Bleed Cubbie Blue

Al, your trip

sounds exactly like the kind of a trip I would plan to take on a “perfect” vacation. Well done.

And I echo your sentiments about the BHOF. My wife and I went there in the summer of 1990. We stayed in a little B&B and walked to the HOF to spend an evening and the next day there. It was (is) an amazing place, and I too, could have spent longer there.

A must for every baseball fan.

But boy, you sure DO have to want to go there because it’s in one of the most out of the way places I’ve ever seen. Perhaps that’s what makes it even more special- it’s not just a freeway exit opportunity along with gassing up, hitting the bathroom and visiting a Stuckey’s.

Last night I was really frustrated by the bunt attempt...

...but the fog has cleared a little and I realize how incredible of a play Longoria made. He was playing back to prevent a double (which would have likley scored the go ahead run) and was able to make an incredible bare handed catch and throw to get Johnson. You just have to tip your hat.

We took a very good team to the 9th in thier park against their best pitcher and lost by one. That stuff happens.

In the game thread last night Drewishdrewid summed it up well;

last year, this loss DEVASTATES us. (I’ve spelled that right, right?) We’d see this as a terrible omen for the future. Another bad Cubbie loss.
This year, we’re pissed because we expect to win

JB 23 - June 18, 2008 reply

+1

Last year I would have ended my evening pondering why I even listen to them sometimes. Last night I was ticked @ Johnson, but thought I’ll be happy w/ 2 outta 3.

Madison Cub Fan - June 18, 2008 reply

Yesterday's Game Convinced Me

Well said, JB. Great post.

I’m a pretty jaded person. Although I’ve wanted to fully embrace the 2008 Cubs and fully believe everyone’s proclamation that “this year is special” and “this club is different”, I’ve stayed skeptical. All those years when it seemed they couldn’t miss – 2004, 2003, 1984, the first halves of 1985/1977/1973/, and of course 1969 – ended in disappointment.

BUT…last night’s loss may have convinced me. It was the first time in years (literally!) that a loss didn’t upset me. They went down fighting, and in defeat they maintained a confidence you see in teams of reckoning. Strategy wise, I was totally on board with the decision to squeeze and it darn well nearly paid off.

God willing, if we get Fonz back and he’s productive, and the rest of the club stays injury-free, and Big Jim can augment the roster at the trade deadline, we just might make it to the promised land of the Fall Classic.

Word

In the past, the Cubs go 1-2-3 in the ninth inning. This team fights to the bitter end and that makes them a pleasure to watch because you know the game isn’t over for the Cubs until their 27th out is made.

gwood - June 18, 2008 reply

Agreed

I felt the same way listening to the game on XM. I’m fine with the bunt attempt. Didn’t work THIS time, but it gives the opposition something to think about for the future.

BTW, is it just me or are the radio announcers for the Rays whiney jerks? Man, they were very hard to listen to.

Not sure on that.

but on the Cubs side Dave Otto is boring. I understand that Ronnie needs to take breaks on some road series, but Otto is the best Wgn can do??

Madison Cub Fan - June 18, 2008 reply

they could have used

Dan Plesac. Would that be better? :P

Milt Rosenberg

Might be more exciting than Otto.

Otto and Plesac are two slices of Wonder Bread in a bland sandwich.

Discuss.

i take back saying nice things about you up above hehehe

Madison Cub Fan - June 18, 2008 reply

fnar fnar fnar...

I kind of like Dave Otto

I think he provides what the “color” announcer is supposed to. Yeah, he’s not flashy, but so what. Then again I come from days of listening to radio play-by-play and color from the likes of Ernie Harwell, Paul Carey, George Kell and Al Kaline (Tigers) and Vince Lloyd & Lou Boudreau. Heck, I even remember Milo Hamilton…who was and still is possibly the worst announcer I have ever had to endure.

We played a good game

we’re facing some of our toughest competition of the season and even though the Cubs didn’t win they showed competitive tenacity—not a team to be taken for granted. I’m willing to bet we’ll take the win tonight.

Healthy Skepticism

Yes, it’s possible that this team could lose 11 of 12 or lose 13 in a row. I don’t see that happening. I don’t like seeing Soriano hurt. The Cubs should survive this stretch playing above .500 baseball, while Sori’s out. I like this club’s chances of making the playoffs. Beyond that, the playoffs are more unpredictable than the regular season. If I was old enough to remember the 1977 collapse, I would be more skeptical. That was something. I can’t believe they finished 20 games back after being in first place in early August.

memphiscub - June 18, 2008 reply

It's possible?

It’s “possible” that we could lose the next 91 in a row. That’s not happening either.

And if you were old enough to remember it (which I’m definitely not) why does that have any bearing on this year’s club? None of the players were on the 77 team. This team has way too much talent and has shown that it can deal with the injuries that come along.

serbianking33 - June 18, 2008 reply

What a game

That was a weird, yet fun game. It was exciting with all of the chances the Cubs had. Would have been even more exciting had some of those chances actually materialized into runs. Gotta hand it to the Rays bullpen. Outside of Percival, it sounded like they were throwing nasty stuff all night.

I am still not sure how I feel about the bunt attempt. It certainly caught everyone by surprise and required a perfect play to get Johnson. Unfortunately, Longoria made that perfect play. At the same time, Percival was wild that whole inning and maybe he would have throw another wild pitch, or walked the next two hitter to force in the tying run. One never know. Regardless, let’s get them tonight!!

gwood - June 18, 2008 reply

Maybe Lou Thought

“considering Percival’s wildness, if we squeeze and he fields then he’ll throw it away and it’s tied”.

Correction

Lou said the squeeze was Reed’s decision.

