"I've had enough"

To someone with a passing interest, it might appear that all I do is bash on the Cubs. While I get great pleasure in watching the implosion and collapse of the "lovable losers", I truly don't go out of my way to talk about them. They just make it so easy! Honestly, I've just never been one to avoid talking about the 800 lb. gorilla in the room.

Did anyone, besides myself, think that what happened yesterday was funny? (Not "Ha ha" funny, but "are you serious?" funny) I mean, this is the epitome of the pot calling the kettle black. Lou Piniella banished Milton Bradley from the Cubs dugout in the 5th inning, after Bradley flew out to right field then had a temper tantrum in the dugout. Bradley threw his helmet and "murdered" yet another Cubs water cooler. Were the Cubs NOT aware of who they were signing? This is not new behavior from Bradley. Bradley has had some of the most memorable meltdowns in baseball history.

I suppose the reason I couldn't stop laughing is the fact that Piniella has never been a role model in a baseball uniform. We would never tell our kids to model their behavior after Lou Piniella. What's even more humorous is the fact Carlos Zambrano is a serial killer when it comes to water coolers. I believe that Igloo has requested a restraining order against Zambrano. Carlos is like a 4 year old who missed his Ritalin, and then you see him at the check-out at the grocery store acting as if he needs an exorcism because mommy told him he couldn't get the Chicklets. This is accepted behavior as far as I've been able to see. I've not seen or heard Lou chastise Carlos for acting like a spoiled child.

In the post game press conference, Piniella said that he sent Bradley home because he'd "had enough" After all of the temper tantrums, broken bats, thrown helmets, destroyed water coolers... Why now? Why has he "had enough" now? You know, we used to love to watch Earl Weaver lose his temper and get tossed out of a game. He was a white haired, pudgy, little old man, who was also looked up to and admired by the fans and his peers alike. Lou isn't Earl Weaver. He just comes across as former player who can't find a razor, and is getting over the worst hangover of his life....every day! The players are supposed to learn from their manager, but in the Cubs' case, I'm not sure what Lou is teaching.

If I were a a Cubs fan, (Thankfully, I'm not!) I would be outraged! At some point, sanity and control needs to be returned to the organization. Lead by example, and right now the example isn't a very good one. Chicago has the best team in the Central Division. (I can't believe I just said that!!!) Across the board, they have the most talent, and the deepest roster. The problem is apparent to me. They don't have anyone who knows how to get the most out of that talent. They would rather spit, swear, and kill water coolers than pull together and work in unison as a team. It all starts with the leader, and I'm sorry to say... the Cubs have a poor one. Put it this way.... When is the last time you saw Tony Larussa kick dirt on an umpire, pull a base out of the ground and throw it, or have a meltdown at a press conference? I can tell you....... You haven't! He hasn't won 2500 games by accident!

The Cubs have the talent. They don't have the leadership.

If It Ain't Broke...

Ever wonder why the National League Central Division is the only division in Major League Baseball that has 6 teams? Why does the AL West have only 4 teams? Why are there 16 teams in the National League, and only 14 in the American League? Well, I'll tell you why. It's because Bud Selig just couldn't leave well enough alone! Now, I can't blame ALL of baseball's problems on old "rat faced" Bud Selig, but I sure can pin a bunch of them on him!

Because of Selig's introduction of inter league play in 1997, we now have an imbalance in the number of teams in each league. This imbalance has led to the absurdity of a 6 team division in one league, and a 4 team division in the other. You see, you need each league to have an even number of teams in order to make the scheduling of inter league play balance out properly. So, instead of leaving a game that worked perfectly well as it was alone, Selig had to go and mess with it. He moved the Brewers out of the American league and into the National League.(Which was a very profitable move for the owner of the Brewers, who just so happened to be Bud Selig) I thought the whole point of having two different leagues was so that the best team in each league would meet in this grand matchup in the World Series. Two leagues out to prove who was the better. Now each year, we potentially get the "thrill" of watching 2 teams who just may have already played each other six times that year. Kind of takes some of the drama out of it, don't ya' think? Personally, I hate the inter league games! In my eyes, those are dates on the calendar that could have been games against divisional rivalries. Teams fighting to win their division, or secure a wild card spot. The only time I want to see the St. Louis Cardinals playing against the Seattle Mariners, or the Baltimore Orioles, is in the Fall Classic! The way it was meant to be!

Now, "rat face" Selig has screwed the game up in other ways too. To start with, it was Selig who changed the format of the All-Star game in 1993, awarding home field in the World Series to the league that won the "Midsummer Classic". He claimed it would make the game important again. Pfffffft!!! How is the All-Star game important to a guy who is only there because someone from his team "has" to be represented in the game, and his team is already 15 games out of first place? Hell, the fans didn't even vote him into the game! Do you really think that guy cares who has home field advantage in October? It was Bud Selig who also made the bonehead decision to end the 2002 All Star game in a 7-7 tie. He's been a genius as the commissioner! Bud, single handedly, can be blamed for the shortened 1994 season as well. The only season in the history of the game to NOT have a World Series Champion. Thanks Bud! Oh yeah... and the "steroid era" falls under good old Bud Selig's watch too! Although, I suppose you can't blame the steroid issue completely on Bud Selig... but I'm going too because it's just too easy, and I dislike him that much!

