Wormer, he's a dead man! Marmalard, dead! Niedermeyer... ?

I always really liked Big Red...

Cubs Pitching Settled.... For Now...

So the Cubs have named their starting pitchers... And they promptly go out and give up four runs in 4 plus innings (Dempster) and SIX walks in 1 1/3 innings (Hill). Now if THAT doesn't inspire confidence... Geesh!

In all seriousness, if Wood can pitch like he has this spring (10IP, 0BB, 8k), and Marmol can be the person he's been this spring and last year (2.00ERA) then the last part of the ballgame should shape up very nicely for the Cubs. I'm still going to hold my breath every time Dempster gets the ball (in case people have forgotten, the last time he was a starter he had an ERA of over 5.5). and I do worry about Hill's high walk rates, but I feel really good about the other three. This is until Marquis's second half breakdown.

On the hitting side, the team finally has some timely hitting, and after being 6-12 at one point are almost back to .500. I've always felt that the first two weeks of Spring Training were for working on things. It's the last two weeks of training that start to show what kind of team you're going to field this year. I'll admit that I have not kept as close an eye as I should on the rest of the teams in the NL Central, but from what I can see of this team, they should be able to hold their own against even the "Mighty Mets". I'm very excited about the coming year... Let the games begin!!!

One more thought... I am going to be in St. Loius next week, and a Cardinals friend of mine scored me tickets to the second game of the season on Wednesday. I know, it's almost an oxymoron to say, "Cardinals friend", but coming from downstate Illinois, you learn to live with 'em. ;-) The Cards play the Rox, and of course I will be there... IN MY CUBS SHIRT! Go Cubs!

-Til Next Time...

Twisted Testicle and Anal Tear?!

This has GOT to be the Central! It seems that the NL Central will be the anus of the league anyway, so we might as well have the injuries to go with it.

I'm watching the latest in the series of farces that are Cubs spring training games. It seems like the Cubs have no problem GETTING leads. They just have issues HOLDING them. Not a good foreshadow of things to come in Wrigleyville. Here's hoping that they can get it figured out in the next two weeks.

I will have to disagree a little bit with Wood not being a good closer. He may be great. He can go out there and throw like there's nothing to lose, he doesn't have the pressure that's ordinarily associated with the role since he had so much of it as a "phenom", and he certainly has the mental makeup to be the guy. It may be a heart attack a day, but that's not much different than closers all the way back to the Mitch Williams days. There are only so many Johnathan Papelbon and Mariano Riveras out there.

I am more interested in what's going to happen with the starters. All three guys are pitching well including Dempster's 5.1IP, 0ER today. In Marquis can pitch like he did yesterday, how can you justify sending any of these guys to the minors?

Zambrano is pitching lights out. He had a no hitter into the sixth, and has an ERA under 1 for the spring. Certainly that means he will be lit up yet again on Opening Day...

"If we had to be concerned about everything to be concerned about, we'd never sleep around here," Lou Pinella said today. If THAT doesn't sound like my lovable Cubs, I don't know what does.

Til next time...

Injury of the Spring Award Changed

Please read the published article I found at Fox Sports.

KISSIMMEE, Fla. (AP) - Houston Astros second baseman Kazuo Matsui will undergo surgery to repair an anal fissure on Monday in Houston.
Matsui has struggled with the health problem for much of spring training and was diagnosed with the condition earlier this week. The expected recovery time after the surgery is two weeks.
Although the season opener on March 31 is just more than two weeks away, manager Cecil Cooper wants to try and avoid placing Matsui on the disabled list.
"We'll go down to the wire and see how he's progressing," Cooper said. "We want him on the roster and active so he can play."
Matsui was signed in December to take over at second base after Craig Biggio's retirement. He had 37s RBIs and four home runs with a .288 batting average last season for Colorado.
Geoff Blum and Mark Loretta have been filling in for Matsui while he's been injured.
Also on Friday, Houston lefty Wandy Rodriguez strained a left oblique muscle and is listed as day-to-day. He threw just two pitches before leaving Houston's game against the Detroit Tigers on Friday night, which was called after one inning because of rain.
Magglio Ordonez had a two-run home run, his second homer of the spring, off Houston's Chad Paronto before the game was stopped.
Rodriguez said he felt discomfort on his last pitch in the bullpen and after the second pitch of the game, he realized he was injured and decided to leave the game.
Neither he or Cooper believes the injury is serious.
"It's not bad," Rodriguez said. "I won't be out long. I'll be back soon."
Rodriguez, Houston's only left-handed starter, was 9-13 with a 4.58 ERA in 31 starts last season and has allowed nine hits and five runs in three outings this spring.

