98navigator

Sori HBP in the hand :?

just did :lol: Sort of. nah, it was. Burke had a swinging strikeout. He didn't technically swing and miss. He got a piece of that pitch, but Barrett caught it. that's a swinging strike

just did :lol: Sort of. nah, it was. Burke had a swinging strikeout.

Marquis can stil salvage his start if he settles down

just did :lol:

The Cubs will score more than 3 today!

Oh God

It'll be cold...wind blowing in...he should be fine...he'll save the truly bad games for August...when we're hopefully in contention and it can really hurt us. It's funny, most of my Yankee fan friends are saying the samething about A-Rod. They all still hate him. I have no idea why. My, one, Yankee fan friend hates ARod too. She thinks that liking/accepting him takes away from Jeter's adoration--which makes no sense to me but it seems to be a running theme with many in that fandom.

Len and Bob's Podcast was tapped after the game.

Wow, and they had that clown working the plate at a Cubs home opener? :shock: You'd think a more experienced person would get the nod.

It's worth pointing out that I have a friend who's met Len and says he's about the nicest, most genuine person you can imagine. I've never gotten any impression otherwise, and this interview was just another example. Good stuff. I'm a Len fan as well. Here's an interview that took place today on The Mike North Show. I don't care for the show but it was a chance to hear from Len.

Rich Hill interview

http://bc.images.trb.com/media/photo/2007-04/28930150.JPG http://bc.images.trb.com/media/photo/2007-04/28930167.JPG Bob and Ryan http://bc.images.trb.com/media/photo/2007-04/28930163.JPG Lou talks to the media before the game http://bc.images.trb.com/media/photo/2007-04/28930272.JPG Len interviews Lou http://bc.images.trb.com/media/photo/2007-04/28930274.JPG The color guard practices their steps while batting practice takes place http://bc.images.trb.com/media/photo/2007-04/28930359.JPG Lee & Barrett http://bc.images.trb.com/media/photo/2007-04/28930579.JPG New Soriano Sign http://bc.images.trb.com/media/photo/2007-04/28930590.JPG After both teams were introduced, the kids from Blaine Elementary School led the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance. http://bc.images.trb.com/media/photo/2007-04/28930592.JPG Freshly painted scoreboard http://bc.images.trb.com/media/photo/2007-04/28930689.JPG The Army's Golden Knight Parachute Team entertained the crowd before the game. http://bc.images.trb.com/media/photo/2007-04/28930725.JPG Santo flag http://bc.images.trb.com/media/photo/2007-04/28930729.JPG Banks flag http://bc.images.trb.com/media/photo/2007-04/28930741.JPG Lovie in the booth with Len and Bob. http://bc.images.trb.com/media/photo/2007-04/28930783.JPG Devin Hester sings "Take Me Out To The Ballgame." Len interviewing Lou Cliff Floyd Interview

Postgame Audio Lilly Lou Soriano Opening Day panoramics

Exactly, it's too early. I do not care about Wells, or Looper for that matter, but I do know they are going to miss Carpenter. On another note, the Cubs have gotten some nice pitching (save Miller) from their own reclamation projects. We'll see how long these trends continue.

I love Murton but the Cubs never promised that Matt was going to play everyday. The same can be said for Jacque Jones. Lou isn't playing favorites, he will play matchups or stick with the hot hand. Theriot will get a lot of time all over the field. Also, it's hard to decry Murton's lack of playing time when you see that he's had more ABs than Floyd. The team has only played in 7 games so it's hard to say how it will play out but, there's no doubt that Floyd has been more productive, in fewer at-bats, even though he hasn't been on base as much as Murton. Ultimately, Murton should see more starts because Floyd doesn't move well and I suspect he isn't 100% healed. However, Matt has to be smart too. He isn't getting on base--swinging at the first pitch in yesterday's game was horrible considering the situation (whereas, Floyd took a walk against a LHP). Overall, Matt hasn't looked very good at all. It's subjective, but Floyd always looks like he's driving the ball (his outs are even line drives). I can't say the same for Matt. I'm for playing the most productive players. I want the team to win-Period. There's nothing wrong with playing the hot hand. I suggest Murton get hot to force the issue...

Here's to Marquis keeping the ball on the ground and the Cubs scoring a lot of runs.

its more unlucky than anything, they are hitting the ball hard a lot of the time, yet they are hitting the balls to opposing players I agree. The Cubs have hit some line drive outs with RISP over the last few days (Floyd and Barrett quickly come to mind). I'm not worried about the offense. However, the back end of the bullpen could be better... Howry and Eyre have to improve or their roles will need to be changed. I think they will improve but, if they don't Lou will be forced to go with Wuertz and Cotts (who has looked a lot better in season than his dismal ST).

I agree. Either way, the offense was going to have to score more runs to win because the game was tied. It's early so I'm not going to get crazy about the loss but, there's no denying that Howry cost them this game and he gave up the lead in Marquis' last start. I'm waiting for him to be good consistently.

Howry was great last year and he may wind up being so this year but the early returns are bad. Yeah, he was great last year, far from iffy. But that's the problem when you sign aging middle relievers to longterm deals. They aren't the picture of stability. He struggles every time he pitches, including last year. It's only a matter of time before he gets rocked. A pitcher can look good on the stat sheet but use your eyes, it's obvious the guy struggles to get hitters out. Sure he can ride the dragon for a while, get the outs. But eventually it's going to come crashing down. this is just plain old nonsense. Was it nonsense with Beck, too? How about Borowski? Did you think his 2003 ERA+ of 161 was going to carry over to next season? He struggled to get outs as well. Use your eyes. It's not hard to pick out a pitcher who has trouble. Not hard to pick out the ones who are due for disaster. That was a fluke for JoBo. Howry has a better track record.

That's just idiotic. What has Zito done for the Giants or Lee for the 2-5 Astros? 7 games is a good barometer. :roll:

The starter pitched to a 4.50 ERA. The lineup had an OBP of about .270 and scored 3 measly runs. Yes, Howry had a bad outing as well. But the blame for the loss lies on many shoulders. A loss is more than just who was on the mound when the other team took the lead. Get over the "4.50 ERA." 6 IP with 3 ER is widely accepted as a Quality Start. His overall ERA is 2.77 Obviously, the team needed to score more runs. It was also Howry's job to make sure the opponents didn't score so that the home team had a chance. Widely accepted by baseball's conventional wisdom is hardly a quality defense of a cliche. 6 ip and 3 ER equates to a 4.50 ERA, and that is not good. It's not terrible, but it's hardly something to hang on when blaming others for a loss. It's still a Quality Start. This is a perfect case of stats not telling the whole story. Lilly should have only had two runs score. Carlos Lee advancing to 2B on Jones' arm setup the second ER. A hit and and an out followed. If Lee had been held to a single that run never scores. Lilly did not pitch poorly despite the stats. Also, he exited the game after a botched up strikeout and a seeing eye single. He probably would have gone deeper, in the game, if the first out was recorded in the top of the 7th. That alone would have lowered his in-game ERA. You're not giving Lilly credit for his admirable work. I don't know why we're debating. The game was tied when Howry started pitching. He allowed the winning runs.

Well, it's true. They certainly had a chance...

Don't feel bad. It's too early to live and die with every game. The Astros are 2-5.

Howry was great last year and he may wind up being so this year but the early returns are bad. Yeah, he was great last year, far from iffy. But that's the problem when you sign aging middle relievers to longterm deals. They aren't the picture of stability. In theory, I can't disagree but he's been good for a while... Like I said before, he may well pitch effectively, overall, this year. I don't like what I've seen from him in two games (today and game three in Cincy).