Chicago Cubs

The Brewers gave up two touchdowns last night to the Nationals and only managed one of their own in a 6-14 loss, dropping them to 1 game under .500 on the season and 4 games back in the tight NL Central.  The Crew has ripped off 3 wins in their last 10 games, while the now Central Leading Cubs have reeled off 8 wins in their last 10.  Frankly, the Brewers have NO chance to win the NL Central.  The Cardinals, who have a superior pitching staff to Milwaukee, added Julio Lugo and Matt Holliday is protection for Albert Pujols.  The Cubs haven't added anybody; they don't need to.  Their line up is expensive and filled with talent as is their pitching staff, Rich Harden, Alfonso Soriano, Milton Bradley, Carlos Zambrano, and Carlos Marmol turning their seasons into AVERAGE seasons by their standards is like making 5 huge trades.  All they need to do is get healthy and play average seasons down the stretch, and they'll be neck and neck with the Cardinals. 

Continue reading "Brewers Future"

Putz deal, was flipped to the Chicago Cubs for Ronny Cedeno and Garret Olson. Many suspected that Heilman was going to be the closer for the Mariners since Brandon Morrow was going to move to the rotation. The trade is great for Heilman because his competition for the fifth spot with the Cubs are Jeff Samardzija, Sean Marshall, and Chad Gaudin. Only Samardzija really has a higher ceiling than Heilman, but he has yet to play a full season.

Continue reading "Aaron Heilman Finally Has a Shot ..."

I have to say that I get frustrated quite a bit with the management of the Chicago Cubs.  There are times when it seems like their fingers are right on the pulse of what is going on in Major League Baseball.  Other times, though, it seems they could not be more out of touch with the needs of the team in the short and long term.  It is utterly frustrating when management decides to do something completely detremental to the team, like trade a good young live arm like Jose Ceda for an average reliever, and there is nothing I can do about it.  While that did frustrate me it is not getting to me as much as this whole left-handed bat situation.  Everyone who follows baseball knows that the Cubs need a left-handed presence in the lineup.  If you watch them, you can see it.  If you do not watch them, then you only need to listen to Lou Piniella talk about it.  I agree that the need is there, but I definitely do not agree with the candidates that Jim Hendry and co. have so far thrown out.

Continue reading "Left-handed bat the Cubs need"

I know that the title suggests pure blasphemy for loyal fans, and if you're wondering where I could possibly be going with this, let me be the first to say, I really don't like the Phillies. However, as a loyal and lifelong Cubs fan, I thought I should point out that the Phils are the logical choice to root for in this World Series.

Continue reading "Being a true Cubs fan means rooting ..."

So I normally title my Monday blog: Monday Mourning due to being hungover from a full day of drinking and watching sports, hence the “mourning” because I have to get up, go to work, puke in the bathroom, and subsequently fall asleep in all of my meetings and get absolutely no work done. But today is different, mainly due to the fact that CBS’s and Fox’s regional coverage of NFL games in my area was HORRIBLE. Games that had a spread of +11 with no fantasy implications at all were being aired, so I went and watched polo (you know, the sport where guys on horses trot around and whack a ball with mallets). I had never been to a polo game before but we decided to go due to the possibility of attractive females (there are always beautiful women at horse events). We mingled with a few and made up some elaborate lies that we were just checking out the competition and had our horses stabled a few miles away. We were obviously out of place, with our cheers of “nice pass man!” and “shoooooot it!” but we wholeheartedly plan on attending it every Sunday for the rest of the season – pending what NFL games are on of course. 

Continue reading "Monday Mourning"

Well it seems as though the "Devil" in Devil Rays has officially been exorcised.  The Rays win their first playoff game in franchise history on the shoulders of rookie Evan Longoria.

Continue reading "A Little Bit Of H-Evan"

Suddenly it seems as though the Mets won't make the postseason yet again.  After winning again the Brewers now find themselves in the driver's seat and the Mets are on the outside looking in.&nbs

Continue reading "Brewers Hot, Mets Not!"

              The economic “crisis" is not that complicated. The stock market always wants positive press to continue its trading

Continue reading "Economic Crisis"

." - Woody Paige of ESPN(ATH) and the Denver Post on the performance of Carlos Marmol of MLB's Chicago Cubs.

