The Reverse Ankiel

May 7th, 2008 at 02:43pm Gareth Sleger

With Jon Lieber’s heinous rotation performance today (5 earned runs off 4 home runs in 2 innings), Rich Hill learning some lessons in Iowa and Jason Marquis pitching like, well, Jason Marquis, what’s Lou “I’m not stupid” Piniella to do?

Well, mix in the problems Sweet Lou is having with Alfonso Soriano (lead-off hitting and fielding) and trying to get Ronny Cedeno in the starting lineup, and there might be a solution. Albeit (jokingly) far fetched.

It’s something called the Reverse Ankiel: convert Soriano into a starting pitcher. In the same fashion that Tony La Russa changed struggling pitcher Rick Ankiel into a productive hitter.

 Talk about extreme changes.

Entry Filed under: Cubs pitching, Alfonso Soriano