A Solution for the Cubs Offense

The Cubs offense is lousy. Awful. Terrible. Deplorable. Poo-poo stinky.

Call it what you want, but these guys aren’t hitting. No matter the combo Lou puts into the game, runs aren’t crossing the plate. When Xavier Nady is your best offensive player at any stretch, and people are clamoring to get Chad Tracy back up with the big boy club…well, things are not exactly going as planned.

But I have a solution — a tried and true method that has worked for baseball players in the past. Disgraced, down on their hitting former stars have rediscovered their power stroke, and those formerly unemployed have found work once more.

Beer league softball.

Come on, Cubs! My softball team, the Banzai Legends, could use a practice game…and you guys need to learn how to hit again. It worked for Eric Byrnes! It can work for you, too!

Lou? Hendry? Give me a call. I’ll set up a time for a practice field. It can be on your off day! Or, if you’re going to bench all of your stars on a regular basis, I guess it could be any day. I even promise to pitch meatballs. Let’s make this happen! I’m tired of watching 1-and 2-run outbursts against pitchers with ERAs higher than Starlin Castro’s age. It’ll fix you guys! And if it doesn’t, well…I’d be willing to strike out 50 times in 50 games, strand runners, and fundamentally hit poorly for WELL less than you’re paying the guys up there on the team now. And my facial hair is better than Fontenot’s.

I’m just here to help, guys. We’ve all learned so far this year that you need somebody with some kind of fresh idea to fix things.

Darlin’, Indeed

Starlin Castro’s first night in the big leagues set his already lofty expectations at a new high for me.

After the embarrassment in Pittsburgh, I was ready to write the season off. I’m an optimist, and I will root for my Cubs to the very end, but a 10-run loss to complete a sweep at the hands of a perennial doormat didn’t do much to give me confidence that this club was going to give me much reason to cheer late in the season. The team simply didn’t appear to care in that game…and if they didn’t care, I figured, why should I? So, I’d begun the process of emotionally extracting myself from 2010. Then the Shortstop Jesus got the call.

I’ll say this about Starlin Castro’s expectations for the early part of his career: they were unfair. Spring training’s talks about him coming in, taking over the starting SS job at 19-20, being a huge piece to the puzzle for this season…all seemed like too big a job for someone who was born when I was in the third grade. I’ve seen the Pie and Pattersons of the world touted in the same way, and seen them never reach a sliver of the potential they supposedly had; never come close to matching expectations placed on them in a Cubs uniform. Everyone assumed Castro was different…his skills, his maturity, his dang smile…they all just pointed to big league success right from the start.

I was relieved to see him begin the year in the minors, though, because those other guys were needlessly rushed in. Some time to develop his game in AA seemed like a great idea. But the kid kept hitting. And kept hitting. And the Cubs kept losing. And kept losing. And, in the process, losing my emotional investment.

Dictionary.com defines ‘darling’ as “very dear; dearly loved; favorite; cherished”, and that’s exactly where Darlin’ Starlin put the Cubs, and himself, back into my heart once again. His performance last night more than exceeded expectations for himself, and renewed my expectations for this team. His play seemed to elevate everyone around him, and made my following-along-on-text-score-updates-alone self absolutely giddy.

I know it was one game, and that you can’t make too much of just one game’s performance. I remember Tuffy’s first game, too. But there’s just something about this kid that screams ‘he’s different’, that says he’s not only going to be around for a long time, but going to be a difference-maker for as long as he’s here.

I know he’s made a believer out of me…in himself, and once again, this team.

Why the Cubs Will Make the Playoffs

I’m nothing if not an eternal optimist. I always try to see the bright side of things, even if it doesn’t necessarily make a whole lot of sense. For whatever reason, I’d rather be disappointed in the end while enjoying the ride than set low expectations and be pleasantly surprised. After years of Cubs fandom, you’d think I would know better.

But here I am, sucked in once again, as I sit and look at the Chicago Cubs after April of 2010. The record is bleh. The bullpen has been an expletive. The offense has been inconsistent. Lou has slept a lot. But, I still believe. And I’ll just go ahead and give in to the optimism and make a bold prediction: this team, the 2010 Chicago Cubs, will make the playoffs. And here’s why.

