Bleed Cubbie Blue

yep

santo4hof needs a refresh

LT - July 30, 2009 reply

yes

tootle - July 30, 2009 reply

First

place until tonight’s Cards game.

santo4hof - July 30, 2009 reply

and maybe after the Cards game too....

JB 23 - July 30, 2009 reply

Great homestand!

The offense is certainly clicking the way it should be. Hopefully things stay hot and we build up a nice lead into August.

It was only a matter of time with Ortiz, the guy is finished.

crw89 - July 30, 2009 reply

What a great homestand,

now we have to parlay that into better play on the road.

KaliCub - July 30, 2009 reply

I like the trade

Though I wouldn’t have mind having Duke instead of the other two pitchers; hell who knows we may get him tomorrow..

Chanman25 - July 30, 2009 reply

and the Pirates would not mind having Vitters

Sorry but Hill for A-Ram is once a decade.

Remember that Rami was a throw in...

Lofton was the centerpiece of that deal, necessitated by CPat going down.

No way was Ramirez a throw in. Hendry had targeted the guy and Pitt knew that they weren't going to be able to pay him down the road.

I'm not sure what Ramirez's contract status was at the time...

… but I do know the Pirates had to dump it.

Yeah, Hendry knew that Pitt couldn't afford to keep him, he most certainly wasn't a "throw in."

Rami signed a 3yr/$9.5 mil deal with Pitt after the '01 season.

‘02:$0.5M, ’03:$3M, ’04:$6M
- Courtesy Cot’s Baseball Contracts

dtc0405 - July 30, 2009 reply

Throw in is a bit extreme

because the PTBNL list included all the top prospects on the Cubs, or most of them. Without Rami in the deal that list would have included lower prospects.

Winning the FLA series

seems like a huge thing. Keeping the confidence going would be fantastic.

+3

or at least +2. Does anyone have the pitching matchups handy?

Harden v Volstad

Z v TBA
Demps v Nolasco

according to cubs.com

Whew

The Cubs miss Johnson… I say the Marlins release Nolasco 20 minutes after the game’s over Sunday.

lol

Johnson pitched last night

And held the Braves down to a pair of homers. Meanwhile, he jacked a 3-run shot of his own to pretty much win the game single-handedly.

Yup – I’m glad we don’t see him…

Clutch16 - July 30, 2009 via mobile reply

as opposed to todays starters

TBT v. TBR

tim815 - July 30, 2009 reply

This post is a thing of beauty

thanks

tim815 - July 30, 2009 reply

ISWYDT

lol

willie mays hayes' gloves - July 30, 2009 reply

Well played, sir

CaughtInTheVines - July 30, 2009 via mobile reply

and I wish Kevin Hart the best of luck in Pittsburgh

saw him pitch against DC a week ago and really liked his stuff.

Chanman25 - July 30, 2009 reply

Startin' to come together, Pepper, startin' to come together!

IT'S HAPPENING!!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?

Houston seems like they got their season backwards.

Usually they start out poorly and finish strong. Might be working the other way this year.

I’m not sure how this Astros team was ever on the verge of first place. They looked like Pittsburgh with only slightly less disgusting uniforms.

they were 6-4 before playing the Cubs and actually swept the Cards at Minute Made.

Not bad

Let's hope

That they have some luck against the Cards this weekend.

Dome seems...

…to be definitely coming around in the leadoff spot! I hope he keeps it up by the time the Cubs make it back out to California.

Fukudome's triple-slash line

… is now .274/.383/.449… OPS .832. If he can perform at this level the rest of the year, he’s a very productive player offensively, not to mention plus in the outfield.

Any idea what his...

…numbers are since taking the #1 hole? Len n’ Bob were saying he’s batting .321 at the start of today’s game.

Yes, he definitely would be. He’ll start approaching that level we all expected out of him.

you can see...

for yourself

I knew there...

…was a reason why I stayed away from Baseball Reference.

Seriously though, thanks. That’s a damn lot of data…

in the 15 G since taking over as lead off

.321/.400/.518

That's not bad

at all. Here’s to hoping he keeps it up!

I have to say as a Fukudome basher

that he has done very well in the leadoff spot.

Agreed.

Leave him there.

Yeah, he...

…definitely is doing the job. Now only he’d steal a few more bases (like he does in MLB The Show), and things would be grand.

Maybe we’ve now “settled” on a lineup that we all can be happy with?

I think so

again I was a huge proponent of keeping Soriano in the leadoff spot, but the changes have worked across the board. Leave it as is and we will score tons of runs.

I can see why...

