Photo Story: Joe Girardi struggles to deal with Cubs rumors

August 30, 2010 By 4 Comments
joe-girardi-chicago-cubs

This past weekend, the Yankees visited Chicago for a three game set with the White Sox. New York won two out of three to maintain its first place tie with the Rays in the AL East, but the Yankees and manager Joe Girardi were not able to get out of town without a little bit of controversy.

The controversy wasn’t about the team on Chicago’s south side, however; rather, it had to do with the team that plays its home games on the city’s northern end, which just happens to not have a manager lined up for next year, and which also just happens to be Girardi’s former stomping grounds.

As we were when LeBron was making his Decision, and when Brett Favre was trying to decide whether or not to retire, MSF was there with our camera to capture the most important moments:

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Filed Under: MLB Tagged With: aj burnett, alex rodriguez, chicago cubs, derek jeter, don zimmer, joe girardi, lou piniella, MLB, new york yankees, ozzie guillen

Home Hospitality: How I Have Grown to Like the White Sox

July 12, 2009 By Leave a Comment

I have had the great privilege to love sports.

At the age of three i could name all the baseball teams by just looking at their logo. My dad would turn the ball game on, and he and I would sit at the sofa together and watch some baseball. It was a great bonding ritual that we had that I will never forget.

My dad was a Cubs fan so naturally I was one too. The only pride a Cubs fan has is Wrigley Field. Dubbed the ‘Friendly Confines” by Ernie Banks, Wrigley Field has attracted many baseball fans and tourists alike. But this article isn’t about the Cubs or their park. This article is about Comisky Park (now U.S. Cellular Field). More specifically, it’s about the team that plays in that field.

I was raised to dislike the Sox because I was a Cubs fan. (And, for the record, I never really got that you should hate a team “Ozzie Guillen - Chicago White Soxjust because”, but it’s just the way it goes.)  I just love watching sports, and any team or person that plays with integrity, heart, and soul I like. Well, I was able to go to some Sox games this year and to tell you the truth, I never had anything against the White Sox. I was happy for them when they won the World Series in 2005. I didn’t know much about Ozzie Guillen, but I already liked him. His interviews are the best, he never says anything he wouldn’t tell his players first, and his knowledge of the game, though it might be different than others, is brilliant. He is a very underrated manager that gets his players to play their best. Nowadays that is a great achievement.

I also enjoy watching the Sox more than the Cubs.

There is something you get form the Cubs..Oh yeah! Overpriced busts. The Sox, on the other hand, just look they are having fun playing the sport they love, while the Cubs look like they know they are playing bad. The Cubs players never look like they are having fun. Maybe because this year has been one bad thing after another, but they do have a job that millions would kill to have. It looks like they don’t respect that honor.

I think the upbeat attitude of the Sox players comes from the way they are managed. I will say that Ozzie is a way better manager than Lou. Lou looks like he wants out, and has finally realized that the Cubs are just a bunch of loonies. Sox players have one thing Cubs players don’t have: respect for their manager. Sox players love Ozzie, and it shows in the way they play the game.

I am a fan of teams that play well, respect their manager and the game, have upbeat attitudes, and that give the love back to the fans. Any team that does all that, I am a fan of…and the Sox fit every category

Filed Under: Featured Column, MLB Tagged With: baseball, chicago, chicago cubs, Chicago White Sox, lou piniella, MLB, ozzie guillen

For the Cubs, This is Definitely Not “The Year”

July 10, 2009 By 2 Comments

Geovany Soto on DL for Chicago CubsJust when you think the Cubs’ season can’t get any worse, it did.

Geovany Soto will now be on the DL due to a left oblique strain he suffered during batting practice Wednesday. Soto will be the 13th person that the Cubs have had to put on the DL this season. There are now questions about who will be the backup to Koyie Hill, who started Friday and will start most of the games while Soto is out.

Jake Fox is currently the backup, but Lou said they are looking outside the organization to add depth at the position.. Mark Johnson is the catcher in Iowa that has Major League experience, but he is on the DL so that doesn’t seem like a logical answer. Steve Clevenger is another catcher, but he is new to the job after being converted from shortstop. Chris Robinson, who they got from Detroit and is currently in Iowa, looks like to be the most logical internal answer.

