Chicago Cubs

Born August 8, 1989, Anthony Rizzo is currently the first baseman for Chicago Cubs MLB team. Rizzo started his minor league baseball career in 2007, when he was drafted by the Red Sox as their sixth round choice. He played with Salem Red Sox, Greenville Drive, Portland Sea Dogs, and Gulf Coast League Red Sox. During 2009, Rizzo hit 12 home runs, and in 2010, he made 25 home runs, with .480 slugging percentage.

Continue reading "Anthony Rizzo"

Good ol' Canadian James Richard Harden showed us why the Cubs got him when he pitched 2 innings in Tuesday's Cactus League game against Seattle.

The cubs have been all tip-toe with Rich, limiting his throws since he's been taking trips to the DL for the past 3 seasons, and was on the stint when he was traded.

Continue reading "Rich Harden Debuts, Finally"

I am so excited to finally watch a Chicago Cubs game in Spring Training. So, I am gonna do my best to do up-to-the-minute highlgihts.

9:06 p.m.: Getting ready to start. White Sox John Danks is the starting pitcher. So Taguchi plaays right field for the Cubbies. Derrek Lee is off, Micah Houffpauir is at first. Seems sold out, which I think it is. Groovy.

Continue reading "Finally! A Chicago Cubs Game!"

Milton Bradley has now made my Can't Stand to Watch cause He'll be on the IR List.

Mild tightness in his right quad forced him out of Thursday's game. And while he's taking it easy, i cannot help but think about other crazy injuries that have happened to the Cubs.

Continue reading "It's Already Started With Milton Bradley"

is my first blogpost and I would hate to bore you on the first time.

I have been dedicated to the Chicago Cubs since 1984 as a little 3-year-old gal. Since then, the friends I have made are either dedicated White Sox fans or former-Cubs-fans-turned-Sox-fans-cause-they-couldn't-take-losing.

Continue reading "A little about myself, What the Chicago ..."

I have to say that I get frustrated quite a bit with the management of the Chicago Cubs.  There are times when it seems like their fingers are right on the pulse of what is going on in Major League Baseball.  Other times, though, it seems they could not be more out of touch with the needs of the team in the short and long term.  It is utterly frustrating when management decides to do something completely detremental to the team, like trade a good young live arm like Jose Ceda for an average reliever, and there is nothing I can do about it.  While that did frustrate me it is not getting to me as much as this whole left-handed bat situation.  Everyone who follows baseball knows that the Cubs need a left-handed presence in the lineup.  If you watch them, you can see it.  If you do not watch them, then you only need to listen to Lou Piniella talk about it.  I agree that the need is there, but I definitely do not agree with the candidates that Jim Hendry and co. have so far thrown out.

Continue reading "Left-handed bat the Cubs need"

If you are a true Cubs fan, you know who I am talking about. Mike Fontenot, a.k.a "Little Babe Ruth" (as Cubs Radio Announcer and Legend—Ron Santo—calls him), should and needs to be given the second base job in 2009. 

Continue reading "The Cubs' Answer to Their Left-Handed ..."

I know that the title suggests pure blasphemy for loyal fans, and if you're wondering where I could possibly be going with this, let me be the first to say, I really don't like the Phillies. However, as a loyal and lifelong Cubs fan, I thought I should point out that the Phils are the logical choice to root for in this World Series.

Continue reading "Being a true Cubs fan means rooting ..."

Oh cubbies-cubbies-cubbies.

Well they wouldnt be the Cubs if the season didnt end like it did.  The 2008 Cubs had more wins this season than they have in the past 66 years.  The last time the Cubs had this many wins was 1942 - coincidentally the last time they appeared in the Fall Classic.  And we all know they didnt even win it then.

Continue reading "tisk tisk tisk"

Because I like all of you will never give up hope. The Chicago Cubs came into my life when I was eight years old through Ryan Sanburg and I fell in love. I came up with a family that had no fav

Continue reading "2008 was almost great"

Carlos Marmol sustained a few minor injuries in his home country of the Dominican Republic a day or two ago.  He was picked up from the airport by a few friends and family members, when the car they were driving was hit.  Reports are that he is fine, with only a few bruises and "swelling" of the forehead, which I assume means a bump on the head.  Since he's going to be the Cubs 8th-inning set-up man for years to come (I hope), all the best to him, and hopefully he's feeling great by the time 2009 rolls around.

Continue reading "Minor news matters"

Well, it's official.  The Chicago Cubs have become the biggest joke in professional sports.  For such a storied franchise, nothing in the world can explain how a team laden with so much talent could implode with such alacrity.  Or can it?  I'm going to try.

Continue reading "6 months, down the drain"

No "Around the Horn this week".  Maybe I'm done with that, seeing as how the Cubs season is down to a one-game playoff at least 3 times in a row. 

