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Analysis, News & Rumors
Archives
May 2005 Headlines
Is is Time to Give Up? - 5/30/05 1:35pm
Knopper's Korner - Keep Up the Offense - 5/30/05 1:19pm
This is Getting Ridiculous - 5/26/05 9:04am
Jeff Gordon Bombs - 5/25/05 11:15pm
Cubs Should Jump on Graves - 5/23/05 10:22pm
Knopper's Korner - Weekend Wrapup - 5/22/05 9:20pm
Cause of Zambrano's Injury Revealed? - 5/21/05 1:02pm
Knopper's Korner - Crosstown Rivals - 5/20/05 9:02am
Knopper's Korner - Derrek Lee MVP? - 5/15/05 9:49am
Wood as Closer? - 5/14/05 12:03pm
Player Analysis and Keys to Success - 5/12/05 9:08pm
Knopper's Korner - Change the Nickname? - 5/7/05 6:44pm
Don't Give Up - 5/5/05 8:27pm
Wood's Status - 5/1/05 11:47am
5/30/05 1:35pm - Is is Time to Give Up?
It looks like the harder the Cubs try, the wierder things get. I kept thinking to myself what the odds were that
the ball hit Mark Prior's elbow directly. If it hit a little higher, it may just have been a bruise. For the
Cubs, this type of thing isn't anything new.
Though not having Prior, Wood, Garciaparra, and the rest of the injured players does not make the
rest of the season look promising, could this actually give the team the much needed jolt? Everyone
is counting them out and most are already looking at the Cubs to dump players to prepare for 2006.
On the trading and recent rumors, I was happy to see Latroy Hawkins go, although I felt bad for him. The
rumors were that he was getting threats and hate mail daily. A change of scenery will be good for him
and the Cubs. Hopefully they got two pretty good prospects in return.
The other rumor was that the Cubs were interested in trading Greg Maddux. I have a hard time believing that this
will happen. Maddux is now the #2 pitcher behind Zambrano. If they dumped him off to another team, the Cubs
might as well bring up their entire farm system to showcase some talent.
I am not ready to give up on the season. The recent hitting surge makes me think the Cubs will step up and
continue to fight. Now at 24-24, they need to continue to win. It seems that most championship teams always
continue on when their stars get hurt. The Cubs are playing better now and if it continues, they still have
a chance.
- Jim | Return
5/30/05 1:19pm - Knopper's Korner - Keep Up the Offense
It seems like right after Mark Prior was injured Friday, the Cubs have stepped up their offense which is what they needed to do if they have any thoughts of staying in the race this year. Some say that it takes a shocking incident like that to wake everyone up to do a little bit more.
I'm like, how many more can we lose? Borowski, Wood, Walker, Fox, Remlinger, Williamson, Garciaparra, Prior and Macias is wearing a knee brace..
D.Lee has been great as usual, leads the league in; average, homers, RBI's and runs scored. J. Burnitz has been good really all year. (Does anyone really miss Sammy?) Ramirez has been living up to his reputation. Over the weekend, we didn't see men left on base as much as we have seen lately.
Corey Patterson's defense has been gold glove but I wish someone would talk to him about his batting problems!
It will be interesting to see if the Cubs can keep the offense going during the west coast trip. that might tell the story of how the rest of the year goes. Hopefully they can and we just might have fun yet the this season..
Knopper's Korner is provided to CubbiesBaseball.com by both Senior and Junior Knopper, who are die hard Cubs fans.
- Senior Knopper's Korner | Return
5/26/05 9:04am - This is Getting Ridiculous
The latest injury happened after Mike Remlinger broke his pinky finger on his throwing hand after getting it pinched between two recliners in the Cubs clubhouse. With this happening after Zambrano's now famous computer-arm, what is next for the Cubs? Lee breaking his arm making coffee? How many strange injuries can the Cubs have?
Thinking back to last year, this isn't much different. Sosa landed on the DL after a sneezing spell. The team brainiac, Kyle Farnsworth landed on the DL after kicking a fan (not a Cubs fan, a circulating air fan) in the clubhouse.
Just to save us some pain, the Cubs trainers should consider making up valid injuries to cover up the foolish injuries that have been happening. You have to start to wonder if Kerry Wood's injury will keep him out of action longer than we think.
- Bryan | Return
5/25/05 11:15pm - Jeff Gordon Bombs
First of all, why is this guy at Wrigley Field? Can't we get Will Ferrell back? Even Ozzy was better than Gordon singing the 7th inning
stretch. That is how awful Jeff Gordon was on Tuesday night.
