At least it’s starting to feel that way.

I know it’s only spring training and were only four games in, but Cub fans can’t help but notice that same old feeling that ended abruptly in three nights last October–knowing your team is going to win.

It’s an odd feeling, to be a Cub fan and not peek with one eye as you open the paper/web page(assuming you couldn’t catch the game–f*&cking job) only to find out that the team lost a five run lead in the ninth after going scoreless in the first six innings against a Wandy Rodriguez or a Dave Bush( yea…Dave Bush…Fuck that guy)

It’s even sweeter to know your team dropped a thirteen run bomb on their Crosstown pseudo-rivals

The Cubs dropped the Sox this afternoon at Ho Ho Kam by a score of thirteen to nothing.

Thats zero runs scored by the Sox.

And zero runs given up by Aaron Heilman, who took the mound in the first two innings of today’s game. Heilman gave up one hit( to guess who…) Yea, that’s still a goodie. Heilman struck our four of seven batters and walked none, making Pinella and pitching coach Larry Rothschild’s job that much harder when choosing who is going to fill the vacant five slot. Heilman should get a few more starts this spring to prove his worthiness, but if he falters I expect his innings to shorten up as he prepares for an eventual role in the pen. Nothing too ground-breaking

Until Now

ALSO PITCHED:

KEVIN GREGG! –There you are Mr. Gregg. And all one hit and no runs with a K. Oh you…

Neal Cotts — Umm, thanks for coming. Cotts pitched one inning giving up a hit and no runs with a walk. Well played, Mr. Cotts, well played–but I’ve still got my eye on you.

David Patton –Rule-fiver from Cincinnati saw his first action today, pitching two scoreless innings with no walks and two k’s. How does it feel to cost about as much as Soriano’s left index finger?

Ken Kadokura –Second time on the mound for the Japanese league veteran this spring. Pitched an inning of no hit ball with a hit a walk and a K. Was seen wearing a Fukudome style kamikaze headband with it’s own Japanese caricature writing. When translated it read  “F*&CK KOSUKE!”

Jason Waddell — Gee, it’s been so nice getting to know you this spring Mr. Waddell. You and your no hits, no runs and no walks in one. Don’t be a stranger!(even though you most likely will be in a week.)

Esmailin Caridad –Pitched a perfect ninth giving up a hit with a K. Esmailin pitched a perfect ninth with pride and pomposity which people may never purvey as…oh fuck it.

Astonishingly enough, most of the Cub pitchers–be they veteran, rookie, or non-roster invitee–have pitched extremely well. This bodes well for a team that some consider to have an already incredibly strong rotation and back end of the pen. keep your eye on Jason Waddell(Someone else told me to–so now I’m telling you to) as spring progresses as he might be a surprise guy who breaks camp in the pen.

But as solid as the pitching has been, the bats may be the real surprise of early spring training, in which many consider the hitters to be about a week behind pitches in their progress.

AT THE PLATE

Brad Snyder – yet another Minor League outfielder, Snyder played the entire game in right and went two for five with a grand slam in the seventh. He put on a good show today, but with all the outfield depth the Cubs seem to be suddenly sporting, Snyder might be better off looking for another team.

Doug Deeds –didn’t I just get done chastising Bradley about this? The minor league outfielder subbed for Soriano in left and went one for two with a run. Yipee!

Aaron Miles –not Mark Derosa started the game at short today and went one for two. Was eventually lifted for:

Andres Blanco –who was actually sent in to remind Miles that he wasn’t Derosa and ended up staying in and going one for two with a run scored and two rbi’s. Not bad for a guy from the island of you know where.

Derrek Lee – Lee went one for three today to bring his spring average up to a robust .250. No double play jokes. Not today.

Micah Hoffpauir — he went two for four today with another rbi to make it eight on the young spring. Apparently he is so impressed with his own play that he’s been seen writing his name on all of D-Lee’s underwear.

Mike Fontenot — went one for two with a walk and a strikeout. Was overheard in the fourth inning telling Miles “It’s Ok, Im not Derosa either.”

Bobby Scales –Scales replaced Fontenot in the game and is apparently busy “Keeping up with the Rivas’s” –he went two for three with three rbi’s. Hmm, maybe it’s time to start thinking about some elective surgery.

Koyie Hill — Koyie went one for three with a two rbi double. Only gives the finger now to the cross-eyed.

Sam Fuld — Aww F*&Ck Fuld. Why’d you have to go do something like go two for two and f-up the kool-aid. Fuck.

