What a disgrace. I'm curious what else is left to show how utterly out-franchised the Cubs were these past two games. Does anyone think it was an accident that the D-Backs knew everything Teddy was throwing last night? Or that they knew exactly how to pitch to our sluggers? Incredible to see them up there AB after AB just guessing at what they might see. I've never seen hitters more unprepared in my entire life.

 I'm glad they got their ass kicked. Maybe a little shaming will convince them to enter a playoff game prepared.

 And why is suckass ex-GM Ed Lynch an advance scout again?

Probably not a of ton interest, but figured I'd start one.

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/y2007/gd.html?2007_10_01_sdnmlb_colmlb_1

On the off chance one of these two teams beats the Phillies, I think I'm rooting for the Rockies here. Still a lot of bad memories with the Padres.

And the Rockies are up 2-0, going into the top of the second.

As well as compiling my favorite Pat and Ron moments from this year, synched up to video, I'm also gonna add in a few of my favorite TV ads that I will always remember this season by. I think my two faves are the Bud Light axe/chainsaw ad, and the Mountain Dew Chuck Norris 'Chuckstrich' ad. Any other suggestions?

 Any thoughts on trying to make a trade for him? I was impressed by how he hit at Wrigley during the recent Giants series. He's a switch-hitter, and plays exceptionally well later in the season, especially the fall. I don't think we'll get Griffey, I'm not sure if Dye wants to play here, and Adam Dunn seems a little inconsistent.

I wanted to write this immediately after the to-be-mentioned game ended, but decided to wait until the ASB and see how things played out. On June 25th when the Cubs came back to win in the bottom of the ninth after giving up 6 in the top half, my mind instantly flashed back to July 25th, 2003. While it happened in a different month and was won in a different way, that game was what I believed to be the turning point for the '03 Cubs. Carlos Zambrano was on the mound that day, and gave up 3 runs in the first to immediately put the Cubs in a hole. He bore down after that, but the rest of the team looked flat against the then-still-good Wade Miller, and appeared headed for a loss that would put them 2 games under .500. Then in the 7th, Zambrano, seemingly sensing the team's listlessness, decided to carry the team on his own shoulders and hit a 2-run homer to tie the game. In the very next inning, Moises Alou followed that cue with a 2-run blast to put the Cubbies up by 2. Zambrano pitched into the 9th inning, and lunch-pail Joe Borowski got the final two batters for the save. Starting with that game, the Cubs then went 38-23 and won the division.

 Will we see another turning point game this season? Maybe/probably? I don't know. But so far, 6/25 is it for me. The Cubs had won 3 in a row, but had done that before this season, only to then lose and prevent them from going on a real streak. Which they continued after this game, winning 7 in a row, and 10 of 11.

 Thought I'd post this in case some are still wondering about the details. On Steve Stone's segment Monday on 670, he provided some details on the altercation. After Zambrano approached Barrett to berate him, Barrett wasn't pointing at the scoreboard, but at DeRosa to say "he saw the same sign I did", as Barrett was expecting a different pitch than what was thrown. And when Barrett went into the clubhouse, Stone says Barrett went in to smooth things over and Zambrano sucker punched him several times and cut up his lip.

 So there you go.

 Well, here we go. Apparently they will become majority owners if the offer is accepted.

 I have absolutely no idea what will happen to the Cubs if this deal happens.

"CHICAGO (AP) -- Tribune Co.'s largest shareholder offered to buy the struggling media conglomerate and spin off its broadcast division in a deal valued at $7.6 billion.

The bid by the Chandler family, which owns 20 percent of Tribune stock, was disclosed Thursday morning in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission."
 http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/070118/tribune_sale.html?.v=8

Jim Hendry will be on Sports Central tonight with David Kaplan a little after 8 PM, WGN 720 AM. Hopefully Kaplan won't be afraid to dig deep into Hendry's decision making with regard to off-season pitching aquisitions.

 One-line diaries are prohibited on Bleed Cubbie Blue. The minimum is 300 characters.

 If you want the Cubs to win a WS.

 No other team puts it's players body clock on such a yo-yo schedule- almost half night, half day. It puts needless duress on the player and handicaps them every year before the season has even started.

 Wrigleyville and the city need to address this issue this offseason. Day games should begin at 2:05, and there absolutely need to be more night games. Also, BP should be voluntary during day home games and bullpen pitchers should be in the clubhouse until they're needed, not out cooking slowly in the sun.

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/cs-061015cubs,1,1039536.story?coll=cs-c ubs-headlines

"the announcement of Piniella as the next manager could come Monday or Tuesday, barring any last-minute snag in the process."

Well, let's hope for the best.

 We do have some things to be happy about: He isn't Dusty. I don't think he can be dumber than Dusty. He's got a WS ring as a manager, which is more than any other Cub manager has been able to say in a long, long, long time.

here:

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/cs-061003cubsmarlinsgirardi,1,3825635.s tory?coll=cs-cubs-headlines

the timing seems almost too perfect for a return to the Cubs, but I sure as hell don't want Grandpa Lou, or some other retread from the old-boys network.

 Is it really neccesary to post 300 characters when there is breaking news?

 Or will it be a team like the Diamondbacks, Rockies, etc.?

 Where will he go if he does even decide to manage again?

One-line diaries are prohibited on Bleed Cubbie Blue. Give your diary a bit more thought, then give it another shot. If you have nothing to add to your proposed diary, then it probably belongs as a comment under another appropriate thread.

