So last night I realized that this was the first game I have seen where Zambrano pitched, and the team wasn't wearing the alternate blues.  Not only do I prefer this from an aesthetic standpoint but it would appear to me, despite the small sample size, that Z performs better in the stripes than he does in the blues.  There is absolutely no point to this fan post, just stating the obvious, I will award myself no points and may God have mercy on my soul.

t's the 25th hour and my league needs several teams.  Buy in is $100 and you can win $800.  Draft is tomorrow night at 8:30PM Chicago time.  Please post here and then I can have an invite sent to you if you are interested.  Great league!  Hope you can join. Hate to do this but 75 word minimum so join our fantasy league...join our fantasy league...join our fantasy league!  word word word word word word word word word.

This is your opportunity to share your opinions of Alfonso Soriano...if you so desire.  I must say I have always maintained a fairly neutral stance on him yet after last nights game, I realized I am sick and tired of his lazy assed ways.  Watching this guy fireld his position is painful.  It isn't just the routes he takes to balls it is his weak excuse of an effort to make plays that in turn, cost this team runs. 

Several plays this series already and even in Atlanta, I have watched him lolligag his way around LF and just plain suck as a LF.  Yes he can also be a pain at the plate but this dude seems like he couldn't give 2 ______s about playing quality baseball when on defense.  I know that the guy can hit when he is streaking but balance in a player is key and has this, he does not.  Someone recently asked if he was the leader this team is looking for and to that I say...ABSOLUTELY NOT.

Dude puts in little effort.  I say spend less time hopping around like a fool in LF and start learning to field your position.

So I am sure I am not the first person to see this but what the HELL are they thinking?  Apparently the Pirates, as desperate and lame as ever, decided to sign two young arms from India!  India is not what is so shocking though.

These two guys were contestants on a reality TV show called "The Million Dollar Arm".  The requirements:  throw strikes at 85 mph and up. No experience necessary, just bring the heat.  Oddly enough, neither of them WON the competition...the Pirates just liked what they saw...I think.

Can you see the job listing now?  Hey, maybe that is next...classifieds  I don't know, seems horribly desperate to me.  All I can say is I would be so pissed if I were a Pirates fan.  Then again, I would probably be used to it by now. 

This being the last game of the series, having attended yesterday's loss, I can now say with confidence, that this crew is easily the worst I have seen all year and perhaps within the last decade. 

There is no complaining about the calls actually losing the game for either team, they have simply been the most inconsistent crew I can remember seeing.  The only consistent factor in their game calling has been their HORRID strike zone.  From called strikes at the ankles, to benders called strikes above the letters, these umpires look like they have never called a major league game before this series.

To top off their utter BS strike zone and inconsistent calls, they are the most liberal umps with this Phillie team meeting on the GD mound after every single pitch.  What the hell happened to the new rules that were supposed to speed up this game?  If I am the ump, I head out to the mound the second the catcher does and tell them to get moving.  Despite the first two wins...this series has absolutely sucked to watch.  These umps need to be canned IMO.

Not sure what to say about this except I liked Bernie Mac a lot.  He was a funny and well liked individual and he will be sorely missed.  I am shocked as he was hospitalized for pneumonia and I am sure no one saw this coming.

My thoughts go out to his family.  Not sure what else to add to this I figured most saw this already but figured I'd post anyway.  I need more words for this which seems to take a bit away from the post but I will say one more time that I am shocked and hope his family is able to move through this tragedy with help from friends.

So the purpose of this fanpost is really for one thing only, as you can see.  To prove I am not a ledge jumper though, I will start with the positive.  Our 3 and 4 hitter are finally making contact and helping this team win.  Our other All Stars are starting to make contact as well....heck let's be frank....the entire lineup is showing more patience, making contact, and producing runs (whether they are helped out by fans or not!).

Our pitching has been pretty damn good with a few exceptions here and there.  Three 10 win pitchers (I believe the only in the majors?) in our rotation, and relief has been fairly effective....EXCEPT,

BOB HOWRY.  This guy IMO, is absolutely done.  He needs to go.  He is worthless to this team.  When he comes into the game we are sure to give up runs.  When he was warming up last night, not only did I say "WTF LOU?", but I thought "we are gonna need runs now"...and we did.  Reed Johnson saved this team from Howry (barely) and for that I am grateful.