…you liked Fonzi in the leadoff spot, but I always wanted to have somebody who ‘gets on base’ as opposed trying to go yard; this way there’s a shot a multiple runs as opposed to one.

Having Dome's

Japanese hitting coach around for a bit seems to have been quite productive

I got a text from a Cardinals fan today

asking when the Cubs plan on beating a real baseball team.

My response- “didn’t the astros just sweep you guys?”

Great series and great homestand. Miami is a bit of a house of horrors for us, but hopefully the offense stays hot and we can win two of 3.

I was getting hitched last year when the Cubs took the Miami Lakes swing

What was the record? Two-of-three or one-of three?

Two of three.

We were on the fun side

of a Kevin Gregg meltdown IIRC

Yes

And Darryle Ward’s home run ball has still yet to land.

Thank you sir

I would've told him "October."

"Miami is a bit of a house of horrors for us"

What do you mean by that?

Freddyd - July 30, 2009 reply

We've played like garbage

there for the last 5 years or so?

I just feel like we don't play well there

I know last year we did, but I feel like Miami, Chase Field, and Philly are 3 places that we just don’t play well.

Don't forget Dodger Stadium

San Diego Smooth Jazz Man - July 30, 2009 reply

Don't Forget

Petco Park

I think we need 162 home games

Let's be fair:

81 games at Wrigley and 81 at Nationals Park.

against the Nationals?

I'm not opposed to that

Or playing as visitors at Miller Park against the Astros. That always brings great results.

dont forget to have z not pitch for an extended period of time

Lets bring it to Bud

give him another present on his birthday.

Throw

in some at Wrigley North

Only because...

…the Cubs are embarrassed to be playing in that faux pyramid. ;-)

Selective memory is a blessing in disguise, huh Fred?

Well, you know what they say

Ignorance is bliss!

Freddyd - July 30, 2009 reply

Great win and great homestand

The offense is ALIVE.

The Cubs have always had trouble in Florida, so I’m not going to make any cocky predictions. Its going to be tough.

The trade is ok. I hope they aren’t counting on much from Gorzelany but Grabow should be a pretty decent addition to take Heilmans place.

OT- How is Bobby Wade still in the NFL?

God, he is a complete joke…

Grabow is a Type A free agent .... nice

double edged sord

If you want the draft picks you have to offer him arbitration. Good chance he takes it for about 3 million.

You guys think we're done?

I’m hoping we still acquire a bench hitter.

illini23 - July 30, 2009 reply

we can always

add somebody like that before Aug 31

CalCalender - July 30, 2009 reply

I don't. I would not be surprised to see Hermida switch sides while we are down there...

May it be!

the cubs have enough OFers hitting near the .250 mark

Jeremy Hermida is precisely the kind of guy Jim Hendry has had a lot of success in acquiring in the past -

a former touted prospect who has disappointed the team that brought him to the dance. He’s just 25 and could easily blossom with a change of scenery.

I was in favor of the Cubs trading for Hermida during the offseason.

Not so sure why they need him now.

He's a good buy-low guy.

We don’t need him, but if we can get him cheaply…

Plus, I’d imagine that if we get someone like Hermida, it may well signal that Bradley will be dumped in the off-season.

I'm starting to warm up to Milton...

i never thought I’d see the day!

I'm warming up to Milton as well, especially because

Last 7 days (24 PAs) .353/.500/.706/1.206
Last 14 days (39 PAs) .333/.462/.533/.995
Last 28 days (77 PAs) .281/.455/.456/.911

Baseball reference is awesome!

willie mays hayes' gloves - July 30, 2009 reply

That is a very handsome trend

Not that I could expect 1.206 to be sustainable – but a 28 day 0.911 is great to see.

ChipSet - July 31, 2009 reply

Moves before Deadline

sorry if i am joining the game late…. some crazy ideas

A) is the Bradley-to-Detroit thing totally dead? Then we get Adam Dunn?
B) is there any chance we make a last-minute under-the-radar pitch for Halladay? Say, Geo + Marmol + Hoffpauir
C) don’t we think we want an upgrade from Fonty at 2B? Obviously we should’ve gotten You-Know-Who before he went to Cards. anyone else out there? Roberts?

cubsgocubs - July 30, 2009 reply

I dont think the Bradley to Detroit thing ever existed

cubsonWGN4ever - July 30, 2009 reply

In Stone's and Kaplan's weak little minds.

Criticize Stone & Kaplan all you want....

… but I did hear there was at least an inquiry about Bradley from Detroit, that likely went no further than one phone call. But it did happen.

If there was an inquiry, why did Dombrowski flat out deny it?

