Gameday Open Thread / Cubs @ Angels
The Cubs travel to Tempe today to face the suddenly depleted Angels. Carlos Zamrbano's final tune-up before Opening Day and he'll be opposed by Jered Weaver. The game is on MLB.tv.
The Cubs also settled on their position players to start the season, choosing the lefty bat and infield abilities of Mike Fontenot over the superior righty bat of Matt Murton's. A difficult, but understandable decision on the Cubs part. While Murton is the better hitter, the addition of Fontenot gives the Cubs two lefty bench bats and someone besides Ronny Cedeno to back up the middle infield. The bench will consist of Henry Blanco, Daryle Ward, Ronny Cedeno, Reed Johnson and Mike Fontenot. I can't say I'm thrilled, but I do hope that if Soriano or Fukudome go down with an injury that Murton is still the top choice to replace them on an everday basis. The Cubs also released non-roster invitee Alex Cintron.
Finally, a loyal reader has four tickets for the April 2nd game at Wrigley versus the Brewers. I'm not too interested in becoming a ticket exchange or broker, but he's offering them at below face value, so I thought I'd pass along the note. Drop me an email and I'll forward it to him if you're interested. They're in Aisle 434, Row 2 and retail for $23 each. He's willing to break them up into pairs and is only asking $20 for each ticket. In other words, $40 or $80 instead of $46 or $92. I take no responsibility for their authenticity and don't think I'll do this for everyone.
Twitter RSS for TCR
#1 Re: Gameday Open Thread / Cubs @ Angels
we'll see if they play the game...
http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=2...
#2 Re: Gameday Open Thread / Cubs @ Angels
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/preview08/columns/st...
Neyer's Top 50 players for the next 5 years...no Cubs.
#3 50 players/5 years list
...no Cubs
...no surprise
We're gonna be awful old in 5 years. But we've got a nice window for the present in our little division.
#4 Re: Gameday Open Thread / Cubs @ Angels
CHAT IT UP!!!
I'll be there throughout my lunch...
#5 Re: Gameday Open Thread / Cubs @ Angels
Cubs vs. Angels on FSW in LA. Felix Pie (pronounced like Apple Pie by the LA announcers) just singled sharply through the right side.
#6 Re: Gameday Open Thread / Cubs @ Angels
Soriano hitting 3rd.
#7 Re: Pie
only the play-by-play announcer is pronouncing it wrong.
weird, huh?
and now he's doing it right as well.
Someone musta told them.
#8 Re: DeRosa
a late scratch
What's wrong with him?
#9 Re: Fukudome's arm
Looks like he's got it in shape! 2nd inning assist that was a bullet.
#10 Re: Gameday Open Thread / Cubs @ Angels
DeRosa apparently scratched with sinusitis.
http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=2...
#11 Re: Gameday Open Thread / Cubs @ Angels
DeRosa apparently scratched with sinusitis.
=========
So what was his sin?
#17 Re: Gameday Open Thread / Cubs @ Angels
Fancy name for sinus infection. Unfortunately I know that one well. :(
...and lol @ Cubster
#12 Re: Gameday Open Thread / Cubs @ Angels
Roberts Deal is off according to McPhail
http://blogs.chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/spor...
#13 Re: Roberts deal
(STANDS UP AND APPLAUDS!)
#14 Re: Gameday Open Thread / Cubs @ Angels
B.S.!!
Phil Rogers said this deal was done in February!
#16 Re: Gameday Open Thread / Cubs @ Angels
Well, great -- if DeRosa misses the entire year with sinusitis, then where will we be?
#19 Re: Gameday Open Thread / Cubs @ Angels
i live with it.
i have to take steroids once or twice a year to shrink tissue growth in my sinuses.
yeah, fun stuff.
at least he can easily afford the $200 a month in meds he may need if its chronic.
wildflower season in arizona is in its best flush in almost a decade. i think its the best flush they've had out there since 02/03 or so. the desert is alive. they have to get a concentrated amount of rain over the winter or there's little to no wildflowers at all.
