2006 Cubs Thread- It's Never or Now

Message Bookmarked
Bookmark Removed
You know spring training is around the corner when there are headline about Kerry Wood missing the first two weeks of the season. I figure he will make a few starts in May, then be out until after the Allstar break.

Earl Nash (earlnash), Friday, 17 February 2006 02:49 (nineteen years ago)

Oh yeah...I also read that Sammy Sosa is going to hang 'em up out of fear of failing even more on the field. It does seem funny how fast he has fell apart.

Earl Nash (earlnash), Friday, 17 February 2006 02:52 (nineteen years ago)

The first of what will be many yuks at Neifi's expense in 2006 (and 2007, sigh):
http://www.progressiveboink.com/dugout/archive/dugout2-23-06.htm

mattbot (mattbot), Friday, 24 February 2006 16:53 (nineteen years ago)

Virtual waiting room sucks.

Jeff. (Jeff), Friday, 24 February 2006 16:54 (nineteen years ago)

Last year I used mulitple browsers (and multiple tabs in each browser) on two computers and got through twice. It required a lot of attention though.

mattbot (mattbot), Friday, 24 February 2006 17:26 (nineteen years ago)

you can't use multiple browsers this year, whenever you click on the tickets icon it opens up in the existing java window.

blows hard. i have my sister in vermont working the out of state phone # while i rock the cell phone/desk phone combo. nothing but busy signal for 2 hrs 44 minutes.

otto midnight (otto midnight), Friday, 24 February 2006 18:45 (nineteen years ago)

I used about 30 tabs and it worked after 45 minutes, got tickets to the game I wanted.

Jeff. (Jeff), Friday, 24 February 2006 19:53 (nineteen years ago)

why the fuck wouldn't it work for me?

i got two for a tuesday night game in june against houston.
i wanted that saturday in july against the mets.

otto midnight (otto midnight), Friday, 24 February 2006 20:09 (nineteen years ago)

two weeks pass...
Prior "felt something" in his right shoulder during his throwing session today and he's flying to san Diego to his doctor to have it checked out, from what I hear. i assume the arm will have to be amputated, considering the cubs' luck.

gear (gear), Tuesday, 14 March 2006 23:51 (nineteen years ago)

i just bought tickets in the new dugout section. looks like i'm 3rd row behind the right hand batters box. average temperature for may 13th- 68 F. hopefully it won't rain on me.

otto midnight (otto midnight), Wednesday, 15 March 2006 18:16 (nineteen years ago)

Angel Guzman, 2002's can't-miss prospect, is in the running for the 5th starter spot in spring training according to the Sun Times. Judging by the walk totals, he looks Cubs-ready.

Opening day starting five look to be Zambrano, Glendon Rusch, Maddux, Jerome Williams, Guzman/Hill.

mattbot (mattbot), Tuesday, 21 March 2006 17:41 (nineteen years ago)

fergie jenkins is on standby for spot-starting duty.

otto midnight (otto midnight), Tuesday, 21 March 2006 17:54 (nineteen years ago)

He could probably give Maddux some tips on making a successful transition from MLB to slow pitch softball.

mattbot (mattbot), Tuesday, 21 March 2006 22:56 (nineteen years ago)

From the Cubs' team health report on BP today:

Fun Glendon Rusch fact: His nickname is “Tits.”

mattbot (mattbot), Wednesday, 22 March 2006 00:54 (nineteen years ago)

mattbot are you still in a2?

otto midnight (otto midnight), Wednesday, 22 March 2006 14:34 (nineteen years ago)

Yeah but only for another month or so while I finish up school. Then I'm bouncing around for awhile and should end up in NYC sometime this summer.

mattbot (mattbot), Thursday, 23 March 2006 00:53 (nineteen years ago)

Two years ago the Cubs had a pretty good offense that held together the beatup pitching staff until the final couple weeks of the season, then the whole thing fell apart in an UGLY conclusion. If they would have had a dependable closer they might have won a 100 games and would have coasted into the playoffs. The way that stretch run went down really killed me more than the playoff collapse against the Marlins. I pretty much grew to not liking the current Cubs and didn't want to look back at the wreckage until Baker and a house cleaning is done.

I did not pay as much attention last year. I could see from the off season changes they were not going to be improved. It probably made financial sense not to get involved in some lunatic free agent signings, either way the Cubs were not as good a club. Oh I still watched quite a few games and followed them in the press, but my heart was just not in it last year. They suprised me getting off to a hot start at the plate, but the injuries mounted and Derek Lee could only do so much.

I still do not see the Cubs as being that much better this year than last year. They could score a few more runs and the bullpen does have a bit more depth, but the starting staff with the injuries to Prior and Wood looks pretty ordinary now. I think if everything goes great for Rameriez, Lee and Pierre scoring and driving in runs, they might be in a playoff hunt, but it is going to take a lot of people having career years and either Prior and or Wood being able to combine into at least one decent starter. It is too much to ask, so I figure they are still around a .500 club. I don't think they will be a train wreck, but they won't catch the Cards.

The NL Central is going to be pretty competitive this year, as I think Milwaukee and Cinci to me look improved over last year. Houston is a bit harder to call, but they still should be solid. I think as long as the Cards can keep Chris Carpenter and their starting pitching healthy, they are still the team to beat.

Earl Nash (earlnash), Thursday, 23 March 2006 04:09 (nineteen years ago)

George Bush is going to throw out the first pitch of the Cubs' opening day.

Jeff. (Jeff), Saturday, 25 March 2006 19:48 (nineteen years ago)

I knew the injuries to Prior and Wood were bad, but I didn't think Hendry was that desperate.

mattbot (mattbot), Sunday, 26 March 2006 01:37 (nineteen years ago)

George Bush is going to throw out the first pitch of the Cubs' opening day.

since the game is in cincinnati i think it's the reds' opening day.

otto midnight (otto midnight), Monday, 27 March 2006 15:16 (nineteen years ago)

pwnd

Jimmy Mod: GRILL ENSPEKTOR (The Famous Jimmy Mod), Monday, 27 March 2006 17:33 (nineteen years ago)

Marquis Grissom announced his retirement today; Dusty scrambling to find someone else to steal ABs from Murton in LF this season.

mattbot (mattbot), Tuesday, 28 March 2006 23:11 (nineteen years ago)

Prior and Wood to start the season on the DL.

Steve Shasta (Steve Shasta), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 04:10 (nineteen years ago)

shocked, shocked!

jonathan quayle higgins (j.q. higgins), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 13:33 (nineteen years ago)

The Cubs bunted four times yesterday, my favorite sequence being the back-to-back bunts in 9th, up five runs (Pierre reached on a blown call, Hairston reached on an error).

The Don Baylor flashbacks are occuring early and often.

mattbot (mattbot), Tuesday, 4 April 2006 13:36 (nineteen years ago)

"I said, 'Hey, how ya doing, my name's Todd Walker.' He said, 'Hey, Tom, how are ya?' "
-- Cubs 2B Todd Walker on meeting President Bush before Monday's Opening Day game against Cincinnati.

brianiast (briania), Tuesday, 4 April 2006 17:38 (nineteen years ago)

Sounds like Dusty told Bush all about him.

http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20060403/capt.ohcd10704031909.cubs_reds_bush_ohcd107.jpg

mattbot (mattbot), Tuesday, 4 April 2006 23:21 (nineteen years ago)

^^^ The suicide squeeze? ^^^

mattbot (mattbot), Tuesday, 4 April 2006 23:24 (nineteen years ago)

dear mr. walker,

i like stories. please tell me another one.

sincerely,

jonathan quayle higgins

jonathan quayle higgins (j.q. higgins), Wednesday, 5 April 2006 00:14 (nineteen years ago)

bronson arroyo's 1st ab against the cubs? tater.

otto midnight (otto midnight), Wednesday, 5 April 2006 17:35 (nineteen years ago)

Your search - glendon rusch taco - did not match any documents.

Suggestions:
Make sure all words are spelled correctly.
Try different keywords.
Try more general keywords.
Try fewer keywords.

mattbot (mattbot), Wednesday, 5 April 2006 17:45 (nineteen years ago)

Try "chalupa."

David R. (popshots75`), Wednesday, 5 April 2006 17:52 (nineteen years ago)

http://images5.pictiger.com/images/ea/9b7bcca1f7dc39569ea86c56672482ea.jpg

jinx hijinks (sanskrit), Thursday, 6 April 2006 17:10 (nineteen years ago)

fine. http://images5.pictiger.com/images/ea/9b7bcca1f7dc39569ea86c56672482ea.jpg

jinx hijinks (sanskrit), Thursday, 6 April 2006 17:10 (nineteen years ago)

all that self-ownage for nothing.

jinx hijinks (sanskrit), Thursday, 6 April 2006 17:13 (nineteen years ago)

http://img345.imageshack.us/img345/7223/shirt9fb.jpg

jinx hijinks (sanskrit), Thursday, 6 April 2006 17:19 (nineteen years ago)

*giggles*

Jimmy Mod: My theme is DEATH (The Famous Jimmy Mod), Thursday, 6 April 2006 17:21 (nineteen years ago)

The speculation on the over/under for # of games before Neifi's first start can end. He masterfully unclogged the bases in the 1st to allow Lee to trot around them unencumbered.

Total. Team. Player.

mattbot (mattbot), Friday, 7 April 2006 17:40 (nineteen years ago)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neifi_P%C3%A9rez

Steve Shasta (Steve Shasta), Friday, 7 April 2006 20:04 (nineteen years ago)

Tanyon Sturtze is Joe Torre's Neifi Perez.

Jimmy Mod: My theme is DEATH (The Famous Jimmy Mod), Saturday, 8 April 2006 03:30 (nineteen years ago)

Cubs dorks rooting for KC in the bar I was at tonite:

you fucks will never taste a World Series, and I'm fucking BASKING in it. I can't describe how great it feels to root for the reigning champs. Fucktards.

Stormy Davis (diamond), Saturday, 8 April 2006 03:44 (nineteen years ago)

and, really, there can be no term to describe a Cub fan other than "dork"; i've seriously never met a Cub fan who was a clued-in, interesting sort of guy. The worst type of dork. All cool people are Sox fans in this town.

Stormy Davis (diamond), Saturday, 8 April 2006 03:46 (nineteen years ago)

Felicity is the only exception to this rool

Stormy Davis (diamond), Saturday, 8 April 2006 03:46 (nineteen years ago)

http://www.strangecosmos.com/images/content/4319.jpg

ojitarian (ojitarian), Sunday, 9 April 2006 21:56 (nineteen years ago)

i am a cubs fan ; (

gear (gear), Sunday, 9 April 2006 23:52 (nineteen years ago)

Stormy, what's the deal with people like Mike Wilbon who grew up on the South Side but are Cubs fans? These have to be the worst types of fans in any sport. I've never lived in a city with competing teams in the same sport, so I don't really understand this kind of behaviour.

