August 2005

GAME 132 IN-GAME DISCUSSION THREAD [PARACHAT] LOS ANGELES DODGERS (60-71) @ CHICAGO CUBS (62-69) WRIGLEY FIELD, 7:05 pm CDT, TV: WGN, Fox Sports West 2

Mark Prior, RHP 9-5, 3.68 ERA 147/45 K/BB, 21 HR in 132.0 IP	Brad Penny, RHP 6-8, 3.75 ERA 102/33 K/BB, 14 HR in 151.0 IP
CF Jayson Werth	CF Jerry Hairston Jr.
SS *Oscar Robles	SS Ronny Cedeno
2B Jeff Kent	1B Derrek Lee
LF * Ricky Ledee	RF *Jeromy Burnitz
1B Jason Phillips	3B Nomar Garciaparra
3B Mike Edwards	2B *Todd Walker
C #Dionar Navarro	LF Matt Murton
RF #Jose Cruz Jr.	C Henry Blanco
P Brad Penny	P Mark Prior

It would be nice, if over the last month, Prior could regain some of that confidence and swagger that he once possessed. He's been quite ordinary since coming off the DL, giving up at least 3 runs in seven of his last eight starts, seeing his ERA rise from 3.07 when he shutout the Pirates for eight innings on July 14th to it's current state of 3.68. Not bad, just not great and Prior needs to be great. His problem is easy enough to diagnose, his propensity to give up the big fly. His HR/9 rate is 1.43 this year, compared to 1.06 last year and a miniscule 0.63 in 2003. Keep it in the park, my friend! Looks like Dusty got the message that the kids should play, at least for a day. Let's hope it goes that way for the bulk of the season. Go Cubs!

The dismantlement of the 2005 Chicago Cubs continues. Todd Hollandsworth, like Matt Lawton and Mike Remlinger before him, possesses no value to the Cubs beyond this year, since his contract expires over the winter and promises no compensatory draft picks. Furthermore, any value he holds this year has been rendered an irrelevance by the Cubs' 62-69 circumstance. Moving him, and others in the same boat, to teams that still harbour dreams of October baseball is an inarguably sensible strategy, for, even if the typical return in players is similarly valueless and irrelevant, the transaction at least saves dollars that can ideally be spent more effectively at a later point. And, in some instances, the faceless names acquired in such deals do end up possessing long-term value. If possible then, the Cubs should perhaps also be considering moving Ben Grieve and Neifi Perez over the next day or two, while monitoring the markets for Ryan Dempster, Greg Maddux, Glendon Rusch and Jeromy Burnitz, although the need to clear waivers makes deals there unlikely. Moving Todd Walker would be far less wise. In the Cubs' particular instance as regards these small trades, there's also the Dusty Baker factor. It has to be at least wondered if putting such tantalising options such as Lawton, Hollandsworth and Reverse-split Remlinger just out of Dusty's otherwise inescapable reach plays any part in these moves, even if it's just a secondary motivation. From this vantage point a good few thousand miles away, Dusty Baker's misuse of the roster he's been afforded is as clear as day, even if the extent of the impact of that misuse, both absolute and relative, is far more debatable. Just what the view looks like from Hendry's much more privileged viewpoint, and just what difference, if any, that view is responsible for when it comes to his roster construction - those are the predominant thoughts on my mind when it comes to the Cubs these days. Are these moves, or any moves, what he believes to be best for the team, or best for the team as long as it's managed by Dusty Baker, on whom Hendry has all but staked his own position too? If the latter, I think it's entirely possible that Hendry's self-compromise is having just as great a detrimental effect as the much more obvious (and therefore much more maligned) mis-management of Dusty Baker. I spoke yesterday about Hendry's courage with regards to the Matt Lawton mistake, but if he sees Dusty Baker as a mistake, one that's compromising him and the team as a whole, the greater act of courage would be to send Dusty Baker packing, even if by doing so he runs the risk of going the same way himself. On the other hand, if he doesn't see Dusty Baker as a mistake, and this year's team is his own way of constructing a team capable of winning the World Series, I personally don't think he's got a good enough grasp of the big picture to be a general manager anyway. Discuss.

