tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58548612011-04-21T17:03:45.662-05:00Olde-tyme baseball analysis with a sabermetric edge and a slight Cub bias.Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.comBlogger1111100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1113318168543941822005-04-12T10:03:00.000-05:002005-04-12T10:02:48.543-05:00

Ross and I have decided to start our own Chicago baseball blog, Snobsvsslobs.com. I will be posting there from now on, but I will leave Taft's Baseball Blog up to refer back to things I have written in the past. Thanks for everybody who read, and I hope you'll follow me to Snobs vs. Slobs.

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1112976173092382152005-04-08T10:43:00.000-05:002005-04-08T11:02:53.093-05:00

Kerry Wood makes his 2005 debut today at the Cubs home opener in Chicago. It is a rare thing to have a home opener on a day as beautiful and sunny as today is; it's not uncommon for it still to be snowing this time of the year in Chicago. But the weather gods are smiling down upon Wrigley today, and let's hope the baseball gods are, too, as the Cubs will have to go up against Chris

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1112975012384996192005-04-08T10:19:00.000-05:002005-04-08T10:43:32.386-05:00

Mark Prior gave up seven runs on nine hits in five innings in his spring training outing. That's not much of an outing, unless one considers that the outing took place in Albuquerque. The Albuquerque Isotopes play in the minor league equivalent to Coors Field. The city of Albuquerque's elevation is 5,314 feet, which is even higher than Coors Field in Denver (which is 5,200 feet above sea level

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1112894869410574872005-04-07T12:08:00.000-05:002005-04-07T12:27:49.410-05:00

I really dislike Blogger. They don't allow tables, they don't allow pictures (unless you use their painfully annoying Picasa software); they don't really allow you to do much of anything other than type and link. With that in mind, I'm going to relocate my blog as soon as I find a service whose features I like, and I will also rename the blog, as "Taft's baseball blog" doesn't exactly scream

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1112893600460140342005-04-07T11:34:00.000-05:002005-04-07T13:12:32.730-05:00

Boy, it didn't take long for Dusty Baker to make some questionable managerial decisions, did it? On Tuesday night, the Cubs came to the plate with the tying run in scoring position with two outs. The pitchers spot came up, and Dusty elected to pinch hit with Mr. Career .680 OPS himself, Neifi Perez when there were clearly better options available.Then in last night's game, Dusty made the

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1112624366201983312005-04-04T08:54:00.000-05:002005-04-04T09:19:26.203-05:00

Finally, it's opening day, and I have a reason to get out of bed in the morning. I have already made my predictions and written analysis for the NL Central and the NL West. Before this first week of baseball sweeps me off my feet, I wanted to post at very least my analysis-free predictions for the rest of the divisions:NL EastMarlinsPhilliesBravesMetsNationalsAL CentralTwinsWhite

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1112571844754067672005-04-03T18:42:00.000-05:002005-04-03T18:44:04.756-05:00

The first MLB player to actually get caught with a positive steroids test is Alex Sanchez, a player whose steroid-aided bulk powered him to a .386 slugging percentage last year and his release from the Tigers this spring. When you're released by the Tigers, there's only one place to go, and that's Tampa Bay, which is where Sanchez plays now.The fact that Sanchez, a guy who is never going to be

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1112396518461306092005-04-01T15:49:00.000-06:002005-04-01T17:02:11.820-06:00

Team, 2004 Record, 2004 RS/RA, 2004 Expected Record Dodgers, 93-69, 761 RS/684 RA, Ex W-L: 90-72Giants, 91-71, 850 RS/770 RA, Ex W-L: 89-73Padres, 87-75, 768 RS/703 RA, Ex W-L: 88-74Diamondbacks, 51-111, 615 RS/899 RA, Ex W-L: 52-110Rockies, 68-94, 833 RS/923 RA, Ex W-L: 73-89 The National League West is easily the most open division in baseball this year. The Dodgers, Padres and Giants are all

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1112378892959140642005-04-01T10:03:00.000-06:002005-04-01T12:12:05.326-06:00

Team, 2004 Record, 2004 RS/RA, 2004 Expected RecordCardinals, 105-57, 855 RS/659 RA, Ex W-L: 102-60Cubs, 89-73, 789 RS/665 RA, Ex W-L: 95-67Astros, 92-70, 803 RS/698 RA, Ex W-L: 92-70Pirates, 72-89, 680 RS/744 RA, Ex W-L: 74-88Reds: 76-86, 750 RS/907 RA, Ex W-L: 66-96Brewers: 67-94, 634 RS/757 RA, Ex W-L: 67-95As much as I would love to predict the demise of the St. Louis Cardinals, I'm afraid I

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1111725310408142542005-03-24T22:35:00.000-06:002005-03-28T11:42:30.800-06:00

I have decided to hold off on my division picks until the last possible moment because people like Barry Bonds, Kerry Wood and Mark Prior keep getting hurt. To see my preliminary, analysis-free picks, visit Ross' blog.It's easier to make awards predictions because the question is, simply, who is going to have a great season for a contending team?Let's start with the senior circuit, because as we

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1111427851064641472005-03-21T12:00:00.000-06:002005-03-21T12:16:03.680-06:00

From ESPN's Sunday Roundup:On the bus ride back from Tucson on Saturday, manager Ken Macha had the driver pull into a Dairy Queen, where he paid for the team's treats. "We all went in uniform and people looked at us like maybe we were a softball team," Macha said. "I went to the counter and said, 'I'm the coach of this team, please total everything up and give me the bill.' It was a little over