The Cubs’ season has been nothing but disappointment, and they can’t seem to get away from injuries. A day after activating Aramis Ramirez, Reed Johnson, and Angel Guzman off the DL, the Cubs had to put Ryan Dempster on the 15-day DL due to a broken toe. Believe it or not, the Cubs are not totally out of the division race. Before Friday the Cubs stand just 3.5 games out of first place. Even though the Cubs are not out of it, there is no “This is the Year” feeling.

Lou Pinella said that there is really nothing you can do about injuries, and while that is true, players can still be careful what they do. The Cubs might not win the World Series this year, but this year is not a total loss. This a learning year for the Cubs and their management. The Cubs should learn from the Milton Bradley signing. Never sign a player who is not a proven player. Bradley has never played the whole season, he hasLou Piniella - Cubs Manager had only one good year, and he has had problems with previous players and coaches.

What the Cubs have never had was a great farm system. Very rarely do the Cubs have a rising star. The only one I can think of is Randy Wells. Most of their first round draft picks have been busts (like Prior due to injury, or like Felix Pie due to lack of production), or they have never made it to the big leagues. With all these problems the Cubs need an overhaul. The only way to get better is to trade away some guys, and recruit potential All Stars. They need to stay away from players that get hurt. (Rich Harden and Bradley come to mind.)

Another huge problem are the fans. One year when Dusty Baker was managing the team the Cubs were playing the last home stand, were 20 game out of first, and they still managed to get 40,000 to show up. Even worse was when the Cubs came back to win the game in the 9th, the fans went insane like they were playing in the World Series. Cubs fans seem to be living in there own little baseball world. If no fans showed up maybe the team would do something different, but no matter how bad the Cubs do they always sell out at Wrigley.

Until things change, the Cubs will continue to go nowhere in the next few years.

* – Lou Piniella photo credit: AP Photo/Paul Connors via Sports Maven

Filed Under: Featured Column, MLB Tagged With: baseball, chicago cubs, cubs cursed, geovanny soto, geovanny soto DL, lou piniella, Milton Bradley, MLB, wrigley field

MSF Podcast: Rick Telander Can’t Help You Read (Clowns) and Curses the Blank Screen Like the Rest of Us

July 7, 2009 By 7 Comments

If you just want to listen to the podcast and skip my mumbo-jumbo below, here is the link. Click it to play with your browser audio player or right-click and download the mp3. (And don’t worry, it’s free, for those of you have asked.)

Update: The Midwest Sports Fans podcast is now available via iTunes.

Rick Telander - Chicago Sun-TimesOn Monday afternoon I had the great pleasure of conducting the first ever Midwest Sports Fans podcast, and I could not have been more excited to be joined by a guy I grew up reading and watching: Rick Telander of the Chicago Sun-Times. With almost 40 years in sports media, plus a successful college football career and 8 books on his resume, Rick’s diverse knowledge, experience, and perspective on a wide range of sports is nearly unparalleled by anyone else in his profession.

And contrary to what Bo Schembechler or anyone else might say, Rick is decidedly not a loser. You don’t write a seminal book about the issues plaguing major college athletics, one that was years ahead of its time, if you are a loser. You also don’t write Barack Obama’s (and many others’) favorite book about basketball, “Heaven is a Playground”, which is preparing to be re-released to celebrate its 35th anniversary, if you are a loser. And, of course, you don’t make the eminently wise choice of the White Sox having a better shot at the 2009 playoffs than the Cubs if you are loser.

