Last night I dreamt that a friend started an order:The Canons of Wrigley Field. If only.
I haven't watched Bull Durham in about 6 years. Honest.
Recently in Chicago Cubs Category
Whatever you do, don't pronunce the vowels in Fukudome in the following order: schwa, long u, schwa, long e. Your wife might get offended.
How good is Fukudome? It's always hard to transfer numbers between countries, but as the folks over at The Cub Reporter point out, we're talking a high OPS (on-base percentage + slugging average, it's jsut a stat that mashes together two other stats to give a number that doesn't mean anything specific except the guy gets on base AND hits for power.) guy with defensive skills and speed. Next year's outfield will likely consist of, left to right, Soriano, Pie and Fukudome, all speedy, all with good arms.
The Cubs are also reportedly going after Brian Roberts, also known as "the guy who saved my fantasy baseball team in 05 (or was it 04?)." I don't think many people call him that though.
Phil Rogers shows what the Cubs line-up could look like:
Roberts, 2B.
Theriot, SS.
Soriano, LF.
Ramirez, 3B.
Fukudome, RF.
Lee, 1B.
Soto, C.
Pie, CF.
Wow... wow.... that's an American league line-up. But I'd but Fukudome 2nd, put Theriot in the 6- or 7-hole and slide everybody else up.
As for the goodbye -- the Cubs said farewell to Mark Prior yesterday. To commemorate the event, The Cub Reporter recalls five of Prior's greatest games. It hurts to remember.
This season Chicagoans grew giddy as their “loveable losers� advanced to the playoffs. More than 42,000 fans came to the Cubs' game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on October 6th, many wearing T-shirts that read “Goat-busters� or “Just Believe!�. Less than four hours later, the Cubs had lost again. Some fans sighed; some cried. And the seasons, they go round and round.
There's a lot of pain in those five sentences.
P.S. The Economist seems to have added a Chicago correspondent, there have been several Windy City-related stories these past few weeks.
You want me to roll out the gush and the goo, the ``Go Cubs Go'' chorus, the Pat-and-Ronnie bop. You want me to suggest an emergency Bill Murray visit, an Ernie Banks pep talk, a Harry-and-Jack seance and all those desperate devices Cubdom pulls from its tail when 99 Seasons of Fear on the Wall are about to become 100.
Not really Jay. Nobody who's read more than one ofyour columns expects anything more than pompous half-educated vitriol. We'd like you to get fired and have to go cover the Lansing Lugnuts and have the SunTimes hand your column over to somebody with something new and/or interesting to say,
There's always next year.
Game 1: 3-1 D-Backs
I meant to blog this earlier in the week, but my take on the series is that man for man, the Cubs are the better team, but the most telling stats are:
- Arizona was 14th out of 16 teams in the NL in scoring runs - they actually got out-scored by their opponents on average - but still managed to pull off the best record in the NL.
- They led the league in 1-run wins. This almost necessarily follows from 1), but what they say together is that Arizona is opportunistic and good at ekeing out just enough runs to win.
Playoff games are usually close and are won by the team that doesn't make mistakes.
That's what happened today. What was the mistake? Pulling Zambrano after only 86 pitches. I'm currently listening to Lou Piniella rationalize it, saying he wanted to save Z to start him in game 4, the problem is the Cubs have to get to game 4 for that strategy to work. If the Cubs had been ahead at that point, I could see pulling Z, but with a tie game and Z dealing, Lou should have kept him in and penciled in Jason Marquis or planned on giving Z a short-start on Sunday.
Either way, it was a mistake. Arizona, a young, scrappy, opportunistic team, took advantage and were just good enough, as they've been all year long.
If we're going to win this, we can't make mistakes.
One more thing: I'm honestly not jumping to a conclusion from one performance, but I don't agree with putting Marmol in. Yes, he's been lights out all year, but he's still very young. That seemed to me to be the kind of high-pressure situation they were prepping Wood for the past few weeks. If Marmol were a pressure-pitcher, he'd have been made the Cubs' closer months ago.
On the positive side, it should only get easier for the Cubs' offense. I wouldn't mind seeing Dan Davis in Cubby blue some day, but look for Lilly to have no mercy tomorrow night.
