SB Nation User Blog: ambrosiadreams

2009 Cubs Can Of Worms Nominees

ambrosiadreams — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 15:53:47 -0000

Like many of you, I really enjoyed Al's offseason series "The Cubs Can Of Worms", in which he conjured up memories of failures past. In hindsight, it gave me a good chuckle and brought relief that the players or coaches profiled were no longer haunting us. In reality, though this season has been a disappointment, we are still a good team. There are, however, a number of candidates for Al's series, and I've narrowed it down to three nominees. Try to have fun with this!

1) Aaron Miles (Miles From Ordinary): .181/.221/.239, 0 HR, 5 RBI Wow. It's hard to believe that this a player on a major league roster with those numbers. I mean, a .221 OBP, are you serious?? Not to mention the fact that 10 pitchers have more RBI's than him (he's also tied with 2 others, including our own Ryan Dempster).

2) Kevin Gregg (Not Ggood): 4.68ERA, 13 HR allowed, 6 blown saves Not what you want to see from your closer, that's for sure. Home Run Howry revisited, but then again he wasn't in the closer's role. Looking back, some of those blown saves (ie Florida) really, really hurt.

3) Milton Bradley (What Else You Got, Milton?): .257/.378/.397 12 HR 40 RBI Obviously, Milton's numbers are not horrible. They are decent, quite similar to Kosuke's numbers after his rookie season as a matter of fact. A lot of people on here were calling for Kosuke's deportation after last season, although Kosuke has always been a class act. Unfortunately, the same can't be said about Milton Bradley. There were confrontations with the manager, the media, the fans, throwing a ball into the stands with 2 outs, baserunning blunders, umpire bumps, suspensions, the list goes on and on. I don't want to start this debate again, because it's been discussed ad nauseum, but Bradley makes the cut simply because of the behaviors and distractions that have been brought to this team.

So, there you have it. Happy voting, have fun with this, and hopefully when this episode is written, we can all look back, have a good chuckle, and be thankful that this is all over.

Poll

Who should be the 2009 Cubs Can of Worms subject?

Aaron Miles (Miles From Ordinary)

105 votes

Kevin Gregg (Not Ggood)

38 votes

Milton Bradley (What Else You Got, Milton?)

108 votes

251 votes | Poll has closed

A Cubs Fan's True Responsibility: A Rebuttal

ambrosiadreams — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 01:30:54 -0000

Yesterday, this fanpost was posted by BCB reader copingwiththecubs. I found the post very well written, and while my kneejerk reaction was to scream "Fairweather Fan!!!", I have read it a few times and thought about what the poster was trying to say. After having read and thought about the arguments presented, I still disagree, and wanted to share my opinion in the matter. Please note: I do not think of myself as any better nor any worse of a fan as the poster, I just happen to disagree strongly with a few of the points made.

I have been a Cubs fan since 1986 when I was just 6 years old. Growing up in North Carolina, it was the Cubs on WGN in the daytime and the Braves on TBS at night. I fell in love with Ryne Sandberg, Andre Dawson, the aura of Wrigley Field, and listening to Harry Caray entertainingly call even the most lopsided of games (and believe me, there were many!). I was hooked, and have come to find out, 23 years later, that it was destined to be a lifelong passion of mine.

Admittedly, I sometimes think of the Cubs as my first true love. I cannot, however, understand comparing that love to an abusive relationship. For starters, the Cubs are not losing to purposely hurt me. Every day they take the field with the intention of winning, and I realize that their losses hurt them just as much if not more than they do me. I will not "punish" them by turning my back on them if the bats go cold or the sliders hang. They are my team, through thick and thin. In reality, 'til death do us part.

Secondly, I took a bit of exception to the poster's plea for us to "show management" we won't take it anymore. It was implied that we should stop attending games, buying merchandise, etc as a form of consumer activism. Granted, I'm not at all worried about this happening, but I want fans like this to realize that our tickets, our tshirts, our beers even, is how we can afford to put a competitive team on the field. Don't believe me? Ask Pittsburgh, and Kansas City, and Oakland. If nothing else, we need to bump up our support. We need to take a stand, we need to show a little "consumer activism". We need to show the new owners, the management, the city, all of Major League Baseball that we are not going away. We will be here, year in and year out, generation after generation, filling the stands and loving our team, til death do us part. And when we do win it all, I assure you, it will have been worth the wait.

Lou: From Manager Of The Year To...?

ambrosiadreams — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 14:58:07 -0000

I feel the need to write a post about this, as I have been very stubborn in my support of Lou Piniella. I have excused his seemlingly disinterested attitude as "trying to be a calming influence", I have forgiven questionable moves because I do not have the audacity to think I know more than he does, and I have defended him on this site many, many times. I like to think of myself as pretty respectable and mild-mannered, but in light of this fanshot, it is time for me to admit I was wrong. Please note this is *NOT* designed as a Lou bashing session.

Last night while watching the game on MLB.TV, I was absolutely dumbfounded when Lou sent Sam Fuld to pinch hit for Ted Lilly. At that point of the game, it was not feasible to take Jake Fox out of the game as he still had another at bat left, therefore ensuring Sam Fuld would not be able to enter the game defensively. Our best defensive outfield, which Lou has said many times he wants out there in late innings, was made unavailable for a 2 out, nobody on pinch hit attempt. Quite honestly, I'm very glad that Al, and many others in the recap, were outraged at this as well. This was a mistake, any way you slice it. Not only did he bat before Fukudome (which made it two lefties in a row, which is much easier for the opposing team to manage), but again, he was wasted defensively. Jeff Baker or Alfonso Soriano would have been a much better option in that situation.

