Chicago Cubs

Last night, I got to witness a masterful pitching performance first hand.  Actually, I saw two of them. Wandy Rodriguez was solid for the Astros, allowing just one run on three hits and one walk while fanning six over seven innings. His bullpen even backed him up with a perfect inning with one strikeout from reliever Latroy Hawkins. Adam Wainwrright was just better. He allowed the same three hits that Rodriguez did, but without walking anyone while shutting Houston out over eight innings. He also struck out five, none of which was bigger than pinch-hitter Jason Michaels' knees with a breaking ball in the eighth inning with the tying run at third base. Wainwright and Molina both showed a lot of emotion after that K. They knew it was a huge spot, especially with how cold the Cards' offense has been lately. I quipped to Meghan (we'll call her a cousin of no blood relation to keep things simple) after scoring in the first inning that with the way Wainwright's been pitching, we may not need much more than that. Well, I wasn't serious, but number 50 sure as hell was. The game ended in two hours and ten minutes. One last fact that will display how dominating both pitchings staffs were is that at no point during last night's game was there more than one base runner aboard. Both teams were limited to just one runner advancing to third base. The Cards scored theirs, the Astros did not, and it was the difference in the game. It isn't likely to get much easier for the birds' bats on Wednesday when they go against Roy Oswalt, who's coming off a performance of eight shutout innings.

Continue reading "John Smoltz, Adam Wainwright, and ..."

On Monday night, I arrived home from Laura's house around 12 a.m. Knowing the Cubs had taken a 1-0 lead into the bottom of the eighth, I decided to check the scoreboard first thing when I got to my computer. I discovered that the Cubs had managed to allow four runs in the bottom of the ninth for a 4-1 loss to San Diego. Maniacal laughter ensued. Chicago is now six games back and the gap doesn't look to get closer anytime soon. In the Cubs defense, I suppose the Padres were due for a win, having just been swept over the weekend by the Cardinals. San Diego had lost four straight overall, dropping the finale of a series in Milwaukee last Thursday. The Padres seem to be the Cards' best friend right now. They took two of three from the Brewers, got swept by St. Louis, and picked up a come from behind win against the Cubs to open Chicago's road trip. Hopefully the trend will continue over the rest of the week with the Cubbies in town for two more before the Cards visit " A Whale's Vagina" for four games over the weekend.

Continue reading "Cards Eek One Out in L.A., Cubs remain ..."

It's about that time of year. The time when NFL camps are in full swing, rankings are being released for college football, and the Cubs begin to wilt in the August heat. One week ago, the Cubs and Cards were tied atop the NL Central and Chicago was two games ahead in the loss column. In that short span, the birds have opened up a 4.5 game lead in the division and are three up in the loss column. People aren't making such a big deal about those games in hand now that the Cubs have started playing them and losing them. St. Louis has been taking advantage of their schedule as of late, winning seven of their last nine against the Mets, Pirates, Reds, and now the Padres. The Cubs on the other hand, had seven straight against the last two NL Champions, the Rockies and the Phillies. They only managed to win one of these games, thus allowing for the Cards to gain separation. The Cubbies get a slight break, as they're hosting the AAA Pirates this weekend and then will visit the lowly Padres for three, but then it's right back to business as they get the Dodgers for four in LA.

Continue reading "Cubs Starting to Fade in Central Race"

1. Well, the Cardinals' recent road trip didn't go according to plan by any stretch of the imagination. They had to salvage a win at the end of each series after dropping the first two. Coming home to play the Brewers didn’t improve things. The only lead the Cards had against Milwaukee in the entire series got washed out by a monster of a storm on Friday. Colby Rasmus, who hit the two-run homer in the bottom of the second of Friday’s rainout, managed to get it back by hitting another two-run bomb in the bottom of the seventh of Monday’s makeup. However, it wasn’t enough as the Cards were held to just six runs over the three-game series, none of which came during Adam Wainwright’s two-hit, one run performance on Saturday. The Cards managed to get back on track a bit on Tuesday, thanks to a three-hit complete game shutout by stopper Joel Pineiro (Did I really just say that?). Rasmus’ bat stayed live with yet another two-run bomb off of lefty Ted Lilly in the fifth. The Cards also managed to manufacture a run in the first with a leadoff walk to Brendan Ryan, a sacrifice by Rasmus, and a stolen base by Ryan off of Lilly whose ignorance of the situation led to there not even being a throw down to third. This set up Yadier Molina for a two-out RBI single to put St. Louis on top after one inning. Molina also helped the Cards get back some of their defensive prowess in the top half of the opening frame, picking off Alfonso Soriano off of first, the 29th time Molina has done so in his career.

