I Think I'm Turning Japanese

I really think so.
It's hard to pin success on a single player, but I have seen more of the baseball that I have grown up loving in this particular season. The sight of dwindling baseball fundamentals has been building over the years,. But with the resurgence of Japanese players, we are seeing these fundamentals that we hold dear flourish, and I think it's becoming contagious (along with stolen bases). Coupled with an old school coach like Lou, it could be the winning combination that makes all the difference in the end. I have been seeing some great heads up baserunning, effective bunting and players battling themselves into better hitting counts at the plate. Not to mention some great glove work all around. It's made the game so much more fun to watch, even though there will always be times when you fall short. The D-Bags series was exciting in particular. I saw 4 close plays at the plate in the second game alone. It feels even better when you are winning the games on fundamentals and hopefully it continues. Fukudome possesses some of the strongest fundamentals I have seen in a Cubs uniform ever, and I really hope that the younger generation is watching him instead of getting fixated on adjusting batting gloves correctly for the fifteenth time in an at bat. Winning through fundamentals, who would have thunk?

As of May 13 the top three teams in the National League Central have won more games combined than the top three teams in any other division in Major League Baseball.

Discuss.

Huh?

Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals each post franchise record number of wins in April (18 and 19, respectively).

Discuss.

Ozzie Tirade

The White Sox are a rival of any Cub fan. And Ozzie just doesn't understand Cub Baseball! Most fans can't figure it out.........but Cub fans know.

http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/video/videopage?videoId=3384466&n8pe6c=3

Cover your kids ears as the South Side has more color to their words.

The Place to go at Millennium Park

I forgot on my last park to make a plug for my favorite Millennium Park watering hole, Tavern at the Park. To be fair it's much more than a watering hole as the food is outstanding and can even be downright fancy. I've had many business lunches here and the client has been impressed. More important is the bar. Big windows looking at Millennium Park, the Pritzker Pavilion and the top of the bean. The owners Pete and Donny are very service oriented and they transfer that attitude to the rest of the staff. Especially at the bar. I suggest the next time you're in town, come by. http://www.tavernatthepark.com/

Tipping Point?

Could this be the tipping point or just a tease? Not only did the 2008 World Series Champion Astros sweep the Brewers, Hunter Pence is getting big hits again, including a walk off two run shot in the 12th yesterday. I never thought .500 would look so good.

On another note, I'm back in Chicago for a couple of days and of course the baby bears are on a road trip. At least there is not snow on the fricking ground. How do you people live here? Yes, Houston may be hot and humid, but I've never had to get up early and shovel hot and humid from my driveway to go to work. I've also never fell on hot and humid and busted my a**. You know what else? If a gorgeous woman is hot, she takes off her clothes. If she's cold SHE PUTS MORE ON! Also there's a reason cold beer is refreshing and it's not to "warm up the insides", but I digress. The sun's out now even in Chi-town.

In talking to people here, they are still not sold on the baby bears. Have a very wait and see attitude. I guess getting your butt kicked by the A-Poo's will do that to you. I actually got more smack from Bears fans talking about the next football season. For those of you that don't know, the Bears are playing in Houston the last week of the season.

Back to work for me!

Cubs Vs. Cardinals Round 1

Well it's the first series between the Cubs and the darkside and I don't know what to expect. It's nice to see they are playing for first place in the league. We are in the fourth inning of the opening game as I attempt to type. It always brings back the memories of my first Cubs/Cards game. Ironically it was in old Busch stadium and it was very cold and I managed to sit at the very top row behind home plate. I would date the game around 1983 and if I can remember correctly the Cards won. But my exercise in futility had already been long standing at that point. Since Hill managed to last only 2/3 of an inning facing six and walking four I would have to say that it's not a good start. Looks like the bullpen is going to be very tired after this series. I am hoping for some drama along the lines of Pujols getting drilled at least once and the Cubs managing to take at least 2.

Kerry Wood is living up to my expectations, which is not a good thing. Lou refused to listen to my advice....again. Couldn't he just throw me a bone and keep Reed in the 1 spot? Also, why not ride the hotness that is Cedeno while you still can? It's shaping up to be a good year but I don't know if my heart and middle regions will be able to withstand another season like last year.

In my pathetic loner way I will continue to LIVE BLOG the rest of the game. If any of you are out there I welcome you to join in on the comments and see what this game is going to shape up to be. If not, I will just continue to fail to amuse myself.