1. The WHOLE offense has not been inconsistent

Theriot has been hitting. Marlon Byrd has been so far ahead of last year’s MB, he should be named MB2.0 because of his significant upgrade. Fontenot has hit again this year. Soriano has hit again this year. Soto has hit again this year. Fukudome has had a typical strong April, but there’s always hope he’ll carry through all year. Colvin has been strong. Basically, the entire offense has hit well this year so far…with the exception of the heart of the lineup (and of the team), DLee and Aramis Ramirez.

But these guys WILL hit. Lee has historically started slow, and Ramirez is just too good a hitter to continue his slump for too long. All of these scoring opportunities and men LOB they’re squandering so far will become RBIs. These close losses will become W’s. And the offense will provide up the momentum needed to get this team to the postseason.

But what about the bullpen? The offense not scoring runs hasn’t been the ONLY culprit so far! The bullpen has been bad. Baaaaaaaad. Well…

2. The bullpen WILL improve.

They can’t get much worse. And, as young and inexperienced as they are, they will learn from their mistakes. Zambrano is a stabilizing force for the bullpen (and who would have ever considered ‘Zambrano’ and ‘stable’ in the same sentence?), but he won’t be in the pen forever. My gut thinks the team hopes Gorz will pitch well enough to garner a decent, experienced right-handed reliever through a trade, allowing Z to slide back into the rotation. Until then, he offers experience in an area that there really is none.

For most of these guys, this was their first April pitching to big league hitters. They’ll take this experience, these lumps and knocks and failures, and improve as the season progresses. Their June through September will look much better than their April, and will keep them in enough games to play into October.

3. Lou WILL wake up.

I’ve covered this in a previous post, but I will briefly mention it here: Lou has to spark this team. Get thrown out of a game…bump an umpire…challenge Ozzie to a cage match…something. And I think he will. His response to the Fontenot bunting question seemed to show a little fire that he really hasn’t shown this season. Rest assured, Lou will snap, he’ll do something that’s vintage Lou, and the Cubs WILL respond. If this is to be Lou’s last year in Chicago, at least he’ll go out with a playoff appearance.

Once we get to the playoffs? Probably a first round sweep. Again. But everybody’s optimism has to have a limit SOMEWHERE…until then, I’m planning on enjoying the ride of optimistic expectations for this team. I invite you all to join me.

Dont Lose Heart: How to Fix the Cubs

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Whatcha gonna do when the Cubs run wild on you?

Z to the Pen? Why Stop There?

The twittersphere has been all abuzz over the move Lou Pinella announced today: Carlos Zambrano, the ace of the staff coming in to the year, was shuttled to the bullpen to take over, presumably, the pitching staff’s weakest spot: the 8th inning. Personally, I think this a great move — not just for the bullpen, but for the entire team.

1. It *should* strengthen the bullpen

If Zambrano takes the role seriously, if he’s able to pitch effectively in relief, if he can bounce back from day to day…he will be a HUGE addition to the 8th inning. Grabow/Samardzija or Z? After the profanity that has spewed from my mouth towards Mr. Surrendzija in the early part of this season, this is a no brainer to me.

2. The rotation is just fine without Z — for now

Silva has been amazing so far. Gorz has been very good, as well. Dempster and Wells have been their usual good selves…and Ted Lilly will be back this weekend, so opposing hitters have already begun to pee themselves to prepare to face his awesomeness. Z has been less than spectacular pitching in the rotation so far…if everybody stays the course, the rotation doesn’t *need* Z. He can get straightened out in the pen. The rotation will be fine.

3. The team now knows that *nobody* is safe

This is where the team benefits the most. Zambrano is the longest tenured Cub, the wealthiest pitcher, and the club’s “ace”. His move to the pen illustrates to everybody on the team — pitchers and position players alike — that if they aren’t productive, Lou will put somebody in who will be. Soriano, who has been criticized in spades early on, seemed to respond tonight. The move has to put a sense of urgency onto everybody on this team, and illustrate that Lou is going to do what he has to do to field a winner with the pieces Jim Hendry has dumped on him.

Many other bloggers have covered all of this better than I can already. I’m just playing catchup. But, I have to wonder…why stop with moving Z to the pen? Why not move him to the closer position, and move Marmol back to the 8th inning/fireman spot that he dominated a couple of years ago? Its where Marmol was most effective (when he had that role defined…not when battling to close instead of Goggles McGee) and a clear-cut closer in Z, with a clear setup man in Marmol makes a little more sense to me.

