Watching a Team Implode…Chicago Cubs 101
Well, if you wear one of those royal blue caps with the big red ‘C’ on it, baseball hasn’t been fun this year.
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The Chicago Cubs have connected their team to an explosive wire and pushed the big TNT lever down like Wiley Coyote. The Riot, Ted Lilly, Mike Fontenot, and now Derek Lee are all gone. The Big Z blowout didn’t help anything either. It’s been a cruel year. As some might remember from one of my very early articles this year, we haven’t heard the grumbles in Chi-town quite yet.
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This marks the end of the Cubbies making runs in the NL Central. Last year they fell way short but they were the favorites. This year they were a limb pick. Next year, don’t even pick up the season preview sports fans, it won’t be kind. The Cubs will rebuild and my advice to them, again, is to look to Ryan Sandberg. It’s time. The fans are going to need to look forward to something, especially after deporting so many fan favorites.
Derek Lee was an oft-worn jersey in the stands. I definitely saw his end soon, just not this soon. He’s a good fit for the Braves because of the Chipper Jones injury and a recent Troy Glaus DL visit. Lilly has been doing well in LA and I always like Font-te-not-te-not, as only I called him.
I was curious why Theriot had to leave though. I thought he was a Cubbie for life. I guess they didn’t want anyone to replace Ryno. Don’t worry, no one ever will.
The Trade Deadline- Yankees, Cards, and more Yankees?
The trade deadline is over and someone made out like a bandit. Of course, it was the Yankees.
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Lance Berkman and his 326 homeruns landed in New York. The rich always seem to get richer. Berkman is on his worst stretch this year and no one can dispute that. But listen, is this even fair? What in the world did Houston get for this? It isn’t nothing but it sure isn’t enough for the SWITCH-HITTING, ALL-STAR-PLAYING, HOMERUN-SMASHING BERKMAN!
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Melancon, I’ve read, is a speedy youngster with a slightly above average bat and the other guy is a reliever. Neither player has spent any time at the big league level. The Astros are dumb and will be eating the Carlos Lee contract while they sit in the basement of the terrible NL Central. STRIKE ONE!
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The Cardinals traded a fan favorite in Ryan Ludwick. This one made sense for everyone except for the St. Louie fans, most likely. The Cards right fielder often found himself on the DL except for a phenomenal season in ’08, he hit 37 bombs and batted just under .300.
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He goes to SD where they get the Red Birds a starting pitcher from the Indians in a three team deal. I like Westbrook but he is a lot like Luddy-injury prone. So, the two teams swap DL plagued players. The Pads needed a bat and the Cardinals needed a pitcher to replace the oft injured Lohse and Penny. Cards fans won’t like losing the hard-playing Ludwick but they should be happy the team is most likely ending the awful Jeff Suppan experiment. STRIKE TWO!
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The Yanks landed Berkman but also Kerry Wood. He can strikeout batters but his arm is built like an Jenga tower 30 minutes in to the game. Look out! In a year and a half with Cleveland he’s kept his ERA at around 5.00 which isn’t bad for a closer. And he’s pitched a whopping 75 innings. What are the Yanks doing?
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I’ve never liked Wood. People think he’s worth more than he is. He was always a decent number two or three starter but no more. Then the injuries came and he went to the pen. Now, he’s a glorified setup man. That’s all. STRIKE THREE AND I’M OUT!
Ryan Sandberg…the Chosen One
With Lou Piniella calling it a career after the 2010 season, it’s a former Cubbies time to shine.
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Ryan Sandberg is the premier choice for the Chicago campaign next year. The once NL MVP has the drive and compassion for the crazy bleacher bums, and the normal Cubs fans.
He has the credentials as a player. He retired the all-time leader in homers by a second basemen. He did this with only hitting 30 homers in 1989 and 40 in 1990. Other than those two occasions, he never eclipsed 26. Also, he was a run-scoring, base-stealing machine finishing with over 1,300 runs scored and 344 bases stolen. He was a career 285 hitter.
Drive is what I see in Ryno though. After a miserable 1994 season in which he batted 238 and stole two bags with 9 doubles (he has over 400 career), he left the game. But that Cubbie drive brought him back to one of his best seasons in 1996. He played out the 1997 season and is now a Hall of Famer. That drive to come back to the game is what could drive him into the Cubs managerial role.
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Piniella looks bombed out. His tattered face has rarely seen a razor and at times been covered in grey. The clean-shaven Sandberg is battle ready. Ryno is currently managing the Iowa Cubs and also had some time with the single A affiliate, the Peoria Chiefs. I say give him a chance. At the very least it would be great positive publicity for the team. They already have Greg Maddux waiting in the wing to be the next GM. Maybe he should spend some time with the Cubs pitching staff who, after a great start, are a middle of the pack-type group.
MLB Division Leaders 2010
This time a year ago every division in baseball had a different leader. Now, not every team that was leading at this point went on to win the division but it proves that the MLB season is a marathon not a sprint.
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What surprises me the most? The NL West has the Pads in first when in ’09 it was LA. San Diego should hold onto their slugger Adrian Gonzales and closer Heath Bell to keep this dream alive.
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Then there’s the NL Central. The Cards are a favorite this year but a year ago it was Milwaukee that was running the show. The Red Birds would go on to get Mark DeRosa and Matt Holliday along with Julio Lugo to solidify the Central late in the season. This year the Reds need to make some moves if they wish to put themselves ahead of the Birds.
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The Braves lead the East because the ’09 team at this point is injured to hell. The Phillies are losing players left and right and now Chase Utley is out for who knows how long. I still think Philidelphia comes back to win the division.
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As for the American League, we were talking Angels last year. Now the Rangers are the best team in baseball. Don’t get too carried away. I’ll still stick with my Mariners pick but it’s looking bleak. They’ll probably trade Lee.
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The Yanks are in fist but Boston was last year. I’d like to see the Rays make a run but they need to get it in gear. Boston and New York are outplaying TB.
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Finally, that AL Central. The Twins are running the show now and I think they’ll win it easily. We were talking Sox and Tigers last year. Mauer and company has it together just like I thought.
My picks aren’t too bad right now. Phillies, Cardinals, Dodgers. Yankees, Twins, Mariners. Wild Carders- Giants (get it going!) Red Sox.
Why Carlos Zambrano is a true Cub
It’s like the Detroit Lions or the L.A. Clippers, nothing goes right for the Cubs. Thats why Carlos Zambrano is a true Cub.
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His outbursts are constant and unnecessary just like the Cubs eager moves which never seem to workout right. There’s the closer problems. Since Rod Beck we’ve seen some awfulness come out of that sideline bullpen in the ninth. Flash Gordon, Latroy Hawkins, Joe Borowski, Kevin Gregg. Yuck.
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Then there are the knee-jerk trades that lead to stardom. Gary Matthews Jr., Dontrel Willis, Mark Grace wins a series, Greg Maddux years in Atlanta, Jamie Moyer, and did you know Lou Brock was once a Cub?
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Zambrano is another failure of an organization known for terrible luck. He’s a goner and so are the Cubs this year. They’ve stuck with him too long. I thought he’d turn it all around when he threw a no-no. But no.
Fun fact for the Cubs, did you know that the Cubs had the Peoria Chiefs affiliate for 17 of the last 25 years? The eight years they didn’t have it these players were in the organization; Placido Polanco, Dan Haren, J.D. Drew, Yadier Molina, and Albert Pujols. That was when the St. Louis Cardinals had them.
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STRIKE TWO!