GO CUBS!!!
The Sun-Times runs down the moves that made the 2007 national League Central Division Champion Chicago Cubs possible,
YOUR 2007 NATIONAL LEAGUE CENTRAL DIVISION CHAMPION CHICAGO CUBS
With their victory tonight and the Brewers' loss to San Diego, the Cubs have clinched it. Their last division title came in 2003. The four-year interval is, believe it or not, the fewest season between Cub playoff appearances in my lifetime.
Carlos Zambrano came through in a big game, delivering 7 strong innings of shut-out ball.
Alfonso Soriano set a major league record with his sixth lead-off homerun in the month of September. He also tied Ernie Banks' Cub record of 13 homeruns in the month of September.
The Cubs can rest up for a few games. Division series pay starts early next week. It's not clear who the Cubs will be playing, since the other two divisions and the NL wild card are all up in the air.
Here's where I wish I were partying tonight!
Mama-Lu on Kerry Wood's clutch performances:
Wood was always the best at getting himself out of jams. He kept it together better than Zambrano, but he got into more trouble than Prior.
Kerry Wood had another brilliant relief stint yesterday, coming in with bases loaded and no outs and escaping with a strikeout and double play ball. He stayed in for another inning, and after a one-out base hit off of his foot follwed by a walk, Wood again escaped on a double play ball. He hit 97 on the radar gun yesterday and had good movement on his fastball.
I continue to think Lou is prepping Wood for serious post-season duty. If our starting pitching stays as shaky as it's been early on, we're going to need strong middle relief. Right now, I'm feeling good abour Wood being that guy.
That is, if we can make it to the playoffs...
Magic Number: 2
GO CUBS!
The Cubs' combined stats for the three game series sweep that just ended:
Hitting:
30 R 45 H 9 HR .391 BA 0 Errors
The starting pitching was spotty the first two games, but the bullpen was solid the whole series against a good offensive team and today Carlos Zambrano finally gave a good starting effort. Note also that Kerry Wood pitched two innings with a large lead. I'm thinking Lou Piniella is getting him ready for serious post-season duty.
Oh, and incase you forgot, I said this in August:
[Leadership] was the most important thing about the Soriano pick-up (note how their biggest stumble since early June came when he went down). He gave the team a defining character (which is also why it was important to put him in the lead-off spot and in left field when he faltered in the 5-slot and in center field). When he comes back, this team is not going to look back, even if he's not 100%.
Cubs record since Soriano came back: 16-10
Soriano in that time: .293 BA 13 HR 23 RBI 19 R
Magic Number: 4!
Feeling the heat of the pennant race? Is every game, every pitch as exciting as 2003? Well, here's some news to make your spine tingle:
As reported on mlb.com:
Prior plays catch at Friendly Confines
That's right, the one-time "future of the franchise" can finally play catch!
Snark aside - go Cubbies! I wish I could watch all the games fom work!
But that's not to say the Cubs have underperformed. They haven't. This goes right to why it's so hard to go from worst to first in one season. Stick with your guys, and they aren't likely to be suddenly good. But put together a bunch of new ones, and you have no identity, no clubhouse culture. Piniella had to sift through an awful lot, figure out who can do what.
I've been saying this to anybody who will listen for 8 months. When people would ask about this year in Spring, I would say, "Wait and see. That's a lot of change for one off-season. It's going to take time for the team to gel."
It's even worse than Couch says, because the Cubs have had no consistent leadership since Sosa left. Zambrano and Barrett (when he was with the team) are too crazy, Lee, Ramirez and Maddux (when he was with the team) are too much the quiet types, Wood and Prior are broken-and never-around types. That was the most important thing about the Soriano pick-up (note how their biggest stumble since early June came when he went down). He gave the team a defining character (which is also why it was important to put him in the lead-off spot and in left field when he faltered in the 5-slot and in center field). When he comes back, this team is not going to look back, even if he's not 100%.
Zambrano said all the right things after the 6-2 win. The night before, he told himself, "Tomorrow is the season opening for you. Forget about anything else. Just start from tomorrow." But isn't that a dicey proposition for anyone thinking of paying him up to $100 million -- that he starts the season two months late?
