Tonight game:

Injury Report

Now which team is punching it's ticket for October and which team is competing for the worst record in baseball?

But it's the injuries.

Before you blast me for not pointing out that the Cubs got to the playoffs the same number of times this decade as the last six, I know that.  It is more the emotional factor of how we lost and sometimes who one that made it simply the most emotionally crushing decade for Cubs fans.

2001: 88-74, Finished 3rd in NL Central
The skinny: Cubs do surprisingly well.  They had a 6 game lead as late as June 22nd.  Fade down the stretch and miss the playoffs.

2002: 67-95, Finished 5th in NL Central
The skinny: OMG they suck.  Use three managers.  Let Roosevelt Brown hit 231 times.

2003: 88-74, Finished 1st in NL Central
The skinny: Bartman. 

2004: 89-73, Finished 3rd in NL Central
The skinny: Cubs look dangerous except for a weakass bullpen.  Hendry won’t trade Guzman for a closer.  The Cubs fade down the stretch capped off by a 5 game losing streak from Step 28 to Oct 2nd.  They miss the playoffs by 3 games.  The Red Sox win the World Series breaking their long franchise World Series drought.

2005: 79-83, Finished 4th in NL Central
The skinny: Cubs are 6 games above .500 on June 11th.  Then they have two 8-game losing streaks.  The White Sox win the World Series breaking their long franchise World Series drought.

2006: 66-96, Finished 6th in NL Central
The skinny:  Dusty doesn't care about walks so lets Neifi Perez hit 250 times (posts a .610 OPS) Jerry Hairston hit 97 times (posts a .497 OPS) and Ronny Cedeno hit 579 times (post a .610 OPS).  Hendry helps by trading Greg Maddux for Cesar Isturis (post a .542 OPS).  The Cardinals go down in history as the worst team ever to win a World Series.

2007: 85-77, Finished 1st in NL Central
The skinny:  The Cubs scrap their way into the playoffs but get swept out of the first round by the D-backs (a team that gave up more runs then they scored). The Red Sox win again.

2008: 97-64, Finished 1st in NL Central
The skinny:  The Cubs finish with the best record in the NL and are considered by many to be the best team in the NL.  They are then swept by the Dodgers.  The Phillies are World Champions.

2009: 83-78, Finished 2nd in NL Central
The skinny:  The Cubs follow up their 97 win season as early favorites to win the Central but barley manage to stay above .500.  Milton Bradley.  The Cards win the Central.  The Yankees win the World Series.

2010: 47-64, 5th place in NL Central (Current Standings)
The skinny: The Cubs are one the worst teams in the NL even though they are only 2 years removed from a 97 win team.  Cubs have lost 10 out of the last 11 and should be 20 games under .500 by the end of the week.  Either Dusty Baker's Reds or the Cardinals will win the Central.

So there is the last 10 years for the Cubs.  It was full of heartache.  Lets hope the next decade is less traumatic.

I know everyone is excited the Cubs won 3 out of 4 from the Phills.  That is great but this team is still 9 GAMES UNDER .500.

They are not going to make the playoffs this year and they should be building for the future.

So with two feet firmly bases in reality, we should be looking into what we could get in possible trades.

Looking around the league I see some folks looking at our team trying to figure out how to take away a few spare parts while giving the Cubs Jeff Steven’s clones in return.

But if I'm Hendry, I would be looking to move a package of players as opposed to individuals in order to get a higher level of prospects back.

The team we match up best with to make a multiple player trade is the Yankees.  They need a bench player and, after Andy Petite when down for a month, a left handed starter.

The Cubs have Lilly and Nady or Fonty which would fill those holes for the Yankees nicely.  Moving those two would give a little salary relief for the Cubs and might get a few B+ prospects back (which with the Lilly being a Class A Free Agent the Cubs would get 2 high draft picks if Lilly left so it is kind of a wash).