The Case For Reed Johnson

With the upcoming return of Soriano, there has been a lot of guessing on the future of the lineup for the Cubs. Sources have said the Lou is going to stick him back into the lead-off spot that he was struggling in at the beginning of the season. I completely hate this idea. Reed has more than filled in for Fonzi, he has earned Center Field and the lead-off position. I have seen great offense, defense and great hustle. Did you see his slide into first yesterday? Soriano is not the future lead-off for the Cubs and should be moved to number 2 in the order. He will see more fastballs and be able to find his groove and maintain it much better from that spot. He is not a Kenny Lofton or Juan Pierre (the best lead-0ff hitters they have had this century). The return of the Fonz should indicate an improvement for the Cubs, not stepping back to where they were before. They have proved that they can play well without him, he should just add to the mix and make them even better. That is, if they handle his return correctly. While we are at it, the Cubs should definitely ride the hot bat of Cedeno for a while. He started off hot two years ago and faded, but as a more seasoned and physically defined player, I believe that he will be able to last even longer into the season. He earned the spot and will only flourish with the chance to be an everday starter with the occasional break. Lou is still going to fiddle with the line-up, but here is how I think it should go down for a while.

1. Reed Johnson CF
2. Soriano LF
3. Lee 1B
4. Ramirez 3B
5. Fukodome RF
6. Theriot SS
7. Blanco C
8. Cedeno 2B
9. Pitcher

This lineup shows a much better balance of power and speed. Theriot and Cedeno can be mixed around between 6 and 8 depending on how they are doing and Soriano could even be moved around and switched with Fukodome on occasion for a little twist. Even though losing a series to the Nats could cause some frustration, it doesn't bother me in the long haul. This next series with the Brewers could really be pivotal and set the tone for future division battles though.

Nationals Shut -Out Cubs, Win Series

We're in 4th!

Five game winning streak pushes the 08 World Series Champion Astros to 4th place. We're number 4! We're number 4!

Even better Valverde pitched a perfect ninth w/ 2 k's.

Lewis Black? Dennis Miller? Pffftttt...

April 29, 1983 - a date which will live in infamy...
Lee Dropping the (F) Bomb...again...and again...and again...

...tip of the hat to Dave Dahl!

Transitive Postulate

1. Cubs are not that good because they have beaten up on the Pirates.

2. Pirates beat the Cardinals.

3. ?

4. Profit!

Let's Get This Ironed Out

I think the bet that was instigated between TEC and Let's Go Astros needs to get hammered out. I think when we left off it was a battle this season for the best offense between the Cubs and the Astros. Why not just go for overall record just to make it more simple. I think the t's need to get crossed and the i's need to be dotted on this one. Money means nothing we are talking sacrifice and public shame for the offseason. I will leave it to the parties involved to hammer out the details but maybe we can get some good suggestions. TEC loves Coors light, chocolate, goatees and Cubs clothing. Let's Go Astros has a penchant for fast food, beards, Bud Light and anything deep fried. Maybe we can get some suggestions for you.

On a side note, TEC just lost a bet to me and shall now be my bitch for the day. I plan on having him wash my truck and perform some yard work while I watch from a short distance. Further chores can be added depending on the execution of the above item. In cas you were wondering, Richard Marx is not the guy who sings the "Real Men of Genius" commercials. As most of us know it's the lead singer from Survivor. Chalk another one up for me.

Hall of Fame

I know it's not directly related to the NL Central, but is still baseball. While watching Sports Center this morning, I saw John Smoltz recorded his 3,000 K. Does that number still mean automatic inclusion into the Hall of Fame? What about 500 Home Runs? With that said, here's some players that may or may not go into the Hall. Should they get in? I've excluded Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds and Mark McGuire as I don't want this to be just about drugs and also some no brainer inclusions like Greg Maddux and Randy Johnson among others.

• Frank Thomas
• Jeff Bagwell
• Craig Biggio
• Sammy Sosa
• Barry Larkin
• Curt Schilling
• Pedro Martinez
• Jason Giambi
• Don Mattingly
• John Smoltz
• John Glavine
• Chipper Jones
• "Pudge" Rodriguez

Who else that's not on this list should be in the hall? I expect Cubs Fans to say Andre Dawson and Lee Smith and I couldn't argue against either of them.

...the 5th RBI was "and the horse you rode in on"

Hey, DEADSPIN!

Ronny Cedeno's bat just called.

It said, "Go f*ck yourself."

How do you say BRAD LIDGE in Spanish???

