tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59078322011-04-21T16:29:48.738-05:00Aisle 528Random Musings from Wrigley Field's Upper DeckChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comBlogger681100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1099103377567525662004-10-29T21:24:00.000-05:002004-10-29T21:29:37.566-05:00Steve Stone wasn't forced out.
Yeah, sure. In a technical sense, he resigned - the team didn't fire him. But that's not the point. Of course the team wanted him back. Who wouldn't want to bring back a whipping boy for your overpaid crybabies to beat up on, especially when there's a team option allowing you to bring him back on your own terms?
The real question is this: why did Steve Stone Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1099020714643219372004-10-28T22:08:00.000-05:002004-10-28T22:31:54.643-05:00Steve Stone resigned today.
I can't even describe the depths to which this has pushed me. At this point, I feel as if I might never watch another Cubs game. Let's face it: we aren't fans of the Cubs because they play well - it's great when they do, but we can't expect it, and our devotion to the team comes from something else. Some of it is Wrigley Field, the old-school stadium and one of theChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1097533211601958302004-10-11T17:15:00.000-05:002004-10-11T17:20:11.600-05:00Wendell Kim has been fired as the Cubs' third-base coach. He was not moved to first base, as many had predicted; instead, he was unceremoniously dumped, and I think we can all agree that he deserved no better.
In the same story, we also get the good news that Gary Matthews has been replaced as Cubs hitting coach by Gene Clines. (They are swapping places, essentially.) This is a great move, Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1096943832485953242004-10-04T21:16:00.000-05:002004-10-04T21:37:12.486-05:00For the first time in my life, I'm embarrassed to be a Cubs fan.
It's not the season-ending collapse of truly historic proportions, although that's something I hope I can forget ever happened.
It's the absolutely shameful way that the Cubs players and management have treated Steve Stone. For the last 20 years, through good seasons and bad, except for a brief hiatus to deal with some medical Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1087950723705437832004-06-22T19:25:00.000-05:002004-06-22T19:32:03.706-05:00British sailors seized, will be tried and probably executed by kangaroo court in Iran. Meanwhile, Muslim activists in the Middle East have executed their third non-Muslim prisoner in as many weeks in the most gruesome possible fashion. Of course, a Saudi exile living in Afghanistan was responsible three years ago for killing over 3000 innocent people. Regardless of what you think of the Bush Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1086487227261532972004-06-05T20:56:00.000-05:002004-06-05T21:00:27.260-05:00I'd like to salute the veterans of D-day. There's not much I can say except thank you. The sacrifice of those who died and the ingenuity and bravery of those who survived is in part responsible for our ability to sit calmly sixty years on and talk about baseball and the state of the world. The Normandy invasion was the most important battle of the twentieth century's most important war, and itChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1085878625115034392004-05-29T19:33:00.000-05:002004-05-29T19:57:05.116-05:00Crybaby Reds fans on the loose...
Here's the response to my last post - this from a 39-year-old unemployed man:
"Always knew that you Cubs fans were losers. In fact you're an even bigger group of losers than your pathetic excuse for a team is. Now go and cry in the glorified beer garden known as Wrigley Field."
I have trouble taking anything seriously that's written by someone 10 years older Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1085623416146928072004-05-26T21:00:00.000-05:002004-05-26T21:03:36.146-05:001985 Redux...
I'm officially giving up on the season, as of today. Todd Wellemeyer is headed to the DL, giving the Cubs eight players out sick or injured, which ties the club record set in 1985. We all remember how much of a disappointment that year was, thanks to injuries, and this year is inevitably going down precisely the same path. Now it appears that the Cubs will break the record, Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1084416926676956882004-05-12T21:29:00.000-05:002004-05-12T21:55:26.676-05:00I'm sick and tired of stupid, lazy people...
Here's the thing: I've worked very hard my whole life, gotten top grades at some of the top schools, studied subjects that are supposed to be attractive to employers, participated in the right activities, and worked in some wonderful jobs. Despite that, I've always had trouble landing a job. What does this mean? Simply this - when someone is hired Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1083471284681627272004-05-01T23:14:00.000-05:002004-05-01T23:19:05.343-05:00Well, that was better...