Continue reading "The Cards' Cavalry is on its way"

The answer is “Yes.” The question was one posed by my friend Tyler after the Blues had clinched a playoff spot. If the Blues were swept out of the first round, would the fact that playoff hockey had returned to St. Louis be worth the Blues missing out on the top picks in this year’s draft like John Tavares and Victory Hedman? I told him to ask me again after the series was over, as I didn’t think we would get swept.

Continue reading "Reflections on the Blues' season ..."

The Blues win over Detroit on Thursday would've been inspiring no matter how it happened. But the fact that David Backes scored four goals (or five depending on who you believe, since Backes wouldn't claim it) was amazing. Every time the Red Wings got close, Backes would respond. If St. Louis meets up with Detroit in the first round, this game could be enough to give them a real confidence boost after being dominated by the Wings during most of this season. Getting a point in Dallas on Saturday will help the Blues' chances as well, but they're back to needing some help. They are right with the Ducks and Predators when it comes to points, but they are still behind in the wins column, which serves as the first tie-breaker. Hopefully the Red Wings will remain in contention for the Presidents Trophy long enough that they won't be resting players when they host Nashville on Thursday.

Continue reading "MLB Season Preview and Blues Notes"

Links weren't functioning properly today, so they're numerically listed at the end of the post. Sorry for the inconvenience.

In St. Louis, most Cardinals fans revere Cubs fans like the black, tarry substance which gum becomes when spit out on concrete over several years. It's disgusting, unsightly, and nearly impossible to get rid of. But every time we embark on a trip to Busch Stadium for a Cardinals Cubs1 series, they are there. 

Continue reading "Cubs fans' Blues (2)"

Jolly good to see you! My name is Daniel, and thank you for viewing my page. I'm pretty new to this blogging stuff, but i'm to give ol' Clayface a new body. <_< Anyway, Expect an analys

Continue reading "Hello!"

With the MLB playoffs set to begin, there is a subtle difference in the air compared to start of any other postseason. In the NHL, fans can potentially look forward to a great Canadians/Bruins series that is not only exciting, but has a historical kick to it. Likewise basketball fans always have the chance to see if the Suns can finally get past the Spurs and football fans love seeing the rivalry of the Eagles Vs the City of Philadelphia when the Eagles so much as get tackled for a loss.

Continue reading "The Ups and Downs of the MLB Playoffs"

I'm sorry I haven't been on here rigorously for some time. Life has caught up with me so to speak. I got a job at the local office supply store, I'm back in school, and so it pains me that my love affair with the Chicago National League Ballclub has been almost on hold.

Continue reading "No, not again. Please tell me I'm ..."

A few relatively minor items to cover with the moves made by a few teams recently. What might they mean in the second half? I’ll try and puzzle this out.

Tony Clark, who experienced a career resurgence the day he put on an Arizona Diamondbacks uniform back in 2005, hs returned to the cozy confines of Chase Field. Petco, where hitting a homer is as hard as hitting the lottery, wasn’t as kind to the aging Clark as Chase has been, so he’ll certainly improve on his 2008 line of .239/.374/.307. His 32:19 K:BB ratio, as well as hs 165-point difference between BA and OBP, will tell you his batting eye is fine, and some power should follow.

Continue reading "Roster Tinkering: What's it Mean?"

