CUBS WIN!!! CUBS WIN!!! CUBS WINNNNNN!!!!
Once again the Chicago Cubs beat their opponent. This time the Chicago White Sox fell victim to the Cubs' wrath. They did so in front of a record crowd of just over 13,000 fans at HoHoKam Park. What a great thing to see in such a down economy. What a relief to see in my mind because I was worried the Cubs might hurt financially this season. I will take this as a sign that I am wrong and that we can continue to search for ways to improve the organization. Aaron Heilman was the starting pitcher and performed wonderfully. Like numerous other Cubs he is battling for that fifth starter spot. He gave up only one hit in his two innings of work. In even better news, Rich Harden was spotted throwing on the side today. The word is that he will have two more sessions of no batter throwing then will start to face live play. He progress will be slow but is a sign that the Cubs staff is taking great care of his body. He has to be healthy this year for the Cubs to make a run at that elusive World Series Ring. Micah Hoffpauir again drove in an RBI and has a league leading 8 RBIs at this point. Brad Snyder hit a grand slam in the seventh inning. The Cubs are seeing new name after new name step in and perform well. Piniella will have his hands full selecting the 25 to be on the roster. With the Cubs fourth win they become the only undefeated team in the National League.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Cubs Stay Perfect!!!
The Chicago Cubs received their third win in three games friday when they traveled to play the Texas Rangers. Ted Lilly got his first start this spring and was impressive. In his two inning stint he gave up absolutely NO runs! What a great sign to see the middle of the rotation pitching so well so early. We can only hope to see these performances carried out the whole regular season. Lilly gave up two hits and also struck out two. The next big story of the game was Micah Hoffpauir performance. He is making a big splash this season. Not only did he hit a three run homer in the second inning but he stole a possible run scoring base hit away from Texas Ranger star Josh Hamilton. He did this at first base this time. I am starting to really become a fan of Hoffpauir and think he might be a suitable replacement for Mark DeRosa. Mike Fontenot got the nod at second base and crushed a two run homer to show Piniella that he is wanting the job and has the power to get it done. His left handed bat would be awesome to have in the lineup. The Cubs are now 3-0 in Cactus League play. Their next outting is against cross town rival the Chicago White Sox. Newbie Aaron Heilman will take the hill for the Cubbies. I sure hope that they can keep this hot streak going.
GO CUBS!!!!!!!!!
GO CUBS!!!!!!!!!
Spring Training Game 2 a Success!!!
Cubs keep their spring training going in the right direction with another win. The Cubs played divisional foe Milwaukee Brewers in game 2 of their spring training. The new faces in the club house continue to impress Cub's fans. The new speed demon on the team, Joey Gathright, went 3 for 3 in his debut as a Cubs player. Gathright's hits were all singles but he did drive in two runs to propel the Chicago Cubs to victory. The other surprise of the day came from Jake Fox who started at first base in place of Derrek Lee. Fox came up to bat in the third inning and crushed a three run home run. Fox continues to battle for a spot on the 25 man roster for the Chicago Cubs. As for pitching, Sean Marshall started the game for Cubbies. Marshall is trying to battle for the fifth spot in the rotation and did quite well in his spring debut. He gave up four hits and one run in his two innings of work. Gaudin came in after Marshall and showed why he beleives he should be a part of the rotation. He only gave up three hits and one run over his two innings of work but also crushed a double. Piniella will continue to give the new faces shots this spring and start to lengthen the pitching stints. It won't be for another few weeks till we know who gets the fifth rotation spot but I am anxious to see who gets it and beleive whoever gets it will be a HUGE part of this year's success.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field has been in Chicago since 1914. On that date it housed the Chicago Whales which was a baseball team that belonged to the Federal League. This team disbanded and in 1916 the Chicago Cubs became the home team for Wrigley Field. At this point in time the ball park was known as Weeghman Park. It would keep this name until 1920 when the ball park became known as Cubs Park. It wasn't until 1926 that the owner, William Wrigley Jr, changed the name of Cubs Park to Wrigley Field. This name would stick with the Cubs to this day.
