16-10: Cameron's Curse

Tough loss last night to the Sausage Slingin’ Brewers. Mike Cameron came back and punched the Cubs right in the nuts. Ben Sheets wasn’t very good, but neither was Marquis. The Cubs had a hard time scoring late and Eric Gagne was able to wiggle off the hook the Cubs snared him on in the 9^th. The Cubs move into a tie for first with the surging Cardinals, who continue to win with guys on their pitching staff left for dead by other organizations. I have to give cred to Dave Duncan, who continually seems to be able to weave shit into gold. Why couldn’t Walt Jockety have taken his ass along when he left St. Louis? Why can’t we get this guy to come to Chicago?

Meanwhile, the Cubs have dropped four of their last five, just as I was beginning to get used to the whole winning thing. Ah, well. Even with a possible loss tonight, the Cubs will take a winning record out of April, a much better situation to be in then the miserable funky suckiness that was last April. So I’m putting my blue Kool-Aid back in the fridge, keeping it chilled, just in case May turns out to be just as tasty as April.

Geovany Soto was back last night, after a miserable series in DC. The Soto Rooter has been updated accordingly. Hopefully those home run totals will start to rise as the season progresses. Ryan Dempster takes on Jeff Suppan tonight. The game’s on WCIU, so I’ll have to try and catch it on the radio.

CC Rider

Watching Baseball Tonight last night, the talking heads there were pondering whether or not beleaguered Indians ace C.C. Sabathia should hit the trading block this year or if the Indians should try and retain his services. Should Cleveland fail to lock up the big lefty, they could receive only a draft pick upon his departure.

Supposing that Cleveland did put the big guy on the market, would the Cubs have any interest in trading for him and if so, what do they have to offer the Indians? Let's take a look.

Any deal for Cleveland would have to include some starting pitching coming back to them. The Cubs have lefty Rich Hill, who's struggled a little this year, but has proven major league stuff. Also falling into this category would be fellow southpaw Sean Marshall. Down on the farm we have Sean Gallagher, who's supposed to be pretty good. Also in this category are hurlers Donnie Veal and Jose Ceda. Ceda in particular has some nasty stuff and would probably be a foregone conclusion in any serious offer the Cubs were to make.

As far as position players go, the Cubs really have a lot of enigmas. Micah Hoffpauir punished the ball in spring training this year before suffering an injury in the minors. If he's healthy and raking he could be a vital part of any deadline deals. Felix Pie would undoubtedly be an attractive chip as well. He's still raw, but his name still has enough buzz to generate some interest. With the emergence of Reed Johnson, the Cubs aren't required to keep Felix around, so he could be dealt. There's also the younger Patterson brother, a fairly competent second baseman with speed. The Cubs also possess a young outfielder named Tyler Colvin, who's supposed to be a stud in the making. We all know how that goes, though. Colvin's best use might be as a trading chip, given that we have Soriano in left for the next six seasons and Fukudome in right for the next three. Not to say Johnson and his emo beard can stay this hot all year or next year, but so far I like what I see from the guy. He hits and plays defense, what a concept.

If C.C. does become available, I think the Cubs have to make a play for him. Sabathia would give us a solid No. 2 starter to team with Zambrano. A dynamic 1-2 punch is essential if the Cubs are going to compete in the playoffs, should we reach this year. While I like Lilly, and the Dempster to the rotation move thus far seems to be working, I wouldn't really classify either of those guys as a number 2 starter. Both are solid threes at the moment, provided Lilly's early struggles are at an end. Hill is a four at best and Marquis can range from a three to a five depending on the day and time of year. Sabathia may have had his struggles earlier this year, but he seems resilient and his last couple starts have been promising. I don't think he's suddenly going to fall prey to Barry Zito disease any time soon. I think his biggest concern would be staying in shape, but I think he and Carlos might make good workout buddies. Getting Sabathia would give us the kind of pitching dominance we enjoyed in the 2003 playoffs, before the wheels fell off.

That said, I would offer the Indians a package for Sabathia built around Rich Hill and Sean Gallagher. Doubtless the Indians would insist on Jose Ceda as well and I would include him only if excluding him would be a deal breaker. I would offer Felix Pie, Eric Patterson, and Micah Hoffpauir, offering Tyler Colvin only as a last resort. I'm not sure I'd want to include both Ceda and Colvin in the same deal, but again maybe the Indians would insist on having both. I think Sabathia might be worth the cost. I know you don't want to decimate your farm system, but if the Cubs are truly in Win Now mode, this deal might be the difference maker.