And just like that the Cubs keep on rolling. Are we seeing the Pinella presence here? Or is the team finally being constructed intelligently with good scouting, coaching, and plate patience. If you’re a fan you have to like what you’re seeing so far, with a pitching staff giving up less walks than k’s and the inverse from Cubs batters at the plate( I don’t know if that statistic is actually true.) Heilman showed today that he really wants that fifth starter spot, but as long as Marshall keeps pitching well along with some of the other guys in camp we might be in for an exciting season.

IF BY SOME CHANCE I happen to have Jinxed the team and they end up breaking off a string of 170+ consecutive losses remember this:

__________________

I’ve got nothin.

Cubs travel to Peoria to take on the Padres and guess who ...

That’s right– Mr. Not Brian Roberts.

First pitch is at 2:05

The Sox did a whole lot of this .

Yea, I’m all like WTF! too, but still…

HA!

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.

I know that traditionally in the baseball world when a players middle name is replaced with the aforementioned F word(fucking), that it’s used to display a fans displeasure.

example:

Aaron “Fucking” Boone

But I’m taking it back.

To honor the badassery that is Ted “F’in” Lilly.

You know all those Chuck Norris jokes where everything ends in Chuck Norris kicking somethings ass?

Well they should all end with the words “…and Ted Lilly”

Try it, it works. Sometimes…

Lilly makes his spring debut against the Rangers later today before hopping a flight to meet up with the other members of team USA . Lilly is the only member of the Cubs to represent our country in the  2009 classic, but is joined on the roster by former cub(apparently the best to ever don the uniform if you believe Internet message boards) Mark Derosa. I wouldn’t expect anything too eventful from him, probably two innings and out. So that’s six strikeouts and he hits the showers.

Things to watch for :

PITCHING

So far we’ve yet to see:

Jose Ascanio

Neal Cotts

Kevin Gregg

Marcos Mateo

Luis Viscaino

Randy Wells

Ed Campusano

J.R. Mathes

Matt Smith

Bill White

Andrew Cashner

Rocky Roquet

I expect to be able to cross a few names off this list. Notables to watch are Jose Ascanio, who came over from the Braves before last season In the  Ohman trade.

Ha. Ohman.

Andrew Cashner, the Cubs first round draft pick last year. A former closer in college, from what it look like the Cubs are either going to try him as a starter or are giving him lots of work to master his pitches in the minor leagues.  Rule-Fiver Ed Campusano could be intriguing after returning to the Cubs from Milwaukee as well as Cubs farm-hand Rocky Roquet. Campusano is the only lefty of the three I’ve mentioned so his probability of making the club is exponentially higher than the other two, who both need more time in the minors to develop. Today’s game could also give us the debut of former Marlins closer Kevin Gregg. Gregg was acquired in the off season for minor league pitcher Jose Ceda.

I’m going to address this now. I know Hendry was fleeced in the Juan Pierre trade, but just because you believe Ceda is going to turn into this doesn’t mean he isn’t going to turn into this.

Poor Rich.

Gregg is coming off a down season, yet was still able to compile sixty-one saves in his two years as Marlins finisher. We might see Cotts too.

Hooray!?

Hitting

Behind the plate so far we’ve seen:

2008 rookie of the year Geovany Soto

Paul Bako

That’s the joke.

But there are still at least three more catchers in camp this spring. Koyie Hill, the man who cut his own fingers off– packed them in ice–and then drove himself to the hospital, is actively battling it out with Bako for the right to backup Geovany. Koyie , a switch hitter known more for his defense than his plate prowess,  can’t be sure of how legitimate his shot is considering the size of contract the Cubs gave to Bako. The other two catchers in camp are minor league prospects who might actually develop into major league talent, and as fellow Cub fans know, is a rarity for position players with the Cubs. Problem here is that Geovany has emerged as a solid player and barring a drastic turn for the worse, Welington Castillo and Steve Clevenger could be little more than trading chips at this point. Clevenger so far has seemed handier with the bat, but both are making decent strides offensively as well as being solid defenders.

Also back in camp is perpetual Iowa Cub Jason Dubois.

He doesn’t get a link.

First Pitch is at 2:05 central time.

If anyone is interested, the Cubs Give away free pocket schedules. Just call 773-404-CUBS and follow the prompts. It took a few weeks but in my envelope I received two pocket schedules as well as a free Cubs logo decal sticker. Not a huge deal, but free.

I know, I’m like a child.

1. The time alloted before the start of an event where players and or coaches review strategy and overall  organizational coherence.

2. The time alloted before the start of an event dedicated to fans gathering and drinking heavily therefore avoiding outrageous stadium alcohol prices.

3. Two University of Wyoming coeds dancing and sipping from a bottle of crown while you wait four hours to go to a bar that oddly enough also hosted shots of crown and music for dancing(this is the one I’m stuck with since it was the first time I’d ever heard it used this way. Needless to say “pre-gaming” isn’t in my lexicon.)