Rick has always been a guy who has galvanized strong reactions on both sides of his opinions because he is not afraid to speak his mind. He certainly did not disappoint during our wide-ranging conversation in which he tackled the following subjects:

  • His unnecessarily controversial (and apparently widely unread) post in which he dared to mention Ryan Theriot’s name in the same sentence as steroids. (He takes nothing back, by the way.)
  • His thoughts on bloggers, the proliferation of blogs as a relevant and powerful source of information, and the effect this has had on the newspaper industry.
  • Journalism, and why it is not close to being dead even if newspapers may be.
  • How the picture to the right shows just how many similarities there arRick Telander - Midwest Sports Fans podcast interviewe between bloggers and mainstream writers, all of whom must face the intimidation of the blank screen in their quest for quality.
  • His book “The Hundred Yard Lie” and its relevance two decades later.
  • The ups and downs of the White Sox and Cubs and the roles that Ozzie Guillen and Lou Piniella play in their respective clubhouses.
  • His astute prediction (highlighted by a beautiful Hawk Harrelson interlude courtesy of KVB) on which Chicago baseball team has a better chance at making the playoffs.
  • The enormous expectations being placed on new Bears QB Jay Cutler.
  • The “gift from God” that was his experience immersing himself in New York City basketball to write “Heaven is a Playground” 35 years ago.
  • The genesis and current status of his love affair with music and his band Del Crustaceans.

A few quick highlights:

On the reaction to his article about Ryan Theriot:

“If you are in a tainted game, there is something to be said for that. If you want be in a bar, there’s a chance you might be drunk. And that’s what baseball is, and when I spoke to Theriot about this after a lot of people misread the story, which they love to do, and started screaming all over “Rick Telander says Ryan Theriot’s using steroids,” well, come on clowns, I can’t help you read. And if you don’t get nuance, and satire, and you can’t pick out the truth in between all that stuff, well then I can’t help you. But when I did talk to Theriot, even he understood what was going on.”

On whether there is a difference in what topics are fair game between mainstream media writers who have access and bloggers who do not:

“The truth is the truth, and in this country, we write opinions, and if we can no longer write opinions, because, say, for instance, you and I interview Obama’s cabinet, so therefore if you haven’t talked to him, you can’t have an opinion about our President? Well that leads to chaos and other nonsense. On the other hand, I think we do need to be careful and we do need to realize we are dealing with human beings.

And so I didn’t catch all that much flak because, quite honestly, not too many people want to go head-to-head with me in a debate, because I’ll annihilate them and I don’t care who they are. Not many people have been writing about sports in this country for 38 years and have been to five Olympics on three different continents and countless World Series and Super Bowls and NCAA Championships and Masters and the British Open. So if they want to come at me, they better come at me with all their ammo, and they’re not going to have enough.”

In response to a quite by WordPress founder Matt Mullenweg that “journalism is not dead; newspapers are dead.”

“I would say kudos to him for understanding that, and that is absolutely true. If you can’t tell the difference between somebody writing a limerick on a bathroom door, and the poems of Emily Dickinson, well, there is no difference between journalism and just crap. But quality will win out, and true information will win out, and art, and craft. The things beyond just slanderous stuff will rise to the top; I think he’s absolutely right.”

On whether the issues he discussed in “The Hundred Yard Lie” have improved in the 20 years since the book was published:

“They’ve gotten more technological and more devious, but I guarantee you they haven’t gotten better…

…

And ESPN and the other TV networks and the NCAA and the coaches and the boosters, they just keep pushing it and pushing it and pushing it. I just can’t even write about it anymore because it’s that essential thing: people say, “We can’t pay the athletes!” and I say, “Well, why?”

That is just a small taste, and hopefully you’ll take a listen to what was certainly an entertaining discussion to take part in and one that I think you’ll all find interesting and insightful. Once again, here is the link to listen to the podcast:

We don’t have it set up on iTunes yet, but we’ll be getting it there soon. Our goal is to start bringing you a new podcast every couple of weeks starting out, and then gradually make it a weekly or even twice-weekly feature here on the site. Your comments, good or bad, are appreciated as we tweak the podcasMidwest Sports Fans podcast hosted by Jerod Morrist to make them as enjoyable, compelling, and listener-friendly as possible.

I also need to give three huge shout outs.

First, to Cody Dunlap of our sister site Dallas Sports Fans for helping me transcribe the excerpts.

Second, to our very own KVB who edited the raw audio together and ingeniously added the Hawk Harrelson sound bytes to the White Sox discussion. He also made the incredible logo that you see pictured to the right, featuring my pasty whiteness, which keeps in mind an adage that is always true: cut-out heads with no necks are hilarious.

