The Cubs Report returns and wonders just what the hell everybody’s so gloomy about? The Cubs have played the entire season without at least one of the Sosa-Wood-Prior triuvirate, and for a time none of the three were on the active roster.
So where are the Cubs? Are they 31-54 and wallowing in last place? No. They’re 41-34 and in second place in the division, and leading the NL Wild Card chase. Mark Prior’s back, Sammy Sosa’s back, and Kerry Wood’s due back in a week or so. So why the long faces?
A month ago we were worried the Cubs would be so far out of the playoff hunt when June ended that there’d be no chance to get back into things. Instead, the Cubs are 15-10 in June and in two weeks the difficult part of their season schedule will be over.
They had plenty of chances to fold, and they didn’t. So relax. Enjoy it. The good part is coming. We promise.
Sammy!— Predictably he strugged after coming back off the DL, but not as much as we all feared. He sent a Stevie Loiaza pitch into orbit on Sunday and followed that with another bomb to right field and a Cubs’ lineup that is strong from top to bottom still needs him. No matter what your personal feelings for Sammy are (and if you don’t like him, you’re a dope), he’s the most consistent offensive force on the team. The offense will be better now that he’s back and back in form. Now if only Dusty would move him back to the third spot in the batting order where he belongs. Why does he belong there? Because his .378 on base percentage looks a lot better in front of Moises Alou than Moises’ .325 one does in front of him.
Moises Alou— When Sammy was out, Moises got a lot of credit for picking up the slack, and some of it is deserved. He’s having a good year and though he can’t throw to save his ass anymore he’s played a surprisingly frisky left field. But as good as he’s played he’s not on a pace to drive in 100 runs even though two guys who bat behind him are. You just hope Todd Hollandworth’s bruised shin heals before Moises’ inevitable ankle/wrist/groin injury.
Corey Patterson— Nobody has taken more crap this year than Corey and for a good stretch it was deserved. His defense in center field has been good all year (he will, on occasion get to a single only to have to reach down four times to pick it up–that never gets old), and he’s the only Cubs basestealing threat. In June he’s hitting .316 with a .369 on base average and a .505 slugging percentage. We can live with that. Oh, and he’s 24 and has a whopping 378 Major League games under his belt. Cut him a little slack.
E-ramis Ramirez— Until his defensive meltdown on Sunday, E-ramis had done better than anyone had any dreamed he could ever do defensively. He’s got good reflexes and a cannon for an arm, and when he actually takes the time to step towards first base when he throws he’s very accurate. There’s no doubt that having the mammoth Derrek Lee at first has helped him, but most of the improvement is on Aramis. Offensively, he’s a stud. His average is up to .325 his on base average is .370 and he’s driven in 54 runs in 75 games. If not for a certain mongoloid in St. Louis he’d be the NL’s best third baseman (apologies to Mike Lowell and Adrian Beltre). His plate discipline is improving and it’s not absurd to wonder if someday E-ramis might challenge for a batting title.
Todd Walker— He was supposed to come in as Mark Grudzielanek’s backup and maybe play a little first, a little third and a little left. Instead he’s played 64 games at second base. Defensively he can be an adventure, but offensively he’s the best the Cubs have had at second since that Sandberg fella. He draws walks, hits for power and his on base percentage is nearly as high as Kenny Lofton’s was with the Cubs last year. (It’s higher than Lofton’s is right now.) He needs to remember to shave, but other than that there’s not much to complain about.
Mark Grudzielanek— When he tore his Achilles’ in spring training you wondered if he’d get back for the season, and if he did how long it would take him to get back into form. Well, it took him a game to get back to where he was last year. This might be Gruddy’s perfect role. Dusty is going to try to get both Walker and Gruddy three starts a week. The truth is the Cubs have two second basemen better than the one most clubs trot out there every day.