Let's just get this out of the way: the Cubs must win.  Plain and simple.  It is not impossible for the Cubs to go into Los Angeles and take two, bring it back to Chicago, and finally win a game at home.  But there is no chance of that if the Cubs' play does not pick up.  NOW.

Continue reading "Suspending judgment until.... later...."

All season long it’s been, “Go Cubs go! Go Cubs go! Hey Chicago Whadaya say?  The Cubs are gonna win today!”  Well the only sounds coming from Cubs fans the last two nights were expletives and choking down a sausage followed by an Old Style.  The curse has reared its ugly head again which means it’s the same old story in the post-season at Wrigley.  8 straight playoff losses dating back to the Bartman disaster have left Wrigleyville hopeless.

Continue reading "Ode to the Cubs"

What can I say?

The Dodgers look like a team that won 97 games not the Cubs. They couldn't hit and they couldn't field! 

Zambrano pitched well enough to win, but had no help defensively. 2 errors in the 2nd inning one should have been an inning ending double play. Lee booted a routine grounder UGH! Ramirez and Theriot then contributed their errors a little later. The bats didn't come alive till the 9th inning and then only briefly. So far this series has been hard to watch and I can honestly say I'm not looking forward to Saturday. 

Continue reading "WOW!"

I've been asking myself that very question for some time now. I really want to believe they can but now history is against them, teams that win Game 1 on the road are 13-1 in the NLDS. This stat alone is scary but it is the Cubs and anything that can go wrong will. Don't get me wrong I absolutely LOVE the Cubs and want nothing more than for them to win it all.

Continue reading "Can they do it?"

With the MLB playoffs set to begin, there is a subtle difference in the air compared to start of any other postseason. In the NHL, fans can potentially look forward to a great Canadians/Bruins series that is not only exciting, but has a historical kick to it. Likewise basketball fans always have the chance to see if the Suns can finally get past the Spurs and football fans love seeing the rivalry of the Eagles Vs the City of Philadelphia when the Eagles so much as get tackled for a loss.

Continue reading "The Ups and Downs of the MLB Playoffs"

he focus of this posting is not currently playing, but I'm alright with that.

 No one on the Chicago Cubs, save IF/OF Mark DeRosa, means more to the continued success of the Cubs as does C Geovany Soto. The guardian of the plate, and a force to be reckoned with in the middle of the order (and even in the bottom of the order, depending on how others in the line-up are hitting that day), Soto has done it all in this, his ROOKIE year.  The stats don't lie: .285/.364/.504, 23 HRs, 86 RBI, 141 hits, 35 doubles, 2 triples, and 62 BB.  As a Catcher.  A Rookie Catcher.  I don't know about you, but I can't remember a better all-around statistical season by a catcher in a very long time.

Continue reading "A Rookie's coming-of-age"

The team unfortunately lost last Tuesday's game 6-2 which is a minor concern to me since the Cubs always seem to have problems with really good left handed starters but i suppose Johan Santana has

Continue reading "Last 2 games"

Well last night was incredible who ever thought Jason Marquis would ever hit a grand salami i know i would have never belived it myself.  Either way i am glad we are playign this well down the&nb

Continue reading "Final Stretch"

Let's just get this out of the way: P Carlos Zambrano's no-hitter on Sunday night at Miller Park was brilliant.  Sure, the Astros were tired, worn-down some from Hurricane Ike, and the game was a virtual home game, but you would have a great amount of difficult convincing me that Carlos couldn't do that to any other team in the majors.  His fastball was popping, he's splitter was uber-filthy, and he had every hitter off balance.  THe only time he lost his command has the pitch he plunked OF Hunter Pence with, and the walk to OF Michael Bourne was on three pitches that were extremely close but didn't go Carlos' way.  It is great to see Carlos Zambrano back on the mound, the human buzzsaw of every major league lineup.

Continue reading "A utility-man's appreciation"

Cub fans, please say thank you to any Milwaukee Brewers fans you may know. Their team is struggling just as much as the Cubs right now. It could have been disastrous if Milwaukee would have gone on a winning streak this week as the Cubs were skidding against the Phillies and Astros. The Cubs still have a cushion in the NL Central, but they need to try to get Zambrano and Harden healthy before they make this final playoff push. Don't panic, the Cubs will be fine. They have a solid line-up all the way through the batting order, and even if they are sluggish, they will get enough wins to enter the 08 playoffs. Sorry this post is short and I haven't posted in a while, but I have been working on numerous websites. I will try to put the Cubs blog first from now on, and trust me, I will be much more talkative once these Cubbies get closer to the playoffs. 

Continue reading "Thanks Milwaukee"

I'm sorry I haven't been on here rigorously for some time. Life has caught up with me so to speak. I got a job at the local office supply store, I'm back in school, and so it pains me that my love affair with the Chicago National League Ballclub has been almost on hold.