This is the Wham Bam Thank You Zam that Cubdom adores. This is the ace/stud/stopper who gives his team a chance not only to topple the Brewers -- a rotation-challenged ballclub with no arm to match him -- but do some damage in a month that must be whispered around Wrigley Field (October, shhhh). In nine starts since his Nuts on Clark, two-round smackdown of Barrett, he has been baseball's surest thing, allowing two or fewer runs eight times. His latest win was his 12th, inching him toward Cy Young Award contention and his first 20-win season. He has been so brilliant, you wonder if he'd have won 30 if he'd punched out Barrett in Mesa...
It is the duty of the Tribsters, then, to respond in kind and give him his money now in their final act.
Let's just call him fair-weather Jay.
No, I'm not whining about pro-choice Republicans, I'm bringing you gold - USA Today's profile of Hall of Fame Cub Ryne Sandberg midway through his first year managing the Cubbies Class A affiliate in Peoria.
Sandberg, 47, approaches his job with the Peoria Chiefs in the same manner he did everything in his 15 seasons as the Cubs' second baseman — The Right Way. No shortcuts, no big-leaguing it, no mailing it in. He rides the team buses, stays in the economy motels, takes his rotation pitching for batting practice, coaches third base during games and files daily reports on his players....
Sandberg's credentials — 10 consecutive All-Star Games, nine consecutive Gold Gloves for defensive excellence, 1,061 runs batted in and a .285 career batting average — give the manager instant credibility with his aspiring players, who range in age from 18 to 24. Some remember seeing him play; some don't.
Sandberg hears one comment often from them: "Hey Ryno, you were my parents' favorite player."
That notion definitely plays in Peoria: The Chiefs' second baseman is Ryne Malone, and the spelling of that first name is no coincidence. The Clinton, Iowa, native was named after Sandberg.
Hmm... Anthony Ryne Lu? Er... pretend you didn't read that.
I didn't know until I read this that Sandberg interviewed for the Cubs job last year. That must have been in my disenchanted period. According to the article, Hendry recommended he take over Peoria to get some experience.
This reminds me, I gotta get out there for a game.
Chris DeLuca on Zambrano's fresh start:
"I'm 1-0 with 6 2/3 innings, and from now on, I will try to think like that."
The official record will show that Zambrano is 6-5 with a 5.38 ERA and pummeled his own catcher in his previous outing.
Mariotti on Z and Barrett:
An enraged human being doesn't beat the snot out of someone -- six stitches, one black eye, facial cuts, permanent dignity loss -- and then feel enough love for a brother 18 hours later to weep in his arms. Same goes for Barrett, who couldn't possibly have looked in the mirror and felt affection for Zambrano.
I bet you a million dollars that Jay Mariotti does not have brothers (or, ahem, little boys close to the same age) - oh, and also that he has never seriously competed in sports. This stuff happens all of the time. Guys get ticked off when the team is doing bad, they misdirect that anger at teammates, go at it, and then kiss and make up. It's neither a good nor smart thing to do, and it's absolutely crazy to do it in the dugout in front of the cameras, but it's what happens, especially with incredibly competitive guys like Z and Barrett. It's not a matter of Barrett looking in the mirror and feeling "affection," it's about forgiving your buddy because you're feeling the same frustration that he is.
Man, I remember going at it with my best friends over pick-up basketball - the shoving, the swinging, the cursing, being separated by our friends. Then you walked away, the adrenaline and testosterone rushes abated and there were never hard feelings afterwards.
For all of his bluster and arrogance in his writing (and especially his TV appearances), Mariotti very often seems to not know what it's like to be a man.
Oh, there's also this:
Zambrano said all the right things after the 6-2 win. The night before, he told himself, "Tomorrow is the season opening for you. Forget about anything else. Just start from tomorrow." But isn't that a dicey proposition for anyone thinking of paying him up to $100 million -- that he starts the season two months late?
Shame on Zambrano for trying to make a fresh start after a disastrous two months! How dare he start over? Keep sucking eggs Zambrano! Lose! Lose! Lose!
Reports of Jay Mariotti being an arrogant jerk are highly under-exaggerated.