On April 6, 1973, the game changed drastically as well. While I've never heard Bud Selig's name mentioned in conjunction with this one, I'm certain, with out a shadow of a doubt, that Selig had to be involved in this debacle as well. (Vegas has it at 3-2 odds) It was April 6, 1973, when Ron Blomberg stepped up to the plate, wearing a New York Yankee uniform, and Blomberg had been penciled into the lineup as the "designated hitter" Another sad day in baseball history! The powers that be had decided that baseball was going to allow the pitchers in the American League to continue pitching, but strip them of their title of "baseball players" Since they were no longer required to play all aspects of the game like the rest of the red blooded American population, pitchers would relinquish themselves to merely being "pitchers". (Kind of like the rule in football that prevents the quarterback from being hit) That just sounds like a Bud Selig idea to me!!!

What would Abner Doubleday say if he were alive today? Doubleday is credited for inventing the game of baseball in Elihu Phinney's cow pasture in Cooperstown, New York in 1839. From that day, a century and a half of baseball went unchanged for the most part. Then somebody felt the need to try to fix something that wasn't broke! Selig is responsible for an awful lot of those bad changes! I wish we could shove Selig out through the back door and forget about him. Let someone like Bob Costas take over the role as Commissioner. Someone who knows, loves, appreciates and respects the game. Someone needs to put the game back together. Back to the way it was meant to be!

Is It Inter-league Already?

Is it just me or is this season just flying by? The Cubs are doing there usual dance with .500 coming into the All-Star break. As usual, I am happy with that especially when they are less than 4 games from the top of the division. I guess that's why we call it Six Degrees of Mediocrity. I don't think any team in the Central should be all that proud of their performance. I think that Milwaukee and the Reds are really playing better than expected. I am really surprised with the Reds' young pitching and think they are going to have a rebound year that will offer some hope late into the season.

Cubs are 4-3 in inter-league play right now and look to be making some progress. I can't believe how many extra inning games they have had this year already (I would look them up but I am just too lazy to throw out numbers right now). Looks like Kerry Wood was nice enough to lend a helping hand in the last two games. Looks like he is becoming the closer I thought he was going to be last year with the Indians, makes me think of the post I lodged against him last year when he earned the job for the Cubs. Either way, winning in extra innings give the confidence to grind it out as the summer becomes even hotter.

Derrick Lee is rolling a hot streak and seeing the ball well as of late. I have been waiting all season long for this, along with an extended visit to the DL from Soriano and the Cubs rallying off tons of wins in his absence. I think he is up to 17 games with the 2 he had today. I am curious to see what moves they are going to make to shore up the team as some teams start to fade. I suspect the Cubs will do the most shuffling in the division.

Off on a Tangent

Sorry I haven't been posting as much folks. Since Let's Go Astros passed away, baseball has been a bit bittersweet for me. Joel was one of the very few die-hard Texas fans I had ever come in contact with. I think of him often and how pumped he was when they went to the World Series a few years ago. He took his step-son out in the middle of the night to get them both World Series T-Shirts the night the Astros clinched the pennant. He was a crazy superstitious as me when it came to sports and was a good fan of the game in general. As some of you may very well know, Houston fans are very fickle and fair-weathered. Joel couldn't have been farther from that and I will miss knowing that he is not available for some late-night trash talk. I will miss you good friend and I am truly sorry that you didn't get to see and Astros World Series Championship in your lifetime. When they do, you will be the first one I will toast too, even if they beat my beloved Cubs.

"the right way"

I'm going to veer off of the beaten path a little bit, so please bear with me for a moment. As I sit here watching the College World Series, I find myself watching with a huge smile on my face. As an avid fan of the game of baseball, and one who finds beauty in the simple intricacies of the game, I can't help but want to write a "Thank You" note to the head coach of the Arizona State Sun Devils. Take a look at the photo that I posted along with this blog and see if you can guess what has me grinning from ear to ear.

I can't remember the last time I saw an entire team of baseball players on the field, and in the dugout, wearing their uniforms the way they were intended to be worn. I don't know if this is something that ASU head coach, Pat Murphy, has mandated to his players, or if this is a subtle sign of team unity. Either way, I don't care because every player on the team is wearing his pants pulled up to his knees, with stockings and stirrups showing for all the world to see and enjoy. No baggy clown pants (ie: Jeff Bagwell, Manny Ramirez and the majority of professional ball players) hanging down over the tops of their cleats.

Baseball is a game of traditions, superstitions, and well defined rules. In an era where the concept of "team" has given way to "individualism", I can't help but yearn for the days of old when baseball players respected every aspect of the game. The game of baseball today feels like it's more about the huge contracts and endorsement deals, rather than the game itself.

I know, this probably all seems ridiculous to the average fan, and petty to the fair-weather fan, and I respect those opinions. But, to the true baseball fan, I feel confident that I'm not the only one to feel this way.

I played baseball for as long as my body would allow me to. I still remember the feeling of pride and excitement I had each and every time I put on my uniform, and the meticulous way I would make sure my stirrups were straight and my pant legs were pulled up evenly. I miss putting on a baseball uniform. I have a 6 year old son who plays T-ball, and I've already impressed upon him the importance of wearing his uniform "the right way". Physically, we all eventually outgrow the game of baseball, but the game will never outgrow us!

Thank you Coach Pat Murphy and the Arizona State Sun Devils! Thank you for respecting the game! I hope it rubs off on others!