…In an effort to keep this one short(The game starts in like twenty minutes) I am going to give you some basic things to look for:

Sean Marshall starts todays game. He is considered the favorite for the fifth spot in the rotation, but some critics prefer him in the role he played last year, long reliever and swing man out of the pen. With Marshall in the rotation that leaves Neal Cotts as the only true bullpen lefty.

No bueno.

3rd Base The departure of Derosa has left many wondering who is going to backup Aramiz Ramirez when he inevitably goes down with some form or another of leg injury. Aaron Miles is a competent up the middle infielder but has only started, I believe, six games at third in his career. Mike Fontenot has also been taking grounders at third along with converted catcher Jake Fox and the two headed moster Scales/Rivas. Some fans think it should be new Cubs super-prospect Josh Vitters to lose, but to them I have to say

F*&k it. Why not?

The Bullpen Ok, I know, that’s a bit weak, but it has yet to have been set and the aforementioned lack of lefty’s could make it some minor leaguer’s job to lose. Plus, Angel Guzman is back in camp. Way to go..umm…Angel.

Juan Cruz Former Cub is still on the market and has supposedly drawn interest from two teams. The Twins, now that Boof Bonzer is out for the year and… the Cubs. Problem with this is that he is listed as a Type A free agent and teams have been hesitant to give up the compensatory draft picks to sign him.

Well, it seems the game has been underway for an hour already, seeing as the game was a 2:05 central start, not 3:05 as I had previously stated.  You can listen to the game live on WGN 720 am or by signing up for MLB gameday audio.

F*%k You! Milwaukee.

Once again haunting Ho Ho Kam park in preparation for the 2009 season. Full squad workouts began at their Mesa, Arizona facility  on the 20th with only one notable name missing, that being their pirouetting, non-righty hitting, early season mania-inducing only to be disappointed/confused at WHAT EXACTLY IS HE SWINGING AT?! right center fielder Kosuke Fukudome.

But more on him later.

GM Jim Hendry spent the majority of the early off-season dodging rumors(Peavy…Peavy…Peavy) and courting the switch hitting, off-field headline producing Milton Bradley before kicking it into high gear on last day of 2008 by trading Mark Derosa to the Cleveland Indians for three pitching prospects. Trading fan favorite Derosa proved unpopular and left many fans feeling validated in their belief that Hendry is in fact a donut hoarding idiot(why it’s always donuts I don’t understand). He followed that move up by jettisoning:

An idiot(Cedeno to Seattle along with Garret Olsen for former Met disappointment Aaron Heilman)

A malcontent(Jason Marquis and his drain of a salary to Colorado for the Lovely Luis Viscaino, his 5+ era, propensity for drunk driving, and…being a malcontent)

The next Lou Brock?(more likely Corey Patterson Felix Pie and his inabiltiy to hit major league pitching to Baltimore for Heilman bait Garret Olsen and RHP Henry Williamson)

And another idiot(Rich Hill also to Baltimore for a player to be named later determined by his effectiveness…which means that player will most likely be hitting off of a tee and have to be in the house by dark.)

So what have we learned about Hendry this offseason?

*That apparently he considers Baltimore to be his own personal waste dump.

*That he coveted Bradley enough to give him a 3yr/30 million dollar contract(although the third year is dependent upon games played.)

*That Gabor (Paul) Bako must have seen him do something terrible because he is back in camp at the bargain? price of 725K.

*That if you can jump over cars then you can play for the Cubs. No matter how mediocre you truly are.Gathright Jumping Car.

He is projected to cover the quota of bench players being tagged out at second following a walk now that Cedeno is gone.

*He also signed some guys to Minor League deals like So taguchi, Mike Stanton..blah, blah

Im not going to touch on the Kerry Wood subject in this post. But yea, he’s gone too. To Cleveland.

In an effort to shorten what is already proving to be a tedious and long post here is what you have to look forward to in upcoming entries:

*Zambrano needs Lasik–Dempster jealous of His “Sweet Ass Looking” eyepatch.

*Johnson doesn’t think he’s better than Fukudome. His beard reportedly does.

*Short white guy or short white guy, who’s on second?

*The Bullpen/Bench , which is more boring?

*I love Geo Soto(Thats it, no lame joke.)

Spring training play begins Wednesday February 25th at Ho Ho Kam with Jeff ” The Shark” Samardzija starting against the Dodgers.(yea…F those guys), followed on Thursday and Friday by starts from Sean Marshall and Ted F’in Lilly.

Notes:

WBC- Lilly(USA), Fukudome(JAPAN), and Soto(PUERTO RICO) are the only Cubs still committed to play for their country in this years classic.