And third, a shout out to another of our very own, Nick Gerlach, whose band The Twin Cats (and their face-melting funk) provided the soothing, melodic saxophone tones you hear in the intro. Song credit:

Photo credits:

And finally, I will send you off with the YouTube video that Rick and I discuss at the end of the podcast. It features Rick’s band Del Crustaceans, and their guest soloist Bill Murray, rocking it out to “Hang On Sloopy.” Enjoy:

Filed Under: CFB, Featured Column, Podcast Tagged With: bloggers, Bo Schembechler, chicago cubs, Chicago White Sox, Heaven Is a Playground, jay cutler, journalism, lou piniella, mainstream media, Midwest Sports Fans podcast, ozzie guillen, Podcast, Rick Telander, Ryan Theriot, The Hundred Yard Lie

Chicago Has the Two Worst Baseball Mangers?

July 1, 2009 By 3 Comments

Ozzie Guillen and Lou Piniella voted managers players would least like to play for in Sports IllustratedAccording to a recent SI poll of 380 basbeball players, Lou Pinella and Ozzie Guillen have been voted the 2 managers that players would least like to play for. That is very suprising to me, especially Guillen. I may not be a Sox fan, but I don’t hate Ozzie. Now let me say that players could not vote for their own managers, so these numbers are not coming from the two managers’ players.

What this is pretty much stating is that Chicago has the 2 worst managers in the league according to the players. And you can add this to Lou Pinella’s bad week. He has been critized for having lost his “fire”, and was forced to apologize to Milton Bradley. On the other hand, Ozzie Guillen has always been a “different” manager. He has been criticized for some tactial stuff but overall it seems like his players and Sox fans both adore him.

Both teams are underplaying preseason expectation. The Cubs currently have a 36-38 record, and are 4.5 games out of first. The Sox currently have a 39-38 record, and are 4 games out of first. But records don’t seem to have swayed the players who voted. There are plenty of other teams with bad records, but their managers did not make the top 5, not even the Nationals’ manager Manny Acta!

To me this was a huge shocker. I would have never guess Chicago has the 2 least liked managers. I am sure both Cubs and Sox fans will also be shocked.

Filed Under: Featured Column, MLB, Random Thoughts Tagged With: baseball, chicago cubs, Chicago White Sox, lou piniella, MLB, ozzie guillen, Sports Illustrated

More Cubbie Blues: White Sox Win Series as Milton Bradley and Sweet Lou Feud

June 28, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Milton Bradley - Chicago CubsThis weekend was another one filled with more Cubbie blues.  Not only did the Chicago White Sox take the second and third games of the three-game Windy City weekend set, but Milton Bradley proved that he is just as loose a cannon as ever.

Lou Piniella told Milton Bradley to go home after Bradley threw his helmet and went after the cooler. Bradley was mad that he flew out in the 6th inning in the first game against the White Sox. Piniella told him to take off his uniform, and the two had an exchange of words in the tunnel leading to the clubhouse.

There was no sign of Bradley getting taken out of the lineup or having to deal with any consequences. Jim Hendry promised that it would never happen again. Bradley has already been suspended once this year for arguing with umpire Larry Vanover over a called strike.

Piniella has apologized for calling Bradley a “piece of expletive”. Bradley accepted the apology, and is glad that the incident is over with. Piniella told him the team can’t deal with his antics, and one day Bradley will hurt someone or himself.

Bradley is not new to getting in scuffs with mangers, umpires, and players. He tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in 2007 after manger Bud Black spun him to keep him away from umpire Mike Winters. Bradley was suspended twice in the 2004 season. He got a 4-game suspension for throwing balls onto the field after he got ejected. He was also suspended 5 games the same year for slamming water bottles at the feet of a fan after someone in the stands threw it on the field. He also criticized Jeff Kent, saying that Kent was not able to play with black players.

Bradley has been a big flop this year after the Cubs signed him in the offseason for $30 million dollars. Bradley has had one decent year in his career, and his trouble with umpires, mangers, and players always gets in the way of his playing. He has only been a nuisance to teams. It shows when you see that he has been with 7 different teams in 9 years. Teams have shown that they will not deal with him.

