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Bleed Cubbie Blue

Open Thread: Cubs vs. Rangers, Monday 3/24, 3:05 CT

SCOTTSDALE, Arizona -- One week from today, many of us will be shivering at Wrigley Field, or, if you believe this advance forecast, getting soaked -- and there are still a number of unanswered questions about the Cubs going into the final week of spring training.

One of the questions that has been answered is "Who's the closer?" Today, Lou Piniella is expected to name Kerry Wood to that spot. That Bruce Miles article also says:

The Cubs have interest in outfielder Reed Johnson, who was given his unconditional release by the Toronto Blue Jays. They seem to like Johnson better than Jeff DaVanon, who was let go by the Padres.

I said yesterday I didn't think the Cubs would add anyone to the roster before next Monday. If I'm wrong, I'll say so. We'll see.

Meanwhile, is the rotation set? Maybe, or maybe not, says Gordon Wittenmyer:

After Jason Marquis looked strong again -- retiring 12 of 13 (including 11 straight) following a first-inning homer -- Piniella seemed to imply that Marquis could make the rotation and bump one of the two others.

Again, we await developments.

BCB got a mention in yesterday's Sunday Drive column in the Sun-Times, which was primarily about blogging and how people are getting information from many different sources these days. Most of the article was about Will Leitch's Deadspin.

The sale of the Cubs now may not happen till the season is over, and one of the reasons is:

some prospective Cubs buyers are frustrated the ballclub would come without the ballpark.

Ryan Dempster will start this afternoon. He will face the Rangers' Kason Gabbard, and Texas will also send C.J. Wilson and Joaquin Benoit to the mound. As usual, the Cubs website shows only the starting pitcher. I'm wondering what's become of Carlos Marmol, who hasn't pitched since last Wednesday.

Today's game is on CSN Chicago. It's also on MLB.com audio and MLB.TV through the MLB.com Mediacenter.

MLB.com Gameday

Discuss amongst yourselves.

0 recs  |  469 comments

Comments

Hill - status? expectations?

Is he hurt? or just pitching out of whack? Has anyone really studied him this year on tv or in person is better

Also when is his next scheduled start?

Hill pitched....

... on Thursday. If they stay on rotation, he should throw tomorrow.

If I had to guess...

I'd say it's a combination of the lack of humidity in Arizona and Hill's confidence. The lack of humidity makes it harder to throw a good curve. For a pitcher who is so reliant on the big bender, that's a big problem. Also, he has tended to be shaky emotionally, which can't help.

According to Cubs.com

Rich Hill is starting today.

Also according to Cubs.com

The Cubs are playing the Giants today!

arent the cubs playing the Rangers today - 3/24? and isnt Dempster starting?

are you talking about Tuesday?

Yeah, I saw that.

Those must be the starters for tomorrow's game in Scottsdale. Today, it's Dempster vs. Gabbard.

I don't like Johnson over DaVanon...

DaVanon has a few things that make him more useful than Johnson, in my mind:

1. He has actually shown he can play CF, unlike Johnson. Johnson has played almost exclusively corner-OF throughout his career. In his rare appearances in CF (less than 70 games over five years, and over half of them came in 2004), Johnson hasn't shown much. And on top of that, Johnson is coming off of back surgery.
2. DaVanon is a switch hitter. That makes him valuable in that he doesn't have to be automatically replaced if an opponent brings in a situational reliever.
3. DaVanon is fast. He can provide another speedy baserunning option if we pinch hit with Ward or if Soto gets on base late.
4. DaVanon may not be quite as good a hitter as Johnson, but they aren't that different.

If we were going to get one of them, DaVanon would seem to make more sense to me. I'd be okay with getting neither, but I don't think that Johnson addresses our needs.

Since both have been released

It should be possible for the Cubs to get good information on their current health status. DaVanon is coming off shoulder surgery, and has not demonstrated any power this Spring.

If both are reasonably healthy, though, I agree with you that DaVanon is the better fit as a backup CF.

Al ...

Why are you so certain there won't be roster moves? A hunch? Deep Goat? What?

I just saw that Giles (Marcus)

will likely be released by the Rox. Is he worth taking a look at? I know he has had sub par years but he has also looked good in the past and has hit very well in a brief showing this spring.

The Cubs probably have four or five...

...second basemen better than Giles. I don't see the benefit.

Agreed.

Giles was in Colorado on a minor league invite.

Strange. He was once thought of as one of the best 2B in the NL. Wonder what happened.

It is very strange...

in his first two years of limited duty 2001-2002 he was remarkably mediocre. I wonder how a guy could suddenly emerge as an offensive juggernaut - 2003 - and then fade away after a couple years. Whatever could cause a sudden enhancement in a player's performance and what could have been the reason for that perilous and sudden decline? What a mystery.

