The good news is that the Cubs beat the Pirates yesterday 4-3. In order to do that, they had to come back from a 3-0 deficit. The winning run came in the 8th inning when pinch-hitter Xavier Nady hit an RBI single to drive home Alfonso Soriano. Soriano was the hitting star of the game [...]
Tag Archives: Pittsburgh Pirates
Hitting The Road To Cincy
May 7, 2010 – 7:54 am
What a miserable three games in Pittsburgh. The Cubs were swept by the Pirates for the first time since 2006. In a nutshell, the Pirates pitchers all looked like Cy Young and the Cubs hitters all looked like little leaguers. The entire series was frustrating and depressing.
The Cubs will now move on to Cincinnati to [...]
Hope Springs Eternal
February 26, 2010 – 5:35 am
At some point in my formative years, I heard the phrase “hope springs eternal” used in relation to baseball Spring Training and until recently, I never questioned the connection. Since then, whenever I have heard the phrase uttered, I assumed the utterer was talking about Spring Training.
Of course, now I’m old and smart, and I [...]
A Look At The Center Field Market (Part 2 of 2)
December 22, 2009 – 6:39 am
Yesterday, in part 1 of this series, I listed the free agent center field candidates that the Cubs may consider this off season. The free agents are easy to identify because we know specifically who they are. Trade candidates are a different story. We don’t know for sure who is available or what it will [...]
Baseball Economy: Tax The Wealthy And The Poor
November 19, 2009 – 10:59 pm
In the past, I have railed for MLB to implement a salary cap and a salary floor. Although it concerns me that the Yankees spend so much more than all of the other clubs (they had a higher payroll in 2009 than the Marlins, Padres, Pirates and A’s combined), my more pressing concern is how [...]
The MLB Salary Cap Revisted
November 16, 2009 – 7:42 am
A while back, I wrote a post about the need for Major League Baseball to implement a salary cap. I’ve heard the arguements about small market, low payroll teams like Minnesota or Florida making the playoffs. I’ve heard that the players union will never approve a salary cap. I’ve also heard that teams like the [...]
Cubs Scratch Iwamura Off Their Wish List
November 4, 2009 – 7:48 am
The Cubs can scratch Akinori Iwamura off their wish list this off season. The former Tampa Bay Rays second baseman was traded yesterday to Pittsburgh for 26-year old relief pitcher Jesse Chavez. The Cubs can now turn their attention to signing free agent Orlando Hudson.
Thinking Out Of The Box (Part 2)
October 12, 2009 – 6:48 am
This is the second installment of my “Thinking Out of the Box” series. You can find the first installment here.
Previously, we looked at the reasons that small market/low-revenue teams might want to consider doing things differently than their competitors. Today, I want to focus on what types of things they might consider.
Thinking Out Of The Box (Part 1)
October 11, 2009 – 8:40 am
I know a little bit about cattle ranching (a very little bit). I know a little more about cattle ranchers.
Cattle ranchers are among the most self-conscious individuals on the planet. You wouldn’t think so. After all, our perception of ranchers is that they are rugged individualists, beating their own path through life. The truth is, [...]
Cubs Fire Hitting Coach
October 5, 2009 – 8:17 am
As soon as the final out of the final game was recorded (a loss to the D-Backs), the Cubs fired their hitting coach, Von Joshua. Joshua had been brought in mid-year to replace Gerald Perry.
In an article by Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune, Jim Hendry is quoted as saying Joshua didn’t do anything wrong. [...]