His first mistake was to call Wrigley Field, "Wrigley Stadium". That was enough to get some boos right there. His second mistake
was even attempting to sing the 7th inning stretch. Usually when people can't since they just hold the microphone out to the crowd. Gordon
should have definitely though about doing just that.
5 seconds after the song began, you knew it was going to be a disaster. The crowd erupted in boos as Gordon sang fast and looked confused. When the
organist finished the song, Gordon decided to sing the last verse by himself, not even realizing that the song was over.
When the damage was done and Gordon was being interviewed by Brenley and Kasper, the Cubs decided to rub it in by showing footage
of Gordon attempting to throw out the first pitch. For anyone that thought Nascar is a man's sport, just take a look at him throwing that
ball like a girl.
If you happened to miss the worse 7th inning stretch singer
ever, enjoy it here.
- Jim | Return
5/23/05 10:22pm - Cubs Should Jump on Graves
Believe it or not, it looks like a closer will be available to the Cubs in the near future. Yes, he had a 7.36
ERA this year. Yes, he was designated for assignment by the Reds after another meltdown this year where he gave
booing fans the finger. Who is he? He is Danny Graves if you haven't heard already.
This sounds like the makings of a huge flop for the Cubs, but isn't it worth a shot? The Cubs could trade for
Graves within the next 10 days and ask the Reds to pay most of his contract or they could wait until the 10
days are up and try to pick him up as a free agent. It could turn out to be a huge move if all that Graves
needed was a change of scenery.
One problem is that emotion on the field for the Cubs is good if you are successful, but if you are struggling,
it is going to be much worse in Chicago than it was in Cincinnati. Either way, fans will greet Graves with
open arms if he arrives in Chicago.
Both Jim Hendry and Dusty Baker have already expressed interest in Graves. He had 41 saves in 2004 with a 3.95 ERA.
His career ERA is 3.98 and as a closer, he has recorded 182 saves.
Though Dempster hasn't really had a shot to show if he is the real deal as a closer, it wouldn't hurt to have
another arm in the bullpen. Especially considering the current bullpen status for the Cubs.
- Bryan | Return
5/22/05 9:20pm - Knopper's Korner - Weekend Wrapup
Well, the first segment of the 'city series' is over. I guess the Cubs could have done worse.
Taking 1 out of 3 to the team with the best won/lost record in baseball is not too bad, considering our offense lately has been less then great.
Our savior for the weekend was Mark Prior. He demonstrated exactly what he has been hyped to do, and pitched a complete game besides. (Maddux and Zambrano almost did just as well but the offense/bullpen didn't come through.)
I'd like to personally comment on the announcers I listened to at one time or another for the three games.
On the radio, Pat Hughes and Ron Santo. Pat is really good. His knowledge of baseball is amazing sometimes. Santo is all right, and as most people in baseball say, has always been one of the nice guys in the game. I think he is getting screwed concerning his Hall of Fame deal also.. That said, as far as commenting on the game, he leaves a lot to be desired. He and Pat make a good comedy team though.
Len Kasper and Bob Brenley, I think are really good considering they had to replace Carey and Stone who were here for a few years and were very popular with most fans. Kasper is very knowledgeable and does a fine job on play-by-play and Brenley has been good during playoff's and World Series games through the years. They are both good.
The guys on Fox Saturday were O.K., (I don't remember their names.)
I didn't catch Hawk and D.J. at all, I don't know why!!!
But one of the best of the bunch I thought was Dan Plesac who did color on Comcast Friday, with Kasper, (Brenley had the day off,) and post game stuff Saturday after the Fox telecast. He is up on the Cub players and can really diagnose the team, both during the game and after. I think he would make the broadcasts very enjoyable if he were on more often.
Knopper's Korner is provided to CubbiesBaseball.com by both Senior and Junior Knopper, who are die hard Cubs fans.
- Senior Knopper's Korner | Return
5/21/05 1:02pm - Cause of Zambrano's Injury Revealed?
After throwing over 130 pitches and then leaving the next game early last week, many critics were quick
to get on Dusty Baker and the Cubs for allowing him to over-pitch. His injured arm only pushed him back
one day, but was the injury caused from something else?
There are currently two theories as to the result of the injury. One is batting too much and the other
was his overuse of his home computer.
During his last start, Zambrano appeared to have over-extended his elbow after hitting a double against
Livan Hernandez. Though nothing was said about it, the Cubs have decided to limit his batting sessions and
only allow him to bat during the game.
Fox Sports mentioned that this over-extension of his elbow and the high use of his home computer
probably both added to the injury.
Has it really come to this? Is the Cubs staff so injury-prone that they should limit their internet surfing?