Cubs started slow, but Clement tossed a great game, we got some timely hitting from guys who should be hitting, and Borowski scared the hell out of everyone but got the save anyway. This game was played to last season's formula, and while it wasn't pretty, it was successful.
What about the weather, though? Throughout the game, which was played in the rain the entire Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1083382309930436852004-04-30T22:31:00.000-05:002004-04-30T22:36:08.873-05:00Ugh...
There's nothing I can say about tonight's crapfest that Derek hasn't already said. With any luck, Hendry will make some miracle trades for relief pitchers who can actually throw strikes. (You'd think this would be something they'd scout for before acquiring these guys, but apparently not, alas.)Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1083292568318659422004-04-29T21:36:00.000-05:002004-04-29T21:40:25.936-05:00Pratt's pitching performances proving pathetic...
After being sent down to the AAA Iowa Cubs, Andy Pratt, Juan Cruz's replacement and son of Daytona pitching coach Tom Pratt, has shown that it wasn't the big-league competition that stymied him - it was the fact that he doesn't know how to pitch. Frankly, I'm amazed that Jim Hendry was so fooled by this guy. We all knew that something had to beChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1083193475140377642004-04-28T18:04:00.000-05:002004-04-28T18:08:51.466-05:00Wood suspended for five games...
For last week's cowardly and unprovoked attack on a defenseless umpire, Kerry Wood has received a five-game suspension that, if upheld, would cause him to miss a start. We can only hope that cooler heads will prevail and the length of the suspension will be reduced on appeal.
In 1995, Roberto Alomar spit on an umpire, an actual act of battery and a symbolic Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1082242550749918742004-04-17T17:55:00.000-05:002004-04-17T17:59:52.043-05:00I have to agree with Al Yellon on this one...
Eric Cooper was completely out of line and sure looked like he was charging the mound, or at least threatening Kerry Wood. (Seriously - how many times have you ever seen a catcher jump in front of the home plate umpire when the ump starts moving toward the pitcher's mound? Barrett did so and really looked like he was moving to protect his pitcher.)Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1081984537978645292004-04-14T18:15:00.000-05:002004-04-14T18:19:34.903-05:00Happy Bullpen Improvement Day!
Pratt gets sent down, and the Cubs win their next game. Coincidence? I think not. (Cautionary note: Pratt's first appearance this year looked quite similar to Beltran's appearance today. Stay tuned, but I don't see Beltran collapsing quite as fast as Pratt did.)
The team looked fairly good today. 3.5 pitches per plate appearance is better than the Cubs have Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1081957119429337692004-04-14T10:38:00.000-05:002004-04-14T10:42:35.763-05:00Here's a pleasant surprise...
I've only recently started listening to the sports talk radio shows here in Chicago - I don't usually spend enough time in the car to listen to the radio much, but I've been driving more recently, so I've had a chance to hear the local sports talking heads.
Yesterday, they were discussing a comment Joe Morgan made during a television broadcast that "the humid air Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1081953289281067152004-04-14T09:34:00.000-05:002004-04-14T09:38:45.436-05:00"Stupidest person alive," huh? I'll admit to the hyperbole, but there are many people less intelligent than me. Still, I've been called worse, and I suppose that Paul deserves some answers to his criticism.
I find it hard to see how complaining about Andy Pratt is stupid - he's obviously Dusty's go-to guy. Despite the fact that there is another lefthander in the bullpen, Pratt has been Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1081865048023571742004-04-13T09:04:00.000-05:002004-04-13T09:08:03.216-05:00No moves yet...
Why the hell is Andy Pratt still on the Cubs' major league roster? The transaction report this morning mentions nothing about him being sent to Iowa (or West Tennessee or Daytona or Lansing or Mesa). This guy can't find home plate with a map. Essentially, he has a very strong arm and absolutely no control. In my book, that makes him an outfielder, not a pitcher, except that, Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1081806782076972532004-04-12T16:53:00.000-05:002004-04-14T10:50:06.233-05:00Apparently, when we were all discussing in the offseason what the Cubs' weaknesses would be this year - pitching or offense - we forgot the most obvious (and likely) answer. That answer: BOTH! Far be it from me to declare the season over at this point, but this is going to be a looooooong summer.