NoTimeBeforeTime (Barry Bruner), Monday, 10 April 2006 00:00 (nineteen years ago)

What's wrong with that? Should you automatically be a fan of your hometown/neighborhood team to the exclusion of others?

Big Willy and the Twins (miloaukerman), Monday, 10 April 2006 00:12 (nineteen years ago)

Er, yes?

That's not to say that you can't be a fan of more than one team, but it seems lame to root for other teams while refusing to root for your home team.

NoTimeBeforeTime (Barry Bruner), Monday, 10 April 2006 00:24 (nineteen years ago)

I don't get that. So I was born ten minutes from Arlington Stadium, why would that make me a Rangers fan? To rephrase that, I understand why it could and would make someone fan, but I don't understand why it SHOULD.

Big Willy and the Twins (miloaukerman), Monday, 10 April 2006 00:47 (nineteen years ago)

This check swing discussion can't end soon enough.

mattbot (mattbot), Monday, 10 April 2006 01:34 (nineteen years ago)

xpost

OK, that's you. Nobody *should* do anything -- it's not high treason to root against them -- but I'm sure you've noticed that 99% of people do tend to root for the home team?

I didn't grow up rooting for the Maple Leafs*, but on the other hand, I didn't make a point of NOT rooting for them, and I certainly didn't root against them. Whereas with Cubs-White Sox or Mets-Yanks, don't you kinda have to hate the other team's guts?

*anybody who follows hockey can probably appreciate this. The Harold Ballard-era Leafs didn't do a good job of drawing in new fans.

NoTimeBeforeTime (Barry Bruner), Monday, 10 April 2006 01:39 (nineteen years ago)

I liek that teh metses have two world serieses. it's cuet.

Jimmy Mod: My theme is DEATH (The Famous Jimmy Mod), Monday, 10 April 2006 01:46 (nineteen years ago)

99% do and it's something I've always found a bit distasteful.

Big Willy and the Twins (miloaukerman), Monday, 10 April 2006 02:03 (nineteen years ago)

But still, what makes southside Cubs fans so bad? The White Sox were/are pretty boring - why couldn't Wilbon and Co. have a sentimental attachment to Wrigley ivy and the atmosphere of the club? Better lovable losers than boring losers.

Big Willy and the Twins (miloaukerman), Monday, 10 April 2006 02:08 (nineteen years ago)

The Brooklyn Dodgers had some lean years -- why couldn't Brooklyn residents have a sentimental attachment to the Yankees instead? Because they didn't. Same goes for Mets fans today, AFAIK. That's the sort of intra-city conflict I was asking about. I think you have to live in one of those cities to fully appreciate it.

NoTimeBeforeTime (Barry Bruner), Monday, 10 April 2006 02:22 (nineteen years ago)

Uh, Big Willy, the Sox are the reigning World Series champs, hardly "losers."

And what on God's green earth makes the Cubs non-boring, for that matter?

Baked Bean Teeth (Baked Bean Teeth), Monday, 10 April 2006 02:23 (nineteen years ago)

The Sox are currently the World Series champs, they were as futile as the Cubs (if not moreso) at the time Wilbon (for instance) was growing up. As to levels of boring, the Cubs had a better schtick and a better ballpark gimmick (the Ivy) - I'm not a fan of either, but I don't see how it's a stretch to think that someone in the wrong neighborhood could easily grow up liking them over the 'hometown' team and find that to be perfectly acceptable.

But yes, Barry, I get that cross-city fandom is rare and rooting for the hometown team is ingrained - I'm questioning your view on it making people who don't follow random allegiances 'the worst fans ever.'

Big Willy and the Twins (miloaukerman), Monday, 10 April 2006 03:06 (nineteen years ago)

white sox were more exciting from about '92 until sosa's 66 hr year. frank thomas, robin ventura, one dog, etc. the cubs were pretty boring during those years, i don't remember anything about them during that time, for the most part.

gear (gear), Monday, 10 April 2006 03:59 (nineteen years ago)

I'm questioning your view on it making people who don't follow random allegiances 'the worst fans ever.'

I get the feeling that you can root for the Cubs OR the White Sox, but rooting for both is lame. Or if you're from the South Side but don't like the White Sox, switching allegances to the Cubs is a bit of a crap thing to do. Hopefully the Chicagoans will comment on this. It's not the same as you choosing to root for other teams because you don't like the Rangers and/or Tom Hicks.

NoTimeBeforeTime (Barry Bruner), Monday, 10 April 2006 04:29 (nineteen years ago)

that's garbage. I rooted for the Yankees and hated the Mets as a kid (the '86 series being the ultimate in lose/lose propositions for me) but I grew out of the Mets hatred pretty quickly as a teenager. Not that Piazza was any help.

jinx hijinks (sanskrit), Monday, 10 April 2006 14:16 (nineteen years ago)

although it's really not a comparable situation, as the Sox and Cubs are dueling for Chicago's hearts, whereas in NYC both teams know the score.

jinx hijinks (sanskrit), Monday, 10 April 2006 14:19 (nineteen years ago)

If Toronto had two teams I would be equally disappointed with both of them.

Thermo Thinwall (Thermo Thinwall), Monday, 10 April 2006 14:23 (nineteen years ago)

i don't think there's necessarily a hard/fast north/south rule when it comes to cubs/sox (tho it's probably the most likely thing to find that delineates who roots for which team). i'm not surprised that a black dude growing up in the south side in the 60s would root for the team with ernie banks and billy williams, tho.

hstencil (hstencil), Monday, 10 April 2006 15:24 (nineteen years ago)

Yeah, that's a good point.

NoTimeBeforeTime (Barry Bruner), Monday, 10 April 2006 17:01 (nineteen years ago)

i've seriously never met a Cub fan who was a clued-in, interesting sort of guy

You don't get out much, do you?

jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 10 April 2006 17:06 (nineteen years ago)

The Cubs schtik is tied to Harry Caray. That great geezer made more Cubs fans than any player to play for them in the past 30 years. He made that Ivy and the whole surroundings of the park come to life and Wrigley turned into a decent place to party even if the Cubs are not winning. Many of these fans that got on board for the budweiser and now have children are probably the people that Sox fans hate the most.

The Sox are a whole different thing. Old Commiskey park looked like something that was run by Park Recs or something. They get a new park and get good, then they basically get up staged by the owner's other pro team.

A thing that to me is totally White Sox is when they first traded away Harold Baines. A week later when he came back with the Rangers (traded within own division mind you), they gave him a big plaque and named him "Mr. White Sox" or something of the sort. Never mind that the guy ended up playing ball for another dozen years and came back to the southside twice. I just always thought that was odd.

I grew up watching the Cubs and Sox on WGN like bunches of people. The Cubs were on much more often and back in the day, pretty much every single game. That is why I ended up a Cubs fan. The Reds were my first favorite club, but I know I have seen more White Sox games on TV than Cinci, as the Reds were rarely on TV.

Earl Nash (earlnash), Monday, 10 April 2006 22:24 (nineteen years ago)

You don't get out much, do you?

-- jaymc (jmcunnin...), April 10th, 2006 1:06 PM. (jaymc)

haha .. pretty rich from the dork who "discovered" the likes of Fleetwood Mac in the last year ... good ol Jamsee .. perpetually behind the curve, always good for a chuckle ... mr. "sports are not artistic!!!" himself ... good stuff

I will say this ... the Cubs are impressing the hell out of me... I think they just might be for real...

Stormy Davis (diamond), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 05:13 (nineteen years ago)

Why is it weird that I got into Fleetwood Mac only recently? I'm 27, and my parents never listened to classic rock when I was growing up.

jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 05:42 (nineteen years ago)

ay, que tacos grandes!

jonathan quayle higgins (j.q. higgins), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 19:01 (nineteen years ago)

Go Brew Crew!

Baked Bean Teeth (Baked Bean Teeth), Wednesday, 12 April 2006 01:30 (nineteen years ago)

The Chicago Tribune's Paul Sullivan reports Chicago Cubs 1B Derrek Lee (wrist) has two broken bones in his right wrist stemming from a collision Wednesday, April 19. He suffered a fracture of the distal radial bone and the distal ulna bones and will be placed on the disabled list Friday. He could miss two to three months.

Steve Shasta (Steve Shasta), Friday, 21 April 2006 00:05 (nineteen years ago)

lata niggas!

Jimmy Mod: My theme is DEATH (The Famous Jimmy Mod), Friday, 21 April 2006 00:24 (nineteen years ago)

oh i knew this was gonna happen...

gear (gear), Friday, 21 April 2006 01:39 (nineteen years ago)

I guess that's one way to get Todd Walker more playing time. The Sun-Times is calling it a wrist-case scenario.

mattbot (mattbot), Friday, 21 April 2006 13:24 (nineteen years ago)

This injury is unbeLEEvable, it's not like he had a prior engagement with the DL.

mattbot (mattbot), Friday, 21 April 2006 13:25 (nineteen years ago)

Someone else will have to kerry the team.

mattbot (mattbot), Friday, 21 April 2006 13:25 (nineteen years ago)

Small bear fans will just have to grin and Barrett.

bnw (bnw), Friday, 21 April 2006 18:34 (nineteen years ago)

That's eneifi out of you!

David R. (popshots75`), Friday, 21 April 2006 18:43 (nineteen years ago)

i don't think there's necessarily a hard/fast north/south rule when it comes to cubs/sox (tho it's probably the most likely thing to find that delineates who roots for which team).

a lot of south siders, particularly the Irish, near where midway is now, were cubs fans back in the day ie 1940s-ish

oops (Oops), Friday, 21 April 2006 18:51 (nineteen years ago)

i really hope Lee's injury doesn't have any long-term consequences w/r/t his power and hitting prowess in general.

oops (Oops), Friday, 21 April 2006 18:53 (nineteen years ago)

i know when yaz broke his wrist he said it took him 3 years to get his power stroke back.

otto midnight (otto midnight), Friday, 21 April 2006 19:13 (nineteen years ago)

Better luck next year, guys.

polyphonic (polyphonic), Friday, 21 April 2006 20:12 (nineteen years ago)

Oh boo hoo...I watch ESPN for about a half hour this evening and I am already sick of "the curse" now takes Derek Lee. People get hurt in sports and often in baseball in such a bang bang play as this one and it doesn't have anything to do with a curse.