Continue reading "No, not again. Please tell me I'm ..."

rote on this blog, and I promise to try to write more often, because I have plenty to say about the Chicago Cubs!  But enough of the excuse making, let's get to business.

 Continuing the Around the Horn way of hitting all the spots on the field, we continue with a foe-turned-ally, CF Jim Edmonds.

Continue reading "A battle-hardened veteran's Renaissance"

  Team effort...the reason I love the Cubs.  They are a great group of athletes, but they are also a great group of friends. Every game it's obvious that the players like each other and all understand what they could accomplish this year. I don't see any one man show out there....I see a team. Theriot slapping balls up the middle and to right fields...Lee hitting sac flies...Harden hustling down the first base line for an infield single...Blanco with a clutch game-ending hit. The list goes on. Never before have I seen a Cubs team get along so well. After every hit the player will put his two index fingers up and point to the bench as one of his fellow teammates is standing at the front of the dugout cheering him on. I love to see that. 

Continue reading "Team Effort"

What a day for Alfonso Soriano. He came up with a huge 3-run home run in the 7th inning with 2 on and 2 out to put the Cubs up 10 to 7 over the Astros. Soriano also had a single and a double to give him 4 RBI on the day. He touched home twice. 

Continue reading "If He Stays Hot..."

(FYI -- All my times are Pacific Time) 

4:02 p.m.

It's Monday, August 4th. The Cubs and Astros are about to face off. The wind is always something to pay attention to at Wrigley....and it looks like it is blowing at around 10-15 mph from right to left field, straight across. Sweet outfits and hair on many of the fans tonight. It's 70s night...

Continue reading "LIVE game talk Cubs-Astros 8/4"

p;                      

(67-45) ||Chicago Cubs|| vs. ||Houston Astros|| (53-57)

 

Monday, August 4th, 6:05 p.m. CT

Continue reading "CUBS vs. ASTROS Game Preview -- (Mon. ..."

Tribune Co. is selling the Chicago Cubs franchise, along with Wrigley Field, and part of Comcast SportsNet. The Cubs, as well as Wrigley Field, would be the perfect investment for any billionaire; Cubs fans are not going to simply walk away from their favorite team no matter how long it takes for them to win the World Series. True Cubs fans are fans for life....they will continue to fill the seats every single year no matter the outcome of previous seasons. Call it stupid, some critics do, and I don't want to get into all of that right now, especially since I'm one of those "stupid" people that watches the Cubs every day. Anyway, all I'm saying is that Cubs fans are very loyal fans that will provide continually increasing revenue for the new owner.

Continue reading "CUBan bids how much?!"

batting average, 17 HR, 58 RBI, .351 OBP, .492 SLG

BASEBALL INFO 

Soto was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the 11th Round (318th pick) of the 2001 Amateur Draft. In 2007, Soto had a .353 batting average, 26 HR, and 109 RBI with the minor league Iowa Cubs. These numbers earned him the Pacific Coast League's MVP award in 2007. Although Soto had made his very brief major league debut in September of 2005 and another quick stop in the majors in July of 2007, he finally got called up in September of 2007 to play a larger role for the playoff push. Soto had a great first half in 2008, which gave him All-Star Starter honors at catcher. He was the first rookie catcher to be a starter on the National League All-Star Team.   

Continue reading "Meet the Cubs..... * Geovany Soto *"

6-4, 7-1, 7-2, and 11-4. The beating the Brewers received from the Chicago Cubs throughout the 4-game sweep hit a nerve. Frustration was obvious in the 9th inning when Eric Gagne of the Brewers threw behind Jim Edmonds on the fourth pitch of the at-bat. 

Continue reading "Brewers....Salty Finish"

it's a big series for the cubs this weeks.  Four games in Milwaukee. And what better way to see what a team is really made of than to start off facing Sabathia and Sheets.  I think it's going to be a hard fought battle on both ends.  It's still July and this series will not make or break either team but it can swing a lot of momentum in one's favor.  The Cubs will have most of there banged up team ready to play except for Kerry Wood.  But with Marmol and the newly brough up Jeff Samardzija, their bullpen should be pretty strong. 

Continue reading "Milwaukee Fest"

A few relatively minor items to cover with the moves made by a few teams recently. What might they mean in the second half? I’ll try and puzzle this out.

Tony Clark, who experienced a career resurgence the day he put on an Arizona Diamondbacks uniform back in 2005, hs returned to the cozy confines of Chase Field. Petco, where hitting a homer is as hard as hitting the lottery, wasn’t as kind to the aging Clark as Chase has been, so he’ll certainly improve on his 2008 line of .239/.374/.307. His 32:19 K:BB ratio, as well as hs 165-point difference between BA and OBP, will tell you his batting eye is fine, and some power should follow.