I haven't said much about the Cubs in a while. Mostly because I did not and still do not know what to make of this team. Anytime you have such a drastic overhaul of a baseball team, there will be no way to know what the end-result will be. It doesn't matter how much you spend, you still have to take those individuals and make them into a team. I was skeptical about Jason Marquis and Mark de Rosa, but excited about Soriano, Floyd and Lilly.
Well, the results so far have not been pretty. We have the highest powered line-up we've had in years, but can't score any runs. This team, which was explicitly built to win with the home run has exactly two players on pace to hit 20 or more home runs. Our $136 million man Alfonso Soriano, who we brought in to hit 30+ home runs, drive in 90 + runs and steal 30+ bases is on track for, in those respective categories, 18, 42 and 24. 4 of our starters - that's HALF of the position players we trot out every day - are hitting .254 or less.
On the pitching side, things are a bit better. The starting rotation has been solid: Marquis and Lilly have been excellent and Rich Hill has shown that last year was not a fluke. The arrival of Sean Marshall to fill in is good news, as he was one of last year's bright spots - hopefully he'll never see AAA again. Ryan Dempster has been solid, with only 1 blown save in 12 chances. The problem, amazingly has been our ace, Carlos Zambrano. He's been crazier han usual, culminating in his dugout fight last Friday with teammate Michael Barrett. That, and the middle relief can't get the job done. Last I checked, they were leading the league in losses. With an anemic offense, you simply can't afford to have a shaky pen blow what few leads you can get.
Making it worse is that the never-ending saga of what the h*** happened to Mark Prior and Kerry Wood (now guest-starring Wade Miller, though his problems aren't "homegrown" the way Prior and Wood's are) is still playing in the background, giving the whole season an even darker and more somber tone than it deserves on the merits.
That drama came to the NY Times this week, which had a lengthy profile (free reg. req.) of Kerry Wood and his history of arm troubles in their Sunday sports magazine. It's not a fun read for any Cubs fan, but though those of us whose answer for the Cubs' mid 2000s woes is "Blame Dusty!" should give it a fair reading.
What continues to baffle me is that nobody ever talks about the Cubs' training and medical staff when these things come up. I'd have fired the lot of them in June of 2005. Larry Rothschild seems to get off scot-free, too. Yeah, sure it's hard to deal with 25 year-olds with arms of gold, but if he couldn't do it, then the Cubs should have brought in somebody who could command more respect.
I still have optimism for 2007. The NL Central is still wide open. The Cubs have good enough players, it's just a matter of them coming together as a team, having somebody step up to be a team leader (Lee and Ramirez are too laid back, Barrett and Zambrano are too hopped up on crazy) and finding a winning groove. Personnel-wise, we need to keep prospect Felix Pie in the bigs and let him learn through major league experience. We should then ship off some combination(s) of Matt Murton, Cliff Floyd, Jacques Jones and one or two of our young pitchers for a bullpen arm or two and a shortstop that can bat his weight, or preferably Daryle Ward's weight.
It is certainly not too late. GO CUBS!
I haven't done much Cubbie-blogging this spring, as I've been incredibly busy. You may have heard that the Cubs are on the auction block since the folks who are buying out the Tribune company have this silly idea that media folks should stick to media and not be running baseball teams.
Today, Chris DeLuca of the SunTimes notes that baseball guru and Cubs zealot Steve Stone, the anti-Dusty, is having his cell phone overheated from prospective buyers wanting to bend his ear. Stone also expresses interest in a high-level job with a future owner. "I would like to think that whoever gets the team, if he did his homework around the Chicago area, he would find that I would have something to lend to that group."
That might sound a little arrogant, but any serious Cubs fan would have to agree. The added bonus in all of this is that with Stone occupying a high ranking position, we'd have to say goodbye to Hendry.
Oh please, let it be so.
If Marquis can come close to pitching like the 300-game winner [Greg Maddux], the Cubs will be in great shape.
"If Papa-Lu can come close to buying out CitiGroup, the Lu- family will be in great shape!"
Carrie Muskrat's over-ratedness (I realize nobody has actually ever rated the Cubs' beat reporter, but I stand by my words) aside, did you that THERE WAS MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL BEING PLAYED TODAY?!!?