The minimum is 300 characters.

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/cs-060619cubsgamer,1,6110024.story?coll =cs-cubs-headlines

"Baker said he'd rather not have the meetings, but compared it to the career of rapper Too Short.

"Every time he has an album, he says, 'This is the last album,'" Baker said. "So every time I have a meeting, I say, 'In the words of Too Short, this is my last meeting.' And I know it's not, just like it's not Too Short's last album."

 And people wonder why we're called the Second City. Something tells me this verbiage wouldn't play so well in the Big Apple...

 Juan Pierre's issues might very likely be linked to playing for a new team. It isn't just that his away numbers have been better all year, it's that he is now finally reverting to his career mean, and he did it during a six game losing streak at home. Not making excuses here, but Wrigley isn't the easiest place to get used to and I believe Juan is one of the guys who has never stopped trying this year.

 Secondly, and this going to make people very mad, there are rumors of a split clubhouse. It's been said that Dusty will never call out a guy in public and this might never be more true than now.  There are guys who have quit. Because of this, you are seeing Perez who hasn't quit on Dusty and is being given time due to having a good attitude and to piss off the quitters.

 Just some random thoughts.

 IMO, tonight's game was a stellar example of an idiotic Dusty Baker batting order. Batting Perez second is absolutely inexcusable, and tonight isn't the first time that it has occurred. 10 men were left on base tonight, a sure sign that the lineup construction is wrong.

 Take a guess at how many wins Dusty's buffoonery has cost the Cubs this year.

http://www.deadspin.com/sports/baseball/so-weve-got-some-affidavit-names-179400.php

And FWIW, the following is written by a hardcore Deadbird lover:

"Does Mihlfeld's name sound familiar? If it doesn't, he -- and we assure you, this gives us no pleasure to write this -- has been Albert Pujols' personal trainer since before Pujols was drafted by the Cardinals in the 13th round of the 1999 draft. We have no confirmation that Pujols' name is in the affidavit ... but Mihlfeld's is."

Ouch.

 This is what a MLB manager is paid to do.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/clubhouse?team=chw

"Convinced his team has not done enough of the small things like dropping down bunts and moving runners over during a recent skid, manager Ozzie Guillen brought six players out for an early hitting and bunting session. Scott Posdednik, Pablo Ozuna, Brian Anderson, Tadahito Iguchi, Alex Cintron and Juan Uribe put in the early work that also included shagging balls. ``I don't care if Thome hits 40 home runs and Dye hits 30 and Konerko hits 40, those guys I bring to the field if they don't what they're supposed to do, it's going to be hard for us to win,'' Guillen said. ``I also told them if we play like Little Leaguers, we'll be treated like Little Leaguers. To me it's embarrassing to bring a major league ballclub to do early work when we don't have to. I think they understand the point and hopefully we get better about it'' Guillen said he will make the early work a daily routine if the White Sox don't respond."

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/index

"The one player the Cardinals can't afford to lose is expected to go on the DL. Albert Pujols left Saturday's game after straining his right oblique muscle. The reigning NL MVP, who leads the majors with 25 homers and 65 RBI, could miss up to six weeks."

 With the Edmonds injury, this throws the whole NL Central into disarray.

with shoulder soreness.

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/cs-060521woodwatch,1,7219550.story?coll =cs-cubs-headlines

I'm sure Wood and Prior are looking at this season and going like "why should I further wear out my arm for this team", but they need to man up and get out there and pitch.

 That sentence has been said everywhere in Cubdom the past few years, but there is finally a record of non-achievement to base it on.

 This is Dusty's 4th year as Cubs manager, and again they are mediocre; the players are playing below their talent. It is obvious that when they win, it is in spite of Baker, not because of him.

 Baker is a failure at the following, all cause for dismissal:

1. Motivation. The entire team has been in a hitting slump, which given their talent, is highly unlikely to occur at the same time.
   
2. Lineup construction. Dusty loves to play with the lineup, usually in horribly destructive ways, instead of constructive ways, i.e., a JJ platoon.
   
3. In-game strategy. Baker's ineptness on this point is legendary. This season alone has seen hilariously botched double-switches, as but one small example.
   
4. Handling pitchers. Baker likely ruined Mark Prior's career in 2003. At 22, Prior was forced into ridiculously high pitch count situations, often after the Cubs had the game well in hand.
   
4. Mental makeup. As a player, Baker had anger management problems. As an adult, he had problems with the IRS and was prone to sprinkling magic dust on Wrigley's infield. He has a plethora of pent-up racial issues, and a clear victim complex. He belongs in therapy not in the dugout.

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/cs-060313cubs,1,1236144.story?coll=cs-c ubs-headlines

 Hendry should have just let him go. He re-signed him to use as trade bait and now he's stuck with his clubhouse cancer behavior for the rest of season.

 This crap has been going on since the day Walker became a MLB player.

 with the fact we saw this coming last spring.

 Needless to say, don't buy the Trib and don't go to the park until the guys that hold the purse strings make a commitment to being a FULLY great organization.

 Any team REALLY interested in winning would have fired Baker by Memorial Day. We ALL saw he had bailed out and was only concerned about not chafing any guys he might run into on the West Coast in a few years. But running a tight ship is not the way things are done at the Wrigley Theme Park.

 The Tribune Company: Helping the Chicago Cubs achieve a Century of Futility.