A NEW DIRECTION

You know folks, being a Cubs fan can be tough sometimes. There are highs, there are lows. I think this spring has put me at an all time low. There are so many expectations for the team to perform well, and there just are so many nagging injuries, so many doubts and concerns... well, I just can't take it anymore.

I think this will be the last post of the old Cub Fan Nation.

I just can't be a Cubs fan anymore. I quit.

Tune in tomorrow to see the future direction of this web log.

PRIOR OUT FOR SEASON

(note: the proceeding article is entirely ficticious - for now. However, being that we Cub fans expect the worst, it might just as well be true.)

Cubs fans' worst fears were confirmed early Wednesday morning, as Cubs general manager Jim Hendry gave a press conference to announce that Mark Prior will miss the entire 2004 campaign.

Prior has spent the majority of Spring Training unable to pitch due to soreness of his achillies tendon, as well as inflamation in his shoulder. After a series of tests in Chicago, the Cubs have learned that essentially everything that could be wrong with Prior is wrong.

"The achillies heel is almost entirely torn," Hendry told the press. Apparently, being the good Cub that Mark is, he hurt it while Kung-Fu kicking Cardinal fans in the head."

Furthermore, Prior will require elbow and shoulder surgery. Prior tore his rotator cuff, ripped a tendon in his elbow, and broke his middle finger while flipping off the St. Louis press corps.

"We believe he'll be able to rehabilitate his elbow as soon as he gets out of the wheel chair," Hendry said. Hendry then explained that Prior's back spasms turned out to be a slipped disc, forcing the Cubs ace into emergency back surgery to fix the damage. Luckily the team expects a full recovery from that surgery. The only real concern with Prior's future is the brain damaged sustained from Sammy Sosa's weekend party.

"Mark was doing some headstands, and someone thought it would be funny to slip in some Bacardi 151," Hendry confirmed. "Suffice to say, the sudden rush of alcohol to his brain killed a few thousand brain cells."

Early calculations have it that Prior has lost minimally 20 points to his IQ, but the team is optimistic that it will not be a permanent loss.

"Durr, I'm a big man," Prior said when asked about his recent inflictions. "Big man!!"

No word yet on when Prior can begin rehabilitation.

WHY GOD, WHY?

More news on Mark Prior. Apparently, aside from Achillies inflamation this spring, Prior has undergone two (TWO) MRIs to determine if he's suffered damage to his elbow.

The good news is the MRIs came back negative. The bad news is, he's still probably going to miss the first month of the season.

I can just see the typical Cub fan reading that article and then bolting outside, crashing to his knees like a repentant priest, throwing his hands upward into the air and shrieking "WHY GOD, WHY? WHY CAN'T WE HAVE IT GOOD JUST ONCE? WHY MUST WE ETERNALLY SUFFER?"

But hey, who needs an ace like Mark Prior when you've got this guy?

CUBS GEAR UP FOR 2005 CAMPAIGN

With opening day only a week away, the Chicago Cubs have begun final preparations for the season, including the enacting of a voodoo ritual to remove any lingering effects of The Curse.

Star right fielder Sammy Sosa initiated the ritual during his second annual team party, held at a rented Arizona home this past weekend.

"Hey man," Sammy said, "what we do to win is no one's business but ours. But we figured it couldn't hurt, so I bought this huge cooking pot. We took everything we could think of that could be a part of the curse, and threw it in the pot, and then we cooked it and had Lil Baker eat the contents."

Included in the pot were pieces of cork, a mostly-empty rum bottle, several varieties of steroids, the descendant of the Wrigley Field goat, and Steve Bartman. Darren Baker was then forced to eat the contents in one sitting, causing an unexpected physical reaction.

"He's grown about three feet in height and has sprouted muscles," manager Dusty Baker said. "It's probably all the steroids. But hey, we have ways around inspection and if he tests clean, I'll probably bat him cleanup."

Also at the ritual was Papa Shablow, a legendary voodoo priest best known for causing democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean to shriek hysterically at random moments. However, Shablow was not there to lift any curse.

"No, man," Shablow said, "I ain't here ta lift no curse. I'm here instead to curse all da teams in da National League, and da New York Yankees. To be honest man, it's easier to curse someone than to lift a curse, and so don't be surprised when Roger Clemens begins wetting his pants in the middle of baseball games. Dat was my own idea, man."

Shablow also has promised that Cardinals outfielder Albert Pujols will age dramatically over the '05 campaign, Phillies first baseman Jim Thome's head will double in size, and Dodgers closer Eric Gagne will turn into a half-man half-crocodile hybrid.

Mitre receives Nod to Start

Cubs rookie pitcher Sergio Mitre has all but locked up the fifth spot in the rotation until Mark Prior returns from Achilles tendanitis.

Mitre had a brief stint with the Cubs last season, getting rocked against the Atlanta Braves. Mitre should be with the team for a prolongued time, should Prior's inflamation not subside. When asked about his feelings on making the club, Mitre was ecstatic.

"It's been nothing but great," Mitre said. "I've worked very hard, and I feel that I've been justly rewarded. Especially by Mrs. Sandberg. Damn she likes them Latinos. Damn."

Mitre also cannot wait for the season to start. "Well I hear that Ryne Sandberg has been after me with a baseball bat, so the sooner we leave town the better. But before I leave I hope I find that bitch Jane, she's got my television."

Mitre is scheduled to pitch April 10th against the Atlanta Braves.

PLUS-MINUS

Today at the Cub Nation we're going to try to rank Spring Training accomplishments, as well as detriments to gauge just how good or bad the Cubs are really doing.

Plus: Kerry Wood is having the best Spring Training of his career. Score: +1
Minus: Mark Prior may miss the first month of the season. Score: -2

Plus: Scott McClain is leading the league in homeruns. Score: +1
Minus: Dusty Baker isn't sure that "Danger Man" will break camp with the big club. Score: -1

Plus: Jose Macias will miss the first month of the season. Score: +1
Minus: Matt Clement ERA is so high that the league wants to test it for drug-use. Score: -1

Plus: For the second consecuitive pre-season, Sammy threw a team party. Score: +1
Minus: Chances are he had his boom box there. Score: -1

Plus: Juan Cruz and his clear mental incapability has been traded to the Braves. Score: +1
Minus: Joe Borowski is having trouble getting his velocity beyond 89 mph. Score: -1

Overall Score: -1

I'm sure I've missed a lot on both sides, but I do feel the negatives outweigh the positives at this point. Regardless, I'm raring for the regular season to start.

One random thought: since he's rejoined the Cubs, we haven't heard or talked much about Greg Maddux. I believe he's put together a pretty solid spring, but considering the hype of his return it's a bit bizarre that he's faded into the background behind Wood and Prior. Maybe that's just another excellent example of how much pitching depth this team really has - a future 300 game-winning first-ballot Hall of Famer practically becomes anonymous.

WELL, CRAP

In spite of the growing realization that Mark Prior might not be ready to pitch until May the Sun-Times writes that the Cubs deserve the accolades they're receiving, and in fact should be favored to reach the World Series, regardless of Prior's health.