If the Cubs are going to make that move they should try to get a major prospect.  In the Yankees farm system Catcher Jesus Montero is there number one prospect.  I don't think Lilly and Nady or Fonty alone can get Montero but what if the Cubs throw in Soto with Lilly and Nady or Fonty?  In return the Cubs would get the package that the Yankees offered to the Mariners for Cliff Lee (Jesus Montero, David Adams and Zach McAllister) plus another top ten prospect pitcher like Andrew Brackman, (but the Cubs could get Arodys Vizcaino they would pull the trigger in a second).

And Soto to the Yankees makes a great deal of sense.  They could use Soto to take the pressure of Posada and his aging knees and they would have their replacement for their catcher of the future along with 3 other catchers in their minor league system.  They win now and win later.

It works well for the Cubs because they get their Catcher of the future along with two A pitching prospects and a second baseman that could blossom into something special.

That's my idea.  Lets see if Hendry comes up with something better.

No really?  Since the Cubs Management has decided to implement "Magic Mushroom Mondays" and just starting doing things just to do something, why not do a poorly thought out reactionary measure to the real problem with this team, the Offense.

The Riot is struggling, the top of the line up is hitting, .222 and offense is worse than last year. Sori has done better than the Roit since the start of the season.

So by using the same logic of moving Z to the pen then clearly the Cubs management should be getting ready move Sori back to the lead off spot.

But while we are at it lets have Sori move back to second base, move the wonder hamster over to Shortstop and then start Colvin in Left. 

I'm sure then the Cubs will be on the path to world series.

Another perspective about Bradley's suspension from Joe Sheehan of Baseball Prospectus.

Here are the main points:

Who the hell has ever been suspended for two weeks for what they said to the media? This is a severe and unwarranted overreaction, a cynical public-relations ploy designed to curry favor with fans and the media and distract both groups from a Cubs season that is ending with a whimper.

Continue reading this post »

I know it is very hard to predict anything in baseball.  What makes the game great is anything can happen, anytime.

But as statheads point out while history never repeats itself it often rhymes.

So I did a little number crunching to see what the Cubs have to do make the playoffs.

I agree with conventional wisdom.  90 wins should get the Cubs the division.

So looking at the schedule I said what if the cubs win ever 3 game series the rest of the season and split all the 4 game series how many wins would they have:

Continue reading this post »

You may not agree with grades but at least you can see all the trades in one post.

Enjoy!

Player to Red Sox C-1B Victor Martinez (C)

           

Players to the Indians RHP Justin Masterson, LHP Nick Hagadone, RHP Bryan Price (A)

 

The Scoop:  The Sox over paid but needed a bat.  Hagadone will be the guy we all remember from this trade.

 

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Player to White Sox RHP Jake Peavy (B)

 

Players to Padres LHP Aaron Poreda, LHP Clayton Richard, RHP Dexter Carter, RHP Adam Russell (C-)

 

The Scoop:  The Sox get the guy they wanted weeks ago and gave up very little to get him. At the same time they traded their systems depth for a guy on the DL.  By the way I think the Padres are wishing they sold to the Cubs this winter.

 

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Player to Twins SS Orlando Cabrera (C-)

 

Players to A's SS Tyler Ladendorf (B+)

 

The Scoop:  The Twins were the only team really wanting Cabrera but he could help this team win now.  The A’s get something for a guy that is washed up and walking at the end of the year.

 

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Player to Tigers LHP Jarrod Washburn (C+)

 

Players to Mariners LHP Lucas French, LHP Mauricio Robles (A)

 

The Scoop:  Unlike many other teams that needed arms the Tigers actually got one to help there team but overpaid with French who will be a stud.  The Mariners admit they will not win this year and manage to sell Washburn very high.

 

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Player to Braves 1B Adam LaRoche (D)

 

Player to Red Sox 1B Casey Kotchman (A-)

           

The Scoop:  I still think the Sox got Kotchman to flip him later in the day for a bigger deal but either way they gave up an average hitter for a guy who you could switch James Loney with and never know by the numbers if had switched.