Continue reading "Roster Tinkering: What's it Mean?"

It’s the annual midpoint of the baseball season, and for the brief span that is the All-Star break, all eyes are upon the Bronx. As everyone is well aware of, this campaign is the last go around for the world’s most famous, largest, and most prominent ballpark, Yankee Stadium. It seems hard to believe, and even more sacrilegious that this living legend’s days are numbered. Built in 1923 and christened by the greatest ballplayer to ever live, Babe Ruth, the cathedral of baseball will never truly be replaced. Although the Bombers will move a block to Yankee Stadium’s heir, the Mecca of America’s Pastime will still live on in our hearts. Whether you’re a diehard Yankee fan, or Yankee-hater, you still can respect the history and awe that the stadium brings. So when the All-Stars take the field Tuesday night, sit back on your couch, crack open a cold one and soak up the history of Yankee Stadium, as its final chapter is unveiled to all of us.

Continue reading "National League Looks to End Rut"

One of the All-Star Break traditions: Reassessing our predictions from the first half of the season. Some of mine have changed, some have stayed the same—and some were just damn wrong. Living in the West, I will take the contrarian position and roll from west to east in my choices.

Continue reading "Second Half Predictions"

The other big trade that happened recently was the Cubs’ acquisition of the oft-injured Rich Harden from Oakland. This move is typical of Oakland’s business model, which involves shedding young stars before they get too expensive, often in exchange for other young or undervalued stars. In this way, they’re similar to the Florida Marlins, except that the Marlins tend to load up for concentrated runs at the championship (they have as many championships in the last decade as big-market Boston, and more than the Cubs have in the past hundred years), while the A’s tend towards consistent competitiveness.

Continue reading "NL Central Trade Analysis, Part Two"

Still playing ketchup here, trying to make up for a four-day absence from the blog, so I want to start with the big trade of last week, the CC Sabathia swap. The usefulness of this deal to the Brewers is a little dubious, as CC is likely to be a half-season rental, but let’s break it down:

Continue reading "NL Central Trade Analysis, Part One"

It’s been three days since the Cubs acquired former Oakland ace Rich Harden, and those three days have shown a lot about the club. Harden has said he couldn’t be happier in pinstripes and has so far looked like a good fit in the clubhouse. He instantly has formed a sort of kinship with fellow British Columbian Ryan Dempster, and has received the praise of pitching coach Larry Rothschild. Like fellow former American Leaguer stud pitcher “CC” Sabathia, Harden has been place right in the middle of the Senior Circuit’s best race so far. With the Central’s big three clubs separated by less than five games, the division could go either way. For the Cubs, Rich Harden will be a key piece in taking their second consecutive title away from Sabathia’s Brewers. Sabathia was acquired a mere 24 hours before Harden, but by no means is Harden any less of a pitcher despite being the consensus second best available pitcher.

Continue reading "All-Star Break Push: Harden added, ..."

The Cubs wrapped up a key road trip on Sunday in St. Louis, and signs of an end to a slight June swoon may be developing. After winning the series with the arch rival Cardinals, a series that should have definitely been a sweep, the health of ballclub is rising.

Continue reading "Healthy Cubs are Dangerous Cubs"

Geovany Soto C – Chicago Cubs

Soto has shown that not only is he by far the best hitting Rookie Catcher since Mike Piazza, but a team leader as well. He catches for a club who has faced some adversity with the pitching staff, the arm troubles of ace Carlos Zambrano, the suddenly human Carlos Marmol, and the lefty without a command and a big league address, Rich Hill. But despite the strenuous measures that the Puerto Rican rookie has endured so far, his poise has kept him as a producer. He’s on pace for around 25 homers, 100 runs driven in and over 40 doubles. That is a stellar season for any catcher, not one of a 25 year old rookie.

Continue reading "Mic's National League All-Star Team"

nbsp; Those burning questions are running through minds of fans of all teams, including our beloved Chicago Cubs.

Jim Hendry's is rumored to be going after C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Coco Crisp. Those three potential tradable players are an interesting trio.  Burnett has all but courted the Cubs himself, and Coco Crisp is a moveable piece in Boston with the ability to play centerfield on the North Side. But do we need another Kerry Woodesque, injury prone, has-been in Burnett? No. Do we still need a lefthanded centerfielder in Crisp? No, Edmonds has shown that there is still plenty of tread left on the tires. So with the recent arm trouble of the heart of the ballclub, Carlos Zambrano, there is no way we should not throw everything we have at Cleveland for  pitcher C.C. Sabathia. Sabathia would be a huge acquisition for the boys in blue, and could be reminiscent of a trade that brought a certain someone from Cleveland in 1984 for Joe Carter. C.C has won the Cy Young, he's started games for the US National Team, he's won playoff games, and he's only turning 28 years old this month. He is a guy we can piece together with Zambrano, and finally give Z some protection. Lilly has been solid, but is he a cemented ace or #2 guy? No. Having Big Z and Big C.C. going back to back would be deadly. Carlos is the power throwing righty with the fierce demeanor, and C.C. is the cool, calm, competitive lefty that is as poised as anyone. It would be our own variant of Drysdale-Koufax, and Schilling-Johnson.