Derrek Lee— He was abysmal in April, mediocre in May and absurdly hot in June. What we need is for Derrek to just be good the rest of the way. Defensively he’s better than advertised, and if Chip and Steve weren’t so busy trying to give his Gold Glove away to Albert Pujols (and have you never seen Pujols make an exceptional play at first? Ever?), they might want to focus on just how good the guy they see every day is. Lee looks to be on pace to hit 30 homers and drive in 100 runs and well, at least people will stop deriding him with comments that he’s just a taller, tanner version of Mark Grace.
Michael Barrett— In the spring I called him Jim Hendry’s white whale, because from the time Hendry took over as the GM he’s been trying to trade for Barrett. Well, this year he finally got him and now we know why. He’s slumping right now and is down to .283, but when you look at what the Cubs got out of their catchers last year he could drop another 40 points off his average and still be an improvement. (Memo to Michael: Don’t do that.) Defensively, he’s got his moments. This weekend at The Cell, his glove had a hole in it, but over the long haul so far, Barrett’s been a keeper. Now if only they could do something about his backup. But we’ll get to Gabor in due time.
Todd Hollandsworth— It could be instructive that though he’s been around for less than half a season he’s already the best baserunner the Cubs have ever had. I don’t mean he’s the fastest, just the smartest. There’s never been any doubt about Todd’s ability, though, just his ability to stay healthy. There are two kinds of fourth outfielders. The kind the Cubs usually have are the ones who suck too bad to play every day. The other guys are the ones who just can’t stay in the lineup full time. That’s Todd. We don’t expect him to finish the season over .500 as a pinch hitter, but he’s already proved valuable. And it was nice to have a real DH this year for the Interleague games.
Tom Goodwin— Tom Goodwin has never been a good baseball player, and this year he’s absolutely terrible.
Jose Macias— In the past ten months, Jose has walked once. Way to go, Jose! Supposedly he can play every position on the field, but Dusty won’t even try him at shortstop, so he’s been limited to some second base action and some in the outfield. In right field he approaches fly balls like he’s trying to sneak up on them. This, I do not like. Jose is not very good.
Ramon Martinez— When you look at his numbers since Alex Gonzalez got hurt, Ramon’s been pretty good. Not great, not even above average, but solid. He’s the only player I’ve ever seen who noticably slows down after three consecutive starts, and that causes a problem because the Cubs literally do not have another shortstop right now. Things will be better when Ramon is back on the bench, and only asked to help out once or twice a week. For now, we have to live with him and Rey Ordonez. Wow, just typing that gave me a stomach ache.
Rey Ordonez— Thirty six at bats, three hits, three errors. There’s a special section in hell for guys like Rey.
Gabor Paul Bako II— What can we say about Gabor that we haven’t already said? Bill Simmons has a saying that good players bring things to the table and really bad ones actually take things off the table. Gabor’s got a pocket full of silverware right now.
Alex Gonzalez— Casey Daigle did something that nobody thought was possible (no, not date a gay softball player) he managed to make Cubs fans miss Alex Gonzalez. When Daigle hit Gonzalez with a pitch (though home plate umpire Charlie Reliford didn’t think it hit Alex) and broke his arm, Cubs fans rejoiced. We thought it would mean the Cubs would trade for Orlando Cabrera or Omar Vizquel. No, instead it’s been a revolving door of Ramon Martinez, Damian Jackson and Rey Ordonez. Wow, here comes that stomach ache again.
Dave Dubois and Jason Kelton— Whatever, like they’re not interchangeable. They are both ripping the cover off the ball at Iowa (especially Dubois) but whether or not they ever get to really play for the Cubs is up in the air. Oh, and here’s a shock. Nic Jackson is out for the year with an injury. Who had late June in their pool? Anybody?
