Summer Daze

Cubs fans are a loyal, longsuffering lot.  For years, they have followed their team, firmly believing “This is our year” every spring.  It hasn’t been, but they generally don’t give up.  Yes, they have moments or seasons of frustration (‘09 is a case in point), but still they watch, cheer, hope.

Why?

I believe the answer lies, at least in part, in a park just off Lake Michigan on the North side of town.  Give a Cubs fan a beautiful Chicago summer afternoon, ~80 degrees, sunshine, breeze off the lake, and they flock to Wrigley.  They got killed the day before?  I’m still there.  On a losing streak?  Just off a disappointing road trip?  Doesn’t matter.  Give me a seat (prefferably not in the sun) at Wrigley anyway. 

I made it to one such game recently.  The Cubs had been playing poorly, and that afternoon was no exception.  But the midweek afternoon crowd at Wrigley still topped 41,000.  And although drinks flowed freely, the fans knew what was going on.  We saw the excellent pitching of the opponents and the poor Cubs offense.  We saw the defense make mistakes, the pitcher give up home runs.  We cheered, booed and groaned as needed.

But even though it was a rough game to watch, I had a great time.  The summer sunshine, bright green infield, dark green ivy, popular local celebrity singing the stretch, a light breeze, the old-school scoreboard…it all combines into a lovely daze that binds true Cubs fans to their team.  Good times, even with the L…

Yes, as I’ve said before, there is some kind of magic at Wrigley that keeps us longsuffering Cubs fan loyal…

Surprisingly Hot: Gordon Beckham

 

Everyone likes Gordon Beckham. Called upon to help rejuvenate a floundering team, he’s responded admirably despite switching positions and despite having spent all of about five minutes in the minor leagues. How can you not respect that?

However, there’s a difference between being a legit major leaguer and being a legit hottie. I may be in something of a minority here, but for all the progress he’s made toward the former, I’ve seen little progress toward the latter. Maybe it’s the fact that, to judge by his face, he appears to be stuck at about 12 years old. Maybe it’s the fact that, to judge by his hair, he appears to be stuck at about 18 years old. (Though in the life cycle of a human male, there’s not a whole lot of difference between 18 and 22, nor between 12 and 22.) Whatever the case, it just wasn’t floating my boat.

Until now. I believe I’ve developed a serious case of like for Gordon. And, of all things, it’s thanks to this video (HT: Yahoo’s BLS) of him discussing his luck with the “ladies” at the *ahem* encouragement of an oddly obsequious female reporter, who is singlehandedly setting back the cause of female sports fans way more than Jessica Simpson or Eva Longoria ever did.

It’s shocking, perplexing and—dare I say—surprising that such an offensive piece of fluff would actually make Gordon more desirable. But we ladies have never claimed that we aren’t complex. Two things, I think, are driving this newfound feeling of attraction:

1. The uneasy, bitch-crazy chuckle that he gives when he realizes where the line of questioning is headed.
2. His declaration that the idea that his friends called him “The Slayer” is self-refuting, because anyone who called him that would no longer be his friend. (And you know how I love a good rhetorical jab.)

Gordon Beckham: the surprisingly hot, surprisingly cool master of argumentation, even in the face of annoying-as-hell reporters.

Mark of Perfection

There isn’t a whole lot to be said about Mark Buehrle’s perfect game that hasn’t already been said. Eighteenth perfect game ever, yadda yadda yadda. Incredible that a guy who pitches to contact and rarely breaks 90 on the radar gun would have two no-hitters, blah blah blah. Couldn’t have happened to a better guy, etc.

There have been a few interesting tidbits. The fact that Eric Cooper called both games. The fact that both of Buehrle’s no-hitters took the same amount of time. The fact that he joins Sandy Koufax and Cy Young as the only players to have a perfect game, a no-hitter, and a WS ring—all for the same team. There’s even been the interesting sub-plot of That Catch By Wise: Best Catch Ever, When You Consider The Circumstances?