Continue reading "Cubs Crave Sabathia"

All right. Are you ready for this? As the All-Star break approaches, the Tampa Bay Rays have the best record in baseball. That’s right. At 49-32, they’re a half-game ahead of Boston, the Cubs, and Anaheim. Whoa. Is this one of the signs of the apocalypse?

Continue reading "Hold On To Your Hats"

Chicago Cubs manager Lou Piniella on national TV on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball was ejected for arguing a check swing call.  Technically you cannot argue balls and strike calls but technically this is NOT A BALL AND STRIKE CALL - it is a CHECK SWING call.    Did he swing or not-  the ball itself was clearly outside the strike zone.  Lou approached the first base umpire who warned him and then Lou turned around to head back to the dugout.  He had already been ejected by the home plate umpire who then flashed the second ejection sign in Lou's face.  Clearly on the replay the umpire at first base blew the call.   Clearly also Lou was heading back to the dugout and the first base umpire had exercised control of the situation and there was no need to proceed further.   Unbeknownst to Lou, home plate minor league fill in Rob Drake decided this was his day to make a name for himself on national TV and become part of the show.   He had his mask off and ready for a confrontation with Lou as he first threw him out behind his back and then again in front of him.  

Continue reading "Lou ejected by minor league umpires ..."

up.  All opposing pitchers, tread lightly.

 Continuing my Around the Horn review of the Chicago Cubs roster, I move from the mound to the hot corner.  WAy back in 2003, the Cubs middl eof the order and third base defense had a huge void.  And by huge, I mean EPICLY huge.  And then, Jim Hendry, the Cubs GM, pulled off what could only be described as highway robbery.  Some call it "raiding the pantry", but the Pirates, wanting to blow off some cap space and get some youngsters some playing time (when do the Pirates NOT send in youngsters?), traded players like Kenny Lofton, Lenny Harris, and Aramis Ramirez to the Cubs.  Since that trade, Aramis Ramirez has been nothing short of amazing.  He's put up All-Star quality number or close to it every year he's played and been relatively healthy.  He's worked hard to get his legs healthy, he's playing hard and quelled talk of him being lazy, and is hitting homer after homer and knocking in RBI after RBI.  Although, if you ask him, he'll say, "It's my job".  Gotta love that from a legit All-Star contender.

Continue reading "A cornerstone's value"

Back when I posted Why the Jim Edmonds signing DOES make sense Jimmy was in the midst of a horrendous slump to start the season. 

He was 16 of 90 at San Diego and a measley 2 for 15 at the time in a Cubs uniform.  I felt though that he would heat up and contribute and he has done that and more.  He has gone 23 for 67 or a .343 clip with 6 homers as a Cub since I made those comments

Continue reading "Jim Edmonds Update - I told you so"

How about that Jim Edmonds? Jimmy Ballgame. Jimmy Baseball. The Man, the Myth, the rival swapping Legend that is Jim Patrick Edmonds. Just a mere nine months ago he was a villain, walking through the halls of the nemesis kingdom that is St. Louis. I find it hard to believe that we've adopted him as our own, but I'm at peace with it, and you should be too.

Continue reading "It's Time to Accept Jim Edmonds"

Is anyone more valuable to the Chicago Cubs right now than Ryan Dempster?  Let's think about this

One year, everyone is ripping the guy because he's not the most dependable closer in the game (forgetting completely that in 3 years he saved around 80 games for the Cubs).  Now, he's the toast of the town, the Cubs' favorite Canadian son, boasts the best record and ERA on the team, and is invincible at Wrigley Field.  Amazing.

Continue reading "A well-deserved day off"

shutout of the Tigers. 

As a kid growing up and being part of the great rivalry between the Chicago Cubs and the St Louis Cardinals, I am reminded of those great pitchers duels between MY beloved Ferguson Jenkins of the Cubs and the hated but well respected Robert Gibson of the Cardinals.   Statistically to me there has never been a season for a pitcher as was 1968.  This was the year that Denny McLain won 31 games.   Carl Yaztremski won the batting title with a .301 average and Bob Gibson put on a show for the ages.    