I suppose half the point of great pitching depth is being able to survive the loss of your best player(s), but it's a very bad precident to begin the year with your ace on the bench. These little nagging injuries aren't going to go away. I think from the moment the Cubs were eliminted last year, fans were excited for 2005, but only tenatively. After all, in 1985 the Cubs were favored to play well, and in 1985 the Cubs had all five starters on the DL at the same time.

I think it would be nice if for once everything just went right, but who knows if that'll ever happen? I spent 98 living in utter anxiety over the Cubs making the post season, and they didn't clinch it until the day after the regular season ended. Pretty much the same deal with '04. Should the Cubs stay healthy enough to compete, I get the feeling it'll be another one of those last week of the season, down to the wire sort of years. Time will tell.

The Nickname Game

Back on the AOL boards I was notorious for my nicknames - in the sense of everyone thought they were terrible. That may be true but I do like to assign players with nicknames, and the tradition will continue this year. Here's a list of Cub players and the nicknames I think they deserve:

C Michael "Grinin'" Barrett
1B Derek "Amazing" Lee
2B Mark "G-Man" Grudzielanek
SS Alex "Go-Go" Gonzalez
3B Aramis "Am-Ram" Ramirez
LF Moises "Moises" Alou (a guy with his first name doesn't need a nickname)
CF Corey "The Gimp" Patterson
RF Sammy "Showsa" Sosa

Bench:
IF Scott "Danger Man" McClain
IF Todd "JJ" Walker
IF "Razor" Ramon Martinez
C Paul "Half Baked-o" Bako

Pitching
SP Kerry "The Duke" Wood
SP Mark "The Reason" Prior
SP Greg "Mad Dog" Maddux
SP Carlos "Zamboni" Zambrano
SP "Honest" Matt Clement

CP "Regular" Joe Borowski
RP Kyle "Nuke" Farnsworth
RP LaTroy "Hawk" Hawkins
RP Mike "Psycho" Remlinger

If you have better nicknames, post 'em. I'm well aware that most of those utterly suck.

NO MORE CRUZ CONTROL



Cubs pitcher Juan Cruz was traded yesterday along with Steve Smyth to the Atlanta Braves for lefty prospect Andy "Todd" Pratt and second baseman Richard "Jokeman" Lewis.

The deal comes for possibly a series of reasons. First, the Cubs were yanking Cruz around - he was once a hot prospect who has showed a great inability to keep things together mentally. Cruz has always shown flashes of brilliance intermingled with great ineptitude.

Second, Cubs lefty Mike Remlinger might miss the first month of the season rehabbing from shoulder surgery, and Pratt could take his place in the bullpen. And third, because Pratt is a legit prospect. Baseball America says Pratt is a lot like Cruz in that they both are seeking better command of their stuff. Pratt shows a plus fastball and slider, along with an average curveball and changeup. Last year Pratt went 7-10 with a 3.40 ERA in 28 games while leading the Triple A International League with 161 k's in 156 innings. He also led the league with 77 walks, so his control is an issue.

All in all this looks like a positive trade that in theory could net the Cubs yet another lefty starting prospect who could develop into rotation material, although I suspect Pratt would never get out of the pen while a Cub. There are too many talented lefties behind him like Andy Sisko.

Scott McClain - Danger Man

I can remember back to the early 80's when there were tv shows like The Six Million Dollar Man, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., the Fall Guy, and so on. For whatever reason, "Scott McClain" sounds like the name of one of these tv heroes, and so to me McClain will always be "Danger Man."

It's looking now like McClain might break camp with the Cubs due to an injury to Jose Macias. This is Good News for McClain, who otherwise picked the wrong year to have an outstanding Spring Training. McClain has hit 419 with six homers and 15 RBIs so far this spring.

Baker has said that it's not certain McClain will break camp with the club, but he might see his first mini-revolt from the Cub Nation if he sends McClain packing.

Prior Warning

The Sun-Times has reported another delay for Mark Prior's rehabilitation. The nagging injury is a concern, and like I said yesterday: I get the feeling that all of 2004 will be one nagging injury after another for Cubs stars, which will probably make the difference between first and third place.

Until they start winning, I'm officially pessemstic.

CHANGE OF OPINION



Bad news for Cub fans. The little, nagging injuries just won't go away. Yesterday Mark Prior was forced to miss his bullpen session because of reoccuring bouts of tendinitous in his achillies heel.

Meanwhile, Carlos Zambrano revealed recently that he has a back problem, although it may have been an excuse for having lost to Bonds in an at bat the other day.

So, I now think the little things are going to continue building up, and this club will ultimately fail to win for that reason. I think they could (and should) still finish over .500 but I think this year will end in disappointment.

Maybe 2005 will be the year.

PREVIEW pt. THREE

AL East

This is the most talked about division in baseball. It should be highly competitive, although the divisions between all teams remain relatively the same. On paper the Yankees are probably better than the Red Sox, who are dramatically better than the Blue Jays, who are dramatically better than the Orioles, who are dramatically better than the D-Rays.

The Yankees are like the statue from a Bible prophecy. The head was made of gold, the arms and torso of silver, the legs of bronze, and the feet of clay. A single stone cast onto the statue hits the feet, breaking the clay, and causing it to collapse. The Yankees of the 20's and 30's were the head of gold - I think no dynasty has been stronger than that era of the Yankees. The Yankees of the 40's and 50's were the torso of silver, still good, strong, and memorable. The Yankees of the 70's were also a quality team - they're the bronze, and finally the Yankees of today are the weakest. Sooner or later the Yankees WILL collapse and I think this is the year.

Aside from a variety of health concerns with key players such as Giambi, Bernie Williams, Mariano Rivera, and starters Jon Lieber and Jose Contrearas, there's also the huge payroll. Will Joe Torre feel obligated to give a bench player more playing time because he'd be a starter on 20 other teams in the league?

Having Lieber and Contrearas as two of their starters is another setback. Liebs is a good pitcher, don't get me wrong, but there's no gaurantee that he'll be able to pitch again. And their backup option is Donovan Osborne. With that in mind, regardless of what kind of offense the Yankees put up, regardless of the addition of A-Rod and Sheffield, I think the Yankees are going to collapse on themselves. My fearless prediction? Third place for New York and a divorce between Steinbrenner and Torre.

The Red Sox are finally poised to take the division. They have three guys who could be ace pitchers on almost every other team in baseball. I have a feeling team chemistry will be non-existent, but I think they're going to win anyway. Nomar, Pedro, and Derek Lowe are all free agents after this season, and Nomar and Pedro are very unhappy with the team right now. Also unhappy is Manny Ramirez - a player the Sox put on waviers at the end of last season.

Regardless of this, with the additions of Schilling and Foulke, the Red Sox are poised to contend. I think they'll finish first in a tough division.

