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Perhaps one of the most recognizable writers of today, John Grisham is best known for his intense legal thrillers and courthouse dramas, as well as the occasional sports novel.Besides law and crime, Grisham is also an avid sports fan. Growing up in rural Arkansas, he is an avid St. Louis Cardinals fan, and even jokingly criticized Hillary Clinton for her devotion to the Cubs at a fundraiser that he hosted for her in 2007. Despite his devotion to the Cardinals, Grisham's latest novel details the fictional story of Joe Castle, a AA first baseman for the Cubs who was abruptly called ...
After the official rotation was released and discussed, today is the day that Dale Sveum has announced what the official Opening Day lineup should be, barring injury, according to the Chicago Tribune.While a lot of stock can be put into things like lineup order as well as spring training production, taking these facts with a grain of salt is putting it lightly.Promptly pour the entire salt shaker into your mouth.Spring training statistics don't hold a bucket of water next to the ocean of the season. While it may be nice that guys like Joe Mather produced like Albert Pujols injected ...
With a steady breeze blowing out to straight away centerfield, the Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres combined for 34 hits and 23 runs in a 12-11 victory for the Padres in front of 5,325 fans in Peoria, Arizona.The prime hitting conditions made mince meat of starting pitchers Chris Volstad and San Diego's, Clayton Richard. The slugfest featured four home runs and eight doubles.Richard, the Chicago White Sox product who was a key feature in the Jake Peavy deal, made a strong impression with San Diego immediately after he was dealt. However last season his strikeouts per nine innings tailed ...
The Brett Jackson train is full steam ahead, as the arrival of the outfielder seems imminent this season. He'll start the year in Triple-A, but it won't be long before Jackson receives the phone call he's been waiting for his whole life: the one to the major leagues. Here are seven ways Jackson impressed the Cubs and put pressure on the organization to make room for the prospect.Begin Slideshow
The upcoming season will be very exciting for the Cubs. Despite most assuming they won't be in playoff contention, the Cubs have several prospects who could climb the ladder to Chicago. But there are younger players still years away who will look to put together strong seasons in order to get the attention of the Cubs brass.Let's explore 10 prospects Cubs fans should watch as they consider the long-term future of the Cubs. Begin Slideshow
Starting pitchers are worth much more to a baseball team than relievers. That's not to say relievers aren't important, of course. But a pitcher who can give a club 120-150 innings helps a staff more than one who contributes 70 or so innings.Jeff Samardzija was successful as a reliever for the Chicago Cubs last season, posting a 2.97 ERA with 87 strikeouts in 88 innings. But Samardzija wanted to be a starting pitcher, as he had been for most of his minor league career. And with holes in their rotation, the Cubs were wise to give him a shot this ...
Jeff Samardzija may be the newest man in the Chicago Cubs' 2012 rotation, but there is no guarantee that the former Notre Dame Fighting Irish star dual-athlete will be able to fulfill his new duty with the team.According to ESPN's Doug Padilla, Samardzija beat out two-year starter Randy Wells for a spot in the rotation, a move which sent the latter down to the club's triple-A affiliate in Iowa.As Samardzija said:You don’t know how many of these opportunities you’re going to get to start. Once you become a reliever and have success, a lot of times that’s where you end up for ...
2012 marks the beginning of a new era in Chicago. With the additions of Theo Epstein as President of Baseball Operations and Jed Hoyer as general manager, for the first time in a long time, fans have something to be hopeful about.Despite the new management, the organization has a lot to work on, and results are not expected to be immediate, but a team with a mix of young talent and experienced veterans could cause some trouble in a weakened National League Central.There is no way of knowing how the season will play out, but here is a list of ...
The 2012 Chicago Cubs will not be the best looking group in the MLB this season, but perhaps they will surprise a few people by putting together a decent season with expectations being so low from the start.It is no secret that the Cubs are rebuilding, but if guys can play well day-in and day-out, this team could likely give most of their competitors a run for their money.Of course, a 2011 record of 71-91 under manager Mike Quade wasn't exactly convincing, but this new regime headed by Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer, who famously turned the Boston Red Sox ...
When new President Theo Epstein and General Manager Jed Hoyer joined the Chicago Cubs this offseason, it was very clear that the club would go through a rebuilding stage. So far, they have lived up to that. They acquired the top first base prospect in Anthony Rizzo from the San Diego Padres this winter. They shipped out disgruntled pitcher Carlos Zambrano to the Miami Marlins for Chris Volstad. They acquired young pitcher Travis Wood and others from the Cincinnati Reds for Sean Marshall. They acquired Ian Stewart from the Colorado Rockies. Needless to say, Epstein and Hoyer have been busy this ...
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