The Franchise— He missed the first two months with a phantom Achilles injury and is just now starting to round into form. It’s a testament to his raw talent that even at 80 percent effectiveness he’s 2-1 with a 3.28 ERA. His main problem hasn’t been arm strength, but control. For most pitchers 10 walks in 24 innings isn’t that bad, for Prior it’s cause to reform the Warren Commission. He does have 28 K’s in those 24 innings though, and so you know that he’s close. Some dope (Jay Mariotti) wrote that the only way the Cubs can get back into the race in the NL Central (like they’re not in it right now) is if Prior and Wood go on some sort of roll down the stretch. Well, put me in with the guys who think that’s absolutely going to happen. A rested Mark and Woody mowing down the dregs of the NL in August and September is the kind of thing that keeps The Genius up at night. Muahahahahahahaha!
Kerry Wood— Please hurry back! When he got hurt on May 11 in Los Angeles it was an ominous sign, even when they said it wasn’t “serious.” Six weeks later he’s still not back. But if (and if is the key word) he really is healed now, he’ll arrive just in time. Morans can claim that the Cubs haven’t missed him because of Glendon Rusch, but the reality is that when you take one of the five best pitchers in the NL off your staff, you miss him terribly. We’re missing you terribly, Kerry.
The Lawnmower— I’ll tell you what my first thoughts were on Saturday when he started that game in Comiskey. I thought, “Oh, crap he’s too hyped up again, just like the playoffs last year.” I don’t think Carlos’ struggles in the playoffs last year were because he was tired. I think they were because he’s 23 years old and from time to time he gets too fired up. His ball was moving all over the place on Saturday (just like in Atlanta and Florida last year–and even in Cincinnati in his last regular season start) and when he’s calm, he uses it to his advantage. When he gets excited the only way he can think to straighten it out is to try and throw it even harder. That’s a bad thing. Because eventually he’ll either walk himself into a stupor or he’ll let up on one to get it over and give up a bomb. That’s what happened. But for most of the season, Carlos has been dominant. He’s going to be a great pitcher. Not just a good one, a great one. He’s young, he’s got great stuff and he’s a competitor. You can’t not love the guy. He’s pretty close to great already.
Greg Maddux— His last three years in Atlanta taught us this about Greggie. Most of his starts he’ll be the great Greg Maddux. He’ll have pinpoint control and the other team will be screwed. But unlike his glory days, from time to time he’ll have nothing and it’ll be batting practice. That’s only happened three times with the Cubs so far, but when it happens (like on Sunday) it’s alarming. He’s the best fifth starter in the game, though, so who’s complaining? Not me.
Glendon Rusch— In 2001 and 2002 I had partial season tickets for the Brewers. I saw Glendon Rusch a lot. He was awful. I keep waiting for that Glendon to show up. But every time he starts to struggle, he seems to be able to adjust and pull it all together again. So far. Hurry back, Woody! At the very least we need Glendon in the bullpen, where he was very good for the Brewers last year after a horrible stretch as a starter. Oh, and he can hit, too.
LaTroy Hawkins— I cringe whenever some nitwit says he can’t close because he doesn’t have the mentality for it. Screw that. LaTroy could be the NL’s best closer (non-Gagne division) because he’s got serious s@#$ and great control. There’s no doubt he’ll do a great job in that role. The only problem is that his ascension to closer leaves a hole in the set-up corps. As for LaTroy not talking to the media, I wish he’d take it a step further. I wish he’d not talk to them, and stuff most of them down the laundry chute.
Regular Joe— He became Irregular Joe sometime during Spring Training and was finally diagnosed with a frayed rotator cuff. Does that heal on it’s own? The Cubs seem to think it will. We love Joe because he’s a regular guy. He’s been through independent leagues, the Mexican League and all over the minors and when he’s healthy he’s got just enough to get you out. Plus, he’s sweaty and always looks panicked on the mound. I find that strangely endearing. I hope he gets healthy and gets back into the bullpen because we need him, and he deserves to be part of the pennant the Cubs are going to win this year.
Jon “Ice Man” LeICEster— Nice of Hawk and DJ to not bother to learn how to pronounce Leicester on Friday, huh? Yeah, they’re a couple of pros. Honestly, if you put Todd Wellemeyer’s uniform on the Ice Man would you know the difference? I didn’t think so.
