My Birthday Wishes this Year
Happy birthday to me. Read the book on CP I wrote last night. Then shout at me for being so miserable about it all.
But seriously, back to the birthday wishes:
1. Zambrano outduels Willis despite being terrible on the road:
Home -- 3-1, 2.17 ERA, BAA .179
Road -- 2-3, 5.53 ERA, BAA .246
Willis is 7-2, 2.16 ERA, BAA .246 at home.
2. The Cubs making a solid trade before the deadline.
We have a few guys to spare, and we have far too many needs. Given last night's roster shuffling, it seems clear that this problem won't fix itself in-house. Check the article on trade values from Desipio Media Ventures here. Maybe someone could figure out who we could afford to lose.
3. Lee comes back healthy, and all of our ailing arms come back to life.
They're talented (still), they can still pitch well. So stop f-cking around and live up to expectations!
4. Consistency.
Enough of this .500 see-saw shite. It's ok to win 2 of every 3, just stop winning 9 in a row and then losing 8 in a row.
That's it, I'm off to begin drinking. My work is done for the week, and there's f-ck all else to do. Maybe I'll hallucinate a Cubs win during my stupor. Cheers all, and I'll catch you at the end of a weekend bender. (Nice alliteration, eh?)
Happy birthday to me, and Give me a win you Cubless bastards!
posted by Jim Hendry @ 9:47 AM
8 comments
8 Comments:
Don't get your hopes up, JT. Rookies rarely pan out when they first come up.
If you remember, after the 2003 season, Dusty Baker wanted the Cubs to re-sign Kenney Lofton. Management believed Correy could do the job, but they were wrong. I think Correy will be back, if not with the Cubs, then with another team. But Lofton had the kind of fire in the gut that gets things done. Remember the high fives in the outfield whenever the Cubs won a game that year? That was Lofton. He's the kind of guy who can ignite a team. He does whatever it takes. Somebody has got to play middle line backer on this team.
I think the last thing I have is my hopes up, honestly. I think the move is a rather desperate one, and I don't expect anything from Greenberg or Munton. I think the Cubs are trying one last time before pulling the trigger on a trade of some sort.
CP might well be back, but I honestly think he's the new whipping boy now that Hawkins has gone... did you see his interview the other day? The headline, if I recall correctly was:
"Corey believes he is versatile offensively"
Yeah, versatile at being terrible anywhere he bats.
It does trouble me a bit that the Cubs are apparently desperate to get Preston Wilson. KotsayKotsayKotsayKotsay, not Preston "Another streaky bat" Wilson.
Casey At The Bat
by Ernest L. Thayer
The outlook wasn't brilliant for the Mudville nine that day,
The score stood four to two, with but one inning more to play.
And then when Cooney died at first, and Barrows did the same,
A pall-like silence fell upon the patrons of the game.
A straggling few got up to go in deep despair.
The rest clung to that hope which springs eternal in the human breast.
They thought, "if only Casey could but get a whack at that.
We'd put up even money now, with Casey at the bat."
But Flynn preceded Casey, as did also Jimmy Blake;
and the former was a hoodoo, while the latter was a cake.
So upon that stricken multitude, grim melancholy sat;
for there seemed but little chance of Casey getting to the bat.
But Flynn let drive a single, to the wonderment of all.
And Blake, the much despised, tore the cover off the ball.
And when the dust had lifted,
and men saw what had occurred,
there was Jimmy safe at second and Flynn a-hugging third.
Then from five thousand throats and more there rose a lusty yell;
it rumbled through the valley, it rattled in the dell;
it pounded through on the mountain and recoiled upon the flat;
for Casey, mighty Casey, was advancing to the bat.
There was ease in Casey's manner as he stepped into his place,
there was pride in Casey's bearing and a smile lit Casey's face.
And when, responding to the cheers, he lightly doffed his hat,
no stranger in the crowd could doubt t'was Casey at the bat.
Ten thousand eyes were on him as he rubbed his hands with dirt.
Five thousand tongues applauded when he wiped them on his shirt.