GAME 131 IN-GAME DISCUSSION THREAD [PARACHAT] LOS ANGELES DODGERS (59-71) @ CHICAGO CUBS (62-68) WRIGLEY FIELD, 7:05 pm CDT, TV: ESPN, CSN, Fox Sports West 2

Jerome Williams, RHP 4-6, 4.74 ERA 51/31 K/BB, 12 HR in 79.2 IP	D.J. Houlton, RHP 4-7, 4.83 ERA 72/33 K/BB, 11 HR in 96.1 IP
3B Antonio Perez	CF Jerry Hairston Jr.
SS *Oscar Robles	2B *Todd Walker
2B Jeff Kent	1B Derrek Lee
LF *Ricky Ledee	RF *Jeromy Burnitz
1B Jason Phillips	3B Nomar Garciaparra
CF Jayson Werth	LF *Todd Hollandsworth
C #Dionar Navarro	SS #Neifi Perez
RF #Jose Cruz Jr.	C Michael Barrett
P D.J. Houlton	P Jerome Williams

You think we have problems, the Dodgers have Ricky Ledee batting cleanup and Jason Phillips starting at first base over Hee-Seop Choi even though a righty is on the mound. And every time I point out the deficiencies of another team's lineup, they pound us. Not to mention they have a relatively bad pitcher on the mound, who's certain to throw a gem tonight. You know when you look at Jerome Williams' numbers, he's not that good. Doesn't strike out a lot of guys, way too many walks for a guy who doesn't strike out all that many hitters and for a guy who's suppose to keep the ball on the ground, he's given up way too many dingers. He does have youth and "upside" going for him though. Why is Todd Hollandsworth in the lineup? That is really going to be the worst part of the rest of the season. Cause everyone including the Cubs brass has declared the season over, but Dusty just can't live with being below .500. So he's going to trot out marginal vets (Perez, Holly, etc) in an attempt to say he's a winning manager, thus not only is this season ruined, he's going to screw us up for next year too. Awesome!!! And how the hell is this game on ESPN by the way? Go Cubs!!

Thanks to Steve Holley of Inside the Ivy for helping to fill in the blanks on some of the injuries to our minor leaguers. If you care what is going on with our lil' Cubs, you'll certainly want to check out the site. Some of the best inside info you'll get. MVN also has new minor league site devoted entirely to the Chicago Cubs. Check out Road to Wrigley. Team Records updated through 8/28/05; Individual Stats updated through 8/28/05

Organizational Records

Team	W-L	GB/Pos.	Last 10
Chicago Cubs	62-68	(Div)20.5/4th (WC)7.5/7th	4-6
Iowa Cubs	62-69	6.5/4th	5-5
West Tenn Diamond Jaxx*	34-28	1.5/2nd	5-5
Daytona Cubs	30-31	6.0/5th	6-4
Peoria Chiefs	29-33	5.0/6th	5-5
Boise Hawks	29-37	3.0/3rd	6-4
AZL Cubs	8-17	9.0/9th	4-6

Cubs Ex W/L: 65-65; (2003) 68-62; (2004) 71-59 * West Tennessee clinched the first half North Division title of the Southern League

GAME 130 IN-GAME DISCUSSION THREAD [PARACHAT] FLORIDA MARLINS (69-60) @ CHICAGO CUBS (61-68) WRIGLEY FIELD, 1:20 pm CDT, TV: Fox Sports Florida, WGN

Carlos Zambrano, RHP 10-5, 3.03 ERA 159/69 K/BB, 13 HR in 172.1 IP	Josh Beckett, RHP 12-7, 3.45 ERA 128/45 K/BB, 10 HR in 140.2 IP
CF *Juan Pierre	CF Jerry Hairston Jr.
LF Jeff Conine	2B Todd Walker
3B Miguel Cabrera	1B Derrek Lee
1B *Carlos Delgado	RF *Jeromy Burnitz
RF Juan Encarnacion	3B Nomar Garciaparra
SS Damon Easley	LF Todd Hollandsworth
2B #Luis Castillo	SS Ronny Cedeno
C Matt Treanor	C Henry Blanco
P Josh Beckett	P #Carlos Zambrano

Go Cubs!!