William Wrigley Jr was not only the owner of the Cubs but also the owner of America's favorite chewing gum, Wrigley Company. Since the gum was so popular Mr. Wrigley thought it would be a great selling point to put the Doublemint Twins out on top of the scoreboard, one as a pitcher and the other as the batter. Mr. Wrigley was one of the first to promote ads in his ball park. The Doublemint Twins would stand atop the scoreboard until 1937 when the bleachers and scoreboard was rebuilt. It would be 45 years later until ads returned in the outfield scenery at Wrigley Field.
The name Wrigley Field is a sacred part of the Chicago Cubs. It has lasted throughout most of the Chicago Cubs history and continues to be the staple name of most major league ball park. The name Wrigley Field could have been changed at any point in time by the different owners of the Chicago Cubs. One such owner, the Chicago Tribune, became pressured to find ways to bring in more revenue to the team but refused to sell corporate naming rights which would change the name of Wrigley Field. The name Wrigley Field has been tested by time and still stands today.
Wrigley Field's history is unprecedented when compared to other ball parks. Fenway and the recently demolished Yankee Stadium are close in comparison with rich history. Wrigley Field was the place Babe Ruth called his shot. There would continue to be a sign posted at the exact spot in which he pointed for many years. They would go on to take down the sign when the bleachers where renovated. Ernie Banks hit his 500th home run at Wrigley Field. Ernie hitting his 500th at Wrigley Field was the ultimate prize as he is one of the best Cubs to ever walk on the field.
When Wrigley Field is mentioned everyone always thinks about baseball but it has been home to different sports as well. From 1920 to 1970 Wrigley Field was home to professional football. 1920 was the only year the football team was one other than the Chicago Bears. This team was known as the Chicago Tigers and would become the first NFL team to fold. The Bears even changed their name to the Bears from the Stanleys so they could be related to the Chicago Cubs. For five years ( 1977 to 1982 and 1984) Wrigley would host a scocer team. Yes that is right a soccer team played at Wrigley Field for five years. The Chicago Sting would win two Soccer Bowl Championships at Wrigley (1981 and 1984). In the most recent addition at Wrigley Field the Chicago Blackhawks played the second annual NHL Winter Classic at Wrigley Field. This turned out to be a huge success and we might see more of this in the future.
Another unique fact about Wrigley is its White Flags that are flown there. In the 1930's the owner, P.K. Wrigley, would fly a white flag with either a W or an L to indicate the result of the days game. If it were a double header he would fly a different flag for each game. This tradition would lose its luster for a while until it would pick back up in the last 10 years. The W flag is a historic site for all Cubs fan as they love to fly it with pride when the Cubbies win. The L flag has not shown its face around Wrigley Field in recent history due to the lack of appeal to losing. Many families across the United States have purchased their own W flag and fly it just as they would at Wrigley Field.
The ivy at Wrigley Field is another history item one could see. It was started by Bill Veeck in the 1937 renovation of Wrigley Field. He planted a quick growing ivy to cover up the solid brick wall but also planted Boston Ivy which would slowly grow and eventually take over the whole wall. The ivy at Wrigley has been a pain for outfielders through the years due to balls getting stuck in it. The MLB made it a rule that when a ball gets lost in the ivy that it be ruled a ground rule double. In one incident a ball hit off the wall and two balls then fell out of the ivy. Fortunately the umpires did not penalize the Chicago Cubs outfielder for this and play resumed.
Wrigley Field has been renovated many times throughout its history in order to expand its capacity. Weeghman Field started out with a capacity of only 14,000 fans, and through numerous renovations Wrigley Field now has a capacity of 41,118 screaming fans. Wrigley Field received the nickname the Friendly Confines from Mr. Cub himself, Ernie Banks. This is due to the ball parks wonderful atmosphere that draws any baseball fan to it from near or far. Wrigley Field is one reason the Chicago Cubs have one of the biggest fan bases in the MLB.
