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Archive - Apr 6, 2008

Cubs Week in Quotations

Submitted by Rob G. on Sun, 04/06/2008 - 6:46pm.

A few years back, TCR brought you "Cubs Week in Quotations"...we know you missed it.

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Before we get down to business, time to honor our past
"It's the best. This is the epitome of American life to be able to have this honor bestowed upon me; think about that. Just me. And when I'm no longer here, I'll still be here. It's amazing. This is amazing to me."
-Ernie Banks

"It's a miracle that I made it from there to here. When I had my number retired, I thought it was the greatest honor because it was the first number ever retired by this franchise. It will still be there 100 years from now, and that's how I feel about this statue. I know it'll be here 100 years from now. It's a miracle. But it is proof that if you find satisfaction in your life, miracles can happen."
-Ernie Banks

"What apostrophe?"
- Sculptor Lou Cella responding to his grammatical error on the Ernie Banks statue

Read the rest of this entry>>>

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Game 6 Recap: Cubs 3, Astros 2

Submitted by Transmission on Sun, 04/06/2008 - 4:10pm.
Up to .500

 

 

W - Zambrano (1-0), outfield arms, broad strike zones, Derrek Lee
L - Villarreal (0-2), Budweiser shills
S - Wood (3), the home-stand

 

Things to Take from This Game

 

1. Cubs pitchers cruise
Zambrano pitched 7 relatively strong innings with 7 Ks and 2 ER. His worst trouble came in the first, which began with runners at 2nd and 3rd before Erstad struck out and Lee flew into a 7-2 DP, with Soriano nailing Bourn at the plate. Cubs pitchers didn't allow a walk, and Zambrano cruised through the middle third of the game with 9 straight outs. No one reached base against Marmol or Wood in the 8th and 9th

 

2. Derrek Lee is crushing the ball
Lee finally made an out, and even that was a lined shot that might have cleared the wall on another day. His go-ahead home run off of Villarreal was hit about as hard as a person can hit a ball. Everything is getting smokback up the middle of the field.

 

3. Soriano helps out
Soriano's throw home in the top of the first was perfect.  He also hit one out, just scraping over the basket in the left field wall to give the Cubs a 2-1 lead. Hopefully it's the start of better days ahead.

 

After a shakey start to the homestand, we at least walk into Pittsburgh as a 3-3 team. Details below.

 

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Game 6 Thread / Astros @ Cubs (3 of 3)

Submitted by Rob G. on Sun, 04/06/2008 - 11:28am.

Game Chat | Press Pass | BR Preview

SP Brandon Backe
 SP
Carlos Zambrano
(2008)
 0-1, 3.60, 3 K, 3 BB
 (2008) 0-0, 0.00, 5 K, 1 BB
       
CF *Michael Bourn
 LF Alfonso Soriano
RF
 Hunter Pence
 CF
Reed Johnson
1B
*Darin Erstad
1B
Derrek Lee
LF
 Carlos Lee
 3B
Aramis Ramirez
SS
 Miguel Tejada RF
*Kosuke Fukudome
3B
 #Geoff Blum 2B
 Mark DeRosa
2B #Tomas Perez SS Ryan Theriot
C JR Towles C
 Henry Blanco
P
 Brandon Backe
 P #Carlos Zambrano

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So it took 4 games to bench Felix Pie who was struggling just as much as any of the other hitters? Meh. I can understand sitting him against Oswalt and giving Reed Johnson some at-bats, but with Tom Gorzelanny set to go to tomorrow, that'll be at least four days in a row he'll sit...how Dusty-ish.

The Astros made me feel better though by batting Darin Erstad third. 

Zambrano heads back to the mound after yet another episode with dehydration and forearm cramps. Hopefully Lou called in his partnership with Aquafina and has a case waiting for Z on the bench today. Cubnut tells me that he heard part of a radio interview with Jim Hendry, in which Hendry offered assurances that the Cubs training staff will get to the bottom of Zambrano's recurrent cramping problem. Hendry also said "...and the Gatorade people are all over it."

We think it's fair to predict that their solution will involve Zambrano drinking lots of Gatorade.

 

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