Todd Wellemeyer— How can you get hurt when Dusty never lets you pitch?
Frank Beltran— Other than the fact he insists on walking the first batter every time he comes into a game, I really like Francis. He’s big, he’s got some serious s@#$ and (this is true) he and Carlos relax in the clubhouse by putting boxing gloves on and just beating the hell out of each other. How can you not love that? I can’t wait for the first guy dumb enough to charge the mound with either Francis or Carlos on it.
Mike Wuertz— Is awful. Just go away. My favorite line from any CubsLive this year was when an intrepid reader posted “From bad to Wuertz.” Good stuff.
Jimmy Anderson— Yes, we sent him a pizza in Houston after he saved The Franchise’s win over Roger Clemens. But come on, he’s Jimmy Anderson. He’s not good.
Kent Mercker— I loathe him. Not only because he can’t do the only job he has (get a lefty out!) but because he pisses and moans about every call. Just learn to throw strikes or go home and wait for your brain to explode again, Kent.
Mike Remlinger— The Cubs think Lemons is a cute nickname for their bench guys, but in reality it’s what Remlinger’s been ever since they signed him from the Braves. If he was a car and was this beat up, you’d be able to take it back to the dealer and demand your money back. He’s on the DL…again, and even if he can’t get healthy, he could get a freakin’ haircut.
Sergio Meat Tray— This ought to scare the hell out of you. At Iowa, Sergio has a 1.71 ERA in 37 innings. Honestly, why isn’t he in the bullpen right now instead of Wuertz? And don’t give me that “he’s too stretched out to go to the bullpen” crap. He’s a pitcher. Just have him warm up and come in. And how sad is it that I want the Meat Tray on the roster right now? Oh, just shoot me dead.
Dusty Baker— It amazes me how much crap Dusty takes from the media and the fans. Do we not remember what this team was like the day before he took over? The Tribune even ran some dumbassed article yesterday about how Ozzie “outmanaged” him this weekend. Oh, cram that. Dusty knows what he’s doing. I love to rip managers and coaches more than most people, but I just don’t see any real reason to not trust Dusty.
Chip Caray— Tomorrow is the deadline for the Tribune Company to tell Chip whether or not he’s going to be offered a contract for 2005 and beyond. There is some speculation that they haven’t told him, and that they are hoping he will them that he’d like to consider other opportunities after the season. He doesn’t like it in Chicago. The fans don’t like him, I’m mean to him, his family (if they exist) is still in Orlando. Let’s hope he does the sensible thing and just goes away. Will we miss him? Sure, we’ll miss him. Like you miss a boil on your ass after it heals.
Steve Stone— Steve, it’s time to brush up the act. We know what you’re going to say before you say it. Get some new stuff. You’ve already beaten things like “ooh, there’s poor visibility for the hitters” into our heads, we know that an 0-2 pitch in the dirt is good idea and that you and Chippy like to pretend you never pay for a meal. If you can’t spend a few hours and think up some new stuff to bore us with, it’s time to retire. Again.
Ron Santo— I only have one complaint about Ron. When you are just listening to the Cubs on the radio and not watching them as well, you can’t help but panic every time he groans. He needs to add a level to his groans. You know like when something unfortunate, but not tragic happens on the field he can go, “Oooooooh!” And he can save the “Ohhhhhhhhhhh noooooooooooooo!” and “Dangit!” for a three-run homer or a line drive off the pitcher’s head. Otherwise, I love Ron. In a manly way.
Pat Hughes— He’s still underrated. How is this possible? I loved Vince Lloyd, but Pat’s better. Even if he does have to poop in the seventh inning of every game. Pat’s tremendous.
Andy Masur— Two things, Andy. First, you have to learn which pitch is which. You have to tell us if it was a breaking ball (specifics would be nice) or a fastball or a change. Secondly, when you do your scoreboard updates during day games when the Cubs and their opponents are the only ones playing, don’t take three minutes to do it. Thanks.