The Blue Jays are an interesting team. They have a lot of potential in MVP candidate Carlos Delgado, Cy Young winner Roy Halliday, and a solid team to back them up. The rotation isn't stellar but it's mostly solid. Pat Hentgen is the biggest question mark, he hasn't thrown 200 innings in seven years. Their bullpen isn't outstanding but it may be underrated overall.

A big question is how Hinske will play. The former Cub prospect won the ROY a few years back, but in his sophmore season last year he played poorly. I think he'll rebound, and the Blue Jays will climb over the husk of the Yankees into second place.

The Orioles tried really hard to upgrade this off season, bringing in shortstop Miguel Tejada, catcher Javy Lopez, future Hall of Famer Raffy Palmeiro, and ex Oriole pitcher Sidney Ponson. Will that be enough to get Baltimore over the hump? Naw, afraid not. The Orioles are owned by George Steinbrenner Lite, aka Peter Angelos. Angelos may spend the money but he interfers too much. And while the offense may be much improved, they're still going to lose games 7-5, 9-6. The pitching is a BIG question mark, and probably will see additional upgrades after this season.

It could be worse, but Tampa Bay still isn't particularly great. The D-Rays are trying, however. With Lou Pinella at the helm, there's at least an atmosphere of improvement. Part of that involves discarding players who've failed to live up to hype, like Ben Grieve.

It actually looks like the D-Rays are trying to be the poor man's Marlins... a team built on guys who create runs from walks and singles. The D-Rays have four players who stole ten or more bases last year and will probably try to generate the same sort of strategy again this season. The essential difference between them and the Marlins however is that they're missing a few offensive tools, and especially are missing pitching depth. The D-Rays should be improved, but not enough to climb out of the basement.

Kurt's Uneducated Projections:

Boston: 103-59
Toronto: 92-70
New York: 87-75
Baltimore: 77-85
Tampa Bay: 68-94

NON-BALL

This has nothing to do with baseball. This is a bit more about the Janet Jackson flash from the Super Bowl. One of my favorite writers had this edited out of a recent column, and so he posted it on his blog. His name is Peter David but unless you're at least quarter geek you've never heard of him. This is the article:

I read over my column when it saw print this week in CBG and was rather surprised to find about a quarter of it missing. While running a section about Howard Stern and censorship that was basically a reiteration of stuff I said earlier in this blog, I then went off on a further tangent which I thought might get some controversy going, since CBGs been pretty quiet lately.

Well, apparently it's gonna stay quiet, by choice.

Below is the entire section of my column that was deleted without my being informed:

"And every time you see articles about censorship lately, they all keep referring to Janet Jackson’s breast as being some sort of (pardon the expression) flashpoint. This fixation on a exposed mammary gland, an object possessed by roughly half the people in this country, displayed for two seconds in the midst of a three hour program featuring violent men in tight pants, sexy cheerleaders, and commercials with such family friendly aspects as amusing flatulence…(and by the way, in all the howling about how people were watching the Superbowl with their families, oh my God, save the children…I’ve yet to hear a single credible argument how a two second shot of a breast is going to destroy a child’s life, or anyone’s life except maybe Janet Jackson’s…)

"Anyway, I find myself wondering…how much of this stems from her being Black?

"Are people more—I don’t know—threatened by that somehow? I mean, I keep having this nagging feeling that if it were, say, Madonna, Americans wouldn’t have gone quite so nuts about it. Certainly I have trouble believing it would be used as a jumping off point for more and more restrictions. After all, white women have either had mishaps or behaved badly at sporting events, ranging from Roseanne’s famously ghastly rendition of the national anthem to Xena’s Lucy Lawless similarly having a skimpy costume go awry, causing her breasts to be exposed. These events were noted, commented upon, snickered at…but in fairly short order, people wisely moved on to other things.

"However, the Janet issue’s got sticking power, and not just as fodder for Jay Leno monologues, but as a club to cudgel others into line. And I’m starting to think that maybe the color of her skin is the major point of demarcation. Lawsy lawsy, a Black woman is overtly displaying her sexuality. Where does she get off? Black women can have equality, sure…but only on our terms, and when we’re ready to give it to them (such as when the predominantly white voting body of the Academy Awards bestows an Oscar on Halle Berry.) But if they’re aggressive about it, or get in people’s faces about it, then it’s time to call out the defenders of decency and beat them back into submission before it’s too late. Make damned sure Janet Jackson doesn’t show up on the Grammys (although Justin Timberlake, whose inability to grip the correct section of the costume was very likely responsible for the incident, it’s okay for him to be there. The white guy can show his face; the Black woman has to hide.)

"You think I’m wildly off base about this? Think there’s not the slightest kernel of truth?

"Consider this, and give yourself a very honest answer…

"If it had been Snoop Doggy Dog ripping the blouse off Christine Aguilera…

"Do you think the skew of the subsequent coverage would have been on a white woman’s breast?

"Or would it have been on a helpless white woman being sexually assaulted by a Black man?"

-PAD

PREVIEW pt. TWO

AL Central

It's the weakest division in baseball. The last two years, the Minnesota Twins have won the central, holding off insurgents like the White Sox and the Royals. Before the Twins, the division had belonged to the Indians, who'd entered a rebuilding phase after several failed playoff runs (ultimately culminating in an extra inning game seven defeat to the Marlins in 97).

This year, while the Twins may still be favorites to win, it's unlikely that they'll do it in a dominating fashion. Minnesota lost LaTroy Hawkins and closer Eddie Guardado, catcher A.J. Pierzynski, as well as elderly pitchers Kenny Rogers and Rick Reed. Joey Nathan, acquired for Pierzynski will be expected to close, and catcher phenom Joe Mauer is expected to start. New to the rotation will be 25-year-old Johan Santana, 24-year-old Carlos Silva (who's started only one game his entire career), and Sydney Australian native Grant Balfour, who's only 26. Their rotation is anchored by veteran Brade Radke (who's still only 31) and Kyle Lohse, 25.

Also returning to Minnesota is center fielder Shannon Stewart, a man some considered the Twins MVP after he was acquired from Toronto mid-season.

Also potentially contending in the division are Royals and White Sox. The Royals added injury-prone Juan Gonzalez, lefty starter Brian Anderson (who split time between Cleveland and KC last season), as well as reliever Scott Sullivan and catcher Benito Santiago. Their rotation is still full of questions, their lineup still uncertain, but the Royals may be the only team in the AL Central to really attempt upgrades, rather than to hang on to what they had last year. Most important for KC is that they retained Calos Beltran - their 9 million per year CF. It looks like they won't deal him unless they are out of contention in July.

The White Sox, on the other hand, changed managers during the off season, adding Ozzie Guillen. There are some questions about the rotation - will Loaiza win 20 again? Will Buerle rebound from a mediocre season? Will Scott Schoeneweis - who hasn't been a full-time starter since 2001 - be able to make the transition back into the rotation?

Other questions the White Sox face: what will happen with Frank Thomas? Will Sox fans ever get over their inferiority complex regarding we Cub fans? Only time will tell.