Then, while the writhing pitcher ground the ball into his hip,
defiance flashed in Casey's eye, a sneer curled Casey's lip.
And now the leather-covered sphere came hurtling through the air,
and Casey stood a-watching it in haughty grandeur there.
Close by the sturdy batsman the ball unheeded sped --
"That ain't my style," said Casey.
"Strike one!" the umpire said.
From the benches, black with people, there went up a muffled roar,
like the beating of the storm waves on a stern and distant shore.
"Kill him! Kill the umpire!" shouted someone on the stand,
and it's likely they'd have killed him had not Casey raised his hand.
With a smile of Christian charity, great Casey's visage shone,
he stilled the rising tumult, he bade the game go on.
He signaled to the pitcher, and once more the dun sphere flew,
but Casey still ignored it, and the umpire said, "Strike two!"
"Fraud!" cried the maddened thousands, and echo answered "Fraud!"
But one scornful look from Casey and the audience was awed.
They saw his face grow stern and cold, they saw his muscles strain,
and they knew that Casey wouldn't let that ball go by again.
The sneer has fled from Casey's lip, the teeth are clenched in hate.
He pounds, with cruel violence, his bat upon the plate.
And now the pitcher holds the ball, and now he lets it go,
and now the air is shattered by the force of Casey's blow.
Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright.
The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light.
And, somewhere men are laughing, and little children shout,
but there is no joy in Mudville—
mighty Casey has struck out.
Personally, I think sending Corey and Dubois down to AAA will be good for both of them. However, I wouldn't expect Dubois to be back up terribly soon, nor would I expect to see him being a regular starter in the majors any time soon.
Corey's next major league appearance, however, is going to depend a lot on the improvement of his mechanics, and on the success of the Cubs' interim Centerfielder, whoever that may be. I'm guessing Hairston. Hopefully Patterson will work on his bunting, keeping his body squared up to the ball, instead of lunging towards first, and stealing a base. I actually thought that Corey did a pretty decent job last night. Even when he was fowling the ball off down the first base line he had his head down on it, and that bunt was perfect. I think he'll be back up a few weeks after the all-star break.
In the meantime, if you really want outfielders, Jay Payton has just been designated for assigment. He's a veteran player who shouldn't cost much. Might be worth a shot, as a backup. Not that I'd be very dissapointed if we don't go after him though.
Cubs win! Cubs win! Cubs remember how to hit and score runs and get outs in the field. Well, enough of them remembered how to do the latter to get the job done.
Every starter, including Z, figured into tonight's scoring in some fashion. Way to go, guys!
I think the trick is to keep the games off of WGN. Our broadcasters are the jinx. Don't ask why.
Murton came through big time. Lets hope he keeps it up. That was a great first game.
Alright, a minor leaguer made a start in the majors, and now it is time to make wild, crazy predictions based on a single performance. Ok, maybe not, but Murton did make more of an impression on me than some other guys the Cubs have tried to bring up in the past. He came in with some fire, and made an impression on the team immediately. That's what you need out of young players. They should expect to have to prove that they belong in the big leagues, and quickly. No "play me for a few weeks and eventually you'll see I have talent." Show us the talent immediately, and you'll get a shot. Good job Mr. M. Murton. Look, I don't even need to try for the alliteration. This kid's a natural.
Cubs win! Cubs win! Cubs win again! Whew! Two in a row. Things are looking a little brighter. The Cubs have found a team with a bull pen that's worse than theirs. Amazing.
Poor Adam Greenberg got whacked in the back of the head on only the second major league pitch he saw. Let's hope the kid is okay.
Walker came through big time, going three for four, including hitting a two-run homer into the teeth of a 26 mph wind. Way to go, Toddy!
Nice to see D-Lee back and launching them into the left field stands.
Macias came through for Aramis at third, with a solid performace including an RBI producing double.
And how about Zambrano and a pinch runner? He scored a run. Can't ask for more than that. Way to go, big guy!
There is a little joy in Mudville tonight.
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