Overall: I’m obviously sick of the loathing going on about the Cubs current position. I think they’re in great shape for a second half run to the division title. The Cardinals are not that good. And even if they hang on, the wild card is going to be an easy get for our heroes. So relax. Enjoy this. It’s going to be great.
Alou-.284AVG 40HR 104RBI 102R
Barrett-.287AVG 19HR 91RBI 55R
Lee-.306AVG 21HR 100RBI 82R
Patterson-.281AVG 19HR 68RBI 88R
Ramierez-.325AVG 30HR 116RBI 120R
Sosa-.283AVG 35HR 86RBI 83R
Walker-.287AVG 25HR 63RBI 108R
Yeah, don’t worry about me. I’ve only got 7 wins, an ERA under 3 and the 4th most strikeouts in the NL.
What? Was I traded and not told about it?
Is that BC on the ad at the right of the column?
Well…Aren’t the ads supposed to be tailored to the visitors of the site?
Uh oh, it looks like someone forgot to take their medicine again.
"A month ago we were worried the Cubs would be so far out of the playoff hunt when June ended …"
Bzzz. A month ago you said if the Astros didn’t open a lead of at least a few games on the Cubs by June 1, it’s over.
Oh yeah, and Farnsworth would be pissed too, if he were awake.
What more can I say, other than that I don’t share your optimistic outlook. I could (and probably will) scribe a similar summary, except I will list all the things they do that bugs the crap out of me. The picture will then be gray, hazy and gloomy.
I guess I take the good things for granted.
:::…the reality is that when you take one of the five best pitchers in the NL off your staff, you miss him terribly. We’re missing you terribly, Kerry.:::
This is a text book example of a non-sequitur.
Kerry’s the #3 pitcher on this team, at best. You’re telling me that there are not three starting non-Cub pitchers better than Wood? Not necessarily guys that you would trade for Wood, but better pitchers right now?
Sure there are.
Sheets, Schmidt, Penny, Clemens, and Pavano are all having as good or better seasons than Wood. And with Wood’s history of injury (arm, back) it’s easy to say that many more are better.
Hell. Don’t dis the season Clement is having.
Kerry Wood is a good pitcher. He’s not top 5 in the NL. He’s in the 8 to 15 range.
Hey, Mike Remlinger did have one good moment with the Cubs…
He had that huge strikeout of Giambi in the "Roger Clemens wins #300 only to have Juan Acevado blow it for him" that helped the Cubs win the game.
I agree that if the Cubs don’t win the division, they will win the wild card.
But, winning the wild card is kind of like getting blown with a condom on. Yes, it achieves the desired goal, but it’s not as satisfying as doing it the old- fashioned way.
However, the last two WS Champs were the wild card entrants and if the Cubs win the WS, I probably won’t remember how they got there.
Crap. Alright here are Clement and The Farns. (I forgot the Farns once last year, too. He’s easy to miss what with him napping in the clubhouse all the time.)
Matt Clement: Though still prone to getting into trouble on the mound and looking like a lost kid in the supermarket, Clement’s season has been marked more by lack of run support than by the lack of his good breaking stuff. He’s sure to be somewhere else next year. Cleveland’s nice this time of year, Matt.
The Farns: If his first few fastballs aren’t called strikes you can bet he’ll have to resort to plenty of sliders. Half will be good, half will hang for all the world to see like Nell Carter’s old undergarments. Like Nell’s enormous panties, those sliders are hard to miss. The Farns is much better when starting an inning than trying to clean up somebody’s else’s mess. Which, is ironic given the state of his apartment.
—
Chuck: No.
Dr. Nick: The Astros haven’t opened a lead. And it’s over.
Hey, my defense was flawless last night.
Herr Dolan:
Der is un term for peoples under such delusions as you whenst one evaluates Herr Wood.
Cuckoo.
Hee hee, Albie!
Hey, maybe I can go back to the Magic!