Continue reading "The Great Bob Gibson"

I really enjoy reading good copy whether it be on the Chicago Cubs or just on baseball.   On this site, I highly recommend Street Reporter's work   http://www.chicagocubsnews.com/streetreport/

Continue reading "Outstanding blogs to read"

I just heard about the new implementation of Instant Replay in baseball later this year.  It's about time with all the questionable calls umpires have made this year.  I know people will thi

Continue reading "Instant Replay in Baseball"

So I have been thinking about the Cubs a lot recently and the game yesterday against the Braves made me think about something.  It was a throwback game celebrating sixty years of baseball on WGN and they showed the records from 1948 and both the cubs and white sox were in last place on June 12th of that year and the two teams leading the division, one from each league on this day in '48 went on to win the World Series.  So I wondered, how many teams in recent history with the best record in the NL went on to go to and better yet win the World Series.

Continue reading "The best record isn't always the best team"

This summer some of the time I get to watch the games with my little 6 month old grandson and we have a lot of fun cheering on the Cubs.    I made up a little song that I sing to him in the spirit of the Cubs Fan Bud Man commercials that Harry Caray used to do.   Its entitled Cubs Fan And A Milk Man.

Continue reading "Cubs Fan And A Milk Man"

Two huge injury developments last night--one to one of the best all-around hitters in the game, and the other to an outfielder who's been red-hot the past few weeks. Both injuries should have big implications to their teams, one likely more than the other, and to the NL Central.

Continue reading "Bittten by the Injury Bug"

Louis Cardinals first baseman, Albert Pujols and Chicago Cubs left fielder Alfonso Soriano were injured in their respective games.   

Both of these injuries have the potential to be costly but I see the

Continue reading "Soriano breaks hand - out six weeks. ..."

One of my other writing gigs is at The Asian Reporter, where I write reviews, features, and a monthly column on Asian-American sports issues. Each spring, I write a preview about the prominent Asian major leauge baseball players, and that preview has grown considerably. This past year, I gave up trying to chronicle all of the probable Asian players and concentrated on the most prominent ones instead.

Continue reading "Japanese Rookies of the Year"

I would like to start out my first blog talking about the Cubs.  The ivy is bloom, the wind is as unpredictable as ever and the Cubs are in 1st place.  Not only that but they have the best r

Continue reading "The Chicago Cubs and Zanie Zambrano"

I was in attendance at the Wednesday night cubs victory, what a finish! Carlos Zambrano wasn't his best, but he stayed strong and kept the cubs in position to win. A chilly night left both teams looki

Continue reading "Good times at Wrigley"

Not winning on the road has to change sooner then later, but the cubs continue their winning ways at Wrigley Field so far in 2008. Ryan Dempster has looked like a new man this season, other th

Continue reading "Home Sweet Home"

it now with his 2-15 start.   There are numerous reasons why this DOES make sense for the Chicago Cubs

1) Experience-  it appears that you do not lose a lot defensively as evidenced by that incredible catch in Houston that saved 2 runs and the ballgame.  Pie is the better defender and has more speed on the basepaths for the Cubs to exploit there, however at the plate, Pie is lost.  He strikes out far too frequently and by doing that he limits how Piniella can use him.  He cant reliably be a hitter for the hit and run if he fails to make contact - he leaves the runner hung out to dry.  Edmonds on the other hand can give you the fly ball if you need it for a sacrifice fly or to move a runner from 2nd to 3rd. He can also hit the ball to the right side to move that runner along to 3rd.  This is assuming the worst case scenario, that he doesnt begin to hit for a reasonably high average.  Should he begin to hit, the Cubs have a nice set of people that could play center-  Edmonds, Johnson and Fukudome. If he doesnt hit, then he didnt cost them much. 

Continue reading "Why the Jim Edmonds Signing DOES Make Sense"

Circuit.    And when I see a perfomance like I did tonight by the ace pitcher of the Chicago Cubs, Carlos Zambrano, who went 4 for 5 with 2 RBI's to raise his season average to .343, it makes me want more than ever to see this stupid rule done away with.   

Continue reading "Dump the Designated Hitter Rule ..."

 HOUSTON DEFEATS CUBS 5-3 ON A CARLOS LEE HOME RUN AS HOUSTON TAKES SERIES

After the Cubs went 8-2 on their latest home stand which made their record at home 19-8, it seems as if they forgot how to play anywhere else.  After losing to the Astros 5-3 and losing the series, the Cubs find themselves 9-11 away from the friendly Confines.  If a team wants to find themselves in the post-season, they need to win the big games on the road.  In a series that had playoff atmosphere, both teams were out to make statements.  The Astros were louder than the Cubs according to Shawn Chaccon, who got the decision in the victory.  "One message the Cubs might get out of it is, 'We're here. We're here to compete. We're going to battle,'" Chacon said. "'It's not the team it was last year. Basically, it's going to be a tough team to beat the whole year.'"

Continue reading "After winning at home, Cubs continue ..."

The Reds went all homer-happy over the Cubs last night, and Edinson Volquez twirled a gem on the mound, leading the Reds commentators and Steve Phillips on ESPN to go all gushy on them, proclaiming the future is now and they're gonna take the NL Central. Is this the case?