   

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

" . . . Mike Ditka who is the Principal of the Old School." - Mike Greenberg on Hall of Fameer Mike Ditka 

Continue reading "Funny Sports Quotes"

   I just wanted to let you know that I may be unable to post for a few days. I live south of Houston, near Galveston, Texas. As hurricane Ike approaches there may be power outages and loss of internet access. If that is the case, I will be unable to write my column. Remember though, there are things much more important than sports. If you need Ike information, you can go to:

Continue reading "Hurricane information"

Houston Texans injury update:

Megan Manfull of the Houston Chronicle has reported these injuries -

               Running back Ahman Green - It wasn't a cramp that limited his play Sunday. He has a sprained ankle.

Continue reading "Injury Update"

Here is the great Jack Buck's poem that was given on September 17, 2001."Since this nation was founded ... under God
More than 200 years ago
We have been the bastion of freedom
The light that keeps the free world aglow

Continue reading "Jack Buck's Poem remembering 9-11"

“Believe.” But believe in what I ask you? Do the Chicago Cubs “believe” that they will win a World Championship? Or do they “believe” that some strange twist of fate will ruin another promising season. What does your team “believe” in?

Continue reading "Believe!"

NFL Week 1 Results
NY Giants 16 Wahington 7
Pittsburgh 38 Houston 17
Atlanta 34 Detroit 21
Tennessee 17 Jacksonville 10
Baltimore 17 Cincinnati 10
Philadelphia 38 St. Louis 3

Continue reading "NFL SCOREBOARD"

You can get your fantasy football updates here as well as columns, funny sports quotes, injury updates and anything else sports related. If your not already seeing this video just hit the sportspoet link and you will get everything that you need to keep up with your favorite sports teams. Thank you for visiting this site.

Continue reading "Fantasy Football Video by Sportsgirl"

." - Woody Paige of ESPN(ATH) and the Denver Post on the performance of Carlos Marmol of MLB's Chicago Cubs.

   

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

" . . . Mike Ditka who is the Principal of the Old School." - Mike Greenberg on Hall of Fameer Mike Ditka 

Continue reading "Funny Sports Quotes-September 10"

Cub fans, please say thank you to any Milwaukee Brewers fans you may know. Their team is struggling just as much as the Cubs right now. It could have been disastrous if Milwaukee would have gone on a winning streak this week as the Cubs were skidding against the Phillies and Astros. The Cubs still have a cushion in the NL Central, but they need to try to get Zambrano and Harden healthy before they make this final playoff push. Don't panic, the Cubs will be fine. They have a solid line-up all the way through the batting order, and even if they are sluggish, they will get enough wins to enter the 08 playoffs. Sorry this post is short and I haven't posted in a while, but I have been working on numerous websites. I will try to put the Cubs blog first from now on, and trust me, I will be much more talkative once these Cubbies get closer to the playoffs. 

Continue reading "Thanks Milwaukee"

I'm sorry I haven't been on here rigorously for some time. Life has caught up with me so to speak. I got a job at the local office supply store, I'm back in school, and so it pains me that my love affair with the Chicago National League Ballclub has been almost on hold.

Continue reading "No, not again. Please tell me I'm ..."

  Team effort...the reason I love the Cubs.  They are a great group of athletes, but they are also a great group of friends. Every game it's obvious that the players like each other and all understand what they could accomplish this year. I don't see any one man show out there....I see a team. Theriot slapping balls up the middle and to right fields...Lee hitting sac flies...Harden hustling down the first base line for an infield single...Blanco with a clutch game-ending hit. The list goes on. Never before have I seen a Cubs team get along so well. After every hit the player will put his two index fingers up and point to the bench as one of his fellow teammates is standing at the front of the dugout cheering him on. I love to see that. 

Continue reading "Team Effort"

What a day for Alfonso Soriano. He came up with a huge 3-run home run in the 7th inning with 2 on and 2 out to put the Cubs up 10 to 7 over the Astros. Soriano also had a single and a double to give him 4 RBI on the day. He touched home twice. 

Continue reading "If He Stays Hot..."

(FYI -- All my times are Pacific Time) 

4:02 p.m.

