The only statistic that's been impressive for the Chicago Cubs this year has been the list of players to get hurt.
On Friday night, which marked the beginning of an important series in Colorado against a Rockies team the Cubs are currently chasing in the Wild Card standings, the Cubs lost their ace after a handful of warmup pitches before the game ever started.
Carlos Zambrano left his previous start in Florida with a stiff back, and the Cubs had hoped he was simply suffering from dehydration issues; it was in the upper 90s with high humidity when he threw against the ...
Many writers, both those of the professional variety and those of us that write for sites like Bleacher Report, have put words on paper to release some of our frustration with the winter plan Chicago Cubs General Manager Jim Hendry put into action before the current season.
I'd like to take a moment to examine two players, one on the Cubs and one playing elsewhere, to highlight some differences between an organization that can, and actively does, evaluate talent and the opposite, the Chicago Cubs.
Player A
27 years old; 6'1", 195 lbs
Bats/Throws: right
Plays second and third base
Batting average: .319
On-base percentage: .367
At-bats: 182
Home runs: 9
Runs batted ...
What do you call a guy hitting under .200 with zero home runs and four RBI after playing just 47 games in the baseball season's first four months?
Jim Hendry would call him a millionaire.
He should call him unemployed.
Aaron Miles, the "versatile" midget replacement for Mark DeRosa, was signed during the across-the-board failure that was the Cubs' 2008-2009 offseason, yet he is somehow still on the Cubs' roster.
In fact, I would argue that the best contribution Miles has made to the 2009 Chicago Cubs was his time on the disabled list; by being hurt, he wasn't available to underachieve.
His on-base percentage, as of Aug. 5, is .235; if ...
Where's Borat when you want to proclaim, "Not so much"?
After a couple weeks of getting a tan in Arizona on the Cubs' payroll, BJ Ryan is yet again unemployed.
The one-time closer of the Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays was waived in July by the Jays when his arm didn't produce what his salary demanded from the left-hander, and he got a shot to join the Cubs with a minor league deal.
However, when the Cubs acquired two lefties, Tom Gorzelanny and John Grabow, at the non-waiver trade deadline, Ryan's potential to be a second lefty in the Cubs bullpen wasn't ...
It was an exciting night of opposites in the National League Central.
The Cardinals came back as Francisco Rodriguez and the Mets blew a late lead, eventually winning a lop-sided game thanks to Albert Pujols' fifth grand slam of the season.
Meanwhile, the Cubs held onto a lead in the ninth inning just for the heck of it. After all, you can't blow them all, can you?
After those two games ended, the division was virtually tied, with the Cubs having a two game lead in the loss column.
So let's look ahead to the end of the season. What do the schedules look ...
Could Kenny Williams and Jim Hendry be waving brooms in November?
In 2008, the Cubs' rookie standout was catcher Geovany Soto. He started the All-Star Game and won the National League's Rookie of the Year Award.
Meanwhile, on Chicago's South Side, Alexei Ramirez was a defensive Jedi the entire season and put up solid offensive numbers. He just happened to be a rookie the same season as Evan Longoria, and had to settle for runner-up to Tampa's third baseman.
But in 2009, Chicago might sweep the awards.
In front of a national television audience, the Chicago Cubs' Randy Wells made a case for ...
Thankfully for Lou Piniella, Tylenol can prevent heart attacks.
And a nice glass of Johnny Walker can settle a guy down an hour later.
After Kevin Gregg was made unavailable with a "tired arm"(translation: he sucks), Marmol got his audition on Monday night to be the Cubs' closer.
He got a nice layup of an opportunity, too. Randy Wells had been solid into the eighth inning, newcomer John Grabow got it to the ninth and Marmol only had to hold on to a three-run lead against a Reds team that had dropped 13 of their previous 14 games.
But that's before Marmol made things ...
Late Monday, the Chicago Cubs' website reported that closer Kevin Gregg is dealing with a "tired arm," leading to decreased velocity and zero effectiveness.
In related stories, the grass is green, and pigs, to date, have not flown without assistance.
Gregg has blown five saves this season, with the latest blown save (on Sunday) costing the Cubs first place in the National League Central Division.
As of Monday night, Gregg's ERA had grown to 4.17, as well.
In reference to Gregg not being available on Monday night against the Reds, Cubs' manager Lou Piniella was quoted as saying, "I think we'll give [Gregg] a little ...
I'm trying to be rational in making my point in this article, but let me first claim the elephant in the room: Kevin Gregg doesn't have what it takes to be a championship closer.
After watching Gregg blow saves in consecutive games, with Sunday's costing the Cubs first place in the National League Central, my firm belief is that the Cubs need to make a change at the end of their bullpen.
The non-waiver trade deadline has passed, and the Cubs weren't able (or willing) to make a deal for a closer like Baltimore's George Sherrill. They were able to add one-time closer ...
OK, maybe I'm a little goofy this evening, but I just read a couple headlines that made me crack up and wanted to share some fantastic comedy with my fellow Chicago Cubs' fans.
Anyone remember the name of the baby-faced kid that was going to be a 20-time All Star centerfielder for the Chicago Cubs about five or six years ago?
No, not Jerome Walton. Too far back.
Roosevelt Brown? Nah, he had a certain "Greg Oden" quality that would exclude him from the "baby face" qualification.
No, Cubs fans, I'm talking about Corey Patterson, the older brother of the kid the Cubs traded in ...
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