Yes it will

always be a mystery, kind of like the bermuda triangle.

Ran into Prior..

n/t

was he able to get up

and stagger away?

That is sort of the point of my post...

I remember when he was "great" and the Cubs would have been lucky to have had him. I suppose theories on enhancement may have some validity.

Not Only That...

...but Giles had a pretty good spring.

Not good enough, I guess...

Giles is a little guy who wanted to be a power hitter.

In order to do it, he developed a long, loopy swing designed to take outside fastballs (the kind he saw hitting behind Furcal) into the RCF gap. Once NL pitchers learned that he can't handle anything on the inner half, he was toast. He has refused to try remaking himself as a singles-hitting OBP guy even though he runs very well, which means that his bat is worthless. His other problem is that he can only play 2B well and 3B poorly. That makes him a very poor utility IF candidate.

Marquis had a great April and early May last year!

That seems to be his rep, as I was told by my good buddy who's a Cards fan...

I say use him early... win as many of those starts as you can (we wasted too many of his good performances last year), and then trade him before the weather warms up, and he starts serving up dongers.

Cubs lineup

Cedeno, SS
Soriano, LF
Lee, 1B
Ramirez, 3B
Murton, RF
DeRosa, 2B
Soto, C
Pie, CF
Dempster, P

Bruce

Is DeRo OK? Carrie Muskat reported that he was scratched yesterday.

He was ill

DeRosa had flu-like symptoms yesterday and was sent home.

Bruce

Thanks for all you do.

Murton again?

I love it. But why is he starting? If his role is backup why isnt Dome in there? He needs as much playing time as possible I'd think.

It's possible that Dome is in minor league camp...

...if there's something specific he's working on; you can control the game situation in minor league camp if there's a particular thing you want to try.

I Just Hope...

...Marmol is ok?

More Posturing With Felipe Lopez?

The Washington Post reports that the Nationals actively are pursuing a trade with the Chicago Cubs. There were Cubs' scouts spotted in the stands last Friday at Washington's game.

From: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/14303-MLB-Detroit_Tigers-Minnesota_Twins-Washington_Nationals-MLB_Rumor_Wire_Spring_Training_Whispers-230308

Note the phrasing.

"The Nationals are actively pursuing." John Hinckley Jr. was actively pursuing Jodie Foster; it didn't mean interest on Foster's part.

As for the scouts - they're on the payroll, so they're going to be out watching a ballgame somewhere. I wouldn't read too much into it.

At The Very Least...

... I hope it is posturing to further other trades.

Nothing New Here...

... from everything else we already know. It may be nice for those who don't frequent here too often.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/sportsline/main10733016.shtml

Can someone please explain to me how...

it makes any good business sense to parcel out the Cubs franchise seperate from the stadium they play in? How can one piece possibly be worth ANYTHING without the other?

Tax purposes...

may be the main reason. But obviously the main attraction of the Cubs is Wrigley Field and I also don't know why the potential ownership would want the Cubs without the stadium... Zell seems to think he can get more by selling seperate...

...so he's an idiot

That's what I figured. Did he think the legion of Cub fans came from a great track record of success or something?

Lieber Is Going To The Bullpen

The Score just reported at 1pm.

I just read the Lieber thread.
I dont get it.

Lieber Verbalized...

...his willingness. He just wants to retire as a Cub.

The question will be will Marquis even get a start? His first start likely wouldn't be until April 5 (at the earliest). In fact, he could be bumped a couple of times until 4/19 at home against the Pirates.

That just gives Hendry more time to deal him...

Didn't

Lou already say at some point that he wasn't going to do any skipping early in the season?

That Was Before...

...Marquis "earned" a spot.

Did

marquis earn a spot or fall into a vacant one?

Slip Sliding Away...

He earned it...

He matched Dempster, but Lieber outpitched both. If Marquis was just filling a vacant spot, Lieber would have gotten the nod due to outpitching both of them.

Ultimately, though, I think either Marquis or Dempster will be traded soon.

Marquis

It looks like Marquis is going to fool everyone again.

I Have No Idea What Marquis Is Going To Do...

... because Nick Markakis wears #21 in Baltimore.

I guess he could go to the Red Sox without incident as I don't believe anyone is wearing #21 there...

So our starting rotation for the first half of the season is:

Zambrano
Lilly
Dempster
Hill
Marquis

That means that barring an injury to Lieber, the starting rotation for the second half of the season will be: Zambrano, Lilly, Dempster, Hill, and Lieber.

I Bet...

...Marquis is dealt by 4/19...

What'll you wager?

n/t

(I Didn't Say Which Year)...

Zing!

n/t

How About...

One doll hair. Find a pic?

????

I guess that one is over my head.

LOL

$1 sounds like "one doll hair"...

RATS

Did You Know...

...that "Rats Live On No Evil Star" is a palindrome?

