Rantings from the Lunatic Fringe...

It came to me in a moment of clarity - let's finally end this madness about the goat, the ball, and the dork (which is how Jim Rome gratuitously refers to Steve Bartman by the way). To begin with, I never thought blowing up the ball was such a great idea. I mean, sure - it was great for Harry Carey's in terms of publicity, but what if we have peeved off the powers that be with the destruction of that ball? We may have, in fact, added to the curse - not removed it!!!!

All I know is that after the destruction of that wretched ball Mark Prior and Grudzie go down with Achilles problems - a coincidence? I think not. I am just hoping that we have not done irrevocable damage with this dimwitted act of redemption - it looks like Prior is on track to return in a month. So lest we risk further incurring the wrath of the powers that be concerning Prior's return, let me begin by being the first to officially call for the restoration of the Bartman ball. I don't even know if such a thing is possible, but we need to enlist the services of someone who knows what the heck they are doing and we need to reconstitute that ball! Bring back the Bartman ball!

Also - as I thought about Al Yellon's comments the other day I realized he was right. Just bringing the goat to the park and parading it around the field like they did isn't going to do anything. If we are serious about this - and I mean really serious - we need to not only give the goat a ticket and actually let it sit in a seat during a game as Billy Goat Sianis and Al Yellon have suggested, BUT (1) we need to make the goat sit in the bartman seat, (2) it needs to be during a Florida Marlins game, (3) Steve Bartman needs to throw out the ceremonial first pitch with the reconstituted ball, and most importantly (4) Moises Alou needs to come over and speak nicely to the goat (preferably in Spanish - stilted English isn't going to cut it) and pet it while he's out in left field. I am convinced that this is the cure for our ills. If we are really serious about getting rid of the curse of the goat, the ball, and the dork - we need to take care of them all in one fell swoop. Either that or play really consistent and tough baseball this year - but the superstitious thing seems a whole heck of a lot easier (with the possible exception of the reconstituted ball thing) and it plays well to a nearly cultic fan base.

Isn't it ironic?

LaTroy Hawkins gives up the solo blast by him whose name must not be mentioned, which then ties the game and takes away Maddux's win, and after Gonzo's solo shot in the ninth, Hawkins (who essentially gave the win away) ends up with the win. Perhaps Oliver Stone might be interested in this story...

Make that 12-0...

That's Randy Johnson versus the Cubs lifetime, with one no-decision. What happened to the Big Unit that got slammed by the Cubs in Spring Training?! Johnson was pitching brilliantly - he was ahead in the count with nearly every batter, which led to a night of offensive futility for a team that has been jacking the ball as of late (Entering Monday's game, the Cubs were second in the National League in hitting with a .289 team average - who would have thought!). On the other side of the mound, the big Z struggled throughout the night. Losses are never easy to take, but they are a lot easier to swallow after a 6 game winning streak - I was surprisingly calm during this blowout as I was listening to the game on the drive back from Chicago (normally in situations like this - drivers who happen to glance see a crazed lunatic pounding on the driving wheel and shouting at no one in particular).

Cub-fan-mania and superstition

It never ceases to amaze me the degree to which individual Cubs fans think the game turns on their own personal actions and the peculiarities of those around them. Anyway – Al Yellon has probably one of the best Cubs blogs out there – it is one of the two that I have to read every day - the other being Derek’s well written and insightful comments at the Big Red C">. Al’s superstitious eccentricities absolutely crack me up – you get a good dose of them after nearly every game. He had this gem in a recent post:

Among them were things from CurseBreaker, an outfit that's making cute little goat stuffed animals and keychains, in yet another silly attempt to break the "goat curse".

Now, I think that stuff has absolutely nothing to do with baseball. And if they really wanted to break the curse, they'd do what Billy Goat Sianis wanted to do in 1945 -- let the goat come to a game with a ticket and sit in a seat. Parading a goat around the infield isn't going to cut it.

But anyway, I took one of the keychains and put it in my backpack.

Since the Cubs won yesterday, I'll leave it in there for the rest of the season.

