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"Lou is not talking about mechanics when he goes out to the mound,"
~Chicago Cubs pitching coach Larry Rothschild

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

D Lee Back, Cubs Promptly Win


(AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Derrek Lee comes back from his five game suspension he incurred sometime way back in the Mesozoic era and promptly goes 2-4, and knocks in a big run in the 3-2 Cubs victory over the frickin' Redbirds. Zambrano had a good outing and Ramirez drove in the go-ahead as well. Nice to see the team hitting on all cylinders. Tonight, hopefully the Cubs continue their winning ways (of late) and support Ted Lilly on towards his 11th win. Any win over the Cardinals is a good win, but sitting only 3.0 games back, every win seems that much bigger. Especially with the Brew Crew playing the Reds. Trust me Redlegger, I'm rooting for the Reds this series. Obviously. Just get your wins now before the weekend.

But I just love that shot of a dejected Pujols after making the final out. Maybe I'm a sadist. Nah, I'm just a Cub Fan.

Directly from the Uh-Oh category, free-swingin' Ronny Cedeno is back in town. I know, I know, he hit .350-something in AAA and had 10 HR's, but we've seen this story before. And it wasn't pretty. The Fontenot/Theriot combo is doing just fine for me. As long as Cedeno stays behind these two and behind DeRosa (when he comes back), then I'm down with that. With trepidation. Sweet Lou won't stupidly, stubbornly, stand behind these guys if they don't produce, so I shouldn't worry.

But I do lot's of things I shouldn't.

Anyone remember we traded Greg Maddux away for Cesar Izturis (essentially)??? So, let me get this straight, after we sent Izzy packing for the ol' PTBNL, we traded first ballot HOF, one of the greatest pitchers ever to grace this earth, for a PTBNL?! WTF????!!!!

OK, deep breaths...

Still, that just doesn't sit well with me. They kind of quietly let that thing happen so there wasn't a riot in the middle of Wrigley. Trust me, let that sit in for a sec and there just might be a riot going on.

If the Cubs weren't 3.0 games out of first.

I'm off to watch the rest of the A's/LAA of A game. See y'all soon.

Maybe Redlegger will actually post soon. Or perhaps Styles or Galt will come back from their Antarctic Fishing Trip. Or maybe we should check guest ledger at Guantanamo Bay.

Go Cubs!

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Monday, July 09, 2007

All-Star Weekend



Here we are, at the halfway point. Umm... Sort of. 89 games, 88, 82, who's counting? And, it's not really a weekend, but hey, I've got the day off, so it is for me. So there. Tonight the shindig gets off the ground with the Barroid Bonds-less Home Run Derby. He dissed his own crowd and passed on the Derby for Jay-Z's party down the road. Not that it might not be more fun, but the park that Barry built gets its All-Star game, and Barry says "thanks but no thanks". Actually it's more like "whatever, have fun".

True, it's a grind on the body, and with the three rounds of 10 outs is just too much. But, the Giants are far from competing for the pennant, and he should have got out there on the stage in front of "his" people who've supported him for years and years when nobody else has. Not that Barry is or ever has been a spokesperson for the game, but I think it would have helped for him to embrace the fans and try and go out with some class and positivity.

Back to the 10 out thing, it's just too many. How about 7? That'd be nine less outs over the course of the contest. And, let's add 'em all up and let the highest total win. Nothing was more deflating then seeing Mark McGwire hit all those mammoth shots over the Green Monster in Boston and still lose the event. The crowd got what they wanted for sure, but the results didn't add up in the end (even though Griffey won it with the same total of 16 HR's. But, think of the sudden death possibilities after that. Go swing for swing, first one who doesn't match the other is out). How about when Jason Giambi hit 20 in '01, in the first two rounds, and didn't even make the final round, losing out to two people who hit 10 ("winner" Luis Gonzalez) and 11 (Sammy "Corkman" Sosa) in the first two rounds.

I know, I know, after that they made sure round one carries over to round two to eliminate that possibility. But why wipe the slate in the end? Make 'em all count. Whoever hits the most wins. Nuff Said. Someone get me Bud "I'm The Greatest, Just Ask My Mother" Selig's phone number.

Two hours 'til home run bliss. I'm pickin' the rook, Prince Fielder, to hit more than a few into the Bay and taking this year's Derby. Although it is tough for lefties to hit 'em in Candlestick/Pac Bell/AT&T Park, I think he's got the swing to take it. He puts it all in there, and there's a lot of all in there. Watch Pujols too, like anyone ever has to say that when it comes to dingers.

Time for a beverage run.

Oh, except for one last thing. I've wanted to answer Matt's post question, Who's In Your 5, for a bit, but haven't had the time to get to it. Today I actually got a full day off, so, drum roll please (or maybe just a frickin' get on with it scream from the back), here we go:

1. Jake Peavy
2. Alex Rodriguez
3. Johan Santana
4. Ryan Howard
5. Justin Verlander

When asked the people I would build my franchise around, today, and for the future, I have to take into account young players who will be around for a while. This heavily influenced my decisions here. Every one of these type of things motivates discussion and perhaps even a few beer-fueled arguments, but I'd just say, hey, let's lace 'em up and see what happens.

Sure, Pujols' glove is better that Howard's, but I think the kid's still got a lot more to show us. And I wanted to balance my right-handed slugger (A-Rod) with a left-handed bomber to anchor the lineup. Get some OBP guys in front of Howard and A-Rod, and that's a lot of runs waiting to happen. With Peavy, Santana and Verlander taking the hill, I wouldn't even need that many runs, but I'd surely take 'em. I'm no fool. (hey, you shut up).

Maybe I just couldn't put a frickin' Redbird on the roster.

Go Cubs!

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