It’s the annual midpoint of the baseball season, and for the brief span that is the All-Star break, all eyes are upon the Bronx. As everyone is well aware of, this campaign is the last go around for the world’s most famous, largest, and most prominent ballpark, Yankee Stadium. It seems hard to believe, and even more sacrilegious that this living legend’s days are numbered. Built in 1923 and christened by the greatest ballplayer to ever live, Babe Ruth, the cathedral of baseball will never truly be replaced. Although the Bombers will move a block to Yankee Stadium’s heir, the Mecca of America’s Pastime will still live on in our hearts. Whether you’re a diehard Yankee fan, or Yankee-hater, you still can respect the history and awe that the stadium brings. So when the All-Stars take the field Tuesday night, sit back on your couch, crack open a cold one and soak up the history of Yankee Stadium, as its final chapter is unveiled to all of us.

Continue reading "National League Looks to End Rut"

One of the All-Star Break traditions: Reassessing our predictions from the first half of the season. Some of mine have changed, some have stayed the same—and some were just damn wrong. Living in the West, I will take the contrarian position and roll from west to east in my choices.

Continue reading "Second Half Predictions"

The other big trade that happened recently was the Cubs’ acquisition of the oft-injured Rich Harden from Oakland. This move is typical of Oakland’s business model, which involves shedding young stars before they get too expensive, often in exchange for other young or undervalued stars. In this way, they’re similar to the Florida Marlins, except that the Marlins tend to load up for concentrated runs at the championship (they have as many championships in the last decade as big-market Boston, and more than the Cubs have in the past hundred years), while the A’s tend towards consistent competitiveness.

Continue reading "NL Central Trade Analysis, Part Two"

Still playing ketchup here, trying to make up for a four-day absence from the blog, so I want to start with the big trade of last week, the CC Sabathia swap. The usefulness of this deal to the Brewers is a little dubious, as CC is likely to be a half-season rental, but let’s break it down:

Continue reading "NL Central Trade Analysis, Part One"

It’s been three days since the Cubs acquired former Oakland ace Rich Harden, and those three days have shown a lot about the club. Harden has said he couldn’t be happier in pinstripes and has so far looked like a good fit in the clubhouse. He instantly has formed a sort of kinship with fellow British Columbian Ryan Dempster, and has received the praise of pitching coach Larry Rothschild. Like fellow former American Leaguer stud pitcher “CC” Sabathia, Harden has been place right in the middle of the Senior Circuit’s best race so far. With the Central’s big three clubs separated by less than five games, the division could go either way. For the Cubs, Rich Harden will be a key piece in taking their second consecutive title away from Sabathia’s Brewers. Sabathia was acquired a mere 24 hours before Harden, but by no means is Harden any less of a pitcher despite being the consensus second best available pitcher.

Continue reading "All-Star Break Push: Harden added, ..."

The Cubs wrapped up a key road trip on Sunday in St. Louis, and signs of an end to a slight June swoon may be developing. After winning the series with the arch rival Cardinals, a series that should have definitely been a sweep, the health of ballclub is rising.

Continue reading "Healthy Cubs are Dangerous Cubs"

Geovany Soto C – Chicago Cubs

Soto has shown that not only is he by far the best hitting Rookie Catcher since Mike Piazza, but a team leader as well. He catches for a club who has faced some adversity with the pitching staff, the arm troubles of ace Carlos Zambrano, the suddenly human Carlos Marmol, and the lefty without a command and a big league address, Rich Hill. But despite the strenuous measures that the Puerto Rican rookie has endured so far, his poise has kept him as a producer. He’s on pace for around 25 homers, 100 runs driven in and over 40 doubles. That is a stellar season for any catcher, not one of a 25 year old rookie.

Continue reading "Mic's National League All-Star Team"

nbsp; Those burning questions are running through minds of fans of all teams, including our beloved Chicago Cubs.