So why did the Cubs sign him? Who knows, but let me say it was a bad choice. Bradley is hitting .236 with 5 homeruns and 16 RBIs. His lack of defense has also shown. He sometimes can’t remember how many outs there are, as shown when he threw the ball into the crowd after he caught a fly ball. He thought that catch ended the inning, but it was only the 2nd out.

The Cubs don’t need stuff like this happening when they are already two games under .500, and 3.5 games out of first place. The Cubs need to get back on track if they want any chance to make it to the playoffs.

* – Milton Bradley photo credit: Chicago Sun-Times via Houston Chronicle/AP

Filed Under: Featured Column, MLB Tagged With: baseball, chicago cubs, lou piniella, Milton Bradley, MLB

Tears Continue in Wrigleyville: Promising Season Continues Downward Spiral

June 3, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Cubs Blow 5-0 Lead to Atlanta | Zambrano Misses Team FlightBefore I begin this post, let’s get a few things out of the way:

1) Yes, I have an agenda. I hate the Chicago Cubs with every fiber of my being.

2) I’m well aware that the Cubs are actually 1/2 game better than the White Sox as I write this. (I’m also aware that the White Sox are 1/2 game closer to first place in their division, so suck it.)

3) I am fully cognizant of the fact that reveling in someone else’s misery is a really lame and pointless exercise that no doubt makes me seem like a jealous twerp with a massive chip on my shoulder.

So be it.

Now that we have that out of the way, it’s time to revel in the continued misery of the underachieving Chicago Cubs and their annoying fans.

Last night when I got home and made my now consistent first move — turning the TV on and immediately changing the channel to the MLB Network — I was met with Matt Dillon look- and sound-alike Greg Amsinger informing us that Cubs pitcher Randy Wells had a no-hitter going through the 6 innings. The Cubs led 3-0 at the time and it looked like they would cruise to a much needed victory over the Braves.

However, Chipper Jones broke up the no-no with two outs in the 7th, and then an inning later – after the Cubs had tacked on two more runs to take a seemingly commanding 5-0 lead — the Braves opCarlos Zambrano Misses Team Flight to Atlanta | Cubs Lose to Braves after leading 5-0ened up the floodgates and scored five runs over the next two innings. A few extra innings later Chipper Jones singled home Yunel Escobar for a 6-5 victory.

“With a five-run lead in the eighth inning, it shouldn’t get away,” Cubs manager Lou Piniella said. “We gave that one to them, with a nice little ribbon.”

Indeed they did. And on a night when my own team was shut out at home against a rookie pitcher, the Cubs’ collapse at least provided me with something to smile about last night.

But when I woke up this morning I found out that there was more!

Not only did the Cubs give up a 5-0 lead to the Braves, but they continue to have problems with their big, raging, doofus of an ace Carlos Zambrano. Big Z, as everyone knows, is currently serving a six-game suspension for acting like a spoiled, demonstrative brat last week.

To make matters worse, reports surfaced late last night from the Chicago Tribune that Zambrano also missed the team flight to Atlanta. This morning in the Trib, it was reported that Piniella and Zambrano met to discuss the issue but that no reason was given for Zambrano missing the team flight. As explained by Paul Sullivan, add this to the litany of Zambrano missteps and the Cubs are beginning to grow weary of Zambrano’s petulance and apparent selfishness:

This isn’t the first time Zambrano has ignored team rules, but the Cubs appear to be wearying of his act. He’s expected to be fined for this latest incident and may be asked to apologize to his teammates.

Last Sept. 2, Zambrano left Wrigley Field during the middle of a game after a poor start and didn’t see his teammates fight back in a 9-7, 11-inning loss to Houston. Management reprimanded him afterward and he seemed contrite. Twelve days later he threw a no-hitter against the Astros at Miller Park in Milwaukee, and all was forgiven.

And that last line, of course, is the reason why the Cubs continue to put up with this nonsense from Zambrano.

Say what you will about him, but no one will dispute that he can be among the top handful of pitchers in baseball when he is focused and throwing the ball at his peak level. However, Carlos Zambrano has a 4.22 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP this season and has won only three games. And since his great four-year stretch from 2003-2006, during which he went 59-32 while never pitching less than 209.2 innings or having an ERA higher than 3.41, ZamCarlos Zambrano Misses Team Flight to Atlanta - Cubs Blow 5-0 Lead to braves in extra inningsbrano has not posted an ERA better than 3.91.

