With the MLB playoffs set to begin, there is a subtle difference in the air compared to start of any other postseason. In the NHL, fans can potentially look forward to a great Canadians/Bruins series that is not only exciting, but has a historical kick to it. Likewise basketball fans always have the chance to see if the Suns can finally get past the Spurs and football fans love seeing the rivalry of the Eagles Vs the City of Philadelphia when the Eagles so much as get tackled for a loss.
Chicago Cubs
30 September 2008
18 July 2008
A few relatively minor items to cover with the moves made by a few teams recently. What might they mean in the second half? I’ll try and puzzle this out.
Tony Clark, who experienced a career resurgence the day he put on an Arizona Diamondbacks uniform back in 2005, hs returned to the cozy confines of Chase Field. Petco, where hitting a homer is as hard as hitting the lottery, wasn’t as kind to the aging Clark as Chase has been, so he’ll certainly improve on his 2008 line of .239/.374/.307. His 32:19 K:BB ratio, as well as hs 165-point difference between BA and OBP, will tell you his batting eye is fine, and some power should follow.
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15 July 2008
One of the All-Star Break traditions: Reassessing our predictions from the first half of the season. Some of mine have changed, some have stayed the same—and some were just damn wrong. Living in the West, I will take the contrarian position and roll from west to east in my choices.
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13 July 2008
The other big trade that happened recently was the Cubs’ acquisition of the oft-injured Rich Harden from Oakland. This move is typical of Oakland’s business model, which involves shedding young stars before they get too expensive, often in exchange for other young or undervalued stars. In this way, they’re similar to the Florida Marlins, except that the Marlins tend to load up for concentrated runs at the championship (they have as many championships in the last decade as big-market Boston, and more than the Cubs have in the past hundred years), while the A’s tend towards consistent competitiveness.
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12 July 2008
Still playing ketchup here, trying to make up for a four-day absence from the blog, so I want to start with the big trade of last week, the CC Sabathia swap. The usefulness of this deal to the Brewers is a little dubious, as CC is likely to be a half-season rental, but let’s break it down:
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30 June 2008
All right. Are you ready for this? As the All-Star break approaches, the Tampa Bay Rays have the best record in baseball. That’s right. At 49-32, they’re a half-game ahead of Boston, the Cubs, and Anaheim. Whoa. Is this one of the signs of the apocalypse?
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12 June 2008
Two huge injury developments last night--one to one of the best all-around hitters in the game, and the other to an outfielder who's been red-hot the past few weeks. Both injuries should have big implications to their teams, one likely more than the other, and to the NL Central.
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11 June 2008
One of my other writing gigs is at The Asian Reporter, where I write reviews, features, and a monthly column on Asian-American sports issues. Each spring, I write a preview about the prominent Asian major leauge baseball players, and that preview has grown considerably. This past year, I gave up trying to chronicle all of the probable Asian players and concentrated on the most prominent ones instead.
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21 May 2008
HOUSTON DEFEATS CUBS 5-3 ON A CARLOS LEE HOME RUN AS HOUSTON TAKES SERIES
After the Cubs went 8-2 on their latest home stand which made their record at home 19-8, it seems as if they forgot how to play anywhere else. After losing to the Astros 5-3 and losing the series, the Cubs find themselves 9-11 away from the friendly Confines. If a team wants to find themselves in the post-season, they need to win the big games on the road. In a series that had playoff atmosphere, both teams were out to make statements. The Astros were louder than the Cubs according to Shawn Chaccon, who got the decision in the victory. "One message the Cubs might get out of it is, 'We're here. We're here to compete. We're going to battle,'" Chacon said. "'It's not the team it was last year. Basically, it's going to be a tough team to beat the whole year.'"
Posted by Ryan Neiman | No comments yet
8 May 2008
The Reds went all homer-happy over the Cubs last night, and Edinson Volquez twirled a gem on the mound, leading the Reds commentators and Steve Phillips on ESPN to go all gushy on them, proclaiming the future is now and they're gonna take the NL Central. Is this the case?
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6 May 2008
After another game where stranding base-runners has become a common theme, what Lou Piniella had the right words to sum up the Cubs recent slide, "Like I told my guys after the ballgame, make the other team beat you, don't just give it to them," Cubs manager Lou Piniella said. "You play like that and you're going to lose quite a few of them, or most of them. Anyway, it's over with. Done."