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1108162781964307192005-02-11T16:59:00.000-06:002005-02-11T16:59:41.970-06:00

Well, it’s been a long time since I’ve written an entry in this spot, and a lot has happened since I last wrote, namely the signings of every single big name free agent. But more importantly, Sammy Sosa (.253/.332/.517 in 478 AB) was traded to the Baltimore Orioles for Jerry Hairston Jr. (.303/.378/.397 in 287 AB) and two minor league nobodies. This was clearly a personality dump; Jerry

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1103210777799718582004-12-16T09:24:00.000-06:002004-12-16T09:26:17.800-06:00

"major league owners want the D.C. public to not only finance a possible $600 million stadium project, they want them to subsidize league profits on the sale of the team as well. And that's just plain wrong." Amen, Jim Caple.

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1102375297108451602004-12-06T17:25:00.000-06:002004-12-06T17:23:13.703-06:00

Once again, Bud Selig is looking to the U.S. government to help him out. They have an odd relationship, don't they? First, Selig tells a special senate committee that 25 out of 30 teams in Major League Baseball are losing money, and therefore, they still need the collective bargaining agreement. Also, this is why the Expos cannot lose money. Oh, and by the way, when we build these new cathedrals

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1102030623486121862004-12-02T17:36:00.000-06:002004-12-02T17:43:15.676-06:00

Anybody who is shocked about this (a) isn't much of a baseball fan or (b) fell out of the naive tree and hit every branch on the way down. Come on. Did you see Giambi come into spring training 2004 looking like he had taken Anti-Mark McGwire pills? He was obviously juicing, and he had obviously lost a lot of bulk from ceasing to do so. The question is, now what? Loud, ignorant fans from all over

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1100208818696123242004-11-11T15:29:00.000-06:002004-11-11T15:33:38.696-06:00

The BBWAA unanimously selected Johan Santana as the 2004 American League Cy Young award winner, as they should have. Santana's selection was a no-brainer. He led the A.L. in ERA, strikeouts, and a whole bunch of other important categories, and was basically unhittable in the second half of the season. I'm surprised that Curt Schilling didn't receive at least one first-place vote from the

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1100105755023073972004-11-10T10:54:00.000-06:002004-11-10T10:55:55.023-06:00

Both Manager of the Year awards will be announced today. Since I already made an NL MOY prediction and I have lots to do at work today, I thought I would make this a single-category Shouldwill... American League Manager of the Year Should win: Buck Showalter, Texas Rangers Will win: Buck Showalter. Buck Showalter is one of the best guys in all of baseball to do a spoonerism with; i.e.,

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1100021314359156572004-11-09T11:27:00.000-06:002004-11-09T11:28:34.360-06:00

Here are my picks for the NL Awards. The NL Cy Young award will be announced later today.

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1100016061718707592004-11-09T10:03:00.000-06:002004-11-09T10:01:01.716-06:00

Final Thoughts on the 2004 World Series I feel like I should have posted something after the Red Sox won the World Series, but I didn't end up doing it, because there is nothing that I could have said that wasn't already said. Except for maybe, why the hell did Terry Francona put Bronson Arroyo into that game? But congratulations are in order to Francona and the Red Sox nonetheless. Despite

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1098850498808659142004-10-26T23:05:00.000-05:002004-10-26T23:31:01.096-05:00

Howdy, Gang! Due to a whole slew of reasons I don’t even want to get into, I have managed to not do a blog entry for the World Series yet. How about the Red Sox in the first two games? Eight errors and two wins. The offense was like, “I laugh at our eight errors. We should make ten errors just to make it more difficult on ourselves!” But then Terry Francona brought in Mienkiewicz and Pokey

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1098372012375475412004-10-21T10:07:00.000-05:002004-10-21T10:20:12.376-05:00

If you've read this blog during the ALCS, you know that I had lost all faith in the Red Sox, as had most of the baseball-watching nation. The odds were just so against them. I picked the Yankees to win this series, and after so many people had picked the Red Sox, I laughed and thought, "Those idiots. It's the Yankees against the Red Sox. The Red Sox don't win that series." But last night

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1098287547722009042004-10-20T10:50:00.000-05:002004-10-20T10:52:27.723-05:00

Schilling said that his brilliant pitching last night was "God's work." "If God is a Red Sox fan, He sure has a funny way of showing it." - Hayden, my co-worker

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1098283781502984032004-10-20T10:35:00.000-05:002004-10-20T10:47:12.470-05:00

I think I was hit by a car soon after the end of game 3 and was in a coma for the remainder of the ALCS. When I finally wake up, I'll ask someone, "Did the Red Sox beat the Yankees?" And they'll laugh and say, "No, they forced a fifth game, but it was all over." I mean, the Yankees were up 3-0. It'd be one thing if the Cubs were up 3-0 and their opponent forced a 7th game; hell, I'd even expect

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1098202170286477892004-10-19T11:06:00.000-05:002004-10-19T11:09:30.286-05:00

Last night might have been the greatest night of baseball in history. Not all of the games in both of these Championship Series have been good ones (the Yanks' 19-8 laugher, for example), but last night there were two great games. And good lord, can you believe the Red Sox-Yankees game lasted for nearly 6 hours. The longest game in postseason history: 5 hours and 49 minutes. Of course, you

