Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Taking a Cubbie Break

To this Cubs fan, the results of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Giants weren't exactly a surprise.  But after the double-dip, my doctors have advised me to stay away from the Cubs for a while - no watching, no listening, no tracking games on the Web, and certainly no blogging.

So with the NFL lockout still in place and Illini football and basketball in a summer dead zone, nothing else should be happening; as a result we'll be unplugged here for a short time.  Here's hoping that by the time I come back, the Cubs will have ripped off six or seven straight wins, instead of closing in on (or passing) the Astros for the worst record in the major leagues.  See y'all soon!

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Chicago Cubs Finally Hit Rock Bottom

It's been a rough first half of the season for the Chicago Cubs.  There have been many instances when it seemed that things couldn't get any worse, only to discover that they could, in fact, sink way lower.  But now, I think we've finally hit rock bottom.

"Wait," I hear you saying.  "The Cubs didn't hit rock bottom when our manager gave multiple starts to a LOOGY reliever, or when he repeatedly used a player with only 17 career HR in over 300 career games in the #3 spot in the batting order?"

Nope.

Friday, June 24, 2011

The NBA Draft - Illini-free since 2006

One of Bruce Weber's five-year droughts ended in March, when the Illini beat UNLV for their first NCAA tournament win since 2006.  However, another Weber drought continues - the Illini still have not had a player taken in the NBA draft since Dee Brown and James Augustine were second-round picks in the 2006 draft.  Yes, Demetri McCamey was never a high-end prospect, and yes, Jereme Richmond was a big-time headcase.  But it's frustrating to know that schools like Cleveland State, Hofstra, Oakland, and Charleston all managed to have players taken in this year's draft, but not one player recruited by Weber has ever been drafted.

As for McCamey and Richmond  - I wish things had turned out better for you two this evening, but here's hoping that both of you can catch on with NBA teams that can find spots for you on their rosters.

Monday, June 13, 2011

Dallas Mavericks - NBA Champions

Congratulations to all the Mavericks - Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, John McCain, James Garner, Mel Gibson, Tom Cruise - on winning your first ever NBA championship!

Also, a hearty "Mazel Tov!" should go out to owner Mark Cuban.  Cuban took over a franchise that had missed the postseason ten straight years, but since then the Mavericks have now made eleven consecutive postseason appearances.  Given his team's track record in a sport where it's more difficult to break through and win a championship (even after last night, only nine different franchises have won NBA championships in the last 30 years), I have no doubt that if MLB had let him purchase the Chicago National League Baseball Club, we'd see similar results at 1060 West Addison before long.

Monday, June 6, 2011

Carlos Zambrano Tells it Like it Is

Whoever had June 5 as the day Carlos Zambrano had his first meltdown since being "cured" of his anger management problem - Mazel Tov! You win! Money quote:
We should know better than this. We play like a Triple-A team. This is embarrassing. Embarrassing for the team and the owners. Embarrassing for the fans. Embarrassed - that's the word for this team....We should play better here. We stink. That's all I've got to say."
It's good to see that someone on this team cares enough to have the guts to come out and say what everyone in the world (except for maybe the guy who matters most) is thinking. Big Z didn't necessarily have to throw his closer (or was it maybe his backup catcher or his pitching coach?) under the bus for poor pitch selection to Ryan Theriot in the bottom of the 9th inning. But I think that's a good thing. In my last post, I said this team wasn't even "fun" bad, and wondered if I'd have trouble sticking with them to the All-Star break. But considering Zambrano's history of scuffling with a teammate or two, a little internal dissension, especially involving Big Z, could make this snoozefest of a season worth watching after all.

EDIT: So it turns out Big Z wasn't actually angry when he said this, just frustrated. And boy, howdy, do I understand how that feels:
"What I said yesterday was (in) a moment of frustration," Zambrano said, before the first game of a series against Cincinnati. "I apologized to Marmol. Let's move on."
Aw, great, thanks for making with the nicey-nice, guys. So now I guess the Cubs won't have any internal dissension, and after another listless performance against Cincinnati on Monday night, it looks like Snoozefest 2011 is back in business.

Friday, June 3, 2011

Your 2011 Chicago Cubs Early-Mid-Season Review

So why do a Cubs mid-season review now, when the 2011 season isn't half-over yet? Well, we're 1/3 of the way through the season, the team hasn't played even up to my lowered pre-season expectations, and with all of the injuries and bad baseball I'm not sure if I'll still be paying attention to this team when they do reach the halfway point. Through 54 games, the Cubs are sporting a 23-31 record, good for the fourth-worst record in all of baseball, and they just finished a 3-6 homestand against three sub-.500 teams (Mets, Pirates, and Astros) with a flourish, getting swept by Houston, the team with the worst record in the NL. The Cubs have come by their record honestly, too - with a run differential of minus-45 (only two teams in baseball are worse right now), their expected won-loss record is 22-32. So if anything, they're lucky they aren't even worse.