Cross-Town Classic…Sort Of
Cub prosperity has hit even the hardest working Sox Fans
“What’s it been like, a hundred years?”
“Say hi to Bartman for me”
“Joe Crede is waaayyy better than Ramirez.”
“..yea, if you mean by greatest fans a bunch of beer drinking fratboy yuppies who don’t even know the score to the game”
“CUBs S*&CK”
These are just a few of the inane, biased, and trite things you’ll hear come out of a Sox fans mouth when one even begins to screw up their lips and begin to breathe the dreaded C word.
Oh, forgot this one.
“Yea, if by that you mean the “attendance world series.”
Which is a personal favorite of mine. Now I’m not saying all Sox fans are dumb and that all Cub fans actually watch the game–I’ve actually heard some pretty funny things come out of Sox fans mouths in regards to the Cubs.
But that isn’t what I’m about here(and I’m just way too tired to reach my usual level of mediocrity)
Aaron Heilman takes the ball today in his first action as a Cub since coming over from the Mariners. Heilman was the main piece in what is quickly becoming known as “The ANTI-LOU BROCK” Cedeno trade. I’m not even going to take the time out here to make a Cedeno joke, I’m just going to say that Cedeno will probably see about as much playing time as a Mariner as Heilman did( Aaron was traded from the Mets to the Mariners earlier in the off season). Heilman is involved in one of the few position battles in camp this spring, hoping to claim the fifth spot in the rotation as his own, but if he continues to pitch as he has historically, it ain’t happening. But who knows–he could surprise. Word is out that he has great stuff, to go along with decent command, but lacks the ability to be consistent. Some say he has an over-abundance of the “Marquis Factor”.
Yikes.
Things to watch for:
The coast being clear –so Lilly, Dempster, and Fontenot can let the air out of Ozzie’s tires.
See what I’m saying? I’m off my game.
PITCHING
Wherefore art thou Kevin Gregg?
Seriously, where the f*&ck is he?
We’ve yet to see action from the biggest off season pen acquisition, while guys like Mike Stanton and Ed Campusano are getting back to back game time. When Gregg was acquired the Cubs put the nail in the coffin of Kerry Wood’s northside career, to many a fans dismay(This Fan’s). So why haven’t we seen him? look for Gregg and fellow closer candidate Marmol to get alot of early inning time so they can face quality hitters in this farce known as “the closer competition”
It’s Day 4 of the Cotts Watch...and so far the coast is clear(see, I made it work this time)
Cotts has yet to see the mound in a spring training game, and to be honest, that’s fine by me. He’s a serviceable bullpen arm, and has the added plus of being a lefty, but nothing about Cotts says dominant or consistent. He’ll probably break camp with the team, but so what?
Things will probably be status-quo until first round of cuts start creeping up, so news in this section could slow down a bit as we see more guys more often.
HITTING
Micah Hoffpauir
Micah Hoffpauir
Micah Hoffpauir
Will he continue to tear the cover off the ball? And will a majority of those hits come later in the game against minor league pitchers that we already know he can hit.
Milton Bradley is out for the weekend with flu like symptoms. This may seem like the beginning of the end for some, but Bradley has only one at bat so far in spring training and what did he do? He drew a walk. I know that isn’t flashy to you, but it’s something the Cubs have struggled with as early as before last season.
FUUKKUUDDOOMMEE!!! I completely forgot about him. I’ll scour the net and get back to you with updates from Fukudome’s performance in the Japanese camp.
Luis Rivas He’s hitting .426 and he just might be ready to shed those Scales(ha, get it, Like Bobby Scales?)
Mike Fontenot –I believe Fontenot only got about twenty-one at bats last year against lefties, so look for how often and well he hits against southpaws this spring. Could be indicative of the amount of playing time he and Miles share at second.
Corey Koskie– Former Twins, Blue-Jays, and Brewers thrid basemen has signed a minor league contract. He will report to Mesa after taking part in the World Basebell Classic as a member of Team Canada. Koskie is a career third basemen with a lifetime average of .275 and some pop from the left side of the plate. Problem is he hasn’t seen the field since 2006 and at this point could be a less attractive alternative than Rivas.
First Pitch is at 2:05 central time.
Any MLB network customers out there should be sure to tune in March Tenth as the Cubs are going to be featured on the networks “Thirty Clubs in Thirty Days” program.