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1098131317650056322004-10-18T15:18:00.000-05:002004-10-18T15:28:37.650-05:00

On ESPN.com's main page: Game 5, Mussina vs. Martinez. Who wins? Red Sox: 66.7% Yankees: 33.2% Total votes: 17,316 I hope that most of the 17,000 voting aren't Red Sox fans trying to give themselves some hope that will inevitably be dashed. Look, I love Pedro Martinez. He has been my favorite MLB player for a long time, partially for his dominant pitching, mostly for his dugout antics and

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1098119621303220992004-10-18T11:46:00.000-05:002004-10-18T12:13:41.303-05:00

I went to bed before the Red Sox were able to prolong the ALCS by taking game 4 in extra innings. One of my co-workers told me he was listening to sports radio after the game (which is never a good idea anyway) and that he heard several Boston fans, full of life in the postgame high only a walkoff home run against the Yankees can produce, proclaim that the Red Sox would return to win 3 more

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1097708905221182292004-10-13T17:59:00.000-05:002004-10-13T18:08:25.223-05:00

Ross had this to say about MLB/Fox's scheduling gaffe: MLB/Fox TV's decision to hold/broadcast both games at the same time tonight is about as dumb as it gets. Forget the idiotic decision to have both games go agains the presidential debate (a terrible decision), but, the simple fact that you're splitting the audience you DO have is moronic. The only three markets getting to see the Cardinals/

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1097680682078545512004-10-13T09:36:00.000-05:002004-10-13T10:44:15.063-05:00

I started to write some analysis on the Red Sox-Yankees series yesterday, but I never finished it and decided not to post it. There's enough analysis on this series all over the internet, and there's nothing new that I could say about it. I started doing a position-by-position analysis and all that, but that's been done a million times over in every newspaper in the country. All I had to say of

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1097611868850030782004-10-12T15:09:00.000-05:002004-10-12T15:11:08.850-05:00

“Is it okay that I hope for something catastrophic to happen now that the Astros and Cardinals are playing in the NLCS?” – Hayden, my co-worker So many Cubs fans have said this (or some similar variant) to me over the past 10 days. Last night, my brother told me that he had, in a drunken stupor, told a Cardinals fan that he hoped their team’s plane crashed.

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1097532442541139052004-10-11T16:56:00.000-05:002004-10-11T17:07:22.546-05:00

Go Braves. If the Astros lose this series, they continue to be even more helpless than the Cubs in the postseason. As someone one ESPN (Stark, I think) pointed out, at least the Cubs and the Red Sox won the World Series once upon a time. If the Astros lose tonight, they will be 0-8 in playoff series. Ouch. I don't really have much to say about this game. I just felt it was necessary to post

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1097438980305409912004-10-10T14:13:00.000-05:002004-10-10T15:09:40.306-05:00

Houston Astros vs. Atlanta Braves I'm watching Game 4 of the Astros-Braves series. They're in Houston. It's the top of the 6th, the Astros leading 5-2. If the Astros hold on and the Cardinals win tonight, my Championship Series predictions will be correct. That's always neat. Although I'd rather see the Braves win, just because I hate the Astros. I'm willing to accept that the Dodgers

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1097098526991493662004-10-06T16:11:00.000-05:002004-10-06T16:35:26.990-05:00

I'm listening to the Astros-Braves game right now. In case anybody is going to be in the Atlanta area tomorrow, there are tickets available for Game 2 of the NLDS. As a guy who is a huge baseball fan, and a guy whose team has been to the postseason four times in his entire life (three of which I can actually remember), this really pisses me off. If the Cubs won 13 straight division titles,

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1096928435519538512004-10-04T17:16:00.000-05:002004-10-04T17:20:35.520-05:00

Author’s note: It is a lot easier to be objective about picking the playoff outcomes when your favorite team has been eliminated. Quick! Name the best starting pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers this year! Now do it for the Braves! Now the Cardinals! If you found yourself saying for all three of these teams, This Guy – or wait, maybe it’s this guy, then you’re like me. Where did the

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1096652299044845182004-10-01T13:36:00.000-05:002004-10-01T12:38:19.043-05:00

Each year, there are awards given out by the Base Ball Writers Association of America (BBWAA). The BBWAA has ideas of who should win and why, and I have (better) ideas of who should win and why. I won’t go so far as to say that who I pick should win, but I will say that baseball is a team game with an individual mentality. Whether you are batting, fielding or pitching, you are alone. There’s

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1096582322324241582004-09-30T16:34:00.000-05:002004-09-30T17:19:51.620-05:00

The question was, which version of the Cub offense was going to show up today? The strong, verile one, which scores 5+ runs a game? Or the weak, impotent one, that depends on the long ball like I depend on coffee, which scores 0 to 2 runs a game against the likes of Victor Santos, Scott Downs, and Aaron Harang. Ron Santo made a good point on today's broadcast. He remarked that the Cubs seem to

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1096576629583334262004-09-30T15:34:00.000-05:002004-09-30T15:37:09.583-05:00

This is pathetic. Prior strikes out 16, in 9 innings, allows 3 hits, makes one mistake pitch the whole game, and the best the Cubs can do is tie it against Aaron Harang's 5.03 ERA-having-ass.

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1096574333976527482004-09-30T14:51:00.000-05:002004-09-30T14:58:53.976-05:00

Wow, I can't believe it. The Cubs actually scored a run on a day when their pitcher is throwing a gem. Prior currently has 13 strikeouts through 6 innings. Trick nasty.

