Gammons trying to get on Cubs bandWGN?

[Blueheart05]

This piece is from his ESPN Insider Blog:

 

Loveable winners?

posted: Monday, April 10, 2006

 

CHICAGO -- In many ways, the Cubs have moved on. Manager Dusty Baker and pitching coach Larry Rothschild won't even discuss when Mark Prior and Kerry Wood might be back. GM Jim Hendry never utters an if as to what they would mean to their rotation come June, July or September.

 

"When they're ready to pitch," Rothschild says, "they'll pitch. The moment you start estimating when they return, they try to meet that timetable. They may not be honest with themselves or with us if they don't feel right because of the pressure. It's not fair to either of them."

 

So the Cubs are moving on, with Carlos Zambrano and Greg Maddux -- who is throwing very well -- at the top along with Glendon Rusch, Sean Marshall and Jerome Williams. The bullpen is vastly improved, anchored by Ryan Dempster, who through the weekend had 20 consecutive saves. "We're fine with our pitching as it is," Baker says.

 

Angel Guzman, 23, once a prize in the class of a Zambrano, made a significant comeback this spring. "His velocity was back up to 95-96," Rothschild says. As he pitches at Iowa, Guzman will be closely monitored for his command, especially of his breaking ball. When asked if Guzman could help by midseason, Hendry laughed and said, "It could be by the end of this month."

 

The Cubs believe Prior will be fine, in time. When he pulled the muscle underneath his armpit this spring, Dr. Lewis Yocum said this was yet another in the series of freak occurrences that have set him back. And one thing should be eminently clear -- this has nothing to do with a willingness to pitch with pain. It's just that with Prior's delivery, when he gets to the unloading point, there is a lot of unnecessary stress.

 

But when he's healthy, look at what Prior is as a pitcher.

 

As for Wood, there have been several encouraging signs. Everyone feels the ball is coming out of his hand far better than it has since 2003. When Kerry feels right, he is back on his legs, driving to the plate better than he has since 2003. His slider is starting to come back.

 

Wood is coming off shoulder surgery, which was deemed "minor," as if any shoulder surgery is ever minor. What they don't know is how quickly his velocity will return (sometimes with a shoulder rehab, it takes a full year for arm strength to come back).

 

Then there's Wade Miller, who is throwing better than he did last year for Boston but is still a rehab work in progress. No timetable. No pressure.

 

This is an intriguing Cubs team. After they declined in 2003, Hendry and Baker rebuilt the core around superstars Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez, as well as one of the game's premier catchers, Michael Barrett.

 

They wanted to get younger. This is the youngest Cubs team since 1977, when Herman Franks was manager and Bruce Sutter was the closer.

 

They wanted to get faster. The key piece was obtaining Juan Pierre, but Ronny Cedeno, Matt Murton, Freddy Bynum and Angel Pagan all can run.

 

And they wanted to get more energy. "It's unbelievable what Juan brings to all of us," Murton says.

 

Barrett, Todd Walker and other veterans also point to both Murton and Cedeno as key energetic components. "They never stop working or coming to the park with excitement," hitting coach Sarge Matthews says. "It's great for everyone."

 

Says Walker: "The Cubs were always a team that relied on the three-run homer. Which is fine. But people see games here at Wrigley with the wind blowing out and think it's a home-run park. There are a lot of times like this weekend when the wind's blowing in off the lake and it's really hard to hit it out. With the speed and the energy we've added, I think we're much better equipped to play 81 home games."

 

They should have Lee's contract done by Tuesday, according to club sources. It's expected to be four years with an option in the Paul Konerko range. "Derrek's the right guy to invest in," Hendry says. No kidding. Not only is Lee a star, he is also reliable, averaging 157 games a year in this century.

 

The Cardinals are still the team to beat with their starting pitching, but two of the three outfield positions, second base and the bullpen are works in progress. "Our whole division is a lot better and deeper than it was," says Lee. "So things are wide open. We're going to surprise people."

 

Houston is still very dangerous, especially if the Astros get Roger Clemens back for the final 90-100 games. The Brewers may well contend. Despite the Pirates' slow start, they are greatly improved, and the Reds can beat anyone's brains out as Wayne Krivsky and Jerry Narron try to figure out where to find pitching.

 

Hendry got a two-year extension over the weekend, and he and Baker want to get Dusty a similar extension through 2008. "I've managed with my contract up before so it doesn't bother me," says Baker. "But I think something will get worked out."

 

Hendry and Baker want to see the fruits of their reconstruction. Hendry traded for or signed Barrett, Lee, Ramirez, Pierre, Murton, Jacque Jones, Maddux, the bullpen and virtually the entire bench. Dusty now has the speed and flexibility he wants.

 

And if Prior and Wood are healthy by Aug. 1, the Cubs could put 2003 behind them and move into the era that Hendry and Baker have framed.

 

Sounds like he wants to get on board just in case the Cubs are for real...