The Cubs can't hit. The three hits today would be acceptable, given the strong wind blowing in, Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1081785842339148722004-04-12T11:04:00.000-05:002004-04-12T14:45:10.890-05:00Update...
This report appears to be incorrect. According to the Cubs TV broadcast, Hendry was asked about the Rocca report and responded that, of all the things keeping Prior from pitching, one of them is not (at least for now) the tendon that would be repaired by Tommy John surgery. Chip Caray's comment (which may have been a Hendry quote; it wasn't clear) was that Prior's tendon is "as Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1081732086379995722004-04-11T20:08:00.000-05:002004-04-11T20:11:59.403-05:00The first road trip is in the books. Tomorrow, the Cubs open the home season in true Wrigley fashion: predicted game time conditions have the temperature at 44 degrees, with the wind blowing straight in from center field at 16 mph.
Despite the pedestrian 3-3 record, the team looked pretty good this week. The pitching was better than average, with flashes of absolute brilliance (and one Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1081634008423628552004-04-10T16:53:00.000-05:002004-04-11T08:39:35.216-05:00Normally, I appreciate the Sun-Times's extensive sports coverage, but the last paragraph of this story kind of bugged me:
Phil Cavaretta, 87, will attend tonight's game against the Braves. Still listed in the Chicago record book in many top 10 categories, the former Cubs first baseman is making the trip to Atlanta from Snellville, Ga.. He is the only living player remaining from the 1945 Cubs, Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1081392785614661342004-04-07T21:53:00.000-05:002004-04-07T21:56:52.670-05:00Maybe it's just because I'm still a little pissed off about the futility of spending a month trying to give money to Major League Baseball in exchange for merchandise, but I'd just like to say that, if this story is true, Chad Crawford of Nashville, TN, is the most evil person who has ever walked the planet. I have my doubts about the death penalty as currently administered, but I'm strongly in Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1081390342901066372004-04-07T21:12:00.000-05:002004-04-07T21:16:10.466-05:00I shouldn't be as angry about this as I am, but there's not much I can do about it.
The 1978 Cubs jersey that the Wrigleyville stores and MLB.com are offering has really grown on me, so I thought maybe I'd make this year's jersey purchase one of those. When I got an email from MLB.com on March 9 saying that they were offering 15% off their customized jerseys, I jumped on the chance and ordered Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1081221325654344022004-04-05T22:15:00.000-05:002004-04-05T22:19:10.466-05:00Magic number down to 161...
The Cubs won and both the Astros and Cardinals lost. (And the White Sox - nothing like having your still-beating heart ripped out of your chest on opening day.)
There were a few questions about the team coming into today's season opener, and we have some answers (albeit provisional ones) now.
1. Can Kerry Wood continue his dominating spring performance into the Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1081111580921154822004-04-04T15:46:00.000-05:002004-04-04T15:50:03.546-05:00Award predictions...
As long as I'm doing predictions, I may as well totally embarrass myself and predict who will win the various awards in 2004.
In the American League, Curt Schilling will benefit from his change of scenery and walk away with the Cy Young award. Bobby Crosby will be named the Rookie of the Year. Alex Rodriguez will once again win the MVP award by default, since the AmericanChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1081109833059028672004-04-04T15:17:00.000-05:002004-04-04T15:20:56.076-05:00Season predictions...
I sort of hate to go on record with predictions this year, with all the injuries and question marks throughout the major leagues. Still, no one expects anything from me, so armed with the superweapon of low expectations, I'll take a stab at divining the outcome of the 2004 season.
AL East Champion: Red Sox (over the Yankees by 1 game)
AL Central Champion: Twins
AL West Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1081097023578482472004-04-04T11:43:00.000-05:002004-04-04T11:47:25.996-05:00Congratulations to Jason Szuminski of the Padres...