 

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Player to Marlins 1B Nick Johnson (A)

 

           

Player to Nationals LHP Aaron Thompson (D-)

 

The Scoop:  The Marlins get an OBP machine to hit in front of their big three and only give up a LHP with a record of 5-9.

 

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Player to Rockies LHP Joe Beimel (A+)

 

           

Players to Nationals RHP Ryan Mattheus, RHP Robinson Fabian (F)

 

The Scoop:  The Roxs get real Bullpen help and give up two minor leaguers with a records of 4-8.  Who the hell runs the Nats?

 

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Player to Dodgers LHP George Sherrill (A)

 

Players to Orioles 3B Josh Bell, RHP Steve Johnson (B)

 

The Scoop:  Sherrill is the real deal and cheap and the dodgers underpaid in order for the O’s to fill the void at 3B when Mora leaves.  The O’s still filled that hole so it was a good trade for them

 

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Players to Cubs LHP John Grabow, LHP Tom Gorzelanny (B+)

 

Players to Pirates RHP Kevin Hart, RHP Jose Ascanio (C+)

 

The Scoop:  The Cubs fill a void in the Bullpen and get a reclamation project tossed in.  The Pirates get deeper in the Minors but might have bought Hart a little high.

 

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Players to Giants 2B Freddy Sanchez (D)

           

Players to Pirates RHP Tim Alderson (A)

 

The Scoop:  The Giants overpay big time for an injured player.  The Pirates must have pinched themselves when they got that call.

 

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Players to Phillies LHP Cliff Lee, OF Ben Francisco (A)

           

Players to Indians RHP Jason Knapp, RHP Carlos Carrasco, C Lou Marson, SS Jason Donald (B)

 

The Scoop:  Phils needed a front line starter and used Halladay to drive down the price.  The Indians still make the right long term move and get a few front line prospects in the process.

 

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Players to Mariners SS Jack Wilson, RHP Ian Snell (F)

           

Players to Pirates C/1B Jeff Clement, SS Ronny Cedeno, RHP Aaron Pribanicm, RHP Brett Lorin, RHP Nathan Adcock (A)

 

The Scoop:  The Pirates were in Sell mode and let everyone know they were in sell mode.  The Mariners over pay for two average at best players and then start to sell two days later.  WTF?

 

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Player to Giants 1B Ryan Garko (A)

 

Player to Indians LHP Scott Barnes (C-)

 

The Scoop:  Garko is a Major League hitter who should do well in the National League and the Giants got him by selling only one prospect very high.

 

=======================================

 

 

           

Player to Cardinals OF Matt Holliday (A)

 

           

Players to A's 3B Brett Wallace, OF Shane Peterson, RHP Clayton Mortensen (B+)

 

The Scoop:  The Cards are going for it and got the best bat at their price range to help.  The A’s get three + prospects but were forced to sell Holliday a little lower than expected but still sold him at an above market price.

 

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Player to Rockies RHP Rafael Betancourt (D)

 

           

Player to Indians RHP Connor Graham (A)

           

The Scoop:  The Roxs turned the Indians for bullpen help and actually gave up a prospect for said help.  Has anyone from the Roxs watched an Indian’s game this year?

 

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Player to Cardinals IF Julio Lugo (B)

 

           

Player to Red Sox OF Chris Duncan (B)

 

The Scoop: The Sox got something for someone they DFAed and the Cards kept the other teams (Cubs) from picking up someone they had their eye on.

