Thoughts on the Chicago Cubs and other topics in baseball. E-mail Tom at: tomsmithcubs@ hotmail.com

 
THOUGHTS ON 2003 CUBS AND THE RACE: Everybody is talking about how great it is the Cubs made a "big" trade to make a pennant drive push. Sorry folks but I am just not that excited. I am not against this deal. In fact it is probably a good deal for the Cubs, both short-term and long-term. But I am not convinced the Cubs are in any type of pennant race. The Cubs are in third place, 50-50, 5 1/2 games out of first place. The Cubs are simply not a good team. They have two good starters in Wood and Prior (who is on the DL). A promising one in Zambrano, an average starter in Clement, and a weak one with Shawn Estes. The bullpen is average at best. The bench is awful. The good news is Sammy Sosa is finally coming around. The Cubs have gotten some production out of Alou, Karros, and Grudzielanek, but it does not make them all-stars. Houston and St. Louis are both better than the Cubs and will finish ahead of the Cubs. Even with the new additions the Cubs are still a mediocre team which will likely finish closer to .500 than first place.
posted by Thomas at 11:29 AM

 
WEDNESDAY'S GAME VS. PHILADELPHIA: Just when it looked like the Cubs' offense was coming to life, combined with acquiring Kenny Lofton and Aramis Ramirez, the anemic Cubs were back home on Wednesday night losing 3-0 to the Phillies, and scraching out only four hits.

RUDY MEOLI AWARD: The Rudy Meoli Award for worst performance by a Cubs infielder to Aramis Ramirez. Ramirez went 0 for 4 and made an error.
posted by Thomas at 11:11 AM

 
CUBS-PIRATES TRADE: The big news on Tuesday night was not the Cubs losing to the Braves 8-4 but the trade made between the Cubs and the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Cubs acquired OF Kenny Lofton and 3B Aramis Ramirez for IF-OF Jose Hernandez, minor league pitcher Matt Bruback, and a player to be named later. I have no problem with this trade right now. The Cubs are not giving up much in Jose Hernandez or a fringe prospect in Bruback. We will have to see who the minor leaguer to be named is to get the full view of this trade. As for the guys we got, Ramirez is the real key as to whether or not this goes down in history as good deal for the Cubs. Lofton is just going to be around for the rest of this season then be gone when Corey Patterson comes back next year. So hopefully the Cubs may have found an answer for now at third base.
posted by Thomas at 11:01 AM

 
TUESDAY'S GAME AT ATLANTA: When word came out that Mark Prior would go on the DL after his collision in Chicago with Atlanta's Marcus Giles and that the Cubs were calling up Sergio Mitre from West Tennessee (AA) to face Greg Maddux and the Braves on Tuesday night you knew it was likely not going to be the Cubs night. It was not exactly pretty for the Cubs or Mitre. Mitre gave up eight runs to Atlanta in 3 2/3 innings. The bullpen shut the Braves down the rest of the way but Atlanta defeated the Cubs 8-4.
posted by Thomas at 4:28 PM

 
SUNDAY'S GAME AT FLORIDA: I tuned in to the Cubs game on Sunday expecting Dontrelle Willis to dominate the Cubs while I spent the whole game thinking, "Those idiots in the front office have done it again." Traded someone good for a "proven veteran" in Antonio Alfonseca and average starter Matt Clement. Willis, the former Cubs minor leaguer, pitched ok the first two innings but after a 67 minute rain delay was very hitable. The Cubs' offense came out of hibernation in the top of third inning scoring six runs. The Cubs stayed awake the rest of the day scoring ten more runs in a 16-2 rout over the Marlins.

CHIPMUNK: When the rain delay began in the bottom of the second inning, Chip started talking about Marlins being a regional franchise and not having a domed stadium. Chip informed us how people who live far away from Miami do not want to drive several hours there only to find out the game has been rained out. Chip informed us it is really difficult to get people from Orlando and St. Pete (St. Petersburg) to come to South Florida if they do not know if the game is going to be played or not.
For your information Chip, the people in St. Petersburg do not go to Miami for a reason: they already have a team! The Tampa Bay Devil Rays stadium Tropicana Field is in St. Petersburg!
posted by Thomas at 4:51 PM

 
SATURDAY'S GAME AT FLORIDA: Well the Cubs' offense took another night off last night in Miami, as the Cubs scored only an unearned run against the Florida Marlins. Maybe the Cubs are visiting Miami Beach a tad too much? But that one unearned run was all the Cubs needed to defeat the Marlins as Kerry Wood pitched an outstanding game and shutout the Marlins 1-0. Kerry threw 130 pitches, giving up only two hits and five walks to the Marlins.


TODAY THE RED SEA WILL PART: Lenny Harris, yes Lenny Harris, had three plate appearences (two official at-bats), and got a base hit and a walk!
posted by Thomas at 9:58 AM

 
FRIDAY'S GAME AT FLORIDA: Can the Cubs get any more pathetic than they did on Friday night? Let us hope not. Honesty compels me to report I think they can. A truly pathetic performance by the Cubs, as the Cubs get shutout and had only five hits. The Cubs got shutout by Mark Redman for seven innings, then Ugueth Urbina and Braden Looper came in for Florida in relief to nail down the shutout. Matt Clement was wild all night. Clement hit three batters and had one wild pitch. Surprisingly, he only gave up three runs in six innings of work. Kyle Farnsworth came in the game in the bottom of the seventh and allowed three more runs to give the Marlins a 6-0 lead which was more than enough for the Fish against the punchless Cubs.

TODD HUNDLEY AWARD: The Todd Hundley Award for worst performance by a Cubs catcher to Damian Miller. Miller went 0 for 3 (all 3 were strikeouts), and left 1 runner on-base. Defensively Miller had a throwing error, and a past ball.

MEL ROJAS AWARD: The Mel Rojas Award for worst performance by a Cubs relief pitcher to Kyle Farnsworth. Farnsworth pitched one inning giving up three earned runs.
posted by Thomas at 9:11 AM