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The Cubs have recalled Corey Patterson from Iowa, sending Ronny Cedeno down. It's a good, bad and ugly wrapped up in one single transaction. Good When the Cubs first promoted Cedeno on April 21st, I commented...

Cedeno, still only 22, is not yet ready for the major leagues, and at this stage sitting on the major-league bench and getting infrequent playing time [Ö] is the last thing his development needs. The major-league bench may well be where in the long-term his future most probably lies, but, here and now, as long as thereís a still chance that Cedenoís bat may be good enough to ultimately justify something more than that, the Cubs have to give it that chance. If that means a woeful veteran instead, for once, so be it.

Thankfully, the Cubs soon signed Enrique Wilson on May 17th, and Cedeno was allowed to return to the minor leagues, where he unfortunately hit so well that the Cubs decided on June 28th to outright Wilson and give Cedeno another chance in the majors. Then I wrote...

Regarding Cedeno, my take on him is this: whatever happens, I want him playing everyday this year, working on his game, upon adding the walks and the power that in the long-term he needs if heís to not precariously rely too heavily on average as his sole source of offensive productivity. Obviously that is something that would assuredly happen at Iowa. But whether thatíll now happen in Chicago with Dusty around is much more debatable, and whether it should happen, whether Cedenoís capable of outperforming even Neifi right now by an extent large enough to justify the service time heíd accrue doing so, is another matter too. Iím sceptical on all counts, and as bad as Wilson was, he did have two things going for him: he wasnít just 22, and he had fully established his performance level, albeit at ìuselessî. Thereís a danger Cedeno could go the same way if the Cubs arenít careful, but letís hope the Cubs know what theyíre doing.

Apparently they didn't, or they disagreed on what they were doing, because Cedeno amassed a meagre 7 starts and 41 plate appearances in six weeks on the major league roster. And, for what it's worth, those six weeks, in conjunction with his stint in the majors earlier in the year, mean that Cedeno has more than fifty days of major league service time, and thus he'll not be eligible for Rookie of the Year honours next year. This is, officially, his rookie year, and the Cubs have had him waste it as Neifi's bat boy. Cedeno now, finally, goes back to the minors. So that's the good aspect to this transaction. He'll doubtless be back up again if Garciaparra re-injures himself or when rosters expand in September, whichever comes first. Bad Well, the Corey Patterson bit of the transaction. I wrote about this just last Friday...

It's possible the Cubs for a while considered recalling Corey Patterson [to replace Hairston on the roster]. Such a move would be a mistake. The Cubs sent Patterson down in order that they could work on his game and get him to the stage where he could once again be a good major league hitter. While Corey has reportedly been working on the processes - being more selective, laying off the high fastball, going the other way and not pulling everything, and so on - the results as yet haven't been entirely forthcoming. His walk and strikeout rates have importantly both headed very much in the right directions (7 walks and 15 strikeouts in 86 plate appearances), but he's still not hitting the ball particularly well, as evidenced by his .234 batting average. Given that we've heard all this talk about Patterson working on his game before, in camp this spring for instance, waiting until Corey's supposed new processes are yielding exactly the kind of results that'd make even Corey sit up and take notice is the right way to go. It's only that way that the processes will stick and the confidence return.

Corey Patterson has had a good four days since, with a couple of multi-hit games (including a multi-homer game last night) boosting his line at Iowa to .297/.366/.505 with 8 walks and 19 strikeouts in 102 plate appearances. All the same, that's still more strikeouts than is preferable, reports from those at the games suggest that not much has changed as far as Corey's approach goes, and the fact that three or four days can have such a profound effect upon his numbers is proof that the sample size isn't particularly significant, nor the success or the confidence anything more than transitory at this stage. He should have stayed in the minors as long as was necessary for them to become a little more permanent. Ugly It's the only word to describe the way this season has turned these last few games. And because things here have become so ugly, it wouldn't really have mattered had Corey stayed in the minor leagues, because, contrary to Dusty's assertion over the weekend, we don't need him in Chicago at all. Murton, Burnitz and Lawton from left to right is acceptable in every aspect save outfield arm, and even if it wasn't satisfactory, with the Cubs not making the playoffs, what difference would that make anyway? What freaking difference will Corey make? The biggest one as far I can see is that Matt Murton will find his backside glued to the bench once again. Murton isn't a great prospect, for he lacks the customary power of corner outfielders, but he's a decent one, and he deserves a shot this year to prove he should be here next year and beyond. In limited time so far he's been passing with flying colours. As a reward, he'll now sit and watch, seen and not heard, unloved.