JOSE VALVERDE!!!

In Dusty We Trusty - Part...oh, whatever...

Look out!

The Reds have called up ex-Cub and HGH enthusiast Jerry Hairston, Jr.!

Let's see if HE can hit that darn truck!

Ahhhh... It's good to be a Cubs Fan!! (Today, anyway)

I was all ready to gloat about the Cubbies being in first place all the way into the late-middle of April, but I was beaten to the punch! Oh, well... The sentiment remains... Cubs Win! Cubs Win! They're playing the Pirates, who couldn't catch a cold in a meat locker much less a baseball, but hey, a win is a win, right? After all, they saying is, "Beat the teams you're supposed to beat." I would say something about that applying to the Cards against the Giants, but I'm better than that, right? ;-)

I'll personally take first place any day. Another old saying goes, "You can't win the pennant in April, but you can sure lose it." I believe that to be very true. That being said, I would worry if I were an Astros-only fan. I like the Astros and will root for them as long as they're not playing my Cubbies or ahead of them in the standings, so I hope that they pull out of the funk they're in and finish second. I would even like to see them win the Wild Card and lose in the NLCS... But that's wishful thinking at this point.

I'm really hating how well the Cards have pitched up until last weekend. I am thinking they can't keep that up for an entire season. If you are a Cards fan, you have reason to hope: You will get three potential starters back during the season. Since it is such a long season, that may be a huge advantage down the road if you can stay in it that long.

I went to the Cards second game of the season against the Rockies. It was my first time in Busch, and it was FREAKIN' COLD! Geesh! To add insult to injury, I wore my Cubs shirt but couldn't take my coat off long enough for anyone to enjoy it, the Cubs lost that day, and the Cards won. If it hadn't been a day at the 'ole ballpark, it would have really sucked. That being said, any day at the ballpark is a good day in my book.

Let's see, I bashed the Pirates and Astros a bit... How about the Cards and their lousy showing to the Giants at home?? What was up with that? Maybe they are reverting to what everyone thought they would be?? Let's hope. If there's one team I don't want to see win, it's the Cards.

Has anyone seen what Prince Fielder is doing over in Milwaukee? No one has. He's hitting like a 12 year old orphan girl in Cambodia. Makes sense since he's eating like one now. He switched to a vegetarian diet, and more than a few pundits think that this is at least a part of his production drop off. My thinking is, "Send this man another veggie burger!" If he wants to hit .220 with 10 home runs all year I wouldn't complain too much. I don't like Milwaukee's team only because I see them as the main threat to the Cubs. So they can, IMHO, piss off! ;-)

It's Monday, but that never stopped me from ranting, did it??? ;)

One more thing: I didn't mention the Reds because I personally like Dusty Baker. I met him in Milwaukee a couple of years ago and got to spend some time with him. He's a BIG guy!! But really nice, and he didn't seem to mind taking the time out of his busy day to take with ordinary folk. You just don't see that much anymore. So he gets a pass from me.

Until next time...

Oh, hey, look at that...

...however, to put things in perspective, the bullet train that is the St. Louis "...and hitting eighth, the pitcher..." Cardinals did run up against the "not as wretched as expected" SF Giants over the weekend.

Brennaman Calls Cubs Fans Obnoxious

Cincinnati broadcaster Marty Brennaman's commented that Cubs fans are "obnoxious." Fans at Wrigley Field traditionally throw the opposing team's home runs back onto the field, but after Adam Dunn connected Wednesday in the eighth inning, they got carried away and tossed 15 balls onto the field. Brennaman said the behavior was "obnoxious" and the type of action that "makes you want to see this Chicago Cubs team lose."

Listen here assclown, you just must need some attention because your job becomes insignificant by the end of May every year. This will probably be your only quotable thought that you are going to see the next decade so enjoy it. In case you haven't figured it out yet, Cubs fans have always been and will continue to be obnoxious. But we are loyal, you might notice that better when you see the customary "sea of blue" when we are playing in Shitcinatti. Also, commenting that it makes you want to see the Cubs lose has no effect, we have been losing for 99 years. Maybe you will get some more excitement in the booth when you get to announce the play-by-play of Griffey's next groin pull. It was a harmless and rather funny sight to see all those balls getting thrown back in. I think that you may have misunderstood what passion is. I know there won't be any Reds fans to come defend "the big red machine" to furthur prove my point. No hard feelings Marty, I will continue to be obnoxious in my passion.
Sweet Lou does come to the rescue.