Earl Nash (earlnash), Saturday, 22 April 2006 01:15 (nineteen years ago)

I want to be optimistic. But I ain't.

The cubs are going to have to score so many runs this year to be any type of good. Not going to happen.

Jeff. (Jeff), Sunday, 23 April 2006 17:12 (nineteen years ago)

There was no "curse" in teh media before Bartman. It is ILBs job to remind the world of this at all times.

Jimmy Mod is a super idol of The MARS SPIRIT (The Famous Jimmy Mod), Sunday, 23 April 2006 17:46 (nineteen years ago)

The bad thing about all of these injuries is that it will probably give Cub management a reason to keep Dusty Baker off the hook if the team goes completely in the tank.

Three broken bones in the wrist is bad news and the injury is worse than I would have thought.

There are some good things even with all of the injuries with this team. It is good to see Matt Murton and Ronny Cedeno playing well. If Ramierez and Jones start hitting some more they might be OK, not great. I don't see them really contending this year either way even if D-Lee was healthy.

I also like seeing Greg Maddux pitching well and hope he can put together a big season, as I think his career accomplishments have been really overshadowed by The Rocket. I know talking about pitchers getting 'wins' is nearly verboten on this board, but I would like to see Maddux pitch well enough for another year or two and get to 350.

Earl Nash (earlnash), Monday, 24 April 2006 01:10 (nineteen years ago)

word is maddux worked out a lot this offseason, more than he had in recent years. i didn't see today's game, but i guess his ball was moving so well that twice the cards asked the ump to check it out.

gear (gear), Monday, 24 April 2006 07:04 (nineteen years ago)

People get hurt in sports and often in baseball in such a bang bang play as this one and it doesn't have anything to do with a curse.

yes but sportswriters around the country took note of how dan shaughnessey was able to recycle the same column 20 times per season AND turn it into a book all by invoking a lame-assed curse. i'm pretty sure they found that hackery is much easier than compelling writing.



i didn't see today's game, but i guess his ball was moving so well that twice the cards asked the ump to check it out.

yeah, it was moving well. he's had great movement each time i've seen him. brenly said when he was managing he used to ask the umpires to check the ball every couple of innings when maddux was on the hill and they never found anything.

otto midnight (otto midnight), Monday, 24 April 2006 12:12 (nineteen years ago)

word is maddux worked out a lot this offseason, more than he had in recent years.

He must be taking something because it's impossible for a 40 year old man to increase his muscle mass to the point where he's 4-0 with a 0.99ERA and is off to the best start of his career.

Obviously I don't believe any of that but if there was a hitting equivalent to Maddux right now then you can bet there'd be rumblings of that sort.

NoTimeBeforeTime (Barry Bruner), Monday, 24 April 2006 13:19 (nineteen years ago)

He must be taking something because it's impossible for a 40 year old man to increase his muscle mass to the point where he's 4-0 with a 0.99ERA and is off to the best start of his career.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/3340/splits;_ylt=AlBK6jxOY5vqRVlHTJf.xrCFCLcF?year=2005&type=Pitching

Steve Shasta (Steve Shasta), Monday, 24 April 2006 13:23 (nineteen years ago)

For the record, that guy increased his muscle mass when he was 30.

David R. (popshots75`), Monday, 24 April 2006 13:27 (nineteen years ago)

And it might not have been muscle, yao ming?

David R. (popshots75`), Monday, 24 April 2006 13:52 (nineteen years ago)

yes, maddux must be taking something because his fastball hit 89 this weekend. PREPARE THE PISS TEST!!!

otto midnight (otto midnight), Monday, 24 April 2006 14:21 (nineteen years ago)

well, not that i think maddux is juicing, but i thought the conventional wisdom was that pitchers didn't use the juice so much for jacking up, but to minimze wear and tear.

jonathan quayle higgins (j.q. higgins), Monday, 24 April 2006 14:48 (nineteen years ago)

I don't think there's *any* conventional wisdom regarding steroids beyond BIGMUSCLEHOMERUNMANOMG. Most people (= people in general, not people who post here) haven't bothered to think much beyond that.

NoTimeBeforeTime (Barry Bruner), Monday, 24 April 2006 15:03 (nineteen years ago)

Glavin just turned 40 himself didn't he? And he's off to a pretty great start too... coincidence???

Thermo Thinwall (Thermo Thinwall), Monday, 24 April 2006 15:48 (nineteen years ago)

Maddux's pitching style has always been about placement and he is hitting his spots with great regularity. This may be the first time Maddux has won his first four starts, but I tend to doubt it will be a return to how he pitched around 94-95, when he was pretty much unhittable for two years.

Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine have both been remarkably durable starting pitchers.

Earl Nash (earlnash), Monday, 24 April 2006 23:24 (nineteen years ago)

Cubs are playing well. Love the suicide squeeze!

felicity (felicity), Wednesday, 26 April 2006 01:17 (nineteen years ago)

I was there! Silly work outing. The squeeze was definitely nice to see. And I got a Howry hold in my other league, so I got that going for me.

Stormy Davis (diamond), Wednesday, 26 April 2006 03:47 (nineteen years ago)

hey, i've been informed that i now have a spare ticket to saturday's game vs milwaukee if anyone wants to go.

otto midnight (otto midnight), Thursday, 27 April 2006 13:58 (nineteen years ago)

I would have went. great game it would have been.

Jeff. (Jeff), Saturday, 29 April 2006 22:16 (nineteen years ago)

Maddux is the third-oldest starting pitcher with 5 wins in his first 5 starts... the others being Clemens, and Connie Marrero of the '51 Senators, who I met in Havana 2 years ago -- now in his mid-90s.

Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Monday, 1 May 2006 15:50 (nineteen years ago)

i woke up during the 2nd inning with a punishing hangover. i missed the game. didn't miss much.

otto midnight (otto midnight), Tuesday, 2 May 2006 15:42 (nineteen years ago)

Let's go for 6 cubbies!

Guh, they should just trade prior and wood for a sack of peanuts and use those peanuts to lure some elepants to cincinnati, st louis, houston and milwaukee to stomp on each of those teams. And pittsburgh too, they are sure to make a run.

Jeff. (Jeff), Sunday, 7 May 2006 17:13 (nineteen years ago)

The Cubs are really starting to miss Derek Lee, their pitching has still been OK, but they can't score any runs being shutout three times and held to one run twice in a week.

Earl Nash (earlnash), Monday, 8 May 2006 02:45 (nineteen years ago)

they've been shut out in what, 4 of their last 9? it's ugly to watch.

otto midnight (otto midnight), Monday, 8 May 2006 13:05 (nineteen years ago)

Batting order today:

1. Juan Pierre
2. Neifi Perez
3. Ronny Cedeno

OMG MURDERERS ROW

polyphonic (polyphonic), Friday, 12 May 2006 18:14 (nineteen years ago)

The fantasy run on NL Central starters starts now!

David R. (popshots75`), Friday, 12 May 2006 18:15 (nineteen years ago)

murton in the #7 hole, mabry in the #6, barrett in the #5.....

gear (gear), Friday, 12 May 2006 19:30 (nineteen years ago)

michael barrett suspended ten games. "this might be just what the cubs need" my ass, fox color commentator!

gear (gear), Friday, 26 May 2006 16:07 (nineteen years ago)

paging Randy Hundley!

Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Friday, 26 May 2006 16:19 (nineteen years ago)

What the Cubs need is a GM who doesn't spend a gazillion dollars on Juan Pierre and Jacques Jones. I mean, one of them would be bad enough.

polyphonic (polyphonic), Friday, 26 May 2006 16:41 (nineteen years ago)

Worse yet...

Chicago, IL (Sports Network) - The Chicago Cubs selected infielder Tony Womack from their Triple-A affiliate in Iowa on Friday.

The 36-year old Womack began the 2006 season with the Cincinnati Reds and played in just nine games before being released.

He then signed with Iowa on May 17 and batted .467 (7-for-15) with a double, RBI and three stolen bases in five games.

Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Friday, 26 May 2006 17:36 (nineteen years ago)

I would rather just run out Felix Pie at second base than give Tony Womack even one at bat.

polyphonic (polyphonic), Friday, 26 May 2006 17:43 (nineteen years ago)

Zambrano with a Doc Ellis-esque no-no through 6IP.

Steve Shasta (Steve Shasta), Friday, 26 May 2006 19:00 (nineteen years ago)

after inning one
where he walked four batters, yikes,
he has been DEADLY

Haikunym (Haikunym), Friday, 26 May 2006 19:06 (nineteen years ago)

JINXED! 6 2/3rds.

Steve Shasta (Steve Shasta), Friday, 26 May 2006 19:13 (nineteen years ago)

ah well, maybe it's the beginning of a turnaround for the mercurial fireballer.

Haikunym (Haikunym), Friday, 26 May 2006 19:30 (nineteen years ago)

126 pitches?!??!?

David R. (popshots75`), Friday, 26 May 2006 19:51 (nineteen years ago)

"We're just playing bad, bad baseball."

--Ron Santo after today's game

Did you know a player can get 2 errors on the same play? I think they said Neifi did.

felicity (felicity), Friday, 26 May 2006 20:31 (nineteen years ago)

Zambrano taps into his inner Daniel Cabrera today.

polyphonic (polyphonic), Friday, 26 May 2006 20:35 (nineteen years ago)

YEAH BUT NOT AFTER THE FIRST INNING DAMN

also: Perez had both a fielding error and a throwing error on one play in the ninth, letting in the go-ahead run. if I was Zambrano I would kick him right in the Neifis.

Haikunym (Haikunym), Friday, 26 May 2006 20:41 (nineteen years ago)

xposts

Yeah, you can e.g. boot the ball to allow the runner to reach first and then throw it away to allow the advance to second.

Tommy John once committed three errors on one play:

http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/ballplayers/J/John_Tommy.stm

In theory you could commit four errors at 3B by booting the ball, throwing wildly to first anyway, dropping the throw to third to nab the runner trying to advance, and throwing wildly to home. I could see a similar thing happening with a catcher on a bunt single -> backing up the throw to third (if the pitcher or an infielder covered home?)

NoTimeBeforeTime (Barry Bruner), Friday, 26 May 2006 20:42 (nineteen years ago)

bunt single a bunt attempt, of course

NoTimeBeforeTime (Barry Bruner), Friday, 26 May 2006 20:43 (nineteen years ago)

This is turning into the worse Cubs team in a long time.

Zambrano had to be wild to walk in a run with Frenchy at the plate.