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1096560301375724542004-09-30T11:00:00.000-05:002004-09-30T11:09:47.523-05:00

The Cubs are now tied with the Giants and a half-game behind the Astros. They currently have a record of 88-70 with four games to play. The Cubs must win their remaining four games, or their wild card hopes are effectively over. There is still hope right now, as a win today (with the Astros idle) will catapult the Cubs back into a tie for the wild card lead. If the Giants and the Cubs win, there

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1096493978076405442004-09-29T16:38:00.000-05:002004-09-29T16:39:38.076-05:00

That is all.

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1096486668722194272004-09-29T14:32:00.000-05:002004-09-29T17:25:10.636-05:00

MLB will announce today that the Expos are moving to Washington, D.C. I'm so glad that they made the right decision on this, finally. DC was clearly the best option for the Expos, and I hope that the franchise will flourish in our nation's capitol. That said, could MLB have handled this whole relocation thing any worse? The owners were tangled up in conflicts of interest like limbs at an orgy.

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1096473934192056182004-09-29T11:05:00.000-05:002004-09-29T11:05:34.193-05:00

L3Y stands for Last 3 Years 

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1096406621285270722004-09-28T19:45:00.001-05:002004-09-29T11:10:30.160-05:00

Ross posted this comment on yesterday's blog: The next question, however, is whom do you think the Cubs should replace Nomar with? The market isn't remarkable for shortstops, and the Cubs have no one within the organization ready to step up and grab the ML shortstop position. If the Cubs sign no one, it would be a year of Ramon Martinez at short. This is a very good question. Let's review the

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1096325740468026242004-09-27T17:51:00.000-05:002004-09-27T17:56:58.866-05:00

Because I’ve been such a horrifically perfect employee today, I thought I would take a little time near the end of my day to answer a very good baseball question that my friend Ben asked my group of friends via e-mail today: I understand not re-signing Moises, but Nomar? Why would we not pick up Nomar? Ok, Ok, he is hurt. (And this is an honest question, nothing argumentative) Is there anyone on

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1095880421538205592004-09-22T14:03:00.000-05:002004-09-22T14:13:41.540-05:00

The Cubs are currently tied for the best record in baseball over their last 10 games, at 8-2. Guess which team is the other that's 8-2 over their last 10? Yes, the San Francisco Giants. It seems like every time the Cubs have put together a good stretch, the team they're looking up at has put together the exact same good stretch, making it impossible for the Cubs to make up any ground in the

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1094852181117640382004-09-10T16:31:00.000-05:002004-09-10T16:48:25.370-05:00

They're starting Neifi Perez, whose OPS (.575) is lower than Barry Bonds' OBP (.611). Great guy to put out there in a must-win game; the worst hitter in all of baseball from 1997-2001.

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1094851381464547212004-09-10T16:10:00.000-05:002004-09-10T16:45:24.883-05:00

3 errors. 7 runs. 18+ consecutive innings without scoring a run. The Cubs had better win the remaining 3 games of this series, or they will be very close to entering wheels-falling-off-the-bus mode. I hate to even think this, but there are no baseball fundamentals being practiced here. Wednesday the Cubs could have had at least one run if not for poor baserunning and questionable in-game

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1094764965459411922004-09-09T16:23:00.000-05:002004-09-09T16:22:45.460-05:00

Before last night, how many shutouts had Scott Downs pitched in his career? Before last night, how many complete games had Scott Downs pitched in his career? Sadly, you can answer both of these questions with one number, and it is 0. The Cubs' wild card lead is now less than zero. From out of nowhere, the Houston Astros have won 12 consecutive games, and suddenly are in that "if the playoffs

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1094680481717187402004-09-08T16:29:00.000-05:002004-09-08T16:54:41.716-05:00

The thing about the baseball season is that you have to buy your tickets in some cases six months before you attend the game. In February, when Cubs tickets went on sale, I purchased 4 bleacher seats for tonight's Cubs-Expos game, in part because (a) they were available and (b) I knew that in all likelihood, I would be seeing baseball history; this will be the final Montreal Expos game played at

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1094670904194762512004-09-08T14:10:00.000-05:002004-09-08T14:22:26.070-05:00

This is a story I couldn't resist posting: Dante Bichette signed on as a pitcher for the Indy Leagues' Nashua Pride (subscription to ESPN Insider required to read this link). This post is mostly for the benefit of Ross, who is a huge Dante Bichette fan.

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1094064728182332132004-09-01T13:20:00.000-05:002004-09-01T13:52:08.183-05:00

I have mixed feelings when I read that Ben Grieve is now a member of the Chicago Cubs. On the one hand, he stinks. On the other hand, he's much better than the bench options the Cubs currently have for outfield, which include Tom Goodwin, Jose Macias, and Todd Walker (who doesn't actually play outfield), which means that he will improve the bench. Cubs fans should interpret this signing as a

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1093988278961672272004-08-31T16:10:00.000-05:002004-08-31T16:37:58.960-05:00

The Cubs signed Mike DeFelice today. I'm not really sure why they did this; is it in case they need someone to come up to be an offensive replacement for Paul "I used to hit my weight" Bako? Sadly enough, that wisecrack holds some water. For their careers, Bako has the superior OBP, but that's about it: Mike: 35 years old .240/.289/.363, 28 HR in 1453 AB Paul: 32 years old .239/.310/.332, 14