#18 Re: Gameday Open Thread / Cubs @ Angels
What will I have left to obsess over?
#15 Sounds like a farewell speech to Murton
http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=2...
"If Matt's not here with us, I hope we can find a Major League job for him, because he's a good player, and he deserves that," Piniella said. "I'm sure that, if he's not going to be here, that Jim will try to accomodate him as much as possible."
#22 Re: Sounds like a farewell speech to Murton
i can believe it...but i can't.
as much as i'd like to keep murton around...wow...he is absolutely done with AAA. he's not going to gain arm strength suddenly by playing the bus-leagues in RF. he's not going to suddenly turn into a defensive wizz in AAA. and unless there's some part-100 of tinkering with his swing (which i doubt at this point) i definitely dont see what his bat is doing in the minors.
even with floyd injured 1/2+ or so of the season it was nice having the R/L bench power option (for the first time in a long time) of murton/ward.
#20 Re: Gameday Open Thread / Cubs @ Angels
wish your opening day tickets post had been up a week ago, i paid $50 each for about those same seats...knew i could do better if i waited but didn't want the anxiety since i'm flying back into town specifically for opening day.
Rob, any chance that we could have some sort of section of TCR where people could post extras/needs for tickets? i have a mini-season ticket plan and will have some tickets that i would be happy to dump for face value. this would be awesome if possible.
also, sad that murton won't be on the opening day team but i guess it makes sense, i still would have taken him over fontenot.
#21 Re: Gameday Open Thread / Cubs @ Angels
those tickets aren't for Opening Day and no, not getting into being a ticket exchange forum or anything like that. Just doing a favor for someone....
#23 Re: Gameday Open Thread / Cubs @ Angels
kerry wood comes in with men on to relieve marmol (pitching unsuccessfully into his 2nd inning of work)...wild pitch...then retires the next 2 to escape the inning.
neat.
-edit-
wood going for another inning after .2ip (both fielded outs) the inning before.
groundout to 1st, K (swinging), and K (looking)
1.2ip 0h 0bb 2k
#24 Re: Gameday Open Thread / Cubs @ Angels
Murton was basically doomed the moment that Soriano moved from CF to LF last year.
He would a great fit for the A's, who would value his OBP and low cost.
#25 Re: Gameday Open Thread / Cubs @ Angels
murton would be a great fit for a lot of clubs.
question i have is why these clubs dont have him yet.
at least it *seems* like hendry doesn't want to give him away just for the sake of moving him...so far...
either way, if he tears up AAA and gets another callup he could move into that easy-to-get-hard-to-maintain cubs fan cult status. kerry wood could get 1/2 of wrigley to give him a standing O just getting up off the pen bench during a game to take a leak.
#26 Re: Gameday Open Thread / Cubs @ Angels
ah yes, not for opening day indeed. my bad.
i'll check over at the blog whose name shall not be spoken for ticket stuff. thanks for the heads-up.
Pie!
Pignatello for MVP!
#27 Re: Gameday Open Thread / Cubs @ Angels
What is Lahey's status?
#28 I know there was never
any real discussion of it, but man, do I wish the Cubs had taken a longer look at Josh Hamilton in 2006's Rule 5 draft. He's hitting .455/.492/.818 this spring and apparently playing a very good outfield.
#29 Re: I know there was never
a lot of people were looking at the reds when they wanted hamilton...they've done this before with players obviously not ready (willie mo pena), but hamilton was a guy many years and many drug related suspensions away from even playing organized ball.
i dunno what's more amazing...him or ankiel (even with known PEDs in ankiel's case).
#30 Re: I know there was never
Right, and one of the main reasons it worked for the reds was because of that coach that had had a strong relationship with Hamilton. But man, the guy has talent. He would have solved our RF problem before Fukudome.
Return to Homepage