Earl Nash (earlnash), Friday, 26 May 2006 21:27 (nineteen years ago)

the royals of the nl

gear (gear), Friday, 26 May 2006 21:38 (nineteen years ago)

2006 Cibs:
w/ Derrek Lee: 9-5
w/o Derrek Lee: 9-26

Steve Shasta (Steve Shasta), Monday, 29 May 2006 13:21 (nineteen years ago)

I imagine that Derrek Lee isn't the sole difference between .643 and .257

Jimmy Mod: NOIZE BOARD GRIL COMPARISON ANALYST (The Famous Jimmy Mod), Monday, 29 May 2006 13:41 (nineteen years ago)

Jerry Hairston Jr. for *gulp* Phil Nevin.

yikes.

Steve Shasta (Steve Shasta), Wednesday, 31 May 2006 20:06 (nineteen years ago)

WHAT

gear (gear), Wednesday, 31 May 2006 20:23 (nineteen years ago)

What the hell do the Rangers want Hairston for? They've already got two OK utility infielders in Jimenez and DeRosa. And they're paying part of Nevin's tab, WTF?

milo z (mlp), Wednesday, 31 May 2006 20:31 (nineteen years ago)

Weird!

Thermo Thinwall (Thermo Thinwall), Wednesday, 31 May 2006 20:34 (nineteen years ago)

That is a classic trade of teams swapping players that neither club wants, as Hairston isn't very good and Nevin is pretty much washed up. It makes more sense for the Cubs as they can plant Nevin at first and move Walker back to second. I would not be suprised if Hairston or one of those utility players gets sent someplace else by the Rangers in the next few weeks. Either way, Nevin will probably be on the DL within a week or two.

Earl Nash (earlnash), Wednesday, 31 May 2006 21:42 (nineteen years ago)

Phil Nevin was another one of those players that was really hyped when he was coming out of college. The guy eventually had a couple of good seasons, but nothing like the future superstar hype that surrounded him when he was a prospect.

Earl Nash (earlnash), Thursday, 1 June 2006 02:22 (nineteen years ago)

no lose for the cubs as the rangers are picking up the tab on most of nevin's salary. this cubs team is brutal to watch.

otto midnight (otto midnight), Thursday, 1 June 2006 13:31 (nineteen years ago)

Corey Patterson would look pretty nice.

polyphonic (polyphonic), Thursday, 1 June 2006 15:18 (nineteen years ago)

Corey Haim would look pretty nice, too.

David R. (popshots75`), Thursday, 1 June 2006 15:20 (nineteen years ago)

corey hart would look pretty nice in sunglasses at night.

otto midnight (otto midnight), Thursday, 1 June 2006 15:27 (nineteen years ago)

:o

Thermo Thinwall (Thermo Thinwall), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 01:17 (nineteen years ago)

JINXIST

NoTimeBeforeTime (Barry Bruner), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 01:38 (nineteen years ago)

Cubs are drawing just 2.5 walks a game, easily worst in the NL and comparable to Seattle and KC. The TRIUMPH of Dustyball ("they call it hitting, not walking")!

Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 14:17 (nineteen years ago)

how can u ahve 2.5 walks/game when teh pitchers/hurlers are up 3+ times/game?

Jimmy Mod: NOIZE BOARD GRIL COMPARISON ANALYST (The Famous Jimmy Mod), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 14:24 (nineteen years ago)

I don't getcha. The Dodgers and Reds are in the NL and are drawing over 4 a game. (also, 12 of Cubs' 140 are intentional, so it's more like 2.3.)

Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 14:35 (nineteen years ago)

It's not like their batting 9 pitchers, Jimmy.

Oh, wait a sec...

David R. (popshots75`), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 14:40 (nineteen years ago)

i'm not gonna blame dusty for the lack of walks! i'll blame hendry for gathering a team full of free-swinging slap-happy singles hitters!

gear (gear), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 15:50 (nineteen years ago)

"their"!

David R. (popshots75`), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 16:15 (nineteen years ago)

Ks a PRIORity

mattbot (mattbot), Wednesday, 14 June 2006 17:35 (nineteen years ago)

Prior struck out Larry Broadway to start the second inning...

Well no shit you're going to strike out a guy with a name like that.

jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 14 June 2006 18:32 (nineteen years ago)

I am in hog heaven -- WGN comes with basic Dish Network! Go, red-hot Henry Blanco.

felicity (felicity), Friday, 16 June 2006 18:43 (nineteen years ago)

I predict 6 strikeouts from Markkkkkk today. Hopefully he doesn't try to slide or anything.

Bob "Johnnycakes" Brenly, I love your new handlebar moustache.

felicity (felicity), Sunday, 18 June 2006 17:17 (nineteen years ago)

:-(

Steve Shasta (Steve Shasta), Sunday, 18 June 2006 17:48 (nineteen years ago)

He looks like Charlie Brown out there! I'm just waiting for a line drive to knock off his shoes and socks.

felicity (felicity), Sunday, 18 June 2006 17:52 (nineteen years ago)

There is going to be a sad day a few seasons down the line when I am watching probably the Texas Rangers get whomped on by the Red Sox or someone else I don't care about. During this blow out Mark Prior comes out of the pen as a mop up pitcher. As Prior takes the mound, the announcer will of course spend the next fifteen minutes filling time during a blow out about back when Prior was young and thought to be the next great starting pitcher.

Sad but most likely true.

Earl Nash (earlnash), Monday, 19 June 2006 22:07 (nineteen years ago)

no, what will happen is the cubs will give up on prior 3 years from now, trading him to the braves for several prospects, and he'll go on to have a randy johnson-esque renaissance, winning several cy young awards, finishing his career at 257-129 with an ERA of 3.24, and the prospects will never pan out.

gear (gear), Monday, 19 June 2006 22:21 (nineteen years ago)

I haven't given up on Prior yet. Even if he's lost velocity (and most reports indicate that he has), I think he can still get by quite well as a control pitcher. His control always set him apart from Wood in my mind.

I still think Wood will spend most of the rest of his career in the bullpen, given his insistence on not changing his pitching style despite repeated injury.

mattbot (mattbot), Tuesday, 20 June 2006 15:21 (nineteen years ago)

Mark Prior probably has a better shot at turning into a Jamie Moyers type, but I will be suprised at this point if either one can turn it around.

The best thing that could happen to either one is getting away from the Cubs, as this team does not look like it has any clue on how to get them back into order.

Earl Nash (earlnash), Tuesday, 20 June 2006 20:56 (nineteen years ago)

All these Prior scenarios are very sad. Mark will get better and show all of you.

Yeah, maybe the Cubs will trade him back to the O's for Corey Patterson, Sammy Sosa and a bag of sunflower seeds and Leo Mazzone will make him a big star and he will marry Anna Benson and we'll all cry in our beers at the Cubby Bear.
:(

I would like to take a poll:

Which version of Bob Brenly's moustaches is better:

1. the "Superfan"

http://cubscentral.com/images/brenly.jpg

2. The "Handlebar+Sissybar"

http://media.scout.com/Media/Image/26/260106.jpg

??????? Your votes, please.

felicity (felicity), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 18:16 (nineteen years ago)

Curse you, ILBB (can someone moderate out the dupe pls? kthxbye)

felicity (felicity), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 18:18 (nineteen years ago)

(done and done)

maura (maura), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 18:22 (nineteen years ago)

Aww, maura, thanks! I owe you a crackerjack. :)

Now which moustache do you prefer?

felicity (felicity), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 18:40 (nineteen years ago)

c(''c) (Leee), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 18:53 (nineteen years ago)

That is a nice one.

felicity (felicity), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 20:14 (nineteen years ago)

is that kent? i was having visions of ron cey, for a second there.

jonathan quayle higgins (j.q. higgins), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 20:37 (nineteen years ago)

None other than our favorite moustachioed, truck-washing wheelie-popping wannabe Texan.

c(''c) (Leee), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 21:00 (nineteen years ago)

In cursed Ex-Cub news, Joe Borowski is actually pitching OK for the Marlins and has been real steady for them during their hot streak.

The Superfan is much easier to manage. I give props for the sissy bar, that is more work. Maybe he has one of those new razors with the extra blade on top to hit the hard spots.

Earl Nash (earlnash), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 21:28 (nineteen years ago)

I'm partial to the Clark Gable pencil 'stache (which I think Sheffield was sporting this for a while).

Steve Shasta (Steve Shasta), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 21:39 (nineteen years ago)

more cursed news:

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AuoON8ZfuXP_pVApTU5cw8MRvLYF?slug=ap-cubs-wood&prov=ap&type=lgns

gear (gear), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 22:18 (nineteen years ago)

Felix Pie would be a better option at 1B, 2B, SS, CF, or LF than the guy currently playing there.

polyphonic (polyphonic), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 22:19 (nineteen years ago)

No signs of trouble here!

Carlos Zambrano struggled with a 27-pitch first inning when he walked two and gave up a run on two singles.

"His back was a little tight, and he couldn't get it loose,'' Baker said. "They worked on him after the inning.''

Zambrano settled down and improved his record to 6-3. He only had two strikeouts, his lowest total this season, and threw 101 pitches. He complained after his last start that his arm felt heavy.

mattbot (mattbot), Thursday, 22 June 2006 15:41 (nineteen years ago)

GREAT GOSH I LOVE BEING A CUBS FAN : D

gear (gear), Thursday, 22 June 2006 16:07 (nineteen years ago)

A Lee Elia pinch-tirade would lighten the mood a bit.

mattbot (mattbot), Thursday, 22 June 2006 17:32 (nineteen years ago)

I'm not tryna troll, but going back to this whole rolling debate about why blue pajamas just make you look like a colossal doofus, and why the White Sox are just the plain the cooler team in the great city of Chicago ... I rest my case:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=xvg7aBVatQU&search=wade%20letterman

Stormy Davis (diamond), Friday, 23 June 2006 03:37 (nineteen years ago)

Nothing earth-shattering, but a pretty decent summary of why Dusty's reign of error will probably end this year.

No one can dispute that Corey Patterson had to go after being unable to prosper under Baker and his coaches, but Patterson's emergence in Baltimore is another black mark against the Baker regime.

If other clubs can get something out of talent that was running on empty with the Cubs, that sets off alarm bells in the front office. As hard as Baker and his coaches have tried, results are all that matter. And the results don't add up to offering him a contract extension later this year.

There is plenty of blame to go around. Baker's inability to foster the growth of young talent such as Matt Murton and Rich Hill is matched by Hendry's decision before this season to lavish pitcher Glendon Rusch and infielder Neifi Perez with two-year contracts.