It's Monday, August 4th. The Cubs and Astros are about to face off. The wind is always something to pay attention to at Wrigley....and it looks like it is blowing at around 10-15 mph from right to left field, straight across. Sweet outfits and hair on many of the fans tonight. It's 70s night...

Continue reading "LIVE game talk Cubs-Astros 8/4"

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(67-45) ||Chicago Cubs|| vs. ||Houston Astros|| (53-57)

 

Monday, August 4th, 6:05 p.m. CT

Continue reading "CUBS vs. ASTROS Game Preview -- (Mon. ..."

Tribune Co. is selling the Chicago Cubs franchise, along with Wrigley Field, and part of Comcast SportsNet. The Cubs, as well as Wrigley Field, would be the perfect investment for any billionaire; Cubs fans are not going to simply walk away from their favorite team no matter how long it takes for them to win the World Series. True Cubs fans are fans for life....they will continue to fill the seats every single year no matter the outcome of previous seasons. Call it stupid, some critics do, and I don't want to get into all of that right now, especially since I'm one of those "stupid" people that watches the Cubs every day. Anyway, all I'm saying is that Cubs fans are very loyal fans that will provide continually increasing revenue for the new owner.

Continue reading "CUBan bids how much?!"

batting average, 17 HR, 58 RBI, .351 OBP, .492 SLG

BASEBALL INFO 

Soto was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the 11th Round (318th pick) of the 2001 Amateur Draft. In 2007, Soto had a .353 batting average, 26 HR, and 109 RBI with the minor league Iowa Cubs. These numbers earned him the Pacific Coast League's MVP award in 2007. Although Soto had made his very brief major league debut in September of 2005 and another quick stop in the majors in July of 2007, he finally got called up in September of 2007 to play a larger role for the playoff push. Soto had a great first half in 2008, which gave him All-Star Starter honors at catcher. He was the first rookie catcher to be a starter on the National League All-Star Team.   

Continue reading "Meet the Cubs..... * Geovany Soto *"

6-4, 7-1, 7-2, and 11-4. The beating the Brewers received from the Chicago Cubs throughout the 4-game sweep hit a nerve. Frustration was obvious in the 9th inning when Eric Gagne of the Brewers threw behind Jim Edmonds on the fourth pitch of the at-bat. 

Continue reading "Brewers....Salty Finish"

It’s the annual midpoint of the baseball season, and for the brief span that is the All-Star break, all eyes are upon the Bronx. As everyone is well aware of, this campaign is the last go around for the world’s most famous, largest, and most prominent ballpark, Yankee Stadium. It seems hard to believe, and even more sacrilegious that this living legend’s days are numbered. Built in 1923 and christened by the greatest ballplayer to ever live, Babe Ruth, the cathedral of baseball will never truly be replaced. Although the Bombers will move a block to Yankee Stadium’s heir, the Mecca of America’s Pastime will still live on in our hearts. Whether you’re a diehard Yankee fan, or Yankee-hater, you still can respect the history and awe that the stadium brings. So when the All-Stars take the field Tuesday night, sit back on your couch, crack open a cold one and soak up the history of Yankee Stadium, as its final chapter is unveiled to all of us.

Continue reading "National League Looks to End Rut"

It’s been three days since the Cubs acquired former Oakland ace Rich Harden, and those three days have shown a lot about the club. Harden has said he couldn’t be happier in pinstripes and has so far looked like a good fit in the clubhouse. He instantly has formed a sort of kinship with fellow British Columbian Ryan Dempster, and has received the praise of pitching coach Larry Rothschild. Like fellow former American Leaguer stud pitcher “CC” Sabathia, Harden has been place right in the middle of the Senior Circuit’s best race so far. With the Central’s big three clubs separated by less than five games, the division could go either way. For the Cubs, Rich Harden will be a key piece in taking their second consecutive title away from Sabathia’s Brewers. Sabathia was acquired a mere 24 hours before Harden, but by no means is Harden any less of a pitcher despite being the consensus second best available pitcher.

Continue reading "All-Star Break Push: Harden added, ..."

The Cubs wrapped up a key road trip on Sunday in St. Louis, and signs of an end to a slight June swoon may be developing. After winning the series with the arch rival Cardinals, a series that should have definitely been a sweep, the health of ballclub is rising.

