It was a gorgeous day at Wrigley yesterday, with blue skies, comfortable temps in the low 80s and, of course, a Cubs WIN!  If you couldn't make it out to the park, I thought you might like to see some photos from the day.  These photos include Cubs-loving fans and ushers and a former Cubs manager, as well as some on-field action.

 

Please note:  these are unedited photos, so please forgive a few fan heads popping into the corners!

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He was interviewing Andres Blanco today and actually stumbled upon an interesting subject: Blanco is reading The Davinci Code, and he explained he finds it interesting because he is learning a lot about the religious theories referenced in the book, which he had "never heard of before in his life."  Now, wouldn't that have been a perfect place for an open-ended question designed to help us learn more about Andres Blanco's life? 

Instead, we learn that Judd has an agenda, a direction he wants the interview to go.  He asked this: "Is there something relaxing about reading before a game?"

 

ARGH.  WGN, PLEASE FIRE JUDD SIROTT.  PLEASE DO NOT MAKE US SUFFER THROUGH HIM FOR THIS ENTIRE SEASON.  PLEASE, I BEG OF YOU, HAVE RESPECT FOR THE FANS.

It's about time for Gathright to head down!  I'm sure he is a nice guy and all, but he has not been able to contribute this season and we need to fill his spot with someone who can.

Gordon Wittemeyer reports:

To make room on the roster for pitcher Randy Wells to start tonight, the Cubs plan to send speedy outfielder Joey Gathright to the minors this afternoon -- if he accepts the assignment -- when the waiver period on him expires, sources confirmed Thursday.

Apparently, Gathright's service time is sufficient for him to "refuse the assignment and become a free agent, but he would give up the remainder of his $800,000 salary. The Cubs have discussed the move with Gathright's representatives the last two days after putting him on waivers." It's about time!

So here I am in Dallas, trying to listen to WGN audio for the Cubs game on Opening Day.  I was perplexed because 30 minutes before gametime, when you usually can hear pre-game interviews and such, I kept getting the Astros broadcast despite clicking on WGN.  There was no error or warning message letting me know of any issue on MLB's end.  I can't watch the game on MLB.com because it is blacked out in Dallas, apparently.

I called MLB.com's customer service line and got a person who clearly had no idea what was going on.  She finally put me on hold and asked, then came back with the news that MLB is having trouble with their WGN feed.  She had no answer for why they have posted no notice to let their customers understand the annoyance of getting the Astros feed when clicking on WGN.  A higher up guy had nothing to offer, other than that they don't know when it will be fixed.  I asked about lifting the blackout or refunding a portion of the fee to compensate subscribers for missing--of all games--the Pat/Ron broadcast of Opening Day.  That didn't go over so well.

So, here I am on Opening Day listening to the ANNOYING Milo Hamilton.  I would boycott MLB.com, but I don't have television and this is the only way for me to follow the team.  I posted this so you could save yourself the money and aggravation if you have any other options.

I am not happy, but such is the effect of a monopoly.

 

ARGH.

and he has written another New York Times column, this one about being traded.  Yes, he mentions the Cubs a few times. 

Even if he had not referenced our beloved team, this would be a good read.  Doug is a good writer and has a way of imparting the feel of the club house. 

And, he provides short-notice moving tips:

I had my moving plan: I would pack as much as I could possibly carry on the flight to Chicago, then clear out my apartment and jam everything I could into my car. Then, on the Cubs next trip to Houston, I would catch a plane to Dallas, meet up with an auto shipping company and have my car shipped to Chicago. Amazingly, it all went off without a glitch.

Check it out while you wait for the Cubs/Cards game to start!

In today's Washington Post, Dave Sheinin interviews Bill Werber and it is a must-read. Who is Bill Werber, you ask? He is a 100 year old man who played in the major leagues and is the last living ex-teammate of Babe Ruth. Heck, he's the oldest living baseball player, period. He is the man who, in the late 1930's, saw his teammates on the Cincinnati Reds get "into a fight in the clubhouse when Derringer accused Goodman of not having any guts after the latter allowed a fly ball to drop in."

There are many great stories in this article--just go read it !  If you love baseball, you'll love this article.

According to this article:

Veteran center fielder Jim Edmonds is expected to clear waivers Wednesday and sign with the Cubs, opening the door to what could be a prolonged debate.

Sorry, all . . . I thought that Sullivan story was new.  Here's one that really is new , again confirming the signing and saying:

The Cubs will have to make a roster move to make room for Edmonds. While Felix Pie is expected to be sent down to Triple-A Iowa, the Cubs may also put Daryle Ward on the disabled list within the next day or two. Piniella said Ward’s back is bothering him and he can’t run.

That would give the Cubs an opportunity to bring up another outfielder, perhaps Matt Murton or Micah Hoffpauir, to serve as the fifth outfielder behind Alfonso Soriano, Edmonds, Kosuke Fukudome and Reed Johnson.

I had a heart attack when I saw this in the new story, re Edmonds:

“He’s going to hit ninth,” manager Lou Piniella said. “I’m going to move the pitcher to eighth, and hit him ninth.”

But then I saw this:

Piniella was joking, of course, and spent most of Wednesday’s press conference trying to avoid talking about the new Cubs outfielder.

So thanks for not skewering me too badly for posting an old story.

 

For what it's worth, I think signing Edmonds is a terrible idea and worry about mucking up an otherwise happy and cohesive clubhouse with his presence.  But Lou has done pretty well so far, so I'm going to try to trust him on this until . . . well . . . until I can't.

From ESPN.com is this story about a fun little Greg Maddux experiment that took place last fall: does Maddux pitch so much like clockwork that a person could catch him with his eyes closed?

The answer? 

You'll have to read the story to find out. 

But here are some choice quotes:

"When [Maddux] plays poker on planes with teammates, they believe he knows what's in their hands from looking at their faces.

"Padres catchers Josh Bard and Michael Barrett will sometimes go an entire game without giving him a sign." 

Bud Black:  Maddux "has the best feel for how to throw a pitch and when to throw it of anybody, maybe ever."

Josh Hamilton: "One pitch moves this way, one moves the other. The radar gun says it's going slow, but it doesn't feel that way in the batter's box. It drives you crazy."

I am going to ask you something nicely.  But you should know that this is not optional.  Ready?

PLEASE STOP TALKING ABOUT THE PLAYOFFS AS IF THE CUBS MAKING THE PLAYOFFS IS A DONE DEAL.  Seriously.  Do you know how you are tempting fate?  Do you?  

Henceforth, please let all talk of the playoffs, if any, include the word "IF" or another modifier (i.e., "knock on wood") that indicates you realize there is every chance in the world that the Cubs might not make it.

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