Long and short of it.....What really goes on in the Houston Clubhouse? Pence and Sliding doors.......Berkman and Junk food.....Starting Pitching.......and now an Anal Fissure by the Biggio replacement.

Pie had a torsion and was out for 5 days and my buddy, The Mouth from the South, gave him an award......... Too Soon. Apparently Carlos Lee was "teaching" Kaz the ropes in the clubhouse and now I simply pass that award on to Kaz. BTW.....Was Tejada involved? This whole thing gives up the middle a new meaning.

Closing Thoughts

So the 3 man race for the closing spot for the Cubs continues. I have a feeling that Wood might end up with it. I don't agree with it though, because I feel that any closer needs the 3 C's and Kerry is lacking in all of them. Here is how it breaks down.
1. Consistency
You have got to be able to get ahead of hitters in the count. Kerry constantly gets behind and is forced into hitters counts. He is not the power pitcher that he once was and will not be able to overpower for that third strike. More on that later. Kerry goes deep in counts, particularly to 3-2, while that is o.k. for the closer you can't be putting runners on. In order to be a successful closer you must be able to get your first pitch as a strike. It allows you to go though your pitching arsenal causing batters to be on their heels and unsuspecting of what might come next. You will not get this with Kerry Wood.
2. Charisma
I will give Kerry this, he is one of the few pitchers in the league who will do anything to keep the plate. He will give you the bow tie to assert his dominance. But he's not the same guy that you wanted to have the ball when the game is on the line. He has lost some of the mystique and it will be hard to assert himself . He has been hurt so much he just looks happy to be out there and doesn't seem to trust his stuff anymore. To close you must be fearless and I can smell it on him (or it could be a wicked fart that I have been sitting on).
3. Closing Ability
Every closer needs an out-pitch. Kerry doesn't exactly have one. He has never been know for a brutal splitter, knee buckling curve ball or even a heart breaking change up. He was a power pitcher, but he needs to change his style a-la Maddux. He needs to learn to have pin point accuracy that allows him to put the ball where they can't hit it, instead of challenging hitters with his mediocre stuff. I think there are plenty of hitters who will now be able to catch up to a fastball up and in, that will make it go up and out.

What I really care about most are the top 10 songs that Kerry will come out of the bullpen to. Come on you know you have some to add.
1. It's Not Over -Daughtry
2. Walking in Memphis St. Louis -Marc Cohn
3. Don't Break My Heart Again -Pat Green
4. Free Fallin' - Tom Petty
5. Down in a Hole -Alice in Chains
6. Under Pressure -David Bowie
7. Best Imitation of Myself -Ben Folds
8. Everything is Broken -Kenny Wayne Shepherd
9. You Make Me Feel Like A Whore -Everclear
10. I walk the line (up) -Johnny Cash

Kerry closing in on closing role

Injury of the spring award

I thought Hunter Pence would be a shoe-in for the injury of the spring award. I spoke too soon. Felix Pie moves ahead with surgery for a twisted testicle. From ESPN.COM,

"Cubs center fielder Felix Pie will miss the next three to five days while he recovers from an outpatient surgery to fix a twisted testicle." Ouch! In the name of man-laws, nothing more needs to be mentioned.