Next up is the sleeper team, the Cleveland Indians. They aren't the big bad dominating team they were five years ago, but they have a solid farm system and some players are reaching potential. Their ace, C.C. Sabathia is a proven commodity and only 23. A point of concern: if he's really 23 he's put a lot of innings on his arm and is an injury concern. Entering his second year of service is also Jason Davis, 23, who went 8-11 last year. 25-year-old lefty Cliff Lee is also slotted to start, he's pitched well in limited action in the past but this will be his first full season. Same deal with Jake Westbrook and Jason Stanford - they've had limited action over several seasons, but they're now expected to start.

Being realistic the Indians should play good baseball. They have talented young pitchers, and talented young hitters like Milton Bradley (who hit .321 last year), and Jody Gerut. 2004 probably isn't there year, though. 2005 or 2006, on the other hand, could be the year they begin their returns to the post season.

Finally, the Detroit Tigers. Detroit attempted to improve this off season. The point of concern is that their upgrades are injury prone. Rondell White is a talented outfielder who I enjoyed watching when he was a Cub, but he spent too much time on the DL. And Pudge Rodriguez is a great catcher who has been healthy only one year out of the last three. But a better offense won't make up for weak pitching, and I think it's very fair to criticise them for using too many young pitchers too soon. This year's rotation includes Mike Maroth, Nate Cornejo, and Jeremy Bonderman, who average 23.6 years of age, and last season averaged 19 losses a piece. The team's ace is 30-year-old vet Jason Johnson who went 10-10 last year with the Orioles.

I suppose it's possible that their three biggest losers could improve this coming year, but I have a feeling they'll never be stars. I think it has to be hard for a pitcher to be owned like these guys have been owned, and I think even pitchers with high potential can get ruined in that sort of situation. I wouldn't be surprised if the Tigers improved by maybe as many as 20 games, but they're still the worst team in baseball.

But hey, Jered Weaver will be in the draft this coming year, I believe. And if he is, I think Detroit will get the first pick. If they do, their future improves by a LOT. But for the time being, it's still a tough time to be a fan in Detroit.

Kurt's Uneducated Projections:

Minnesota: 86-76
Chicago: 84-78
Kansas City: 84-78
Cleveland: 77-85
Detroit: 62-100

THE 25TH ANNUAL CUB FAN NATION BASEBALL PREVIEW

AL West

The last four years running, the A's have been the most consistantly dominating team, finishing first three times, and winning 100 or more games three times as well. This strong run of success has been built on two points - the arms of young, good pitching and the bats of players systematically aquired by GM Billy Beane based on their ability to draw walks. 2004 probably won't be any different, although new competition arises from 2002 Wild Card and World Champion Anaheim Angels.

The A's look like favorite again, although they're also looking a lot like the Braves of the AL. This winter they lost SS Miguel Tejada and closer Keith Foulke, dealt LF Terrence Long and C Ramon Hernandez to the Padres for Mark Kotsay, and signed 1B Eric Karros to a deal. Tejada looks to be repaced by 24-year-old Bobby Crosby, who hit .308 with 22 homeruns, 90 RBI, and 24 steals in 28 attempts last year. But the real bread and butter of the squad is their rotation - lefties Zito, Mulder, Redman and righty Tim Hudson. The amazing thing is that as the A's head into what should be their 5th consecutive playoff appearance, their four top pitchers are only an average age of 27.25. Even without Tejada's bat in the lineup, and without the certainty of a star closer (I believe it is the overrated Arthur Rhodes who will close), I would be entirely surprised if they failed to win 100 games.

However, the Angels may be their strongest competition. Anaheim upgraded drastically over the offseason, acquiring free agent ace Bartolo Colon and superstar right fielder Vlad Guererro. But while the Angels are upgraded there's still too big a difference between the haves and the have nots on their team. While starters John Lackey, Jarrod Washburn, Ramon Ortiz, and Aaron Sele can pitch well, they're far more questionable when compared to the A's rotation.

The Mariners also are a threat to compete, although they failed to improve this off season. They're stronger with pitching than Anaheim, but may be relying on too many middle aged ballplayers to really play effectively. 41-year-old Jamie Moyer continues to be a great surprise success story, winning a career high in games last year and, if I recall correctly, making his first ever All Star appearance.

Finally, we have the Texas Rangers, who made the most waves this off season but - let's face it - still suck. The Rangers traded Superstar Alex Gonzalez to the New York Yankees for Alfonso Soriano. Gonzalez is yet another lesson in how overpaying for players impairs winning - unless you're the 200 Million Dollar Men, the Yankees. Texas went through 16 starters last year, netting 30+ starts from only one player - John Thomson, whose ERA was 4.85. Their second most prolific starter, Colby Lewis, had an ERA of 7.30. The only thing Texas has going for it is a strong offense, but like the Rockies of the 90's it'll ultimately only make for a lot of 8-6 losses.

Ultimately, much like the AL East, this is a division of Haves and Have Nots - except only, most teams HAVE, only one team really HAS NOT.

Kurt's Uneducated Projections:

Oakland: 102-60
Seattle: 93-69
Anaheim: 84-78
Texas: 64-98

Next time, the AL Central.

THINGS TO COME

I guess it depends on how motivated I can make myself, but I think in the next few days I may post some analysis and insight on the various divisions in baseball and what I think we can expect.

Confession time: I don't think I'm anywhere near the same league as many of my fellow bloggers. It's partly out of laziness, but contrary to the reputation I built on the AOL boards, I'm not particularly into looking at statistics, I don't like researching players all that much, and I don't know enough about baseball to have any real insight into the game.

One of the more intimidating aspects of having a Cubs blog is that no one will ever be more insightful than Ruz, and no one will ever be more entertaining than the Sloth. So you can go the insightful route but you'll still never be more than a shallow imitation of The Cub Reporter, or you can go the entertaining route and you'll still never be as great a writer as The Sloth. And to really stick it to you, Ruz is also funny and the Sloth is also insightful.

Therefore, all I have going for me is being longwinded. ...which, as I think about it, isn't really a good thing.

BITE ME, RICK MORRISSEY

Ok, let's face facts. Sammy Sosa is a sleeze. There's outsanding edivence against him. Theres:

*The Disco arrest for beating a man in the early 90's.
*The alleged incident involving his wife and a mostly-empty bottle of rum.
*The repeated allegations through the years of Sammy being a Me-Player not a Team-Player.
*The Boom Box - an often mentioned Clubhouse feature that has caused repeated controversy.

But in spite of the fact that I see a lot of flaws in Sammy Sosa, it annoys the hell out of me to see Rick Morrissey taking shots at Sammy. Because unlike me, Morrissey is allgedly a journalist. A reporter of truth. And while it may be true that Sammy is a shitbag, the keyword there is may.

Morrissey has made a career out of criticising Sammy Sosa. Most recently this has been done in an article about the Cubs taking steps to allow Sosa's personal assistant Julian Martinez into the clubhouse.

Morrissey says Let's say a player on the Padres is a big abuser of steroids and human growth hormone. Let's say he looks more like someone from WrestleMania than baseball. And let's say the guy who is supplying him with the drugs happens to be the player's uniformed assistant.