As far as Howry is concerned, he is a liability and he has nothing left.  What good is a 92MPH fastball if you put it over the heart of the plate?  Even when this guy isn't giving up hits or HRs, he is getting squared up and then the D is saving his arse.  DLee illustrated this on Tony Clark's lineout last night.  Mark Reynold just HAPPENED to miss the 10th or so fast ball on his AB and Howry, IMO, got lucky.

Am I alone in thinking this guy needs to be elsewhere?  I hope not.  I hope Lou/Hendry sees this sooner than later.

I hope I added enough positive to remove me from the pessimism category. :)

I know they are found in the rumor mill but apparently Billy Beane is remaining in Oakland since the trade deadline is quickly approaching.  Rumor has it Huston Street may be available.  I realize we may not have what it takes and then again, maybe we do.  We have minor league pitching that looks promising, we also have position players to trade in our system.  After the Harden trade, it appears that Beane and Hendry work well together and this of course, comes on the heels of yet another Bob Howry blow up.

I know he is a closer by trade but hey, an arm like his would be a nice addition to a sometimes shoddy bullpen.

Not sure what your take is...I'm curious.

Okay so I had to post this as I thought a while about it yesterday after I told my wife I still owed Chad (aka Les Lancaster) money for shipping the BCB shirts.

I believe I phrased it, "I still have to get the money to that guy from Al's website for shipping those shirts".  So I got to thinking about how many others here have family or friends that know who "Al" is because of how much of our lives this website consumes. 

Now my father already knew Al from many years in the bleachers, however I came to know Al here at BCB.  Often times, rather than refer to BleeCubbieBlue as just that, I call it "Al's website". 

So who knows Al among my family and friends?  Here's my list:

Mother: assisted with the shirt ordering

Father: bleacher regular

Wife: endures my many hours online typing to you wonderful people

Friend#1: Used to be here more often, not as much now

Probably everyone at work: observing all the time I spend in here as well

How bout you all?

So we're watching the Cubs play great ball against the Jays.  We're watching Marquis and Lilly pitch like staff aces.  We're watching young players produce and help this club maintain the best record in baseball.  Finally...we're watching, IMHO, Lou unnecessarily utilize one of the best RH relievers in the game, only part of the way through an important season. 

Please explain to me why Marmol was even warmed up with a 6 run lead in the 7th today, let alone come in to face one in the 7th and then pitch some of the 8th!  PLEASE.

Leiber, Wuertz, Cotts, heck, even Howry again would have been fine.  Why does Lou insist upon using Marmol every day????  I am at a complete loss.  Does anyone have the balls to approach Lou and say, "Let the kid rest a couple days"?

I know it is a bit less than fanpost worthy but I commented earlier and it was buried in my last post.

According to MLBTR, he may become available. I liked what I saw of him in the recent series and think he would be a solid addition to our rotation.  I know many here think that we are fine with our current rotation but I beg to differ.

 What say you on Aaron Cook?  Can Hendry offer enough?  Is he worth it?

So many people will say, in response for the call to seek out more pitching, "If it aint broke don't fix it".  This is my explanation as to why I believe we are broke.

Now this is not a panic post in any way as we have lost 1 in the last 10 games.  This team is clicking in ALMOST every way possible.  My issue is this: our team has won quite a few of the last 10 games by "picking up our struggling pitchers".  IMHO, a c hampionship team wins based on it's solid offense AND its solid pitching.  My breakdown:

Zambrano: Well what to say?  He is what we want him to be so no complaints here.

Lilly: Yesterday's game looks a lot better in the box than it did while the game was being played.  People will say when you give up 2 runs, your offense ought to be able to win.  Well, not if it has spent the last 10 games doing just that.  Lilly gives up too many lead off hits, he didn't appear to be hitting his spot as well as he wanted to, and as usual, he gives up too many 1st inning runs. He also appears to tire out and seems to have a tendency to unravel as things get more difficult.  His defense has also picked him up quite a bit as of late.

