Month: February 2011

The Good The Bad and The Ugly

Posted on by Mark Gauthier

I tried to make something witty out of the title, but if I’m going to use a cliche, I might as well stick to the tried and true.

Yesterday’s game against the A’s had its ups and downs.  The Cubs scored 4 first inning runs which shows that there are plenty of swinging bats in the lineup. Matt Garza got his first hit the gave up four off of Coco Crisp.  So there are a few bugs in the bullpen.

Hey, Fukodome was the leadoff and got a hit.  That’s pretty good and I might be wrong about him and that is good as well.

The breakout player was Soriano with three hits.  I hope he has an amazing year.

It’s only the first game so I’m not worried about a 15-7 drubbing.  The unseen star of the game could be SS Darwin Barney with a hit and a run.

Bring on the Brew Crew!!!

 

—Mark Gauthier 

Fukodome to Lead-Off

Posted on by Mark Gauthier

It looks like  Mike Quade has chosen Kosuke Fukodome in the lead-off position.  Although, he’s going to mix it up a bit and put Reed Johnson in the position on Monday then Fukodome will be back on Tuesday.

Hey, this is what spring training is about and I completely forgot about Johnson in the Lead-Off.  That might work, you know?

I don’t know.  Something tells me I don’t trust Fukodome’s bat.  Is he erratic?  We’ll have to wait and see.

 

—Mark Gauthier

Two Days

Posted on by Mark Gauthier

It’s almost here.  In two days, the Cubs will kick off the 2011 Cactus League season.  Mike Quade will announce today what the line-up is going to be.  The only certainty is Aramis Ramirez will bat fourth.

Who will lead-off?  My guess is Fukodome.  It’s hard to predict what the order is going to be yet because it’s Cactus league play, however I’m excited spring training is set to begin.  It’s been a long winter and somehow, once spring training starts, the snow melts quicker.

Even though, Mike Quade has said he doesn’t want to put Starlin Castro in the lead-off because he’s still too inexperienced, I’d say Why Not?  Now’s the time to experiment.  Castro is hungry enough and he had a hell of a season last year.

Play Ball!

—Mark Gauthier

 

Pena Becomes Vocal

Posted on by Mark Gauthier

Carlos Pena had a few pointers for sophomore Tyler Colvin during practice.  Pena told him that each player is responsible for certain areas on the field.  This is good because it might lead to more organization this season and who knows that if Pena wants to take part in mentoring Colvin, maybe they’ll be able to give Pena a day off and put Colvin in at 1st base.

They key to winning championships is depth.  If the player knows their role and doesn’t try to do too much, they will succeed. 

When it comes to pop- ups, there’s nothing more agonizing than seeing a couple of players running into each other over a simple catch. 

It’s also good that Mike Quade is keen on letting his players speak up.  This will build a more comfortable atmosphere.

Hopefully, Pena continues to be a communicator in the locker room.  I think this was a problem last year.  I believe in this team and can’t wait for the season to get going.

—Mark Gauthier

Dempster made Opening Day pitcher

Posted on by Mark Gauthier

As expected, Ryan Dempster was named starting pitcher on Opening Day.  Mike Quade chose Dempster over Matt Garza and Carlos Zambrano who has started Opening Day in previous years.

I think this is a classy move on Mike Quade giving it to Dempster.  Carlos was great down the stretch, but struggled throughout the year and handing the reigns over to Ryan could signal a changing of the guard, if you want to be superstitious.

Ryan’s stats are workhorse numbers going 15-12 in 34 starts, where as Zambrano went 8-0 in his last 11 starts.

Now here’s the problem with Matt Garza and it’s a good problem to have.  He’s very competitive so technically, he could end up being the Cubs #1 guy by the end of the year.  He wants to be there in October.  I really think that there’s going to be some incredible pitching coming from the Cubs this year and I’m not being biased.  Everyone wants to prove themself, it’s a season of transition and Mike Quade is the right skipper to lead the Cubs into Autumn baseball.

—Mark Gauthier

You Can Always Come Home

Posted on by Mark Gauthier

There has been some returning veterans  this spring who have come back to the Cubs after spending time around the league.  Kerry Wood, Todd Wellemeyer, Reed Johnson, Augie Ojeda, and Scott Moore have all been invited to camp for non-roster positions.

In Kerry Wood’s case, he took a pay cut to come back to the Cubs.  I like that signing because he was a huge part of the Cubs success a few years ago and he’ll probably finish his career in Chicago.

Reed Johnson is returning to the Cubs after a brief campaign with the LA Dodgers.  He’s a great player and I’ve always been a fan of his from his time in Toronto.

This is Ojeda’s third time around with Chicago.  At 36, he’ll likely finish his career here also.

Scott Moore and Ojeda turned down other offers to go back with the Cubs and this is a good sign because these are the players a team wants.  Character guys who want to be there competing everyday and even if the team doesn’t fare well this year, we know it’s going to be competitive. 

 Who can forget Kerry Wood’s 20 strikeout game shutout in 1998.  Yes, hopefully, Wood will bring back some of the heat and help lead the Cubs back to the World Series.

—Mark Gauthier

The Lead-Off is down to three and other things

Posted on by Mark Gauthier

Mike Quade is going to try out these three guys in the lead-off position in the Cactus League.  Blake Dewitt, Jeff Baker, and of course Mr. Fukodome.  I think if it goes down this way, Baker will be the Lead-Off.  Really, I can’t see Fukodome being lead-off.  But, I do think he needs to try the spot.  We all know that Fukodome can be a dangerous hitter sporadically but its the defence the Cubs like about him.  Baker is better with lefties.

Jeff Baker will probably be the go to guy at the top of the order.

Oh!!!! this just in…

Kosuke Fokodome has been traded to the St Louis Cardinals for Albert Pujols.

Actually, that’s not even funny.  Sorry about that.

—Mark Gauthier

 

Baseball Yearbooks

Posted on by Mark Gauthier

A couple of days ago, my wife picked me up the Sporting News Baseball 2011 issue.  Jose Bautista is on the cover seeing how I live in Jays territory.  I look forward to the yearbooks well, every year.  I try not to flip through the book first instead of reading it page by page. Although it is tempting.  I want to see what they say about the Cubs.  So far, they are saying that the Cubs will be one of the most improved teams this year.  Which we’ve been saying all along.

I find some of the yearbooks aren’t that great like Athlone, but The Sporting News is pretty good and it has a lot of statistics and charts for trivia fans.

Some of the big questions in this issue is if Jose Bautista will hit 60, the great debate on playoff expansion and the draft.  How it’s got to change. 

The big prediction is a Phillies/Red Sox World Series. 

As much as I’d love to see a Cubs/Red Sox Series, I think these guys are closer to the mark.  Philly has the most dangerous team in the league.

—Mark Gauthier

 

 

 

 

Trading Fukodome

Posted on by Mark Gauthier

I’m still holding out hope that Kosuke Fukodome will get traded before the end of Spring Training.  I doubt he will and he’ll have limited time this year playing.  There are plenty of free agents still available and decent players waiting for a trade.  However, it probably won’t happen and don’t get me wrong, he might fit in well with another team, but he just doesn’t fit with the Cubs.  Then again, he could have a great spring and surprise everyone, but i saw a T-shirt of his in the bargain bin and that my friends is not a good sign.

—Mark Gauthier