SB Nation User Blog: lemon20pie

Can the Cubs seriously overcome the loss of ARam for 6 weeks?

lemon20pie — Sun, 10 May 2009 15:49:10 -0000

Injuries to star players happen all the time and some of the time the team stricken with the loss of star players overcome and have success. Take last year's Cubs for example who had to deal with the loss of Soriano for awhile.

But is this Cubs team capable of doing that with the loss of ARAM? Last year's team not only had much much better depth but was for the most part, injury free team. This year's team doesn't have nearly the depth of last year's team. Does it have enough though?

I must admit that coming into this season, whether it was due to the fact that every year I have a realistic viewpoint of every Cub team and having thought heading into the playoffs last year that that team had a legitimite shot of making it to the World Series and thus falling flat again or not and absolutely disappointing me like no other Cubs team in the past (save 03) but I felt this year's team wasn't as good as last years team and honestly didn't have much realistic hope of thet making it to the WS this year.

Having said that, can the Cubs with their atrocious Bull Pen and paper thin depth and struggles from Bradley,Lee and Soto handle 6 weeks of Fontenot, Freel or Scales manning down 3rd base?

If so, how?

What now is the strength of the team?

What now becomes the most important part of the team for success? My answer to that one is, starting pitching. This team must get strong and deep starts from it's starters shortening up that unsalvagable Bullpen, IMO.

I was going to name this fanpost "Time to draw the line in the sand" and ask whether or not you personally thought yes or no, whether or not this team will still make the playoffs, but we all want the Cubs to win.

Gathright Traded To Orioles For Freel.

lemon20pie — Fri, 08 May 2009 20:56:07 -0000

Gathright Traded To Orioles For Freel.

According to the Baltimore sun, the Cubs have amazingly not only traded Gathright but have actually gotten a decent player back in return who will undoubtedly fit this team better than Gathright. I still think that the Cubs will dangle maybe Miles out there for maybe a bullpen arm.

How long should Cubs give Fukudome in the 2 hole?

lemon20pie — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 09:09:30 -0000

Alright, while I personally don't think Fuku will ever have much of a significant career in the Majors, I am willing to give him some time to produce as the type of player the Cubs imagined him to be. I've stated here before why I don't think Fuku will ever live up to most Cubs expectations at the plate and that is his god awful terrible diving swing, which doesn't allow him to stay back on anything off speed and away and when he does hit the pitch, it's nothing but a weak flyball to LF (Sutcliffe said basically word for word the same thing, on last nights game - so, to whoever said they wouldn't listen to me because I don't have a "trained eye", do you think Sutcliffe has a trained eye?).

Anyway, having said that, I think that maybe if he is still struggling after this week, he needs to be moved down in the order at the very least and maybe even hit 8th. I would put Fontenot in the 2 hole, who I have much more confidence in and I imagine Lou would too, who could shake things up and would be a good hit and run guy as well.

Not at all saying this after one game and is in no way a knee jerk reaction, but even the staunchest Fuku fan must admit his struggles in the 2nd half last year and it's due to pitchers making the adjustment to him and so far what Ive seen from him in the WBC, ST and today, I don't see any signs of him making an adjustment as his swing looks exactly the same as last year.

Who would you put in the 2 hole if Fuku continues his struggles at the plate?

Cubs and Yankees in talks for Cubs to play opener of new Yankee stadium.

lemon20pie — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 00:04:52 -0000

It's probably been mentioned here but I haven't seen it. Just saw this on Yahoo that the games most futile franchise, the Chicago Cubs, are the Yankees first choice to open up the new Yankee stadium, in 1 or 2 unofficial games on the weekend before the April 6th opener. The teams are still in negotiations and are close to a deal.

I can just hear the comparison's between the 2 franchises now and all the "last things to happen before the Cubs have won a World Series" and yada yada, and the endless babble of Cub jokes and in contrast how great and mighty the Yankees franchise has been. It's kind of sadistic for the Yankees to want to play the Cubs. Does Steinbrenner need his ego stroked that much these days? so in that regard, I really don't care if the Cubs open up new Yankee stadium, even in an unofficial game. Years from now, noone will remember. 75 words yet?

Why start a new season with an instant kick in the stones? Eff that.

Time to dismantle this Playoff bomb of a roster.

lemon20pie — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 13:28:05 -0000

As I've said a million times and have gotten heat for it, this team just simply isn't good enough to not only not win a World Series, but win a Playoff series. What a bunch of crybabies who can't handle the spotlight of the playoffs. Cowards and frauds, is this team. Let's run down the lineup shall we?