The Cubs traded Matt Lawton to the Yankees today in exchange for minor-league righty Justin Berg. Berg was a late-round draft-and-follow in 2003 and played for the Wisconsin Woodchucks (!) of the Northwoods League until he signed in May of '04. After struggling as a reliever in rookie ball, he was moved into the rotation at Class A Staten Island this year and went 6-2 with a 3.53 ERA and 52/20 K/BB ratio. So the Cubs ended up trading Jason Dubois for Jody Gerut, Gerut for Lawton, and Lawton for Berg. I'll grade that as "incomplete" and wait to see how Berg pans out. To take Lawton's spot on the roster, they called up Scott McClain, the 33-year-old career minor leaguer (except for a 9-game cup of coffee with Tampa in '98) who just hit 291/358/578 with 30 homers for Iowa. He is nominally a third baseman though all in all it would be better if he left his glove in Iowa City and concentrated on being the righty bat off the bench that the Cubs need (as evidenced by Todd Hollandsworth's pinch-hit appearance in yesterday's game).

Aramis Ramirez has been placed on the DL, and Ronny Cedeno has been recalled to take his spot on the roster. Of course, with the Cubs a mere 7 1/2 games out of the wildcard with five whole weeks of the season left, we can't expect Cedeno to actually play! This also explains why a third baseman (like, I don't know, Mike Fontenot, who's sporting a .374 OBP in Iowa) wasn't called up to replace A-Ram; we're going to need the veteran presence of Neifi Perez and Jose Macias at third in order to jump past Philadelphia, Florida, Houston, New York, Washington, and Milwaukee and make the post-season. Ramirez will be replaced, at least for today, by Nomar Garciaparra, making his first-ever appearance at third base. Iiiinteresting. Is it a one-off thing, or is it a way for Nomar to make himself a little more desireable on the free-agent market? Once the game starts, he will become the 103rd player to man third base for the Cubs since the Ron Santo trade.

Felix Pie won't be playing in the Arizona Fall League, as reported in cubs.com. Also, the nearly complete AFL rosters and a bit of a preview are up at minorleaguebaseball.com. They do a quick rundown of some of the bigger name prospects and the only Cub reviewed is Angel Guzman.

Once upon a time, not too long ago, Guzman appeared poised to become the next Mark Prior. The only thing that's resembled the Cubs ace has been an injury history. He's made just a few outings in the Arizona League, but still only 23, there's time for him to become a top flight pitching prospect again

Also, Buck Coats is designated as a "Taxi-Squad" player, meaning he'll only be available on Wednesdays and Saturdays or if there is an injury. And the Cubs will be adding one more pitcher before games begin sometime in early October.

It's bullet-point Wednesday! * I saw exactly one at-bat of last night's game. I turned it on in the 4th to see the score, watched Jeromy Burnitz hit his granny, and then turned it off and went to sleep (I was tired!). Therefore, I have a completely skewed concept of what last night's game was all about. I was happy to wake up and see the touchy-feely stories about Jerome Williams and his dad, sad (but not surprised) to see the latest in the shortstop saga, and psyched when I remembered that it was Prior's turn to pitch. I should be able to get home in time for the end of the game (one advantage to living in the Eastern time zone), and that might be the last baseball I see for a little while as I am headed to India on a business trip at the end of the week. * When the Cubs signed Greg Maddux, I was happy because I felt that a talented young picher like Mark Prior would have a lot to learn from him. I didn't think that one of the things he'd learn would be how to give up home runs. Maddux's HR/9 rate skyrocketed upon his return to Chicago -- it was 0.53 for the first 18 years of his career, and is 1.39 over the last two seasons. In his first three seasons, Prior gave up 43 homers in 446 2/3 IP. That's .87 homers per 9 innings. This year, he's given up 21 in 125 1/3 IP, a rate of 1.51 HR/9. Is it something to be worried about? Probably not, but you know me. * Why did the Braves take Jorge Sosa out of the rotation in the first place? Oh, right, because injured starters Mike Hampton and John Thomson were on their way back. Here's what Sosa did during his 12-game stint in the rotation: 12 GS, 5-2, 2.77 ERA, 65 IP, 59 H, 47 K/26 BB Here's how Hampton & Thompson have done since their return: 5 GS, 1-3, 6.64 ERA, 21 2/3 IP, 43 H, 12 K/7 BB And Hampton is, of course, back on the DL, with Sosa starting in his place this afternoon. * I have nothing to do with the "Cardinals are birds of prey" add that has popped up in the Blogads in the right-hand column (though I do appreciate the profane typo). Bring back Rachel Wacholder, I say! * I don't have any problem with backup catchers -- every team has to have one -- but a problem arises when two of your starters prefer to throw to hm. Instead of throwing away that spot in the order once a week (14% of the time, roughly), you're throwing it away 40% of the time. If your backup catcher is as craptastic as Henry Blanco, that's a real problem. The solution? Get a better backup catcher or get your starters comfortable with the front-line guy. Meanwhile, on to today's game: GAME 127 IN-GAME DISCUSSION THREAD [PARACHAT] ATLANTA BRAVES (71-55) @ CHICAGO CUBS (61-65) WRIGLEY FIELD, 1:20 pm CDT, TV: WGN, FSS, DTV 734