The truth of the matter is that if Zambrano is taking the ball and dominating every fifth day, the Cubs have no choice but to put up with his shenanigans. If he is just an average pitcher, then he becomes increasingly detrimental to their chances with every new outburst of controversy he creates.

So, obviously, if I have my druthers, Zambrano will continue to act like a clown, keep pitching like Dave Bush, and the Cubs will stay mired in the middle of the NL Central pack.

Sadly, every story about the Cubs makes national headlines because, for some reason, our nation believes that consistent losing and a tradition of failure somehow warrants love, adoration, and attention. So, for dumbfounded and admittedly jealous White Sox fans like myself, its always nice when that national spotlight shines on the negative.

And come to think of it, with the Cubs, the national spotlight usually shines on something negative. Because, well, they are the Cubs.

What else is there?

Filed Under: Featured Column, MLB Tagged With: carlos zambrano, chicago cubs, lou piniella, MLB

Alfonso Soriano Says He Is Content Hitting Lower in the Batting Order

January 28, 2009 By Leave a Comment
alfonso_soriano

Alfonso Soriano Content Moving Down in OrderAccording to the Chicago Tribune today, Alfonso Soriano has publicly stated that he would not object to Lou Piniella using him as more of a middle of the order hitter.

Doing so best suits Soriano’s strengths given that he is a power hitter with a poor approach at the plate, which leads to fewer walks and a lower on-base percentage compared to most good leadoff hitters. While on paper it appears to be the best move possible, especially with someone with a higher on-base percentage like Theriot who can hit leadoff, I will do my best to explain why I don’t think this would be the right move as well as how I would construct the Cubs batting order.

Here is a list of 3 OPS listings over a career (OPS is on-base +slugging percentage). One of these is Soriano hitting leadoff, another is Soriano hitting 3rd, and another when Soriano hit 5th in the order:

  • .892
  • .761
  • .824

The .892 is when he hits leadoff and he has over 3,000 ABs hitting leadoff, with 631 ABs hitting 3rd (.761 OPS) and 583 ABs hitting 5th (.824 OPS). He is simply more comfortable and more productive hitting at the top, for whatever reason, than at any other spot in the lineup.

Instead of shifting him down in the order to cater to his strengths, I suggest they cater to his strengths as a leadoff hitter and not chance having him struggle to find his role as a middle of the order hitter. By catering, I am talking about putting some higher on-base guys at the bottom of the order in a similar manner as Tony LaRussa does with the St. Louis Cardinals by hitting the pitcher 8th and having someone with leadoff characteristics hitting 9th (although, Izturis never had those traits for STL last year). To go along with this, I suggest they also adjust the lineup towards fully taking advantage of one of their main objectives of balancing the lineup with left and right handed batters.

This is my ideal lineup based on the current 25 man roster:

Lineup vs. RH’ers:
1 – Soriano-LF
2 – Fontenot-2B
3 – Ramirez-3B
4 – Bradley-RF
5 – Lee-1B
6 – Soto-C
7 – Fukudome-CF
8 – Staring pitcher
9 – Theriot-SS

Lineup vs. LH’ers
1 – Soriano-LF
2 – Johnson-CF
3 – Ramirez-3B
4 – Bradley-RF
5 – Lee-1B
6 – Soto-C
7 – Miles-2B
8 – Starting pitcher
9 – Theriot-SS

These lineups maximize their offensive potential. With that said, these will never be considered by Lou Piniella given that they would involve hitting the pitcher 8th, which is something he is strictly opposed to even considering. These lineups create create solid R/L alternating match-ups, put a high OBP hitter in Theriot in front of Soriano, and shifts more productive hitters like Ramirez and Bradley in more critical spots in the order and in front of less productive hitters like Lee.

Filed Under: Featured Column, MLB Tagged With: alfonso soriano, chicago cubs, lou piniella, MLB

Chicago Cubs: Looking Ahead to 2009 Part I – Players Who Will Improve

January 20, 2009 By 1 Comment

Chicago Cubs 2009 OutlookThe wake-up from the Cubs convention is now upon us as we were able to party over the weekend, now we have to see what type of damage has been done and see how bad the hangover is.