Let's play ball today
The Cubs are on their way!
OK, sure they lost, but it's only spring training. And I don't care what the score is, it's great to see a major league box score!
Kerry Wood falls from hot-tub, bruises ribs.
ONE WEEK 'TIL PITCHERS AND CATCHERS!
Oh, and just 'cuz... here's the Cubs 2007 schedule.
I believe that Ron Santo's absence from the Baseball Hall of Fame is as severe of an injustice as can be, if in fact those words can be legitimately applied to anything sports related. There are many reasons why he should be there, but the most convincing may be so that the guy who wrote this, this and this can get out more.
I forget to mention when it went down a while back how excited I am that Hall of Famer and greatest Cub of all time Ryne Sandberg was named manager of the Cubs' Class A affiliate in Peoria. Apparently, I'm not the only onehappy about the news.
First Jody Davis and now Ryno. Boy oh boy it must be heaven for any Peorians who were Cubs fans in the 80s.
Cubs sign Perez to Minors deal
No, not that Perez, thank goodness.
8 years, $136 million is a bit much, but even if, say 4 years from now we end up dumping him off to a contender and eating half his contract, I won't so much mind if there's a world series in there.
Why the fuss over Soriano?
He was third in the NL with 46 home runs, tied for sixth with 41 stolen bases, first with 89 extra-base hits, second with 363 total bases, third with a .368 leadoff on-base percentage, first with 22 outfield assists and ninth with a .560 slugging percentage.
Soriano also became the first player in history with 40 home runs, 40 stolen bases and 20 outfield assists in a season, and he was the first with 40 homers, steals and doubles in a season.
Foolishness of the DeRosa signing aside, this ain't a bad starting lineup:
Alfonso Soriano -- .277, 46 HR, 95 RBI (2006)
Cesar Izturis -- .288, 62 RBI, 25 SB (2004)
Derrek Lee -- .335, 46 HR, 107 RBI (2005)
Aramis Ramirez -- .291, 38 HR, 119 RBI (2006)
Jacque Jones -- .285, 27 HR, 81 RBI (2006)
Michael Barrett -- .307, 16 HR, 53 RBI (2006)
Mark DeRosa -- .296, 13 HR, 74 RBI (2006)
Matt Murton -- .297, 13 HR, 62 RBI (2006)
Murton's numbers will be better, DeRosa's will be worse and who knows whether Lee will ever be able to match 2005 again. But that's still two speed guys, four home run guys, no .250 averages and a big smile on my face.
Now, how 'bout a starter or two? Or three?
Ge here for the most frightening headline in team history.
The Tribune has the best Dusty Baker quotes from every season he was with the Cubs.
Some highlights:
- On Antonio Alfonseca as his closer:
That closer is the guy with the black hood on that's pulling the rope on the guillotine to take the last breath out of the opposition for a loss, and to take the last breath out of anything is tough. I'm a hunter, and I'll shoot a dove or a quail, and right before I'm about to wring his neck, it'll peck me one more time. He can't do anything to me, but he's fighting for his last breath.
- On seeing a billy goat before Game 6 of the National League Championship Series against Florida (middle right):
I was on Madison Street in front of the Billy Goat Tavern, and there was that dude out there with a billy goat and a camera crew. I just said, `Oh, Lord.' I waved to 'em, but they didn't know it was me. He was a pretty handsome old goat though. He's not your normal, can-eating, tied-up-in-the-back goat. He was a handsome goat. This goat looked like he came right off a goat contest.
- On not showing emotion during a losing streak:
I remember (former Braves manager) Eddie Mathews turned over a food spread once. What good does that do? What's that? To get your blood pressure up and you can die of a heart attack? After Eddie turned it over one time, it was hot dogs, and we thought it was ridiculous. We even went and washed the hot dogs and ate 'em.
The freakish string of injuries that has doomed yet another Chicago Cubs season came to new shuddering heights Saturday, as...
Continue reading The Freak Train Rolls On.
Maybe I could have gone to bed two hours ago instead of waiting up to catch the final Cubs score.
See the insane box score here.
All right, it's war dangit.
I hereby call upon the north side to take up arms and storm the south side with violent fury.
Carlos Zambrano whacked on pitching arm with bat by White Sox coach.