Astros Had Johan

This kinda shows why Houston (and I live here) tend to not sell out it's stadium. Wrigley has that Buzz that fills seats, much like Fenway. But the Astros need better prospects......or do they? See below as I had found this article and it may be Old news but I wasn't aware:

The Rule 5 draft has opened opportunities for teams to take other team's top prospects who may not be ready for the major leagues. For example Johan Santana was chosen in the 1999 Rule 5 draft by the Florida Marlins when the Houston Astros declined to put him on their 40-man roster. After the Marlins traded Santana to the Minnesota Twins for minor leaguer Jared Camp, the Twins kept him on their roster for the 2000 season, in which he toiled to a 6.49 earned run average at only 21 years of age. Two years later, he legitimized himself as a Major League pitcher with an ERA under three, and in 2004 he was recognized as the best pitcher in the league, winning the Cy Young Award and again in 2006. Had he not been chosen in the Rule 5 draft, he likely would not have made his major league debut until the 2001 or the 2002 season with the Astros. In the 2007 season, Reds outfielder Josh Hamilton made his triumphant return to pro baseball via the Rule 5 draft.

All things said....I wish he stayed with the Twins. Rule 5 draft good or bad? It keeps teams from being pack rats with players.

Go Cubs!

Must Be the Cubs Camp

Let's see... Young up the middle, new outfield and outfielders, Lee and Ramirez on the corners... Must be the Cubs Spring Training Camp! And while we haven't had any of our guys decide to open glass doors with their heads (thank you Hunter Pence for the reference! ;) ) we have had an irregular heartbeat, broken finger on a routine fly ball IN PRACTICE, the yearly Amaris Ramirez injury, a sore butt and a twisted testicle. Yup. It's the Cubs.

That being said, I am really pleased with the team, and in the "SDoM" division, anything can happen. It's not like a few years ago when a team got into the playoffs at 82-80, but 'ya never know. The brewers look to be fairly good if they get starting pitching, and the same can be said for Cincinnati. The Cards just suck. Being a Cubs fan, I have to say that, but it's even better when it's true. The Pirates will also suck, but if I have my way, they'll finish 10 games ahead of the Cards.

I'm writing this from Seattle; about two miles from the ballpark. Could I get assigned to a NATIONAL LEAGUE park??? Apparently not. Oh, well. Maybe it will be good to see a minor league ballgame while I'm here. ;) Yes, I know the AL has been superior the last few years, but I still will always be an NL fan. It helps that the AL has more teams that can buy championships and force the other teams in the league to spend bigger to keep up.

Oh... And is anyone else a little miffed that there is a distinct possibility that sometime in the near future Wrigley Field could be "Pabst Blue Ribbon Ballpark"???

One Positve of the Flu

Sometimes the flu has its advantages. Yeah, the fever sucks and the body aches are a killer and don’t even get me started about the cough. The advantage is the Astros first spring game on TV was broadcast today against the Yankees. Carlos Lee had a three run homer and Hunter Pence was 2 for three w/ two doubles. Really didn’t matter, it was just good to see baseball on the tube, and I was home for it. Now I hope to shake the flu.

Has the power ranking shifted in the league when Morgan Ensberg and Jason Lane are on the Yankees? That was an odd sight.

I like that in this day and age we can get nearly instant information on everything from the team, but the reason for Matsui’s not playing is a bit much. New nickname…Prep H. From Friday’s Chronicle, “Astros second baseman Kaz Matsui is a non-starter for today's lineup because of hemorrhoids.” At least it didn’t go into the cause and treatment options. Something like, "He was sitting to long on the toilet reading the Japanese version of Maxim when the flare up occurred. Treatment will be twice a day application of Preparation H, Greaseless formula. Roger Clemens has been contacted for his input on the treatment. Matsui's response when learning Clemens advice had been sought, 'NOOOOOOO!!!! Matsui want no needle in bumb! Rear look like J-Lo when he done'" (no that wasn't from the paper, I added it) LOL.