I can't help but think Larry Bowa's getting his resume ready.

mattbot (mattbot), Friday, 23 June 2006 13:07 (nineteen years ago)

So do you think Ronny Cedeno just said the heck with it and botched the play just to get the game over, h after Dempster threw away the lead?

The Cubs are just down right fugly.

Earl Nash (earlnash), Wednesday, 28 June 2006 03:38 (nineteen years ago)

Yeah, this team rivals the 1999 and 2000 teams for sheer awfulness. You know the season's gone tits up when the only thing you can root for is the Jacque Jones to Yankees rumor.

mattbot (mattbot), Wednesday, 28 June 2006 11:12 (nineteen years ago)

Another sad thing about this crappy Cubs team is the fact that Greg Maddux is stuck playing for it. Maddux has not pitched well for his past few starts, but I hate to see the guy riding it out on such a nowhere club. I'm sure during this horrible swoon Maddux might have thought for a moment about those completely bad Cubs clubs he played on when he first got to the big leagues.

I think the Cubs should do the right thing and deal Maddux either across town, to the Red Sox or some other contender, if he wants to go.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/nl/cubs/2006-06-27-maddux-forgotten-star_x.htm

He may be the greatest living right-handed pitcher alive, but hardly anyone notices.
He has won 300 games like you-know-who in Texas. He also has 3,000 strikeouts. He, too, likely will be heading to Cooperstown as a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

Yet, strangely enough, it's as if baseball has forgotten about Greg Maddux.

"That's OK, he's more of a story," Maddux says of Roger Clemens. "He's the Rocket. He has an aura about him that I've never experienced. I'm happy he's back.

"I was rooting for him the other day (in his 2006 debut), even though the Astros are in our division."

Maddux was the flavor of the month in April when he opened the season going 5-0 with a 1.35 ERA for the Chicago Cubs. Everyone wanted to know his age-defying secret. Now that he has won only two of his last 11 starts, the only time he hears his name is in trade rumors.

"I don't think anybody wants to be traded," says Maddux, 7-8 after losing Monday to the Milwaukee Brewers. "But I'm only a player. I don't make those decisions. I lost my no-trade clause when I came to Chicago.

"It's funny how everyone was saying I was winning because I was in such great shape. No, I was winning because I was making my pitches. I'm just not making as many good pitches now."

And nobody seems to care whether he plans to continue pitching, let alone debate whether Maddux, and not Clemens, is the greatest pitcher of our generation.

One of the top two

"It's one of the damnedest things I've ever seen," says Baltimore Orioles pitching coach Leo Mazzone, who coached Maddux for 11 years in Atlanta. "We all know that Roger Clemens is good. Real good. But the real baseball world knows that Mad Dog is right there with him. You can argue all you want who is better, but your argument starts and stays right with those two guys.

"As far as someone with the precision of his pitches, being able to locate his fastball and change speeds with terrific movement, nobody in the history of the game is better than Greg Maddux.

"I'll go to my grave believing we will never see another pitcher like him."

And Mazzone says there will never be anyone — owner, general manager, manager or player — smarter in the game of baseball.

"I don't care who I offend," Mazzone says, "he is the smartest man in baseball. He picks up things that nobody can. I remember one time (Braves manager) Bobby (Cox) wanted to walk Shawn Green with first base open. Bobby goes to the mound and Mad Dog says to him, 'Give me two pitches. Then I'm going to get him to pop up the third one to third base.

"Bobby comes back to the bench and I say, 'What are we doing?' Bobby says, 'Wait 'til you hear this!' And you know what, Green popped up to third base."

Maddux, 40, hardly looks like a guy whose résumé includes four Cy Young awards, 325 career victories, 3,108 strikeouts, 4,504 innings and 15 Gold Gloves.

Maddux, who failed to win Monday night against Milwaukee, needs just one more victory to tie Eddie Plank for 12th place on the all-time victory list, two to tie John Clarkson for 11th, and four to tie Steve Carlton for 10th.

"It's kind of cool to see the names," Maddux says. "It was nice having your name associated with guys like Don Sutton and Nolan Ryan. And my brother (Brewers pitching coach Mike Maddux) pitched with Steve Carlton. But guys like Eddie Plank and Walter Johnson, those were standards set a long time ago. It's hard to relate to them."

Particularly when his fastball, clocked consistently in the mid-80s, can be found on many high-school diamonds.

"If I was in high school, I wouldn't even be drafted," Maddux says. "They want guys who can throw in the mid-90s. That's just the way it is. They want guys like Roger Clemens, not me."

Finesse vs. flash

Ah, Clemens. The guy has won 16 more games in his career, but has lacked Maddux's uncanny consistency. Maddux is the first pitcher in history to win at least 15 games in 17 consecutive seasons. Maddux has pitched at least 199 innings the last 18 years, making at least 33 starts in all but the strike-shortened seasons since 1987. And if he wins 13 games this season, he'll join Cy Young as the only pitcher to accomplish the feat in 19 seasons.

"I've played with Barry Bonds, Frank Thomas and Carlos Delgado," Cubs reliever Scott Eyre says, "but the greatest player of them all is Greg Maddux.

"I can't believe when people say, 'Yeah, he's good, but he's not a power pitcher.' Uh, he's got more than 3,000 punch-outs doesn't he?

"People say they'd rather see Roger Clemens pitch 97 mph.

"Me, I'd rather see Greg Maddux carve 'em up."

Says Astros starter Andy Pettitte: "He's in a league of his own. His velocity isn't like it used to be, and he doesn't have a dominant pitch, but his moment and location are like nothing we've ever seen."

Maddux, an eight-time All-Star who needs four more strikeouts to tie Bob Gibson for 12th on the all-time strikeout list, frankly doesn't care how you view him. Compare him to Clemens? It should be an honor, not a debate.

"It doesn't bother me at all," Maddux says. "Personally, I've never seen a better pitcher. We get pretty much the same results, but he's been more impressive doing it. He's dominating guys. I just try to squeak by.

"So, if I have to take a backseat to him, hey, I can handle it."

'Like a big kid'

Maddux is sitting in front of his locker in his underwear, reading the sports page, sipping on coffee, and ever so deviously glancing toward the table in the middle of the clubhouse.

He stopped by the local McDonald's early in the morning, grabbed some breakfast sandwiches and put them out on the clubhouse table for everyone to enjoy.

And then sits back and laughs hysterically when unsuspecting players open their sandwich and realize that Maddux has already taken a bite. Out of each one.

"He's like a big kid," Chicago Cubs coach Benny Cadahia says. "He's always the first one to the clubhouse. He gets his work in before anyone gets there. And by the time they show up, he sits back and enjoys all of his pranks.

"That's why I laugh when people talk about whether he'll retire. You kidding? He loves being here. He couldn't do this stuff at home."

Maddux has never retired. He doesn't plan on starting now.

"I remember earlier this year, I just got my brains beat in pitching in San Diego," Maddux says. "I stunk. I was embarrassed. I was humiliated, and all of that.

"But you know what, I still had a great time because I was out there competing. I have the greatest job in the world. I play golf on my off days, and I get to pitch in the major leagues on the days I work.

"Doesn't get any better than that."

And as long as Maddux still believes he can be effective, providing that someone still will give him a uniform, he'll continue to pitch.

"I want to play as long as I'm good enough to play," he says. "It's like playing bad golf is better than no golf. It's the same as pitching. Why would I want to give that up?"


Earl Nash (earlnash), Thursday, 29 June 2006 03:25 (nineteen years ago)

I'm not too doomsday on these guys yet. Derrek Lee (their best player, maybe as good/better than Pujols) was out a few months with a freak broken arm.

Steve Shasta (Steve Shasta), Thursday, 29 June 2006 17:10 (nineteen years ago)

prior: 2 runs in 2 IP

signs of life: 5 K in 2 IP

gear (gear), Thursday, 29 June 2006 17:55 (nineteen years ago)

Is this a simulated game?

David R. (popshots75`), Thursday, 29 June 2006 17:56 (nineteen years ago)

maybe as good/better than Pujols

No.

polyphonic (polyphonic), Thursday, 29 June 2006 17:58 (nineteen years ago)

shasta, trust me, d-lee wouldn't have made much of a difference. these guys are playing ugly ball at every level. this is legitimately the worst team i've ever seen and this includes both the early 80's and butch hobson-led bosox teams of the 90s.

just horribly horribly bad ball.

otto midnight (otto midnight), Thursday, 29 June 2006 18:06 (nineteen years ago)

polyp:

2005
Derrek Lee: .335/.418/.662 = 1.080 OPS, 46 HRs
Albert Pujols: .330/.430/.609 = 1.039 OPS, 41 HRs

Steve Shasta (Steve Shasta), Thursday, 29 June 2006 18:50 (nineteen years ago)

And what about every year before 2005?

Thermo Thinwall (Thermo Thinwall), Thursday, 29 June 2006 19:06 (nineteen years ago)

Is this a simulated game?

Too bad it isn't, the Cubs have some fearsome towel throwers.

mattbot (mattbot), Thursday, 29 June 2006 19:22 (nineteen years ago)

Mark looked a lot better today. Not as wild, his curve was breaking sharply, 9Ks.

With Lee back, they seem less frustrating than in years past because they seem to be trying. At least they have a good leadoff man and some power in the lineup.

They need to stop making those stupid Cubs-esque errors, that's what always gets me.

felicity (felicity), Friday, 30 June 2006 03:22 (nineteen years ago)

I'm not sure which is the more exciting, the 3-run homerun off Dumpster in the 9th by the clubhouse cancer or the garbage being thrown on the field and getting to hear Pat Hughes with the call "they're running around with little garbage cans."

mattbot (mattbot), Saturday, 1 July 2006 19:26 (nineteen years ago)

Scott Williamson on Dustyball:

"They have their guys they like for certain reasons," Williamson told the Score. "I don't know why. They go to them, go to them, go to them. It's good to be that guy. If you mess up, you get back out there. But the bad part is if you're not one of their boys and he doesn't have confidence in you, then you wear it.

"For me and some other people, we don't get opportunities to get in there and stay fresh and keep it going. It's been hard. If you are just one of the players on the outside, it's hard because you feel like you're under a microscope and walking on eggshells. If you have a bad outing, you don't feel like you're going to get back in there for a while. They've got a Bob Howry, so there's no need for me. Hopefully I do get traded.

"I feel terrible for Murton. I feel a lot of stuff is not going the right way with him. This kid is going to be a superstar, a franchise player. He's a kid with a great work ethic. They didn't let him play and get his at-bats and fight through struggles."