Hendry denied there was any contact either. I get that you want to defend Stone and Kaplan; and that’s fine. The fact remains that NO ONE besides Stone and Kaplan verified the inquiry. As far as I’m concerned it was made up, and I believe I’m in the majority with this belief.

Maybe Dombrowski wasn't the one who made the call.

Or, maybe Dombrowski wanted to just kill the whole thing, or make Stone look bad. Who knows?

Let's hope both.

Al, you just said that you heard there was an inquiry FROM Detroit...

Why would Dombrowski give a rat’s bass about making Stone look bad? Face it. Stone and Kaplan MADE IT UP.

I invite you to write a letter to

CSN’s and WGN’s ombudsmen requesting an explanation on the rumor. It’s their job to investigate possible issues with what they broadcast. If they find Kaplan and Stone guilty, they are fired on the spot and may face lawsuits.

That's a good idea Chil. Thanks.

Be my guest.

I know what I know.

or make Stone look bad

Well, I like Dombrowski better now then I did five minutes ago.

Stone actually does a good enough job of making himself look bad without any help from Dombrowski.

I don’t know if it was true but Stone said Dombrowski told him he wouldn’t want a guy like Bradley on his team. I highly doubt all the guys on Detroit’s roster are of unquestioned character. If Dombrowski did say that I’m not a big fan. He could simply say he has no interest without putting the guy down. It’s my assumption Stone threw in the put down on his own when he was told Detroit had no interest.

Acapulco Taco Pie - August 2, 2009 reply

Domrowski would look pretty stupid saying that

Considering that he had Garry “I’ll show you an error” Sheffield.

Shanghai Badger - July 31, 2009 reply

Either Dombrowski said it or Stone is embellishing.

Quoth the Twitter account of Former Playgirl Model Steve Stone:

“From the mouth of dave dombrowski the GM of the tigers, i would not have him on my team.”

Dombrowski wouldn’t say that unless he has a problem with Bradley on a personal level. Stone was certainly saying that Bradley is a guy that the Tigers’ organization would not even consider having on their team.

General managers never lie...

and never deny events that have taken place, is that what you’re saying?

markleonette - July 30, 2009 reply

B is the worst idea ever.

I still want Teahen

yeah, "B" is eric hanna-like

Teahen would be a FANTASTIC addition to this team.

I know, right?

I literally can’t stop thinking about it.

TEAHEN TEAHEN TEAHEN TEAHEN TEAHEN TEAHEN

Peacock hen

But a valiant attempt. +.321

Clutch16 - July 30, 2009 via mobile reply

I thought

there really was a Teahen bird, but couldn’t find one… Peacock hens are called “peahens”. :D

Do you know how you can tell the Peahens from the Peacocks?

The Peanuts.

ba-dump-dump.

On the bright side...

…at least these ideas are not in a fanpost.

Those are some crazy ideas...

A) Bradley to Detroit was made up by Stone and Kraplan.
B) No need, nor room for Halladay, (plus he would cost too much).
C) Fonty isn’t going anywhere, he’ll stick as a platoon player at second.

I wouldn't be too surprised to see Fontenot go in a deadline deal for a 2b?

If the organization had given up on him, then yes. I don't think they have though.

I agree

and think they’re right not to give up on him. Plus, if they did decide to pull him back to a 300 AB a year player, I’d give Jeff Baker more playing time and give him a try. I like Jeff Baker better than Freddy Sanchez.

Baker is pretty weak against righties.

Could be that's how things will end up.

The Cubs are certainly playing him that way right now.

I’d say the jury’s still out on him, though.

platoon splits on Baker

vs. RHP in 407 PA .243/ .296/ .397
vs. LHP in 246 PA .279/ .341/ .562

He’s significantly better against lefties and pretty poor verses righties. There is certainly nothing he’s done thus far that makes me want to see him get more at bats against righties.

You're not interested in the power he's shown?

And you know whose career splits those are fairly close to?

Guess.

ISWYDT

nice!

So you think Baker's going to win a batting title someday?

Freddy Sanchez (who is no longer an option for the Cubs to pick-up)

vs. RHP .282/ .318/ .393
vs. LHP .352/ .389/ .502

Sanchez’s power isn’t better but his average and OBP are significantly higher. Baker’s power most likely comes at the expense of that lower average. Let’s also add that Baker is 28, not exactly young with a lot of expectation for those numbers to climb significantly. Thanks but I’ll take Sanchez who won a batting title at that age.

Of course not - contact isn's Baker's game.

But all Sanchez has on Baker is AVG. And if the OBP/SLG are the same, the AVG doesn’t make that much difference.