I didnt.

I was just sticking the script.

ouch....

where?

the one you showed me yesterday when I said DANG to Murton getting an out.

I know which one...

I was just wondering where you were "sticking the script"?

i thought RATA was better than ZING...bat after reevaluating the situation ZING was the proper choice.

My fave is...

"sit on a potato pan otis"

Ha! Good one!

Mine is "was it a car or a cat I saw?"

Was it Eliot's toilet I saw?

Nice

so

not only are cubs fans knowledgeable about baseball, but we aren't too shabby with palindromes either.

Exclude me from the knowledgeable. I'm trying though. Thats why I'm here.

my fav

A man, a plan, a canal, Panama.

Anne Sexton loved that one

Oh, And I Would Not Doubt...

...that the Cubs push for a #2 starter come 7/31...

OT: Nathan Extends With Twins

Bummer.

I secretly hoped we'd find a way to get that guy. But hey, not every major market team can continue to steal away Twins players. - TL

ZELL-O

Zell just doesn't get it, does he? Break-up artists (see your favorite clip from the movie "Wall Street") always think that the parts are worth more than the whole. Guess he hasn't really had any experience with the real public. He made is money in real estate but he was working with zoning boards and other politicians he could buy. Obviously he has Big Jim in his pocket and I'm sure they've had a conversation like... don't worry big Zell, the Illinois taxpayers are dumb as posts. Just scare them with changing the name of the field and you'll have an extra 500 mill easy. But Zell didn't think that the taxpayers are going to say BS now that the economy is going down. Timing sucks. Guess you better hang on for a couple of years Zell-O. And when your newspapers are still drowning in red ink, then you'll be happy to sell.

Perhaps...

Zell could sell off the different sections of the Tribune (Classifieds, Sports, Weather, Health & Fitness, Living, Travel, etc.) and reap more profit too?

Zell

is Bill Wirtz reincarnated

No....

but he will add a porn section.

I hope the rotation named

is just to keep Marquis quiet until he is traded. Lieber is a much more consistent and a better pitcher, health issues aside.

Dempster will pitch his way out of the starting rotation

Say what you want about Marquis,but he's gonna be an asset in the beginning of the season.

That is the problem

The fallback concensus is that "Dempster will pitch his way out of the rotation." So the team is supposed to sacrifice the poor performance of one individual because the manager promised him a shot to start? What if 3-4 bad performances by Demp equal losses and we end up 2 games back at the end of the season.

That is rediculous, IF it holds true and we end up with this rotation, then the manager would sacrifice the success of the team bc a good guy was promised a shot. Its not the nicest players you put on the field, its the BEST!!

There's still time to resolve and I am hoping that a trade will solve this, but for their performances to be rendered moot when it comes to making the rotation decision that is something we should all be upset about. I will assume its a stepping-stone for a trade, and not the error in decision by the manager. For now..

it's not MY consensus

I think Demp is doing pretty well. Better than Hill, certainly.

I think we get Lieber in the rotation when Marquis is traded. I'd love for it to be before friday, but I'm not holding my breaht.

Understandable

I didn't intend to speak on behalf of the entire community, but I was also only referring to the performances of Lieber/Marquis/Dempster.

no, no,

just trying to present the other side, is all. No offence taken. :D

I think

Dempster was told he'd get a starting spot if he walked away from closer and Lou is keeping his word. If it doesnt work out Lieber steps right in.

Greeeaaat

The Cubs 100 gets ANOTHER headline on sportslin.com. This is gonna get old before the season even starts. Hell, it's already old to me.

Where are the Yankees WS drought articles?

8 championshipless Yankee years is like 100 regular years to the rest of the mlb teams, no?

But what about the Line-up

Anyone else have a problem with Lou's opening day line-up? Soriano in the 2nd spot is problematic. The number 2 hole is one of the most demanding spots from a small-ball/fundamental stand point. How does Soriano's approach/game lend himself to the no. 2 hole? Crazy:


1. Ryan Theriot, SS
2. Alfonso, Soriano, LF
3. Derrek Lee, 1B
4. Aramis Ramirez, 3B
5. Kosuke Fukudome, RF
6. Mark DeRosa, 2B
7. Geovany Soto, C
8. Felix Pie, CF
9. Carlos Zambrano, P

It's insane

I would rather have Zambrano hit 2nd on OPening Day than Soriano. I have no idea what Piniella is thinking hitting him 2nd. Hitting Dome 5th to start the season is a very bad idea as well. Theriot leading off makes me sick as well. Who needs tpwsrn when you have Theriot. sickening.

Now the Dome batting 5th I'm for sure confused with.

If Theriot can get on base I have no problem with it. No one will pitch around Soriano to get to Lee. I'd rather see Soriano hit 2 run HRs than lead off single shots

i agree

from my perspective, id rather have soriano hitting second, with a chance for two-run shots, than leadoff. both arent ideal, but this seems to be the lesser of two evils. though good arguments can be made against this.