A criminal—and an MLB-sanctioned one no less—will have infiltrated a team's clubhouse and spread his poison. You want to talk about a scandal. By comparison, BALCO will look like it's up on highway-littering charges. . . .Martinez has been sitting on the Cubs' bench for the past four seasons, mostly in anonymity. That probably has more to do with the number of players on a baseball team than anything else. Imagine if Shaquille O'Neal had an assistant in a Lakers uniform. Imagine the outrage.

So basically Morrissey is saying that maybe Martinez will be a drug dealing uniform abusing asshole who'll ruin the sanctity of the game. Well sure. And maybe Sammy does cocaine and provides others with information as to how to get it down the street on Clark. Maybe Mark Prior's professional bodybuilder friend gives Prior a big dufflebag full of steroids to take into the clubhouse every week while never entering it himself.

I understand criticising Sammy, or at least questioning his motives and his methods. But somehow unlike any of the "unprofessional writers" we see here on the net, Morrissey manages to make it sound like he's just whining and making a big stink out of nothing. He is quite possibly the most annoying journalist I've read, and oddly enough he keeps making me take Sammy's side in the matter. So, to Rick Morrissey: Thanks asshole, I always wanted to agree with Sammy Sosa. Way to go.

HOW THE OTHER SIDE LIVES

I'm sure some other Cub blogs have him linked, but by pure accident I stumbled upon my inadvertant opposite, the Redbird Nation.

After only glancing at a few posts, it seems pretty well put together. Brian (the site moderator) is definitely a better writer than me. In his most recent post he writes about Yankees fifth starter (and an ex Cub) Donovan Osborne. Osborne started game seven of the '96 NLCS against the Braves, facing off against Tom Glavine. Brian says, Osborne was fidgety, glacing over his shoulder, and his eyes were as big as saucers. Like the eyes of a giant squid. And if I had a better TV back then, I'm sure I could have made out the palpitations from his quivering hummingbird heart, the trickle of urine twining down his leg, and the sweat matting his hair like it did my nephew Griffin when he came out of the womb.

Brian is a prolific poster, stylistically sort of like The Sloth Lite, and eventually I'll probably add him as the first Non-Cub Blog link on my site.

One other comment he made that I liked, in his most recent post he responded to a comment by someone named Marty, who'd said, Dusty Baker really dissed the Cardinals on the Dan Patrick show Tuesday. In an interview they did live with Dusty Tues. afternoon, he said that the Astros and Reds would be the Cub's main competition this year. When Rob Dibble asked him if any other teams in the central would suprise anybody he mentioned Milwaukee as having a really improved ballclub. Brian responded by saying that yeah, maybe Dusty has the right to act cocky, but he's still a dick.

That comment brought warm feelings to my heart. It's old hand for we Cub fans to hate Deadbird manager Tony LaRussa, but (perhaps because of my limited experience with Cardinal fans) I've never seen a Cubs skipper worthy of their hatred.

I may become an occasional reader of the Redbird Nation, if only out of hope that I'll see many posts bitterly contemplating those bastard Cubs and their asshole coach Dusty Baker.

DEAR DUSTY

Dear Dusty. I can still remember when I heard that you were coming to Chicago. The Savior, they called you. The Messiah. You had all the answers, and the honeymoon was sweet. You promised a winning attitude in Chicago. You said there would be no excuses. You were going to change this town's attitude. Then the season began. There was some concern - you gave Grudz the job at second over Bobby Hill although his Spring Training batting average was on par with Garth Brooks'. You made it pretty clear that you thought pitching counts were overrated. You batted Alex Gonzalez in the two-hole. But hey - the Cubs were good, so there weren't too many loud naysayers.

But come June, the Cubs were a little shakey. They couldn't get past 10 games over .500. Fans booed Antonio Alfonseca - and loudly. You blamed the floundering on the negativity of the Cubs fans. You blamed it on the number of day games. You made an assanine comment about black players having better endurance under the heat of the sun. Essentially, you made excuses, Dusty. You made blame. But the Cubs stayed in contention. Hendry made some trades, and come October we were riding high into the playoffs.

There, for a brief time, we really did believe. We were confident in our team. We were FIVE OUTS AWAY from the World Series. Then, Moises Alou was robbed of an out. Mark Prior threw a wild pitch. Alex Gonzalez bobbled a double play ball. Where were you then, Dusty? Why didn't you go out to calm down a clearly upset Mark Prior after Alou missed that catch? Why didn't you talk to him and the entire infield after the wild pitch? Why didn't you kick Alex Gonzalez's ass back to the bench after the bobbled grounder?

But the off season is a forgiving time. Once again Hendry made moves that suited the team. Aware that you would never give Hee Seop Choi a shot to play first, he dealt him. Hell, perhaps he signed Maddux in part because you probably don't have faith in Cruz or Wellemeyer to start in the #5 spot. And now, it is Spring Training and you're angry, Dusty. You're an angry man because there are doubts. The press has questioned your use of pitchers - citing long outings as a possible reason why Wood appeared tanked before Game Seven even started. Critics still think you don't give rookies a fair shake. And you can't help but wonder why the press is riding you as badly as they are.

Hell Dusty, the press is not riding you that badly. Most fans are still behind you. You're still the Messiah. You just have to understand that sooner or later, the Messiah gets crucified. The question Dusty, is this: if you are crucified, will there be a resurrection? The honeymoon is over. I trust you man. I think you're the best manager the Cubs have had in a loooong time. But you're under a very big microscope. Every strange call will be second guessed. I believe you'll take us through it, man. I think you can get us to the Big Show. Don't let us down, Dusty. Don't be another Lee Elias.

A few random notes
Chicago Cubs: Spring Training: 6-7-2

I woke up this morning to discover the world blanketed by snow. I think we got more than foot in my part of the world. For a sense of perspective, while it was cold when I got home from school at 9pm, I could see the ground and it hadn't started snowing yet.

Wellemeyer Pulls Something From the Well

The Chicago Tribune is reporting that Todd Wellmeyer is having a good spring and might overtake Juan Cruz for the #6 spot in the bullpen. Wellmeyer wowed the Cubs last season with a 1.29 ERA and 13 k's in his first 8 ML appearances before losing it entirely. He finished the year with a 6.51 ERA. Some pundits think that Wellemeyer is the #5 starter on half the teams in baseball. I'm not sure about that but if he's solid from the pen, I'll take 'em. I'd expect Cruz to be dealt from the Cubs before mid season if he doesn't make the pen, as he will be out of options after this season.

The Sun-Times is reporting that Wellemeyer is attempting to adjust his pitching mechanics from watching how Maddux throws the ball. I think all the talk of Maddux being a mentor has been blown out of proportion - from myself included, since that was always one of the reasons I was a proponent of him returning to the Cubs. Realistically the best thing Maddux brings to Wood and Prior are his notes on how to out batters. However, unproven commodities like Wellemeyer might have more to gain from studying the Mad-Dog and that might be where Greg's true mentoring skills lie.

