings pitched, 49 hits allowed, 14 walks, an ERA of 2.43, a WHIP that was 1.09 before today's game, I think it is time to say out loud that Randy Wells could very well be like found money for the Cubs. He's only 26, but it would appear he learned a lot by watching spending all those years in the minor leagues. He doesn't rattle, he doesn't throw at batters when he gets upset, hell, when does he get upset? Since he was called up, has there been a more reliable starting pitcher on the team?

He has shown he can pitch out of jams, he listens to his catcher and coaches, he trusts his fielders, and his low walk total shows he knows how to throw strikes. If the Cubs only get one representative to the All Star Game this year (and what a come down after last year's eight), it isn't unreasonable to suggest Randy Wells deserves at least some consideration. In a year of one mess after another, he's been a real nice story.

Poll

Should Wells make the All Star team?

Pinella voted least desired manager to play for in SI players poll

2009-07-02T03:00:08Z

In the latest SI players poll, players were asked "Which manager do you least want to play for?" Pinella was first (worst?) with 26%. Ozzie Guillen was second with 21%, then La Russa, Torre, and Wedge.

Thoughts on this? Anything to do with Pinella ripping on MB last week? I know Pinella's managed a lot of teams, maybe more current major leaguers have played under him than other managers, and familiarity breeds contempt.

How do you think he's perceived by players?

OT: The Next Generation: The Playoffs

2009-07-02T02:38:41Z

Game One: Brewers 7, Cubs 3

The Brewers beat the Cubs in the first round of the playoffs 7-3, scoring four runs in the first inning and three in the third. The Cubs were hampered by bad baserunning decisions, not plating their first run till the fourth inning. Max went 0-2, both strikeouts, and played two innings in right field.

The Brewers on the bench.

Max squares for the bunt.

Coach talks to the team after the victory.

Game Two: Dodgers 6, Brewers 5

The Brewers lost a close game 6-5 to the Dodgers to end their chances at a Mustang League Championship. It came down to defense execution, with two Brewers errors giving away too many free runs. The Brewers almost came back in the top of the 5th, scoring one and having the tying run on third, but to no avail. Max went 0-1 with a K and a walk, and played two innings in right field.

Max at first base after walking.

Game Three: Brewers 6, Red-Sox 5

The Westdale Brewers took third place in the League Championships with a walk-off win in the bottom of the 7th inning, beating the Westdale Red-Sox 6-5. The Brewers struck early in the game, scoring three runs in the bottom of the first, only to be tied in the top of the fourth. They scored two more runs in the bottom of the fourth, but gave up two more in the top of the sixth. The Red-Sox reliever was wild, and gave up two hits and two walks, walking in the winning run.

Max played two innings in right field, and went 0-1, with a K, and a walk. He stole third base and scored a run.

The Brewers were presented with 3rd Place Trophies after the game, and then went out for pizza and ice-cream.

Coach settles his players before their final game of the season.

Max in right field.

Max steals third base.

Max receives his third-place trophy.

Which may or may not have been as good as the cheese fries.

Milton Bradley - should he be a switch hitter?

2009-07-02T00:47:31Z

OBP/SLG/OPS for Milton:

As a left handed batter in 2009: .329/.353/.652

As a right handed batter in 2009: .415/.500/.915

Career as a lefty: .361/.431/.792

Career as a righty: .389/.503/.892

After watching him hit another sweet ground ball to the first baseman tonight I thought "why the hell doesn't he just hit right handed all the time?".

Although Jim Hendry may never allow this, since it would make the team "more right handed" again.

Thoughts?

AA All Star Team

2009-07-01T21:10:32Z

The Southern League has announced their All Star Teams!

This year's game will be played in Birmingham, home of the White Sox AAA club the Barons.

The Cubs organization will be well represented in this game, 6 Tennessee Smokies have made the club. Here they are:
1B Blake Lailli
SS Darwin Barney
OF James Adduci
P Casey Coleman
P Jay Jackson
P Brian Schlitter

The game is on Monday, July 13, the same night as the MLB HR Derby.

I was some what surprised by Schlitter, he was the guy the Cubs got in return for Scott Eyre last year I believe.

Anyways, any thoughts on this?

A prediction game for distraction purposes

2009-07-01T20:12:47Z

It's not exactly halfway through the season or the All-Star break yet, but it IS July 1. Perhaps time to look ahead, rather than behind, and take this opportunity to confront one another with our wit and wisdom.

Here's the suggested format:

You create a comparison that could go either way, based on the performances of Cub players the rest of 2009. Other people vote or discuss which they believe is more likely to happen.

When we have a comparison that seems to be evenly split, I will edit this fanpost to create a poll about just that question. If there are at least 100 votes, and the split is within 3 points of 50/50 either way, you will win a genuine Wrigley Field Cubs souvenir, one of last year's giveaways. (You would have to tell me your address to receive the prize.)

Some examples:

Who will have the higher OPS versus RH pitching the rest of the year, Soriano or Bradley?
Who will have more wins, Wells or Harden?
Who will hit more homers from here out, Soto or Fox?
Who will record more strikeouts, Samardzija or Marshall?
Who will have more stolen bases, Fukudome or Theriot?

You get the idea.

OT -- Whose Sports Death Would Affect Us?

2009-07-01T19:05:55Z

In the wake of the media frenzy surrounding Michael Jackson's death, who in the sports world -- I mean the entire sports world, not just our little corner of it -- would send the nation and even the world into a tizzy like this?