Continue reading "Cubs lose 5-3 after having bases-loaded with 1 out"
Posted by Ryan Neiman | No comments yet
4 May 2008
After the Cubs had one of their best records in April in 1969, the start of May is starting to resemble the collapse towards of the season in 1969. In one their toughest weeks this season, nothing looked pretty as the Cubs just won two out six against there NL Central rivals the Brewers and the Cardinals. In a week that could have seperated them from everyone else in the divison, the Cubs are now looking up towards the Cardinals who now have a 1 1/2 lead over the Cubs. Lets quickly recap this horrible week the Cubs have endured.
Continue reading "Rough Week for Cubs spells Rough Road Ahead"
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1 May 2008
For many baseball fans, last night wasn't a great night to watch baseball, as blowouts predominated early on. But, because of the beautiful game that is baseball, only three of them continued in their lopsided fashion, with the best of them highlighted by a homer from Micah Owings, the best-hitting pitcher in baseball, whom teammate Conor Jackson said had the "best pop" of anyone on the team. And all of them showed something about the winning and losing teams, proving that any baseball game is worth watching, even when it doesn't seem exciting.
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19 March 2008
Here are the biggest questions which will play a factor in the season for each team.
Chicago Cubs
Can Kerry Wood stay healthy in the bullpen?
After watching Wood miss significant time due to injuries each of the last four seasons, it seems obvious that he is not going to make it as a full time starter and stay healthy. So now the Cubs are attempting to move him to the bullpen in an attempt to get a full season out of him. When he has been healthy, he is nothing short of dominant and pitching only one inning at a time, he should really be able to let it fly. So far in Spring Training the initial reports look good.
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1 March 2008
Chicago Cubs pitcher Jason Marquis is competing for the final two spots in the starting rotation. If he does not make the rotation, he would probably end up in bullpen. In his first start during spring training he went 2 innings, gave up 2 runs, both earned, along with 3 hits. However, it wasn't his arm that hurt his chances of winning a spot in the rotation. Rather it was his mouth. Jason Marquis does not feel he should be competing for a starting job. He said he signed as a Cub because he thought he would be guaranteed a starter every year. "That's my ultimate goal, that's how I think I help the team the most. Obviously, we'll see what happens when it's time for them to make their decision," Marquis told reporters. Marquis was asked how he would feel if he did not make the rotation and ended up in the bullpen. he replied, " As much as I want to be here in Chicago, and I love it, I love the fans and the stadium, I also have a family to worry about, too. I could take my services elsewhere if that's the case, and I could help another team in that capacity as a starter. My value doesn't lie in the bullpen in my mind."
Continue reading "To Start or To Not to Start: Marquis Sounds off"
Posted by Ryan Neiman | No comments yet
27 February 2008
As the Cubs open up their first spring training game on Thursday against the San Francisco Giants, there are three stories we should look at while this game is going on. These will also be the stories throughout spring training.
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25 February 2008
If you are reading this title, your heart probably sank and it has shattered all the chances of the Cubs making it to the World Series. Put away those tissues and turn that frown around because good old Zambrano is not hurt, but in perfect health. But will he stay that way? Below, I have posted my top ten predictions on what will happen during the Cubs season. If any of these do happen you wish would not happen, please do no send me hate mail. Enjoy!
Posted by Ryan Neiman | 2 comments
After having 120 different lineups last season, Sweet Lou Piniella wants to find the right combination during spring training. His latest idea is probably one of the best he has came up with since juggling everyone around. Lou suggested Fukudome would bat third, followed by Lee and Ramirez. The whole lineup would probably look like this: Soriano, Theirot, Fukudome, Lee, Ramirez, Derosa, Soto, and Pie. It is a great combination of speed at the top and power in the middle. "I've been thinking about our lineup and what makes sense and what we can try," Piniella said Friday. "Let me warn you, it's only Feb. 22, so there's plenty of time to adjust this thing."
Continue reading "POTENTIAL 3,4,5 HITTERS: FUKUDOME, LEE, RAMIREZ"
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19 February 2008
ona(4) LA Dodgers(5) San Francisco Giants
WILD CARD
San Diego Padres
PLAYOFF PICTURE
NLDS
Chicago Cubs defeat Colorado
Mets defeat Padres
ALDS
Cleveland defeats Boston
Detroit defats Angels
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18 February 2008
is a season where the impossible turns into the possible. Just listen to Ryan Dempster of the Chicago Cubs make a bold prediction, “I think we are going to win the World Series. I really do.” Great, just what a Cubs fans need to hear, another prediction.
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