Since he broke into the league several years ago, Buehrle has been my favorite player—bar none—in the entire MLB. Yes, even more than the infuriating Cubs players I’ve loved and hated over the years. First of all, I respect Buehrle’s game. I’ve often said that, were I an MLB starting pitcher, I would be a right-handed Mark Buehrle. I’d be a finesse pitcher. I would not screw around and I wouldn’t walk a lot of guys. I’d find my rhythm, be economical with my pitches, and give the other eight guys on the diamond a chance to do their job. And, hopefully, I’d stick with the same team my whole career.

Second of all, there’s a reason why all those “couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy” articles are getting written. Buehrle represents the sort of good natured, solid citizen, loyal teammate type that we wish all our heroes were. I’ll refrain from waxing eloquent about that, since we’re not about getting sappy here at APJG. I’ll just say that it matters, and people notice, and that means even more than throwing a perfect game.

One of my favorite Mark Buehrle incidents happened a few years back when he got tossed for throwing a retaliatory beanball. Now, I kind of love beanball wars, when they happen for a valid reason (not when they’re initiated by headhunters like Josh Beckett, or by sore losers). It’s warped, I know. But it’s true. And what made this incident even more interesting was the fact that Buehrle was on an amazing run, having gone at least six innings in 50 straight starts. And by getting tossed after 5 2/3, he just missed extending that streak to 51. I admire a guy who realizes that standing up for his team is more important than any personal achievement. And I admire a guy who isn’t afraid to get his ass ejected while doing so.

Provided he keeps pitching for the next several years, you can make the argument that Buehrle has the best chance of any current pitcher to reach 300 wins. He’s consistent, and he doesn’t appear in danger of breaking down any time soon. Longevity, more than anything else, is the key to 300. This fact is blindingly obvious. But despite the high “duh” factor, people seem eager to forget this. They’re too busy peeing themselves over the thought of a 20-win season. Guess what? Five straight 20-win seasons (pretty much an unheard of feat in today’s baseball world), and you’re 1/3 of the way there. Congrats, doofus.

I guess this is another thing I like about Buehrle. Even though he might never make it to 20 wins in a season, he does have his fair share of eye-popping feats. There’s the no-hitter and the perfecto, obviously. There’s the WS save that came right on the heels of an impressive start. There’s the all-star appearances. For those who like the big shiny moments, he can bring them. And for those, like me, who appreciate consistency that is spectacular in its unspectacularness, he’ll throw you 50 straight games of 6+ innings.

Mark Buehrle: something for everyone, unless you’re an asshat who hates humanity

Rain Delays

For outdoor sports, weather is always an unpredictable factor.  Snow can make it hard to stay on your feet on the football field.  Heat can cut a marathon short.  Lightening requires keeping players (and fans) away from danger.  And rain can postpone a baseball game or a round of a golf tournament.

The highlight of my week was going to be a PGA tournament.  But it rained.  And rained (with lightening).  And rained.  And then it rained some more.  I only had one day available to watch this golf tournament live, but an unusual all-day downpour kept the golfers off the course.   So I was forced to follow online.  (By the way, PGAtour.com’s Shot Tracker is pretty cool!)

And I was pretty disappointed that I didn’t get to experience a tournament.  My favorite pro didn’t make the cut.  I didn’t get to walk the golf couse.  I didn’t get to build my (very limited) knowledge of the sport.  And I didn’t even get to follow the entire second round online.

My only consolation is that an Illini alum one the event, and now stands second only to some guy named Tiger in the PGA Tour FedEx standings.

Oh, and that rain cause the Cubs and Cards to play a double-header today that had some great plays and an interesting 9th inning strategy, even though the teams split the day…

Lord, Hear Our Prayer

This is sort of funny. Some Pittsburgh players briefly transformed their clubhouse into the First Church of the Pirates by lighting a candle (literally) for their dearly departed Nate McLouth. Points to them for channeling their anger into a moderately clever gesture.