- Bryan | Return
5/20/05 9:02am - Knopper's Korner - Crosstown Rivals
What better way to spend a spring weekend then to watch our Cubs against the dreaded Sox?
Although the Sox are having a 'semi-great' start this year, we Cub fans all know that they are playing in the minor league.
With Maddux, Zambrano and Prior starting, we are in very good shape.
(What bullpen? We don't need no stinking bullpen with these guys starting!)
The Socko's are even so scared they are by-passing their best pitchers, Garland and Buehrle!
The Cubs offense just has to relax, step up and score some runs for our starters and we'll be fine.
The only thing we have to worry about is if Ozzie Guillen gets a good parking spot so he doesn't have anything to gripe about!
GO CUBBIES!
Knopper's Korner is provided to CubbiesBaseball.com by both Senior and Junior Knopper, who are die hard Cubs fans.
- Senior Knopper's Korner | Return
5/15/05 9:49am - Knopper's Korner - Derrek Lee MVP?
I guess I kind of knew it all along, but after I read Jay Mariotti's column in the Sun-Times on May 12, it hit me how Derrek Lee is quietly becoming the Cubs MVP this year.
I mean, as of May 12, batting average .383, homers 10, R.B.I.'s 33, slugging percentage .733, on-base percentage .476. These stats are almost spectacular!
Derrek has just about been flawless with his defense as well. What does he have, maybe 1 error so far? He makes difficult plays seem like normal.
And remember I said quietly, this is without 'boombox' noise in the clubhouse. Without 'bragging' about how good he is, and other chatter we hear from most other superstars.
Whenever we see Derrek in an interview, he is always restrained, almost apologetic and never talks about how much he has helped the Cubs this year. He has not had the slow start of the past seasons. You just have to say he has been the leader of the team so far.
I have the same feelings that I had when Mark Grace was brought up to play first base, I think in 1990. I thought, this guy is the best thing that has happened to the team in years, and I was correct.
Us Cub fans don't have too much to yell about so far this season, but one thing we have to cheer is the play of Derrek Lee.
Knopper's Korner is provided to CubbiesBaseball.com by both Senior and Junior Knopper, who are die hard Cubs fans.
- Senior Knopper's Korner | Return
5/14/05 12:03pm - Wood as Closer?
There has been quite a bit of talk lately from fans about why Kerry Wood isn't being considered for the closer job. Considering his current injury and the lack of a solid closer, should the Cubs give this any thought?
Consider this: The Cubs have 3 very good starting pitchers. Zambrano is arguably their #1 guy at this point. Prior looks like he may be returning to his 2003 form. If that is the case, he would probably be the Cubs #1 starter, moving Zambrano to the #2 spot. Maddux continues to be steady and is a much better option than most other team's #3 starters. Rusch fills in well as a #5 starter. The only thing missing is a solid #4 starting in their rotation. While, Kerry Wood could easily fill the #3 or #4 spot in the rotation this year, would his skills be better used as a closer? He has all the signs of a dominant closer who may even be rival Eric Gagne. A pitcher with his arsenal of pitches and strikeout ability would dominate as a closer.
The second level of thinking behind this is: How easy will it be for Jim Hendry to pick up a good closer by mid-season? That is probably not going to be easy at all. More than likely, it won't happen without the Cubs giving up some good talent in their farm system. Wouldn't it be easier to pick up a solid #3 or #4 starter? It would probably be pretty cheap and wouldn't cost the Cubs much for talent. Every team knows the Cubs need a closer and will probably ask for quite a bit in return. They wouldn't be asking for as much for a #3 or #4 starter.
Thinking along this path, it may actually work out better for the team to move Wood to the closer role. Now that is not as easy as it sounds, because it takes quite a bit for a pitcher to transition from a starter to a closer. It is a different mind-set and requires different preparation, but it would be possible to transition Wood to that role by mid-season.
The next question would be: Will his injury hold him back? Many fans think that if his nagging shoulder injury occurs after 5-6 innings, it makes logical sense to move him to the bullpen. While that makes sense, you can't assume his injury will go away if he only pitches one inning a night. On the other hand, the injury may be more manageable if he keeps his pitch counts low.
The final question the Cubs would have to ask would be: Would Kerry Wood move from a once dominant starter to a closer role? The easy answer to this is that Kerry Wood does not want to lose a starting position, especially considering his past dominance. On the other hand, he also has to know that he could possibly be one of the most dominant closers in the league. Knowing how Dusty Baker operates, he is going to do everything he can to stay loyal to his players. That means, he is going to try to keep Wood happy as a starter. He is demonstrating this now by keeping a slumping Hollandsworth (batting .207) in left field, when he could turn to Jason Dubois. Kerry Wood has to know that moving to the closer spot doesn't necessarily mean he can't cut it as a starter. If the Cubs can find a good replacement #4 pitcher, Wood should do what is best for the team and give the closer role a shot.
