The 162 Game Preseason Begins

crunch 04/23/2024 - 04:14 am (view)

“I respect his track record of what he’s accomplished,” Counsell said on Sunday morning. “And you go through these. He’s gone through -- maybe not this particular stretch -- but stretches where you’re not pitching the way you want to and struggling. And you figure it out.” -- Counsell on Hendricks

fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu...

i respect his track record of no longer being in the rotation.  in 2016 he threw 2 innings out of the pen, his only work out of the pen.  the cubs won the world series that year.  let's repeat that magic.  the formula is obvious.  stats don't lie.  etc etc whatever...

small sample size and all, but how about this craziness...

"Entering Sunday, Hendricks had allowed an .843 OPS against hitters in their initial plate appearance, followed by a 1.056 OPS in a second meeting and a 2.449 OPS when seeing batters for a third time."

Finwe Noldaran 04/22/2024 - 04:47 pm (view)

Phil: Great to see what Rosario is doing!

Do you think having Rosario may have influenced/impacted the front office's decision on including Hope in the trade for Busch at all?

crunch 04/22/2024 - 04:52 pm (view)

it's so crazy we got a new "barnstorming" harlem globetrotters-type baseball product that was introduced less than 5 years ago and is wildly popular all over the nation.

a notion left long in the past, unearthed, polished for modern audiences and popular as ever.

Arizona Phil 04/22/2024 - 04:24 pm (view)

No question right now Alfonsin Rosario is one of the Cubs Top 20 prospects (probably Top 15). Rosario is to the Cubs what Zyhir Hope is to the Dodgers.

Arizona Phil 04/22/2024 - 04:21 pm (view)

The Savannah Bananas will be playing the Party Animals at Sloan Park in Mesa this coming Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. The games are sold out (15,000+ each night), and berm tickets are going for well over $100. 

Arizona Phil 04/22/2024 - 04:56 pm (view)

RAISIN: In the game versus the A's at Fitch Park last Friday, Mule threw half FB and half SL (16/16), and one CH (which coincidentally was the only hard-hit ball off him -- a near HR line-drive double off the LF fence). FB was 91-94 and the SL (really more of a "slurve") was 80-82, and he got three swing & miss on each pitch (six swing & miss total out of his 20 strikes). So I think it is safe to say that right now, Mule is strictly a two-pitch pitcher (FB/SL), 

Sonicwind75 04/22/2024 - 04:06 pm (view)

Recalled it was sampled in a Nas song.  Did a little sleuthing.  It was a Nas song called "Hate Me Now" that featured Puff Daddy.  Imploring the crowd to hate somebody seems a bit overly dramatic for a keyboardist but perhaps there is some other connection to the song. 

In general there has been a weird overuse of Carmina Burana's O Fortuna in sports and commercials in past decade or so.  Maybe it is a fallback choice if there isn't anything else.   

Sidenote, while the O Fortuna part has become a bit pop-culture cliched; the overall piece is very interesting and rather expansive in scope. I played percussion in a production of it while in college.  There is a rather jovial movement set in a tavern.  In the score it calls for the clinking of beer steins.  Let's just say we did a lot of research to determine the best sounding beer steins. 

crunch 04/22/2024 - 04:42 am (view)

ooof...this is just as likely as anything.  professional organists are weird humans.

SheffieldCornelia 04/22/2024 - 04:36 am (view)

Maybe it is only played when the hitter thus far in the game is "oh for two"-na at the plate?

crunch 04/22/2024 - 04:13 am (view)

who was AB when it was being played?  it could be something as corny as playing it for nick fortes because fortes/fortuna...fortes...marlins...fish...tuna...sigh.

while the cubs organ player isn't a frequent groaner weaponizing the organ song selection, they all dabble in it.