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He's still ticked off at Murton for dropping two fly balls earlier in the season when the Cubs got off to a crappy start. Talk about holding a grudge.. jeez, get over it already and play him.

I was told by somebody in the organization that Lou hasn't forgotten the two flyballs that Matt dropped when the team was struggling earlier in the season. Seriously, Lou needs to get over his problems with Murton and let the kid play or trade him and a prospect to Baltimore for Jay Payton.

Ain't that the truth. Now that I live in Illinois in the off-season, I am REALLY looking forward to seeing the Cubs in the stretch run in September.

Kerry Wood will make a rehab appearance for the Tenessee Smokies on Tuesday night at Pringles Park when the Smokies take on the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx. Wood will pitch 1-2 innings in what could be his final rehab appearance before getting back to the Cubs. Even when the Cubs leave us, we STILL get great rehab appearances from Cubs big leaguers.. lol

I'll be here all week.. don't forget to tip your waiters and waitresses.. lol

Mick, How does it feel having replaced a moron in the booth like Ron Potesta??

I'd like to chime in on the discussion..BTW, this is coming from someone who saw all of his games when he was in West Tenn in 2005 and I happen to know alot of folks within the organization. Murton was sent down because he was the only guy that had options left and because they wanted him to play everyday in right, work on his defense and get his hitting back in order. Von Joshua, the Iowa hitting coach, told me last week that Murton was working really hard and was just about ready to get back to the majors. As far as what Murton can do in the future..again, I had the opportunity to see him everyday in Double-A and I saw his work ethic. IMHO, this is a guy that will hit .300+ with 20-25 homers per year and 15-20 steals per year while playing average in right if he is given a chance to play everyday. What all of the anti-Murton people out there are missing is the projection of this young man. Murton has a type of loft in his swing that will produce good (not great, but good) power if given the chance. Everyone can get hung up on stats and what have you..I prefer to look at the work ethic, the way the ball comes off the bat, etc.. Having said that, Murton is by far the hardest working guy I have ever seen come through Jackson and the ball comes off his bat really well. If he's given a chance (and hopefully he will be now that he's been given a crash course on how to play right during his time in Triple-A), Murton will be a solid addition to what is already a good everyday Cubs lineup. I'll go on a limb and say that Murton (again if he plays consistently) will play a BIG role in the Cubs winning the NL Central this September.

I talked with Von Joshua yesterday to ask him how Murton and Pie are doing. It's a shame Von isn't the hitting coach for the Cubs because it seems like anytime a player needs help hitting, Von gets that player out of a slump pretty quickly. They will both be up before to long.

I knew I should of made a left turn at Albuquerque.. whoops.

Cesar Izturis has been traded to Pittsburgh for a player to be named later. Jake Fox has been called up to Chicago. Cubs fans, half of your whipping boy duo is gone. I'm sure you all are hoping the other half (Jones) leaves town soon as well.

Actually Pringles Park is one of the toughest places to homer.. especially June-Aug when most nights have little or no breeze. It was alot tougher to homer before they cut all the trees down to make the little league fields.

Nope.. I haven't seen my wife in three months, so I am driving back home to spend some time with her and the dog. We are in Mississippi right now.. here tonight and tomorrow.. if you want to come out to one of the games, give me a hollar.

I haven't even gotten a ballot yet.. like the last post said.. somewhere toward the end of the month

Where should I start with last night's game?? Lost in the two controversial calls was a very good performance from both starting pitchers. Veal looked really good last night, allowing just three hits a walk and seven strikeouts. Woerman allowed three runs on thre hits in seven plus innings (ven though it should have only been two runs). Now to the calls. In the first inning, Nick Nolde called Josh Kroeger out on a play at home. When I looked at the play, I thought there was no doubt whatsoever that Kroeger had touched home plate, despite C Luis Oliveros effort to block the plate. Those who listened in last night heard me say that Kroeger was safe. Well... if a picture is worth a thousand words, I should be eating them because in today's Jackson Sun (you know, the local newspaper that obviously sends photographers but not a beat writer to cover the Jaxx) there is a PERFECT picture of Oliveros blocking the plate while putting the tag on Kroeger. It's just one picture and not a series of pictures, but from this one picture.. Kroeger looks out. In the eighth inning, Casey McGehee was up with the bases loaded and the Smokies leading 2-1. McGehee took a 2-2 pitch that should have been called strike three, but was called a ball. The next pitch went off the right-field wall for a three run double to essentially give the Smokies the win. Should be an interesting night tonight..

"The Don" goes up against Joe Woerman, who won the Southern League Pitcher of the Week award and hasn't allowed a run in the last nineteen innings. It should be a GREAT pitching matchup if both guys are on their "A" game tonight.

3-0 Jaxx into the bottom of the fifth inning. Holliman has allowed three runs on six hits in four innings (all three runs given up in the second inning). He has thrown 84 pitches.

3-0 Jaxx entering the bottom of the 4th inning.

That game last night was hands down the best game I have ever seen at Pringles Park. At least seven brilliant defensive gems (I forgot how special McGehee is defensively at 3B), an incredible one man performance in Charlton Jimerson (3 homers, 5 RBI's, two phenominal catches in CF and thre runs scored) and a walk-off home run. This series has been as much fun as I had hoped for. Bring on tonight!!

greetings to one and all from Pringles Park.. it is REALLY wierd seeing all these guys in Smokies uniforms..

It's interesting how this season has unfolded for the Cubs. I can remember talking with alot of guys in the organization before the end of the Dusty era and came to the conclusion that the Cubs could either hold a fire sale on the majority of the veterans and go with mostly kids in 2007 or sign some free agents and try to go for it in 2007. Obviously, the Cubs chose the latter and to this point have chosen the wrong direction. While there is talent on this club, in the long run this club would have been better off by doing a complete overhaul and going with mostly kids.. Imagine what the lineup could have been: 1B: Lee 2B: Theriot SS: Cedeno 3B: Moore or McGehee LF: Murton CF: Pie RF: Coats C: Barrett or Soto with a rotation of Zambrano, Hill, Guzman, Marshall and Marmol or Mateo. On paper it doesn't look good, but long term things would have been better.. Just my humble opinion...

75 minutes and counting... GO JAXX!!!

Let the games begin...

It is going to be REALLY WEIRD seeing those guys in a different uniform for the first time.. Should be a great series.

Chris, you must be thinking about the time in 1999 when I said on the air as the Abilene Prairie Dogs built an eleven run lead "If they blow this game, I will walk back to Abilene." I believe we were playing a team 7 or eight hours away by bus. They scored nine unanswered runs but Abilene held on for the win. I would have probably died of heat exhaustion during the walk back had they lost.. lol

Chris, how soon we forget.. yes I did bet my hair in the 2nd half of the 2005 season with the Jaxx down five games with 25 left to play. Theriot, Casey Mcgehee and the boys went on a roll and I lost my hair.. Raisin, after some serious thought.. I have decided not to do it for two reasons.. My wife would disown me is the best reason but the other reason is the fact that I don't like sequel's (except for Godfather II and maybe Star Wars). It's no secret that the 2005 season was by far the funnest year I have ever had in broadcasting. I'll think of something else to do.. maybe I just storm into the clubhouse and go Lou Piniella on them.. lol