I'd rather have...

Dome in the 2nd spot, and Soriano in the 5 spot.

that seems to be the most logical arrangement to me too. But then again, I am not getting paid a lot of money to manage the cubs. Maybe there is something that Lou knows that none of us can think of.

I'd like to see Dome hitting at least 275. before he's moved to the 2 spot.

My pepsi just came out of my nose...

"The number 2 hole is one of the most demanding spots"

having just

eaten and, ah, dealt with some fine General Tso's Chicken, I believe I concur with my learned colleague Santoswoodenlegs.

thats gotta burn!

Demanding meaning Soriano will have to pose for tons more photo ops while he waits to hit.

I've seen him hold his follow through swing more than once so a fan can get the shot from the $175 seats.

oh, come on.

Surely you jest.

In keeping with

the dumbest, most ignorant trade scenarios I have been seeing on the internet all winter into the spring, Vlad Guerrero is really unhappy about being a DH. How about Cedeno for Guerrero straight up?

I say no on Vlad

his strike zone is too big.

Yeah

But he hits 'em nose to toes.....we could throw in the '45 Goat and the '69 Black Cat if they think Cedeno isn't enough.....

that damn black cat....

ok, so

who is doing the play-by-play? I'm at work today, I call not-it!

I'll chip in

Does anybody need updates?

I cant get the audio on my dang machine here...

Did anyone else...

see the end of that Fishing Tournament? Riveting!

It's the Len and Ron Show!

Should be interesting....

Ron already called Len "Big Boy"

I thought that was his pet name for Pat.

Trouble in paradise?

LOL

I'd hate to see Len come between a great partnership

it's just a one night thing

Pat will forgive Ronny.

dangit

Just figures that the one day I'm working in a building with radio reception, the game is only on TV. And, Ron is subbing too! I hate to miss this.

Stupid Mondays. I'm having a cookie.

I want Piggy's autograph!

Niiiiice

K Wood on the headline on mlb.com

Dempster walk anyone yet?

Dempter looks like he's in his dad's clothes

he wearing

the long pants?

Shades of Juan Pierre...

man ...Pie had to tumble to get that one...nice catch.

Pie with a nice catch, 1 out

Its pretty windy out here today

did they mention if it's blowing in or out?

Just mentioned the "high sky" so far

Bloop double for Benjamin

WTF is a bloop DOUBLE?

a bloop single, I can understand...

use your imagination

its a nice way of saying someone f'd up. ball rolled to the wall maybe

No...

the entire outfiled was shading toward right...and the ball was hit in the air over the 3rd baseman. The runner was "running hard" the whole way, it was just hit soft enough to die in the grass and Soriano was playing far enough away that he had to run almost to the foul line to get it.

Murphy single scores Benjamin 1-0

Ground ball single to RF...

to score the run.

Dempster....

runs the count full before giving up the 2B to LF from Benjamin.

Both hits "had eyes" as they say

dreeeamy eyes like Murton's?

Josh Hamilton flies out, 2 outs

Deep flyball...

caught on warning track in LF...runner holds at first 2 out.

Dempster...

K's Byrd? swinging to end the inning.

Len Mentioned...

...that Cintron likely won't break camp because of his injury.

Cedeno...

fly ball caught just in front of the WT in LF...one out.

Soriano...

shows some patience...draws a BB.

Lee...

sporting a .173 avg....line drive single to CF...Sori to 2nd...one out.

Pickoff throw to 2nd ...

goes into CF....runners move up.

Aramis...

he of the .317 ST avg...RBI groundout to 3rd...Lee holds at 2nd, 2 out.

who begat him?

hey, tie game, not bad...

The Big Murt...

chopper just over the pitcher's glove...RBI infield single...cubs lead 2-1

No RBI... 1st and 3rd

my bad...

trying to work and keep up with the game...not doing a good job of either...

I wonder if Dome

is doing some kind of batting practice. Maybe Walrond is throwing him knuckleballs...

WOOOHOOO!! Soooo dreaaaamy

Overall, Nice Patience Displayed So Far...

3-Run Shot for DeRo!

He crushed it...

sweeeeeeet.

What's the score now?

CRUSHED

Dero 3 run homer

Derosa homerun

4-1. He crushed that one.

Good afternoon

fellow fans! I work early all week, so I get to see/listen to the games easier, yay! Way to go DeRo!!!!

You came in

at just the right time. When we come up to bat next time maybe you should leave and then pop right back in. ;-)

i just may have to do that! lol

Yeah! GO DERO!

Not better than Brian Roberts my left fanny!

WOW

DeRo smaked that ball hard

He stopped and admired it

like a slugger. And why not -- it was a no doubter, over the left field berm.