 

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[Post Count Padder]

Nothing against Gammons, but this sounds typical. We have one good week and baseball experts jump on the bandwagon and say how well the Cubs are looking. Then, if the Cubs falter, they will all probably get off and say "This team is a disappointment." If the Cubs fall apart, I can see that happening.

 

I thought we had a fine week (I love nothing more than beating the Ccards, but sweeping them was awesome). However, we are the Cubs unfortunately, and it was only one week. I'm not jumping on any bandwagon yet. Though, I do hope we continue to play this well. I could get used to winning :D .

[Blueheart05]

Nothing against Gammons, but this sounds typical. We have one good week and baseball experts jump on the bandwagon and say how well the Cubs are looking. Then, if the Cubs falter, they will all probably get off and say "This team is a disappointment." If the Cubs fall apart, I can see that happening.

 

I hear ya...

 

Conversely, if the Cubs continue to do well he'll act like he was on the story from the beginning (when actually he's one of the people who picked the Cards to win). It's hilarious. That blog entry has today's date so, apparently, the Sunday Night Game of the Week has changed his impression of things...

 

The Score had Rosenthal on this morning and he also said something to the effect that: he knew all along that the Cubs would be much improved. He said he wasn't specifically enamored with each offseason move but that each move has made them a more well rounded team that will compete in the Central.

[soccer10k]

I'm surprised that he didn't mention his Golden Boy Pujols in that article since he, Morgan, and Miller spent half the night touting him. At first they spent time before and after each of Pujols atbats talking about how he was hitless in the series and was such a great hitter. Then after he got a hit they talked about how dangerous he was and how he gets all the big hits.

[TCMike]

I'm surprised that he didn't mention his Golden Boy Pujols in that article since he, Morgan, and Miller spent half the night touting him. At first they spent time before and after each of Pujols atbats talking about how he was hitless in the series and was such a great hitter. Then after he got a hit they talked about how dangerous he was and how he gets all the big hits.

 

If Albert Pujols were here Albert Pujols wouldn't care about what you said about Albert Pujols. Albert Pujols would just continue to be the most amazing, dazzling, dumbfound, extraordinary, towering, collossal, ridiculously talented and sexy baseball player since Babe Ruth, who isn't as good as Albert Pujols.

[soccer10k]

I'm surprised that he didn't mention his Golden Boy Pujols in that article since he, Morgan, and Miller spent half the night touting him. At first they spent time before and after each of Pujols atbats talking about how he was hitless in the series and was such a great hitter. Then after he got a hit they talked about how dangerous he was and how he gets all the big hits.

 

If Albert Pujols were here Albert Pujols wouldn't care about what you said about Albert Pujols. Albert Pujols would just continue to be the most amazing, dazzling, dumbfound, extraordinary, towering, collossal, ridiculously talented and sexy baseball player since Babe Ruth, who isn't as good as Albert Pujols.

 

Haha.

[Outshined_One]

Maybe he was traumatized by his one night stand with the creepy Cards fan next to him who was trying to seduce him throughout Sunday night. :D

[TCMike]

I'm surprised that he didn't mention his Golden Boy Pujols in that article since he, Morgan, and Miller spent half the night touting him. At first they spent time before and after each of Pujols atbats talking about how he was hitless in the series and was such a great hitter. Then after he got a hit they talked about how dangerous he was and how he gets all the big hits.

 

If Albert Pujols were here Albert Pujols wouldn't care about what you said about Albert Pujols. Albert Pujols would just continue to be the most amazing, dazzling, dumbfound, extraordinary, towering, collossal, ridiculously talented and sexy baseball player since Babe Ruth, who isn't as good as Albert Pujols.

 

Haha.

 

It would be a lot funnier if Albert Pujols were here. His smile just lights up the room.

[srbin84]

I'm surprised that he didn't mention his Golden Boy Pujols in that article since he, Morgan, and Miller spent half the night touting him. At first they spent time before and after each of Pujols atbats talking about how he was hitless in the series and was such a great hitter. Then after he got a hit they talked about how dangerous he was and how he gets all the big hits.

 

If Albert Pujols were here Albert Pujols wouldn't care about what you said about Albert Pujols. Albert Pujols would just continue to be the most amazing, dazzling, dumbfound, extraordinary, towering, collossal, ridiculously talented and sexy baseball player since Babe Ruth, who isn't as good as Albert Pujols.

 

Haha.

 

It would be a lot funnier if Albert Pujols were here. His smile just lights up the room.

 

http://www.uiowa.edu/~belinctr/classes/chess/ic/comp/Gabe/laugh_gal.jpg

 

Heh heh heh heh heh heh!

[Banedon]

I think Peter is a closet Cubs fan. He predicted the Cubs to win the series a couple years back, and it seems like he really enjoys talking about them.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

I think Peter is a closet Cubs fan. He predicted the Cubs to win the series a couple years back, and it seems like he really enjoys talking about them.

 

Didn't he predict a Cubs/Twins WS last year too?

[TheDude]

Gammons isn't jumping on any wagons. He has stated more than once this offseason that the NL Central was a much tighter division than last year, and that the Cubs were a team to watch.