 

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Player to Red Sox 1B Adam LaRoche (C)

           

Players to Pirates SS Argenis Dias, P Hunter Strickland (B)

 

The Scoop: LaRoche is an average player that the Red Sox really didn’t have to have but they didn’t overpay too much.  The Pirates got deeper in the Minors again

 

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Player to Brewers 2B Felipe Lopez (B+)

 

Players to D-backs RHP Roque Mercedes, OF Cole Gillespie (C)

 

The Scoop: The Brewers got one their holes filled without getting much yet the D-backs were lucky to get anything for Lopez

 

=======================================

 

Player to Mariners 3B Jack Hannahan (-D)

 

           

Player to A's RHP Justin Souza (A)

 

The Scoop: The Mariners thought they were buyers and the A’s took advantage of that miscalculation.

 

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Player to Mets OF Jeff Francoeur (B-)

 

           

Players to Braves OF Ryan Church (A-)

Cash considerations

 

           

The Scoop: Classic “Change of Scenery” trade.  Church has more upside but Francoeur is getting key hits for the Mets.

 

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Player to White Sox RHP Tony Pena (A)

           

Player to D-backs INF Brandon Allen (C)

           

The Scoop: Tony Pena is a serviceable arm for a team that is trying to win now and the Sox didn’t give up much to get him.

 

=======================================       

Player to A's OF Scott Hairston (D-)

 

Players to Padres RHP Ryan Webbm, RHP Craig Italiano, Player to be named (B+

 

The Scoop: Padres got anyone for that scrub is a good hall

 

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Player to Yankees IF-OF Eric Hinske (C-)

           

Players to Pirates RHP Casey Erickson, OF Eric Fryer (B+)

 

The Scoop: Pirates did well to get a deeper minor league system the Yanks got some insurance

 

=======================================       

Players to Nationals OF Nyjer Morgan, LHP Sean Burnett (A)

           

Players to Pirates RHP Joel Hanrahan, OF Lastings Milledge (C)

 

The Scoop: Pirates did well to get a Hanrahan but will kick themselves for years as Nyjer Morgan progresses and Milledge ends up pumping gas.

 

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Player to Cardinals IF-OF Mark DeRosa (B)

           

Players to Indians, RHP Chris Perez, Player to be named later (A)

 

The Scoop: The Cards got DeRo at a high price but did get a guy who filled holes.  The Indians got much more than they should have for him.

 

=======================================

Player to Braves OF Nate McLouth (A)

           

Players to Pirates RHP Charlie Morton, OF Gorkys Hernandez, LHP Jeff Locke (C+)

 

The Scoop: The Braves picked up a very good player without giving up major part in their minor league system but the Pirates did get deeper.


In closing, the one great thing we got was this board can all knock off the trades for PV crap.


But we will always have Eric Hanna and ADAM LIND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Cubs are getting very close the halfway point of the season.

I would like to start this discussion with a few simple assumptions:

1: The current team make up makes it nothing more than a .500 team.  No more, no less.

2: With all these back loaded contracts it is clear the Cubs have to try to win now.

3: There is no guarantee that AmRam comes back 100% let alone can bring 10 wins to the team with his offense.

Here are my predictions going forward on these guys.  Grades are for what they should be for the rest of the season if they stay in their current roles.

Continue reading this post »

You might be thinking this is a post about Bob Howry.  Well it is not, kind of.  You might be thinking this is a post about Z or Marquis.  It not, kind of.

No, this post is about sacrificing a goat, more specifically the Cubs Goat.

[History: This might be boring]

Although many Hindus are vegetarian, there are some temples in India where goats and chickens are sacrificed. These sacrifices are mainly done at mandirs following the Shakti school of Hinduism where the female nature of Brahman is worshipped in the form of Kali Ma.

Kali Ma is a Hindu goddess associated with death and destruction. The name Kali means 'force of Kala or time' which makes all things transient. Despite her negative connotations, she is not actually the goddess of death, but rather of Time and Change.

The point:  Hindus would sacrifice goats to bring about change.  That is what this team needs is change.  So I say we need to sacrifice the Cubs’ Goat.

So I propose we vote to see which goat gets it.  Will it be Howry, Z, Marquis, or someone else.  It should be cathartic and it would be nice to get all our frustrations out at once.