Honestly, I can’t blame them for being angry. McLouth sure seemed like an ideal player for this inept franchise. He is young, he was a leader for a largely directionless team, and he is locked up for several years at a hella cheap price—surely important for a team of modest means like the Pirates. Now, I realize the impulse to stockpile prospects. I really do. However, this move recalls a trade a few years back, when the Pirates pretty much gave away another player who appeared poised for a breakout year. Cubs fans know how that ended. The very next year, Aramis Ramirez crossed both the 35-homer and 100-RBI plateaus while hitting over .300, and while commanding a salary far below what that production would cost on the open market.

Obviously, Ramirez would have eventually gotten too expensive for Pittsburgh. However, in the meantime, you’d think that young, inexpensive, productive talent is just what the Pirates want. And you’d think, if/when they traded him, that they’d want something of value in return. Clearly, you’d be wrong on both counts. There is a point where prospect becomes reality, a point where cost catches up with production, a point where good timing can net you a bargain, and a point where the future is now. If you can find the sweet spot where all these intersect, then you can succeed on the cheap in baseball. That’s what the Marlins did until they went off the deep end and became a self-parody. That what the Rays did last year. The Pirates, on the other hand, seem to operate under the premise that young is not young enough and cheap is never cheap enough. That gets you nowhere fast, especially when any prospect who does pan out is immediately traded for yet more prospects.

Truthfully, I want the Pirates to do well, except when they play us. It’s gotten to the point where I feel bad for them. Plus, probably because of their perennial doormat status, they are much less hateable than every other NL Central team. So each notch they climb in the standings is a notch that someone like the Brewers or Cardinals or Astros will fall.

So it’s nice to see them approaching this throw-in-the-towel trade with a little spunk instead of their usual resignation. I hope they take that spunk and turn it into a reasonably productive season.

The Good, the Bad, the Ugly

So, we are two months into baseball season.  I can’t wait for summer (I’m ready for warmer weather), but given the way things are going, I’m really looking forward to football season…

But let’s take stock of the Cubs to date.

Good:  There are a few things to like about this season.  Really.  There are.  In no particular order:
1.  Afternoon games at Wrigley.  Because there’s nothing like leaving the office to enjoy a game at Wrigley.  Even if it’s a bit chillier than expected/hoped.
2.  Starting pitching.  Randy Wells has done well, despite his record.  And in general, the starters have done their job, which is to keep the Cubs in position to win.  Lilly has battled and Dempster has hung in there. Oh, and I was at the game where Z went off on the ump.  I don’t blame him for being unhappy with the call, and that was fun to watch!
3.  AAA callups.  Bobby Scales is a great story, and Jake Fox has been a good callup, too.  Guys like that remind me that this really is a game, and there’s lots of passion there. 

Bad:  So we’ve seen some things that haven’t been so great this season, too.
1. Offense.  Note to the Cubs: The thing you hold in your hands when you go up to the plate that looks kind of like a stick?  The idea is to use that to HIT the small white object that is flying toward you.  And then run to 1st base.
2. Small ball.  Lou may not be a “small ball” manager, but all teams know that once you have men on, especially in scoring position, you need to score the run.  That’s been a huge challenge this season.  I don’t have the courage to check the stats for men left in scoring position.
3. Off-season moves.  See TheWittyOne’s comments below.  I really can’t add anything more.

Ugly: And some things have been downright painful.
1. Road games.  The Cubs just can’t seem to get it together on the road.  Case in point: No road wins between May 10 and June 3.  And that wasn’t because they played at Wrigley the whole time.
2. Injuries.  Aramis Ramirez, Rich Hardin, Milton Bradley, Aaron Miles, Carlos Zambrano, etc., etc., etc.  The list has been long.  In fact, this may be one of the most consistent areas of the team.
3. The bullpen.  It’s not reliable.  Confidence in the closer is low.  And though they have had their days, even the good ones (Marmol) seem to like to put men on base.  Especially with walks.  That hurts.