TV- For a complete listing of Spring training Games on television visit either www.cubs.com or you can link to this post from their message board(kindly provided by one of their posters)– http://www.forums.mlb.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?tsn=1&nav=messages&webtag=ml-cubs&tid=351492

Fuku- I told you I would get back to him. In exhibition play he has hit a two run triple as well as a grand slam against Nippen league team opponents. In how many at bats I don’t know, but I’m hoping it is two.

Interviews/Batting practice- Here is a link to Spring Training Interviews with Marshall, Fuld, and Cotts provided by mouthpiece sports: http://www.mouthpiecesports.com/blog/tag/Chicago-Cubs/

And here are links to BP from spring training:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RW3bRyPq0q4&feature=channel_page

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fn_b5BcH_ww&feature=channel_page

Thats it for my first post of 2009. I’ll be updating regularly with news, rumors, transactions, winning series recaps, losing series excuses and in general lousy humor and shoddy reporting. As I learn how to use this more I am hoping to be able to make it easier to follow links.

Sweetlou

Aramis Ramirez and Jim Edmonds also hit solo home runs in the game. The offense took a while to get going, but when they did it was a great scene!

Kerry Wood ended up with the win and worked his way out of a huge jam in the top of the 12th inning. Wood is now 5-4 on the year. Cubs starting pitcher Rich Harden only pitched five innings but only allowed one hit. The reason he only lasted five innings was because he walked six batters and struck out seven and his pitch count was very high.

Jeff Samardzija struggled out of of the pen once again as he gave up two run. Neal Cotts also allowed one run in relief.

The team found a way to win and that is exactly what they needed to do. I’m pretty sure we will see the Cubs clinch the division this weekend against the St. Louis Cardinals!

Cubs Blog

It was a wasted efford by Ted Lilly who through a no-hitter through five innings but then allowed a run sixth inning and then another one in the seventh inning. Lilly ended up with the loss and is now 12-7 on the season. Neal Cotts and Jeff Samardzija seen action out of the bullpen.

The Cubs will try to win on Wednesday and get another series win as they send Carlos Zambrano to the mound.

Cubs Baseball Blog

Right now I’ll just give you a short recap of game one of the double header against the Braves.  The Cubs bats were swinging and knocking in runs as they crushed the Braves 10-2.  Jason Marquis tossed 5 1/3 innings to pick up the win.  Marquis didn’t pitch too badly as he gave up six hits and two runs, but his pitch count really got up there and that is why he only lasted a little over five innings.  Marquis had to work out of jams quite a few times and that is why the pitchcount was so high.

Neal Cotts, Jeff Samardzija, and Bob Howry all seen action out of the bullpen.  All three pitched great and allowed the team to save Kerry Wood and Carlos Marmol for the second game which will kick off at 6 p.m. central time.

Geovany Soto led the offense by going 3-4 with four rbi.  Soto had a two run double in the second inning and then added a two run home run in the ninth inning.  I would expect to see Soto sit out the second game and Henry Blanco to get the start.  Jim Edmonds also had a good game at the plate as he had three rbi in the game.  Aramis Ramirez, Mark DeRosa, and Ryan Theriot all added one rbi each as well.

Let’s go get game two and hopefully see a Brewers loss later tonight. GO CUBS!

Cubs Baseball

Ryan Dempster threw seven innings and only allowed two hits and one run.  The one run came in the fourth inning when Dempster walked Paul Bako with the bases loaded.  Dempster is now 10-3 on the season with a 3.13 era.

Neal Cotts had some problems in the eighth inning as he walked two batters but Carlos Marmol came in to clean up the mess and get out of the jam.  That is now the third straight time Marmol has pitched well.  Bob Howry had some problems in the ninth inning as he gave up three hits and allowed two runs to score.  Howry was throwing the ball right down the middle and just letting the Reds hit it as he was out there pitching with a big league.

The Cubs will now welcome Harden and Gaudin on Wednesday and then go out and try to go up 2-0 in the three game series.

Cubs Blog

Jason Marquis took the loss and is now 6-4 on the season.  Marquis was hammered for seven runs in only four innings of action.  It sucked to see Marquis throw the ball so badly as he was going for his fifth straight win.  The relief pitchers really weren’t much better than Marquis as Jon Lieber gave up a run, Scott Eyre two runs, and Michael Wuertz one run.  Bob Howry and Neal Cotts each pitched an inning as well but they did not give up any runs.

The Cubs got a little rally going in the sixth inning when they scored three runs.  Henry Blanco, Daryle Ward, and Eric Patterson all had rbi singles in sixth inning.  In the eighth inning, Patterson also added a rbi sac fly.

The Cubs will now go down to the south side and take on the White Sox in a weekend series at U.S. Cellular. Hopefully the Cubs can take two of three atleast against the White Sox.

Cubs Blog