...today spat out, well, this... GAME 112 IN-GAME DISCUSSION THREAD [PARACHAT] CINCINNATI REDS (49-62) @ CHICAGO CUBS (54-57) WRIGLEY FIELD, 7:05 pm CDT, TV: WGN, Fox Sports Ohio, ESPN

Jerome Williams, RHP 3-4, 4.60 ERA 37/21 K/BB, 8 HR in 44.0 IP	Brandon Claussen, RHP 6-8, 4.85 ERA 70/29 K/BB, 20 HR in 98.1 IP
SS #Felipe Lopez	RF *Matt Lawton
2B Ryan Freel	2B *Todd Walker
CF *Ken Griffey Jr.	1B Derrek Lee
LF *Adam Dunn	3B Aramis Ramirez
1B *Sean Casey	SS Nomar Garciaparra
3B Rich Aurilia	C Michael Barrett
RF Austin Kearns	CF *Jeromy Burnitz
C #Javier Valentin	LF Matt Murton
P Brandon Claussen	P Jerome Williams

A quite serious malfunction has occured. Technicians will be working through the night to try to rectify the problem such that normal service can be resumed tomorrow. Apologies for the obvious inconvenience. Rob G: I suppose we all know the season is over by this point. Sure, we'll all be keeping an eye on the games, looking for just the slightest sign of hope. If the team manages to string a few victories together, we'll once again glance at the standings, then start figuring out what-if scenarios in our head. But the reality is that the ship is dead in the water and I just hope that Hendry isn't passing on any waiver wire deals that may make the team better for next year. We rocked Claussen something silly last time out in Cincy and maybe he's the cure for what ails this offense. All I want for the rest of this season is some FREAKIN effort, cause those games in New York were some of the most pathetic baseball I've ever seen. And I wouldn't mind Derrek catching fire one last time and making a run at the triple crown. Trans: The season is over. "Spat out" is a good way to describe how this lineup was concocted. I was thinking it came out from a different direction, however... Ruz: Over? Did somebody day over? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Oh, wait, I guess we just did decide. Yeah, I think it's time to shut Kerry down and figure out what the team needs to figure out for next year. Like: is Murton an everyday player? Who's going to play centerfield next year (yes, I think that means recal Corey)? Does Sergio deserve a spot in the rotation? Wait 'til next year, take 97...