The Cubbies haven’t held my attention well so far this season, and they have to pick it up if they want to hang nera the top of the division.  And so, I’ll look forward to college footbal…

Anatomy of FAIL

After this latest Cubs loss, my brother and I dissected their myriad problems and summed them up with an explanation that is both simple and complex: all the moves made in the off-season have turned into disasters of varying magnitude.

Now, there’s still time for things to improve. I’m absolutely leaving open the possibility that we could be singing a totally different tune come August. But so far, I submit that not a single one of the changes made to this club has resulted in any improvement. Quite the opposite. And anything that’s gone smoothly to this point has resulted from the Cubs deciding to leave well enough alone.

Furthermore, if things don’t turn around, I’m inching dangerously close to the conclusion that this entire season can be blamed on the failure to acquire Jake Peavy. I never thought I would say that because, as much as I’d love to see Peavy don Cubbie blue, I’ve never considered him a franchise savior or anything. And given that the past two playoff failures have been more the fault of the offense than the pitching, this seemed even more the case. But think about it. How many of the off-season moves can be directly or indirectly traced back to the failed pursuit of Peavy? Let’s inspect some of them, shall we?

FAIL: Trading DeRosa/Signing Miles/Promoting Fontenot to Everyday Player

OK, DeRo hasn’t exactly set the world on fire with his middling batting average over in Cleveland. But his 30 RBIs would be good for the team lead with the Cubs, and his seven homers would have him second. Plus, his veteran leadership would sure look nice in the middle of this losing streak. And his glove sure would look nice at third base in Ramirez’s absence.

The decision to trade DeRosa—and then fill his utility man role with the much cheaper Aaron Miles, and his second base role with the much cheaper Mike Fontenot—was based on the need to clear some space on the books for Peavy’s salary. If the Peavy trade was made, then perhaps his addition offsets the sacrifices made here. But with no Peavy, this is all loss and no gain. And trading for Ryan Freel in an attempt to upgrade the infield has also yielded no positive results.

FAIL: Lack of Quality Lefty Relief Options

The Cubs only lefty option out of the pen is Neal “Walk-o-Matic” Cotts. Cotts has walked an impressive nine batters, and given up an impressive nine earned runs, all in just 11 innings of work.

But imagine for a minute that Jake Peavy is one of the Cubs’ five starters. That means Sean Marshall, provided he wasn’t included in the trade—and perhaps a major assumption, I’ll grant—is in the bullpen and Cotts maybe isn’t even on the roster.

FAIL: Lack of Quality Relief Options, Period

Not that Kerry Wood (two blown saves, ballooning ERA) has been so wonderful in Cleveland, but his departure did set off a chain reaction in the bullpen. Suddenly, almost everyone was moved into a new role. And so far, those are roles many of them have proven ill-suited for. Without an established closer, the Cubs were left to choose between someone with all the stuff but no experience, and someone with less impressive stuff but some experience. The decision to let Wood leave, like the decision to trade DeRosa, was a move meant to free up money for Peavy’s salary. Plus, the Cubs shipped off some of the leftover parts intended for the Peavy deal, and got in return Aaron Heilman, who has a Cottsian 15 walks in just under 20 innings of work.

Let’s not forget David Patton. Look, if you’re not going to use him, then don’t keep him on the roster, even if he is a Rule 5 pick.

FAIL: Trading Jason Marquis

With Peavy allegedly on his way, there was no longer a place on the roster for Marquis or his expensive contract. I still hate Jason Marquis, but so far he’s eaten up more innings than every Cubs starter but Ryan Dempster. And his record, ERA and WHIP, while not anything to write home about, still compare favorably to just about every Cubs starter except Ted Lilly. And he’s done all this while making half his starts in a notoriously hitter-friendly ballpark.