Zambrano - YOu sir, are not an ace, as I"ve said many times. Too volatile and when faced with adversity, instead of calming down and ptiching, you just throw a hissy fit and overthrow the ball and try throwing it as hard as you can, because you're a crybaby. You're another crybaby who can't handle the heat. FIt right in with this team.

Soriano - You feed off of the weak during the regular season but when it comes to the playoffs and facing pitchers who can locate their off-speed pitches (down and away), you're hopeless.

Theriot - Thanks for the Career year but you are not acceptable at SS.

Lee - You haven't been the same since you broke your wrist against, ironically, the Dodgers. Your best years are well behind you and I'd be ok with you on this team at 1B, as long as you're not hitting 3rd. More like 6th. You're another one who has yet to show up in the Playoffs as a Cub.You're over the hill, dude.

Ramirez - You're the best player on this team and I have no problem with you, accept, you're not a clean up hitter. On a good team and by good team I mean a team that is capable of winning the World Series, you'd be a perfect # 5 hitter.

Soto - The verdict is still out on you as well. YOur perfect for this team I guess, as you haven't shown up in the playoffs as of yet either and have shown how the pressure of the playoffs is getting to you as your all of a sudden having a hard time throwing the ball back to the pitcher, without bouncing it in the dirt or throwing it at their heels.

Derosa - Next to Ramirez, the most valuable player on this team.

Edmonds - um, yeah. I thought you were a good pickup and have proven me right, but you're a platoon player.

Johnson - My personal favorite on this team and as I said before the playoffs, you should've started in RF over Pukie.

Pukie-Pukie-PUKIEDOME!!! - YOu are the worst ML baseball player I have ever seen. YOu are terrible and as I said, you should'nt have even made the playoff roster. I wanted Hoffpauir over you , because you are so ungodly terrible, it's sickening. Please show some dignity and go back to Japan, for good.

Dempster - thanks for the career year.

I'm getting sick. I can't go on.

This team is a fraud.

Wait 'til next year.

Who's season would you like to see the Cubs end more in the Playoffs; Mets or Brewers?

lemon20pie — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 16:08:18 -0000

This really is a tough choice for me and which team I'd like to see win the Wild Card. Not because I'm worried about either one, but for other devious reasons.

On one hand, if the Mets win the Wild Card, the Cubs would face them in the NLDS and it would be fabulous to not only end the Mets season and whatever hope the fans recovered by making it into the playoffs, but it'd be appropriate to end the Mets last season in that dump of a stadium.

On the other hand and of personal interest, if the Brewers win the Wild Card, I'd be able to see the Cubs in the NLDS as my father has Dodger season tickets (and I have Angel season tickets, but I refuse to get my hopes up and look that far down the road) but the Dodgers I think will be the Cubs toughest opponent, but I still have zero doubt that the Cubs would beat them.

Now here's why I am kind of rooting for the Brewers to win the Wild Card: if the Cubs played the Brewers in the NLCS and the amount of money scalpers and even Brewer fans could get for tickets from Cub fans, it is conceivable that the Cubs could basically have Home Field advantage in all 7 games. That'd be just hilarious and something Brewer fans would never ever be able to live down.

Wonderful Fukudome story that I thought I'd share.

lemon20pie — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 16:48:12 -0000

A friend of mine, who's a Chicago native, has a son (Alan)who was born with a congenital heart disease, and who is a huge Cub fan and an even bigger Fukudome fan, had his 5th open heart surgery last week. Naturally, going into open heart surgery is a very stressful and terrifying time for Alan and the family and we all thought it'd be a good idea if we contacted Fukudome's representatives and let him know that a huge fan of his was about to undergo major heart surgery and that if Fukudome had the time to maybe give Alan his best wishes or an autograph or something, It'd make Alan's dreams come true and lift his spirits for his surgery.

Fukudome obliged by writing his best wishes in Japanese on a Cubs itinerary which was translated into english and a signed baseball, which Alan got a week before his surgery and the smile was still planted on his face when he went into surgery, knowing his hero was praying for him. The story doesn't end there.

Monday night Alan's dad Stephen got a phone call asking him how good he was at keeping secrets, cuz this one was a doozy. Tuesday morning Alan was told by his Dad that he got a phone call last night and that everything was fine with Alan but they had to go back to the hospital for some routine follow up procedures. Once at the hospital and on the way to the "routine check up", Alan's dad said he wanted to stop into the TV room to grab a cup of coffee and that Alan should grab some water. When Alan opened up the door to the TV room, Alan's face turned a pale white as standing before him in the flesh was his hero, Kosuke Fukudome. Fukudome was holding a Cubs bag and handed the bag to Alan and asked Alan to open it up and inside were 4 tickets to last nights game, which were located right behind the Cubs dugout.