Dempster: Again, pleasantly surprised and happy with his performances.

Hill: Well, he's gone but we were all counting on him this offseason.

Marquis: Oh please!  This guy is just not going to cut it.  He gives back almost every run our offense picks up. this is not a recipe for success. he is likely going to get worse IMO.  A god sinker ball pitcher locates and induces the ground ball outs the team needs.  Jason Marquis does not.

Gallagher: I like him so far...so far.

Lieber: Great long man.  May be our answer but i like the security he brings to our pen/rotation.

So...I believe this club NEEDS to add a solid #2/#3 pitcher to its rotation.  I think that a team will tire out having to "pick up struggling pitchers"  If this were October, I would be less worried as they would appear to have maintained and have it in them.  It's not though, and therefore, I think that Hendry needs to be on the prowl sooner than later.  This club needs to be well rested so as not to tank a la 2007 should we be where we are now, in October.

PS. I know the issue is who is available. I cannot make that statement but it is Hendry's job to at least identify the need and find a solution if one exists.

So I was just reading BlueMike's post about sacred cows and it got me thinking.  My response was to dislike what he was saying and of course, lash out at him.  As I read on, he commented stating that

"...diehard Cub fans like myself have earned...."

A term I hear a lot around here is "diehard Cubs fans".  I am curious...what does this mean exactly?

People use it in many ways.  They use it to defend overwhelming negativity and painfully critical commentary.  They use it to defend years and years of blind optimism.  What I cannot figure out is why this is justification for any type of behavior. 

IMO, being a die hard Cub fan means that you are a fan no matter what.  You are a fan when they are tearin it up and you are a fan when they are stinkin it up.  You have been here a long time, and you feel you deserve to see the Cubbies win it all.

So why in the world does it give us the right to act a fool and tell others what it means to be a good fan?  OR  Why does it give us the right to rain on anyone else's parade.

Please, tell me what it means to be a "die hard Cub fan" and why this makes you special.

So I sincerely hope that this post is not another repeat of old topics/news.  Here goes...

I am wondering what peoples' thoughts are regarding the best and/or worst (more importantly IMO) marketing campaigns that they can remember.  As I type this, it feels more and more like a KOW diary but I am at work and have no time to actually revamp it.  I would delete it but I am curious after discussing Pink Hat Guy in the "BCB Dictionary" thread.

I truly believe that Pink Hat was one of the worst I have seen.  I am only 32 though so I could be lacking insight here.  I enjoyed winning my DLee autographed baseball but those "500 random winner" giveaways are rarely something we can benefit from.

Anyway, feel free to share your thoughts/experiences.

I KNOW it may not be fanpost worthy.  But then I got to thinking...

How many jokes, clever comments, and simple discussion could potentially stem from a post like this?

So here you all go, fresh off the heels of the Hendry grading diary, a reason to be glad that the Cubs did not end up (pun inteneded) with Kaz Matsui.

So Joe.  Any word on your shirts?  You appear to be the only outstanding order other than the "missing XL".  I am hoping that your order didn't get messed up with your moves.  You said you had someone to contact you it arrived at the old address.  Any word?

I'm not sure what to do if not, but we will figure it out.

Yes I did!  Wanted to check to see how many people did not get their shirts.  I want to make sure this is all tied up before I move on with my life.

Please post here if you still do not have a shirt, or you simply want to make an obnoxious comment towards me and/or Chad.

Thanks!

PS: This is my new name people.  The last one held too many traumatic memories.  This one reflects my more peaceful, relaxed persona.

So real quickly, I am trying to see how many people have yet to receive their shirts.  I want to get Al the money for the donation this week and am hesitant to do so without knowledge of delivery status.  

This is a diary for those who have not received their shirts to post so I can get an idea of where we stand. I know the Canada order may not be there yet, hopefully the rest are there.

Thanks. Have at it!

So here is what I can read from the receipt pic on my e mail from Chad tonight.  The following are the destinations that I can make out. Let me know if you are not on here if you are an OOTer.