He Had That...

...homerun strut.

Or is it swagger?

A little of both...

a homerun stagger?

In this case, strut

IMHO

Now let's see how Dempster...

performs when the offense gives him a lead.

If Marquis Was Pitching...

...I'd pull him and bring Lieber in.

So I am a little

surprised that Marquis made the cut. Marquis is doing good, but Lieber has really impressed me so far. And I wonder about Marshalls fate.....

I know it has been discussed a lot, but I just don't get the coin tosses that decide things sometimes.

Dempster...

takes advantage of the aforementioned lead...and gives up a single to CF.

he's TOTALLY

setting up the double play. :P

Looks like

Soto grounded out to end the bottom of the 1st.

Are we worried?

The only thing I'm worried about is getting rained on waiting in the bleacher line on the 31st

Well if

he worked the count better it would give me more time to admire him at bat. ;-)

someone write a memo!

agreed!

if not for the team, then for us!

Sue needs

A Soto Fathead for the wall.

And those

fatheads are usually buy 1 get 1 free so she might as well get Murton AND Soto

maybe ceiling

would be better.

Salty...

K's looking...1 out.

I heard that Salty could start the year at AAA

same here

thats why i didnt take him in fantasy

Just got out of a meeting...

Is the box score broken on mlb.com? Mine said that Soriano walked and scored.

its acting whack

I was watching another game bax score and it didnt update for over 10 minutes

MLB live box

is as live as the '69 cat

no, it's true

Soriano actually got a base on balls!

Len cracks me up

It's funny that he mentioned that people will watch the game with the sound off and listen to Pat and Ron instead. That is mentioned on here a lot too.

It'd Be Nice If The Two...

...were synched up.

Adam Fox...THE Adam Fox...#93 Adam Fox...

single through the 5.5 hole...runners on 1st and 2nd one out.

one out, right?

Salty Kd?

Bunt attempt...

popped up and caught by Dempter...runner at 2nd doubled off. End of Inning.

not so much "popped up"...

more like "peppered" back to Demp.

did it

"poing" off the bat?

Pie...

drag bunt single....

Beautiful Bunt Single For Pie

excellent.

that's exactly the sort of thing he should be excelling at -- just get on the bag.

"drag bunt"

that was my specialty back in high school softball as a lefty.

Ron said

more erect again.

was Pie

more or less erect this time?

Considering his recent surgery...

I'm guessing less

thats like the 4th time in as many days....gee wiz

If he's

erect at the plate for more that 5 plate apperances...should he seek medical attention?

good question

I've told him

to stop looking under desks.....

Dempster...

K's after fouling off 2 bunt attempts...

Cedeno...

GIDP... 6-4-3 inning over.

Dempster Fails to Advance Pie...

... what do you think the team should do then? Perhaps send Pie?

Cedeno GIDP on the first pitch... go figure.

Cedeno

sure is a thinking-mans ballplayer

but he has YET

to overrun a base.

I should mention...

it was a first pitch swinging GIDP.

Damn,

now he can't get picked off....maybe next time

I like

this ad for the Cubs on CSN.

Dempster In Trouble...

4-3

BRING IN LIEBER!

well

that nice lead didn't last long

UM...

there are runners on 1st and 3rd with no outs and a 2-0 count on the batter...I don't know how they got on...but the hitter just doubled off the wall in left center...4-3 cubs...still no outs. Nice pitching with the early lead Ryan.

poop.

CEDENO!!

Yes...

CEDENO! is more appropriate here.

YES

CEDENO!!!

I take it all these exclamtion marks behind Cedeno

are actually for excitement purposes and not the usually exclamation marks of frustration after Cedeno's name?

No...

we're going off of Sue's frustration hierarchy chart.

it'd be the latter

Mr Josh Hamilton at bat...

gound out 6-3...runner moves to 3rd...one out.

wow

i'm glad I didnt bet this game

Hot shot to Aramis...

he snags it to his left and holds the runner at 3rd...2 outs.

Aramis

You know, aramis pulls a Dorn every now and again, but his defense is very solid. Quite a trade that turned out to be a few years ago.

nice plug

for season ticket there.

Fergie Jenkins just plugged Al's book

I'm

glad i got in at $12.99. All this hype should drive up demand and price!

Dempster gets a K to end the inning.

N/T

well...

we're still winning. Neil Cotts usually can't make that claim...

Has anyone else

worn their BCB shirt yet? I did a couple days ago. I LOVE it and it is really good quality. I can't wait to wear it to a game!

I haven't missed any more discussion about the creation of a second shirt, anyways I don't think. I wonder if it will just be a second edition of the original or maybe a new design each year??? Just had to throw a BCB shirt comment in to keep the topic alive and well, forgive me!!!! :-)

I'll only do it

if the shipping is outsourced to someone in Florida. Otherwise, it's not really TRADITIONAL.