All in all, the message sent was more important than the move itself. Let’s see if this team chooses to heed it.

Beer League Softball Players are People, Too

Beer League softball is a funny convergence of people. You’ve got your young hotshots, aged 20-30, with their backwards hats, knee-high socks and basketball shorts, out to show the world that they could have played beyond the junior varsity team if their coach had only seen the talents inside of them. You’ve got your middle-aged men, decked out in baseball pants and a beer gut, stiffly maneuvering out in the field and around the basepaths in an effort to remind everybody of why they were an all-city team selection in 1985. Almost every team, however, has one guy that, frankly, isn’t any good. His age varies, although he seems to always be a younger guy. His clothes don’t define him – often, he can be spotted before play begins as the guy with tennis shoes instead of cleats, and a glove that was either purchased at a yard sale years prior, or wal-mart the morning of the game. His only experience playing the game is in the backyard with his friends growing up, and the warmups just prior to this game. His friend talked him in to playing, and its his first time on a ‘real’ team. He’s usually quiet, not having the experience to discuss the game’s intricacies or the confidence to talk any trash. He starts the game on the bench, only coming into the game in the late innings to pick up an at-bat and an inning or so in the field. Sometimes, in a close, competitive game, he doesn’t see any action at all.

Beer league softball is supposed to be fun. Its a way to get out, get some exercise, and enjoy yourself and your teammates. In our leagues here in town, its also a family-friendly atmosphere, and many guys bring their wives/girlfriends and kids along to the games. Each team, typically, has a small cheering section for each game.

Late last season, one of the better teams in the league played against one of the not-so-great teams. My team was set to meet the good team in the tournament the next week, and our game on this night was immediately following this one, so I got there early to watch this team in action. In a nice gesture, one of Good Team’s better players benched himself to start the game so that their not-so-good player (we’ll call him Aaron Miles for the remainder of this post) could not only start the game, but play for its entirety. The outcome of the game was never in doubt, but Miles did not perform well. He struck out his first at-bat, and grounded weakly to the pitcher in his second. He played RF on defense, and misplayed several balls his towards him. He one he was able to stop was a fairly shallow hit, and he three-hop/rolled the ball in to the second baseman. His team was very supportive of him and his efforts.

The cheering section, however, was not. His third at-bat, in the 3rd inning, resulted in another weak groundout — and jeers and boos from the stands. From HIS side of the stands. His posture and body language completely changed as he walked back to the dugout and pulled himself from the game. I saw him headed out to his car, his jersey replaced with a tshirt, not long after that.

He is human, and because of that, prone to mistakes. He is young and inexperienced, and because of that, prone to mistakes. He is vulnerable to the boos and jeers, and his confidence takes a huge, irreparable hit because of them. His joy in playing the game was taken from him, and his ‘fans’, because they took things too seriously, lost their joy, as well. Expectations for this young man should have been low, based on what everybody already knew about his skillset, his abilities, and his experience level. But he was booed out of the park anyway.

So, why, do we as Cubs fans, boo this bullpen? Expectations for the group were low. Everybody KNEW they were young, and inexperienced. Everybody KNEW they would struggle. Everybody KNEW their performances would cost the team some runs. Nothing they have done up to this point has been a surprise to anybody. So, why allow ourselves to ruin our enjoyment of this game by being vile?

I understand they all make as much money in one year as I’ll ever see in my lifetime. I realize they are professionals, and they have a job to do. But, I also know they are human, and that NOBODY on that team wants to do poorly. Everytime Soriano strikes out on a breaking ball in the dirt or misses a routine fly ball…do you think its because he wants to? Everytime Samardzija walks the bases loaded or Caridad gives up a HR, is it because its always been his dream to cost his employer success?

Nope. Its because they’re just like the rest of us, and prone to not being perfect, just like you and I.

Soriano sucks in the field. Our bullpen is young and inexperienced. Both things we knew leading in to the season. Expectations should have been low. So, why compound the problem, destroy confidence, and ruin our own enjoyment by booing? What does it solve? Who does it help? Do you feel better when you do it?