Jim Hendry's is rumored to be going after C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Coco Crisp. Those three potential tradable players are an interesting trio.  Burnett has all but courted the Cubs himself, and Coco Crisp is a moveable piece in Boston with the ability to play centerfield on the North Side. But do we need another Kerry Woodesque, injury prone, has-been in Burnett? No. Do we still need a lefthanded centerfielder in Crisp? No, Edmonds has shown that there is still plenty of tread left on the tires. So with the recent arm trouble of the heart of the ballclub, Carlos Zambrano, there is no way we should not throw everything we have at Cleveland for  pitcher C.C. Sabathia. Sabathia would be a huge acquisition for the boys in blue, and could be reminiscent of a trade that brought a certain someone from Cleveland in 1984 for Joe Carter. C.C has won the Cy Young, he's started games for the US National Team, he's won playoff games, and he's only turning 28 years old this month. He is a guy we can piece together with Zambrano, and finally give Z some protection. Lilly has been solid, but is he a cemented ace or #2 guy? No. Having Big Z and Big C.C. going back to back would be deadly. Carlos is the power throwing righty with the fierce demeanor, and C.C. is the cool, calm, competitive lefty that is as poised as anyone. It would be our own variant of Drysdale-Koufax, and Schilling-Johnson.

Continue reading "Cubs Crave Sabathia"

All right. Are you ready for this? As the All-Star break approaches, the Tampa Bay Rays have the best record in baseball. That’s right. At 49-32, they’re a half-game ahead of Boston, the Cubs, and Anaheim. Whoa. Is this one of the signs of the apocalypse?

Continue reading "Hold On To Your Hats"

How about that Jim Edmonds? Jimmy Ballgame. Jimmy Baseball. The Man, the Myth, the rival swapping Legend that is Jim Patrick Edmonds. Just a mere nine months ago he was a villain, walking through the halls of the nemesis kingdom that is St. Louis. I find it hard to believe that we've adopted him as our own, but I'm at peace with it, and you should be too.

Continue reading "It's Time to Accept Jim Edmonds"

Two huge injury developments last night--one to one of the best all-around hitters in the game, and the other to an outfielder who's been red-hot the past few weeks. Both injuries should have big implications to their teams, one likely more than the other, and to the NL Central.

Continue reading "Bittten by the Injury Bug"

One of my other writing gigs is at The Asian Reporter, where I write reviews, features, and a monthly column on Asian-American sports issues. Each spring, I write a preview about the prominent Asian major leauge baseball players, and that preview has grown considerably. This past year, I gave up trying to chronicle all of the probable Asian players and concentrated on the most prominent ones instead.

Continue reading "Japanese Rookies of the Year"

 HOUSTON DEFEATS CUBS 5-3 ON A CARLOS LEE HOME RUN AS HOUSTON TAKES SERIES

After the Cubs went 8-2 on their latest home stand which made their record at home 19-8, it seems as if they forgot how to play anywhere else.  After losing to the Astros 5-3 and losing the series, the Cubs find themselves 9-11 away from the friendly Confines.  If a team wants to find themselves in the post-season, they need to win the big games on the road.  In a series that had playoff atmosphere, both teams were out to make statements.  The Astros were louder than the Cubs according to Shawn Chaccon, who got the decision in the victory.  "One message the Cubs might get out of it is, 'We're here. We're here to compete. We're going to battle,'" Chacon said. "'It's not the team it was last year. Basically, it's going to be a tough team to beat the whole year.'"

Continue reading "After winning at home, Cubs continue ..."

The Reds went all homer-happy over the Cubs last night, and Edinson Volquez twirled a gem on the mound, leading the Reds commentators and Steve Phillips on ESPN to go all gushy on them, proclaiming the future is now and they're gonna take the NL Central. Is this the case?

Continue reading "Here Come the Reds! (Really?)"

After another game where stranding base-runners has become a common theme, what Lou Piniella had the right words to sum up the Cubs recent slide, "Like I told my guys after the ballgame, make the other team beat you, don't just give it to them," Cubs manager Lou Piniella said. "You play like that and you're going to lose quite a few of them, or most of them. Anyway, it's over with. Done."

Continue reading "Cubs lose 5-3 after having bases-loaded with 1 out"

After the Cubs had one of their best records in April in 1969, the start of May is starting to resemble the collapse towards of the season in 1969.  In one their toughest weeks this season, nothing looked pretty as the Cubs just won two out six against there NL Central rivals the Brewers and the Cardinals.  In a week that could have seperated them from everyone else in the divison, the Cubs are now looking up towards the Cardinals who now have a 1 1/2 lead over the Cubs.  Lets quickly recap this horrible week the Cubs have endured.