Only Problem I have with the Bunt

is that everyone with the exception of Micah was getting good contact. Soto hit one to the wall which the lf made a great play on. Like some of you I wasn’t happy at first with the bunt. Watched the replay and was like, man… that was a great play by Longoria. If he would have got it down I would have thought it was a great play so… The thing I am most encouraged about was knocking Kazmir out (who was pitching a gem) by only getting 3 hits. They worked the counts, had good long at bats. Kaz had 100+ pitches in 4 and 2/3rds… 9 times out of 10 when you can get into the pen that early they’re going to win those games. Good game. Just came up a bunt, wild pitch, hit by Ram with bases juiced short of winning. Get em tonight big Z.

Fishbone2 - June 18, 2008 reply

Al, from what I hear

unless you’re in business school @ Case Western, the RRHOF is the only thing worthwhile in Cleveland. Rock On! I’d like to visit as well.

I had to look this up, but Grant Balfour, the Aussie pitcher, has a career ERA over 5.00 as a reliever. This includes a 20.00+ with the Twins before he was traded last year to the Rays. I am hoping he can recover this for the rest of the series…

The E-Man - June 18, 2008 reply

I would have stopped at the (former) Jake to see a game...

... but the Tribe is out of town this week.

Al Yellon - June 18, 2008 reply

R'n'R HOF

If I knew you were going, Al, I would’ve asked you to spread the word of my C.H.I.M.P. Campaign!

C.H.I.M.P. = Campaign to Help Induct the Monkees Promptly

I saw the "Monkees"

car from the tv series got over $150K at a car auction that was televised…

The E-Man - June 18, 2008 reply

Joe Morgan and Mike Schmidt vote "No"

TC Cubby - June 18, 2008 reply

Seriously?

Al Yellon - June 18, 2008 reply

As far as groups go,

I believe the Monkees were third in album sales in the 1960s, only behind the Beatles and Led Zeppelin. That’s saying something.

Then again, N’Sync sold a lot of records too.

HectorVillanueva - June 18, 2008 reply

Oh yeah, the Monkees.....

a “musical” group that couldn’t even play music….hell, Stephen Stills auditioned and failed to make it…says a lot, don’t it?

actually

they all learned to play instruments.

So they should be in the R and R HOF?

Methinks you be pullin’ me leg…...

agree

but I wouldn’t argue against Michael Nesmith. And, anyone who was close friends with Douglas Adams deserves an automatic pass in my book.

Why wouldn't you argue against Nesmith?

Had a nice guitar and produced a couple albums…...oh, the hat was nice too…..the Rock and Roll HOF is becoming a joke because of the inductions of the last few years…..

to be honest

I’ve never taken the RRHOF very seriously precisely because of the inductions

...and Mike Nesmith's mom invented "whiteout".

AKA “liquid paper”. So there’s that!

You got me there!!! NESMITH FOR THE HOF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

well, kinda…..maybe even kinda sorta…....ummmm…...white out, eh? guess i gotta go think…...NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!! last time I thunk it was really bad…...what’s a boy to do….....confusion reigns…...

Yeah, Nesmith has actually done some pretty innovative work.

The group as a whole, though, were pretty much prefab pop. I’m not sure what exactly they did to advance the cause of rock ‘n roll. Having said that, I did love the show as a kid, and I still think that guitar part in “Valerie” is pretty damn cool.

They copied "A Hard Day's Night" and were successful....

no,

I’m just saying that they can - and do - play music. And they could always sing. That’s not nothing.

You are right....

and I have great respect for anyone who can. After all, anyone who gets on a stage in front of strangers knows just how hard it is to do….but the HOF should be for the great ones…..after all, I have been playing music since I could sit on my grandfather’s lap. However, I do not belong in the HOF. Neither do the Monkees or Madonna. And, that is all I have to say, I am gonna go pout now…...

Well, actually.....

I’m an old fart and gonna go take a nap….....but I will have a pouting dream…..

I agree about Madonna.

Put her in the dance HOF or the pop HOF, but she’s not rock ‘n roll. And she may be the worst lyricist in the history of popular music.

She's on the radio

at work as I type this.

“Open your heart, I’ll make you love me.”

Think you nailed that one, daver.

Seriously, when she writes her own lyrics, it's a trainwreck of epic proportions.

And we know how much

the American public loves trainwrecks.

Yeah, what a bunch o' wankers.

Amended.

We know how much Earthlings loves trainwrecks.

I said no, no, no...

What a train wreck

Amy is.

sue369 - June 18, 2008 reply

+1

I love the “rehab” song though.

Uh, yeah, please elaborate if you're serious.

bubbamike the one and only - June 18, 2008 reply

I've been to the RRHOF and The Jake (former)

The RRHOF is really cool and The Jake (formerly) is a beautiful ballpark.

wrigleyrocker12 - June 18, 2008 reply

While I'm not fond of

the conductor The Cleveland Orchestra is still one of the best in the world. But I’d rather see them than go to the RRHOF, Just like when I’m in Seattle I have better things to do than to waste my money on Paul Allen’s Experience Music Project.

Oh and did you forget the ballpark in Cleveland on your list of what is worth while?

First hand comments about the game last night

Scott K was keeping the Cubs hitters off balance all night. The Rays Pen was even better. The play Theriot made was awesome. He also made one with a man on third and no outs.
The crowd was 60-40 Cubs-Rays. Few people left, very exciting game and both teams didn’t disappoint. I sat 3 seats away fro the sting ray tank in right center, yes you can actually feed them during the game if you wish. Will be there again on Thursday. I’ll be there tonight to watch Big Z pitch.

I hope the Cubs get there bats going today. Yesterday they looked like they were guessing a lot. D Lee and Ronny Cedano looked over matched along with M. Murton. Murton played a nice Left yesterday but his at bats were not good at all.

I’ll drop my observations in about tonights game tomorrow.

