Some Good News...
Aramis Ramirez should be able to play Friday and the Pittsburgh Pirates are coming to town...and we're on day 10,256,753(est.) of the last apocalyptic asteroid hitting the Earth.
That's all I got...hey, you get what you pay for here at TCR.
Okay fine, more ranting, raving and rumbling after the jump...
- I guess when the team is playing so bad, it's easy to set your sights elsewhere, but the guy turning himself in who threw the beer at Shane Victorino is "breaking news?" Really? Sun-Times had not 1, not 2, not 3, but 4 articles (cue Feist ) on it last night.
- Justin Berg was perfectly adequate in his 2 inning major league debut last night, throwing 17 strikes on 26 pitches inducing 3 ground-balls outs including a double play with his sinker/change combo.
- The answer to the Cubs second base problem apparently is hoping that Jeff Baker stays hot. Why not?
- Somehow the writer of this "rumor" for Yahoo got "The word is that Cubs executives are not amused." and that "The rumor going around is that the team may be losing patience with Piniella, according to the Chicago Tribune." If you look at the actual Trib article, there's no mention of any Cubs executives and it's just a piece by Paul Sullivan trying to stir the pot that Lou is beginning to receive some heat, but it doesn't specify from whom and most likely he's just trying to compare it how the fans turned on Dusty Baker if you examine the quotes from players. Nothing to see here...move along.
- There was a request to create an open thread and discuss how to fix the team. Here's my take...keep Aramis healthy. The team is 26-17 when he' s played...32-38 without. In somewhat seriosness though, they'll be more time for what the Cubs should do this offseason, but if you're gonna play that game now, just try to keep in the mind the difficulty in trading players and then multiply by 1,000 when you take into account most of these guys contracts. No one is going to touch Alfonso Soriano right now, so if you think the Cubs need to move money, your best trade bets are Derrek Lee and Ted Lilly in the lasy year's of their deal or maybe Kosuke Fukudome if he keeps up the hitting the rest of the year.
- Randy Wells vs. Charlie Morton today, Tom Gorzelanny against his old teammates and Zach Duke on Saturday and Russ Ohlendorf and Rich Harden on Sunday.
Enjoy the weekend....
Twitter RSS for TCR
#1 Re: Some Good News...
Good news: our record is still better than the southsiders. If that means anything to you. Me? I just want to stay ahead of the Brewers and asstrolls.
#4 Re: Some Good News...
Actually, if the Cubs don't win it I'd love it if the Brewers did. Anybody other than the Cardinals, who I despise at the depth of my soul. And the White Sox, I'm indifferent about. Too many family members who like them.
Anybody but the Cardinals is my only mantra.
#5 Re: Some Good News...
I only really completely "hate" the White Sox when they play the Cubs. Otherwise I could give a shit.
I like some of their players, and my nephew has met Gordon Beckham in social situations and said really complimentary things about the young guy.
#22 Re: Some Good News...
Living in Kenosha (on the Il/WI border) I don't want the Brewers near the World Series. It'd be more hell than it already is here with the Sox fans popping out of the woodwork as it is.
#2 Re: Some Good News...
"There was a request to create an open thread and discuss how to fix the team."
ha ha, thanks, Rob, and my apologies to my fellow sufferers for my cantankerousness. How that word didn't end up getting squiggled is beyond me.
But really, Rob G. started it all with his RIP too early post and I say, no, not too early.
It's going to take all the great minds here to fix this club and if you think the incoming GM is not reading forums, at least to check the pulse of his customers, I say you're nuts.
I make a ton of money working for a company that is in the news a lot and we look at forums all the time.
We think most of the people are cranks but there are a LOT of educated people out there and especially here.
I actually qualify as a crank. Most of you are experts.
I'm sorry but I've been watching baseball too long to think this team has any life in it. Pray I'm wrong but I'm not.
#3 Re: Some Good News...
Ram scratched w/flu.
Bradley injured his "hammy" yesterday and also is scratched.
He did it needlessly running through the bullpen and hitting the home plate there after a catch.
He ran like 30-40 yards extra after his nice catch.
#6 Re: Some Good News...
I like Sam Fuld. I think he is a positive for this team.
Cheery thoughts, people!
#7 Re: Some Good News...
With a different manager he could be another Sammy.
#10 Re: Some Good News...
Sammy Byrd or Sammy Drake?
#8 Re: Some Good News...
And the extra point is good!!
:)
also...what is the Cubs record when Sam Fuld starts?
#27 Re: Some Good News...
The Cubs are 15-12 in games in which he plays. It appears they are 3-4 in the games he starts... but that is not true research, just an educated guess using the Gamelog on ESPN.
#9 Re: Some Good News...
[removed]
#11 Re: Some Good News...
Why can't Randy Wells ever get any run support?
#12 Re: Some Good News...
Randy Wells want runs, he gotta score them hisself
#13 Re: Some Good News...
D-Lee, mailing it in again. Trade him.
#14 Re: Some Good News...
Way to use up all of the season's remaining runs in one game against the Pirates.
#15 Re: Some Good News...