Szuminski made the team's 25-man roster on the last day of camp as a relief pitcher. He's also a lieutenant in the Air Force reserve and holds a degree in aerospace engineering from MIT. As a former engineer myself, I think it's great to see someone with an education make the big leagues. Interestingly, Szuminski was a Cubs-developed player:Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1080752371724200962004-03-31T10:59:00.000-06:002004-03-31T11:03:08.436-06:00Clark and Addison Chronicle pointed yesterday to Baseball Primer's Cubs season preview, but I didn't get a chance to read it until today. David Geiser appears to be in broad agreement with me - he thinks that Mark Prior's absence will translate to a one-game drop in the standings for every month he is out. This would work out to a drop of two games if he is out until the end of May, and three Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1080704444141182542004-03-30T21:40:00.000-06:002004-03-30T21:44:20.340-06:00NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!
Apparently, the curse does live.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1080699703871555242004-03-30T20:21:00.000-06:002004-03-30T20:25:20.280-06:00So, as I was driving home tonight, I was listening to ESPN Radio here in Chicago, and they are running the following poll on their website:
Today's Web Poll
With the news on Mark Prior, I'm adjusting my Cubs season prediction by...
0 games--the injury is no big deal
1-5 games--it will have a minor impact
6-10 games--this could be serious
11-15 games--here we go again
16+ Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1080227233484206142004-03-25T09:07:00.000-06:002004-03-25T09:10:42.590-06:00Crowd attacks man on south side...
What is the deal with those people on the south side of Chicago? It seems like every couple of days, someone has a car accident down there, leading a crowd of people to pull the driver out of his car and beat him senseless. This sort of mob vengeance would never be seen in most parts of the country, and certainly not on the north side, except against people Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1079238306146443362004-03-13T22:25:00.000-06:002004-03-13T22:28:19.420-06:00We make runs the old-fashioned way...
Today's Cubs victory over South Side Brand X featured a beautiful manufactured run. In the eighth, Nic Jackson got on base when he was hit by a pitch. He stole a base on a gorgeous play, waiting for the Sox pitcher to throw a breaking ball, then scooting in ahead of the tag. He advanced to third on a wild pitch. Finally, he scored what turned out to be Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1079187301804881962004-03-13T08:15:00.000-06:002004-03-13T08:18:14.310-06:00In all the flap over Dusty Baker's bashing of walks, I don't think anyone has noticed the following: no one is keeping track of walks. Seriously.
I decided I would take a look at the Spring Training games so far and try to see who was hitting well, who was pitching well, etc. The stats on Cubs.com for hitters show games, at-bats, runs, hits, doubles, triples, home runs, RBI, total bases, Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1078322398486263392004-03-03T07:59:00.000-06:002004-03-03T08:02:56.610-06:00More mad ticket sales...
The Cubs have now completely sold out 70 home games. That's right - there are only 11 games with any tickets at all left. As Al Yellon reported yesterday, all tickets for the bleachers for every single home game are already gone. The Tribune said yesterday that there were only 400,000 tickets left for the season, which translates into about 2.8 million sold. As of Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1078002141732428222004-02-28T15:02:00.000-06:002004-02-28T15:05:15.560-06:00Cubs sell tickets like mad...
Since single-game tickets went on sale yesterday, the Cubs have sold a huge number of tickets. According to the Tribune, they sold 1.8 million tickets through season ticket packages. Yesterday alone, according to the same article, the team sold 500,000 tickets. This is huge. Over 81 home games, assuming a sellout crowd of 39,241, the Cubs single-season capacity Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1077853289470556962004-02-26T21:41:00.000-06:002004-02-26T21:44:20.403-06:00For those of you who want to see a picture of the "Bartman Ball" exploding, here it is:
Now, can we please drop the subject? Not that there isn't or wasn't a curse, but we've done all we can to exorcise those demons, we've got a great team, and we should be in for a pretty good year.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1077816339976251912004-02-26T11:25:00.000-06:002004-02-26T11:28:30.546-06:00Kudos to Turk Wendell for saying what everyone knows is true. With the Rockies facing the Giants pretty often this year, Turk is probably going to pay for his comments one way or another. Still, you've got to admire the guy for speaking his mind when everyone else just wants to bury their heads in the sand. For his BS-cutting performance, eccentric reliever Turk Wendell is my inaugural player Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1077248146382721182004-02-19T21:35:00.000-06:002004-02-19T21:38:27.936-06:00After getting lost on their way to practice, Greg Maddux, Kerry Wood, and Mark Prior try to figure out how to get to Fitch Park:
Seriously, though, this is a beautiful sight.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1077164524894629852004-02-18T22:22:00.000-06:002004-02-18T22:24:45.153-06:00I've been remiss in welcoming the Rooftop Report to our online community. Please check it out if you haven't already done so. The main page is here, and there is a Cubs-only page here.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1077153767221945232004-02-18T19:22:00.000-06:002004-02-18T19:25:27.293-06:00A few details have emerged about Maddux's contract...