Scott G F - June 18, 2008 reply

Let's not forget that awesome defensive catch in LF of Soto's drive in the 9th inning

that would’ve done some major damage in that inning also. Rays’ TV announcers at the end of the game said something to the effect that if the Cubs weren’t aware of the Rays’ defensive skills before the game, now they are….

zevkalman - June 18, 2008 reply

Last thing I'll say about the Bunt is

it took all the pressure of Percival, who just walked Edmonds. Clearly, the pressure was on him to make some good pitches and RJ let him off the hook with one pitch. We’ll never know though. Just another observation.

Fishbone2 - June 18, 2008 reply

"Active" players at the HOF

Did you happen to notice if Clemens is listed among active players?

MisterWinter - June 18, 2008 reply

No, I didn't.

I assume, though, that since Bonds isn’t, that Clemens probably isn’t, either.

Al Yellon - June 18, 2008 reply

Good Play

Like most have said, it was a good play on both ends. It was a great bunt, but a better play in the field. RJ couldn’t have placed it better. I keep thinking in terms of homestands and roadtrips. If we can pull 2 out of Tampa, we go 4-2 on the trip. Pick up one more game than when we left. This team will continue to fight and that is a sign of Lou.

FSArkCubsFan - June 18, 2008 reply

The Bunt

Everyone and I mean everyone was shocked when Reed showed bunt. I thought he had it. I honestly thought he caught Tampa sleeping but Longoria made one hell of a play to end the game.

The one wild pitch to the back stop with ‘Dome on third was a good play by all parties involved as well. He would have been out at the plate so holding was the right thing and Navarro got the ball quick and Percivel covered the plate well too.

Tough game, exhausting game.

Regroup and gett’um today!!

Scott G F - June 18, 2008 reply

"one hell of a play"

he was out by two steps, after a shitty throw.

had he made a routine play he would have been out by half a step+. asinine move with two outs. unexcusable, stupid baseball. he should be sitting on the bench, and he would be if he were pie.

Yep.

And Felix at least has the speed to justify trying to bunt for a hit.

you thought that was

a shitty throw? I thought it was an amazing play.

i cheered the play

and I hate when the Cubs lose….its was a cool ending IMO

I would also disagree that it was a "shitty throw."

Watch the replay on Gameday. Longoria made a bare-handed pickup and was off balance when he threw the ball. The fact that he bounced it to Aybar was actually smart – he was using the artificial surface to his advantage. If he had tried to target Aybar on a line drive, he probably would have thrown wide or high. I would guess a significant number of major league third basemen don’t make that play.

he bounced on purpose?

really?

That's how I see it, yeah.

Look, I can’t say definitively what his intentions or inner thoughts were. But he’s a great defensive third baseman with a cannon for a right arm and he was playing on his home field. Watch the replay. He threw hard and the ball landed well in front of Aybar and bounced right to him. It was like a bounce pass in basketball.

umm ok

either way, reid johnson’s genius play got him thrown out on a bounced ball. good work reid, you were out by two steps on a ball that bounced.

The man's name is spelled "Reed."

And, yeah, absolutely—it was a big risk that didn’t pay off and a highly questionable play. I’m not letting it bother me.

that is also spell "that"

if we’re giving two shits about spelling that is.

No one's requiring you keep to keep the team's official roster

at your disposal, nonetheless, a Dictionary or Thesaurus. He was just making an objective statement. But apparently you’re too ignorant to see that.

hey

jsut pointing out the intricacies of the engirsh language, if you cna’t see that then well, i am sorry good sir.

Hey, I make plenty of typos myself...

...but if you’re going to criticize the guy, at least spell his name right. (And I would’ve actually let it go, but you misspelled it twice in the same post.)

don't waste people's

time with spelling, make good points, there aren’t enough here.

Well, good thing you're here then.

i would never accuse myself of that

Grammar police

can be regimeish, yes, but you HAVE to spell the player’s names right. Sort of one of the rules.

no you really don't

the point is more important. in most cases it is used as an attempt to show some sort of higher intelligence or in the case of sports blogs, better fandomship. who really gives a shit, especially when its one letter.

calling soriano pie would be a bit worse.

even if it's his mother?

what, your mom never called you cutie pie? Maybe that’s why you’re so cranky…

ok, here's a point:

take some anger management classes.

Wow.

that's anger?

we got some real softies in here

are you reading

what you’re writing?

I doubt he bounced it on purpose.

But of course we all know how easy it is to run in on a ball, pick it up barehand, and throw a perfect strike to 1B. In fact, you need all those things to go right and maybe a little lucky bounce to make that play, and in this case, they did. Although Maddon may have been expecting the bunt, it was obvious Longoria was not, and taking into consideration RJ’s #’s against RHP and Percival’s BAA, I say why not. W/o risks we wouldn’t be where we are right now. This one just didn’t seem to pan out, TOUGH. Accept it and move on.

no point

only talking about the good times.

Dont Rag ON Reed

He was only one of 27 outs.

cubbierc - June 18, 2008 reply

well 2 of 27

and both of them were made with 2 outs...

and one ended an inning on a steal.

santoswoodenlegs - June 18, 2008 reply

How was it a "great bunt"?

Because it took you by surprise? Longoria made an awful throw to first base and they still got him by 2 steps. The only person who made a great play on that was the 1st baseman. It was a ridiculously stupid and unbelievably moronic play on Reed Johnson’s part and a bad throw on Longoria’s part.

It wasn’t a good bunt. A good bunt and you’re safe if that kind of throw is made. A great bunt requires perfect execution from the defense. This one did not. It wasn’t even a good bunt.

Maddog - June 18, 2008 reply

LSA

Very well articulated.

“A great bunt requires perfect execution from the defense.”
—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—--
I think a lot of us including Al are missing the above point. As you rightly pointed out it was an awful throw and still it wasn’t a bang bang play at 1st.

and to add..