Mutter under your breath or to the person in the bleachers next to you. Post negative comments on twitter. But publically, loudly, support YOUR Chicago Cubs. OUR Chicago Cubs. Get behind the team, and its players, with optimism, and respect. Most of us have been fans of the team for a very long time, and invested many long summers into suffering along with them. The least we can do is make the suffering they feel only come from choking away another playoff run, instead of venom spewed from the stands.

We are fans –we need to act like it.

Hope Springs Eternal…Until Summer

I am an extremely optimistic person. I have often been accused of not being serious, or a realist, or level-headed because of it. I’ve been told that you can’t stay positive all of the time…that certain situations require sobriety, and a somber tone.

I didn’t believe that. Not until I met the 2010 Chicago Cubs bullpen.

I know the bullpen isn’t solely at fault when it comes to Sunday’s game. I know that getting only one run off of a kid making his major league debut in one of the better hitter’s parks in all of baseball is unacceptable, and that Soriano’s glove apparently has some voodoo magic in it that makes him unable to run a good route to a ball, or catch it if he miraculously does. This loss isn’t TOTALLY the bullpen’s fault. But, the losing record surely is.

The optimist in me wants to scream out that HEY! If the bullpen could’ve held the lead in all of their opportunities so far, this team would be 5-1! That’s reason for optimism, right? That’s a best-record-in-baseball jolt of optimism. But the jaded realist, the dark corner of my psyche I keep tucked far away from the public, points out that the record is 2-4, and that the bullpen has blown more games than the Cubs have won overall. That, my friends, is not something to be happy about.

Maybe getting home, and playing in front of a stadium full of their own fans, and sleeping in their own beds will help these guys. But, it may be too late for them. How will a Caridad, or Grabow, or — God forbid — a Samardzija be received by the Wrigley faithful if called upon in a one run game this afternoon? This is not a fanbase that, unfairly or not, is patient with a slow start. (See also Jones, Jacque or Bradley, Milton) Will the smattering of boos from fans clad in the same shade of blue as theirs irreparably shake the confidence of those guys? Or is the damage already done?

Hendry rolled the dice on a group of extremely inexperienced relievers based on their performances in a collection of meaningless games. Now, Lou is forced to play the hand he’s been dealt, while the Cubs faithful cover their eyes as the bullpen doors swing open.

The late innings have already been ruined for me, just as they’ve ruined some great performances from our pleasant-surprise rotation. Six games in, none at home yet, and I’m already wary of the 7th and 8th innings.

Come on, guys. Give me a reason to be optimistic again.

The Triumverate of Carlos

52.00 ERA. A history of walks and hit batsmen in late inning situations. A reputation for being moody, surly, and Rich Garces-esque physique.

Coming in to the series against the Reds, this was the picture painted for us all regarding the Three Carlos’: Zambrano, Marmol, and Silva, respectively. Zambrano absolutely imploded on Opening Day. Marmol had a shaky, albeit successful, appearance in his season debut in the series finale in Atlanta, and Silva has been the (big) butt of jokes ever since Chicago acquired him in The Great Clubhouse Chemistry Experiment of 2010.

But in Cincy, the Three Carlos’ all exceeded the expectations 2010 has thus far set out for them. Silva looked VERY good in the series opener, and would have picked up his first Cubbie W if not for the flaming stinkbomb laid by the bullpen (again…).. Z looked more like the Z of old, and Marmol was absolutely disgusting, striking out the side and picking up the save this afternoon.

The bullpen is still awful. Samardzija still smells like rotten eggs and hair care product. But the offense is hitting: lots of homers early on, and those balls that are staying in the park are being hit hard. Marshall has been taking his Ted Lilly vitamins, and TRL himself will be back before too long. If the starters can just go 8 innings every other day, Marmol can keep throwing the junk he threw today, and M. Byrd, the Clubhouse Chemist, can keep Sullivan’s mind on this team instead of his favorite 2009 subject…

I gotta say, I’m really looking forward to watching this team this summer.

If they win, then Cubbieland will rejoice. If they lose, its probably going to be because of a late inning bullpen collapse, and…well, Ron’s funny to listen to in that case, right?

Week 1 is almost in the books. Can’t wait for the rest of this summer!

The Pressure is Off!

Phew.