Unloading Marquis makes all the sense in the world, assuming that you can replace him with someone better. Peavy would have been someone better. Oh, and the unwanted contract that the Cubs took on in this trade? That dude isn’t even on the roster anymore.

***

And then, there are the moves that failed all on their own, moves for which there is not the luxury of blaming Jake Peavy…

FAIL: Signing Milton Bradley

The success of the Milton Bradley signing was predicated on him remaining healthy, consistent, and well behaved—or at least two of those three. But he’s already been injured, he’s struggled to reach .200, and he’s been suspended once. All this in just two months of work. That’s impressive even by Bradley’s own lofty standards. Particularly galling was his insistence on appealing that suspension, “on principle” mind you, instead of taking it while he was hurt and not playing anyway. Someone should have reminded Bradley that he’s not in charge, and nipped that in the bud. I’m not sure why that didn’t happen. Piniella doesn’t seem like an inmates-running-the-asylum type of manager. That’s more Dusty Baker territory. Maybe, after enough years in Chicago, all managers turn into Dusty Baker.

FAIL: Signing Joey Gathright

‘Nuff said.

***

And finally, a few possible FAILs in the making…

FAIL?: Throwing Lots of Money at Ryan Dempster/Picking Up Harden’s Option

I still maintain that, at today’s prices, even a passable season from Harden will wind up being a bargain. But, like Milton Bradley, Rich Harden has managed to make all our worst fears come true in just two months. Intermittent control issues: check. DL stint: check. And so far, it’s looking like it would have been cheaper and more effective to keep Marquis around and let Dempster go. Of all the Cubs currently playing below their potential, Ryan Dempster is high on my list of those who I believe can turn it around. But he better get on that.

The Peavy factor is fairly minimal with both of these moves, since they were made before the Peavy talks really heated up. Still, one could argue that Harden seemed like a risk worth taking when the presumed acquisition of Peavy would make him no more than a fifth starter. And one could argue that retaining Ryan Dempster became a more urgent matter when two of his fellow clubhouse leaders, Wood and DeRosa, both left for Peavy-related reasons.

FAIL?: Not Even Entertaining the Possibility of Trading D-Lee

For reasons I’ve already covered in past posts and have no desire to revisit, D-Lee may have outlived his usefulness as a Cub. And I say that as someone who would be tremendously sorry to see him go. Yet—and this is a recurring theme—so far Lee has been a living, breathing example of why assuming the worst is sometimes a smart idea. With the injuries, and with the whole league seeing all his flaws on full display, and with his hefty salary, Lee might be untradeable at this point. At the very least, you won’t get the value for him that you could have gotten not too long ago.

The Peavy factor is again minimal, unless you want to argue that trading Lee for pitching didn’t seem like a necessary move with Peavy about to join the team.

***

Now, throw in a bunch of injuries, and it’s not surprising that the Cubs season has so far been bad. In fact, maybe one game below .500 is actually the best outcome we could have hoped for. The division is still there for the taking. Sooner or later, some of the breaks might start falling our way. In fact, that is why I was supremely confident that we’d win on Sunday. My confidence was not based on anything I’d seen on the field, just on my belief that sooner or later the law of averages has to take over and we have to win at least one game. (My confidence that we’d win yesterday was based on playing the Pirates.)

Then again, and I hate to dust off this whole bit but it’s too obvious not to, if the law of averages hasn’t taken over in the last 101 years, then 8 games ain’t nothing.

Not What We Expected

So there’s lots the Cubs have experienced in this young season that we didn’t expect.  Like 3 homers in 4 days from Ryan Theriot.  Or a suprising debut from Bobby Scales.  Or losing Z to the 15-day DL for a hamstring injury from running out a bunt.

But I’m totally ok with all those unexpected surprises.  Theriot knows how to get on base, but it’s been fun to see him hit with power, too.  And, as he often does, he hits when guys are on base.  Good stuff.  And who doesn’t like to see a rookie with years of minor league experience have a good game? 