Wood is Good and other simple rhymes

I guess I'm Pavlov's dog. In his first outing of Spring Training in 1999, Kerry Wood tore an already-damaged ligiment in his right arm. He required Tommy John Surgery and was out for all of '99. Since then I've always been worried about Cub pitchers and Spring Training. While he hasn't been hurt in other springs, Kerry's never been a ST kind of guy. I think he tends to spend at least part of every Spring Training in the hospital with congestion problems or some other ailment. But this year is different as Wood has actually been healthy and has pitched very well, according to Cubs.com.

The same article discusses roster cuts. It says Infielder Brendan Harris, right-handed pitcher Jonathan Leicester and left-handed pitcher Felix Sanchez were optioned to Triple-A Iowa.

Right-handed pitcher Angel Guzman, left-handed pitcher Renyel Pinto and infielder Ronny Cedeno were optioned to Double-A West Tenn. Left-handed pitcher Carlos Vasquez was optioned to Class A Daytona.

Right-handed pitcher Scott Chiasson and left-handed pitcher John Foster, both non-roster invitees, were returned to the Cubs minor league camp. The Cubs now have 21 pitchers, four catchers, 10 infielders and 10 outfielders in camp.

I was hoping Guzman would start the year at AAA, but it doesn't matter as he could probably work his way up very quickly if he starts out strong. Here's to hoping that Clement and/or Cruz are dealt before long into the season and Guzman is in the rotation by June.

Proof that Spring Training doesn't mean jack

Take a look at the top of the NL standings. Milwaukee is 10-1. They might not win 10 games in all of April.

Just a sense of perspective.

P.S. Houston is 5-4, St. Loser is 4-7.

Who leads off?

The simple answer is, who knows? In theory Grudz and Walker could do it, but like the Sloth and others I'm a bit concerned that a lack of a true leadoff hitter could cost the team in the long run. Last year the Cubs really took off after Grudz was downgraded into the #2 spot and Kenny Lofton (a true leadoff hitter) took over at the top. So I ask, who will this year's Kenny Lofton be?

The first answer is Jose Vidro. Vidro is a quality second baseman who probably isn't available - but you never know, package enough young talent and I bet the Expos will let go of him. Last year Vidro drew 69 BB in 509 at bats. Added to his 158 hits, and Vidro had an OBP of .397. Vidro also has some pop in his bat and hit 36 doubles (he averages 44 a year). Vidro is making 5.5 million this year so the Cubs would have to expand that checkbook a bit, but hey they did structure several contracts to have more flexibility this year, so I think he's acquirable.

The next choice is actually next year's answer, hopefully. Edgar Renteria is not on the block and there's no way in hell that the Cardinals will deal him to Chicago, but he is a free agent after this season (please correct me if I'm wrong). Renteria is more of a pure leadoff man. He drew 65 BB to only 54 K's last year, and stole 34 bases while hitting 47 doubles, 13 homeruns and driving in 100 RBI. He has expressed interest in playing for the Cubs and would be a huge upgrade to Alex Gonzalez. But, like I said, no way does he come to Chicago this season.

Third is Padres second baseman Mark Loretta. Loretta comes cheaper than the others, and is older. He'd probably make a better #2 guy, but he does walk a bit and keeps his strikeouts down, so in a pinch he might be an adequate choice. Last year Loretta drew 54 walks and struck out 62 times, had an OBP of .372, and hit 13 homeruns.

And that's pretty much it as far as I can see. There are other available guys, but they all play the outfield. Basically we should put all our hopes in Vidro, and God only knows if he's even available. Otherwise Loretta is a poor man's second choice. Regardless this could be big, or it could be insignificant. I said in the comments script that in theory the leadoff guy only leads off maybe twice a game, but you still need a productive guy at that spot in the lineup. But it wasn't the Cubs lack of a good pure leadoff hitter that only netted them 88 wins last year. It was Shawn Estes pitching in the 5 spot. Leadoff man or not, they should win more games.

Just how much does ST count?
Chicago Cubs: Spring Training: 4-5-2

I think there is a small level of unrest in the Cub blog nation due to the poor outings made by the Cubs during this pre-season. While some of it may be warranted, I think Spring Training doesn't mean a whole lot, at least not until perhaps the last week of March.

Remember - numbers are inflated, a lot of the regular pitchers are experimenting, and some of the guys out there on a squad will spend April working in a grocery store or in the minor leagues. I honestly don't remember how the Cubs did last Spring Training, although I do remember that Grudz had HORRID, unworthy numbers but once the regular season started it was like he turned on a switch.

So, while Cruz's first outing numbers were silly, I don't think it's worth giving up on him over. And while the Cubs have given up a lot of runs during some games, I don't think it's been by any of the team's starters. Furthermore, while I'd like to see the Cubs finish Spring Training strong, I recall at least in 89 that their ST record was very bad, but that didn't stop them from having an excellent year.

So chill folks, aside from the nagging injuries I see no reason to be worried just yet.

Nag, Nag, Nag
Chicago Cubs: Spring Training: 4-2-2



I'm starting to get worried. The one thing that can really effect this squad is if injuries happen, and so far there have been too many injuries for comfort. The Chicago Cubs official site is reporting that Mark Prior might not be ready for the start of the season. In the same article we learn that Mark Grudzielanek possibly won't be ready for the season, as well as lefty relievers Kent Mercker and Mike Remlinger.

What's next, an article reporting that Corey Patterson has had a setback with his surgically repaired knee? Maybe something will happen to Moises Alou - no one expects him to stay healthy anyway.

Prior's injury might not be serious but it's a nagging one. It's great that the Cubs are playing it safe with him - they're babying him more than Gollum babied his presciousssss ring, and that's saying a lot. (Or maybe not, he did lose the ring eventually.)

I just don't remember as many injuries last spring and it can't be a good sign.

Cubs fans to Baker: Take a Walk

In other news this morning, Dusty Baker said something in a Chicago Tribune that will probably be viewed as very controversal. No, he didn't say anything about black players doing better in heat than white ones. No, he didn't compare the steroid hunt to McCarthyism.

Baker said: "Computers make it easier to come up with these numbers and make it possible to overanalyze," he said. "Before you had to do it by pencil, and then the calculator, and now the computer spits it out. Everybody can't hit like that. Are you going to tell Vladimir Guerrero to take more walks?"

That's a little scary but it's pretty much the view he's always taken, and the good news is I don't think that's an indication that he's considering Corey Patterson as the leadoff hitter. I think Dusty will probably figure out who's the most successful at every spot in the lineup and go from there, OBP be damned. Just a question for anyone who might be reading this, I'm curious: Imagine a situation similar to before the 2003 season. Would you hire Dusty Baker to manage your team if he was available?

I say yes, in spite of the questionables.

The Cub Reporter Roundtable Hijacking Part Two
Chicago Cubs: Spring Training: 3-1-2; Magic Number 162

Now continuing answering Ruz's questions here on my own blog:

Q: Recently, GM Jim Hendry locked up Greg Maddux, Kerry Wood and Derrek Lee for the next few years. Who on the current roster, if anyone, should get the next long-term contract?