The expectations of a team coming off a 97-win season, team MVP being your rookie catcher, and a giant payroll are typically reserved for realists becoming idealists all becoming optimists. Following the Cubs, optimism leads to heartbreak and after an 0-6 stretch in the post-season, there is more pessimism than anything else.

The NL Central is a miserable division as Milwaukee has regressed from a playoff contender with a legit #1 starter in Sabathia and an oft-injured but extremely effective Sheets (as of now), and STL won 86 games in what was likely LaRussa’s best coaching job in his HoF career only to be stalled by a GM/ownership unwilling to make a big splash. Pittsburgh and Cincy are rebuilding and Houston, even with two of the 3 best players in the division in Oswalt and Berkman, are stuck in mediocrity given Houston’s inability to develop from within as well overspending again on veteran FAs.

The pieces are still in place for the Cubs to win the division for a 3rd straight year but from winning, the huge expectations and bitterness are magnified when disappointment occurs. The mindset of a Cubs fan has changed and this is a positive effect of success, although I disagree with fans booing, throwing garbage on the field, racial slurs, and all the other stuff we’ve seen since 2003.

Realistically, the Cubs have the 2nd most talented team in the NL behind the Phillies, despite an off-season that is dependent on another team that will determine whether or not the Cubs will improve or regress into next year because of inflated and back-loaded contracts that have strangled the ‘09 roster.

Players I expect to improve:

Fukudome: (I expect him to hit around .270/.360/.440) 15HRs 35DBs which will suffice in a platoon role in CF.

Hart: I doubt he will end up as the #5 starter as there are several more qualified and talented pitchers ahead of him, but he was awful last year and if they don’t yo-yo him, he can carve out a role as in long-relief and save the back-end of the pen from additional usage.

Gaudin: Another reliever like Hart that will improve from his Cubs’ numbers of last year. One of Lou’s greatest strengths is maximizing bullpen production and given the Cubs’ marginal talent in half of the pen, it will be tested again. Like Hart, they both have the command that will allow them to avoid stChicago Cubs 2009 Outlook - Carlos Zambranoaying in Lou’s doghouse for any significant period of time

Zambrano: I expect a slight improvement and obviously more IP given that he remains healthy. I doubt we’ll see the same production of 3 years ago when he was a legit #1, and given the wear and tear at such a young age, he should be able to be around 15-16 game winner, 190-200 IP, 3.7ERA. There is a great concern from me that he doesn’t have the stuff to miss as many bats as he once did and maybe would be better off going the Webb or Lowe type of route and revert back to being mainly a heavy FB/sinker type of pitcher first with the breaking ball/splitter as something to keep hitters off-balance rather than an out-pitch.

Tomorrow, I will address which players I feel are likely to repeat what they did in 2008 as well as those who are likely to regress.

P.S. I have more likely to regress next year than improve.

Filed Under: Featured Column, MLB, Uncategorized Tagged With: carlos zambrano, chicago cubs, kosuke fukudome, lou piniella

Chicago Cubs Swept in NLDS by Los Angeles Dodgers

October 5, 2008 By 2 Comments
alfonso-soriano

chicago cubsWhat can I say?

Part of me wants to say that I saw this sweep coming because of the Cubs’ history.

Part of me wants to say that I think Cubs fans brought this sweep upon themselves with their pathetic display of “support” during the first two games in Wrigley.

But for the most part, I just want to say that Cubs were swept in the NLDS by the Los Angeles Dodgers, and I will be cheering and rooting and believing as much as I possibly can in hopes that the same fate does not befall the Chicago White Sox tomorrow night when they face the Rays at U.S. Cellular Field.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: baseball, carlos zambrano, chicago cubs, Chicago White Sox, lou piniella, MLB, mlb playoffs

Chicago Cubs Lose to Los Angeles Dodgers | Game Two – NLDS

October 3, 2008 By 2 Comments
Carlos Zambrano Chicago Cubs

The Dodgers return to Los Angeles in full tow of a 2-0 game lead with a 10-3 win over the favored and beloved Cubs on Thursday night. The loss in Game Two of the NLDS came as a result of a disastrous second inning flop by the Chicago Cubs that left the team and their fans emotionally drained and ready for a long, cold winter in Wrigleyville.