Continue reading "Healthy Cubs are Dangerous Cubs"

Geovany Soto C – Chicago Cubs

Soto has shown that not only is he by far the best hitting Rookie Catcher since Mike Piazza, but a team leader as well. He catches for a club who has faced some adversity with the pitching staff, the arm troubles of ace Carlos Zambrano, the suddenly human Carlos Marmol, and the lefty without a command and a big league address, Rich Hill. But despite the strenuous measures that the Puerto Rican rookie has endured so far, his poise has kept him as a producer. He’s on pace for around 25 homers, 100 runs driven in and over 40 doubles. That is a stellar season for any catcher, not one of a 25 year old rookie.

Continue reading "Mic's National League All-Star Team"

nbsp; Those burning questions are running through minds of fans of all teams, including our beloved Chicago Cubs.

Jim Hendry's is rumored to be going after C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Coco Crisp. Those three potential tradable players are an interesting trio.  Burnett has all but courted the Cubs himself, and Coco Crisp is a moveable piece in Boston with the ability to play centerfield on the North Side. But do we need another Kerry Woodesque, injury prone, has-been in Burnett? No. Do we still need a lefthanded centerfielder in Crisp? No, Edmonds has shown that there is still plenty of tread left on the tires. So with the recent arm trouble of the heart of the ballclub, Carlos Zambrano, there is no way we should not throw everything we have at Cleveland for  pitcher C.C. Sabathia. Sabathia would be a huge acquisition for the boys in blue, and could be reminiscent of a trade that brought a certain someone from Cleveland in 1984 for Joe Carter. C.C has won the Cy Young, he's started games for the US National Team, he's won playoff games, and he's only turning 28 years old this month. He is a guy we can piece together with Zambrano, and finally give Z some protection. Lilly has been solid, but is he a cemented ace or #2 guy? No. Having Big Z and Big C.C. going back to back would be deadly. Carlos is the power throwing righty with the fierce demeanor, and C.C. is the cool, calm, competitive lefty that is as poised as anyone. It would be our own variant of Drysdale-Koufax, and Schilling-Johnson.

Continue reading "Cubs Crave Sabathia"

How about that Jim Edmonds? Jimmy Ballgame. Jimmy Baseball. The Man, the Myth, the rival swapping Legend that is Jim Patrick Edmonds. Just a mere nine months ago he was a villain, walking through the halls of the nemesis kingdom that is St. Louis. I find it hard to believe that we've adopted him as our own, but I'm at peace with it, and you should be too.

Continue reading "It's Time to Accept Jim Edmonds"

Josh Anderson can run.

The speedy outfielder stole 40 bases at Triple-A Round Rock last season. Called up to Houston in September, he hit .358 in 21 games. This season, at Triple-A Richmond, Anderson stole 13 bases in 16 attempts.

Continue reading "Roster shuffle leaves Anderson out ..."

Two games down on the current road trip. Eight games to go. One baseball team, sinking fast.

The Braves ran their losing streak to five games Wednesday night and never had a chance against the team with the best record in the bigs. The Cubs lit up emergency starter Jeff Bennett for seven runs and seven hits in two-plus innings, Atlanta falling 7-2 to drop two games below .500.

Continue reading "The beat goes on ..."

Yep, the injury bug now has bitten one of the Braves' youngsters.

According to some reports on the Web this afternoon, Jair Jurrjens injured his ankle while leaving Wrigley Field last night and will not make his scheduled start tonight against the Cubs.

Continue reading "New starter for tonight's game"

By Bud L. Ellis 

ATLANTA -- As the Atlanta Braves prepared to leave Lake Buena Vista, Fla., and close spring training, the franchise that built its success on pitching felt pretty good about 2008.

Continue reading "Braves learning a hard lesson on aging pitchers"

 HOUSTON DEFEATS CUBS 5-3 ON A CARLOS LEE HOME RUN AS HOUSTON TAKES SERIES

After the Cubs went 8-2 on their latest home stand which made their record at home 19-8, it seems as if they forgot how to play anywhere else.  After losing to the Astros 5-3 and losing the series, the Cubs find themselves 9-11 away from the friendly Confines.  If a team wants to find themselves in the post-season, they need to win the big games on the road.  In a series that had playoff atmosphere, both teams were out to make statements.  The Astros were louder than the Cubs according to Shawn Chaccon, who got the decision in the victory.  "One message the Cubs might get out of it is, 'We're here. We're here to compete. We're going to battle,'" Chacon said. "'It's not the team it was last year. Basically, it's going to be a tough team to beat the whole year.'"