LOL!

you are a purist!

I must

get one of the new shirts. I'm afraid to wear my Cubs jersey to a game after getting berated by BCB folks haha

Why...

is your jersey the Nefi Perez special?

I will still wear my Barrett jersey....

at least until I get my Soto one ;-)

no

even worse from what I'm told.

Its home pinstripes with #9 and HOBBS on the back. I thought it was a good idea but I'm told it's blasphemy

My jersey

is a Soto jersey. Bet you're surprised huh?

a game used unwashed jersey I assume.

no

not game used and it had been washed.

#38...

...or #18?

I believe it

#58 from last season. I got it for Christmas.

My Bad...

... I meant #58. Sucks that his number now changed.

Can you use white out?

Just

take the number off and go name only. Now thats stylin

Or... Just Take Off The Name...

... and BOOM! You're a Jose Ascanio fan!

Mmm, not sure

about the white out. I'll proudly wear it any way.

I wanted

a Murton jersey but I didnt want to spend the $$ on jersey if he's gonna be traded.

If you wait until he is traded

you can get it for like $25. They had Barrett ones last summer the Cubs store in Woodfield Mall for that much.

Hopefully You Didn't Buy...

...one of the jerseys that said "Kosuke"

no no no i didnt haha

See I wanted a Sandberg but MLB.com wont let you put sandberg on a custom and they didnt have my size on the already made ones so I went with Hobbs. I'll wait for the Murton trade and score a deal. I could always take off the OBBS and add ILL. Old school Glennallen Hill jersey would be stought haha

I spent the money on a Wood one, shortly after which it sounded like he wasn't going to come back to the Cubs, but then he signed the 3-yr contract so I was kinda happy, but now I am really happy that he is looking good again.

good investment

for sure

I just got

a blue Woody jersey just a few weeks ago. :)

I'm thinking

I'll remove the HOBBS and just go #9. Seems like the best option.

And me

still wearing my '58 Bobby Thompson jersey....

I missed it...

but Sorino leads off and makes an out...Lee then taps back to the pitcher for the 2nd out...

Called Third Strike...

...on Soriano.

Ramirez...

high fly ball!!! Deep to center!! Way Back!....caught on the warning track. 3rd out.

Salty's 2nd AB...

results in Salty's 2nd K...the swinging kind.

One out.

top of 4th

Good guys 4
Rangers 3

Next batter popup to shallow RF...

Lee catches it for out #2.

Demp gets the swinging K

to end the top of the 4th.

maybe he's

settling down.

yeah..until he goes back to the mound again

Josh Hamilton...

I know this has probably been covered on this site before, but how the hell did the Cubs mess up and not keep Josh Hamilton after they picked him in the Rule 5 draft? Can you imagine the Cubs lineup with him in it in the prime of his hitting career? Wow.

Sori, Fukudome, Lee, Aram, Hamilton, Soto, Theriot, DeRo

Damn.

Why Did the Reds Trade Him?

They got Edinson Volquez...

...too much to pass up, especially with Jay Bruce tapping on Hamilton's shoulder.

Looks Like...

...Patterson won the centerfield job!

One of the fantasy "guru's" on ESPN

Predicted 30/30 for Patterson this year!!!!

30 backward K's and 30 times caught stealing?

For some reason...

...the Reds hired Dusty Baker.

It makes me feel good that Patterson is doing well for himself, but even better that they're not giving Bruce a chance at CF.

trade


12/21/07 Acquired RHP Edinson Volquez and LHP Danny Herrera from the Rangers for OF Josh Hamilton.

Volquez is tough...

...he's the Red's #3 starter right now.

Mr. Red Head...

does not get on base this time either...1 out.

DeRosa...

ripped lineer down the 3rd base line...caught by the 3rd baseman...2 outs.

Dreamboat McSoto...

looks at strike 3 on the outside corner...3 outs. Top of the 5th coming up.

I think I will call him

my hot So-toddy

I'm watching the game at work..

so excuse my disjointed play by play sometimes...

A Ranger....

leads off with a single to center.

Casey Benjamin...who is 2 for 2 today...

grounds out 5-3 the runner advances to 2nd...one out.

Lieber Is Warming Up...

that was scheduled, so good.

What inning are we in? Fifth?

Dempster walks the next batter...

runners on 1st and 2nd, one out.

Single to left...

runner on 2nd scores, tie game...runners on 1st and 2nd again...one out.

Dempsters pitching kinda subpar

today. But I guess he is pitching somewhat like a 5th starter. Maybe Lieber and come in and pitch lights out for a few innings and change Lous mind.

actually

if Lieber comes in and is lights out, it could reinforce in Lou's head that Lieber is the new long man from the pen.

It's Nice To Dream...

... we have a better chance of trading Marquis...