Carlos Zambrano, the emotional ace for the Cubs looked early on as if he was the same pitcher that shut down the Houston Astros in September for the teams’ first no-no since the blue glove of Milt Pappas. But after what would turn out to be a costly miscue from one of the most reliable second basemen in the league (Mark DeRosa’s boot of a routine grounder that kicked out of his glove forcing a wide throw to second), the Dodgers scored their first run of the night and kept rolling from there. After the miscue Zambrano was visibly shaken, jumping up and down shaking his head, and if you looked close enough you could even see his spirit being drained.

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Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: baseball, carlos zambrano, chicago cubs, lou piniella, MLB, mlb playoffs

The Chicago Cubs Are Still Cursed – For Now

October 2, 2008 By 2 Comments

Then only thing the Chicago Cubs have to worry about is their own pitching woes that plagued the Cubs again last night as they hosted the Los Angeles Dodgers to open the NL playoffs.

Dodger first baseman James Loney silenced the crowd connecting on a 3-2 pitch that sailed over the center field fence for a heartbreaking Grand Slam and a 4-2 lead. The Cubs suffered their seventh straight post season loss as Chicago coach Lou Piniella’s refused to pull the plug on starter Ryan Dempster who had clearly struggled through five innings on the hill.

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Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: carlos zambrano, chicago cubs, los angeles dodgers, lou piniella, MLB, mlb playoffs

Chicago Cubs: Ending the Curses in 2008

September 25, 2008 By 2 Comments

by Mike Zink

So far the Chicago Cubs have survived the Black Cat scare of 1969, and the dreaded curse of the Billy Goat in 1945. All that is left is to banish the Bartman curse and make it farther into the playoffs then their dreaded history has allowed them since 1908. For Die Hard Cub fans (excluding bandwagon, and fair weather) this is the year (I know, every year is “the year”), but if positive history is to repeat itself
then this really is the year.

If a “died in the wool Cub” fan wanted to prove or back up the facts all he would have to do is dig deep in the history books and see that the last time the Cubs won the whole thing, the team was riding the heels of back-to-back Word Series appearances in 1907-1908 when they handled the Tigers in a five game series four games to one on October 14th 1908. This year is the second season of back-to-back playoff appearances four our beloved Cubs.

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Filed Under: MLB Tagged With: baseball, chicago cubs, lou piniella, MLB

Chicago White Sox or Chicago Cubs – Tale of the Tape

August 25, 2008 By 7 Comments
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white sox champsby Jerod Morris

With only a few days before the calendar turns to September, the likelihood of a White Sox-Cubs World Series is still possible. It is so rare to have both teams in contention for playoff spots this late into the season. Thus, you will have to forgive White Sox and Cubs fans if they jump ahead of themselves a bit and daydream about a Windy City Series.

Who would have the advantage in a South Side-North Side battle? Let’s go to the tale of the tape, knowing what we know right now, for a completely objective, totally unbiased, and unequivocally fair analysis:

[Update: If you do not take the following opinions expressed by our author seriously, perhaps this opinion will sway your thinking.  That's right, none other than our future President agrees wholeheartedly that the White Sox are better than the Cubs.  Just thought you should know.  Now on the with the Tale of the Tape!]

Current Record: Chicago White Sox 74-56 | Chicago Cubs 80-50

Advantage: White Sox.

Now, you may wonder how an analysis claiming to be objective could reach such a conclusion. It’s very simple: The AL is better than the NL. 74 wins in the American League is actually the equivalent of 82 wins in the NL. Don’t believe me? There is plenty of sabermetrics to back me up. Click here Cubs fans…it is verified fact.

Manager: Ozzie Guillen | Lou Piniella
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Filed Under: Announcers, MLB Tagged With: baseball, carlos quentin, chicago cubs, Chicago White Sox, comiskey park, frank thomas, lou piniella, MLB, ozzie guillen, sammy sosa, wrigley field