I think that our cult would make an interesting sociological study - we could compare how the various phenomena exhibited in the Cubs games affects fan actions with how cycles of prosperity/scarcity affect African tribal behavior. I could be wrong, but I’ll bet there would be quite a few similarities. :-)

Guaranteed a .500+ April

With four games remaining in the month, the Cubs are assured of finishing above .500, for the second season in a row no less. Any idea when the last time was that the Cubs put together back-to-back winning April’s? The 84 & 85 seasons (12-8 in '84 and 12-6 in '85) – Doh!!! Let’s hope that is where the similarities end.

Looking ahead: (From the Official Cubs web site)

The pitching matchups are set for the Cubs-Cardinals series this weekend in St. Louis. Kerry Wood will open against Woody Williams on Friday, followed by Matt Clement vs. Jeff Suppan on Saturday, Carlos Zambrano vs. Matt Morris on Sunday, and Sergio Mitre vs. Jason Marquis on Monday.

Should be good!

10-6; First Place; Without Prior

Nice game today - Maddux pitched decently and we jumped into first place. The top of the third inning was a key moment - the bases were loaded, there was one out, Mike Piazza was at the plate, and I was grumbling out loud about what a lousy pickup Maddux was (that's when my wife reminded me how excited I had been when the news broke that he had signed with us - oh well, we're fickle fans - what can we say). And what happens - I almost can't believe it, but Piazza hits it back to Maddux who dishes it to Bako who throws to Lee for a double that prevents a run - unbelievable! Then Maddux strikes out Cameron (yes the same Cameron who homered in the previous inning off of Maddux) to end the inning - Whew!

It's nice to see Maddux settle down (but let's remember who he was throwing against) - but I'm pretty sure I am still going to be nervous next time he takes the mound (and having a Mitre-Maddux 2 day combo now that Woody is following Maddux isn't going to help any of us sleep well on those days these two are pitching).

Woody's Curveball rates #2

Woody's curveball rated #2 (behind Mariano Rivera's cut fastball) at ESPN's 10 best knockout pitches:

Like Nolan Ryan, the Texas gunslinger whom Wood emulates, the combination of a 95-mph fastball and a hard-breaking curveball presents a lethal combination. Not many pitchers throw an over-the-top curve anymore, as the slider has become the breaking pitch of preference. But Wood not only has the 12-to-6 break, he also throws it nearly as hard as some lesser pitchers throw their fastball. "That hard, sharp break is filthy,'' says one major league manager.

Back to the books!

As you can see my compadre Camden has been doing most of the posting as of late - I am in the midst of a doctoral seminar that is absolutely killing me! Oh well, I'll be listening to the game tomorrow on the radio as I crank away on the laptop. Let's go Woody!

Random Musings

Well it's the beginning of the season and the team that has been picked by a majority of sports analysts to win the world series is sitting in last place, while the Detroit Tigers, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and the Cincinnati Reds are in first place in their respective divisions! Maybe blowing up that ball wasn't such a great idea after all - it seems to have had a cascade effect and its realigned everyone's mojo so that we're now living in a bizzaro world.

Concerning the bartman debacle - apparently the bartman seat was empty for the home opener, although it appears that a certain mystique is developing around it - with some people allegedly making a "pilgrimage" to it. I think if anyone looks closely enough you might just barely be able to see the vague outline of a laughing billy goat in the grains of the seat - either that or an Achilles heel. Lester Van Zandt left us this pearl of wisdom after the Cubs loss in their home opener:

''They should have blown the seat up with the ball,"

Brilliant - Maybe they should have blown up Bartman himself with the ball and the seat - you ever think of that Lester?

On another note - the Cubs offense is just pathetic - same old stuff as the 2003 Cubs so far, which is frustrating to say the least. I can also say that I am now officially peeved about the Juan Cruz/Andy Pratt trade! I don't care how underachieving Cruz was - Pratt is worse than Alfonseca. At least Alfonseca could (occasionally) find the plate. I am hoping Hendry does the right thing and gives Pratt a ticket to Iowa soon. And does anyone else find it interesting that everyone was saying how the Mark Prior absence wasn't that significant because the Cubs had an easy opening schedule against sub standard teams (Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Mets, Colorado, San Diego)? Well, in case any body forgot, these are still major league ball clubs, and there's a reason they still play the games instead of just chalking up the win for the better team on paper.