So vote and make your case for who we should sacrifice.  Hopefully by tomorrow the Cubs will have won and all our frustrations will be tabled for a few days.

Sun-Times Says:

Cubs ace Carlos Zambrano complained of soreness in his right arm when he left his start early Wednesday night, throwing into doubt his status for the remainder of the season and postseason.

Read the whole thing HERE.

According to Lou, Z is hurt and will see a doctor on Wednesday.

What does this mean for Z?

What is best case scenario?

What is the worst case scenario?

Are you scared?

Does it matter that Z is missing?

Please Discuss, I will update when more info comes in.

******************************************************
In the interest of:
Not counting chickens before they hatch,
Focusing on just winning the next game/ regular season series,
Not bringing the wrath of the baseball gods,

I hereby motion that:
We as a members of the BleedCubbieBlue institution will not post any "Magic Numbers" until the Chicago Cubs' "Magic Number" for making the playoffs is no greater than 10.

Acceptable "Magic Number" postings will be the following (if appropriate): 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0.

[Badger Amendment] The "Magic Number" cannot be posted in the month of August, regardless of how low it may be.

 

******************************************************

So Al the ball is in your court.  This is just a friendly suggestion from 40% of your loyal readers.

Here are the official results of the poll (337 respondents):

Yes: The motion should pass as is -- 137 votes 41%
Amendment to the motion: BCB should be able to talk about "Magic Numbers" at 15 games -- 29 votes 9%
Amendment to the motion: BCB should be able to talk about "Magic Numbers" at 20 games 85 -- votes 25%
No: I don't care about the baseball gods. Put "Magic Number" up right now. -- 86 votes 25%

----------------------------------------------------------------------


On a personal note. It is interesting that 50% of folks agree that we shouldn't mention the "Magic Number" until at least 15 games out or less. And 50% think it should be 20 games or more.

I wonder if a fair compromise between the two sides would be 15 games.

Just a suggestion.

Thanks to everyone who participated and voted.

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******************************************************
In the interest of:
Not counting chickens before they hatch,
Focusing on just winning the next game/ regular season series,
Not bringing the wrath of the baseball gods,

I hereby motion that:
We as a members of the BleedCubbieBlue institution will not post any "Magic Numbers" until the Chicago Cubs' "Magic Number" for making the playoffs is no greater than 10.

Acceptable "Magic Number" postings will be the following (if appropriate): 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0.

[Badger Amendment] The "Magic Number" cannot be posted in the month of August, regardless of how low it may be.

******************************************************

So Al the ball in your court.  This is just a friendly suggestion from 40% of your loyal readers.

Here are the official results of the poll (337 respondents):

Yes: The motion should pass as is -- 137 votes 41%
Amendment to the motion: BCB should be able to talk about "Magic Numbers" at 15 games -- 29 votes 9%
Amendment to the motion: BCB should be able to talk about "Magic Numbers" at 20 games 85 -- votes 25%
No: I don't care about the baseball gods. Put "Magic Number" up right now. -- 86 votes 25%

----------------------------------------------------------------------

On a personal note. It is interesting that 50% of folks agree that we shouldn't mention the "Magic Number" until at lease 15 games out or less. And 50% think it should be 20 games or more.

I wonder if a fair compromise between the two sides would be 15 games.

Just a suggestion.

Thanks to everyone who participated and voted.

Yesterday I spent all day talking about how Micah Hoffpauir should replace Daryle Ward on this Cubs team.  I kept using Micah hot streak in AAA and his stats from earlier in the season to justify my conclusion while completely discounting those that were consistently saying, "Do not discount the usefulness of an experienced Major League hitter."

So I would like to take this opportunity to, with my first fan post, say:

I was wrong.

I was very very wrong.

I would like to also point out that Drew was right.

Congratulations Darlye and thank you for not giving up on yourself.

I will not be questioning his place on this team again for the rest of the year.

Go Cubs!