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1093982939858694832004-08-31T15:05:00.000-05:002004-08-31T15:10:26.750-05:00

The Cubs beat the Expos last night, and the Braves beat the Giants, to put the Cubs back in the lead for the Wild Card race. So I guess that deal with Jose Mesa really isn't going to happen now, but I still think the question I posed yesterday (scroll down for yesterday's blog) is valid, at least as a hypothetical. If the Cubs had lost last night and the Giants won, could they have obtained Jose

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1093883725028629322004-08-30T11:17:00.000-05:002004-08-30T11:35:25.026-05:00

Now that the Cubs are in a three-way tie for the National League Wild Card, is it possible that the deal for Jose Mesa could get done? Let's assume that the Cubs lose tonight at Le Estad Olimpique, and that the Giants win against the Braves, and that the Padres remain idle (which they will). The wild card standings would then have the Giants in first, the Padres in second by one half game, and

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1093812255507002192004-08-29T15:41:00.000-05:002004-08-29T15:44:15.506-05:00

I just listened to former Cub catcher Randy "The Rebel" Hundley sing the 7th inning stretch. He was pretty good. But he still sounded like he had a mouth full of cotton and a bad sinus infection. Cubs trail 5-3. Let's get some runs.

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1093536827426938002004-08-26T10:21:00.000-05:002004-08-26T11:15:52.646-05:00

Cubs Sweep the Brewers Is the bullpen trying to ruin great starting pitching performances? Greg Maddux pitched great yestderday, 8 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 8 SO, and should have gotten his 13th win to show for it. But LaTroy decided the game hadn't been interesting enough yet, so he came in to blow his second save in a row. Then the Cubs won the only way they know how: getting a runner to third

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1093470148377866922004-08-25T16:25:00.000-05:002004-08-25T16:46:56.663-05:00

(Click the title of this blog to read the article) This morning, amid even more speculation that he might shut down Wrigley, (even though it has been twice judged okay by structural engineers) Mayor Daley snipped at both the Cubs and Andy MacPhail. He told Andy MacPhail that he should keep his mouth shut and that the Cubs should "Get a team." "Get a team?" What the hell does that mean? Did he

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1093460600174419692004-08-25T13:44:00.000-05:002004-08-25T14:33:25.133-05:00

I have read two online polls over the last two days asking readers who they think should be the NL MVP. One poll heavily favored Scott Rolen. One poll favored Adrian Beltre with Barry Bonds a close second. Anyone who voted in those polls but didn't vote for Barry Bonds, I dub thee an idiot. At this point in the season, with Bonds leading the league in batting average (.369), on-base percentage

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1093442417266018412004-08-25T08:54:00.000-05:002004-08-25T09:00:17.266-05:00

I was at the first 6 1/2 innings of the ballgame last night and left after a rain delay began. I would have stuck around, but the Cubs had already hit for the home run cycle (Ramirez solo, Alou, 2 and 3-run jobs, Derek Lee, a Grand Slam) and were leading 12-4. They went on to get another in the 7th while I was at home, dry. Here's my question, though. Somehow in last night's game, Glendon

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1092603553966740552004-08-15T15:53:00.000-05:002004-08-15T15:59:13.966-05:00

Friday, 6 in the 9th. Today, 5 in the 8th. Gagne is starting in the 8th, going for the two-inning save. It looks like the Cubs are going to lose 2 out of 3 to L.A. As lovely as the Nomar trade was, I don't think Nomar is going to help our bullpen out. Without a strong and/or reliable bullpen, this team will not get to the World Series.

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1092335971422180152004-08-12T12:56:00.000-05:002004-08-12T13:39:31.423-05:00

The Cubs continued their miserable slump of losing games I attend. I have attended 6 Cubs games now in 2004, and they are 1-5 in games I've attended. The only game they won was Nomar's first appearance in a Cub uniform, the day he wore number 8. I wasn't disappointed after Tuesday night's 8-6 loss so much as I was worried about Mark Prior. Even from where I was sitting, it was clear that he

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1092170074045676052004-08-10T15:20:00.000-05:002004-08-10T15:34:34.046-05:00

Tonight the Cubs open up a key series agains the San Diego Padres. The Cubs are currently 2 games ahead of both the Padres and the Giants in the Wild Card race. They lost 2 out of 3 games to the Giants over the weekend. Adam Eaton (4.90 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 6.46 K/9) will start for the Friars, and Mark Prior (4.17 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 10.33 K/9) will start for the Cubs. Eaton has not pitched well in

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1092156840432765392004-08-10T11:17:00.000-05:002004-08-10T12:04:03.103-05:00

Vinny Castilla, who should be considering himself lucky to be making $1.1 million this season, has decided that since his offensive production has magically skyrocketed this season with Colorado, he deserves a raise. Never mind that Castilla played on the best offensive team in the NL last year and still couldn't manage to get on base more than 31 percent of the time. Never mind that his OPS was

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1092149522637204052004-08-10T09:28:00.000-05:002004-08-10T09:53:25.583-05:00

The Poopers dropped to 0-6 after getting slaughtered by the 8th Inning All-Stars. Once again, defense proved to be our downfall, as several fly balls that could have been caught were turned into home runs. In the field, I played shortstop, 3rd and 2nd. I made a few put-outs, had an assist or two, and a throwing error. At bat, I went 1-for-2 with a walk and... (drumroll) an RBI double! Yes, I