And on Prior - I am also now officially worried. Call me chicken little if you will, but something is rotten in denmark, and I have a suspicion something is being withheld from us. I'll admit right now that I'm a pessimist, but I usually believe that where's there's smoke - there probably is fire - especially when the smoke is coming from a reputable news outlet. Let me offer a dire prediction that I hope will not come true - Mark Prior will not pitch in a single game this year. Add the word "Achilles" to the growing Cub curses vocabulary.

I wish I could say I'm confident about Clement on Wednesday, but he has just been pitiful so far. I know he's inconsistent, so maybe he'll kick in for this win and give us a pick up so we can get back to .500. As it stands now there's only two Cubs pitchers that inspire any sort of confidence - Woody and Zambrano. And with our anemic offense, even these guys aren't shoe-ins for a win.

Thank goodness its a long season!

Former Cubs Pitchers

Isn't it wonderful to see how well at least three former Cubs have been pitching as of late? (1) Shawn Estes pitched another 3 hit gem in the Rockies 4-2 win over the Dodgers. Estes, a non-roster invitee to Colorado in Spring Training, is now responsible for the only wins Colorado has posted to date and he is sporting 1.29 ERA over 14 innings pitched. Is Estes going to repeat his 19 win season from 1997 (or even the 15 wins he posted in 2000)? Doubtful, especially since Coors field isn't exactly the place for a pitcher to revive a career, but wouldn't that be just typical? I think he has the billy goat, the memory of the foul ball, and that cursed seat on the left field line at wrigley rooting for him though, which may be all he needs to lock up the NL Cy Young this year. The next two are a bit more painful - (2) When we traded Juan Cruz, I was ambivalent. So what that he allegedly had potential - from my perspective I was always nervous when he pitched for the Cubs. So imagaine our surprise when he comes in and pitches 3 scoreless innings in the Cubs 2-1 fifteen inning win over Atlanta! It may be unseemly, but let the ubiquitous second guessing of that deal begin right now, especially when the guy we traded him for can't seem to find the plate (more on this below). My only question is this - is Cruz excelling because he's pitching against an anemic Cubs offense (which can make even mediocre pitchers like Paul Wilson look like an ace) or is his unrealized potential suddenly becoming realized? Perhaps the answer will have to wait until he faces a more potent offense, like St. Louis. All you can do as a Cubs fan is shake your head, which brings us to: (3) Antonio Alfonseca played two games against us in this three game series and he actually registered the win against the Cubs on Saturday. In the first game the six fingered wonder pitches 2 scoreless innings of relief for the Braves, and then comes back in game 2 and pitches another scoreless inning (actually 2/3 of an inning), while chalking up his first win of the season! As he waddled out to the field both times, I remembered how horrified I used to be when he entered the game as a Cub, so I was expectantly waiting for the shelling to begin - a shelling that never materialized. I think it would have if any of the Cubs had demonstrated any sort of patience at the plate - If you give Alfonseca enough rope, he will hang himself every time - but the Cubs were swinging away without reserve.

Who will be the goat this year?

With Alfonseca gone, who will replace him as the object of Cub fans derision? Anything's possible, but my money is on Andy Pratt - the kid has major control problems and he can't find the plate to save his life. For the life of me I can't understand why Dusty brought in Pratt in the 5-2 loss on Saturday! He had a bullpen full of solid relievers - Hawkins, Mercker, Wuertz, and even Tightpants for goodness sakes! Why in the world - with 2 out in the bottom of the eighth and a one run lead - do you bring in the rookie with known control problems? Mitre should have won this game - and if you think about it - even if Mark Prior was pitching, this win would have been stripped out of his hands too. Frustrating to say the least. In this regard, Derek at the Cub Reporter has some good insights on the game 2 debacle - scroll down to "Game Notes 5:Opportunities Lost." Derek also makes the good point that the time to bring in Pratt was in Sunday's game after we had run up a considerable lead - not in a one run malox masher!