Secondly, it didn't turn out to matter much, but why in the world did he double switch in the 8th after Grabow got the first out?? We all know Marmol wasn't going to pitch more than the bottom of the 8th anyway, so you're basically picking your pinch hitter (and stuck with such) before you see what the at-bat is going to mean. I'm sure some will say, "well perhaps if we scored a few runs he could have left Marmol out there". Bring in Caridad, or Heilman or Marshall, but Marmol is a one inning guy and needs to be managed as such. Again, it didn't really turn out to mean much, but it seemed to me Lou was double switching just to double switch, and it made no sense to me whatsoever.

I'm glad he has finally seen it necessary to remove Kevin Gregg from his closer role. I beg of him to give the role to Angel Guzman. He has been by far our best reliever this year and deserves it, without question. If he so chooses to give it to Carlos Marmol, though, I really have to question what his intentions are.

One more note, and my rant will be complete. Lou has looked so disinterested for most of this year. Does anybody else agree with me, though, that the one moment where I saw otherwise was the last game before the all star break against St. Louis? Forget the fact that he was very creative in keeping Sean Marshall in the game, but he was standing up in the dugout the whole time, looking at charts, and you could really tell the gears in his head were turning. That's the Lou I want to see, the Lou I miss. The Lou that last year was Manager Of The Year.

Aaron Miles: Yahoo's Reality = BCB's Perception

ambrosiadreams — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 00:14:35 -0000

So while I was stuck at work today I was watching the game on Yahoo! since Gameday wasn't working for me. Notice Aaron Miles' season average as he strolled to the plate for his at bat in the 7th. Good job, Yahoo!, you're not too far off on this one. :) Forgive the quality, it was taken with my blackberry, and I wanted to share as it gave me a little reprieve from my Cubs-induced headache. To repeat the hundreds of fanposts before mine, and in my best Eric Hanna voice, GET RID OF THIS GUY ALREADY JIM!

Laughter Is The Best Medicine: Nintendo's re-enactment of our beloved Cubbies' play today at...

ambrosiadreams — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 22:11:08 -0000

Laughter Is The Best Medicine: Nintendo's re-enactment of our beloved Cubbies' play today at Colorado. Let's go get em tomorrow!!

The Story Of Ken Hubbs

ambrosiadreams — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 20:32:55 -0000

In light of Randy Wells' stellar rookie campaign, I decided to do a little research to see if the Cubs ever had back to back ROY award winners, and as many of you can guess, I was stunned and saddened at what I found. I'm relatively young, and wanted to share this with other younger fans who may not know the story of Ken Hubbs. For the rest of you, please feel free to add your own stories and memories about this.

The Cubs did in fact have back to back ROY award winners on one occasion, as Billy Williams won the award in 1961 and Ken Hubbs did the same in 1962. From what i've read, Hubbs was primarily known for being a strong defensive player (he also won the gold glove at 2B in his rookie season). What's sad is that he was only able to play in two full seasons at the major league level, and his life was tragically cut short on February 13, 1964 at the age of 22.

Hubbs had a fear of flying, and decided to take flying lessons as a way of overcoming his fear. (side note: I'm assuming MLB teams chartered flights by that time, so Hubbs knew he was going to have to fly a lot) Hubbs' long time friend, Dennis Doyle, had recently become a new father, and his wife had traveled to Provo, Utah to visit her parents and allow them the opportunity to see their new grandchild. Doyle and Hubbs, who received his pilot's license a month earlier, decided to fly to Provo for the day to surprise Mrs. Doyle. The next morning, the pair departed for California in hopes of beating a storm, but never made it.

Hubbs finished his career hitting .247 with 14 HR's. He led all rookies in 1962 in games, hits, doubles, triples, and batting average. He also went 78 games (418) chances without an error, and started a triple play.

Hubbs wore number 16 for the Cubs, and that number was not again issued until 1967.

Brewers Sign Corey Patterson

ambrosiadreams — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 02:00:35 -0000

Brewers Sign Corey Patterson

Maybe this is karma for all of Ryan Braun's antics. Enjoy, Brewer fans!

Brewers Acquire Felipe Lopez

ambrosiadreams — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 01:46:39 -0000

Brewers Acquire Felipe Lopez

Solid leadoff type guy who can play 6 positions. Batting .305 this year with 6 HR, 25 RBI, and 6 SB. Now that the Brewers have Lopez and St. Louis acquired DeRo, I think it's time for us to improve.

MLB Extra Innings Free Preview: 7/16-7/22

ambrosiadreams — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 03:22:20 -0000

MLB Extra Innings Free Preview: 7/16-7/22

Just in case anybody didn't know, MLB Extra Innings offers a free preview every year for the first week following the all-star break. So, if you don't get the package and don't live in the Chicagoland area, you have no excuse not to watch the Cubs in Washington this weekend. Happy viewing!

OT: Fenway Park to host 2010 NHL Winter Classic

ambrosiadreams — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 02:19:22 -0000

Following last year's success at Wrigley Field, the NHL has decided to hold the 2010 Winter Classic at Fenway Park in Boston, where the Bruins will host the Philadelphia Flyers. After holding an outdoor game in Edmonton in 2003, the NHL decided to build on that success and on January 1, 2008, held its first annual Winter Classic in Buffalo, NY.

Last year's Winter Classic was very special to me, as I'm sure it was to many of you, as I am a big fan of the NHL and loved seeing Wrigley Field showcased like it was. I'm sure the fans in Boston feel the same way, and I'm excited for MLB to be able to integrate another of it's cathedrals into the NHL and its fans and players.

Shall we start an over/under now as to how much a Green Monster seat will be for this game?