Advice For The Cublorn

and I said it jokingly yesterday, but now I am really starting to worry.

I think, given this latest development, we can not afford NOT to have Walker's bat in the lineup every day. I don't care where he plays--stick him at first, stick him at second, let him ride piggyback on JHJ at second, I DON'T CARE. Given the offensive output we are going to have to make up, I don't know how you possibly keep Walker out of the lineup.

Yet I keep hearing "Put Murton at first," "put Mabry at first," "Restovich can play first," etc. Are people nuts? We just lost one of the best hitters in the game, and we are still going to platoon Walker and JHJ at @#*&@#$@ second base?!?!?!!?!?! I can't even believe that the Cubs are considering putting anyone other than Walker at first.

Is it too early for a drink?

Just saw "Ernie Banks" as a choice for who should replace Lee at first, which reminds me, we took my 3-year old to Build-A-Bear the other day.  He picked out a green frog, dressed it in a Cubs shirt, and named it Ernie Banks.

I also got a call from the daycare director because they had some parents touring the facility the other day, and the dad was wearing a White Sox jersey. They kept hearing this little 3-year old voice yelling "White Sox STINK!!!!" Over and over, but couldn't figure out where it was coming from. Yep. . . it was my child. Who was defiant even when reprimanded by the daycare director for telling someone that their team "stinks," saying simply "Cubs are da best!"

How proud am I? Three years old and already heckling White Sox fans!  :)

He's available. And we sure could use that kind of leadership.

C'mon Jim! Please?!?!?!?!

I went in to this season assuming that the Cubs were not going to make the playoffs.  If they did that was great but I wasn't expecting it.  So while this sucks; it doesn't change my outlook on the season.  What sucks is that a hitter breaking his wrist can be disastrous.  Nomar has never been anywhere near the same hitter since he broke his wrist.

Finally I'm sure Dusty wouldn't choose for this to happen; but it probably guarantees him a contract extension.  He now has a built-in excuse why this team is not going to win.

I do not like Restovich.  I would just as soon see Mabry in the everyday lineup at 1B.  That is what he is here for.  Him, Walker, Neifi can all rotate around.  No to Restovich.  He is not good.  I say we call up anyone else (Sing, Dopairek) instead.  

No other way to out it...this SUCKS!  Out of our sluggers, I'd rather it been Ramirez.  He is one of my favorites but with his sub .200 BA, he would be less missed.

OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHh...why can't this team catch a freakin break???????

If we go in house I would want our lineup to look like this:

1. Pierre - CF
   
2. Walker - 1B
   
3. ARam - 3B
   
4. Jones - RF (shudder, but hey, he can't possibly be worse than he has been)
   
5. Murton - LF
   
6. Barrett - C
   
7. Hairston - 2B
   
8. Cedeno - SS
   
9. Pitcher's spot

But, I think we're probably gonna need to trade for somebody.  Over at Allcubs.com the poster suggested trading for Ross Gload, a 1B on the White Sox.  He is old, but he can hit, and the White Sox have nowhere to put him.  Kenny Williams would have to decide to trade w/us which is questionable but check out Gload's numbers over at baseballprospectus.com.  I'd rather have him than Mabry at 1st.  Maybe this is wishful thinking, but i don't think it's out of the realm of possibility and he would probably be less expensive than everybody except for maybe Choi or Durazo and perhaps Nevin.  Basically he's cheap cause he's old (30) and useless to the 1B mongers on the South Side.  Then the lineup could look like this

Pierre
Walker
Aramis
Jones (shudder again)
Gload
Murton
Barrett
Cedeno

I feel better about that one.

Is for our current players to step up.  This is the time when the team proves if it's a TEAM or a bunch of players that will fold when we hit a bump in the road.  

Ramirez needs to hit the way he is capable of hitting and Pierre needs to get on base more then 28% of the time.  This was a very big loss for us but things happen (yes, it seems more often for the Cubs then others but that's life) and we can only hope that this fires up our team instead of make them all feel the season is over and they just roll over.  

I just heard Steve Stone making a push for Miguel Cabera. We would have to sell the farm, but he's a hell of a talent, and can play any where.  

do they go home and try to stay in shape, or will he be around the team?  It would be nice to keep some of his leadership.

and that's fine...but the Cubs were definitely showing a shift to playing a different type of ball...small ball, smart ball call it what you want.  It is the same thing that got the Sox to the WS last year.

Lee is a huge loss and there are plenty of teams that can ill afford to lose one of their players.  Change your scenario to Pujols.  All of a sudden, Edmonds is their Aramis and needs some protection in the lineup.  Without his skills at 1B, who goes there..they got rid of Mabry.

The Cubs most certainly could have won, and will still succeed IMO, this is just a big challenge.

And for the record, the people at El Birdos are pretty civil, except that one loud mouth who appears to have made his life mission to hate on the Cubs...probably backlash from their getting swept by a team he commonly refers to as a bunch of losers with loser mentality.

I think we all know who the loser is:

glamberson!

As Jack Brickhouse used to say, "the Cubs are just snakebit". Hopefully, they CAN overcome this major setback. The '89 team, at one time, had Dawson, Grace, Walton, Mitch, & Dunston on extended DL time, & they did not have the talent this team has, and they still won the division. Of course, I don't think Dusty is a Zimmer.

Dontrelle Willis, for one -- when he is ready to flee South Florida. I don't see him leading the league in simulated games or towel throwing.