For the first time in a long time, I'm glad that I haven't seen a Cubs game in a while. I spent the weekend back at the old homestead, cleaning things up (literally and figuratively), and the only contact I had with the Cubs was reading TCR, yesterday's New York Times, and a little bit of ESPNews this morning. It looks like I didn't miss much. Or, rather, it looks like I missed a lot -- defensive lapses, poor judgment, anemic bats, a cranky back, etc etc etc blah blah blah. The net result is that the Cubs are now losers of five straight, three games under .500 in fourth place, a game and a half behind the frickin' Brewers, and six back in the wildcard, behind six teams. Is this the low point of the season? Probably. At a time like this, decisive action (or at least action that looks decisive) must be taken. That's why I'm predicting that Dusty Baker will be fired this week. All the signs are there, and in fact what's been hapening over the last few weeks closely resembles what happened during the endgame in San Francisco. You have the rumors of his interest in another job, the denial by Dusty of said rumors (with typical Bakerian anti-media comments thrown in), the dreaded vote of confidence from the GM, allegations of racism, and attention from the media outside Chicago. The only things missing are a feud between Dusty and ownership and team-leaked rumors of unsavory financial doings, and I wouldn't put it past TribCo to be looking for them. Oh, and I almost forgot about the bizarre spectacle of Dusty asking the team to extend his coaches' contracts. Is this really the right time for that, do you think, Dusty? Plus, you know, you've got the team playing badly, and not only badly but lacklusterly, which isn't a word, I know, but it fits. From the outside, this looks like a team that's quit on its leader. That's why I think it's going to happen, because something has to. I'm not saying it's the right thing to do (though it might be), mind you -- I'm just saying that all signs point to yes. All an antsy GM needs to do is look back at Florida in 2003 and Houston in 2004, and he might think that a managerial change might be just the thing a team needs to light a fire and get it back into contention. Again, I'm not saying that's going to happen; I'm simply saying one could see how one might think that could happen if one were to change managers. If it were to happen, who would replace him? I chatted briefly with Will Carroll about this very subject this afternoon, and here's what he and I had to say: christianruzich: I'm predicting Dusty gets fired this week Will Carroll: No chance christianruzich: No, huh? Will Carroll: As much as I'd like it, it's just not in Hendry's character to do it. He was a coach Will Carroll: I don't think Dusty will be back, but doing it now doesn't make much sense christianruzich: I think it does, it at least gives the perception of trying to get things done Will Carroll: The move now would be Little and I think they want a shot at Girardi vchristianruzich: Grady Little, eew Will Carroll: Exactly christianruzich: Girardi wouldn't be a bad choice christianruzich: What about Speier? Will Carroll: Possible Will Carroll: He'd probably get an interview. Who's the token interview choice? christianruzich: Do you need a token if the guy you're firing is black? Will Carroll: I think so. Sad that we refer to it that way christianruzich: Yeah. How about Terry Pendleton, then Will Carroll: Hmm. OK Will Carroll: Maybe Pat Listach Will Carroll: I just hope Rothschild is gone christianruzich: Where is Listach right now? Will Carroll: Iowa, isn't he? christianruzich: Really? I had no idea christianruzich: I'll be damned, he's the hitting coach there Will Carroll: He was interim mgr last year christianruzich: One thing i worry about: Lou Piniella Will Carroll: Not a Hendry guy Will Carroll: Esp if they're going young christianruzich: True christianruzich: Where the hell is Davey Johnson? Still in Holland? Will Carroll: Heart probs according to Ray Knight on BPR christianruzich: Did he say it means Johnson won't manage again? Will Carroll: No, just that he wasnt available right now christianruzich: I think Speier is the guy Will Carroll: Speier's got the quals...maybe Brenly christianruzich: God I hope not Will Carroll: I still think Girardi's the right guy Will Carroll: Maybe Sandberg? christianruzich: No experience christianruzich: That's the type of thing a team like the Reds or Orioles does, not the Cubs Will Carroll: Think Alan Trammell. If you're going to rebuild, you can distract and instill the "right way" christianruzich: Cubs don't need to rebuild, they have the talent, they're just not getting the most out of it christianruzich: Plus he doesn't strike me as a good communicator. Too quiet. And coming on the heels of his "today's players are whiny brats" HOF speech, I don't know if this is the right time to make him a mgr Will Carroll: I agree, but its the kind of thing Hendry would like. He's old school christianruzich: True. Which is why Girardi would be perfect, plus you have the Cubs connection Will Carroll: Right Will Carroll: And a bit more experience christianruzich: Hendry wouldn't be so "old school" as to bring in Larry F'ing Bowa, would he? Will Carroll: Yeah, but again, wouldnt be the right fit if he's going young Will Carroll: Bobby Dickerson! Will Carroll: With the season West Tenn is having, maybe he'd get it christianruzich: Maybe, but the last time the Cubs promoted from within it didn't work out so well Will Carroll: Exactly christianruzich: How much juice does Brenly have w/the Cubs front office? It might be tough to hire Speier over him if he (Brenly) wants the job Will Carroll: I just don't see it. He's too close to Dusty and this next phase is about player development. Oneri's the golden boy right now christianruzich: That's good at least, i don't think Brenly is who the Cubs need right now christianruzich: Another token possibility: Von Joshua, currently hitting coach at West Tenn Will Carroll: Tough to go that deep christianruzich: I guess i'd rank the guys I'd want to see Johnson, Girardi & then Speier. Even if he's not available, I still put Johnson at the top of my wish list Will Carroll: I'd go Girardi, Speier, Sandberg

GAME 110 IN-GAME DISCUSSION THREAD [PARACHAT] CHICAGO CUBS (54-55) @ NEW YORK METS (55-54) SHEA STADIUM, 12:20 pm CDT, TV: FOX

Jae Seo, RHP 2-1, 2.00 ERA 14/3 K/BB, 3 HR in 18.0 IP	Greg Maddux, RHP 8-8, 4.67 ERA 86/24 K/BB, 20 HR in 140.2 IP
LF *Matt Lawton	SS #Jose Reyes
2B *Todd Walker	2B Miguel Cairo
1B Derrek Lee	CF #Carlos Beltran
3B Aramis Ramirez	LF *Cliff Floyd
RF *Jeromy Burnitz	3B David Wright
SS #Neifi Perez	RF Mike Cameron
CF #Jose Macias	1B *Marlon Anderson
C Henry Blanco	C Ramon Castro
P Greg Maddux	P *Tom Glavine

Perez, Macias and Blanco that is. When you include the pitcher in things, it really is almost laughable that there are so many days when we're fielding just five proper hitters. Still, that'd probably have been enough had the Mets sent out Kaz Ishii as scheduled. He's not a proper pitcher - he could probably walk the three blind mice to load the bases and give up a Greg Maddux grand slam. Sadly, the Mets came to their senses and so they sent him to the minors, and now the Cubs will have to face Jae Seo today...