In addition to the stupid bunt attempt of Reed Johnson, Hoffpauir’s swinging for the fences made a difference as well. All we need in that situation was a sac fly.

That's just that way Hoffpauir swings.

And that’s how remain a minor-leaguer at 28

agreed.

Rob Deer, paging Rob Deer.

N Oakley - June 18, 2008 reply

Richie Sexon agrees...

When Sexon came up I was shocked that a hitter with that swing could be successful at 6 feet 7 inches tall. As he’s aged, he’s answered that question. Damn what a strike zone.

N Oakley - June 18, 2008 reply

Edmonds should have been used in that situation.

Hoffpauir is a 28-year old rookie so I don’t expect him to be able to execute in that situation. Poor decision on Lou’s part to wait until there were 2 outs to bring Edmonds up.

Maddog - June 18, 2008 reply

I'm really surprised there hasn't been more talk about this move,

which I think was more of a killer than RJ’s move. With a full bench and all that is needed is a long fly, Lou pinch-hits Micah Hoffpauir for Henry Blanco. Micah is the player most likely on the Cubs roster to not be able to make contact.

Not to mention that, should the game have gone in to extras, this move

had taken the DH away from the Cubs, so the Cub pitchers would have had to hit for themselves.

Well, maybe he was trying for a sac fly...

...by “swinging for the fences.” I would amend your statement to read: “All we need in that situation is to put the ball in play (preferably to the right side) so Dome can score.” I do agree that Hoffpauir’s approach was flawed, and I would add that, quite frankly, he still looks overmatched against better pitchers.

Great bunt?

Huh? I don’t think so. It was bunted way too hard, especially for being on turf, which Johnson should know, since he played on it in Toronto. In addition, it was too much towards second base; it should have been bunted more towards the line.

No issue with the bunt

I thought it was a good move. It took two fine plays to get Reed out. Technically it is not a squeeze as members of the media would say (ESPN) squeeze in a sense is giving up an out to get a run. Anyways, his atempt to steal 3rd was a bad move we all know.
Cubs do battle, years past Kasmir goes at least 7, because Cubs are swinging at everything, even though last night they still swung at balls up in the zone.
I questioned Lou on pinch hitting Hoffpauir in that spot, I would have gone with Edmonds, anyone else?
Anyone else notice the knucklehead behind homeplate yelling at DeRosa everytime he was up to bat? I am sure the 4 kids around this guy really appreciated it.

Hey Tampa is good, lets get the next two guys.

Grockcubs - June 18, 2008 reply

arrgg!!! Well put...for a landlubber.

And, yeah, I noticed that heckler and wanted to see him forcibly removed, arrested and his kids put into foster care. I understand that heckling is part of the game, but when it’s that disruptive, security should step in. What an idiot.

Reminds me

of the knockout I saw at the Cardinals game last night. Very lithe, very cute, couldn’t believe this person actually existed. I think I fell in love.

Actually, that has nothing to do with what you said, I just wanted to share this. :D

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Reminded me of the Victoria & Albert Museum - a largely uncurated mishmash of stuff. That said, they had an exhibit that was curated - by Yoko Ono of John Lennon’s works. It contained a shocker at the end … his blood stained eyeglasses and the brown paper bag of his possessions still tagged by the hospital. Took my breath away.

Yeah, I've heard and read a lot of bad things about the Rock 'n Roll HOF.

Still, if I found myself in Cleveland, I would have to check it out for myself.

Oh, don't get me wrong.....I would go in a NY second to the Rock n Roll HOF.............

In fact the bunt was NOT a good idea...

With zero or one out sure, but with two outs NO! Basically Johnson has bunt for a basehit. Piniella has one out left, two runners on, and a pitcher who all of a sudden is having trouble finding his catcher – much less the plate. Johnson should have taken a pitch or two, then swung away. You don’t give up your last out of the game with two runners on and a pitcher who is having command issues.

tcjhawk - June 18, 2008 reply

Exactly.

Percival was one bad pitch away from blowing the save, and Johnson didn’t even make him work. To my mind, that what makes that play completely dumb. The only thing Percival could get across was belt-high fastballs. Johnson should have worked the count for a hittable pitch. He didn’t, the Cubs lost, and Reed’s gotta wear it.

true

If Percival was on the top of his game then may be (and just *may be) Reed could have _thought about bunting. But Percival was pitching exactly like the way we were hoping him to pitch and we let him off the hook.

Yep.

That’s exactly it. The Cubs had him on the ropes and failed to finish him. They may not get that chance again in this series. In 17.1 IP at home this season, Percival has surrendered 3 R and just 2 ER.

I agree.....

It took a good play on both ends to make the out but RJ was apparently having major brain cramps last night…...but ya gotta admit, every once in a while this team HAS to look like the Baker boys…..what fun would 162-0 be?

OK everyone....lets calm down

Best record in baseball, our best pitcher going today….........its one game.

I agree, Hammer

we shoulda won….but, then again, I should be young, thin, rich and good looking….I think we take the next two and go home. Sweet home Chicago…...

That should be a capital H....

it seems that my fingers are acting their age…and I have another “procedeure” today….gotta love the medical lingo, eh?

Remember:

in the medical community, “negative” means “good.”

well shoulda won

dont know….we were down 2 going into the ninth against a guy with good stuff. It would have been a great win.

Agreed, lets take the next two

Amen.

That’s how it went in Toronto…

Play Cubs manager:

Which hitter should you pinch hit for. Here are their 2008 #s v. RHP
Player A .267/.313/.367
Player B .333/.400/.463
Player C .239/.292/.339

Obviously, it's Player B,

a.k.a. Mr. Ronny Cedeno

But - Ronny looked lost

last night. He looked like the Cedeno of old. Swinging at anything, and up there without a plan.

Ihatethecards - June 18, 2008 reply

And Hoffpauir looked like Ted Williams?

