Another day, another loss and this season has somehow become even less interesting than last season. Incredible.
The trade deadline won't even give us much to peak our interest, the players that could net anything interesting are paid too much and few teams have the money or the willingness to take on that type of salary. Carlos Pena could make sense for the Rays or Giants and possiby Mariners or Angels, but how willing are they to take on his $5M balloon payment for next year or the remaining $2M or so he's owed this year and then how interesting will the prospects be that the Cubs could get back? Aramis has warmed up and 3b always seems like a tough position to fill, but he'd have to waive all his options that kick in($1M if he's traded plus his 2012 $16M option) if he's traded along with his no-trade clause. I'm sure he sees the writing on the wall that he won't be back with the Cubs at $16M next year so he may be willing to do that, but that's gonna take a lot finessing to happen and then to find a team to move him to. Some contending teams with black holes at third base include the Mariners, Tigers, Brewers, White Sox and Pirates.
The other options that the Cubs may consider moving would probably be Jeff Baker, Reed Johnson, Kosuke Fukudome and if any dumbass team would want Zambrano or Soriano's contracts, but good look with that. None of those will really net more than minor league filler though. I suppose Kerry Wood as well, but my feeling is that Wood is pretty much committed himself to being a Cub for the rest of his career and Hendry will respect that.
m.garza debuts tuesday vs pitt
vanillawafers (with recently shaved mustache) to the pen
Ugh
they have an entire section of the bleachers today...kinda creepy.
Mets fans are louder than Cubs fans. A new low point.
Brett Jackson...
"Some of the best advice I've gotten is, I was sitting with Ian Stewart, talking about hitting and I was feeling for my swing as you do early in the season," Jackson recalled. "He asked if I was comfortable at the plate and I said I'm not very comfortable right now. He's like, 'You need to be yourself at the plate and be comfortable and be the type of hitter [you] want to be.'"
http://www.milb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130518&...
Geiger-Soler put on a fireworks show in yesterday's Daytona Cubs doubleheader...
http://www.milb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130518&...
Soler...
Interesting tweet in the tweet box: z'Remember when Rizzo was striking out a lot? No K's in last 31 AB's..tied for 2nd longest active streak in majors"
Don't know if that includes last night, but it sure goes a long way to explaining his improved hitting. It's a curious thing, though, the difference between the way his season started and now. How does that happen?
A short doc on a long ago MLB legend
Semi NSFW
http://www.roopstigo.com/reel/morganna-a-kissing-b...
This awesome
http://mlb.mlb.com/photos/gallery.jsp?content_id=4...
Baseball America Hot Sheet:
Christian Villaneuva, 3b, Cubs
Team: Double-A Tennessee (Southern)
Age: 21
Why He’s Here: .435/.500/.739 (10-for-23), 3 R, 4 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBIs, 1 BB, 6 SO, 1-for-2 SB
wow...Arizona Phil's universe intersects with Wrong-way Phil Rogers!
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/14/Pete...
per Roto...
Remember Albert Almora? The Cubs’ first-round pick last June is almost all the way back after breaking his hamate bone in mid-March. He’s been playing center field and hitting in extended spring games in Arizona and should soon be assigned to the low-A Kane County Cougars. There’s no sign yet of Junior Lake, who suffered a stress fracture to the top rib on his right side in mid-March. Outfielder Reggie Golden, a second-round pick in 2010 recovering from two torn ligaments in his left knee, appears close to completing his recovery.
USA Today Article on Mark Appel.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/2013/...
Scouting report
http://orioles-nation.com/2011/07/28/scouting-the-...
#2 Mark Appel
"Analysis: This is Appel or Gray, assuming one of them goes first, with Appel the preference. The Cubs are in the catbird seat in this draft -- they don't have to pay the premium that comes with picking first overall but are guaranteed to get one of the two huge arms in the class."
http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/9277478/...
Why would you want the threading on the balls to be different?