Angel Guzman to thread!

mattbot (mattbot), Monday, 3 July 2006 18:44 (nineteen years ago)

Dusty and Cito Gaston should go ahead and start a seniors baseball league in the style of the PGA Seniors tour.

NoTimeBeforeTime (Barry Bruner), Monday, 3 July 2006 18:47 (nineteen years ago)

wow, when scott williamson feels comfortable enough to shit-talk you in the media you've got to know your days are numbered.

otto midnight (otto midnight), Monday, 3 July 2006 18:57 (nineteen years ago)

In very related news, Glendon Rusch was activated off the DL yesterday (velocity is down, but he's "throwing well") and Angel Guzman was sent back to Iowa again. 2.5 games from the absolute worst record in the majors and they're still playing the veterans like it's 2004.

mattbot (mattbot), Tuesday, 4 July 2006 14:30 (nineteen years ago)

Dusty ponders the future:

Baker used the analogy of a plane crash to describe how he views the situation.

"It's like the black box on the airplane," he said. "The airplane has a failure. Everybody is going to see [afterward] if it was pilot error or mechanical error or whatever. The one thing you learn about life, no matter what job you are in, you're going to have your turn to be in that box.

"Whether you are a manager or a coach or a CEO or a janitor, everybody is going to have a chance to be in ... I call it the black blame box. That's what it is."

mattbot (mattbot), Thursday, 6 July 2006 12:45 (nineteen years ago)

MILWAUKEE -- Chicago Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood is likely done for the season after an MRI arthrogram Friday revealed a partial tear in his right rotator cuff.

The test was conducted Friday at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Cubs athletic trainer Mark O'Neal said Saturday the results explain why the pitcher has struggled to do anything, including playing catch.

Wood had undergone an MRI on June 26 in Cincinnati, but that did not include an arthrogram, which is more detailed and provides more information, O'Neal said. Wood was waking up at night with pain in his shoulder, and wasn't responding well to treatment.

What's next?

"There's different thought processes on how to treat it, and that's to be determined," O'Neal said Saturday. "In all reality, there are significant number of people who have successfully returned conservatively. We're in the process of sending the films out and letting two or three of the specialists in the country look at it and see. That's what Kerry wants to do."

The options are conservative treatment or possible arthroscopic surgery on his shoulder.

maura (maura), Saturday, 8 July 2006 22:57 (nineteen years ago)

JUST GREAT

gear (gear), Saturday, 8 July 2006 23:21 (nineteen years ago)

SRSLY WHO THE FUCK IS KEEPING AN EYE ON THE PITCHERS

gear (gear), Saturday, 8 July 2006 23:21 (nineteen years ago)

What are you talking abt?

Jimmy Mod: NOIZE BOARD GRIL COMPARISON ANALYST (The Famous Jimmy Mod), Sunday, 9 July 2006 01:03 (nineteen years ago)

i mean there's injury prone and there's this, someone's not making sure they properly heal up or take care of themselves. wood's got a delivery that results in him being injury-prone? force him to change it! prior needs to take better care of himself in the offseason? make sure he does it! this is all very infuriating.

gear (gear), Sunday, 9 July 2006 01:29 (nineteen years ago)

well yeah, we've known that for the past half-decade...

Jimmy Mod: NOIZE BOARD GRIL COMPARISON ANALYST (The Famous Jimmy Mod), Sunday, 9 July 2006 01:56 (nineteen years ago)

It just keeps getting better:

Mark Prior was scratched from Sunday's start against Milwaukee with a strained left oblique muscle that he said he injured while taking batting practice on Saturday.

"The goat is starting to look real," Prior said, referring to the Billy Goat Curse.

Trainer Mark O'Neal said Prior's injury could be problematic, and he could be placed on the disabled list. ... "I hope after four days it'll be alright," [Prior said].

It's just comical at this point. The worst part of it is that Glendon Rusch got the start and is pitching well today in a Dusty-job-saving role... ugh I hate everything about this team.

mattbot (mattbot), Sunday, 9 July 2006 18:48 (nineteen years ago)

Seriously, did the goat curse exist before 2003 or whatever?

Jimmy Mod: NOIZE BOARD GRIL COMPARISON ANALYST (The Famous Jimmy Mod), Sunday, 9 July 2006 18:53 (nineteen years ago)

Yes. It was really bad in 1984.

felicity (felicity), Monday, 10 July 2006 06:33 (nineteen years ago)

alright, because honest to god i don't think anyone outside of chicago had ever heard of it before 03 and a part of me still calls bullshit... at least Babe was a name in the news for christssake.

Jimmy Mod: NOIZE BOARD GRIL COMPARISON ANALYST (The Famous Jimmy Mod), Monday, 10 July 2006 14:51 (nineteen years ago)

Jimmy Mod, who you crappin'?

Baked Bean Teeth (Baked Bean Teeth), Monday, 10 July 2006 14:57 (nineteen years ago)

I never even knew the story before I read the link.

A stinky goat. What a ridiculous curse.

Thermo Thinwall (Thermo Thinwall), Monday, 10 July 2006 15:17 (nineteen years ago)

I'm sure Prior was joking around a bit, but the nonstop excuses from this team since Baker took over are wearing thin. We're cursed, there's no team chemistry, Steve Stone doesn't like us, I don't have my horses, not enough veterans, injuries, Scott Eyre can't pitch when people say bad things about Dusty, and on and on.

The bottom line is that this has got to be the shittiest team ever assembled in terms of dollars spent per win. Someone needs to admit it and try something new.

mattbot (mattbot), Monday, 10 July 2006 15:21 (nineteen years ago)

Reading about the goat loving "Greek immigrant" in Chicago made me think of this man:

http://www.grudge-match.com/Images/balki.gif

This is pretty much the man who's put a 60 year curse on the Cubs.
"Who stinks now couzeen Laaary?"

Thermo Thinwall (Thermo Thinwall), Monday, 10 July 2006 15:35 (nineteen years ago)

i never understood when i was a kid why anyone would be a cubs fan, when the white sox unis are sooooooo much moar badass.

INSANE CLOWN FOSSE (Adrian Langston), Monday, 10 July 2006 16:48 (nineteen years ago)

i've been tempted in years past to throw my allegiance to the white sox (mostly in the days of black jack, fisk, early big hurt, ventura, one dog, rock raines, those teams were fun!). the sox are definitely more fun to watch now, because they don't think about history and they don't have any sort of inferiority complex. though i guess the whole "no one pays attention to us" thing could come across as one, albeit one that plays as "we have a giant chip on our shoulder" rather than "what can we do against a small goat?"

gear (gear), Monday, 10 July 2006 17:06 (nineteen years ago)

i love living in a city with two teams and having allegience to neither. i root for them both except when they're playing the bosox.

otto midnight (otto midnight), Monday, 10 July 2006 17:36 (nineteen years ago)

ya that was also the cause of some internal conflict for me as a child, cuz I was a bosox fan yet the white sox clearly had the cooler colored sox. i often wished that they could somehow switch. big ups 2 u for not jumping on the bandwagon tho gear! actually, is there even much of a WS bandwagon in chicago? it doesn't really seem like it...

INSANE CLOWN FOSSE (Adrian Langston), Monday, 10 July 2006 20:41 (nineteen years ago)

overall i think it's a lot of fairweathers coming out of the woodwork rather than bandwagoning, probably. a lot of cubs fans are bitter/jealous right now obv and i don't blame them, because the southsiders have done everything right, making splashes and what not. the cubs were all proud about landing JUAN PIERRE for fuck's sake, while kenny williams just spins out rowand for thome aka possible al mvp. but i have to stick by the cubs, no matter what. at the same time i like the sox and hope they win the world series because the cubs sure as hell aren't.

gear (gear), Monday, 10 July 2006 21:55 (nineteen years ago)

adrian otm re: the unis. Cubs unis since the 60s have looked like Bozo designed them.
yeah not much of a bandwagon, though attendance and merchandising have increased like a billionfold.

oops (Oops), Tuesday, 11 July 2006 01:01 (nineteen years ago)

i honestly don't see cubs fans as being jealous of the sox fans. i mean sure there's a minority who wear those "sox suck" shirts but i don't see most cubs fans as begrudging the sox for winning. they are surely bitter but i think that has more to do with their own club than the southside nine.

the attendance thing blows, this will be the first year i haven't been to a bosox game since 1978. two (maybe it was three?) years ago i was able to walk up 50 minutes before the first pitch and got a pair of club level seats midway between home and third. having a waitress bring me beer and hot dogs was something that was totally foreign to me at that point but i was able to rapidly adapt.

otto midnight (otto midnight), Tuesday, 11 July 2006 12:55 (nineteen years ago)

was Barrett left off the All-Stars mostly for socking AJ? He's easily been the best-hitting catcher in the league the last year and a half.

Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 11 July 2006 14:14 (nineteen years ago)

Best at hitting catchers!

c(''c) (Leee), Tuesday, 11 July 2006 15:45 (nineteen years ago)

The dogpile on Dusty is getting pretty large (Hendry deserves just as much blame and seems to be getting off just because he's signed to a contract), but there are a few gems from a recent interview he gave to the Trib.


Tribune: No, but 'Give me the horses' can be construed as you saying, 'I need more players.'

Baker: No, it's not. I don't care how it's construed. What I said is, 'Hey, man, give me the horses, and if my horses stay healthy, I'm going to win.' Well, my horses haven't been healthy. [Kerry] Wood and [Mark] Prior haven't been healthy. My main offense guy (Derrek Lee) wasn't healthy. It's not an alibi or an excuse, because I don't use excuses.

...

Tribune: At one point you denied your team was underachieving, and they were 18 or 19 games under .500 at the time, and even your most vocal supporters were saying, 'Come on, at least admit that much.'

Baker: Well, is that underachieving, or is that ...

Tribune: Just the way they are?

Baker: (No response.)

He ended up walking out of the interview.

mattbot (mattbot), Tuesday, 11 July 2006 19:46 (nineteen years ago)

You sure that wasn't Darren Baker?

c(''c) (Leee), Tuesday, 11 July 2006 19:55 (nineteen years ago)

I especially like the use of "main offense guy" as a synonym for "hitter."

mattbot (mattbot), Tuesday, 11 July 2006 20:04 (nineteen years ago)

Am I alone in believing that *shudder* Dusty has a point (not that his handling of his pitchers helps things but...)?

Steve Shasta (Steve Shasta), Tuesday, 11 July 2006 20:09 (nineteen years ago)

Naw, you're not alone at all. I think a lot of fans recognize that injuries have played a huge part in the Cubs awfulness the last two years. What makes Baker so infuriating to me is how poorly he has adapted to these situations. Joe Girardi isn't giving out Horse and Rider excuses this year.