Continue reading "After winning at home, Cubs continue ..."

After another game where stranding base-runners has become a common theme, what Lou Piniella had the right words to sum up the Cubs recent slide, "Like I told my guys after the ballgame, make the other team beat you, don't just give it to them," Cubs manager Lou Piniella said. "You play like that and you're going to lose quite a few of them, or most of them. Anyway, it's over with. Done."

Continue reading "Cubs lose 5-3 after having bases-loaded with 1 out"

After the Cubs had one of their best records in April in 1969, the start of May is starting to resemble the collapse towards of the season in 1969.  In one their toughest weeks this season, nothing looked pretty as the Cubs just won two out six against there NL Central rivals the Brewers and the Cardinals.  In a week that could have seperated them from everyone else in the divison, the Cubs are now looking up towards the Cardinals who now have a 1 1/2 lead over the Cubs.  Lets quickly recap this horrible week the Cubs have endured.

Continue reading "Rough Week for Cubs spells Rough Road Ahead"

  Chicago Cubs pitcher Jason Marquis is competing for the final two spots in the starting rotation.  If he does not make the rotation, he would probably end up in bullpen.  In his first start during spring training he went 2 innings, gave up 2 runs, both earned, along with 3 hits.  However, it wasn't his arm that hurt his chances of winning a spot in the rotation.  Rather it was his mouth.  Jason Marquis does not feel he should be competing for a starting job.  He said he signed as a Cub because he thought he would be guaranteed a starter every year.  "That's my ultimate goal, that's how I think I help the team the most. Obviously, we'll see what happens when it's time for them to make their decision," Marquis told reporters.  Marquis was asked how he would feel if he did not make the rotation and ended up in the bullpen. he replied, " As much as I want to be here in Chicago, and I love it, I love the fans and the stadium, I also have a family to worry about, too.  I could take my services elsewhere if that's the case, and I could help another team in that capacity as a starter. My value doesn't lie in the bullpen in my mind."

Continue reading "To Start or To Not to Start: Marquis Sounds off"

As the Cubs open up their first spring training game on Thursday against the San Francisco Giants, there are three stories we should look at while this game is going on.  These will also be the stories throughout spring training.

Continue reading "What to Watch For"

If you are reading this title, your heart probably sank and it has shattered all the chances of the Cubs making it to the World Series.  Put away those tissues and turn that frown around because good old Zambrano is not hurt, but in perfect health.  But will he stay that way?  Below, I have posted my top ten predictions on what will happen during the Cubs season.  If any of these do happen you wish would not happen, please do no send me hate mail.  Enjoy!

Continue reading "Carlos Zambrano Injured!!!"

After having 120 different lineups last season,  Sweet Lou Piniella wants to find the right combination during spring training.  His latest idea is probably one of the best he has came up with since juggling everyone around.  Lou suggested Fukudome would bat third, followed by Lee and Ramirez.  The whole lineup would probably look like this:  Soriano, Theirot, Fukudome, Lee, Ramirez, Derosa, Soto, and Pie.  It is a great combination of speed at the top and power in the middle.  "I've been thinking about our lineup and what makes sense and what we can try," Piniella said Friday. "Let me warn you, it's only Feb. 22, so there's plenty of time to adjust this thing."

Continue reading "POTENTIAL 3,4,5 HITTERS: FUKUDOME, LEE, RAMIREZ"

ona(4) LA Dodgers(5) San Francisco Giants

WILD CARD

San Diego Padres

PLAYOFF PICTURE

NLDS

Chicago Cubs defeat Colorado

Mets defeat Padres

ALDS

Cleveland defeats Boston

Detroit defats Angels

Continue reading "2008 Baseball Preview: Final Standings"

is a season where the impossible turns into the possible.  Just listen to Ryan Dempster of the Chicago Cubs make a bold prediction, “I think we are going to win the World Series. I really do.”  Great, just what a Cubs fans need to hear, another prediction. 

Continue reading "Is this the year of Dreams? Think ..."