Continue reading "Here Come the Reds! (Really?)"

After another game where stranding base-runners has become a common theme, what Lou Piniella had the right words to sum up the Cubs recent slide, "Like I told my guys after the ballgame, make the other team beat you, don't just give it to them," Cubs manager Lou Piniella said. "You play like that and you're going to lose quite a few of them, or most of them. Anyway, it's over with. Done."

Continue reading "Cubs lose 5-3 after having bases-loaded with 1 out"

After the Cubs had one of their best records in April in 1969, the start of May is starting to resemble the collapse towards of the season in 1969.  In one their toughest weeks this season, nothing looked pretty as the Cubs just won two out six against there NL Central rivals the Brewers and the Cardinals.  In a week that could have seperated them from everyone else in the divison, the Cubs are now looking up towards the Cardinals who now have a 1 1/2 lead over the Cubs.  Lets quickly recap this horrible week the Cubs have endured.

Continue reading "Rough Week for Cubs spells Rough Road Ahead"

Congratulations! You've stumbled upon my new blog. Since I'm a student and have very little credibility when it comes to sports (just a foaming-at-the-mouth passion), you're just going to have to trust me at first.

Continue reading "What I'm here to do"

For many baseball fans, last night wasn't a great night to watch baseball, as blowouts predominated early on. But, because of the beautiful game that is baseball, only three of them continued in their lopsided fashion, with the best of them highlighted by a homer from Micah Owings, the best-hitting pitcher in baseball, whom teammate Conor Jackson said had the "best pop" of anyone on the team. And all of them showed something about the winning and losing teams, proving that any baseball game is worth watching, even when it doesn't seem exciting.

Continue reading "The Night of the Blowouts"

     It may have taken Bill Buckner and the Boston media and fanbase twenty-two years to reconciliate, but that does not mean it has to take that long for Steve Bartman to be welcomed into Wrigley Field again.

Continue reading "Welcome to Steve Bartman Day"

     The start of the one-hundreth anniversary of the last Cub World Series title did not resemble one of promise but maybe false hope.

     After eight scoreless innings, the game gave way to the two closers and then the bats realized that this game counted.

Continue reading "Cursed Start?"

     Bodog has set the lines on the upcoming season and there appears to be some easy money to made. Of course, when we are talking about the Cubs and the perceived high expectations....there is no such thing as easy money.

Continue reading "Bodog: Buy or Sell"

This is a gamble in the truest sense and if it does not pay off, the Chicago Cubs will be working on one hundred and one years of futility next year.

Continue reading "The Scene is Set"

     When the ninth inning rolls around and the Cubs have a three, two or one run lead, who will Lou Piniella call upon to close the deal. There are many canidates for the job and that is not necessarily a good thing. The bullpen is the backbone of any championship team and until this current cast of characters distinguishes themselves, this team will not be any ending any streak of futility.

Continue reading "It's Closing Time"

Here are the biggest questions which will play a factor in the season for each team.

Chicago Cubs

Can Kerry Wood stay healthy in the bullpen?

After watching Wood miss significant time due to injuries each of the last four seasons, it seems obvious that he is not going to make it as a full time starter and stay healthy. So now the Cubs are attempting to move him to the bullpen in an attempt to get a full season out of him. When he has been healthy, he is nothing short of dominant and pitching only one inning at a time, he should really be able to let it fly. So far in Spring Training the initial reports look good.

Continue reading "MLB 2008 Season Preview: NL Central"

     The dillemma that surrounds Lou Piniella does not appear to be much of a dillema at all. Alfonso Soriano does not belong in the leadoff spot and in fact the same can be said about the two hole. One would think the obvious position in the line-up for Soriano would either be clean up or five because that would open the line-up for Ryan Theriot and Kosuke Fukodome at the top. 

Continue reading "Moving on down...."

     It is apparent that the Cubs are set on acquiring a center outfielder before the beginning of the season. The prospect of a deal for Baltimore second baseman Brian Roberts are dwindling, so the Cubs have set their sights on another would be leadoff hitter. Boston center fielder Coco Crisp has been rumored to move since the end of last season and it is now likely the Cubs will move in that direction.

Continue reading "Are you Coo Coo for Coco Crisp?"

     The sixty-four year old manager declared that this would be his last job at least managerial. "Maybe a little consulting job somewhere, but outside of that, no, this will be it managing wise."

Continue reading "Piniella,"This is my last job.....""

... and nothing overly exciting or positive has happened quite yet. Alfonso Soriano has a broken finger and Mark DeRosa just had heart surgery. Same old, same old.