There's also the whole player development issue as well -- Corey Patterson is making the Cubs coaching staff look terrible (and rightfully so). The hate for the youngsters is well documented, of course.

mattbot (mattbot), Tuesday, 11 July 2006 20:44 (nineteen years ago)

i remember something about how the cubs had a strength and conditioning coach in 2003, but then they let him go. does that ring any bells with anyone else?

gear (gear), Tuesday, 11 July 2006 21:07 (nineteen years ago)

strength and conditioning coach = pill-pusher = bad for the team's image?

I'm being somewhat serious here, if one's main worry about the pitching staff is keeping their arms healthy, what can a strength and conditioning coach do that the trainers can't?

NoTimeBeforeTime (Barry Bruner), Tuesday, 11 July 2006 22:10 (nineteen years ago)

"Chicago Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano had to be taken for X-rays and was deemed unavailable to pitch Tuesday after being struck on his throwing elbow by a fungo bat swung by Joey Cora."

mattbot (mattbot), Wednesday, 12 July 2006 10:37 (nineteen years ago)

Look, if the dude hurt his elbow browsing for internet porn, just say so!

David R. (popshots75`), Wednesday, 12 July 2006 12:09 (nineteen years ago)

A fungo bat?

Thermo Thinwall (Thermo Thinwall), Wednesday, 12 July 2006 12:22 (nineteen years ago)

Was Cora chasing him?

David R. (popshots75`), Wednesday, 12 July 2006 12:25 (nineteen years ago)

Maybe this is the sensitivity training Ozzie mentioned?

mattbot (mattbot), Wednesday, 12 July 2006 12:29 (nineteen years ago)

what can a strength and conditioning coach do that the trainers can't?

i think a strength and conditioning coach would be used pro-actively so that players DON'T get hurt whereas a trainer would fix what's already broken.

otto midnight (otto midnight), Wednesday, 12 July 2006 14:38 (nineteen years ago)

CHICAGO (AP) -- Cubs right-hander Mark Prior went back on the 15-day disabled list Friday, this time with a strained left oblique muscle.

He got hurt while taking batting practice last Saturday in Milwaukee. Prior, who began the season on the disabled list with a sore shoulder, came off it June 18 and went 0-4 in four starts with a 7.71 ERA. He was scratched from his start last Sunday.

How long will the Cubs be without Prior?

"We're not sure," manager Dusty Baker said. "He was better yesterday."

Prior is scheduled to throw in the bullpen Thursday and then again next Tuesday.

The Cubs are also without Kerry Wood, who has a partially torn rotator cuff and is in the process of deciding whether to have surgery or try to rehab the injury.

"Kerry is going to see a few doctors. We always let the players decide who they'd like to see in this situation," general manager Jim Hendry said.

"So I think Kerry and his representatives and our medical staff are trying to do the best thing for him and let him have the opportunity to see a lot of people."

Right-hander Carlos Zambrano, who was hit in the elbow by the fungo bat of White Sox third base coach Joey Cora before the All-Star game in Pittsburgh on Tuesday night, is OK and scheduled to make his start Saturday against the Mets.

gear (gear), Friday, 14 July 2006 17:02 (nineteen years ago)

How come Hendry hasn't traded Scott Eyre yet? I'm pretty sure he could have gotten Austin Kearns for the guy.

polyphonic (polyphonic), Friday, 14 July 2006 17:27 (nineteen years ago)

R. Novoa
1/3 IP
5 hits
2 homeruns
6 runs
0 earned runs

Steve Shasta (Steve Shasta), Monday, 17 July 2006 00:08 (nineteen years ago)

Gotta love two unearned homeruns. As Joe Morgan said tonight, sometimes stats are wrong.

Other fun stats from that half inning:
1 booed manager
1 curious force at home
1 trash event
1 sarcastic cheered strike
1 standing, booing ovation

mattbot (mattbot), Monday, 17 July 2006 01:43 (nineteen years ago)

i've never felt less invested in a cubs team than i do this one.

gear (gear), Monday, 17 July 2006 06:19 (nineteen years ago)

I'm actually rooting for them to lose so that they can have whatever firesale they're going to have and get the young players up. I started to get interested in watching games for that reason and then I read a rumor yesterday that the Cubs are interested in Willy Tavares.

Business as usual.

mattbot (mattbot), Monday, 17 July 2006 13:33 (nineteen years ago)

When are the current Cubs management going to get it into their heads that this team is just too hopeless to win now, and start building for the future instead?

ojitarian (ojitarian), Monday, 17 July 2006 21:21 (nineteen years ago)

It makes sense that the Cubs would want Willy T. He's just like Juan Pierre, except with less power.

boldbury (boldbury), Monday, 17 July 2006 22:01 (nineteen years ago)

derrek lee is back on the dl.

maura (maura), Monday, 24 July 2006 19:25 (nineteen years ago)

your low-OBP Cubs!

Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Monday, 24 July 2006 19:44 (nineteen years ago)


Yeah but they're really fast and Neifi won a Gold Glove in 2000.

mattbot (mattbot), Monday, 24 July 2006 20:05 (nineteen years ago)

For felicity, mattbot and gear:

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/50033

Steve Shasta (Steve Shasta), Tuesday, 25 July 2006 15:54 (nineteen years ago)

http://espn-i.starwave.com/media/apphoto/366a71cb-a828-413d-a7eb-597de28a6eca.jpg

Carlos Zambrano has a posse
4 HR, .435 SLG

mattbot (mattbot), Wednesday, 26 July 2006 14:38 (nineteen years ago)

Zambrano's VORP as a hitter is 5.1, which makes him better than:


Derrek Lee 3.0
Henry Blanco 1.8
Matt Murton 0.8
Freddie Bynum 0.3
Angel Pagan -1.5
John Mabry -2.6
Neifi! -4.3
Ronny Cedeno -13.7

I'm really starting to embrace how bad this team is.

mattbot (mattbot), Wednesday, 26 July 2006 19:24 (nineteen years ago)

Also, big ups to Rusch today. He was the only pitcher who came to the ballpark prepared to lose today.

mattbot (mattbot), Wednesday, 26 July 2006 19:26 (nineteen years ago)

Z should be batting cleanup.

ojitarian (ojitarian), Thursday, 27 July 2006 00:26 (nineteen years ago)

can't wait for the September quotes.

Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Friday, 28 July 2006 12:34 (nineteen years ago)

Chicago Cubs lineup, Aug 1. 2004:
Patterson CF
Garciaparra SS
Alou LF
Sosa RF
Ramirez 3B
Lee 1B
Grudzilanek 2B
Bako C
Maddux P

Possible Chicago Cubs lineup, Aug. 1 2006:
Pierre CF
Perez 2B
Pagan LF
Mabry 1B
Izturis 3B
Bynum RF
Cedeno SS
Blanco C
Hill P

http://forumimages.footballguys.com/style_emoticons/default/TrainWreck1.gif

mattbot (mattbot), Monday, 31 July 2006 20:13 (nineteen years ago)

Hendry also announced that Glendon Rusch (3-8, 7.09 ERA, 1.68 WHIP) will take Maddux's spot in the rotation.

Becuz, y'know, we need to see what we've got for next year.

mattbot (mattbot), Monday, 31 July 2006 20:44 (nineteen years ago)

He only gave up 4 ER in 2 IP today!

ojitarian (ojitarian), Tuesday, 1 August 2006 09:11 (nineteen years ago)

A fan was bemoaning the 2 horrid middle-infield bats in ESPN chat yesterday, and Rob Neyer said Don't worry, Dusty likes em that way!

Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 2 August 2006 17:27 (nineteen years ago)

steve phillips said in chat today, 'i like the move! izturis is great!' while jim callis said, 'great, another slick defender who can't hit, you'd think the cubs would have learned by now.'

gear (gear), Wednesday, 2 August 2006 18:05 (nineteen years ago)

...

gear (gear), Friday, 4 August 2006 00:37 (nineteen years ago)

Don't jinx it...

mattbot (mattbot), Friday, 4 August 2006 00:50 (nineteen years ago)

Fun fact: all parties involved in the recent Dodgers-Cubs trade had no hitters yesterday.

mattbot (mattbot), Friday, 4 August 2006 14:37 (nineteen years ago)

ugh miserable. imagine if it ended up as a complete game no-hitter?

gear (gear), Friday, 4 August 2006 17:16 (nineteen years ago)

doesn't Sluggin' Mike Barrett need about 3 PA to qualify for the batting title?

Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 9 August 2006 15:55 (nineteen years ago)

So I have WGN for the first time ever, and I had to go abed in the middle of the 16th last night.

Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 16 August 2006 12:04 (nineteen years ago)

Hah, there's nothing quite like having Len Kasper tuck you in.

There were some choice Dusty quotes while ilx was down, my favorite being his "where did he come from? where is he going" ramblings about 2B Ryan Theirot, buried on the depth chart behind Neifi. He also had some insightful comments about why he keeps pushing Zambrano over 120 pitches per game in a lost season.

mattbot (mattbot), Wednesday, 16 August 2006 15:12 (nineteen years ago)

"You should've judged me long before we got to this point. You should've been judging me on the last 13-14 years versus these last three or four months. That's how I look at it. My track record means something."
--Cubs manager Dusty Baker, on how the Cubs should evaluate him on his whole career, not just the past few months (Chicago Tribune)

"My stance hasn't changed. When you're in the situation we're in, a lot of things go into play when you're evaluating field personnel. [I will move] forward in early October."
--Cubs GM Jim Hendry

"I'm not getting fired … my contract just expires."
--Baker

Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 16 August 2006 17:04 (nineteen years ago)

i'd sooner lose hendry than dusty

gear (gear), Wednesday, 16 August 2006 17:07 (nineteen years ago)

Jeff Ma (who under the pseudonym Kevin Lewis was featured as the protagonist of Bringing Down The House, the story of the MIT math team that used their card counting technique to win millions in Vegas)...

whew... so yeah THAT Jeff Ma wrote this about Barry Bonds/Dusty Baker/Brian Sabean:

"These days, with their star on the decline, the Giants struggle to keep their record above .500. Watching this fizzle, while ex-Giants Manager Dusty Baker flails in Chicago, it's fair to ask where these guys’ careers would be if Barry Bonds hadn't ever decided to come home."

from: http://www.protrade.com/insight/InsightArticleDetail.html?sp=KRC5120355&x=x