Hoffpauir looked like.....um.....well, Cedeno

that was a TERRIBLE at bat. Man, if he can’t shorten up, he needs to go.

He's 28.

Something tells me his swing isn’t going to get a whole lot better.

I think last night proved

Why Hoff is a 28 year old rookie and hasn’t played much in the bigs yet… time to load him into a deal, take him upstairs, and get him outta here…

come on

1 at bat…...gimme a break

1 AB?

Aside from his 2-4 performance at Toronto, Hoff has looked plain over matched by average pitchers the last 2 weeks. Last night I said to my room mate “what this, down and away, he’ll swing…” BAM. The book is out on Hoff and he has yet to adapt… good hitters change their approach when they know they’ve been found out… he needs to do that asap or it’s bye-bye Micah.

You obviously are not watching the same Hoffpauir....

“aside from the 2 -4 performance in Toronto”? Seems to me that hitting .370 or so isn’t “overmatched by average pitchers”.......

everybody looked lost

whenevert Kazmir threw a strike

Ah, Gary....

Cedeno hasn’t hit in a long time…...he is pulling off the ball (his head anyway) and just being the Cedeno we all know and love….he had a good start to the season but he SHOULD have been pinch hit for…..

I was only idenifying who that player was, not making any affirmative statement.

oh......

(he sez as the face reddens…....) So, how about that Joba?

I'm not opposed to pinch-hitting one of our LH bats for Cedeno

I’m just pointing out the absurdity of pinch-hitting for Blanco and Cedeno but not Reed Johnson. Reed Johnson knows he can’t hit right-handers. That’s why, when left in to hit, he might as well try bunting. Lou’s pinch-hitting management in the 9th last night did more to lose the game than anything else.

Actually it was

RJ’s stolen base attempt and Cotts’ moronic throw-instead-of-holding-the-ball that lost the game…..

We've got a man on third with one out

and some nice LH hitters on the bench, and Lou chooses…
... the only guy who can’t make contact in the major leagues?

Well, Hoffpauir IS hitting .370

I’d say that he had a chance of hittting the ball. Baseball is a game of failure, as I’m sure you know. HOF if you fail 65% of the time. Gotta be a great game, eh?

wow, three t's!!! must be a record somewhere.....

Correction - Hoffpauir HAS hit .370

on the season. Since coming back he’s hit .250/.333/.375 with a strikeout in nearly half of his PAs. With one out, you don’t put the easy strikeout victim up against a great closer just back from the DL having trouble with staying in the strike zone.

But you’re right – we always have to remember with baseball that even a good hitting plan is still much more likely to fail than succeed.

You are right....has hit.....

Hey Al...

...you mentioned that Barry wasn’t on the active career leaderboard. Did you happen to notice if Sammy was on there, since he also hasn’t announced a retirement yet?

Shawon O Meter - June 18, 2008 reply

Actually, Sosa said he's going to retire after the WBC.

Tampa

I’m going to the game on Thursday and have never been to Tropicana before. What is the temperature like inside?

Very excited to go and hoping for a win!!!!!

FLCubsGirl - June 18, 2008 reply

Well, it is inside

and in Florida….say about -40 C

I was there a few years ago...

It’s climate controlled, and usually by the time the night games start it’s not too bad, usually around 72-74’ish.

Want a great laugh? Check out the Rays blog on the sidebar about last night's game...

Missed a HOF...

Should have stopped in Canton…

I have always wanted to do the HOF Tour….

BartlettBob - June 18, 2008 reply

As posted in Al's Road Trip...

If you have the 2 weeks or so to do it right, you can make a nice trip including the College Football, Pro Football, Basketball, Baseball (and I suppose, Hockey) Halls of Fame without having to stray too far off 90…When I did it years ago, South Bend didn’t have their museum, but we stumbled upon the Soccer Museum in Oneonta, NY. Great Father-Son trip.

JCD - June 18, 2008 reply

It is amazing to me

that all the negatives in last nights game are highlighted here…..man, we have a great team!!!! Enjoy them, this team is special. Why act like it is the end of the world? Even the ‘27 Yankees lost games…..

actually

I was going to say that last night… the 1908 Cubs team lost games too…

and the Cubs will lose at minimum another 30+ games

and still be on pace to win 98+ games. At their current pace, they will win 102-103 games! That’s amazing!

flachimesa - June 18, 2008 reply

Agreed

The Cubs were lucky to be in the game at all last night. The two runs they got were gifts.

salparadise23 - June 18, 2008 reply

13 of 14

that was the number of AL wins vs. NL teams last night…. let’s hope that’s not a sign of things to come. anyone know the full season W-L?

cubbiefanTN - June 18, 2008 reply

I think this game came down to a battle of the bullpens...

...and, obviously, the Cubs lost. Kazmir came as advertised, filthy and hard throwing, though I was a little surprised to see him walk so many guys. Although it may seem odd to give a team that struck out 12 TIMES (ack!) credit for its patience at the plate, I believe it was those walks, along with the deep counts the Cubs drew early in the game, that kept them in this game. (Yay, foul balls!)

To be honest, going into the fifth inning, I started having no-no nightmares at the hands (i.e., arm) of Kazmir. Fortunately, that didn’t happen but, as mentioned, the Rays bullpen simply outperformed the Cubs’ pen. (And, suddenly, I’m feeling a little less bullish on Neil Cotts.)

I must also give some credit to Uncle Cliffy, who brought his ex-Cub mojo to bear in full force on that home run in the second inning. Nicely done, Cliff! Too bad you couldn’t have done it a little more last year! In all seriousness, DH is the perfect position for Floyd, and I hope he continues to do well there (just not in the next two games).