As for Zambrano running out the bunt and pulling his hamstring, unlike most, I’m ok with that.  That’s Z’s game — trying to do everything.  The passion he plays with is what makes him such an exciting pitcher.  Yes, his emotions often get the better of him, but that’s still exciting.  You don’t know what you are going to get from Z every time he’s out, but you do know he’s going to give it everything he has.  Yes, having him miss a few starts will hurt, but he was playing his game, and I can live with that.

The offensive lapses have also been unexpected, and I’m not very excited about those, but this team is quite a bit different than the 2008 team, and they need some time to gel.  I’m sure they will pick it up over the next few months…

Windy City Drama

It’s good to be a Chicago sports fan these days.  Or, at least, it’s exciting.  Or excruciating.  Depends on the moment/sport.

The Blackhawks took care of the Flames in a back-and-forth series on the ice, and although they are down in the 3rd period of the first game of their series with the Canucks, hockey fans have  lots to cheer for.  [Side note:  Would like to know why Vancouver's pro hockey team uses a derogatory term for their name.]

The Sox and Cubs have fans pulling out their hair much of the time (except for when they are winning).  And as the Cubs have just given away a game they led much of the time in the top of the 10th, I have nothing to say about them right now.  Wait — I think they just got an out.  That’s…never mind.

But the Bulls.  Talk about Drama.  Or DRAMA.  With the exception of an ugly Game 3, the Bulls have given the defending national champs all they can handle and then some.  [Side note: I am not a Bulls fan, but I do enjoy cheering for the underdog, especially against an obnoxious team like the Celtics -- see the previous post from TheWittyOne.  But Noah still drives me crazy.]  And as if four previous games didn’t have enough drama, take Game 6.  The Bulls were up.  The Celtics came back.  The game ended in a tie.  (Pause for shock.)  OT was back and forth.  It ended in a tie.  (Another pause for shock.)  In 2OT, the Bulls were up.  The Celtics came back on a 3 that shouldn’t have been allowed.  The Bulls failed to get a shot off.  It ended in a tie.  (Once again, shock.)  3OT included a missed dunk, a block and 2 missed free throws in the last 12 or so seconds, before the Bulls finally claimed a 1-point victory.

DRAMA. 

Let’s hope the Windy City gets to enjoy more sports drama in 2009.  Like extended playoffs for the Hawks and Bulls.  Playoffs for the baseball teams.  And a strong performance from the Bears and their new QB…and…

My Most Hated Things: A Musical Ode

I could put an explanation here: “To the tune of…” However, I’m guessing that all of you are sharp enough to figure this one out. If you aren’t, please email me and I will rewrite the penultimate verse to include you.

Special thanks goes to the Celtics fans who attended Saturday’s game, especially, and Monday’s game as well. Thinking about how I wanted to punch all of them in the face got me thinking about other sports things that I hate. These fans do not appear in this song, but they are the inspiration behind it.

Patriots Nation and Cardinal backers
Manny Ramirez and other dumb slackers
Media types whose “insight” is wanting
These are a few of my most hated things

Nibbling the corners and walking the batters
Pumping your fist like your stupid team matters
The Packers will cause my rage bell to ring
These are a few of my most hated things

The Astros, the Reds and the Milwaukee Brewers
I wish these teams would be flushed down the sewers
But playing the Pirates a victory brings
So they are not one of my most hated things

Headhunter Beckett and ‘roided-up freaks
Your lack of integrity gives me the creeps
Bill Belichick acts like he’s king
These are a few of my most hated things

Jeter and A-Rod and CC, that fatty
All Yankee players, oh so mercenary
You can’t buy a pennant, that surely must sting
These are a few of my most hated things

Tony LaRussa, that fraud Dusty Baker
All their excuses could fill up an acre
Did I mention the Cards, how their ass needs kicking!
These are a few of my most hated things

When the hate strikes
I don’t fight it
That isn’t much fun
I simply remember my most hated things
And then I go find my gun!