Steve Shasta (Steve Shasta), Wednesday, 16 August 2006 17:12 (nineteen years ago)

http://img128.imageshack.us/img128/4448/jhje2.jpg

mattbot (mattbot), Wednesday, 16 August 2006 17:23 (nineteen years ago)

Theirot with sacrifice bunts in both the 1st and the 3rd innings. Way to see what you've got, Dust.

mattbot (mattbot), Wednesday, 16 August 2006 17:49 (nineteen years ago)

In honor of Barrett qualifying for the batting title (trails Freddy Sanchez .346-.326, about 7th) AND hitting a HR in today's 1-0 win, this preseason training story sure is a tickler now:


Three days a week Barrett ends his training day with an hour of martial arts. "I don't believe there's a place for fighting in baseball," he says, "but I want to be confident that if a situation arose, I could handle it... I wouldn't mind trying to be an ultimate fighter after my baseball career."


http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/players/02/28/workout0306/index.html

Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 16 August 2006 19:32 (nineteen years ago)

I wouldn't mind trying to be an ultimate fighter after my baseball career.

christ, just what chicago needs, another beefy frat boy who loves fisticuffs.

otto midnight (otto midnight), Thursday, 17 August 2006 12:36 (nineteen years ago)

http://img112.imageshack.us/img112/9093/772609227lmc1.gif

mattbot (mattbot), Thursday, 17 August 2006 13:04 (nineteen years ago)

so how horrible is this team going to be next year after ramirez opts out of his contract and d.lee's wrist keeps his power #'s down?

otto midnight (otto midnight), Thursday, 17 August 2006 19:02 (nineteen years ago)

Neifi's gone! I was up all night just weeping tears of joy.

mattbot (mattbot), Monday, 21 August 2006 12:38 (nineteen years ago)

FREE(D) IZTURIS.

c('°c) (Leee), Monday, 21 August 2006 15:21 (nineteen years ago)

i think the cubs will be better next year if only because neifi isn't getting more ABs

gear (gear), Monday, 21 August 2006 16:08 (nineteen years ago)

YIKES
Izturis to the DL, apparently the Dodgers traded him knowing he was damaged goods.

Steve Shasta (Steve Shasta), Tuesday, 22 August 2006 21:55 (nineteen years ago)

LOL ; (

gear (gear), Tuesday, 22 August 2006 22:02 (nineteen years ago)

FIRE THAT FAT FUCK HENDRY NOW

gear (gear), Tuesday, 22 August 2006 22:02 (nineteen years ago)

Can you do that?
(knowingly trade damaged goods)

Thermo Thinwall (Thermo Thinwall), Tuesday, 22 August 2006 22:04 (nineteen years ago)

if info is withheld, no

gear (gear), Tuesday, 22 August 2006 22:16 (nineteen years ago)

Well I mean, he was coming off a major injury, so I'm surprised that Hendry didn't conduct a thorough physical.

polyphonic (polyphonic), Tuesday, 22 August 2006 22:33 (nineteen years ago)

he's a hands-on GM usually, i'm surprised too

gear (gear), Tuesday, 22 August 2006 22:36 (nineteen years ago)

This team is getting better by the day!

mattbot (mattbot), Tuesday, 22 August 2006 23:19 (nineteen years ago)

I'm assuming the guy I saw at Shea Tuesday in the "Cardinals take it in the Pujols" shirt was a classy Cubs fan?

Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Thursday, 24 August 2006 14:33 (nineteen years ago)

Why didn't you say hi to me?!

mattbot (mattbot), Thursday, 24 August 2006 14:52 (nineteen years ago)

Can you do that?
(knowingly trade damaged goods)

Jays-White Sox! Mike Sirotka!! FUCK YOU KENNY WILLIAMS.

NoTimeBeforeTime (Barry Bruner), Thursday, 24 August 2006 14:55 (nineteen years ago)

Oh right. That had been purged from my memory.

Thermo Thinwall (Thermo Thinwall), Thursday, 24 August 2006 14:57 (nineteen years ago)

It's basically impossible to "prove" that a club knew a guy was injured before trading him, but if it didn't happen in the Sirotka case, it'll never happen. FUCK EVERYONE INVOLVED IN THAT TRADE.

NoTimeBeforeTime (Barry Bruner), Thursday, 24 August 2006 15:11 (nineteen years ago)

OK, but it was kinda funny how David Wells went down mid-season with a crippling back injury and threatened to retire, which was basically his way of telling people that he didn't want to pitch in Chicago.

NoTimeBeforeTime (Barry Bruner), Thursday, 24 August 2006 15:13 (nineteen years ago)

Dusty pulls out an old classic when asked about what the Cubs need to do to win next year:

Next year: Do the Cubs need to improve their on-base percentage next year? They currently rank last in the National League with a .318 OBP.

"On-base percentage is great if you can score runs and do something with that on-base percentage," Baker said. "Clogging up the bases isn't that great to me. The problem we have to address more than anything is the home run problem."

mattbot (mattbot), Thursday, 24 August 2006 21:11 (nineteen years ago)

Derrek Lee is penciled in at 1B today.

Steve Shasta (Steve Shasta), Monday, 28 August 2006 21:17 (nineteen years ago)

What's gonna happen with Nevin now that Lee's back?

Steve Shasta (Steve Shasta), Wednesday, 30 August 2006 16:12 (nineteen years ago)

Michael Barrett out with an intrascrotal hematoma. Zambrano pulled in 2nd inning with lower back tightness. Laissez les mal temps roulez!

mattbot (mattbot), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 01:24 (nineteen years ago)

Yeeeowww, Pierzynski's gotta have a(n anatomically correct) Barrett voodoo doll.

Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 18:48 (nineteen years ago)


$95 million payroll and, as of today, the worst record in the National League. A 3-21 finish will make them the worst Cubs team of all time.

I wish I could perform like this at work and not lose my job :(

mattbot (mattbot), Wednesday, 6 September 2006 17:44 (nineteen years ago)

three weeks pass...
So long Dusty!

mattbot (mattbot), Monday, 2 October 2006 17:23 (nineteen years ago)

Every time I see this thread I think one thing:
A) Never.

Thermo Thinwall (Thermo Thinwall), Monday, 2 October 2006 17:32 (nineteen years ago)

MacPhail resigned too!

mattbot (mattbot), Monday, 2 October 2006 17:56 (nineteen years ago)

someone needs to fire hendry

gear (gear), Monday, 2 October 2006 18:02 (nineteen years ago)

i blame dusty for a lot, sure, but it's tough to manage when hendry stocks the roster with slap hitting middle infielders

gear (gear), Monday, 2 October 2006 18:03 (nineteen years ago)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5k0xjuLGso

(warning: crummy song, but it's sort of funny. esp since it was made on may 26.)

maura (maura), Monday, 9 October 2006 08:25 (nineteen years ago)

"Now Lou PinielLA is what you call a, ah praFESSional MANager. He's looking to get a, ah Alex RodRIGuez ahn put up some CROOKED NUMBERS."

Phillips: "Piniella wants to win."

Andy_K (Andy_K), Tuesday, 17 October 2006 16:10 (nineteen years ago)

That's been the problem with Cubs managers the last 100 years, they haven't wanted to win. Looking forward to ring after ring with Sweet Lou and the injured two.

mattbot (mattbot), Tuesday, 17 October 2006 16:19 (nineteen years ago)

they should've hired girardi.

hstencil (hstencil), Tuesday, 17 October 2006 16:21 (nineteen years ago)

Andy, who's that first quote attributed to?

David R. (popshots75`), Tuesday, 17 October 2006 16:22 (nineteen years ago)

My newly developed Piniellabot.

Andy_K (Andy_K), Tuesday, 17 October 2006 16:26 (nineteen years ago)

Phillips = direct quote, however

Andy_K (Andy_K), Tuesday, 17 October 2006 16:31 (nineteen years ago)

YES, a place to send A-Rod to. I was telling people the prepster fans at Wrigley would eat him up even before the Cubs scooped up Piniella.

in other news, my autographed copy of http://www.heartlanddigsandfinds.com/store/graphics/Product_Graphics/Product_3277.jpg fails to appreciate in value.

▒█▄█ ▄▄▄ ▒█▄█ , Tuesday, 17 October 2006 19:09 (nineteen years ago)

classic link re Cubs on ESPN.com:

"Steve Phillips: Players needed"

Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 17 October 2006 19:23 (nineteen years ago)

I was gonna ask what happened to Bud's Must Interview Minorities for Managerial Openings rule, til I realized Piniella must qualify.

Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 16:07 (nineteen years ago)

I'd like a Chicagoan's opinion on this:

Sammy (Wrigleyville): Are the Cubs still relevant?

Nate Silver: One of the stories that got somewhat buried in the national media is that the White Sox did better TV ratings than the Cubs by a fairly wide margin. I think the Cubs have 2007 to remain relevant, but if somehow they manage to have a year that's been as disappointing as the last couple, I predict that you start to see a fair number of empty seats in Wrigley in 2008.

Is he talking about national or local TV ratings? It wouldn't surprise me if the Sox drew better on Sunday Night Baseball, but as for the local market, are Cubs fans really switching sides?

NoTimeBeforeTime (Barry Bruner), Friday, 20 October 2006 16:55 (nineteen years ago)

i think there has definitely been some apathy regarding the cubs the past couple of years, and there were even empty seats in wrigley this past season. the general consensus from fans i know is the team is run incompetently, the pitchers are obviously not being taken care of*, and the lineup is top loaded with singles hitters who don't walk.

i didn't even bother to watch a single game after the initial post-derrek lee injury slide.

*i think this point has everything to do with the team, btw. there's always been talk that wood's delivery contributes to his injuries, but no one has bothered to push the issue with him obviously. and word is mark prior, for all his impeccable mechanics, doesn't take care of himself as well as he should. whatever the truth may be, there's some smoke there.

gear (gear), Friday, 20 October 2006 17:01 (nineteen years ago)

four years pass...

didnt wanna spoil new Cubs thread w/ '06 revelation:

http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2011/2/22/2008549/dusty-baker-given-lovely-parting-gifts-as-cubs-manager

kind of shrill and very self-righteous (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 22 February 2011 21:35 (fourteen years ago)

O_O

old man yells at poop first thing in the morning (pixel farmer), Tuesday, 22 February 2011 21:39 (fourteen years ago)

Prior or Wood would be justified.

reggaeton for the painfully alone (polyphonic), Tuesday, 22 February 2011 22:14 (fourteen years ago)

i was thinking wood b/c wasn't he the guy who smashed sosa's boombox with a baseball bat?

dark horse possibility: david aardsma, because of his family connections.

omar little, Wednesday, 23 February 2011 16:13 (fourteen years ago)


You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.