About RJ’s bunt, my gut reaction was/is to agree with Al. I liked the play at the time—it seemed a bold move with a fair chance at success. Having read some of the comments on this thread, however, I feel a little less comfortable with this position. In Johnson’s defense, though, I would point out that Percival has an insanely low BAA and WHIP: .188 and .70 (respectively, this season) and .185 and 1.08 (respectively, for his career).

Maybe Reed based his decision to bunt on the notion that he wasn’t likely to get a hit off of Percival. Why not roll the dice and lay down a bunt? It’s the scrappy thing to do. Again, I’m not completely sold on the idea that the bunt was the right move, but I understand why he did it and am not particularly bothered by his choice.

In closing, can we just give some props to Dome for that pinch hit double in the ninth? Damn, he’s a smart hitter.

Well, last night I was thinking.....

this is a Chicago team. We should have access to someone who could kidnap Kasmir and force him to pitch for us…....

Kidnapping KAZMIR would

be a good idea. People in glass houses…................

Oh NO!!! I made a mistake.....

Here, have a ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ…...you can use them in all my posts about KAZMIR…..sorry…..

I thought you took a shot

at me for spelling veteran wrong.

You kidding? I'm the one who can't spellll

Man, I am way too old to worry about things that don’t matter….....It’s just that I’m always right and never lie that causes me problems…....

Last night...

during the game, I heard him being called Cashmere a few times…:)

only when he was sweating . . . .

Shanghai Badger - June 18, 2008 reply

Stories from Around SBN

Take a look at the “6/17: RAYS 3, Chicago 2” in the Stories from Around SBN section. Pretty level-headed, with some Cub fan props. According to them, the crowd was about 60% Cub fans (a bigger % than Boston / NYY fans when they visit).

Goat Whisperer - June 18, 2008 reply

Here's a link...

...to the post in question.

Good job Cubs fans!

Way to overtake the stadium, way to show love, and, most importantly, way to express yourselves in a way UNLIKE Sox/Yankee fans. You (we) truly are the best.

They cuss like sailors during their game threads.....

Calling their players “f*ckheads” and the like. Brutal.

Morans.

I actually read through that thread and was shocked at the number of posters advocating switching team allegiances simply cos you move. Wow.

no kidding.....

used to be a Cub fan…but now I live in New Mexico…...shit!!!! what do I do now????? Oh yeah, the Isotopes in Albuquerque…...

I'm in St Louis.

You realize what that would entail?!

wow..............

I think St. Louis has GOT to be the hottest place I have ever been to….How do you stand it? um, just a comment on the weather is all.

I stay inside. ;)

Yes, the humidity can be Hell-like, but I grew up in Indiana and it’s worse there.

Though I’ve heard the weathermen talk about the “Arch Effect” and why St Louis is like a cyclone where hot air just circulates.

Other than baseball I hate the summer.

Try New Orleans in the summer...

Oy, it’s so humid.

And it's not the heat, it's the...

Al: Larry Vanover (OT)

Al – I was in Minneapolis for work last night and went to a pub to watch the Cubs. Larry Vanover came in (after Twins game). We talked for about an hour about various topics. He is actually on the crew that is calling the Cubs/Sox series this weekend. He had an interesting idea for Instant replay. He said it would be cheaper to put 2 umpires in the power alleys that are there only to make a calls on HRs and Fould balls. Other than that, he didn’t like the idea.

1060 W Addison - June 18, 2008 reply

He is right....

We have 6 umpires in playoff games. Why do we need replay? It is a dumb idea, one of many by MLB…..

+1

That was discussed here before the August 1st deadline came down. Extra umps seems like the logical step but, hey, we’re talking about MLB here.

What about this?

Why not add a “chair umpire” on the base of the foul pole? (a la tennis) He/She could have a seat, and be there to call foul/fair at a different angle. Keeps the human element, keeps the game moving.

I realize this is a kind of ridiculous idea…and it’s a little tounge-in-cheek, but it might work.

Bildo1805 - June 18, 2008 reply

Not bad.

I’m all for any idea keeping the game fair without replay. And extra umps seems the way to go.

Cotts made a mental mistake

and a physical one on the same play. Mental mistakes aren’t allowed in Lou’s universe. Cotts could be on a short leash. I also think it’s time to send Hoffpauir down and bring up Broussard. Broussard is a veteren who would know his job was to make contact in the situation Hoffpauir was put in yesterday. Broussard has also been a White Sox killer over the years. I would bring him up after the Tampa series.

Cotts made more than a mental mistake.....

that ball was in the air a long time. He should have known to hold on to it. Fundamentals are something that should be second nature, you have to know that even the slowest runner is beating that play. But, that’s just me. I about had a stroke when RJ tried to steal 3rd and ANOTHER one when Theriot took the pitch. However, Cotts’ “play” was simply unexcusable in any circumstance.

Anyway, we lost a game. There is tonight and tomorrow. I think we can (and will) take both of them. And, a veteran bat off the bench wouldn’t be a bad idea. So, I’m gonna take speling lesons…..either that or disable the spell check on this browser…..

Cotts should be shot for making that throw

Just my $0.02. Had it not been for that bottle of 1800 I was almost done with, that play would have sent stuff flying across my room in most cases. :)

Dude, you really need to cool it with these "he needs to be shot" comments.

I know you’re not serious, but it’s a little too much.

Yeah...we would prefer you say

“die in a car fire”.

santoswoodenlegs - June 18, 2008 reply

Any type of fire would suffice

I don't know....I've always been partial to the empty elevator shaft.....

an empty elevator shaft

fire?

Are we Colonial Marines?

You wanna go back farther?

Cotts needs to be tarred and feathered! Then thrown in the stocks for a fortnight! And I do believe his wife is a witch!

burn her!

oh, wait, we have the same problem again…

She's a duck.....

so...

she’s made of meat?

feathers......

meat feathers?

C'mon, you guys. You're makin' me hungry.

Drat!