After waiting for an eternity…so many sleepless nights wondering if the Cubs would EVER win a game in 2010…they finally pulled it off in a 2-0 win over the Braves. Scores of Cubs faithful can breathe easy, knowing that this team will NOT go winless this season! And boy, the team sure did make us wait a long time before picking up that first win…

In the third game of the season. After hearing some fans after the first two games of the year, you’d have thought this team was in the running for Worst Squad Ever. Sure, they managed to look absolutely awful (16-5 on Opening Day) and hand over the close one (3-2 in game 2), so they proved they can lose in every conceivable fashion. All we needed was a cosmic, universe-shifting, that-was-Cubbie-fate loss to officially stamp this season as over!! Once Wells and SuperMarshall were out of the game, and it was turned over to Grabow and Marmol, it seemed destined to happen. RIP, 2010 Cubs Season. But, they both held, the shutout stayed intact, and the Cubs managed to not only snatch the hopes of this season meaning something out of the clutches of futility, but they pulled themselves up to only one game back of the division lead!

The above paragraphs are extremely flawed, in much the same way that hanging an entire season on the outcome of the first series of the year is. Two losses in April are just two losses. It’ll happen again. Probably in April, too. This team will win a lot more games, as well…probably in the 80-85 times range. I think the mindset in early games is “must win” because the football season is fresh on everybody’s mind, and 0-2 in the NFL IS a bad sign. In the NFL, 0-2 means you’ve got to figure something out or risk falling out of the playoff race. In MLB, 0-2 just means you’re positioning yourself for a World Series run, just like the 08 Phillies and 09 Yankees. Both teams started 0-2, and those seasons turned out pretty well.

If this team starts 1-20, you can start to panic. But until then, sit back and enjoy the ride. Its going to be a summer of highs and lows…but really, aren’t the best roller coasters that way?

No Surprise

The 2010 Atlanta Braves are really, really good.

This is primarily a Cubs blog, but Turner Field in Atlanta is much closer to me than Wrigley. I try to catch a game in Chicago every couple of years, but I always make a Cubs game in Atlanta. Most of the time, Cubs fans vastly outnumber the fans of the hometown team – the name Wrigley South is justly earned. For me, its literally become the home park for the Northsiders when I’m able to watch them play.

If I have my way, I catch the entire series every year. This year, with the off day between Opening Day and the rest of the series, I was forced to make the choice between catching the two games after the day off, or the first-in-my-lifetime opportunity to see the Cubs play on Opening Day. It seemed like a no-brainer to me to be a part of the kickoff to the baseball season. Until, of course, the Braves bats had an opportunity to meet the Cubs pitchers.

Many writers far more talented than I have already talked about the Cubs in this game: Z should be no more than a #4, Samardzija should be catching Cutler passes instead of offering free passes to the opposition…so I won’t even bother going there. Except to say that Samardzija sucks. A lot. Like, a whole lot. But, this 2010 Cubs team really didn’t surprise me in Game 1 of 162. Their bullpen isn’t that solid. Their starting rotation will struggle until Lilly returns. The middle infield is weak. To be successful, Soriano and Soto will have to hit.

These are things blogs and the twittersphere have been saying since the end of 2009.

The real story from Opening Day wasn’t how bad the Cubs looked. It was how good the Braves offense looked. The middle of their order, if Glaus and Chipper can still hit, is extremely dangerous. RBIs will come from 1-8. Their expected leadoff hitter is slumping and hitting 8th, but is giving them exceptional CF defense. (The trap/DP ball notwithstanding, he robbed a couple other Cubs of extra bases.) Lowe pitched well, and there isn’t really a dropoff between he and starters 2-5. The bullpen was solid.

Oh, and that Heyward kid might wind up being decent, too. Or Rookie of the Year, IMO.

Yes, the Cubs were manhandled. Yes, Samardzija should never be allowed near a baseball again. But the Braves are going to give the Phillies a serious run in the NL East, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they claim that division as their own this year.

To panic and say “The Cubs are finished!” after 1 game at the beginning of April against the, say, Nationals would be silly. But to concede the season after playing a GREAT baseball team in a Bobby Cox-and-Jason Heyward charged road stadium would be absurd. The Cubs are GOOD. Maybe not great, but not horrible, either.

They will give us great baseball this summer.

They will give us a playoff push this fall.

They will give us some things to be happy and positive about.

So what if it wasn’t in Game 1? They have 161 more chances to prove me right.