Baker has more power v. RHP, because his SLG is equal to Sanchez’ but coming off of a lower AVG. If you believe, as I do, that Baker might bring up that AVG without giving up power, then he could easily become a clearly superior player to Sanchez over the next three years.

Baker is not young, but his career is still young, without much consistent playing time because of how he was blocked in Colorado.

Since Baker is 28, no I don't believe he can maintain that power and increase his average significantly. .

You say his career is young but I’m sure you understand that if he had been better he would have been playing at the major league level sooner. If Baker were 24 or 25 I might agree with you.

Baker was a 3B

blocked in Colorado by their preference to play Helton, Atkins, Holliday, and Hawpe – 4 pretty good bats (at least until recently in Atkins’ case).

I’m not saying there’s a good chance he progresses. I’m saying there is a chance and giving him some ABs v. RHP isn’t a bad idea, especially if it can turn Fontenot back into 2008 version.

Agreed...

…on A & C. On ‘B’ though, I say there’s always room for another quality starting arm. He’d definitely cost too much, but there’s room.

We are not going anywhere in the postseason

Without a fully-functioning Carlos Marmol.

marmols fine

did we go anywhere the last few years WITH Marmol

Its the offense that needs to get it done in the postseason.

+ 10000000000 BCB points

cubnational - July 30, 2009 reply

Agreed that you need more parts to make it work

But I was responding to the post about trading, among others, Marmol for Halladay.

1) Yes, thank gods.
2) I don’t think so
3) I think Baker/Fontenot will do fine.

Question for Al

Is this the pitcher who you thought we’d all be very happy that we got? Just out of curiosity

cubsonWGN4ever - July 30, 2009 reply

he's said its "close"

to the deal he heard about

Thanks

Was curious…I’m not particularly ecstatic. I’m mostly ambivalent about this deal so far. One of those wait and see things.

cubsonWGN4ever - July 30, 2009 reply

Grabow was part of that deal that I heard about.

So that was, at least, true.

so it was duke

tim815 - July 30, 2009 reply

Hey Al, remember when Deep Goat told you about some rumor

and you said that we would be very happy if it actually happened. Is this the trade?

whoops nevermind.

Cards up 1-0 end of first

Can we have a thread for this . It is hot and boring in New York.

It's rainy and boring in Chicago

Make it happen.

cards up 1-0 top 2nd

great minds think alike

or deranged pathetic people think alike. Either works for me.

game tied

The Cubs showed they

can have back to back double digit run games. Keep it going guys.

sue369 - July 30, 2009 reply

A very good review and recap, Al.

I think it is despicable how the Pirates act as a farm system for other teams. I am glad I am not a Pirates fan otherwise I would be screaming.

dtpollitt - July 30, 2009 reply

I couldn't agree more, Dan

It’s once thing to not win, it’s quite another to give up the quantity and caliber of players they have in the last 6 years. This about it: they’d have Rammy at 3B, Jack Wilson at SS, Freddy Sanchez at 2B, Laroche at 1B, Xavier Nady in the OF, I know they had Jason Kendall catching. That team if kept together has a lot of potential. Their front office seems very poorly managed and they have disgraced their fan base, in my humble opinion.

Jason Bay.

Nate McClouth

Devin B - July 30, 2009 reply

thank you!

i knew i was forgetting some biggies. It’s ridiculous how that franchise has been run, and I honestly do feel terrible for their fans. They have such a beautiful ballpark, too..

It really is crazy.

Devin B - July 30, 2009 reply

It makes me very very angry as a baseball fan.

The disparity in MLB could not be worse when crap like this happens on a regular basis. Teams like the Padres, Royals, and Pirates just seem to have no desire to win. I understand it is a business, and as a owner or general manager that may be priority number one, but with success comes profit. I’d rather see a competitive Pirates team than the piss-poor excuse for a major league team they currently have, and have had, for the last decade and a half.

dtpollitt - July 30, 2009 reply

Salary cap

that is the best solution to this. Look at what it has done with competitive balance in the NFL. But it won’t ever happen in baseball.

Archie - July 31, 2009 reply

You're right,

although I see this year’s massive sell-off as kind of the ultimate result of bad decisions over the last ten years: the pro talent they had was getting them nowhere, so why not sell it all off and hope for a halfway decent team around 2012? Nothing else was working.

Inkin - July 30, 2009 reply

I think the Cards

should buy the Cubs hitters some dinners after shredding the Houston bullpen the way they did.