Wood strong & Cubs bats come alive!

What a pleasure the game today was! Woody pitched a phenomenal game (7 straight k's!) - he made it through seven innings (105 pitches) and is now sporting a 3.75 ERA. Patterson jacked a homer in the first inning (again) right after Pat Hughes remarked that the Cubs had been held scoreless in the first inning since Patterson's first inning jack against Cincinnati. The Golden Goose (my nickname for Michael Barrett) laid a 3 run golden egg for us in the eighth that sealed the deal. Walker was 2/4 today, as were Ramirez, Barrett, and Martinez (Alou was 2/5). Good stuff all around.

Up Next - Mad Dog vs. Benson in the Cubs home opener!

The life of a Cubs fab -

Isn't it just peachy that Shawn Estes pitched a 7 inning 2 hit gem and beat Randy Johnson in his Season debut as the Rockies number #1 starter?! Now that Shawn has left the Cubs, he is free to reach his maximum potential (which after watching him last year isn't much) and post as many wins as possible - Go Shawn!!! :-/

Borowski's velocity -
JoeBo apparently is down from the low 90's to the high 80's as everyone knows (it was widely reported that his fast ball was registering 88-89 mph in Spring Training). And yet even 89 mph may too ambitious at this point - In the Cubs opener he didn't throw anything above 88 mph. Yes I know he got the job done but don't forget - it was against the lower part of the order of a mediocre Reds team. I could be wrong about this, but JoeBo may in fact be Rod Beck's evil twin this year.

Yesterday's offensive futility -
We were all extremely frustrated with the reappearance of the 2003 Cubs offense yesterday and I made a sarcastic comment about Paul Wilson not being that exceptional of a pitcher. Well he's not, but on the other hand - he does appear to have the Cubs number. Prior to yesterday's game - Alou was 1/9 lifetime against Wilson, Grudzy was 1/12, Gonzo was 4/19, and Derrek Lee was 1/10. I didn't see that until after the fact, and it was an ominous portent of the day's offensive struggles.

Concerning the game today against the Reds -
Will it be another day of offensive futility? I hope not, but Sosa is 1/8 against Acevedo and Patterson is 1/7 against him. Maybe Aramis can get the bat going since at least he is 5/11 lifetime against Avecedo. I am hoping Matt Clement can snap out of his Spring Training slump. The Official Cubs web site reminded us today of Clement's horrible ST:

Clement was 0-3 with an 8.84 ERA in six Cactus League appearances, giving up 27 hits and walking 12 over 18 1/3 innings. Not exactly an impressive tuneup. But the good news is the right-hander rediscovered his slider this spring. Now he needs to feel comfortable with the rest of his repertoire.

Adding fuel to the fire is the fact that this Cincinnati lineup has had relative success againt Clement:

Adam Dunn has hit .353 (6-for-17) with a double, home run and two RBIs against Clement throughout his career. ... Jason LaRue has four hits, including a pair of doubles, in 10 at-bats against the right-hander. LaRue has also fanned against him five times. ... Barry Larkin has gone 5-for-16 with a home run and two RBIs against Clement.

Oy Vey!

Well that sucked - Reds 3 Cubs 1

What a frustrating game! The breakdown:

The positives - (1) The Bullpen (!) continues to impress me. Wuertz threw another scoreless inning of relief as did Pratt. Are these guys for real or is this just an early season tease? (2) Grudzielanek 2/4 - man I am glad we re-signed him - I have liked Grudzy ever since he came on board! On a day of much offensive futility, Grudzy was one of the few bright spots. (3) Patterson 2/4 - these two gentleman accounted for over half of the Cubs hits :-( Sorry Greg Maddux - a little bit of run support would have helped.


