MPrior

fixed. At least with Jones you can call him stuff like strap or itch. Juan doesn't inspire any easy heckling names. Juan EncarnaciOWNED This was straight up awesome.

I'm not sure that I want Walker hitting fifth. Although I guess that would probably be better than Jones. Hopefully Murton will make his way to the fifth spot sometime this season.

I was real impressed too. He got a TON of groundouts. The problem was, if it weren't for the wind, it might not have looked like that great a start - there were a few hard-hit fly balls there. I suspect that, even if he does pitch much better this season, the longball will still be a big problem. Which is not to say that I'm not hoping like hell to have the same filthy rotation you just mentioned.

Okay. So generally, I don't think gay jokes are very cool. But frankly, as long as it's Edmonds we're making fun of here, they're literally funny every time. And seriously. He really IS a tool. It's not just the eyeliner.

Or Hairston.

This is my vote.

Exactly why I voted for Sunday.

Found your problem. Maybe you could start liking a better team? Easier said than done. And I'm totally with you, KatJ. My mood is impacted by the Cubs to a far greater degree than it really should be. So far, I've been unable to find a cure.

Yes he is. A good game does not erase a terrible career. My point is is that is getting a little ridiculous to see everybody freak out if he is in the starting lineup. He shouldn't be a starter, but obviously he will start some games this year. Can we stop the NSBB PMS whenever he is starting? People freak out because Dusty is dumb enough to keep starting him if he does well. And that people keep freaking out that Dusty is dumb enough to put him in the 2 hole, where he should be at the 8th hole. I'm fairly amazed that people are complaining about a guy after he goes 3-4 and the team wins. Is he awful? Yes. Should he start? No. Should everyone relax and just enjoy the win, at least for about an HOUR after it has happened? Of course. The whole idea of sports is to have something to enjoy-can't we all just enjoy the win, complaint-free, for a little while? Here's my pledge: I will not complain about Neifi Perez in the 24 hours after he gets more than 2 hits in a game and commits no errors in a game for the remainder of the season. I hope I never complain about him once. If I'm wrong about Neifi and Baker, and that means the Cubs get to the WS, I'm much happier than if I'm right and we finish 4th. I'm not sure everyone feels the same. It's worth pointing out that people didn't start complaining after the game until someone called them out on it. And what I think is most terrifying about it is that Neifi was batting second. Under no circumstances, ever, should Neifi bat second. That, I think, is a totally fair statement. And, of course, the fear that Dusty will continue to play him over superior players like Walker (who has also been hitting the ball very well, I should add).

Pitching top to bottom was real solid today - let's hope we can keep doing it.

Ha.

I'm glad when any Cub gets a hit. I'm just worried that Baker will use this as an excuse to play him more often. Which would piss me off.

More than anything today, I've been impressed with Maddux so far. He's averaging about 11 pitches per inning, and getting a ton of groundouts. Let's hope he keeps it up.

They're pitching around Pierre so Neifi can ground into a double play.

Already pitching around Lee, I see.

Does anyone know if there's an online radio feed for the game that I don't have to pay for? No cable in L.A. = suckage.

That's not the choice. Most first pitches are not great pitches to hit. Well, I agree that most first pitches aren't great pitches to hit. But that has nothing to do with what I was talking about. I said that it's stupid to take pitches just for the sake of taking pitches. What are the benefits of doing so that you spoke of? I think the contention here isn't about whether or not to swing at good first pitches. If a pitch is a great one to hit, you should probably swing at it in just about any situation. However, I think what Goony was saying is that taking pitches, in a generalized, decontextualized sense, has intrinsic value. First, it runs up pitch counts, which we've already mentioned and discussed. Secondly, though, it allows you and your team to see more of the pitcher, and see which pitches are working and which aren't. Thirdly, the more pitches you take, the more pitches you'll see. And the more pitches you see, on average, the more good pitches to hit you'll see, for two reasons: one is the obvious; if we assume a certain percentage of all pitches are "good" pitches, then the more pitches we see overall, the more "good" pitches we'll see, just as a matter of percentages; the second is that once you get deeper in the count, you're more likely to run into hitter's pitches. And lastly, taking pitches leads to more walks, which we'd all agree can be helpful. Sorry for the treatise; I'm just trying to point out why taking pitches, on the whole, is a good thing to do. None of this is to say, though, that you shouldn't swing at flat fastballs over the heart of the plate or hanging breaking balls up in the zone. Obviously players should swing at those in any count.

You ARE? Is this some sort of alter-ego you haven't told us about, Fred? Or should I say...Hank?

As much as I'm already P.O.'d about Jacque Jones, Encarnacion is probably worse (although not by much). I'd still say us Cubs fans have more gripes than you do, though (then again, who don't we have more gripes than?).

Um. I think it's fair to say that Barrett is no wizard defensively. But it's a bit extreme to suggest that he's the worst you've ever seen (unless you've only seen a few catchers, in which case it's you, in fact, who knows very little about baseball), and more than a little self-righteous to proclaim yourself the one true authority on the matter, all the while calling out anyone who has disagreed with you in the past.

Somebody in our rotation better step it up, or it's gonna be a long April.

Yeah, one of the more famous figures from the French Revolution, but not the most famous. If the discussion was about politics, history, the current protests in France, revolution in general, or change in government leadership, then it's not obscure. The only figure from the French Revolution that I can think of who's maybe more famous than Robespierre is Danton, and they're pretty much on the same level as far as I can tell (unless you count the Scarlet Pimpernel). But it's probably just the nerd in me (which constitutes no small part, I admit) that thinks this is funny. So for everyone who doesn't think this is funny, I totally get ya. But I still think it's far and away the best nickname I've heard for any baseball player, let alone just Pierre (maybe because it's obscure and totally irrelevant).

Damn, that is a classic Wish I had come with that one. I remember this one, and it is clearly the best option. Not that it is in any way related to the actual player (although I do enjoy envisioning Pierre as a crazed, tyrranical, murderous frenchman).

My observations: Matt Murton is awesome. I think he will be something really special. Jacque Jones is not awesome. I think he should bat seventh (until he's traded). Scott Williamson's ERA and WHIP on the year are now technically infinite, right? I am amazed that we pitched as awfully as we did, in that ballpark, with the wind blowing out, and still only gave up seven runs. I hope that our pitchers learn to throw strikes, and quickly. Adam Dunn is awesome. Only he can have two hits, a home run, and two rbi in a game, and still make it look bad.

Kerry Wood has always been my favorite Cub to watch, when he's on. He has one of the sickest curveballs I've ever seen - and what's even more amazing is that his slider is just as good and he can throw upwards of 95 mph. I'm glad to see so many people agree with me here - I've got nothing but love for Kerry, and I hope he puts it together this year (and maybe re-signs with the Cubs for a smaller contract? I know, I know. Wishful thinking.)