Hey, it's a somewhat regular lineup
With the Cubs facing CC Sabathia today, Lou trots out some of the regulars:
Soriano, LF
Theriot, SS
Lee, 1B
Ramirez, 3B
Johnson, CF
Hoffpauir, RF
Cedeno, 2B
Blanco, C
Guzman, P
Lou says DeRosa will try running tomorrow at Wrigley Field. When Lou was asked whether DeRo would be ready for Wednesday's Game 1 of the NLDS, he first said, "He'll be ready Wednesday." Then, he added, "We think he'll be ready Wednesday."
Fukudome isn't playing. Lou says he wanted to leave Fukudome with a positive feeling after yesterday's homer. It's gotten to that with a $48 million player?
Big Z is still boycotting us. Oh, well. He's supposed to throw tomorrow after not wanting to pitch today.
Henry Blanco is batting .297. Maybe he can get a couple knocks today and get his average up to .300. It's been quite a year for "Hank White," who is one of the top-notch people on the team. The Cubs could do far worse than him next year. I'd like to see him back. He's also meant the world to the development of Geovany Soto. I'll bet Hank manages a team someday.
Ryan Theriot enters today batting .306 with an OBP of .386. He's in the NL's top 10 in both categories and he's second in multihit games. Still, I suspect some folks at some of my favorite sites will want an "upgrade" at short next year. As long as he's healthy, Ryan Theriot is the Cubs' opening-day shortstop in 2009, and he'll come at a great price.
Sidenote - Who the hell picked that fat, unfunny retard Jim Belushi to MC the Cubs rally?? Ugghh ... painful :(
Couldn't we get someone that was actually funny and/or relevant like Bill Murray or John Cusack??
Without using the word 'retard'?
Well..no Shea stadium, and no trip to Houston for you (though the weather is great right now).
Too bad they couldn't squeeze one more win out of it to hit your 98-win target.
But...I'll take it!!!
You kept track of that little prediction I made a few weeks back? Scary. Just don't look at my preseason picks. (Hell, I can't even remember 'em.)
I hope the Cubs offense really comes alive in the post season or their starters work deep. Am not looking forward to facing the Dodgers and their league-leading ERA, as that could be AZ revisited. UGH.
Cubs need to keep working deep counts so that if the Brewers make the playoffs, he's on fumes.
Will Zambrano have to talk with the media in the playoffs? Does baseball enforce that issue like the NBA?
They usually trot the next day's pitcher out to the interview room. At time, maybe we make too much of this, but none of the other four starting pitchers acts like this, and I believe we've treated Zambrano more than fairly. A lot of his teammates don't like the act, either, so it's not just a media thing.
Hell, it's beyond time. I realize when he came up in 2001 he was basically a kid. But even three years later he let his antics get the best of him in that game against the Cardinals at Wrigley when both Edmonds and Rolen hit monster blast off him. Enough is enough.
The one real issue they have is CF, and the market there isn't very good. They'd probably have the best results moving Dome to CF and trying to find a corner outfielder, unless Pie convinces them otherwise.
We were talking about the CF situation this morning. It's not a great crop out there. Pie is pretty deep in Lou's doghouse. He didn't look very interested in those two flyballs yesterday. He was handed the starting job at the beginning of the year and played himself out of it.
I can see moving Fukudome to CF. As you said, his numbers might be more palatable to some if he plays there.
..leave him in, Lou! :-)
Do you expect any 'noise' from the Mets regarding the "bullpen by committee" today?
The Mets didn't complain when the Cubs started Pie, Hoffpauir, McGehee and Koyie Hill against them last week. The Cubs are 3-3 after the clinching, throwing out makeshift lineups and limiting their starters to 80 pitches the last two days.
Given how well he's pitched of late, I'd be tempted to put him in the #2 slot.
...instead of having Marshall mirror Rich Harden on days he pitches, they should have him mirror Big Z. What a head case.
As for The Riot, no "upgrade" needed. I know Tejada had a pretty good year for the disAstros (even after finding out he's probably two years older than advertised), but we could do a lot worse. Tom Veryzer anyone?
Or even Jeff Blauser for about $4 mil.
Mick Kelleher.