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1092086258660738162004-08-09T15:35:00.000-05:002004-08-09T16:17:38.660-05:00

A week ago today, the Waffle Poopers took the field and nearly won a game. Yes, nearly. After the first inning and a half, we were winning 12-4. However, holes in our defense (and offense, really) proved to be too great as the Lincoln Park Zoo team ended up beating us by a score of something outlandish like 28-26. The good news for the Poopers was that it was a close game; we don't usually have

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1091995245761492882004-08-08T14:25:00.000-05:002004-08-09T09:37:46.746-05:00

Naturally I watched as the Cubs picked up the Professor yesterday for his 300th career win. He may not be really worth $8 million, but it was really cool to see him get that win in a Cubs uniform. I have ranted and raved about Greg Maddux and how awesome he is to my friends while watching baseball games countless times. But I've never ranted and raved about Maddux in this space before, and now

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1091993102496623832004-08-08T14:11:00.000-05:002004-08-08T14:25:02.496-05:00

Larry Walker is already planning to play in October this year as a member of the Cardinals. Ugh. Like the Cardinals needed more thump in that lineup. That lineup is just ridiculous. Where do you bat Larry Walker in that lineup? 6th? 7th? A guy with a career .970 OPS? I don't even want to think about it. I do, however, think the Cubs should acquire Randy Johnson to start a National

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1091479741724310062004-08-06T16:57:00.000-05:002004-08-06T17:00:31.343-05:00

When Ross called me and told me, I didn't believe him. When I turned on ESPN News and saw "Garciaparra traded to Cubs" on the ticker, I believed it, but I didn't believe it. While I was walking to Sunday's Cubs game from my apartment, I didn't believe it. I had to call Parker to inform him that I really couldn't believe what I was going to witness today - Maddux gunning for win number 300 and

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1091742479310072242004-08-05T16:38:00.000-05:002004-08-06T16:14:29.183-05:00

With a 5-1 victory in Denver today, the Cubs won their 4th consecutive game and their 6th in their last 7 games. I don't want to jinx anything, but it looks like the Cubs are finally putting together a stretch of some good baseball. Just look at what the Cubs have done since picking up Nomar Garciaparra: Nomar Status W L PCT Before Nomar: 56 48 .538 After Nomar: 4 0 1.000 I know it's a small

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-109096248199607072004-07-27T15:37:00.000-05:002004-07-27T16:08:01.996-05:00

The Waffle Poopers got slaughtered last night (literally -  the slaughter rule was invoked, meaning we were losing by more than 10 after 5 innings), but the good news was that it was a 6-inning slaughter as opposed to 5.  We came into the bottom of the 5th inning knowing that if they scored one more run, the game would be over.  Despite them getting a runner to third base, we managed to hold them

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1090618045807892552004-07-23T16:25:00.000-05:002004-07-23T16:31:44.026-05:00

Somehow neglected to blog about Monday night's game... The Waffle Poopers lost again, but we played well again, so it wasn't too disappointing an evening.  I think our problem is that it's quite obvious that none of our players played in high school or in college.  There was a guy who played left-center/center field for the other team who had clearly played baseball in high school, or maybe even

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-109043686014907982004-07-21T13:26:00.000-05:002004-07-21T14:07:40.150-05:00

Coming into yesterday's game, the Cubs were 0-4 in games I had been to this season.  Considering that, plus yesterday's starting pitchers (Glendon Rusch vs. Matt Morris), I wasn't exactly holding my breath for the Cubs to come away winners of yesterdays game.  But I'll admit it - there was one point during yesterday's Cubs-Cards game that I thought my luck at Cubs games this year would change. 

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1090274184234811872004-07-19T16:52:00.000-05:002004-07-19T16:56:24.236-05:00

The new look is more for utility than it is for style. Somehow, typing one post in Courier royally fucked up the layout of my blog.  Hopefully the next time I try screwing around with fonts, it won't totally fuck things up.   The White Sox have the second-easiest schedule in MLB (Cubs 10th easiest) for the second half of the season.  Who's got it easier?  The only team you don't want it to be -

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1090270113357260522004-07-19T14:32:00.000-05:002004-07-19T15:48:33.356-05:00

I was going to write a rant about how Dusty Baker has ruined Mark Prior's arm, career, and therefore, my life on Friday, but as it turned out that wasn't necessary.  Yet.  Prior's elbow showed no ligament damage, which is great because it means no Tommy John surgery.  Which means Prior might be back as soon as tomorrow, when I will attend the last Cubs/Cardinals game of the year.  I will be

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1089926354416454442004-07-15T15:44:00.000-05:002004-07-16T10:17:04.440-05:00

Jimy Williams Canned Mr. Second Place himself was fired as the Astros manager this season. I don't know what it is about Jimy Williams (other than the fact that he's absolutely insane, perhaps) that makes his teams underperform so much, but they do. The Astros are no exception, as this year they're playing two games under their expected record of 46-44. That said, the Astros' problems probably

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1089834401548731882004-07-14T14:10:00.000-05:002004-07-14T14:46:41.546-05:00

ESPN.com still doesn't have a computer generated Nomar wearing a Cubs hat, so I thought I'd comment on some of the All-Star Game last night. The game was fun enough to watch. I loved seeing Roger Clemens get shelled, but hated to see the NL lose their seventh All-Star game in eight years (2002 was a tie, in case you had blocked it out of your memory). As usual, the game wasn't the thing that