West Lafayette, IN
Lebandale, IA (??)
Lake City, FL (??)
Des Moines, IA
Little Rock, AR
St. Peters, MO
Champaign, IL
Honolulu, HI
Canada (only 1)
Cedar Rapids, IA
Logan, UT

That is what I can make out on the receipt.  PLEASE post if you are expecting a shirt and your location is not included here.

So, anyone receive them yet in the mail?  I need to know whether I have to contact my friend again in Florida.

If you have received it please post this here.  If not, no need to post anything for me here, I will assume you did not get it.

And for those who did not order and are sick of reading these...whatever.  I am trying to help these people get what they paid for.

I know he is aging and I know that people may have some doubts but why aren't the Cubs even considering him?  From what I know of him, he has been a fairly solid starter for several years now.  I have to admit, I didn't follow him much as a Phillie but he seemed solid for the Sox.

Please don't tell me that he is Jason Marquis because this answer does nothing for me.  

Oh yeah, I am posting this in a diary because I felt like posting a diary and noticed that the Mets, who signed the best pitcher in the league this offseason, seem to feel he is worth talking to.

So I spoke with Les today and he has assured me that the shirts will go out by Friday.  He understands everyones' frustration and has apologized for the delay.

I am only prefacing this though because he has also assured me that he will post something here tonight to give you the first hand update.

Thank you all for your patience and for those of you who ordered shirts and live in Chicago...I am almost ready to sell the shirts to other people.

NOT YET...BUT SOON.

and can't find anywhere to mention that Sean Casey signed with the BoSox.

I like Casey and wouldn't have minded him on the bench with Ward.  I know it wasn't a need of the Cubs, and he is left handed like Ward, but he seems to always come up with clutch hits.  

A bench with him and Ward would have been pretty intimidating.

Sorry if I wasted your time here.  

Oh also, I think the Cubs should look to get both Roberts AND Bedard.

I KID!

Two updates for you:

1. The shirts ar still decorating my day bed for those who paid and have not contacted me to pick them up here in Chicago (with the exception of one person who is working with me on it...got your message)
2. Those patient individuals from out of town whom I know are frustrated.  Les is supposedly having someone ship them as a bulk job this week.  He has delegated because he is still dealing with family issues so let's hope this time is the charm.

Thanks!

Hi everyone.  I have shirts in my house that do not belong to me.

Hmmmmmmmmm...who could they belong to?

There are 2-3 people left that need to contact me about picking them up.  If you are unsure whether this means you, post here and I will reply.

If I do not hear from them within the month of January, I will begin to consider selling them for more donation money.

As for out of towners...anyone receive their shirts yet?

Thanks.

Hi everyone,

I received a message from Les today who has assured me he has not fallen off the face of the Earth.  It seems that the new year has been very busy for him and he has assured me that the shirts will be in the mail this coming week.

He appreciates everyones' understanding.  You should all be sportin your BCB shirts soon enough...

well except those Chicagoans who have yet to contact me (quite a few I might add).  Hope to hear from you all soon.  As always, please post a way for me to contact you in this diary.

Thanks!

Enjoy Karebear!

This is another reminder that most Chicago orders have yet to pick up their shirts.  Please post a means to contact you and I will do so and we can arrange a pick up.

As for the out of town orders, Les said he has begun the shipping and hopefully they will begin arriving soon.

Please recommend this diary someone and I hope everyone has a safe and happy New Year!

Okay so I spoke with Les yesterday...well he left me a message letting me know that the mailing has begun.  He, as many of us, is a VERY busy person so this may explain why some of you do not have your shirts yet.  

I knew all along that this was a HUGE responsibility and I am very appreciative of his efforts.  

So, we are on track.  I am still awaiting many of the Chicago people to contact me (you may do so in this diary) and let me know how to get in touch with you so we can arrange a pickup.

Thanks to those who have already done so.  Hope you enjoy the shirts!

I am posting again because the Mitchell report and all the chaos that accompanied it has pushed my diary down and out.

I need you to e mail me if you ordered a shirt and are from the Chicago area so we can arrange to pick it up.  Only a few of you have done so.

Post here please with a way to contact you and I will do so.

Thanks!

PS...Please recommend me so I can stay at the top of the diaries.