Mark Prior, RHP 9-4, 3.66 ERA 140/41 K/BB, 21 HR in 125 1./3 IP	John Thomson, RHP 8-2, 2.63 ERA 64/45 K/BB, 10 HR in 92 1/3 IP
SS #Rafael Furcal	LF *Matt Lawton
2B Marcus Giles	2B *Todd Walker
3B #Larry W. Jones	1B Derrek Lee
CF Andruw Jones	3B Aramis Ramirez
1B Julio Franco	RF *Jeromy Burnitz
RF Jeff Francoeur	SS Neifi Perez
LF *Ryan Langerhans	CF *Corey Patterson
C *Brian McCann	C Henry Blanco
P Jorge Sosa	P Mark Prior

This from cubs.com:

[Felix] Pie will be one of seven Cubs players in the Arizona Fall League. The others include second baseman [Eric] Patterson, outfielder [Matt] Murton, first baseman Brandon Sing, utility player Buck Coates and pitchers David Aardsma and Angel Guzman. One more pitcher will be named to the Mesa Solar Sox team, Cubs player development director Oneri Fleita said.

That seems to conflict with 2 of the AFL eligibility rules which are: ï Each Major League team provides 6 players. There are 6 teams in the AFL, each one a mix of 5 MLB teams players. ï All Triple-A and Double-A players are eligible, but they must have been on at least a Double-A roster no later than August 1st. ï One player below the Double-A level is allowed per MLB team. ï One foreign player is allowed, as long as they do not live in a country that has a winter ball league, including the Carribbean Confederations or Australian Winter League. ï No Players with more than one year of ML service (before August 31st) are allowed. The exception are any players picked in the Rule 5 draft. ï Players on disabled lists in the minors must have been activated 45 days before the end of their season to be eligible. Guzman is from Venezuela and Pie is from the Dominican Republic and Pie is expected to be activated Saturday, which is certainly not 45 days before the end of the AA season which finishes it's season at the end of the month. If they are referring to the end of the MLB season, it's still not 45 days by my calculations. Is Cubs.com wrong or is there explanation? And if Pie is going with Guzman, I have to find a way to get to Arizona for a couple of games. Any guesses on the other pitcher? I'm thinking Jermaine Van Buren or Ricky Nolasco. ---- Things to make you shiver... "One guy you've got to really be thankful for is Neifi Perez," Baker said of the backup shortstop who has started 89 games at the position. Garciaparra has started 24. "Hopefully, Neifi comes to the rescue again until Nomar gets better." "In that situation, you've got to take a chance, especially because Corey [Patterson's] not going real good right now," Baker said. "You've got to take a shot right there. He threw it on target."

Team Records updated through 8/21/05; Individual Stats updated through 8/21/05

Organizational Records

Team	W-L	GB/Pos.	Last 10
Chicago Cubs	60-64	(Div)18.0/4th (WC)6.5/7th	6-4
Iowa Cubs	58-67	10.0/4th	3-7
West Tenn Diamond Jaxx*	31-24	1.5/2nd	5-5
Daytona Cubs	27-28	6.0/5th	7-3
Peoria Chiefs	26-31	6.0/8th	3-7
Boise Hawks	25-34	3.0/3rd	4-6
AZL Cubs	6-13	7.5/9th	4-6

Cubs Ex W/L: 60-64; (2003) 64-60; (2004) 68-56 * West Tennessee clinched the first half North Division title of the Southern League