What? We don't have enough problems?
Or as one of the Cub Reporters put it: "Next up on the Cubs injury front, Aramis Ramirez gets nailed by an anvil after rounding second base."
Speaking of Bonds...
May has been a tough month for Cubs' fans. The Cubs won on May 1st and haven't won since. 8 straight losses, and we don't even get a day off until Monday. Most of these games have been played on the west coast, which means going to bed not knowing what that night's game's result will be, and waking up to dissappointing news.
Last night, however, brought one of the greatest moments of the year.
Here is Juan Pierre robbing Barry Bonds of the homerun that would have tied him with Babe Ruth for number 2 on the all-time homerun list.
I would rather see the Cubs get swept in SanFran and bring the losing streak to ten than see Bonds rounding the bases for the 714 time against my Cubs.
Here's hoping.
The Chicago National League ballclub's farm system has only one of the top 50 minor league prospects?
What a difference a few years make.
Pitchers and catchers have reported to Mesa. Thanks be to Yahoo for pictures!
Pictures are below for those who wish to see, but first, I just have to tell you how awesome my wife is. As I was typing this post, I started singing the little song which is the title of this post. From dining room table, Mama-Lu asked, "Pitchers and Catchers?"
Reason number 35156168768514 that I married very, very well.
Continue reading It's the most - wonderful time - of the year.
What can a Cubs fan feel upon hearing the news that the Cubs traded Corey Patterson to the Baltimore Orioles for two minor league players but sadness?
Patterson has the tools to be one of the best hitters in the game today. Indeed, we've seen flashes of his potential. Unfortunately, his development with the Cubs organization was radically derailed in 2005, and it has been clear to all observers that he had to go.
Patterson has a chance yet to be great, but not with the Cubs. In 2005, Patterson lost the trust of management, fans and the Chicago media. There's no way he can make that up with Cubs, and so if he's going to be anything in the bigs, it will have to be for somebody else. Even then, there's no guarantee he can do it. He has to make up his mind about what kind of player he wants to be, the Orioles need to respect that decision and use him properly (or persuade him to fulfill the role they have in mind for him), and then Corey has to carry through. His career could easily falter on any of those points.
As for the players they received in return: don't expect to hear their names again. They are mid-level prospects who have not played above A-ball. I may be proved wrong, and would love to be, but the only real upside for the Cubs is beng free of Patterson's $3.5 million contract.
I said a couple of weeks ago that I would be OK with a less-than-superstar in right field. I fear Jim Hendry was reading this and took me a little bit too seriously. He signed former Minnesota Twin Jacque Jones to a three year deal.
The good news is Jones comes cheaper than it would have been to keep Burnitz around, so if they're still looking to make some moves, that's at least $2 millions more to work with.
On the whole, it was a good move for the Cubs. Jones is durable and solid. On the other hand, they could have snagged somebody comparable for less money. It could be worse, however. I sure am glad we didn't shell out $52 million for Johnny Damon like the Yanks just did.
I hope Hendry isn't done yet. We could still use a starter and a middle infielder.
Tejada backs down from trade demands.
Doh!
Way to whip a whole city into premature hysterics, Mikey.
Jay Mariotti on the Cubs' need to land Tejeda.
The new game in town, if you haven't noticed, is whether the Cubs can match the breakthrough of the 2005 White Sox. Based on their hit-and-miss offseason so far, I will assume they cannot ... unless they shock me by seizing a wonderful new opportunity. I would like to think Jim Hendry and the Tribsters, flush with cash in their Sammy-and-Nomar-free budget, are sincere in their assertion that they will inquire about Miguel Tejada, a wise man who wants out of a hideous situation in Baltimore.
Amen to that. When my kid cousin can gloat and all I can do is hang my head, something has to change (j/k Eric).