If just about any prime of life athlete dropped dead tomorrow, it would be newsworthy, if only for the "Oh man, what a waste" mentality. And it won't be a real shock when someone like Bob Feller dies.

For the current athletes, imagine them dying at age 50. Would they still be relevant enough to take us over like this? For the ones already over 50, imagine them dying tomorrow. Would they still be relevant enough?

My choices are these:

Baseball -- Obviously, when Mickey Morandini dies, it'll affect us, but to the outside world, it'll mean very little. I can think of no Cubs on this list. Santo will take over Cubdom for an entire season, but outside of that, he'll be a "Huh, too bad" moment.

* A-Rod

* Jeter

* Pete Rose

Football --

* Jim Brown

* Tom Brady

* Peyton Manning

Basketball

* Jordan

* LeBron/Kobe

* Shaq

* Magic

* Barkley

Other sports

* Gretsky (Maybe)

* Ali

* Tiger

That's really all I have. Who have you got?

OT-A suggestion to Cubs' brass from the father of a Jr. Dodger

2009-07-01T18:14:31Z

I know Al has said that Cubs management is aware of BCB. So I will recount the day I had at Dodger stadium for the purpose of giving a good suggestion to Cubs management. Plus it will be good for all of us to get our minds off this frustrating team we all follow.

The Dodgers had a Jr. Dodger day at the stadium. It was on a Friday and a good day to take the day off to watch everything. It was a day for kids to get instructions on the basics from two former players like Mariano Duncan and Jay Howell, to bench coaches and a trainer. The ages of the kids were between 7 - 12. They had about 8 groups of kids, consisting of 12-13 kids per group.

Here are some photos:

http://mlb.mlb.com/la/photogallery/year_2009/month_06/day_26/cf5544650.html

The parents were not allowed on the field and had to watch from the left field bleachers. And most of us were joking that the day probably meant more to the parents than to the kids. I'm sure it will sink into them as they grow up, that they were allowed on the field of their favorite team. (I'm sure many of us at BCB would love to step foot onto Wrigley Field- or even watch our kids on the field.) Just imagine watching your child warm up in the actual bullpen where the Cubs pitchers warm up or hit in the actual batting cages where the players hit. It was a priceless day. (actual price for annual membership is just $250 and there are other things that they are eligible for also)

There were 8 stations of various baseball activities. They had batting tees, agility, grounders, pitching with radar gun, fly balls, batting with small ball, pitching windup, and batting cages. Now I coach my son in little league so I was really focused on picking up extra drills for my team. I will tell you that they did not have any special drills that a good little league coach doesn't know. But I guess the point was to get instruction from professionals and I'm sure that holds more weight with the kids more than anything I could say. And the added benefit of doing it on the actual field. After the batting cages the kids were escorted through the player tunnel, through the dugout and into the field. They were not allowed into the locker room, one of the parents tried to give their kid a video camera but that was not allowed as they feared players would be in the locker room at that time. My son did say that he was able to peek into the locker room, and although he didn't see any players, he did see Andre Ethier's locker and jersey.

After all the station work, all the kids broke for lunch. While we were eating they broke the field up into 4 fields to have a little scrimmage between the different groups. (My son was 1-2 with a home run in the scrimmage.) The scrimmage lasted about a half hour. It was really fun to watch the 12 year olds, put the ball into the seats. Some of those kids can really kill the ball.

Then at the end, they brought a player to talk to the kids. Orlando Hudson spoke to the kids for about ten minutes. He even took questions from the kids. Aside from one annoying Mom that wanted to keep shouting to Orlando from the bleachers, it was a great moment for the parents and the kids.

So after it was over I was thinking what a smart thing this was for the organization. Sure the parents that signed up their kids, were already fans and come to games already. But they certainly planted the seeds of future fans in the kids. Something the Cubs brass should think about.

The Return of Juan Pierre?

2009-07-01T17:20:28Z

Would you like to see Juan Pierre return to the Cubs?

With Manny coming back, it’s obvious that Juan Pierre will be returning to the bench. What’s sad is that he is having a career year. I wonder if part of the reason he has been busting rear is because he wants to play FT. With Manny coming back, do you think the Dodgers might shop him around as trade bait? If so, should the Cubs look into re-acquiring him? Or is there better options out there of Hendry to look at? Could he be the Kenny Lofton of '09?

Poll

Bleed Cubbie Blue: FanPosts

Command and control

Done Being Patient With Soriano

Center field vs. last year

Questions about new ownership...

Mike Fontenot demotion?

Should the Cubs demote Mike Fontenot

What to do with the bench

What moves would you make Monday?

Booing or not booing and why

Creative Writing: July 1, the Day that Changed Everything

The Cubs need to go 7-4 the next 11 games.

The Top 5 Cubs Games of June

What was your favorite Cubs game from June 2009?

Biggest Cub Killer?

Who is the Biggest Cub Killer playing now?

Time To Give Randy Wells His Due

Should Wells make the All Star team?

Pinella voted least desired manager to play for in SI players poll

OT: The Next Generation: The Playoffs

Milton Bradley - should he be a switch hitter?

AA All Star Team

A prediction game for distraction purposes

OT -- Whose Sports Death Would Affect Us?

OT-A suggestion to Cubs' brass from the father of a Jr. Dodger

The Return of Juan Pierre?

Would you like to see Juan Pierre return to the Cubs?