According to the girl’s accusations, Givens exposed himself and asked the girl to touch him on three occasions. Sheriff’s officials said the incidents occurred in a swimming pool and in a bedroom.
What’s wrong with that?
I will change your charts back to "it’s over," double your dosage, and erase the note someone wrote in your file that said:
"A month ago we were worried the Cubs would be so far out of the playoff hunt when June ended that there’d be no chance to get back into things."
The loss of A-Gon has had nearly as much impact on this team as the losses of Wood, Prior, and Sammy for extended series.
His offense has been missed. Granted, he’s no A-Rod, Jeter, Nomar at the plate. However, if he wasn’t at SS in 2003, the Cubs don’t win that division. He is pretty damn steady in the field (NLCS Game 6 notwithstanding), and he provided some good offense (about ten times what they’re getting out of Ramon) from that position. Sure, he strikes out a lot and his batting average isn’t the greatest, but if you can’t even come close to replacing him, then the impact is pretty severe.
By the way, I always use 1984 as a benchmark for getting an idea of where a team is in a race. I don’t remember the specifics, but in early August the Cubs were down about four games, then went on to sweep the hated Mets in a series at Wrigley and proceeded to run away with the division.
All in all, I’d much better be the Cubs at this point of the season 4 1/2 games back than be the Cardinals with a 4 1/2 game lead. That team has been running at peak capacity and doing it with mirrors to some extent. They haven’t really had a key injury other than Albie’s arthritic hamstring. Take their two aces (who don’t even compare to Woody and Prior) for a couple of months each, take Pujols and Renteria out for a month or so each (their versions of Sosa and Gonzalez) and see where they’d be. They have no flexibility to take on any big contracts down the stretch, and their farm system is one of the lowest-rated in baseball, meaning there’s nothing there to trade.
We’ll see in early August.
Come on, I was just teaching her how to take it to the hole!
Looks like the Red Sox may be making a trip to the Friendly Confines in 2005…
http://redsoxnation.net/index.php?showtopic=5918
Good point about Wood. You’re wrong, but good point.
Until this year Pavano has been a below average pitcher. Way below average. Until this year Sheets has been an average pitcher. Same with Penny. Clemens has the benefit of being a HOF pitcher in a league where hardly anyone has faced him before. I’ll give you Schmidt. And with his pitch counts, he’s another injury waiting to happen.
Just because theay are having a great year doesn’t make them the better pitcher. I mean would you have wanted Brady Anderson after his 40 HR year instead of, say, Jay Buhner?
But Wood has never been an excellent pitcher. He’s had excellent starts, but never and excellent year. He walk totals are atrocious, and have not improved. He’s got a history of injury (arm, back) going all the way to high school.
He’s above average. He’s also a shinning example of falling in love with the girl you’re dancing with.
I’ll take him. I want him on my team. But I have no grand illusion about him. He’s not a top 5 pitcher in the NL or the AL.
You know what Kerry Wood is if he was as good as his hype?
Josh Beckett.
Beckett is Wood sans a 20 strike out game, reputation-wise.
The only way to prove who’s better is bring in Glavine, Johnson, Schmidt, Zambrano, and Clettitte and we’ll see who throws the best simulated game against Jose Macias.
The Cubs aren’t scheduled to play the AL East again until 2006.
Ordonez eats ass.
That is all.
The Cubs aren’t scheduled to play the AL East again until 2006.
Ordonez eats ass.
That is all.
The Cubs aren’t scheduled to play the AL East again until 2006.
Ordonez eats ass.
That is all.
My career record is 21-21.
Woody’s is 62-48.
So he’s me?
Take it easy, forklift.
Hey, I’d be having an All-Star season if it weren’t for these durn blisters!
Your blisters, my tricep. Wanna trade?
Kerry Wood didn’t walk me once in his simulated game. So you know he was sharp!
We’re the best in baseball! Well, the Todds are good, but Gabor, Rey, Jose and Goodwin are still really, really bad.