Enter the Cubs. The area code for Crabtown, in case Hendry forgets from his Sammy Sosa-peddling days, is 410. Still searching for a prominent middle infielder and armed with megabucks after whiffing on Furcal, he never has encountered a more important possibility in his suddenly wobbly general-managing tenure. Package kid shortstop Ronny Cedeno, kid pitcher Rich Hill, the useless Patterson -- really, any collection of players the Orioles want other than Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez, Pierre, Mark Prior and Carlos Zambrano. Throw in the ticket-scalping operation, if need be. Because fun as it will be watching Pierre scratch his way onto base, he isn't worth 20 victories by himself. Let Hendry be excited about Cliff Floyd, who had a nice year for the Mets. And Julio Lugo, who would be a serviceable shortstop. And Milton Bradley, whose over-under on his first psycho temper tantrum is April Fools' Day. None of those moves would push the Cubs toward the Holy Grail.
Tejada is another story.
I like Mariotti's list of untouchables, although I would add a few of our prospects to it after watching us give up a swath of great pitching prospects for Pierre.
The problem is this: Tejada wants out, but the Orioles aren't desperate to sell. And since they're not looking to unlead him, the Cubbies are going to have to give up something real.
Yes, it will probably hurt, but landing Tejada would give the Cubs three all-star infielders all age 30 and other. That, to me, spells endurance.
So who are some of the players not on the list that the Orioles might take? The one that jumps out is Ryan Dempster. Slated to be the Cubs' closer, he is an able big-league starter and he's only 28 years old. The Orioles could use him either way. They struck out landing a closer at the winter meetings, and their rotation is full of holes as well.
In addition to Dempster, the Cubs could throw in Neifi Perez, who would fill the O's hole in short. There's also Patterson (if they want him) and prospects like Ronny Cedeno or one of the young bullpen arms the Cubs have (Novoa, Wellemeyer, Ohman); all are expendable for the right cause.
This would leave the Cubs without a closer, but we just spent almost $25 million on relievers, so some combination of existing hurlers should be able to get the job done. Personally, I think Scott Williamson or Todd Wellemeyer (if he's still around) could do well in the role, but I've been accused of naive enthusiasm for these two.
Regardless, the opportunity here is to have the best infield in the National League and the second best in the majors, and that is just too good to pass up.
If the Cubs could pull this off, the could start Jose Macias in right field for all I care.
Mariotti closes by nicely summarizing what's at stake:
No team in American sports should feel more urgency than the Cubs. Now that the Sox have beaten them to the ultimate Chicago dream, every day is going to be hell until they write the same story.
UPDATE: Tejada is backing off the trade demand. Grrr...
So the Cubs have a center fielder/lead-off man, and a good one at that. That leaves right field as the hole remaining to be filled.
There are several option, but let's look at what the Cubs need by first looking at what they're replacing.
Jeromy Burnitz played a decent right field for the Cubs last year. I have to admit I was annoyed when the Cubs picked him up, but he did the best job anybody could filling in for Sammy Sosa: he provided a decent bat and kept his mouth shut. I think the Cubs should have given him a class bonus before sending him on his way.
Anyway, here are his stats:
AVG: .258 HR: 24 RBI: 87 R: 84 SB: 5
Like I said, decent.
I don't think the Cubs need to do all that significantly better than this statistically to be great this year. The more, the merrier of course, but what matters are consistency and presence.
With that in mind, here are my suggestions:
- Reggie Sanders - Were he not appraching 39 years old, I would say this is the end of discussion, but his age merits some careful consideration. Reggie is a complete player; here are his stats from last year for when he played just 93 games for St. Louis
AVG: .271 HR: 21 RBI: 54 R: 49 SB: 14
Extrapolate those out to 150 games and you have about 35 HR and 75 RBI. Plus, he brings a veteran presence to a line-up that isn't as full of proven veterans as Dusty Baker is used to working with.
- Juan Encarnacion - Here are ths stats:
AVG: 287 HR:16 RBI:76 R:59 SB:6
Encarnacion is not yet 30, meaning if he works out, he could hang around for a while. An ex-Marlin, he's familiar with Juan Pierre and Derek Lee, adding chemistry as the Cubs could build up their ex-Marlin army.
- Rondell White - "Didn't we try this guy already?" you ask. Indeed we did, but this time around, he wouldn't be playing second-fiddle. He'd be fourth- or fifth- fiddle, which is more appropriate for him.
The stats last year, in just 97 games:
AVG: .313 HR: 12 RBI: 53 R: 49 SB: 1
That comes out to about 17 HR and 75 RBI over 150 games.