Continue reading "Rough Week for Cubs spells Rough Road Ahead"

For many baseball fans, last night wasn't a great night to watch baseball, as blowouts predominated early on. But, because of the beautiful game that is baseball, only three of them continued in their lopsided fashion, with the best of them highlighted by a homer from Micah Owings, the best-hitting pitcher in baseball, whom teammate Conor Jackson said had the "best pop" of anyone on the team. And all of them showed something about the winning and losing teams, proving that any baseball game is worth watching, even when it doesn't seem exciting.

Continue reading "The Night of the Blowouts"

Here are the biggest questions which will play a factor in the season for each team.

Chicago Cubs

Can Kerry Wood stay healthy in the bullpen?

After watching Wood miss significant time due to injuries each of the last four seasons, it seems obvious that he is not going to make it as a full time starter and stay healthy. So now the Cubs are attempting to move him to the bullpen in an attempt to get a full season out of him. When he has been healthy, he is nothing short of dominant and pitching only one inning at a time, he should really be able to let it fly. So far in Spring Training the initial reports look good.

Continue reading "MLB 2008 Season Preview: NL Central"

  Chicago Cubs pitcher Jason Marquis is competing for the final two spots in the starting rotation.  If he does not make the rotation, he would probably end up in bullpen.  In his first start during spring training he went 2 innings, gave up 2 runs, both earned, along with 3 hits.  However, it wasn't his arm that hurt his chances of winning a spot in the rotation.  Rather it was his mouth.  Jason Marquis does not feel he should be competing for a starting job.  He said he signed as a Cub because he thought he would be guaranteed a starter every year.  "That's my ultimate goal, that's how I think I help the team the most. Obviously, we'll see what happens when it's time for them to make their decision," Marquis told reporters.  Marquis was asked how he would feel if he did not make the rotation and ended up in the bullpen. he replied, " As much as I want to be here in Chicago, and I love it, I love the fans and the stadium, I also have a family to worry about, too.  I could take my services elsewhere if that's the case, and I could help another team in that capacity as a starter. My value doesn't lie in the bullpen in my mind."

Continue reading "To Start or To Not to Start: Marquis Sounds off"

As the Cubs open up their first spring training game on Thursday against the San Francisco Giants, there are three stories we should look at while this game is going on.  These will also be the stories throughout spring training.

Continue reading "What to Watch For"

If you are reading this title, your heart probably sank and it has shattered all the chances of the Cubs making it to the World Series.  Put away those tissues and turn that frown around because good old Zambrano is not hurt, but in perfect health.  But will he stay that way?  Below, I have posted my top ten predictions on what will happen during the Cubs season.  If any of these do happen you wish would not happen, please do no send me hate mail.  Enjoy!

Continue reading "Carlos Zambrano Injured!!!"

After having 120 different lineups last season,  Sweet Lou Piniella wants to find the right combination during spring training.  His latest idea is probably one of the best he has came up with since juggling everyone around.  Lou suggested Fukudome would bat third, followed by Lee and Ramirez.  The whole lineup would probably look like this:  Soriano, Theirot, Fukudome, Lee, Ramirez, Derosa, Soto, and Pie.  It is a great combination of speed at the top and power in the middle.  "I've been thinking about our lineup and what makes sense and what we can try," Piniella said Friday. "Let me warn you, it's only Feb. 22, so there's plenty of time to adjust this thing."

Continue reading "POTENTIAL 3,4,5 HITTERS: FUKUDOME, LEE, RAMIREZ"

ona(4) LA Dodgers(5) San Francisco Giants

WILD CARD

San Diego Padres

PLAYOFF PICTURE

NLDS

Chicago Cubs defeat Colorado

Mets defeat Padres

ALDS

Cleveland defeats Boston

Detroit defats Angels

Continue reading "2008 Baseball Preview: Final Standings"

is a season where the impossible turns into the possible.  Just listen to Ryan Dempster of the Chicago Cubs make a bold prediction, “I think we are going to win the World Series. I really do.”  Great, just what a Cubs fans need to hear, another prediction. 

Continue reading "Is this the year of Dreams? Think ..."