Looks like the Professor will get $6 million this year and $9 million next year (although some media sources are reporting a straight $7.5 million for each of the two years). The third year of the contract is worth $9 million, and that option will be picked up as long as Greg pitches a total of 400 innings during the 2004 and 2005 seasons.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1077082883634208252004-02-17T23:41:00.000-06:002004-02-17T23:44:02.340-06:00Update: ESPN is now reporting details for the rumored Greg Maddux deal: $24 million for three years, no specifics as to how much is guaranteed and how much rests on incentives. The per-year amount and the length of the deal are both greater than was originally reported, but $8 million per year is close enough to Hendry's reported $7 to $7.5 million to sound right. This also allows Maddux to Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1077076248925622472004-02-17T21:50:00.000-06:002004-02-17T21:53:28.186-06:00Maddux actually coming to Chicago?
Several reports online now flat-out state that Greg Maddux will be among the Cubs' pitchers and catchers to report to Fitch Park tomorrow for the start of Spring Training. The scoop (if the story is true and not just another rumor) appears to have been made by the Atlanta-Journal Constitution. The story was also picked up by the Houston Chronicle and USA Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1075989930258328252004-02-05T08:05:00.000-06:002004-02-05T08:07:51.983-06:00High school students win math contest with paper on major-league ballparks...
Students from my alma mater have achieved the highest possible rating in the High School Mathematical Contest in Modeling, focusing their efforts on the dimensions of major league stadiums. Their paper will be published this year in the bulletin of the Consortium for Mathematics and its Applications. The problem can Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1075693002723037552004-02-01T21:36:00.000-06:002004-02-01T21:38:59.293-06:00Congrats to the Patriots for winning a great football game...
The Super Bowl is very often a boring blowout of a game, but this year, with a very close 32-29 score, the game was actually as compelling as the commercials.
Speaking of commercials, my favorites, in no particular order, were:
- The Budweiser ad featuring a donkey who wants to be a Clydesdale.
- The Jimi Hendrix Pepsi ad.
- The Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1075438189319103492004-01-29T22:49:00.000-06:002004-01-29T22:52:01.640-06:00Jim Hendry injured in fall...
All I can say is "ouch!" My dad had exactly the same injury a couple years back (slipped on the ice trying to shovel the driveway). Maybe while Hendry's hopped up on morphine, he can be convinced to raise his offer for Maddux. (I'm actually ambivalent about getting Maddux, but I think the Cubs would be a better team with him than without him.)Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1075399266360514902004-01-29T12:01:00.000-06:002004-01-29T12:03:18.763-06:00Several of the other Cubs bloggers have recently described their first memories of Wrigley Field. Our first experience with the place is important for all of us. For Cubs fans, a trip to Wrigley Field is one of the pillars of our faith. Wrigley Field is a true shrine of sport, on a level with Notre Dame Stadium and Lambeau Field (sorry, Bears fans) in football, and at least on a level with Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1075397462804540872004-01-29T11:31:00.000-06:002004-01-29T11:33:14.890-06:00Really disgusting but pretty damned funny...Dead whale explodes on Taiwan street. No Cubs news today.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1075260950616281372004-01-27T21:35:00.000-06:002004-01-27T21:38:00.340-06:00From the "HUH?" file...
