Creative Captions

Add comment April 30th, 2008

Yeah, I’m stealing from our sister publication, People in the Rock River Valley. But what could Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jeff Suppan be saying to catcher Jason Kendall during Wednesday’s 19-5 pounding from the Cubs?

Me? I think he said, “Yeah, I know I’m getting smacked around. But Turnbow’s in the bullpen! He won’t let me down!”

Where’s the Cubs game?!?!

Add comment April 30th, 2008

Tonight’s Brewers-Cubs game is on WCIU-Channel 26 in Chicago as part of the Cubs.Net broadcasts this year. Comcast here does not have access to that station. The game also is on ESPN to the rest of the country, but because of the continued blackout rules, cable viewers are getting a taste of ESPNEWS.

Hey, if I was dictator of television, I’d have the Cubs on one station, always! And I’d make room for digitally remastered reruns of “The Fugitive,” “Soap” and “NewsRadio.” But I’m not. Perhaps a local establishment is able to get the game off a Wisconsin feed.

Cuban for Cubs

Add comment April 30th, 2008

It’s rumored that Mark Cuban, fresh off his firing of Avery Johnson (who is now officially in the Bulls vacant coaching job pool), will be at tonight’s ESPN televised Cubs-Brewers game. Much to the objection of Bud Selig and Jerry Reinsdorf, it appears the eccentric billionaire is continuing his strong push to purchase the Cubs and turn Wrigley into even more of a “playground”…much to the delight of these people.

Too many hitters?

Add comment April 30th, 2008

Alfonso Soriano’s return gives the Cubs a pleasant — but perplexing — dilemma. Namely, who do you sit? Reed Johnson (.303, great defense) and Kosuke Fukudome (great everything) have to play in the outfield. And normally weak-hitting infielders Rony Cedeno (.364) and Ryan Theriot (.319) are currently red-hot. That makes it an ideal time to slowly ease Soriano back into the lineup and make sure he’s 100 percent healthy. And if he is, then you probably have to sit do-everything Mark DeRosa (.284). Cedeno may never get this hot again; the Cubs should ride it and play him at second as long as he keeps hitting to make the most of his hot streak.

and PRINT IT!!

Add comment April 29th, 2008

Tuesday marks the 25th anniversary of “The Rant Which All Other Rants Will Forever Be Measured” by then-Cubs manager Lee Elia.

Decency prevents me from providing links to the profanity-laced tirade directed at Cubs fans, but I trust more than several of you are industrious enough to find it floating in cyberspace.

Elia will be at the playground tonight for the Cubs-Brewers game. Hope it doesn’t take Steve Bartman another 20 years to get back.

Remember when …

Add comment April 28th, 2008

… athletes would make guarantees about actual championships? Then it became comebacks in playoff series, or a late-season push to make the playoffs. Perhaps a late-season promise not to choke away a probable playoff berth.

And now we get to Cubs left fielder Alfonso Soriano, who guarantees he will be activated for Thursday’s game.

That’s nice.

Actually, I’d like to find out how to receive refunds when the assorted pro athletes fail to back up their guarantees.

I know it’s too early for this

Add comment April 27th, 2008

If the National League playoffs started today, the Chicago Cubs, as the second seed, would host the Florida Marlins. And the Arizona Diamondbacks would face the St. Louis Cardinals, the wild-card qualifier.

And when every other writer paints these “if-the-playoffs-started-now” scenarios from now until the actual end of the season, I will despise reading them then, too.

Say when

Add comment April 25th, 2008

So when is the right time for the Cubs to start thinking/believing/talking about the World Series?

Cubs infielder Ronny Cedeno mentioned the Fall Classic Monday, backtracked before Tuesday’s game, then drove in five runs in that day’s 8-1 victory over the evil Mets. Sun-Times writer guy Jay Mariotti thought Cedeno and others talking World Series are morons, while WSCR-AM afternoon hosts Boers and Bernstein faulted the Cubs for making Cedeno take back his bravado.

Generally, I find life much easier when I agree with B&B and take the opposite view of Jay.

Personally, I’d rather have Cedeno thinking World Series while his team is playing well rather than the 2004-06 Cubs, who kept trying to convince me they were a good team while playing very bad situational baseball.

You can’t win them all, but …

Add comment April 24th, 2008

Today was a winnable game for the Cubs. I know I should be delighted that they’re one of the best teams in baseball right now, but the little mistakes that I’ve been whining about since the season opened keep coming up.

The Cubs have played well enough overall to cover up the blemishes, but when they make the playoffs, those little mistakes will be magnified. I know I’m way ahead of myself, but since I’ve been a Cub fan for half of the time that they’ve failed to win a World Series, you can’t blame me.

Scoring runners from third with less than two outs. The Cubs had bases loaded and nobody out and only managed a run  and were lucky to do that. Mike Fontenot hit what should have been a double-play grounder, but the Rockies couldn’t turn it on the hustling Fontenot. Ryan Theriot then lined into a double play to end the inning.

In the eighth, Theriot dropped the feed from second-baseman Ronnie Cedeno on a potential double-play ball. Rockies scored two that inning, but could have been held to one if Theriot makes sure he gets at least one out.

So at least one run left on the bases and one run allowed because of lapses in fundamental baseball.

The Cubs are good, but over the course of 162 games, little things will mean a lot.

I promise not to whine about these things again until after the All-Star break. I hope they don’t give me anything new to whine about.

From the Flip Side

Add comment April 24th, 2008

The Cubs are now 535 losses away from 10,000.

Even with a respectable 90-72 mark for the next eight seasons, there will be no way for the Chicago National League Ball Club to avoid this milestone. It’ll be reached in 2016 … hey, maybe just in time for the 2016 Olympic Games!

Which reminds me … in all of the planning for the Games from Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, has it been determined what kind of road trip the Cubs and Bridgeport’s team would encounter?