...And by that I mean the 2009 season.
Six week left.
Six games out.
Four teams above them in the Wild Card race.
Adding to that was their latest loss, a 6-3 debacle against the Padres, that I think just about put the final nails in this season's coffin.
Nasty game, where a Kyle Blanks inside-the-park home run off Angel Guzman offset a very good seven inning performance by Ryan Dempster. Personally, I think scoring three runs off Cesar Carillo, a guy making his second major league start, was the real killer.
But once again, I suspect that lack of review on the advance scouting was ...
Lastings Milledge? Brian Bixler? Steve Pearce?
Seriously, I had to rub my eyes and think about it a second to confirm that the Cubs weren't playing the Indy Indians, the Pirates AAA affliate. Quite a few of these guys I saw on my last stop at Victory Field, and they weren't any good there.
So call me unimpressed at the Cubs 3-1 win over the Pirates Saturday, given the level of talent on the field. It's expected that you take two of three at home from teams like this; honestly, at this point, you're almost obligated to sweep, given the circumstances. So ...
I really wanted to see this game. Two irresistible forces colliding to make this a grit my teeth, hit the ATM, and not take my accountant's calls for a few days, kind of event.
You have Pedro Martinez, one of the finest pitchers of this generation, making likely his last tour around the league. I've never seen him in person, and it seems like there's something wrong about not having witnessed the great one in person.
And Jeff Samardzija, making his first career start for the Chicago Cubs. This is what they paid for. This is where the hopes and dreams for ...
Well, with the Cubs out of town, summer finally arriving in Chicago, and a chance to see something a little different, I decided to veer off a bit last weekend, and catch the non-MLB games at Wrigley Field. Besides, I figured if that second career as a sport photographer is to bloom, you have to shoot whenever and wherever you can.
First up was the Under Armour All-America game on Saturday. It's a great game actually, featuring a few dozen high school All-Americans broken into teams; the Baseball Factory squad and Team One. Both companies are co-sponsors of the event.
Never ...
Long-time readers of this blog know I'm a baseball fan, probably more than anything else. Give me a notebook and a camera, and you can get me to watch and root for about anyone, anywhere.
In the last few weeks alone, I've been to numerous cities, countries, and even to the South Side to root for the White Sox—some would say that's a whole 'nother world. Okay, I'd actually lost a bet on that one, but still, if you're not playing the Cubs, I generally wish you and your team well.
But someone forwarded something to me recently that left me a ...
Every once in awhile, I get to be truly impressed, and well, even surprised.
That might be how I'd best describe my impression of the performance of Tom Gorzelanny on Tuesday, as the Cubs used a solid performance by him to beat the Reds 6-3 at Great American Ballpark. Seven plus innings of one-run ball, to be exact.
I figured when the Cubs picked him that he'd be someone useful; no issues there. But after seeing Gorzelanny three times in person this season alone, I didn't think there was much to see right now.
He needed work as recently as a few weeks ...
Aaron Harang looked as sharp as ever Tuesday, but a fat pitch to Mike Fontenot in the second inning resulted in a three-run homer and proved to be the game-winner in a 4-2 Cubs win.
Randy Wells is awesome. And I don't say that because of his talent, or the hot winning streak that he's on right now.
I say it because he's a great reminder that for all of the scouting reports, draft analysis, prospect evaluations, and farm system rankings, players still have to go out and play, and average guys are capable of making big contributions.
A few years ago, guys ...
I'm beginning to hate the Marlins.
Whether it's this nonsense about trotting goats out on the field, their stab at fat, male cheerleaders, or the fact that they helped break my heart a bit in 2003, I'm growing very weary of these guys. And I say this as someone who spent most of the weekend at U.S. Cellular catching the Sox-Yankees series; I like most teams when they're not playing the Cubs.
Point is, the walk-off homer by Cody Ross Sunday to give the Marlins a 3-2 win was probably about my line to cross. The win gave them the series victory, ...
Filed:July 30th, 2009
New Chicago Cub Tom Gorzelanny (Cubbie Nation/file)
It amazes me how quickly the Cubs can take me through an emotional range sometimes. First, they completely destroy Russ Ortiz and the Astros, 12-3 at Wrigley this afternoon, taking 3-of-4 in the series.
However, that happiness turned to sadness at the news that they had acquired John Grabow and Tom Gorzelanny from the Pirates in exchange for Kevin Hart and Jose Ascanio.
Not that I'll miss either.
I've always felt that the league would get around to figuring Hart out, and his start this afternoon just confirmed that in my mind. Let's just politely ...
Filed:July 29th, 2009
Another rough day at Wrigley for the Houston Astros (Cubbie Nation/file)
Ever seen Platoon? Great stuff. There's a scene, after a firefight in the brush, in which Tom Berenger's character muzzles a screaming G.I. shot in the conflict while urging him to "Take the pain. Take the pain".
Poor Cecil Cooper must have been having a Platoon moment Wednesday as starter Mike Hampton was coming completely undone in the first, and given his bullpen issues, had no choice but to leave Hampton in to get pounded.
The end result? A 12-0 beatdown that seems even odder than the previous night's game. ...
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