Oh yeah, it's almost like clockwork that they look so miserable against the Phillies, like making you question why you follow this ridiculous game of baseball and is there a God and will anybody notice when I punt the dog into the hedge and then, then they come out the very next day and just murderlize a team and there are rainbows and chocolate sprinkles raining from the sky and you can read the paper again tomorrow morning thinking, OK, all they have to do is get within 2 of the Cards by mid-September and all bets are off.
Soriano still sucks it though.
#29 Re: Some Good News...
Awesome. Post of the month?
"...and will anybody notice when I punt the dog into the hedge..." hahahahaha or jajajaja for Carlos
#16 Re: Some Good News...
The Cubs found their missing offense! Color me not too excited lol...lets go Padres!
#17 Re: Some Good News...
How many times do we get to play the Bucs in 2009?
This is such Bullshit.
It only proves how overmatched the Cubs are against the better clubs in the NL.
False bravado for the team. Its the same as Montana State Community College playing Texas in College Football.
The Pirates as Rob G states
are a AAA team. BFD!
#18 Re: Some Good News...
We were talking in Parachat just as the game ended that the Nats offense has been much better since the Nyjer Morgan trade. I found a link after the game... Washington Post, August 11...
"Pre-Morgan, the Nats were 21st in the majors in runs scored. Since Morgan's arrival, they're third."
http://www.prosportsdaily.com/comments/a-leading-m...
#21 Re: Some Good News...
Interesting. They have a lot of thunder in that lineup... Dunn, Willingham, Zimmerman...
#19 Re: Some Good News...
Well that is nice for them.
On another note, did you discuss how wretched our starting pitching has been since we got two pitchers from the Pirates?
#20 Re: Some Good News...
Hahahaa, that Becker is so grumpy. That's why he's so charming, because he's predictably grumpy. lol lol lol
#23 Top Cub Prospect hits for Cycle
We've been waiting a long time for a Cub to hit for the cycle and one finally did today.
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/al/2009-08...
#25 Re: Top Cub Prospect hits for Cycle
I don't know whether to laugh or cry. I still think Felix Pie has the ability to be a fine ML centerfielder. He got hurt halfway through 2005, but still put up decent AAA numbers in 06. I think he, like Corey Patterson, was screwed up by "batting coaches" who said "OK, you're a speedy black left-hander, we're not sure you're going to make it as a power hitter, so we want you to start slapping at the ball and be a leadoff hitter." As Bill James showed almost 20 years ago, this almost never works, and Pie is probably finished as a big-league hitter. There were rumors that Pie enjoyed the Chicago nightlife too much; if so, whoever played Billy Martin to his Mickey Mantle should burn in Hell, but it's still his responsibility. My official position on this is that Felix Pie, by now, isn't going to make it, but I for one would be very happy if he made a MLB All-Star team some day.
#28 Re: Top Cub Prospect hits for Cycle
You think Corey Patterson would have been successful at the major league level if he was told to just keep swinging for the fences?
I was as optimistic as just about anyone when it came to Corey, but I don't think it was just batting coaches who screwed him up. Or are you talking about some batting coaches during his minor league time that attempted to alter his swing in ways I'm not aware of?
#31 Re: Top Cub Prospect hits for Cycle
"hoever played Billy Martin to his Mickey Mantle should burn in Hell"
I believe I heard it was Soriano.
#33 Re: Top Cub Prospect hits for Cycle
If I recall correctly, it started with Don Baylor. Baylor fancied himself a batting expert, but it seemed to me his theory was "hey, you look like so-and-so, so that's how you should hit." He thought Corey looked like a speedy leadoff man; I remember him talking about Corey "going to the opposite field." He did the same thing with Julio Zuleta. He was a big guy with a closed stance, looked like he'd get tied up by inside pitches, but was doing all right. Baylor noticed the resemblance to Andres Gallaraga, who opened up his stance with good results, so, in the middle of the season, got Zuleta to open his stance too. You can imagine what this did to his view of the ball, so he started to struggle, which reduced his playing time, which led to the death spiral of Zuleta's career. (Which wasn't much, but he had some potential.)
I don't know whether Patterson would have been successful if he had been left alone at the big-league level. I do think that the only way he could have been successful would have been as a low-OBP, high-strikeout power hitter, which, combined with good defense in center field, would have been enough to make a career. The fact that he didn't really progress as he moved up through the minors is a sign that he might not have made it, but I keep thinking about 2003 before he got hurt.
#34 Re: Top Cub Prospect hits for Cycle
I heard a great interview with a long-time Cubs scout (Don Something-or-Other)on Nashville radio. He talked about a wide range of topics, but one of the things that he talked about that really stuck with me was what he had to say about the Cubs rushing prospects through the system.
The scout admitted that rushing prospects to the big leagues was a league-wide problem and that the Cubs were no exception. The talk then turned to Corey Patterson and Felix Pie. The scout was very complimentary of Felix Pie and lamented the fact that he had been rushed. He blamed the organization for Pie's lack of success.
But when he talked about Patterson, you could just hear the venom in his voice. Although he was politically correct in what he said, he basically blamed Patterson for his own problems, said that he wouldn't listen to anyone that worked with him, and predicted he would never realize his potential.
Return to Homepage