- Bryan | Return
5/5/05 8:27pm - Don't Give Up
The infield has been doing well considering the injuries. Lee has been playing like an all-star and should be
considered the Cubs' MVP at this point. Ramirez is starting to come around, so you can expect him to hit
near .300. He is currently in a seven game hitting streak until he was sidelined with back spasms.
Barrett should also raise his average after his slow start. He battled through a bad slump in April, but if
he could raise his batting average to around .280, the Cubs would be happy. Perez has filled in well for
Nomar. While starting out hot, he has cooled off a bit, but fills in well in the #2 slot. Hairston needs
to do a little better job in the lead off spot. He has also filled in well for the injured Todd Walker, but
his on base percentage should be higher. When Walker comes back, the Cubs will need a new leadoff hitter.
Dusty needs to determine what to do in left field. He wants to stay loyal to Hollandsworth, but at this
point, it may be worth keeping Dubois as the starter. He has been a good pinch hitter and has done
well against some hard throwing relievers. Hollandsworth seems to be trying too hard and has more
pressure on him as the current starter. Last year, he had more success as a pinch hitter and fill-in
player. Patterson has been doing well this season, but his strikeouts are still too high. He should be
attempting to steal more often if the Cubs want to stick to their game plan of being aggressive. He started
out slow after he was dropped from the lead-off position, but he has been surging lately, so expect him to
continue to bat in the middle of the order. Burnitz has filled in well for Sosa and has played good
defense.
The starting rotation has been a mess. Early injuries to Prior and Wood shook things up, but since Prior
has come back, he has pitched well. Wood on the other hand is staring to make people question if he will
ever come around as a dominant pitcher. His injury has forced another backup starter back into the
rotation, which has a trickle down effect on the bullpen. Zambrano has been dominant again, but his
emotion has hurt the Cubs almost as much as it has helped. Maddux has pitched great, striking out 10 in
his last appearance against the Mets. With Dempster moving to the closer role, Rusch will now be the
5th starter. At the same time, the Cubs have called up Sergio Mitre to fill in for the injured Kerry
Wood. Though the Cubs can go with a 4 man rotation until the end of May, Mitre may get some starts
for Wood.
In the bullpen, things are worse than the staring rotation. Wuertz, Hawkins, Reminger, Dempster, Fox,
and Novoa all have ERA's over 4.00. It seems almost the whole bullpen has taken a turn at the closer role,
with each falling apart at some time. Almost every game, the Cubs are blowing a save or giving up
runs late. Dempster is our last hope at the closer role. Though he blew a save Wednesday, he did
pick up the win. Hawkins has been a disaster so far this year. He has 3 blown saves and 4 losses this year and the boos are Wrigley Field are louder than ever. Baker plans to pitch him earlier in games to regain his confidence. Remlinger started out slow, but has been pitching well lately. He will probably be the setup man for now. The rest of the bullpen has been very inconsistent this year. Bartosh, Ohman, Wuertz, Wellemeyer, and Leicester have looked good at times, but also looked shaky other times.
Keys to Success
1. The closer role has to be defined. Everyone has had their shot. The last hope is with Dempster.
2. The injuries need to be healed. Wood, Garciaparra, and Walker need to stay healthy.
3. The bullpen needs to pitch more consistently. If they continue to pitch the way they have, expect many more late inning runs from the opposing teams.
4. Dusty needs to give Dubois a shot as the starter in left field. He has been playing against left handed hitters and has been doing well, but Hollandsworth is only batting .207 against righties.
5. The Cubs need to stick with the aggressive plan and learn to manufacture runs. The continue to depend on the long ball as they did in 2004. Having a batter with a high on base percentage will be a bonus. When Walker comes back, the Cubs should consider having Perez lead off.
- Bryan | Return
5/7/05 6:44pm - Knopper's Korner - Change the Nickname?
As Mike Royko once wrote, most Cub fans are people who's parents took them to games and 'brainwashed' them into being fans when they were young and didn't know what they were getting into.
I was born in 1942 and as far back as I can remember, which was probably around 1946 or so, we used to go to Cub games at least 2 or 3 times a year. I can still hear my dad complaining about the parking going up to $1, (indoors a half a block from Wrigley,) and the beer's going from 25 to 50 cents, (shouldn't we be so lucky.) We could pick any seat in the grandstand because they were not numbered and the park was usually half full.