Cleveland Indians prospect Kazuhito Tadano has apologized for appearing in a Japanese gay porn video while he was in college, calling it "a mistake." Apparently, the existence of the video led Tadano to be shunned by Japanese teams, which is why he came to America and joined the Indians' minor league system.
Not to get too political, but what does it say about our Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1075256155685733092004-01-27T20:15:00.000-06:002004-01-27T20:18:05.670-06:00It looks like the Cubs and the city of Chicago have reached a compromise on landmark status for Wrigley Field. Rather than declaring the stadium a historic landmark, the city council has recommended that landmark status be granted to the stadium's "historic features," including the four outer walls, the roof, the main entrance sign, the scoreboard, the grandstands and bleachers, and the bricks Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1075077353190352562004-01-25T18:35:00.000-06:002004-01-25T18:39:00.483-06:00At the suggestion of Jason Steffens over at The Clark & Addison Chronicle, I have installed the RSS generator modifications described at SportsBlogs.org. I'd appreciate any comments regarding whether or not this works, since I don't know anything at all about RSS. Thanks.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1074742707046782362004-01-21T21:38:00.000-06:002004-01-21T21:40:28.483-06:00Non-Cubs news...
Jesse Orosco has decided to retire. The ageless wonder pitched in 1252 major league games, an average of better than 52 appearances per year during each of his 24 years in the majors. That's endurance, folks.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1074393098067538892004-01-17T20:31:00.000-06:002004-01-17T20:33:34.060-06:00I'm attending the Cubs Convention this weekend. It's my first time, and I have to say that I'm not greatly impressed. The Cubs have been holding the same event, with the same activities, on the same weekend, every year for the last 19 years, and they still seem as disorganized as a beehive without a queen. I heard that they oversold tickets, which I believe given the hordes of people present.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1074142963594281652004-01-14T23:02:00.000-06:002004-01-14T23:04:36.030-06:00I've been on vacation and then catching up on work recently, so I'm sorry for the lack of posts.
Everyone has heard by now that Sandberg was denied entry to the Hall of Fame. This just plain sucks. Congratulations to Eck and Molitor, who should definitely be in the Hall. (On the other hand, it's unheard of for two players both to be elected in their first year of eligibility. One - or Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1072234089256693292003-12-23T20:48:00.000-06:002003-12-23T20:48:24.660-06:00Todd Walker signed...
The Cubs, in a move that surprised everyone, signed Todd Walker, who was made available by Boston's signing Pokey Reese to play second base.
I've seen two likely theories about this move.
Al Yellon suggests that Hendry may be engineering a trade of Grudzielanek, Barrett, and a pitching prospect to the Pirates for Jason Kendall. Given the size of Kendall's contract, this Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1072040721619867132003-12-21T15:05:00.000-06:002003-12-21T15:05:37.026-06:00Catching situation sorted out...
As expected, the Cubs signed Michael Barrett today. The official site says that his contract is for one year at $1.55 million. Once the contract was finalized, the Cubs completed their trade with the A's, sending Damian Miller to Oakland for Barrett, cash, and a PTBNL. At the moment, then, it looks like we know who next year's catchers are: Barrett will start,Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1071894405176146922003-12-19T22:26:00.000-06:002003-12-19T22:26:59.870-06:00A few more questions answered today...
The Cubs re-signed Paul Bako and Ramon Martinez. Presumably, this means that our catchers will be Michael Barrett and Paul Bako, and Damian Miller will be dealt somewhere. Martinez will be, as expected, the utility infielder/bench player.
The team also traded a minor league pitcher for Jose Macias, from Montreal. He will provide a left-handed (actually Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1071794450650722532003-12-18T18:40:00.000-06:002003-12-18T18:41:04.836-06:00Well, it's been an interesting couple of days in Cubs offseason transaction land...
First, the Cubs signed Michael Barrett as either the starting or backup catcher, meaning they will get rid of either Damian Miller or Paul Bako (we'll know which come Saturday, when the Cubs have to decide whether to non-tender Bako). No one seems to know what to do with this news. Apparently, Barrett is your Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1070860129007947172003-12-07T23:08:00.000-06:002003-12-07T23:09:00.796-06:00More holes filled for next year...