I think you’re undervaluing Wood because he played on some not so good teams. I won’t argue that Woody isn’t injury prone, but plenty of injury prone players have posted HOF stats.
Wood’s ERA+ since 1998: (for those non STAT folks, ERA+ is a formula that ranks your performance against the league when you standardize for park effects. 100 is average.)
1988-128
2000-89(after surgery)
2001-126
2002-110
2003-133
On average, Wood is 17% better than the average pitcher.
And Wood walked 92 guys in 2001 in 174 innings. In 2002 he walked 97 in 213 innings. In 2003 he walked 100 in 211 innings. The only year his walk rate hasn’t improved was the year after his surgery. So his walk rate has improved (or stayed constant).
He can also afford to walk more people because he allows fewer hits and strikes out more people than most.
K/9 rank:
98-1st
01-2nd
02-6th
03-1st
H/9:
98-1st
01-2nd
02-5th
03-1st
Becketts WHIP 1.28, Wood 1.30(first 3 seasons)/1.26 (overall).
Beckett is not a better pitcher. They are interchangeable. They’re the same guy. He doesn’t walk as many, but he gives up more hits. Po-TAY-toe/Po-TAH-toe
Here’s my stat, Spud:
World Series MVPs: 1.
:::He can also afford to walk more people because he allows fewer hits and strikes out more people than most.:::
And that’s why he’s not a top 5 pitcher. Were he to walk 20% fewer batters, he’d be a top 5 guy. Were he to walk 50% fewer batters, he’d be a top 2 guy. And with his health history, he can ill-afford to walk so many guys.
:::Beckett is not a better pitcher. They are interchangeable. They’re the same guy.:::
Exactly.
And no one in their right mind calls Beckett one of the five best pitchers in the NL.
Anyone got stats on pitchers’ OPS against?
Fork,
I read in the Sun Times that teh AL Central returns to the Cubs schedule in 2006.
That is all.
Fork,
I read in the Sun Times that teh AL Central returns to the Cubs schedule in 2006.
That is all.
Fork,
I read in the Sun Times that teh AL Central returns to the Cubs schedule in 2006.
That is all.
Fork,
I read in the Sun Times that teh AL Central returns to the Cubs schedule in 2006.
That is all.
I’ve got to concentrate… concentrate… concentrate…
I’ve got to concentrate… concentrate… concentrate…
Hello?… hello… hello…
Echo… echo… echo…
Pinch hitting for Pedro Borbon… Manny Mota… Mota… Mota…
Herpes has narrowly beaten the record previously held by B.C. of messages posted immediately after a post that ends "That is all."
Would that it were all.
Wood v. Beckett? It all comes down to Win Shares, my boy.
I’m just glad you’re nitpicking Woody’s rank instead of mine as the best closer in the NL other than Gagne.
Even my moms knows that’s a wildly foolish statement.
Dave B,
No way would I rather be 4 1/2 games back than 4 1/2 ahead.
Ask any moran whether they would want to switch places with us in the standings and I’m sure they would say yes, but they would be wrong. Then again, they also wouldn’t understand what you had asked.
I don’t follow you Chuck. What about that makes him not a top 5 pitcher? 20% fewer walks and you start categorizing pitchers as 1, 1a, 1aa…. 20% fewer walks and he’s Randy Johnson without the ugly.
BTW, OPS vs…
2001-2003: Wood .653, Beckett .669
And I think Beckett is just as highly regarded as Wood was when he first came up. It’s that he plays in a place where you don’t hear a lot about players (with the exception being their improbable run last year). Kerry gets the edge because he’s been doing it longer. Call it a tie breaker. Wood is top five. Beckett is top 7. (I’m giving myself a spot leeway because as much as I like to think I know everything, I don’t). I do know that Wood is a top 5 pitcher. Unless Joe Morgan agrees with me in a chat wrap, I’m holding my ground.
Its not a blister, jackass. ::hides ointment::
According to a probably wrong publication (only 2004 is taken into account).