To close this ridiculously long post, let me just say that if C.C. Sabathia does become available, I feel the Cubs need to do everything in their power to get him. If they locked him into a long term deal similar to El Toro Loco's, we'd be looking at Big Z, C.C., Jeff Samardzija, Ted Lilly, and possibly Ryan Dempster in the rotation for the next couple years. That ain't bad folks.

The Soto Rooter

Here at the Shooter's Lounge, we're quite taken with our young catcher, Geovany Soto. He's got fielding smarts, a cannon for an arm, a great eye at the plate, some pop in his bat, and balls of solid rock. Plus he's sexy as hell. This is the guy who had the temerity to grab El Toro Loco by the front of his jersey, forcing Big Z to pay attention to him. This would be the same El Toro Loco who earlier in the same season rearranged his catcher's face. Unlike Barrett, Geo Soto has the physique and the attitude to stand up to the Crazy Bull. Pinella is trusting Geo to call the games behind the plate this year and the big man hasn't let us down. He struggled with his throws to second early on, but put the time in to correct his issues and has shown marked improvement. He struggled in the series against the Nationals, but is hitting a more than respectable .316 this season. He was also one of the few Cubs whose bat didn't take the 2007 NLDS series off against the Diamondbacks.

With all the hoopla surrounding the acquisition and performance of Kosuke Fukudome, the injury to Soriano, and the struggles of our left handed pitching, it's easy to forget the importance of Soto on this team. So here at the Lounge, we're adding The Soto Rooter, a handy little extra in the sidebar on the right side of this blog. I'll try to keep it as up to date as possible over the course of the season. It will show the Soto Rooter's batting average, home runs, and RBIs, as well as his caught stealing, SBs allowed, and overall fielding percentage.

It's a Geo. No matter what.

16-9

Wow, what a weekend. Just when you get ready to drink the blue Kool-Aid and believe, the Nationals take the wind out of our sails. Wow. Losing Game 1 of the series was pretty tough. That homerun by catcher Nieves was Vladimir-esque. The game Saturday was brilliant, with some excellent mound work from El Toro Loco. Game 3 the Cubs ran into John Lannan, who's quietly having himself a helluva year. Still, there was no real reason the Cubs shouldn't have taken 2 of 3 from the Nationals. Wouldn't you know the Cubs would hand the Nats their first series win in their new ballpark. I'm sure that'll be grist for the Marrottis of the world who seem to live for when the Cubs fuck up in some sort of historical sense. I can already hear him urging Jim Hendry to trade for a "real" catcher, preferably a veteran. No thanks.

All is not lost, though. The Cubs remain a 1/2 game in front of the Cardinals, who got into a little hissy-hissy fit with the Astros over the weekend.

The Cubs are off today, hopefully giving Geo Soto a little time to take some batting practice. The Soto Rooter had a particularly tough series at the plate, but his catching more than made up for it. You still the man, Geo. Lay off some of those breaking balls and things will get better, amigo. The Cubs welcome the Brewers to town tomorrow for a three game affair before heading off to St. Louis. Nobody stand too close to Albert Pujols. He's sensitive.

DoucheNuggetof the Week: High Gas Prices

Took me most of the week to really build up a good head of rage on this topic. Gas prices in my area have currently hit around $3.57 for a gallon of gas. Since I commute and cannot give up my car at the present time, I can only pontificate uselessly to the three people who read this website.

The oil companies are greedy cocksuckers who have bent us literally over a barrel and are fucking us up the ass with a 2x4. This not only hurts, but causes splinters. They continue to reap massive profits and reward executives with bonuses equivalent or exceeding the GNP of several third world countries. When called on the floor by Congress each year, they plead expenses while giving the senators the finger. And where is the federal government in all this? Where is an energy policy that will stop the madness and decrease our reliance on these motherfucking fossil fuel pimps? Is there a leader who has the balls to stand up for the people and say enough is enough? Where's Teddy Roosevelt with the trust-busting stick to beat the shit out of these people? Not in our government, the heads of which are deep in cahoots with Big Oil.

Not that average people are helping out. My wife and I have been carpooling for over a year now, forced to by the price at the pump. Every day, I seed douchebags driving around in SUVs the size of space shuttles, alone. Enough space to transport two little league teams and equipment and usually these monstrosities carry one self-absorbed human. Thanks a bunch. We apparently learned nothing from the Oil Embargo when auto companies began manufacturing compacts and more fuel efficient vehicles. The Me First generation has had just enough of that bullshit, thank you very much. My SUV needs to have a fucking helicopter pad on it. I don't even have a helicopter, but I need it. Just like I need four wheel drive even though the biggest mountain I'm gonna climb is the speedbump at the local Kroger. Or a chrome brushguard in case I get a wild hair up my ass to drive through the neighbor's hedges. Sweet Jebus, is this really what it's come to?