UPDATE: A commenter pointed out that Rondell might well be nicknamed "Mr. Glass." Not something the Cubs need.
- Preston Wilson - Another ex-Marlin, Preston could fit right in with the Cubs line-up. Put him between Lee and Ramirez and he could see some pretty good pitches and build upon these stats from last year:
AVG: .260 HR: 25 RBI: 90 R: 73 SB: 6
- Kenny Lofton - Another veteran, Lofton would bring a different set of skills than the previous guys.
AVG: .335 HR: 2 RBI: 36 R: 67 SB: 22
Less power and more speed with a higher average. Adding his run-scoring to Pierre's could be the right mix for the big bats of Ramirez, Lee and Matt Murton (if he proves to be as good as management thinks he will be).
- Carl Everett - Fresh off of a championship season, he could bring a winning attitude to the clubhouse. I seem to remember reports of him being a hot-head, though (anybody confirm or deny that? Eric?). If so, I would say stay away.
AVG: .251 HR: 23 RBI: 87 R: 58 SB: 4
Those are the free agent options. Any of them would be at least equal to Burnitz, and many of them bring an element of winning experience that the Cubs sorely need.
UPDATE: Welcome to Topix.net subscribers! Feel free to look around and comment on anything you see here.
2 pieces of news:
First the good: It looks like the Cubs are going to land Juan Pierre.
Bravo! For once we can count on the tables being set for the big guys.
Now, the bad news: Dusty went to talk to Milton Bradley of the Dodgers to consider him for right field.
All I have to say is... WHAT?!!? Milton Bradley? Are you kidding me? Leave this psychopath where he is!
Does the Cubs management have some kind of love for the Dodgers? First Hendry lets Furcal get away and sign with L.A. and now Dusty wants to relieve them of this high-strung maniac? My heart! AAAHHHHH!
Here's the money quote from Dusty:
"I don't know if I can make a difference. It's a risk," Baker said. "I talked to Manny Mota and talked to some people on the Dodgers, and they said there's a good chance [Bradley] can relate to you and perform.
Oh! The psychopath's current employer thinks he'd fit in somewhere else! Well then, it must be true! Surely they have no motive for getting rid of him.
Tell you what Dusty. I have an old brick here that I think you could really do something with. A little work, some mentoring, and I think this brick would be great in right field for you. You're good with inanimate objects and I think it "can relate to you and perform." Just give me Todd Walker and your top two prospects and $4 million dollars...
So now it seems Hendry is going after Juan Pierre and may trade Todd Walker. NOOOOOOOOOOO. Yes, get Pierre. He is the absolute best we can do for center field/lead-off, but we still need more power, and having Jerry Hairston Jr. at second over Todd Walker is a serious step back in every way.
Right now, the infield looks like this: the corners are anchored with Lee and Ramirez. The center has Walker and Neifi Perez. If we get rid of Walker and start Hairston at second, we better be trading Walker for one of the TWO sluggers we would then need to bring into the outfield. We would be comitting to hairston at lead-off, which is fine if we fill center and right with big bats.
Here's an option: Roger Cedeno is a free agent. We could pick him up as a cheap center field/lead-off man and spend big bucks for a major slugger for right field.
Another option: Kenny Lofton for center field. He's already played for the Cubs, beng part of the Pittsburgh Three that almost got the Cubs to the World Series in '03. Additionally, he's a veteran of the type that Dusty Baker manages so well. With him in center, we could go for a cheaper right fielder, somebody like Preston Wilson or Reggie Sanders.
Through all this, I still have yet to see a name seriously floated for right. Burnitz - who served admirably as the replacement for Sammy Sosa - is gone, and we need somebody serious there.
I'll say it again - if the Cubs don't acquire a productive player for the outfield, we're cooked. It doesn't have to be a star - we've got Lee and Ramirez to hit the homeruns. We just need people to beef up the bottom half of the line-up.
Cubs GM meets with Rafael Furcal.
I am excited, but I bet Larry is about to wet himself.
Every day the Cubs spend signing relievers and back-ups and not closing deals to strengthen their swiss-cheese line-up I start feeling sicker and sicker. We have not a sing