We could just throw her off a cliff. If she’s innocent, she’ll fall to her death and ascend to heaven. If she’s guilty she’ll fly to safety…at which point she’ll return to us and, yes, we will burn her.

Force him to sit next to The Human Air-Raid Siren all season...

Whoa, it was just an error!

It’s not like he killed someone!

nah, just simple executioners, is all.....

OH MY GOD, I CAN'T FEEL MY LEGS!!!

Exactly. We could all stand to learn a thing or two...

...from Padres fans.

I would hope that....

...this has/will be discussed with the Hoff by Gerald Perry.
‘Situational baseball, here’s what we need Micah”

Observations from the Trop --

Sitting directly behind home plate last night and thought about what I saw—

—Absolutely stupid decision by Johnson trying to steal third in the 7th

—Cedeno looked awful at the plate. Over the past couple of weeks he has reverted to his “old ways,” no plate discipline and looking as though he has no clue what he is doing. What happened to his approach earlier in the season when he took pitches and went to the opposite field?

—Murton looked equally as bad as Cedeno. His time in Iowa did nothing to improve his approach at the plate. No patience and swinging at pitches out of the zone.

—When was the last time that Ramirez whiffed three times in a game? He did not have a good night at the plate. Looked for an off speed pitch in the 5th with the bags loaded and got fooled by a fastball down the middle. Just not his night.

- Neal Cotts is still Neal Cotts. He reminds me of Farnsworth. His command is awful - not necessarily giving up walks but getting behind in counts and having to throw his fastball which does not have a lot of movement. Also—throwing the ball away when he should have held it in the 7th. He’s not the first pitcher to do that and he won’t be the last but that play was just plain dumb.

- Not starting Fukudome - facing Tampa’s best pitcher and a left-hander should not have moved Lou to pencil in Cedeno. If this was the Cedeno from April and early May, sure give it a go. But as stated earlier, Ronnie has looked just awful at the plate over the past few weeks. Kazmir does not have overpowering stuff but knows how to pitch that’s why he is a quality pitcher. Fukudome instead of Cedeno would have been a better move.

Wuertz—what has happened to his slider? Last year he was lights out most of the season. Right now that quality pitch is nowhere to be found.

Howry—he scares me. As Al has mentioned a few times, Howry just does not seem to be the same guy we have seen the past couple of years. His usual April / May inconsistency has drifted into June.

The Trop - have only have been here a few times since moving from Chicago area. The current owners want to build a new park with help from St. Pete and others. Up until this year, the only time you saw any large number of fans was during Red Sox and Yankee games. They want to build the park downtown in St. Pete near the water. What they are not looking at is parking. They are only looking for 5 to 6 thousand spaces.
If they continue to improve and attract more fans, that would cause enormous problems.
There is no public transportation that would move any large amount of people and most of the people drive to the game.
Just take a look at the Washington Nationals situation. They have similarly limited parking but have the Metro to move people.
And in the end, I still wonder if enough people will support the Rays. After being here for almost two years, what the people want and love down here are two things - NASCAR and football.

I’ll be back tonite and tomorrow for two Cub wins. As someone said earlier, a loss last night would have left me tossing and turning and worrying about a possible losing streak. But this team is different than those of the past. I and I am sure most of the Cubs had a good night’s sleep and are ready to continue their winning ways. Winning 2 out of every 3 games is damn good and we will continue to do this.

The time is now and the current Cubs are going to take it all.

ceegeewow - June 18, 2008 reply

Agreed Murton looked terrible for the most part

What was up w/ the DeRosa heckler?

If Murton lacked Patience at the plate

It was more likely because of being sent to Iowa. He was always a patient hitter before.
I suspect that feeling the pressure to prove himself made him impatient .

Doggie Stalker - June 18, 2008 reply

Yeah, and it was a pretty cruel twist of fate...

...that had Murton going from facing Triple A pitchers to Scott freakin’ Kazmir within 24 hours or so. Not trying to make excuses for the guy, but that’s a pretty tall order.

Murton

barely made that play out in left.

and Theriot "barely" made the play at short...

...what’s your point?

story of Theriots Cub career

In what universe

does getting 3 hits and 1 run while striking out 7 times register as “beating” someone?

Tackle Box - June 18, 2008 reply

Who are you referring to?

Al's main post

Tackle Box - June 18, 2008 reply

I think he means

that we drove the guy out off the mound in the 5th.

Ah, OK.

Well, I would say sometimes the only way to beat a really good pitcher is to wait him out and drive up his pitch count.

Also loved the Cubs approach

last night. They were patient once again and most of them didn’t swing at Kazmir’s high fastballs. They showed once again that they had a good game plan. Getting him out in the fifth increased their chance of winning. Tampa’s bullpen just did a better job than ours last night.

Still, that ump's strike zone was in the Twilight Zone... and ALL NIGHT.

But at least it was consistent.....

I'll give ya that, but MAN was it goofy. Loved it when the Ray tossed his bat in disgust...

He should have been tossed.

I was surprised he wasn't - what was with that motion the ump made?

That’s not a ‘you’re tossed’ motion but a ‘you owe a fine’ motion? Never seen that.

Me, neither.

they should be one and the same.

Didn't see the game

but are you talking about rubbing the thumb and forefinger together sign? If so, that’s hilarious.

that was the

“you’re fined” motion.

PWNED!!

I mean, FINED!!!

throwing the bat = fine

I believe the ump was pointing out that he threw the bat – a punishable offense according to the powers that be in MLB.

JCD - June 18, 2008 reply

I have to disagree about Schrieber's

strike zone. I have seen him behind the plate many times and believe he is the only one to call the “true” strike zone. He calls the high strike and never gives an inch off the corners.