Now, I'm not advocating giving up the automobile. The car is a tried and true symbol of Americana. But here's the problem. It used to be any goober in high school, whatever, could buy a crappy car and drive from Point A to Point B and afford to buy gas on a fast food salary. Cars are freedom, man. Now they've become symbols of the establishment, a fancy bauble used to show off to the world just what a complete fucking narcissist you are. That's not cool. That's Un-American. So is squeezing the middle class out of its right to drive. We NEED to drive to get to work. We need to drive to get out of our parent's houses. We don't need SUVs. Buying an Escalade does not make you Tony Soprano. It makes you a victim of the hype machine.

Back to the gas companies. I really don't believe their reasons anymore for gas price spikes and valleys. Supply and demand has gone out the window. All their excuses are bullshit. These people are raising prices because they can. Someone needs to step in and smack these fuckers down. Teddy's dead and George Bush is getting profits under the table. Who's gonna help us? Remember The Road Warrior? That's where we're going, people.

Deep breath. I'm sure there are people who will disagree with some of this. Some of it is incoherent and childish. But hey, it's my blog. So there.

15-7: All Good Things Must Come to An End

The Cubs’ winning streak came to an end last night at the hands of the Rockies. Aaron Cook pitched a pretty good game and the resilient Rockies made it stand up. Not to fear, the Cubs are off to the nation’s capital next, where hopefully the Nationals’ woes will continue. The Cubs will send Ryan Dempster to the hill in pursuit of his fourth win of the year. He’ll square of against Odalis Perez, who’s 0-3 on the season. I’m looking forward to getting another look at the Nationals’ new ballpark, which looked pretty spiffy in the opening day game televised by ESPN. The Nationals still suck as bad as they did when they were the Expos, but hopefully they’re moving in the right direction. I think it would be great to have a healthy franchise in the nation’s capital. I still think they should have called the team the Senators, but what can you do? They don’t play in our division, so here’s hoping they get really good really quick. After we leave town of course!

In ex-Cubs news, Michael Barrett still hasn't gotten over the elbow injury he sustained after an all night goat-porn orgy. And apparently Mark Prior has suffered a setback in his rehab that the Padres aren't calling a setback. He's supposed to start throwing again soon. No word if it involves real or simulated baseballs. Or balls of any kind for that matter. The only person paid more to do nothing is Paris Hilton and even she has bigger cojones than Prior.

15-6: 10,000 Wins and Counting

Is it blue Kool-Aid time yet? The first 21 games are in the book and the Cubs are off to a surprisingly hot start, led by a resurgent Derrek Lee, import sensation Kosuke Fukudome, and genuine ace Carlos Zambrano. Add in great performances from Aramis Ramirez, Geovany Soto, Ryan Dempster (?), Ronny Cedeno (!?), and Reed Johnson. I missed the game last night, as it wasn’t televised in our area, and skipped the radio broadcast to give my wife a baseball breather.

The never say die Cubs took the lead on a Ramirez homerun only to see the Rockies bounce back against Kerry Wood. Not to be deterred, the Cubs came back in the 10^th, taking the lead and Carlos Marmol made it stand up.

With the win, the Cubs reach the 10,000 win mark as a franchise, a number much ballyhooed by ESPN last night, but essentially meaningless. Only the Giants currently have more wins as a franchise, both clubs reaching these milestones more due to longevity than to any actual talent. Not that it’s not kinda cool, but I’d rather be discussing a World Series win before I get a chubby about how many total wins this team has posted in its history. Just a thought.

14-6: Ronny “Boom-Boom” Cedeno

The Cubs train just keeps rolling. Fukudome was perfect at the plate, but no one’s clicking like Ronny Cedeno. Wow, did this kid need some games like this. All of a sudden, the Brian Roberts trade falling apart is not looking like a bad deal for the Cubs at all. Cedeno is swinging a good stick and we still have all the pitchers we might have sent over to Baltimore in exchange for Roberts. If Cedeno keeps this up, Sparky McScrappy Ryan Theriot might find himself relegated to utility duty, which might not be the worst thing in the world. If Ronny’s defense turns the corner as well, we might have a legit shortstop on our hands, friends and neighbors. I know, I know, it’s only been a couple of games. Still, Uncle Lou seems to have had the magic effect on this team, guys who have been crappy suddenly seem to be turning it on and performing. If Ronny does end up having a good season, I’ll be the first in line to get a Cedeno T-shirt, with a healthy mea culpa for all the bad things I’ve said about him. I hope it continues to go well for him and for the Cubs, who are hotter than I’ve ever seen them in April.