Byrd...who some suggest we want....

flies out to RF...runner on 2nd advances to 3rd. Runners on the corners, 2 out.

Murton made a real nice play

on that.

Strong WHIP!

Sounds like 8 hits and 2 walks in 4.1 IP.

So I guess the move is rather than let Demp blow the lead at the end of the game, he'll cough it up at the beginning and let Lieber and Co. come in to clean up. Wow, that's actually some smartification on Lou's part. GENIUS!

ehhh

one can dream can't he? I still can't believe Lieber isn't in the rotation.

Ron's getting nervous

with the bases loaded

Bases loaded.

Lou is on his way to the mound. Bye Bye Dempster.

Dempster...

flirting with disaster...walks the bases loaded.

and here comes Lou...

to tell him to "get the hell off my mound".

Marmol Is Coming In...

that could be good.

get the one out, then let Lieber settle in and give the bats a chance to get ahead again.

Dempster control wasn't great

today. But the Rangers did get some cheap hits off him. So he didn't look as bad as his line says he was.

He coudln't get out of the 5th inning

and appeared to run out of gas. That's not really a good thing for a starting pitcher.

think he reached

a pitchcount?

Nah...

he was just saving his "regular season" stuff for the regular season. He doesn't want to show these hitter's all his pitches and give them an early scounting report...wait..the Rangers are an AL team? What?

Dempster might have been at his pitch count

Marquis only went 4.1 innings I believe yesturday as well. But I agree I didn't see anything from Dempster today that gets me excited about him starting the third game of the season today.

I thought he looked pretty bad

Got behind on almost every hitter. I was disappointed.

Come on Carlos!!!

Called Third Strike!

That's my boy!!

Dempster

Sure did take a Cedeno today.

big time Cedeno!

Marmol

with a strike out.

Marmol...

doesn't let us down...K looking.

That's

why Marmol is NOT the closer!!

That makes sense

he can put out a fire like no one else

Amen to that brother...

I love having him in the bullpen to put out those fires!

Pie...ringing double to RF corner...

past the 1st baseman....no outs.

Why Is Pie Watching Byrd...

...and not picking up his third base coach?

Pie

keeps looking better and better to me at the plate.

His Swing Is More Compact...

...nice swing punch single for Cedeno.

You are all looney...

... There's no way he could handle the pressure of the big stage. We need to trade our pitching talent for a 35 year old CF!

Ugh... jk, btw.

G-oto

tapper to 2nd baseman...Pie to 3rd, one out.

What?

Cedeno RBI? I can't believe my eyes!!!

w00t!

even a stopped clock... :D

Cedeno...

single back through the middle...5-3 cubs.

5-4 Cubs

yes...

i am wrong again.

Won't be the last time either.

;)

I Love, Though,

that all of your errors are in favor of the Cubs!

Would you wear a

signed Santo jersey to the ballpark?!?!
Not I!

Ronny almost did a Cedeno there !!

Cedeno Stole Second...

... overslid the bag and ended up at third! ;-)

maybe

that's been his problem all along! Don't FIGHT inertia, Ronny!

6-4

what happened?

details! How dreamy did they look?

not that much

dreamy and for details read below. ;-)

Soriano...

his swings are getting bigger after every AB today...this time his swinging produces several foul balls and ultimately a sac fly to CF...6-4 cubs.

I dunno man...

I think he's getting frustrated.

another reason...

...he needs to be in a position in the lineup to drive in runs.

My bro-in-law

watched a few games late last week in AZ and said Soriano is moping around like a whipped puppy. No hustle. Ego, ego. ego!

dunno if it's ego

but I do think something's wrong.

I love the way Cedeno's

shirttail has been hanging out since the first inning. I can find something to like about all the guys on this team, I guess.

it's cause he's gansta

that's how he ROLLS, homey.

yeah

rolls into a 4-6-3, maybe.

Yeah I thought it was just

some boyish grittiness at play. So it's a pose. Oh well.

MVLee

grounds out 5-3, inning over.

Lieber on to pitch the top of the 6th...

Adam Fox flies out to EPatt in RF, one out.

Alberto Callaspo...

K's looking....whew!

1, 2, 3

for Lieber.

Ramon Vasquez...

my 11th favorite ex-Padre, K's swinging to end it. still 6-4 Cubs. Very efficient inning for John.

very nice!

What number is Lieber? Maybe I want a Lieber jersey... :D

Comcast comes back...

with ARam batting and I don't know who pitching. Rammy takes a walk.

Fontenot runs for Aramis...

n/t

Fonty replaces

ARam.

why why why?

It's a week before the regular season, and Lou is complaining his main guys aren't getting enough at-bats!!! Why pull Ramirez?

Seems like a regular season thing to do...