I might have a different answer at the end of the season, but at the moment Mark Prior should be considered the most. He can opt out of his contract go to arbitration after this season, so if the Cubs can lock him up for five years it might save them money in the long run. As to why my answer might differ by October, it's due to Aramis Ramirez and what he might do. No one knows yet if he's big enough to carry the weight of Santo's Ghost, but if he puts up good numbers this year a three or four year deal wouldn't be out of the question.

Anyone remember when the Cubs didn't sign players to long term contracts, Sammy Sosa aside? It wasn't that long ago.

Q. The Hee Seop Choi for Derrek Lee trade was a classic example of trading potential for current performance. Do you think it was the right trade to make for this year? What about for the future of the team?

I think half the value of a good farm system is trading "could-be's" for "already is's," if that makes sense. Lee is a vet but he's not really old yet, and he could hold down first base for the rest of the decade without any complaint from me. Choi could be a huge talent, or he could be a Gary Scott. Regardless Choi may indirectly contribute to a pennant team (or *shivers* several of them) and I sincerely hope that Hendry continues to make good, SMART trades for more proven commodities with his vastly talented farm system.

Q. Jim Hendry was very active this winter. Everyone expects the Lee and Maddux acquisitions to help the team immensely. Was there another, lesser transaction the Cubs made this winter that you think will have a significant impact on the team?

The easy answer is LaTroy Hawkins, but I'm going to say that locking up Wood and Lee long-term is going to make as much an impact. A happy team is a better team, and Hendry is playing it wisely - with no contract squabbles, there are going to be fewer distractions. This could be a controversy-free Cubs team (boom box excluded) and that happy atmosphere might contribute to some wins.

Q: As a Cubs fan, are you having a hard time dealing with the fact that the Cubs go into this season as favorites?

I have a links section on my blog titled "things to do while waiting for a Cubs pitcher to blow out his arm during Spring Training." So yeah, I'm waiting for something to happen. However there is also a great degree of excitment, and I'm already planning on seeing the Cubs in at least three road series this season, something I've never done before.

It's almost like the Wood 20 K game. By the 5th or 6th inning you knew something amazing was happening, but you might not've believed he'd strike out 20 til he had 18 or 19 in the 9th inning. Something fantastic is happening now, and we don't know if the Cubs are going to follow through with it, but it's exciting as hell to watch.

Q: What are you looking forward to about the 2004 Cubs? What are you dreading about them?

I really want to see them pitch. I'm really looking forward to the first 14 K game that Wood and Prior rack up, I'm looking forward to Maddux pitching opening day at Wrigley Field, and you just know that there will be a streak sooner or later in the year in which the rotation and pen just shut down the opposition for a week or longer. (Hmm mental note: check to see if the Pirates, Brewers, and Reds play the Cubs congruently at any point in the season.)

On the other hand, if either Wood or Prior get hurt seriously, I'm probably going to be painfully upset. However realistically it would be nagging injuries to Clement and Zambrano that cripple the Cubs - that bottom part of the rotation is the reason the Cubs are favored as much as they are. If something happened to them, unless Cruz and Guzman stepped up in a big way, things might be a little tougher than anyone anticipates at this point.

Looking foward to part three tomorrow...

They put the EGO in Team...uh, I mean, Teamego
Chicago Cubs: Spring Training: 3-1-2; Magic Number 162

Historically, Chicago has sometimes been a one horse team. At times one individual player can easily be called the Most Popular, or the Fan Favorite. Mark Grace seemed to enjoy being the Mr. Cub of the 90's - no other player rivalled his popularity, and in spite of the Cubs losing year in and year out Gracie probably would've stayed a Cub til he was 50 if they'd let him. However when Sammy became a superstar there was a lot of reported infighting and jealousy - it seemed to sour Grace's last few years with the Cubs.

In recent years I would speculate that Kerry Wood has been the most popular Cub. However, he's different from Grace - he doesn't seem to feel threatened by the potential superstars growing around him. In fact, Wood seems to desire winning over all else. So instead of disliking Mark Prior, Wood has taken to him (probably in part because their wives get along splendidly). That at least is respectable, and a happy change from the Cubs of the late 90's.

LaLossa

Phil Rogers has a column at ESPN about how Tony LaRussa might be on the bubble with the Cardinals. Sounds like a lose-lose situation for him unless god-forbid, they win the pennant this year. I for one do not want to see LaRussa leave St. Loser. It's just more fun hating the Cardinals with LaRussa as the skipper.

A few notes, and a roundtable hijacking
Chicago Cubs: Spring Training: 2-1-2; Magic Number 162

More bad news about Mike Remlinger. He's recovering slower than expected from his off-season shoulder surgery and is now expected to miss at least the first two weeks of the season, and possibly the entire first month. I think a lot of us suspected that Remlinger wasn't his usual self last season and respected him for pitching through it, usually successfully. I hope he returns at 100% and pitches like the Remlinger of old. If not, it's just another example of how Hendry is weaker with free agency than he is with other aspects of the game. It also forces the question of whether or not Remlinger signed on with the Cubs as a wounded arm, or if he hurt himself very early into his first season with Chicago.

Ruz over at the Cub Reporter is having a round table involving the best Cub bloggers. That doesn't involve me, but I decided to "hijack" the discussion and answer Ruz's questions here on my blog.

Q: Most pundits agree that the Cubs have one of the best rotations in baseball. Will the rotation live up to the hype? If so, which pitcher will have the best year? If not, who will falter, and will the team be able to overcome it?

I think Zambrano is a bit questionable and I'd be disappointed in Hendry if neither Cruz or Clement were dealt by the end of the year, but the rotation IS just about the strongest in baseball for two reasons: Wood and Prior. If one or the other spent prolongued time on the DL, there might be some problems, but otherwise this is a frighteningly solid rotation that I look forward to following this season.

Q: Which, if any, of the Cubs pitching prospects will make an impact on the team this year?

I think the only one really in line to make an impact is Angel Guzman - who some consider to be as potentially good as Prior. (which evokes the question: if the 2004 rotation is good, will the 2006 rotation be considered the greatest ever?)

Beltran might contribute, maybe Kelton if Alou spends a lot of time hurt, but the only guy with the ability to make an impact in my mind is Guzman.

Q: What should be done with Juan Cruz?

I see three solutions. Trade Clement and let Cruz start, make Cruz the #6 guy in the bullpen, or trade Cruz. Cruz is the biggest ball-tease I've seen in a long time. He'll step up and pitch fantastically, then he next three or four outings will be rocky. He's got a world of potential (he's been compared to Pedro) but he just never seems to keep it together. I don't think he has the mental composition to pitch out of the pen - he just seems unable to keep his head in the game. I think he could do something out of the rotation if Clement was dealt, but I think the move that would make the most sense would be to deal him. In my own opinion, I would rather see Clement dealt since he's older and gone after this year anyway. Let Cruz be the erratic but sometimes brilliant #5 guy in the rotation. I don't think he'd be that much worse than Clement anyway, and it would free up more money for mid-season acquisitions.