I really shouldn't be posting this as the family was told not to leak this to any media outlets, but I couldn't resist. By Kosuke taking 30 minutes out of his day, he has effected not only a boy's life forever, but everyone around him. Fukudome, you now are my hero as well.

It's official: Aramis is freaking me out!!

lemon20pie — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 21:24:58 -0000

I am fuly aware that even great hitters go through slumps and when a veteran like Aramis who has a track history of success, it's usually an overreaction to get worried when such a hitter goes into slumps, but I can't shake this paranoa with Aramis' recent struggles at the plate. What has happened to this guy at the plate recently? He doesn't even seem like the same person. He looks absolutely lost at the plate and his swing is all hacked up.

The only time I've seen him square up on a ball in the last week or so was last night to LF and even then he was swinging from the heels and was all arms as it turned out to be a routine play for the LF when normally that's 20 rows deep. I don't live in Chicago and lately haven't had the time to read up on as much Cubs stuff as I normally do, but can anyone shed any light into this disturbing developement? What's the word going around on to why he hasn't put a good swing on a ball in over 2 weeks? It goes without saying that this team needs him to snap the eff out of not only this horrid slump but whatever is possessing him to look absolutely lost up there at the plate. I normally wouldn't read too much into Aramis' .173 BA in the month of July and would just chalk it up to a slump which every good hitter goes through throughout a season but it's now a very prolonged slump and it's just how bad he looks up at the plate and how unbelievably overmatched he looks up there right now.

What a frustrating loss though last night. One of the most frustrating losses I can remember from the Cubs in a long time. Maybe it's because I was there and had to deal with the backlash from DBack fans but I don't think so. I don't believe in billygoats or any voodo mumbo jumbo, but after last night's game I can see why people do. So many hard hit balls but right at DBacks, the great defensive plays the DBacks made, Harden gives up literally one mistake and has to pay for it as the Cubs just looked at all of Johnson's bad pitces and then ofcourse they get a lead off walk and a gift from the DBacks on a routine DP ball and still couldn't make them pay for it. Totally frustrating. It's totally confounding to me how bad this team looks on the road. It almost makes one believe in curses. Anyway, if they win tonight and tomorrow night and take 2 out of 3 from the DBacks (which coming in they HAD to considering they missed both Haren and Webb) It'll relieve some of the pain of last nights absolute debacle. 2 hits?? Seriously?

Also, I don't know if it's been mentioned anywhere, but what the eff was Lou thinking last night leaving Howry in to face Drew? Do the Cubs not have a Lefty in the pen anymore?? Come on Lou, wake up man!!! Also remember, that it was a year ago to the day yesterday, when the DBacks turned around their season last year and swept the Cubs at home and Drew hit the game winning HR off none other than Howry himself.

Now what?

lemon20pie — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 17:19:42 -0000

It's been awhile and Well it appears that the many on this site are happy about the acquistion of Rich Harden even though when I was screaming at the top of my lungs last off-season that in order for the Cubs to go deep into the playoffs they would need another "top of the rotation guy" and many of you scoffed at it and believed that the Cubs could do it without the addition of a pitcher like Harden and that their "starters ERA" was 3rd in the NL last season and yada yada yada , the most overrated stat out there. and you know who you are. Another very unpopular opinion I had was Rich Hill was terrible and more importantly terribly overrated, ehum. Which is why I never come to this site or any other Cub site anymore: 90% of Cub fans just aren't that baseball smart and I was wasting my baseball knowledge and got tired of the usual suspects playing devils advocate with me because they apparently had nothing else to do but act like Cry babies and toss insults around when they disagreed to one of my many ( since accurate ) predictions (Excluding the DBacks :).

Anyway, I digress. The next thing the Cubs MUST address and very soon is a RH hitter off the bench to replace Cedeno and send Cedeno down to the Minors When Johnson is starting, Ronny the brainfreeze Cedeno is quite possibly the worst #1 RH hitter coming off the bench for any ML team. What RH Middle Infielders out there could possibly be had and would be an upgrade over Cedeno?

Memo to Bobby Howry

lemon20pie — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 12:01:41 -0000

Everyone knows you constantly pitch away.

Why don't you try coming inside one fking time. Did you see that HR off you tonight? Pathetic. Everyone and their monkey knew the pitch was away, you monkey.

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