The Cubs signed deals with Grudzielanek and Goodwin. Sources say that Grudzielanek will be paid $2.5 million next year, which is at the low end of the speculation. Grudz himself says that he got similar offers from other teams but decided to come back because he likes Dusty and Chicago. I'm highly ambivalent about this move. There's better talent out there Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1069814653517570272003-11-25T20:44:00.000-06:002003-11-25T20:44:21.630-06:00The Cubs traded Hee Seop Choi and a player to be named later (side note: it appears there have never been any major league players named "Later") to Florida for Derek Lee.
I'm ambivalent about this trade. I like Choi a lot, although he had his problems this year, particularly in the second half. As others have noted, this deal smells like one engineered by Dusty Baker rather than Jim Hendry, Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1067649080878750852003-10-31T19:11:00.000-06:002003-10-31T19:11:23.083-06:00Along with the other members of the Cubs blogger army, I want to express my deepest condolences to Christian over at The Cub Reporter, who lost his home in the ongoing southern California wildfires. Christian, I wish there was something more I could do than to think happy thoughts in your direction. If there is anything I can do, please let me know.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1067631529972126022003-10-31T14:18:00.000-06:002003-10-31T14:18:52.043-06:00As expected, Sammy Sosa decided this afternoon to pick up his option and stay for the next two years. Presumably, given that the Cubs will have to spend $16 million on Sosa next year, they won't be going after Vlad Guerrero, Gary Sheffield, or some talented young right field star. Sosa will be our starting right fielder for the 2004 and 2005 seasons.
As things stand now, we are set at the Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1067370253049644682003-10-28T13:44:00.000-06:002003-10-28T13:44:13.903-06:00I would like to wish all the best to Ron Santo as he undergoes his surgery today. I'm sure that all Cubs fans everywhere are pulling for him and are keeping him in their thoughts.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1067305444584433142003-10-27T19:44:00.000-06:002003-10-27T19:44:05.420-06:00I have to confess that I haven't paid as much attention to the Cubs farm system as I probably should. However, I am aware that it is a source of many future stars of the major-league club (as well as, probably, several other clubs).
Brendan Harris, one of the up-and-coming stars currently in the farm system, is writing a weekly column over at the official site about his experiences in the Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1067182023476496082003-10-26T09:27:00.000-06:002003-10-26T09:27:04.000-06:00I wanted to wait to post anything until after I cooled down a little bit following the Cubs' loss in the NLCS. Now that the postseason has ended, I finally feel like I can write reasonably coherently. It's strange - had I watched this Cubs season and postseason on TV, like I did when I was growing up, or on TV from a great distance, like I did while I was in college, I wouldn't have been quite Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1065536923423445702003-10-07T09:28:00.000-05:002003-10-07T09:28:43.200-05:00A personal note: my grandfather was a huge Cubs fan his entire life. When he retired and left the Chicago area for Virginia, he followed the Cubs via shortwave radio broadcasts, then was one of the first people I ever knew to get cable TV so he could watch the TV broadcasts on WGN. He was born in late October 1908, so he just missed the last World Series victory. He died in July 1984, with theChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1065500355420360732003-10-06T23:19:00.000-05:002003-10-06T23:19:15.396-05:00The Red Sox win in what has to be one of the best baseball games I've ever seen (unless you're an A's fan). Sox up by one in the bottom of the ninth, A's get the bases loaded with two outs, and the last batter strikes out to send the Sox to the ALCS. I just hope that Johnny Damon is all right.
I'm generally not much of an American League fan, but I always root for the Red Sox. As a Cubs fans,Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5907832.post-1065495515612708482003-10-06T21:58:00.000-05:002003-10-06T21:58:35.036-05:00I'm new to the blog game, so please forgive me if this is a little bit slow at first.
I am very busy at the moment, and I should be working on some assignments for law school, but I'm going to take the time to procrastinate a little bit.
The name of this blog comes from the seats my wife and I had to the night and weekend games this year in Aisle 528 in the upper deck at beautiful Wrigley FieldChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038076618445954593noreply@blogger.com