1: Jason Schmidt
2: Randy Johnson
3: Roger Clemens
4: Curt Schilling
5: Ben Sheets
6: Carlos Zambrano
7: Matt Clement
8: Mark Mulder
9: Carl Pavano
10: Pedro Martinez
And your top 5 closers
1: Armando Benitez
2: Eric Gagne
3: Mariano Rivera
4: Joe Nathan
5: Eddie Guardado
Dolan, I have to agree pretty much on your report. You’re "Dead Eye Dick" for the most part.
My question would be, who will we trade and for what?
I’m thinking more bench and bullpen help.
Now saying that, who goes? Release Goodwin, Bako, and Ordonez. Trade Macias and get whoever to fill those spots on the bench.
Now to get bullpen help, you might need to get rid of the Farns or even Clement since his contract runs out this year. You might even throw in a Grud if the opportunity comes up.
Hendry has to find that perfect deal that works out for the Cubs and another team.
I don’t think however, we will make that blockbuster trade for a regular starting position. I believe we are stuck with what we got. Other than Gonzo and Patterson, we really don’t have a move to make.
So what are your thoughts about the moves Dolan?
Am I out there or am I right? I’d say we’ll find out after the All-Star break. Hendry will pull the strings then.
I just hope they are the right strings we need.
Where is The Beege playing now? I’m sure Chippie will have a comment or two about that situation on tonight’s broadcast.
Chippie’s probably happier now that the Beege won’t have to climb the hill in Houston anymore.
He’d hate that his little love bunny would get hurt.
LA has a AAA catcher that’s hitting .309AVG 8HR 46RBI. I bet they could use pitching help…
Re: the top 10
I was talking about NL only (don’t know if I made that clear earlier). And it may just be my preference, but when rating pitchers I tend to give the advantage to guys who have done it over a few years or have shown drastic improvement in the past couple years. I mean, would you rather have a Jason Jennings or Brandon Webb?
Please, no prospects on this team!! I will DESTROY them!!
Ok…so Wood has a record of 62-44, Beckett is 21-21…hmmm…Wood has been on a cople of good teams, and some pretty terrible ones. Beckett was 9-8 for a WS champ….ok, how are they the same?
Wins are more a product of your team than you. You could throw a no-no every time out but Iif your team can’t score, you get no wins. You judge a pitcher by what he can directly control (walks & k’s) and to a lesser extent ERA and hits.
Houston will win because I’m playing!
Kind Captain, I’ve important information … sing hey the kind Commander that you are…
I’m the conestant in tonight’s Allstate Back to Back Jacks game!!!
So this is how I stay in the game, now that the Gary Rail Cats won’t even have me…
Do I automatically win, considering that I could serve up back-to-back jacks with the best of them?
Get back to me when Beckett pitches a full year…or wins 10+ games in a year….Wood was 12-11 for a team that won 65 games in 2002….Beckett 9-8 for a team that went 91-71 and won it all….
Put down the crackpipe please…
that ball was nowhere near me
What was that all about?
All I need to do is breathe & someone hits a HR off me.
Wood also had more experience under his belt. If you can’t see the correlation between Wood and Beckett, thats your shortcoming, not mine.
How I wish we had a gamecast tonight! I can only imagine the Alou-ivy jokes.
I’ve just been informed the reason there was no official gamecast this evening, was that Andy was too distracted by the national anthem sung by SheDaisy prior to Tuesday evening’s Cubs/Astros game at Wrigley. As you know, he really digs the redhead…
I’ve just been informed the reason there was no official gamecast this evening, was that Andy was too distracted by the national anthem sung by SheDaisy prior to tonight’s Cubs/Astros game at Wrigley. As you know, he really digs the redhead…
Damn. My bad.
I played left field tonight. You’re all welcome.
To prove that I can in fact close games effectively, I got 5 outs in the 9th. Thanks, Ramon!
Time for some Chip consoling. Tough month for the Chippie one.
Andy would like to hang out in our Daisy Patch.
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