ToupeeOnFire

Only prolonging the agony.....game ovah.

I don't know. That's Dustyesque.

Alright, meaningless homerun!!!

...and that's the game.

I'll be shocked if Corey is still on this team next year.

Which is very possible in a park with the cavernous dimensions of Coors Field.

So how many runs will they have to score before we can safely feel that they are going to win? I say 10. Edit: Make that 12.

Who are these Cubs?

Ok, what alien presence is currently occupying the body of Neifi Perez?

Len Kaspar said it best, "It's like there is an invisible wall between third and home plate." By the way, good thing they sent Murton down, because, you know, his right-handed bat wouldn't have been useful in a game like this.

Like set your toupee on fire? :D Maybe. Compared to watching this team flail around aimlessly, second and third degree burns don't sound so bad in retrospect. :?

Wow, I can't watch any more of this. It's Sunday, it's summer...I've got better things to do than put myself through this.

If we take Alou back what does that say about the competence about our GM? Then again Hendry didnt light the world on fire with his actions this off-season. During the off-season, I thought getting rid of Alou was the absolutely right thing to do (instead of picking up his 9 mil option). I didn't think he had another year in him. On the other hand, I was one of those who thought it would be better to hold onto Sosa for one more year, instead of trading him to any team just to get rid of him. I wasn't even too crazy about the Cliff Floyd rumors, thinking it better to keep Sosa in a contract year. Goes to show what I know. That said, Alou again suffered his usual injury and I still don't think he is worth 9 mil.

If Dusty was the manager of the Cubs back then, Sandberg would have never gotten a chance to play. Instead of Ryno playing everyday in '82 as a 22 year old rookie third baseman, Dusty would have been starting Junior Kennedy. Keep in mind that Ryno got off to a 1-30 start that year. He would have been benched quicker than you can say Matt Murton.

If that is the case, I think you can safely put these Clemens rumors to rest. Selig would look like a complete fool for it to turn out to be otherwise.

I'm sure this article has been discussed somewhere on this site, but I'll provide the link here: Cubs Baker: No on-the-job training during playoff chase Some choice bits from an article that is pretty revealing in regard to Dusty's thought process... The first quote is pretty silly. Technically, Dusty may be not too far off about the 80% figure. If we count players under age 27 as youngsters, you get Prior, Zambrano, Williams, Wuertz, Ohman, Wellemyer, and Novoa. 58% of the pitching staff can probably be labeled as young. But extending that definition to the position players leaves you with only Matt Murton and Corey Patterson. That is 9 out of 25. Regardless, you get the sense that having young players on the roster is somehow beneath Dusty's dignity. After all, you don't see Tony LaRussa have to put up with that crap. The second quote is more infuriating than anything else. It's like there is a sword of Dusticles hanging over the head of any rookie that dares make a mistake. Quite a double standard, too. If it is a rookie making a mistake, it is because of a lack of coaching. If it is a veteran (you know, like your veteran SS failing to touch second base for a crucial out in the ninth inning of a game against a division rival), well them's the breaks. If Dusty had a low threshold for sloppy play, that would be one thing; but it is clear he has two sets of standards. Also there is the "The only thing about teaching at the big-league level is you can't teach them until they make a mistake," quote which displays a disturbing laissez-faire approach when it comes to developing younger players. I suspect that is probably one of the telling differences between an organization like the Braves and the Cubs. I suspect the Braves take a pro-active approach with their younger players, understanding fully that instruction doesn't end at the minor leagues. With the Cubs, well, you get the sense that they are waiting until somebody screws up.

One of the dirty little secrets about the NL West this year is that the Giants are still kinda, sorta in the race, being "only" six games back. I don't see them trading away one of their best hitters for prospects.

I've been hearing this all day. Of course, you know how rumors get started; they tend to take on a life of their own.

While I know there isn't a fancy statistic for shutting down the opponent in the 7th or 8th innings, it is just as important as holding them in the 9th. Case in point was Sunday against the Cardinals. Wood came in to a 5-3 game, pitched lights out in the 7th and 8th against their best hitters, and turned the game over to Dempster in the 9th who squeaked out a save. If Wood can be stretched out for two innings, he's more valuable in the set-up role than being a one inning closer. Besides, Dempster has gotten the job done (antacid moments notwithstanding) and I see no reason to tinker with what could be a nice 1-2 punch (at least for this year).

Man, I love that uniform website. A few other uniform ideas... Anybody remember these? http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v511/freejju/nl_1977_houston.gif The daring innovation here (apart from all of the orange) is the number on the road pants is underlined. What makes these uni's so appealing is that the glare coming from the day-glo stripes might interfere with the hitters' eyesight/concentration. I kind of like these, worn by the 1906 Giants. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v511/freejju/nl_1906_newyork.gif Wear 'em long enough and it's bound to happen. But if you really want to make a bold statement, one that says, "Hey, I'm secure in my masculinity," how about ressurrecting this uniform from 1916 (NY Giants)... http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v511/freejju/nl_1916_newyork.gif Hmmm, wonder why it never caught on?

Ugh, please no sleeveless. I think those are extremely ugly. I agree. Plus, sleeveless jerseys seem stupid from a marketing standpoint. Few people, other than a very select population, would wear sleeveless jerseys to games and such as they require you to wear another shirt underneath. That sounds pretty freaking uncomfortable to me sitting in the stands on a 95 degree day with two shirts on. Sleeveless jerseys are a bad idea. Most people wear a t shirt under their jersey anyway. (I do not support sleeveless jerseys.) Ahem... http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v511/freejju/klu.jpg

If it were up to me, I'd ditch the pinstripes and go with the retro-ized red C logo with the little bear in the middle. 1929: http://baseballhalloffame.org/exhibits/online_exhibits/dressed_to_the_nines/images/nl_1929_chicago.gif I know some people have an attachment to the pinstripes and the current logo (the red C with the 'ubs' inside), but the pinstripes were not used regularly until 1957 and the C'ubs' logo only became a standard feature after 1937. Yeah, I know all about maintaining tradition, but the team had a better record when they weren't using pinstripes with the now-standard logo - so screw tradition. :o

Yeah, but a good article nonetheless. An excellent summation of all of the complexities involved with the Kerry Wood situation.

How many pitches total in this game by Cub pitchers? Had to be less than 90.

The Immutable Law of Dusty Line-Ups: a) If the the line-up is good on paper (i.e., meets the approval of Northside regulars), the Cubs will likely lose b) If the line-up is bad (usually containing some combination of Neifi, Macias and Blanco), the Cubs will probably win