On another good note, it sounds like Ted Lilly pitched pretty well today. If TR can reclaim the form he had last year and maintain the rest of the way, things are going to look up. I really am digging that we still have Sean Gallagher, Jose Ceda, and Jeff Samardzija waiting down in the minors. They might all be a year or two away, but some of them are going to look awfully good in the rotation behind El Toro Loco.

I’m gonna enjoy this while it lasts and try not to gnash my teeth too much when the winning streak comes to an end. Right now it’s all sunshine and roses, bitches!

142 to go!

13-6: Ronny Cedeno is Clutch?!

It's been a wacky season thus far, boys and girls. The Cubs are in first place in April (!?), Carlos Zambrano is Mr. Cool Cucumber, and Ronny Cedeno is clutch. That's right, I said it. Ronny Cedeno is clutch. Let that sink in a moment. Digest it. His last four plate appearances with the bases loaded, Cedeno is 4 for 4. How the holy purple fuck did that happen? In the 8th inning last night, the Cubs loaded the bases with no one out. DeRosa and Soto Rooter both struck out, bringing Cedeno to the plate and at that point I believed Aaron Heilman was going to wiggle off the hook the Cubs had snared him on. Not so. Cedeno had an impressive at bat, fouling off several pitches before finally notching a 2 run base hit, extending the inning for Felix Pie, who deposited one in the seats. Nice.

Now I've bagged on Cedeno in the past. Will probably bag on him again if he continues to make mental mistakes. But it was nice to see the kid work the count, foul some pitches off, and be rewarded for the effort. After DeRosa and Soto both flailed away, Ronny's patience stood out in stark contrast. Nice job, Ronny. Stop airmailing first base and I'll give you more love, brother.

El Toro Loco was up to his usual tricks on the mound. He looked really sharp, allowing just one run through seven. This guy truly is an ace now, people. Has maturity finally caught up to the Bull? It's starting to look that way. He's still fiery, but it's a focused intensity now. He's working through jams without beating himself. Whatever it is, it's awesome to behold.

Another nice note was Felix Pie's home run that broke the game open. Here's a kid who's struggled, but Lou Pinella and Gerald Perry have worked hard with him. Hopefully that'll pay off. The coolest thing was the shot of Lou in the dugout, almost jumping out of his skin with excitement when Pie hit the ball. That's the kind of passion I love to see, passion Dusty never seemed to exhibit. If there was any doubt that Lou Pinella sparked this team and made them better, that clip erases it all. We may not win it all this year, but I have faith that this team will play their asses off.

12-6 or Holy Shit, We're in 1st Place

Wow, that was quick. It's April and the Chicago Cubs are in 1st place. I know it's early, and I know we're a mere half game up, but I'm still shocked and awed by how well this team has started off. Last year, I was wondering just what the hell these bozos were doing and this year, everything seems to be clicking with the exception of our left-handed pitching. What's really impressive is that the Cubs are 6-0 against the Pirates. Ordinarily, the Cubs tend to struggle against teams that they should easily be able to take a series from, teams like Pittsburgh, who have been a royal pain in the butt the past couple of seasons. Suddenly the Cubs look good. Shocking.

Now I don't know if Reed Johnson is gonna keep putting up a .300 plus batting average. I don't know if ClownBoy is going to keep pitching well in the rotation. Jason Marquis's second half swoon is still on the horizon. Rich Hill is still a question mark and Ted Lilly hasn't thrown a good game all year to this point. Ryan Theriot could hit a little better. Ronny Cedeno still scares the fuck out of me. But . . .

El Toro Loco has turned into Z-Money. Derrek Lee took a time machine trip back to 2005 before DUI Furcal ran into his arm, ruining a season and a half of hitting from our big 1st baseman. Even if it's only temporary, Reed Johnson is easily outhitting Felix Pie and playing solid D. Carlos Marmol is still sick. Woody looks damn good as a closer. Kosuke Fukudome is an on-base machine, as advertised and he's the best fielding RF the Cubs have had in my lifetime (Not that his predecessors provided much competition for that title). DeRosa keeps proving his 06 and 07 batting stats weren't a fluke and he's solid as a rock in the field, no matter what position he's playing. Geovany Soto is picking up where he left off at the end of 07. And Matt Murton is back in the majors where he belongs. Aramis Ramirez is warming up with the weather.

Is it all a mirage? Can we really win back to back division titles? I know it's early, but we've got depth this year. The Cubs seem hungrier than ever before and they're showing it on the field. The swagger Lou wanted seems to be there. This just feels weird, kids. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop, but part of me is starting to wonder What if it doesn't? I know it's April. I know it's just half a game. But suddenly I feel the possibility. Dare I say it, I'm starting to feel confidence and pride in this team. Scary.