Nor does he appeal to base umps...

he calls far too many “swings” last night that should have gone down the line and not to his judgement

Last night's game

Hinged on about three plays. If the ball doesn’t bounce right back to Navarro on the wild pitch, Dome scores the tying run. If Cotts eats the liner off his leg instead of trying to get a man, (Iwamura), who was already safe- Instead he throws it down the right field line, allowing Iwamura to go to third. If Hoff could have just made contact & hit a long fly to the outfield. All-in-all, it seemed as though the Cubs were pressing last night, not the Rays. Which was the opposite of what I expected. The HR’s from Floyd & Longoria I expected, the run scored by Iwamura, I did not. It’s only one game, the Cubs played ok. I’m sure Lou will have the boys more ready to go tonight. (And we don’t have to face Kazmir- he’s filthy).

I don't think they were pressing.

I think Cotts was sucking.

Cotts was pressing

and as a result, that throw sucked. He should know better than to throw that ball. He should have ate it. Not all of the team seemed to be pressing, Johnson seemed to be pressing, Murton, Cedeno & Hoffpauir were definitely pressing in my opinion. I still think they will win 2 out of three from these upstarts from Florida, but last night they did not play their best game & still could have very well won the game.

Personally, I think the guys were tired from the detour between Toronto and St. Pete....

Murton, Cedeno and Hoffpauir

were over matched. They are minor leaguers in my opinion. And if what Cotts did last night was pressing, then he has been pressing for two years.

Murton, Cedeno and Hoffpauir

Should ALL be shot. Twice.

I kid, I kid…

Only twice? Let 'em off light, do ya?

Yes, they were overmatched as well.

Cotts: in that instance was pressing. He lost his confidence when the Sox didn’t want him back after ‘05.

No...

That was Cott’s career year. Actually, that was a career year for many Sox players. That is the reason why they won the WS.

Geo4MVP - June 18, 2008 reply

That's what I'm saying...

Obviously that was Cott’s career year, as well as many Sox players career years. The ‘05 team was a rag-tag collection of players that survived to win the division and turned it on in the post-season. If you look at my above comments, I agree Cott’s cost us in that game. Did he cost us the whole game, who knows? I do know he should have never tried to throw out Iwamura. Trying to get a runner who is already going to be safe at first base is pressing.

I know we lost...

...but that 9th inning was a friggin’ thrill-ride that I really enjoyed. And I liked the bunt attempt too. Can’t win ‘em all.

You guys are looking to deep into Reed Johnson's bunt

And not even considering Cotts error is what REALLY lead to the Cubs loss. RJ’s attempt to steal third base was unnecessary and that also played a part on why the Cubs lost. It’s simple, Cott’s error means only 2 runs for the D Rays and RJ’s getting caught at third base probably prevented the Cubs from scoring a run. Bottom line…I blame this loss on both RJ and Cotts.

Geo4MVP - June 18, 2008 reply

I just liked the bunt because it was a ballsy move...

...that almost work. But I agree 100% that he should have never tried to steal 3B earlier, and RJ himself has said the same.

And don't forget A-Ram taking strike three with the bases juiced...

That was a killer too…

Good point - forgot about that - can't believe he 'took' that pitch.

Agreed As long as you don't hope he gets shot in the face.

Maybe just nicked in the thigh?

http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3450245&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab1pos1

LOL - like the 'ump' who was 'accidentally' hit in the face?

Hear this story?

Yeah, I've watched that clip. Pretty funny.

you read the article?

The catcher was going to be a walkon at college and when the college saw the footage they told him to not bother to show up.

LOL

Track star: Well, yeah, I’ve always hated that official, but I sure didn’t mean for my javelin to go right through his spleen like that!

Announcer: But you’re a sprinter.

Overall

RJ threw to the wrong base as Bob pointed out, got thrown out at third and tried a questionable bunt. (I personally liked the attempt)

Dempster kept the Cubs in the game but didn’t go deep. The bullpen wasn’t terrible but wasn’t great and the offense didn’t really hit the ball hard till the ninth.

This all added up to losing by a run to a very solid AL team, not bad. Now let’s hope that Z pitches like he did the last time out.

Sidenote, I don’t like these 6pm starts.

Seemed like when they showed Lou talking to Ryan in the dugout between innings...

...that Ryan was PISSED hardcore at being pulled and wasn’t making too much of an effort to hide it either.

I missed that,

I have noticed a few times that on days when Dempster isn’t pitching that Lou and Demp talk a bit. This is purely speculation but I bet it is because he is so prepared and has good insite into the batters the current pitcher is facing. Seems like Demp is one of Lou’s favorites these days.

I LOVE THE 6pm starts

I guess cause i get home at 530 it works out.

His throw to the wrong base didn't make a difference...

.....the runner didn’t take 2nd. Could have been a disaster, but it wasn’t. Good thing Rami was paying attention.

Correct

It didn’t cause any damage but was still another mental error.

No harm, no foul

in my book. Hard to lump in that throw, which didn’t hurt anything, with his poor decision to try to steal 3rd.

Dear Lou,

Please let Zambrano bat today. DH for Reed if you want to, put leave Z in.

Love,
northsider

northsider - June 18, 2008 reply

*but

northsider - June 18, 2008 reply

Doubt it.

Z is a great hitter for a pitcher, but there are still times when he swings wildly. He’s fine normally, but when you gotta play under ridiculous AL rules, you might as well take advantage of em.

agreed

he wont hit, theyd ridicule Lou, plus than Hank Steinbrennar couldnt bitch about anything, well at least for a little while

Speaking of which

I think I would pay to see Z punch Hank in the face.

“I hit AND run the bases, bitch!”

That reminds me

Anyone see Bartolo batting against the Phillies? Apparently he pulled his back. Can you just see the ESPN ticker: Injured Colon joins Wang on DL.

he pulls his back?

I saw the at bat it was hilarious…............Colon joins Wang, priceless