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1089819179064736672004-07-14T09:36:00.000-05:002004-07-14T10:34:01.186-05:00

The New York Times reported today that Nomar Garciaparra may come to the Cubs in a 3-way deal with the Red Sox and Diamondbacks for Randy Johnson. Randy Johnson would go to the Sox, Nomar to the Cubbies, and the Cubs would send the Diamondbacks premium pitching prospects (Adios, Angel Guzman). I have very mixed emotions about this trade. On the one hand, Nomar Garciaparra is one of the most

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1089729860791270932004-07-13T09:23:00.000-05:002004-07-13T09:58:40.093-05:00

Softball The Waffle Poopers played our best game of the season last night, but we still lost, 19-12. We were winning for a couple of innings, but then our pitcher fell apart when she lost control of the strike zone. Actually, I think it was moreso a combination of the umpire being a little too anal about where the strike zone was and also the other team being patient - unbearably patient. We

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1089669666134909042004-07-12T16:48:00.000-05:002004-07-12T17:01:06.133-05:00

I say this every year, and I'll probably say it again next year: Home Run Derby is way cooler than the All-Star game. It's constant entertainment from start to finish, especially when a guy goes on a hot streak and hits 4 in a row, whereas the All-Star game can get dull. The All-Star game is supposed to have another element of intrigue due to year two of that idiotic rule that gives home field

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1089668864643258302004-07-12T16:32:00.000-05:002004-07-12T16:47:44.643-05:00

My softball team was originally called Indy #2, because we are an "individual" team. What that means is that our team is made up of people who signed up as singles or in groups of 2 or 3 because they didn't have enough people to form a team of their own. Now, we have officially named our team The Waffle Poopers. Indy #2 just didn't look good on the schedules. I happen to be quite fond of the

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1089407360626337722004-07-09T15:24:00.000-05:002004-07-09T16:09:20.626-05:00

From Jayson Stark's Rumblings & Grumblings today: Two sources that have had conversations with the Cubs and Expos say the two teams are talking about a deal to send Orlando Cabrera to the Cubs. One source describes the chances of this trade happening as "a good possibility." But the Cubs are understandably concerned about Cabrera's dismal numbers (.238, 23 RBI and only 11 doubles -- after

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1088437787846796732004-06-28T10:31:00.000-05:002004-06-28T10:49:47.846-05:00

Okay, the Sox won 2 out of 3 this weekend. That's fine. South siders get bragging rights for a little while (until the Cubs sweep this weekend... I say that with defiance, not anxiety). That's fine. It seems like the Sox always seem to do better in the cross town series anyway. Today I'm annoyed about the Hawk. And not the Cubs' Hawk. The White Sox's Hawk. The one I had to listen to for

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1088087365582552702004-06-24T09:07:00.000-05:002004-06-24T09:29:25.583-05:00

I guess it wasn't entirely Paul Bako's fault that the Cubs lost last night. The bullpen blew up and the Cubs' bats couldn't come through in the late innings (although, frankly, 9 runs should be enough for a W). It wasn't Paul Bako's fault that Michael Barrett was unjustly thrown out of the game, thereby leaving a gaping offensive hole where Barrett's bat should have been. It was, however, Paul

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1088026721172607442004-06-23T16:19:00.000-05:002004-06-23T16:38:41.173-05:00

In other news, I visited SBC park in San Francisco over the weekend. I saw my favorite baseball player, Pedro Martinez, get shelled in the bottom of the first inning by one of the NL's weaker offensive teams, but then he settled down, didn't give up any runs after the first, and escaped with a no decision. The Red Sox tied the game at 4, but then the Giants won it on an 2-run Edgardo Alfonzo

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1088025569672349982004-06-23T16:03:00.000-05:002004-06-23T16:19:29.673-05:00

I should leave town more often. The Cubs have won 9 of their last 10, managed to take 2 out of 3 from Oakland... oh yeah, and had a 4-game sweep of the Houston Astros in their retarded gimmicky park before that. I was so deliciously happy to see the Cubs capitalize on Minute Maid's quirks - Ramon Martinez hitting a cheapie home run down the line in left field, Aramis hitting an opposite field

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1087399781404857752004-06-16T10:03:00.000-05:002004-06-16T10:29:41.403-05:00

It doesn't concern me that my softball team lost 10-0 on Monday night. It doesn't concern me that I made my first error of the season (although, to this point, still my only error - the rest of my night in the field [at SS and 3B] was flawless) It doesn't even concern me that I went 0-for-3 with three flyouts on Monday night, bringing my season batting average to an abysmal .167 (don't try to

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1087250677979365682004-06-14T16:41:00.000-05:002004-06-14T17:04:37.980-05:00

I will be missing (at least part of) yet another Cubs-Astros matchup due to a softball game. While just about the only thing I love more than watching baseball is playing it (or some beer-infused, slowed-down version of it), I would really like to watch this game. And if you're reading this, you likely know why I would really like to watch this game: Prior v. Clemens. In the new Neyer/James

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1086897418477945192004-06-10T14:48:00.000-05:002004-06-10T14:56:58.476-05:00