Q: How much better is the Cubs bullpen this season than it was in 2003?

It's better but I think it'll still be ultimately disappointing. I was very pleased when they upgraded before '03, and even that was more-or-less a flop. I'm afraid that Remlinger will show his age (once he gets back from rehabbing his arm), Mercker will prove to be an overrated acquisition, Farnsworth could revert to the five-cent brain we knew and loathed in '02, and Borowski might suddenly realize he's mortal and revert to the pitcher he was before taking Chicago by storm a few years ago. In reality I don't think it'll be all bad - and I love that Farnsworth isn't even the setup righty anymore - but it won't be the best bullpen in baseball. It doesn't need to be the best either - it just needs to be adequate.

Q: While there are very few questions about the Cubs’ pitching, there are plenty of questions about their offense. Will the Cubs score enough runs to hold off the Astros in the NL Central?

The Cubs don't have that big, scary lineup that we all want, but I think there will be fewer one-run victories this year. I'm optimistic that if the lineup isn't getting the job done, Hendry will upgrade before the end of July. He's been brilliant with his trades so far.

Q: What sort of seasons do you expect Moises Alou and Corey Patterson to have? If one or the other struggles, will Dusty pull them from the lineup, or stick with them?

We all know that Dusty likes his vets, so I'd expect him to stick with Alou longer than he would with Patterson. I'd expect Alou to continue to decline a bit, but he'll still probably be productive. As for Corey, in his limited MLB experience he tends to start hot, so it's not a slow start that I'm personally worried about. Baker has a reputation for using his entire team, so as long as he gives Alou and Patterson enough rest I think they'll do alright. I'm not expecting either to be All Stars, however.

Q: Who will get more playing time at second base, Mark Grudzielanek or Todd Walker? Who *should* get more playing time?

Luis Castillo. Nah, I was disappointed that they didn't upgrade at second this off season. This is the place I'm hoping they upgrade at during the year, so hopefully it's a moot question. If Baker and Hendry stick to their guns, I would expect Walker to get more playing time as the season wears on, although I suspect that Grudz has a bit left in the tank.

As I conclude this posting, the Cubs are up 6-0 against the Brewers in only the 4th inning. I really don't think Spring Training counts for a lot, but it's nice to see some success for Chicago.

Game On

ESPN is broadcasting the Cubs/Giants Spring Training game today. Unfortunately I'm stuck at work so I'll only be able to catch parts of the game - if I'm lucky.

The minor injuries that I find so concerning keep springing up. Grudz's shoulder isn't at 100%, his achillies is sore, so he's just another of the walking wounded (so far consisting of Prior, Wood, Remlinger, and Mercker).

Today's game will be interesting just to see how Sammy and Barry look compared to last year. Here are early pics from Spring Training:




I don't care what you say, they both look smaller to me. The fella in the Giants uniform seems to be just as shocked as I was when I first saw that pic of Barry.

How to Save the Integrity of the Game

With the steroids craze of recent years, a lot of people in the press and in the stands are upset because the sanctomy of their game has been challenged. How will Ruth's numbers hold up to Barry's, when Barry has been doing steroids?! people say. Well, I've got two answers to that.

The first is - hey, sorry, no one ever said that it was fair to compare their numbers. The only way they can hold up is if you compare their numbers to the league average of the time, perhaps. But people have always cited things like off season work out regimens, new (and legal) suplaments, more teams in the league so fewer quality pitchers, the change of the mound in the 60's, etc. etc. etc. I mean hell folks, I hate to break it to you but Babe Ruth doesn't even have the record for most homeruns anymore. People overlook Hank Aaron a lot - a lot - and that just goes to show that regardless of who puts up better numbers, the Babe will still be long remembered.

The second answer is actually what I thought baseball did until I was probably 10. Historically there are two sets of baseball records - pre-modern and modern. Many of the stats of players from the 19th century do not count, or are already marked seperately. For some time I believed that at the turn of every century, they'd start counting over again. Barry Bonds may have had 400 homeruns before 2000, and perhaps he's the new century leader in homeruns with 260+. Since the game is always changing, we've already conceded that we cannot accurately compare Barry's numbers to the Babe's. And so we would have two sets of records. Most hits, homeruns, wins, losses all time (in which Barry would reign), and most hits 1872-1899, most hits 1900-1999, most hits 2000-2099. Every turn of the century nothing rolls over - everyone's career stats are back to zero again.

Does that make sense? And more so, doesn't it make sense? Hank Aaron will still be the homerun king from the century when the most common used chemical substance was whiskey, and when those numbers are eventually obliterated by some guy sneaking HGH past the testers, no one will really be able to complain about the sanctity of the game being lost.

Besides, wouldn't it be nice for the Cubs and all the rest of baseball to be on even ground with the Yankees at the start of every new century? Aren't you sick of Yankees fans bragging about their twenty-something championships? Consider it a bonus.

Injuries and More Injuries

In 1984 the Chicago Cubs defied logic and baseball by taking the NL East - their first division title since 1945. Fans were excited - 84 was the first year that Wrigley held 2 million, and not to exclude how 69 effected the city, I think a lot of people consider the 84 Playoffs failure to be the most hearbreaking moment as Cub fans. However, as heartbreaking as it was, those same fans were painfully excited for '85 - it was the Coming Out year; it was the year the Cubs were expected to compete. Then, pretty much every guy in the rotation went down on injury and everything collapsed.

The children of the '84 generation have now seen their first heartbreak. And now, we have expectations that '04 will be the Coming Out season for the Cubs. The lineup is mostly solid (there are two question marks, three tops). The rotation is the best in baseball. But once again, injuries are a question mark. Mark Prior has a sore achillies. Kerry Wood has a chronically bad back and has been nursing a sore groin. Matt Clement had a sore groin at the end of last season. Mike Remlinger is coming off arm surgery, and Kent Mercker has been suffering back spasms.

The only thing that's going to stop this team is injury. Let's hope it doesn't get worse than it is right now.

Will Injury be Chicago's Achillies Heel?

Note to budding journalists: the bigger the cliche your headline is, the better chance you have at getting published.

It's being reported everywhere that Mark Prior is suffering from a recurring heel injury. Ruz over at the Cub Reporter thinks it could be more of a problem than anyone's letting on.

It's also being reported that the Cubs may have to start the season with two unproven lefties in the pen, as Remlinger is still recovering from off-season surgery and Mercker is suffering back problems. There may be nothing to really worry about injury-wise, but I think Spring Training is usually a herald for what's going to happen during the year, so it's a bit concerning.

The steroid scandal is taking a turn as well. ESPN is reporting that investigators were told that Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi, Gary Sheffield, Benito Santiago, and Randy Velarde all knowingly recieved steroids. Guess we'll sit back and watch how this plays out.

By the way I finally got off my lazy butt and relinked the Clark and Addison Chronicle.