The whole Soriano thing has been quite bothersome to me. I was jacked up beyond belief when the cubs signed him last year, but like most people, I was mostly let down by him last year. It's hard not to look at that mammoth contract he signed and to think that he is past his prime. He was playing with a bum hamstring last year and his ability to be a base stealing threat was diminished. And now this year, his hamstring supposedly is still not 100%, and now the broken finger. I hate to ask, "What's next?" but I'm sure we'll find that out eventually.

Continue reading "Cubs 2008 Preseason Begins..."

     Alfonso Soriano fractured his right middle finger during fly ball drills. The all star outfielder will miss up to five days while recovering. Soriano was working against the outfield wall when he reached up to make a basic two-handed catch and the ball hit the tip of his finger.

Continue reading "Soriano fractures middle finger"

  Chicago Cubs pitcher Jason Marquis is competing for the final two spots in the starting rotation.  If he does not make the rotation, he would probably end up in bullpen.  In his first start during spring training he went 2 innings, gave up 2 runs, both earned, along with 3 hits.  However, it wasn't his arm that hurt his chances of winning a spot in the rotation.  Rather it was his mouth.  Jason Marquis does not feel he should be competing for a starting job.  He said he signed as a Cub because he thought he would be guaranteed a starter every year.  "That's my ultimate goal, that's how I think I help the team the most. Obviously, we'll see what happens when it's time for them to make their decision," Marquis told reporters.  Marquis was asked how he would feel if he did not make the rotation and ended up in the bullpen. he replied, " As much as I want to be here in Chicago, and I love it, I love the fans and the stadium, I also have a family to worry about, too.  I could take my services elsewhere if that's the case, and I could help another team in that capacity as a starter. My value doesn't lie in the bullpen in my mind."

Continue reading "To Start or To Not to Start: Marquis Sounds off"

     One just has to ask former Cub catcher Michael Barrett about the emotional ups and downs of Carlos Zambrano. This has been a topic amongst fans and media alike for the last couple of years.

Continue reading "Harnessing the Bull...."

As the Cubs open up their first spring training game on Thursday against the San Francisco Giants, there are three stories we should look at while this game is going on.  These will also be the stories throughout spring training.

Continue reading "What to Watch For"

     Current owner Sam Zell bears no quams about his willingness to sell the naming rights to Wrigley Field. This is a move that would obviously lead to extra revenue but might not necessarilly lead to a bigger budget for Jim Hendry especially for the July trading deadline.

Continue reading "Budweiser Field?"

If you are reading this title, your heart probably sank and it has shattered all the chances of the Cubs making it to the World Series.  Put away those tissues and turn that frown around because good old Zambrano is not hurt, but in perfect health.  But will he stay that way?  Below, I have posted my top ten predictions on what will happen during the Cubs season.  If any of these do happen you wish would not happen, please do no send me hate mail.  Enjoy!

Continue reading "Carlos Zambrano Injured!!!"

After having 120 different lineups last season,  Sweet Lou Piniella wants to find the right combination during spring training.  His latest idea is probably one of the best he has came up with since juggling everyone around.  Lou suggested Fukudome would bat third, followed by Lee and Ramirez.  The whole lineup would probably look like this:  Soriano, Theirot, Fukudome, Lee, Ramirez, Derosa, Soto, and Pie.  It is a great combination of speed at the top and power in the middle.  "I've been thinking about our lineup and what makes sense and what we can try," Piniella said Friday. "Let me warn you, it's only Feb. 22, so there's plenty of time to adjust this thing."

Continue reading "POTENTIAL 3,4,5 HITTERS: FUKUDOME, LEE, RAMIREZ"

It's the first day of Spring Training and there are already too many distractions. Spring Training is about preparing for that 162 game season, working on fundamentals, hitting, pitching and learning how to communicate with Fukudome. Not about whether Aramis Ramirez raises chickens for cockfighting in the Dominican Republic. Not about bold predictions, as given by Ryan Dempster, who is not sure if he's even going to gain one of the starting positions in the rotation.

Continue reading "Too Many Distractions"

ona(4) LA Dodgers(5) San Francisco Giants

WILD CARD

San Diego Padres

PLAYOFF PICTURE

NLDS

Chicago Cubs defeat Colorado

Mets defeat Padres

ALDS

Cleveland defeats Boston

Detroit defats Angels

Continue reading "2008 Baseball Preview: Final Standings"

is a season where the impossible turns into the possible.  Just listen to Ryan Dempster of the Chicago Cubs make a bold prediction, “I think we are going to win the World Series. I really do.”  Great, just what a Cubs fans need to hear, another prediction. 

Continue reading "Is this the year of Dreams? Think ..."

It figures. The Chicago Cubs have invested millions of dollar to rehabilitate their pitchers on top of the multi-million dollars they were paying them. When Mark Prior signed with the San Diego Padres this off-season I said to everyone I know that he'd be healthy for Spring Training.

Continue reading "San Diego to Benefit from Cubdom's Millions?"