...I'd want to see how Fontenot runs the bases, too. This would be silly in the reg. season, but it's good to test these things out now.

if we don't know

how Mike Fontenot runs the bases by now, we're NEVER going to know.

keep in mind, that DeRosa's heart might not be healthy...

...and we might need a super-utility guy like Fontenot to fill in in the worst case scenario. I'm guessing that's why they're giving him time in the lineup.

I'd also suspect that this is the reason Felipe Lopez has been brought up recently as well.

Seeing Lieber

pitch that well in last inning just makes me more sad. He looked way better then Dempster did in any inning today. It just sucks he will have to wait for Dempster or Marquis to suck to get a chance.

uh, but ....

will that take long?

I doubt Lieber thinks he will be locked out of a chance all year by Messrs. Marquis and Dempster.

Matthew Henry Murton

makes on out I didn't see because MLB.TV is still crappy this season.

He hit to

the 3rd baseman and was thrown out a tfirst.

2 out and DeRosa at bat.

n/t

Mark flies out to LF to end the inning.

Anyone want Cedeno to start at SS?

I think he might get it together finally.

In Iowa?

Yes. In Chicago? No.

Cedeno Is Out Of Options

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

Give it time. The game isn't over yet.

Chopper back to Big John...

for the 1st out.

David Murphy...

who is 2 for 2 today, both hits off Dempster, K's looking for out numero dos.

Another 1,2,3

inning for Jon Lieber. WAKE UP PINIELLA!!!!!!!!!!

Steve Trachsel...

had a 1-2-3 inning last year as well.

yeah, but it was only one

and he was one of the outs!

Lieber's pitched extremely well, I don't think anyone can deny it.

Lieber cruising ...

gets a nice running catch from Pie in the right center gap to end the inning.

another

quick inning for Lieber. I don't generally wish ill on people, but I hope, for the betterment of the team that either Marquis or Dempster gets hurt so Lieber can start.

If Lou puts Lieber in the rotation...

Marquis will get his feelings hurt.

is

that a reason for the 60 day DL?

Lieber>>Dempster

And it's not even close.

Single for Hank!

Pie up next.

Henry the VIII...

comes in and singles to LF.

Lieber

Has a simple philosophy....throw strikes, they hit it, you have fielders, they don't, throw another....

Felix...

advances Blanco to 2nd with a bunt.

EPatt...

flies out to RF...2 outs.

Cintron..

who has shown some nice skills with the bat this spring...flies out to CF to end the inning.

Still 6-4 Good Guys!

Cintron

is back? playing? that's excellent.

DeRosa is

playing 3rd now. They want him to get some full games.

Leiber still pitching in the top of the 8th...

n/t

walks the leadoff batter.

:(

Two Run Shot...

...tied at 6.

huh.

he is fallible.

Who hit the HR?

Gets the next batter...

4-6...ball not hit hard enough to turn the DP.

Ground out to Hoffy...

2 out.

Jason Ellison...

popup in foul territory...Blanco gets a glove on it but doesn't come up with it.

fly out to

Fonty. Inning over.

Pops out

to Fonty in shallow LF for the 3rd out.

Still a good inning

for Lieber. He gave up his first HR of the spring after his third walk of the spring.

Jason Benoit in to pitch for Texas.

who?

dangit

time to go home. I'll almost certainly miss the rest of the game. Oh, well.

Micah up to bat...

Micah swinging on a 1-2 count...

Micah popping out to SS.

Ward with a double.

Ward got to

second on a single and an error

LOL...

the graphic showing the additions of the NL Central teams...

Cubs - Fukudome

Reds - Baker, Patterson, I forgot

Astros - Tejada

Cards - Nefie Perez

I forgot

is a substitute for Who, on first

Fuld pinch running for Ward

The RF'er...plays hot potato with

Wards ball (snicker) in the corner, and Ward has a stand up double.

Fonty goes

down swinging.

so does Matt :-(

[ W ]

Who's still sour on Pie?

yea...

Not anymore

LIeber now

has a 2.50 era this spring in 18 IP with 15 SO and 3 BB. His era went up 70 points today I guess we better move him to the bullpen, oh wait.. Ok thats the end of my Lieber rant, I'll just have to live with him in the bullpen until Marquis or Dempster suck it up.

Very nice

Triple by Pie. He now is hitting 340 on the spring.

Good win

felt like a regular season win

FLY IT!

Did Pie triple in Fuld, is that how it went?

I JUST MISSED the end!

I Think Pie Tripled, then someone singled him in

Patterson

hit one up the middle that scored Pie

After his triple, very nice

Bruce Levine Reported...

...that Reed Johnson likely will be that 4th outfielder...

backup OF -- don't underestimate Johnson

the guy's a hustler and would provide some great outfield D. got cut in Toronto for financial reasons, primarily. too many outfielders here. the Cubs should sign him, if the Mets don't first.

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