CyberCyclist - July 30, 2009 reply

matt holliday barely hits first HR as cardinal

cards fans are going ecstatic for their newfound savior

Kinda like they were for DeRosa?

Archie - July 31, 2009 reply

Pirates Fan

The one Pirates fan in my office is selling his fandom on ebay. He’s giving away his jersey and in return, the winning bidder must provide him with a Jersey of his favorite team.

I know this isn’t completely original but seriously, there’s no Pirates fans around these days.

ak123 - July 30, 2009 reply

I would guess that whatever their season ticket base is...

…. it’ll be cut at least in half after this year.

Their smallest crowd of the year is 8,790, so it has to be somewhere less than that. They could have less than 4000 season tickets sold next year.

such a shame, too

PNC is one of the most beautiful ballparks in the league. If only they could show their fanbase they’re serious about contending.

Agreed

PNC is beautiful. One of the places I’ve always wanted to see in person.

I live not too terribly far from Pittsburgh

and have had the pleasure to see games there a handful of times. It really is a beautiful park.

My favorite new park in baseball

Does not get enough credit.

Not Bruce Froemming - July 31, 2009 reply

PNC Park is outstanding

What’s more, Pittsburgh is a very underrated city. Great place.

Agreed on both.

Al Yellon - July 31, 2009 reply

ditto

Archie - July 31, 2009 reply

I love the view of it

So pretty.

What makes this situation so bad

Is that the Pirates WILL TURN A PROFIT. They keep the low payroll by trading players who might actually get much money and keep the shared MLB revenue. The Brewers did this while Bud was there but of course changed under new ownership. I remember the players union wanting in the last contract to require a fixed portion of the shared revenue on salaries but the owners balked.

it's called Corporate Viability

Or Coprolitical Vagary

cubnational - July 30, 2009 reply

Another reason for low ticket sales

Is that Cubs play no weekend games this year.

Not to make it seem like we’re all high and mighty but the fact is we do bring in much larger crowds. No weekend trips this year.

ak123 - July 30, 2009 reply

dodgers look pathetic

unfortunately we can relate lol...just going through a slump I guess

we can. they look like the cubs during june

Hey Al,

are you allowed to tell us who the pitcher was that would have made us all very happy yet

That deal isn't going to happen.

But it might have been Duke. That’s all I know.

cool, thanks

Marlins going to extras

How bout a nice 17 inning game exhausting the bullpen & bench ?

i like that

stupid Braves have two on and one out in top of the tenth

McCann goes yard for 3 run jack

Good for my fantasy team bad for tiring Marlns out.

Hey Dodgers leading

Do they have Sherrill yet? Doesn’t seem Torre likes most of his bullpen.

no he'll be with them tomorrow in atlanta

HOLY CRAP PUJOLS LEANED OVER THE TARP AND CAUGHT THE BALL

THIS GUYS THE BEST DEFENDER IVE EVER SEEN

Luckily he had a bad defensive series vs the Cubs

and during the allstar game

Sandberg's evil twin - July 31, 2009 reply

Um...he's arguably the best hitter in baseball right now, has been for awhile too...

But let’s not get carried away here. Haven’t you seen Sandberg…Ozzie…or Mad Dog for that matter? Let’s let him win a few more gold gloves and defend like that for a long time before you say best ever man.

im being sarcastic

and making fun of the people who drool over every small play he makes

jesus christos - July 31, 2009 reply

My son believed everything he heard during the home run derby and all star game.

I keep trying to explain that the “current best hitter in baseball” is a brief title and he’ll either fall back or be surpassed by someone soon enough.

He’s still a hell of a ballplayer, but…

N Oakley - July 31, 2009 reply

i hate rick ankiel

i hate him more

I can see why Torre doesn't like his bullpen when G. Mota is one of your options.

Thanks Ned

You could not have gotten Sherrill two days earlier and saved Cub fan and your own stupid team some grief.

at least the Cards have to use Thompson

Presumably due to last nights long game.

3-3

to the 9th

todd wellemeyers in the pen

i think the dodgers should be able to score off him

i would certainly hope so

to the 10th we go...

score early dodgers i cant take another late night

score early

and hope your bullpen doesnt blow it… again

ugh.. franklins still in

i hate ryan franklins facial hair

more than i hate the cardinals

the cardinals

may have the worst facial hair of any team ever.

Some of those 1970s A's teams would like to have a word...

Clutch16 - July 30, 2009 via mobile reply

word.

and might I add

score early AND hold them!

what the hell happened to the dodgers?

John T. Unger - July 30, 2009 reply

playing games outside the west

and they peaked early.

all that emotion of “weathering the storm w/o manny” has worn off.