The neutrals - (1) Mad Dog wasn't exactly great or terrible. It's tough to win a game when you get no run support (Is Paul Wilson really that incredible of a pitcher?!). We got more innings out of Maddux than we did from woody yesterday (and Maddux threw almost 20 pitches less than woody while he threw one more inning than him - boy if woody could just learn efficiency from the master). I'm not terribly disappointed in Maddux - this wasn't a terrible performance, but it wasn't great either. (2) Derrek Lee 1/4 - his homer in the 9th represented the Cubs only run and his skillful glove saved 2 errors (The Aramis line is holding steady - 0 errors on the season to date, but as mentioned, he has Rodan to thank for that). Nice to see Derrek finally get his stick on the ball (I know it's early but I'm impatient). (3) Moises Alou 1/4 - his leadoff double in the 7th looked promising until Ramirez, Lee, and Gonzo went 1-2-3!

The negatives - (1) Sammy freaking Sosa - 0/4 today; 0/4 yesterday. Is this what $16 million/year buys? I know it's early in the season, but come on man - show us what you can do. (2) Paul Bako 0/3 - This is an absolutely useless bat in the lineup. I almost put him in the neutral category due to his throw out of Jimenez trying to steal in the first - but it was a questionable call, and in any event - his utter lack of offensive prowess will probably relegate Bako to the perpetual negative category of this blog. (3) Cubs synergy (or lack thereof) - What a waste of hits and walks. When Grudzy got on, Patterson, Sammy, and Alou were worthless. When Patterson got on, Sammy, Alou and Ramirez were worthless. When Sammy got on - whoops - Sammy didn't get on. You get the idea (7 total hits and 6 batters left on base). We couldn't put anything together offensively - and that ill advised base stealing attempt by Patterson in the 4th was just representative of a day of offensive futility.

To make matters worse: (1) Houston won; (2) St Louis won; and (3) the White Sox won. Looks like the South siders were able to avoid a 9th inning meltdown like Monday's game - but I think that bullpen of theirs is going to give them as many fits this year as ours did last year.

I wish I could say I'm positive about tomorrow's game, but Matt Clement is scaring the heck out of me based on his performance in Spring Training. I have a feeling he is going to get shelled tomorrow - even against a very mediocre Reds lineup. I'm hoping I'm wrong, but I'm fearful that I will not be!

Oh well - it's a long season. Hopefully we'll come out tomorrow and grind out a win.

Up next - Fu man chu vs. Acevedo

Nicely Done! Cubs 7 Reds 4

Well, the Cubs won their first game! It's nice to start a season with such high expectations on a positive note.

The positives - (1) the Cubs put up nice run support for Kerry, and the Bullpen held the lead - boy does that feel different from last year! (2) Corey Patterson hits a homer four pitches after Dick Cheney throws out the ceremonial first pitch - he is looking like he is picking up right where he left off from last season! (3) The Aramis line - no errors to date, and he even contributed to a nice double play with Grudzielanek & Lee! (4) The Grudzielanek line - 3/5! Many folks are predicting Grudz to have considerably less impact this year, so I'm keeping a close eye on him. (5) Moises comes through in the clutch with a 2 out base clearing double! I've been saying for a while that Alou is in a contract year trying to justify why anyone should even consider paying him $9 million Greenbacks a year - so keep an eye on him. (6) Michael "The Golden Goose" Barrett goes 2/4 - I'm hoping he lives up to the nick name I've come up with for him and continues to lay golden eggs for us. (7) Wuertz! Nice inning of relief against the latter part of the Reds lineup. (8) Lest we forget - Antonio Alfonseca is no longer a cub & what's better - the Braves picked him up! I can only hope he pays them back negatively in some small measure for all the years of anguish cubdom experienced watching Mad Dog in a Braves uniform accumulating 3 Cy Young's.

The Negatives - (1) Joe Borowski is frightening - walking the 9 spot pinch-hitter and then walking their leadoff man in the bottom of the ninth with a precarious 3 run lead is the type of stuff that produces indigestion. I'm not so sure that not fighting for a job this spring was such a good thing for Old Joe. He did pick up the save, which is what really counts - but I am nervous about the havoc a potent St Louis or Houston lineup would wreak on JoeBo. (2) The offense fizzled after the 6th (apart from Dunn's run-producing error in the 8th).

Up next - Mad Dog in his Cub Reprise!