I suffered through the 50's, and listened to the radio at lunchtime at work to the fiasco of 1969.
When the Tribune purchased the team in 1981, I thought just maybe there was a glimmer of hope. Dallas Green and his 'Starting a New Tradition' had all of us fans with fantastic thoughts.
Well, we all know how that turned out. The 1984 playoffs ended up in the toilet. The 1989 playoffs ended up in the toilet. And on, and on.
Just maybe this year the Cubs will flip-flop into something special, but I certainly won't bet any money on it. Not after all these years of futility.
I really believe that the Cub nickname is some kind of subconscious thing that finds it's way into the brains of most players that come to the team. They know that eventually something will happen to screw things up. It has to be some type of supernatural thing to last almost 100 years!
I know this is a drastic idea, and it will never happen, but maybe changing the name would be the only way to stop this sickening, perpetual losing mentality.
Knopper's Korner is provided to CubbiesBaseball.com by both Senior and Junior Knopper, who are die hard Cubs fans.
- Senior Knopper's Korner | Return
5/5/05 8:27pm - Don't Give Up
If you had a chance to read Chris De Luca's article in the Chicago Sun-Times, you were either really angry or you were ready to accept that the Cubs are worse than they were last year with Sosa, Alou, and Clement. Is it really time to give up on them already only one month into the season?
With all the problems with the complaining towards umpires last year and even this year, are the umpires really cracking down on the Cubs? Does Zambrano really have a smaller strike zone than other pitchers? He probably does not get the benefit of the doubt that a pitcher like Greg Maddux will get, but its doubtful that umpires are treating the Cubs any differently than any other team.
Some may think that Corey Patterson's helmet throwing episode may have sounded alarms, but its a little too early to make any assumptions. Plain and simple, he was frustrated at a bad the call. In his previous at-bat, he had a hit taken away from him because of an error and then was called out when he was clearly safe.
"I know how people can take that, but I know what was going on in my head, what I'm thinking," Patterson said. "At some point, you have to say `Enough is enough.' I'm not a hothead. You probably won't see that again for who knows how long?"
Its hard to assume that umpires are "filing away mental notes" against the Cubs when they turn questionable calls like that against them. You have to assume that the umpires do not hold grudges and that they call the games as they see it. Corey Patterson tossing his helmet may not have been the smartest thing to do, but it was good to see some emotion like that once in a while, especially from Patterson. Its doubtful that the strike zone grew for Patterson and the Cubs because of that incident. People who say that are just looking to start the blame game of 2005.
At this point in the season its too early to start the blame game. The Cubs are injured and the bullpen is tired. Losing Garciaparra, Walker, and now Kerry Wood definitely does not help, but hovering around .500 is pretty good at this point. Jim Hendry is working to strengthen the infield as talks are going on with several teams. Names like Alex Cintron and even the former Cub, Alex Gonzalez have been thrown around to backup Perez and Hairston. Don't think their quest to find a closer is gone either. Putting Wood on the DL may have changed their plans, but don't be surprised if Dempster becomes the closer soon. Jim Hendry may even trade for a closer.
Most Cubs fans would probably agree that if Sosa was still on the team, things wouldn't be much different. If anything, they may have been worse. He has a .269 average with 13 RBI's and 4 homers this season, but the Orioles are in first place. That may be enough to make Sosa happy, but we are all much happier that he is gone.
If you are a Cubs fan, you are probably frustrated, but don't give up just yet. Its only one month into the season and Jim Hendry always has something up his sleeve.
- Jim | Return
5/1/05 11:47am - Wood's Status
The Cubs can't afford to lose another player. Though his shoulder has been bothering him on and off
for most of the season, Kerry Wood may be the next to hit the DL.
On Monday, Wood is expected to have an MRI to see if there
is any damage to his shoulder. He has left his last two games, bothered by tendonitis, but left Saturday after only
three innings.
Though they are calling it tendonitis, the pain is coming from his rotator cuff, which is a scary thought for
pitchers. The difference between Saturday and the last time he pitched was that Wood was actually
feeling the pain while he pitched. During his last outing, he was only feeling it between innings
and after the game.
If Wood hits the 15-day disabled list, as he probably will, Glendon Rusch will likely fill his spot. This
may have altered the Cubs bullpen plans. With the problems in the closer role, the Cubs
may have been looking for Dempster to attempt to fill that spot. Rusch could have been moved into Dempster's
spot as the 5th starter. Now with the uncertainty of Wood's injury, Rusch may be asked to fill his spot, which
would force Dempster to remain in a starter role. Considering the status of the Injured Cubs, its a miracle
they finished above .500 for the month of April.
- Bryan | Return
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