Six Cubs will be playing in the Arizona Fall League this year for the Mesa Solar Sox. RHP David Aardsma RHP Angel Guzman SS/CF Buck Coats OF Matt Murton 2B Eric Patterson 1B/OF Brandon Sing Not exactly who I would have expected, but I'm not exactly sure who makes a good candidate for the AFL. According to the article, the AFL is for AA and AAA prospects and only one player below AA is allowed per major league team, in our case, that would be Eric Patterson. Last year the Cubs sent, LHP Sean Marshall, RHP Jae Kuk Ryu, LHP Russ Rohlicek, C Geovany Soto, SS Ronny Cedeno, 1B Brian Dopirak and OF Adam Greenberg. Greenberg was a member of the "Taxi Squad" and could only play on Wednesday and Saturdays. Wacky!! The 2003 roster featured RHP David Cash (no idea), RHP Ben Christensen, RHP Jason Szuminski, C Casey Kopitzke, INF Brendan Harris, INF Ryan Theriot (also a "Taxi Squad") member, and OF Jason Dubois. Organizational Report will be up either late today or tomorrow.

GAME 124 IN-GAME DISCUSSION THREAD [PARACHAT] CHICAGO CUBS (60-63) @ COLORADO ROCKIES (46-77) COORS FIELD, 2:05 pm CDT, TV: WGN, KTVD

Jeff Francis, LHP 11-9, 5.80 ERA 104/55 K/BB, 19 HR in 141.0 IP	Greg Maddux, RHP 10-9, 4.40 ERA 101/28 K/BB, 21 HR in 163.2 IP
LF Jerry Hairston Jr.	2B Luis Gonzalez
2B #Neifi Perez	CF * Cory Sullivan
1B Derrek Lee	1B *Todd Helton
3B Aramis Ramirez	LF Matt Holliday
SS Nomar Garciaparra	3B Garrett Atkins
RF *Jeromy Burnitz	RF Dustan Mohr
C Michael Barrett	C #J.D. Closser
CF *Corey Patterson	SS *Omar Quintanilla
P Greg Maddux	P *Jeff Francis

Playoffs or not, we can take a series from the Rockies, right? The quest for 15 wins continues for Maddux, he needs 5 wins in 7-8 more starts. Go Maddux!!!

GAME 122 IN-GAME DISCUSSION THREAD [PARACHAT] CHICAGO CUBS (59-62) @ COLORADO ROCKIES (45-76) COORS FIELD, 4:05 pm CDT, TV: CSN, Fox Sports Rocky Mountain

Byung-Hyun Kim, RHP 3-9, 5.33 ERA 82/50 K/BB, 10 HR in 103.0 IP	Mark Prior, RHP 8-4, 3.70 ERA 130/39 K/BB, 20 HR in 119.1 IP
LF *Matt Lawton	2B Luis Gonzalez
2B *Todd Walker	RF *Jorge Piedra
1B Derrek Lee	LF Matt Holliday
3B Aramis Ramirez	1B *Todd Helton
RF *Jeromy Burnitz	3B Garrett Atkins
SS #Neifi Perez	CF *Larry Bigbie
CF *Corey Patterson	C Danny Ardoin
C Henry Blanco	SS *Omar Quintanilla
P Mark Prior	P Byung-Hun Kim

Games at Coors Field always make me think of video game baseball. It seems playing here is like playing one of EA's video games on the Rookie Level, where you could hit a HR pretty much anytime you needed it. Just push up on the joystick and swing, Voila, 3 run blast! To keep the optimism going around here, I took a look at the Cubs upcoming schedule. Here's a quick breakdwon:

I don't like to give credence to rumors by putting them on the site, but since this one is pretty pervasive I'll make an exception: Roger Clemens. I don't believe it, and the people I asked who know about these sorts of things don't believe it. Of course, that doesn't mean it isn't going to get talked about, or that people aren't going to jump to their own conclusions. One person said to me yesterday that Clemens "fits the profile" of the kind of person who uses PEDs. Does he? How many older power pitchers have tested positive? None. What he fits is the stereotype of the kind of player people think would use. Couple that with the fact that he's a guy that lots of people love to hate and you've got a guy who's being put on trial in the court of public opinion, a court where "innocent is proven guilty" is ignored in favor of the much lower standard of "I think he did it, therefore he must have." This kind of crap really pisses me off. One unfortunate side effect of the players who have tested positive is that every player who fits the stereotype gets smeared as a possible user; pretty much any older player with power or a guy who showed up at camp lighter than he used to be gets saddled with the "cheater" label. The way people take as given that these guys, or any number of other players, are using steroids disgusts me. For many people, fans, bloggers, and "professional writers" alike, one mention of steroids is the only opening needed for the worst traits of their humanity to come out. It always amazes me how people can state as fact that so-and-so is a steroid user, often weaving elaborate conspiracy theories to deflect attention from the fact that there's no actual evidence. What proof is offered? None. It's simply a situation where innuendo, personal agenda, and a desire to be a part of the conversation add up to libel. Yes, libel. Look it up. I didn't want to get off on a rant here, since I've pretty much stayed out of the steroid discussion over the last few years because I don't have anything constructive to add to it, but I guess I couldn't help myself. I think this latest round of rumors is witch-hunting at its worst. I don't think Major League Baseball is going to announce anytime soon that Roger Clemens has failed a drug test, and I don't think it's because there's some sort of baseball-wide conspiracy theory protecting him. And I'm not interested in getting into the "well, if he does test positive, what does it mean for his legacy/the Hall of Fame/the future of the game" BS. If a positive test result is announced, then we'll talk. Until then, I'm not going to speculate and I wish other people would follow suit. I know that's a futile wish, but a guy can dream, can't he?

GAME 121 IN-GAME DISCUSSION THREAD [PARACHAT] CHICAGO CUBS (58-62) @ HOUSTON ASTROS (64-55) MINUTE MAID PARK, 6:05 pm CDT, TV: ESPN

Roy Oswalt, RHP 14-9, 2.57 ERA 1123/34 K/BB, 12 HR in 178.2 IP	Carlos Zambrano, RHP 9-9, 4.54 ERA 96/26 K/BB, 21 HR in 156.2 IP
LF *Matt Lawton	CF Wily Taveras
2B *Todd Walker	2B Craig Biggio
1B Derrek Lee	LF #Lance Berkman
3B Aramis Ramirez	3B Morgan Ensberg
SS Nomar Garciaparra	1B *Mike Lamb
CF *Corey Patterson	RF *Orlando Palmeiro
RF *Jeromy Burnitz	SS Adam Everett
C Michael Barrett	C Brad Ausmus
P #Carlos Zambrano	P Roy Oswalt

Man, I like typing that # before Big Z's name. How silly is it that he switch-hits? I think it's one of the coolest things going. I'm happy to see that the lineup seems to be stabilizing over the last week or so -- we have a Lawton/Murton platoon in left, Blanco catches Maddux and Prior, and the 3-4-5 is Lee-Ramirez-Nomar. Pretty much the way it should be. PS -- Davey Johnson is managing again, and managing a team of youngsters to boot. Just sayin'.

Now is not the time for irrational exuberance. The win last night raised the Cubs' post-season chances from 1.10% to 1.72%. The optimist in me points out that the Cubs improved their chances by 56%, while the pessimist in me wonders how there can possibly be an optimist in me after 30 years of following the Cubs. Tonight our creaky warrior, Carlos Zambrano, takes on Houston's little giant, Roy Oswalt, who is six feet tall in the same way I resemble Brad Pitt. No matter, he brings the heat and is one of the main reasons, along with Clemens and Pettitte, that the Astros are in good position to capture the wildcard. Have you seen their upcoming schedule? Milwaukee, San Diego, Los Angeles, Cincinnati -- if they haven't put some ground between themselves and the pack of dogs in the NL East, I'll be shocked. Back to Zambrano and his back for a second...apparently the Cubs have given El Toro a regimen of exercises to help his back. When I went to physical therapy for my back last year, I got a series of exercises, and let me tell you, they worked great. When I did them. All the prayer stretches, cat-and-camels, and Superman stretches in the world don't help you when you spend your time slouched in front of the computer chatting with your friends in distant places. Carlos, man, take it from a guy who knows: DO YOUR STRETCHES. You'll be glad you did. One final note -- I got an email from Peter Bragiel, who has created a website for Wrigley Field beer vendors. check it out, find the vendor who serves your section, and make sure to tip generously on the next Old Style you buy.