The Cubs just had a 10-run, 11-hit bottom of the 4th inning. Corey Patterson, Todd Hollandsworth and Aramis Ramirez all got on twice in the inning. Who are these Cubs, and why do they only show up when someone crappy (i.e., Dan Haren/Cal Eldred) is pitching? Oh. I guess I just answered my own question. The amaing thing to me about this inning was that it appeared that (a lot of the time,

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1086733351480780242004-06-08T17:19:00.000-05:002004-06-08T17:22:31.480-05:00

It pains me to say that when I researched my choices for the IASB, I could not find one Cub to legitimately put on the ballot. However, it makes me happy to not have to vote for Scott “The Bulldog” Rolen (look at him. He looks like a damn bulldog.), who I thought I would almost certainly have to vote for in my neverending quest for pure impartiality. Yes. Impartiality has become my neverending

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1086709994960751082004-06-08T10:40:00.000-05:002004-06-08T10:53:14.960-05:00

Indy Team #2 made our Rec-league debut Monday night at Revere Park. We got destroyed by a score of something like 16-6. I played first base for most of the evening and was flawless in the field. I didn't count my put-outs or assists, but I did play the 3-1 putout flawlessly with our pitcher twice. Defensively, there wer two highlights of the evening. The first was a nice grab on a sharp

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1086708743962829582004-06-08T10:29:00.000-05:002004-06-08T10:32:23.963-05:00

(I wrote this on Friday. All stats are accurate as of 6/4/04) I know, it’s been about 6 months since I last rapped at you, and the season is a third of the way over, so I figured this was long overdue. I thought that to re-start my blogging here, I would start off with a topic that is extremely important in the game of baseball (Almost as important as the handsome man team (

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1070588793546307022003-12-04T18:36:00.000-06:002003-12-05T13:56:02.836-06:00

Quick: Who's going to be the best starting pitcher on the Yankees next season? If you said Mike Mussina, you're probably wrong. It's probably going to be the man who was the best pitcher on the Montreal Expos for the last three seasons: Javier Vazquez. That statement is not meant to devalue Mike Mussina or what he is capable of doing; Mike Mussina is a great pitcher. He was the best pitcher

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1069808856984488772003-11-25T19:02:00.000-06:002003-11-25T19:23:09.316-06:00

I wrote a blog about why Barry Bonds deserved the MVP award much more than Albert Pujols. I genuinely thought that the BBWA would pick Pujols in defense of his “more balanced” numbers – better batting average, more extra-base hits, more Runs Batted In. Stupidly, I forgot about the one statistic that the members of the BBWA are entirely consumed with: wins. The Giants finished with 100 wins,

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1068594832261551722003-11-11T17:53:00.000-06:002003-11-16T12:50:22.760-06:00

(This blog was written in three portions, all of which were written on different days at different times of the day.) (Portion A: Friday, November 7) Every year, the BBWA votes for some major awards in baseball: Rookie of the Year, the Cy Young award, Manager of the Year and Most Valuable Player. Every year, one of, if not all of these awards, go to players who don’t deserve them. The reason

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1066936555611226082003-10-23T14:15:00.000-05:002003-10-23T14:15:55.540-05:00

When both the Cubs and the Red Sox failed to win their respective game sevens, I hollered, “Boycott! I shall boycott this world series.” This, coming from a guy who loves baseball so much he has a fucking blog exclusively devoted to it. My friend Shorr turned me on to what all of us baseball lovers must do during a world series in which we have feelings of apathy/resentment/violent hatred

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1066417334942847112003-10-17T14:02:00.000-05:002003-10-17T14:02:15.043-05:00

...wait until next year.

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1066417316314550082003-10-17T14:01:00.000-05:002003-10-17T14:01:56.420-05:00

I missed my first day of work yesterday. It came on the heels of the Cubs blowing a three games to one lead in the NLCS. My mom called me yesterday morning, wondering if I was sick because of the Cubs. I came into work today, and was confronted by the same questions as my co-workers (they all know how big of a fan I am). I would love to believe that the Cubs' loss had such a profound effect

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1066238618832014292003-10-15T12:23:00.000-05:002003-10-15T12:23:38.806-05:00

...nobody wants to see the Florida Marlins in the World Series. Except for Ross.

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1066238422693828772003-10-15T12:20:00.000-05:002003-10-15T12:22:52.310-05:00

I haven't updated for the last few games because I have been too busy... but I just can't not comment on last night (Game 6). Here's all I'm going to say: Let's move on. Last night, I was all about the denial. I was too angry at everything - that fan, Alex Gonzalez, Dusty Baker, the whole situation, to even wrap my mind around the fact that the Cubs have another chance. Lots of people

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1065561129279155312003-10-07T16:12:00.000-05:002003-10-07T16:12:09.273-05:00

Through a stroke of what I can only call waking up and landing with a horseshoe shoved firmly in my butt, I have acquired tickets to the Cubs game tonight. Clearly, my work day has taken a side-track from which I shall never recover. Fortunately, there are only 48 minutes left in my work day. What happened? How is this possible? I don't know. All I know is that I'm going to a Cubs playoff

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854861.post-1065451018656567922003-10-06T09:36:00.000-05:002003-10-06T09:37:20.830-05:00

Overheard many times at my apartment last night: "I can't believe it. I can't believe they actually won." This was a sentiment said by many, but a sentiment reiterated by me countless times. Really. I really can't believe it. I can't believe that one of those 95 year-old monkeys is off our backs. There's a 58 year-old monkey that I think is coming off next. More from me later.

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11886669413616953905noreply@blogger.com0