William Wrigley Jr was not only the owner of the Cubs but also the owner of America's favorite chewing gum, Wrigley Company. Since the gum was so popular Mr. Wrigley thought it would be a great selling point to put the Doublemint Twins out on top of the scoreboard, one as a pitcher and the other as the batter. Mr. Wrigley was one of the first to promote ads in his ball park. The Doublemint Twins would stand atop the scoreboard until 1937 when the bleachers and scoreboard was rebuilt. It would be 45 years later until ads returned in the outfield scenery at Wrigley Field.
The name Wrigley Field is a sacred part of the Chicago Cubs. It has lasted throughout most of the Chicago Cubs history and continues to be the staple name of most major league ball park. The name Wrigley Field could have been changed at any point in time by the different owners of the Chicago Cubs. One such owner, the Chicago Tribune, became pressured to find ways to bring in more revenue to the team but refused to sell corporate naming rights which would change the name of Wrigley Field. The name Wrigley Field has been tested by time and still stands today.
Wrigley Field's history is unprecedented when compared to other ball parks. Fenway and the recently demolished Yankee Stadium are close in comparison with rich history. Wrigley Field was the place Babe Ruth called his shot. There would continue to be a sign posted at the exact spot in which he pointed for many years. They would go on to take down the sign when the bleachers where renovated. Ernie Banks hit his 500th home run at Wrigley Field. Ernie hitting his 500th at Wrigley Field was the ultimate prize as he is one of the best Cubs to ever walk on the field.
When Wrigley Field is mentioned everyone always thinks about baseball but it has been home to different sports as well. From 1920 to 1970 Wrigley Field was home to professional football. 1920 was the only year the football team was one other than the Chicago Bears. This team was known as the Chicago Tigers and would become the first NFL team to fold. The Bears even changed their name to the Bears from the Stanleys so they could be related to the Chicago Cubs. For five years ( 1977 to 1982 and 1984) Wrigley would host a scocer team. Yes that is right a soccer team played at Wrigley Field for five years. The Chicago Sting would win two Soccer Bowl Championships at Wrigley (1981 and 1984). In the most recent addition at Wrigley Field the Chicago Blackhawks played the second annual NHL Winter Classic at Wrigley Field. This turned out to be a huge success and we might see more of this in the future.
Another unique fact about Wrigley is its White Flags that are flown there. In the 1930's the owner, P.K. Wrigley, would fly a white flag with either a W or an L to indicate the result of the days game. If it were a double header he would fly a different flag for each game. This tradition would lose its luster for a while until it would pick back up in the last 10 years. The W flag is a historic site for all Cubs fan as they love to fly it with pride when the Cubbies win. The L flag has not shown its face around Wrigley Field in recent history due to the lack of appeal to losing. Many families across the United States have purchased their own W flag and fly it just as they would at Wrigley Field.
The ivy at Wrigley Field is another history item one could see. It was started by Bill Veeck in the 1937 renovation of Wrigley Field. He planted a quick growing ivy to cover up the solid brick wall but also planted Boston Ivy which would slowly grow and eventually take over the whole wall. The ivy at Wrigley has been a pain for outfielders through the years due to balls getting stuck in it. The MLB made it a rule that when a ball gets lost in the ivy that it be ruled a ground rule double. In one incident a ball hit off the wall and two balls then fell out of the ivy. Fortunately the umpires did not penalize the Chicago Cubs outfielder for this and play resumed.
Wrigley Field has been renovated many times throughout its history in order to expand its capacity. Weeghman Field started out with a capacity of only 14,000 fans, and through numerous renovations Wrigley Field now has a capacity of 41,118 screaming fans. Wrigley Field received the nickname the Friendly Confines from Mr. Cub himself, Ernie Banks. This is due to the ball parks wonderful atmosphere that draws any baseball fan to it from near or far. Wrigley Field is one reason the Chicago Cubs have one of the biggest fan bases in the MLB.
Spring Training is here!!!!
With spring training finally arriving it is time to take a look at how the Cubs roster is shaping up, what management will be looking for, and who we should be watching this spring. Don’t be surprised if you see a totally different Cubs squad on the field throughout Spring Training. Part of this is due to key departures such as Mark Derosa, which will not only open up a competition at second base, but also make the need for solid backups at all infield positions and the corner outfields a huge need for the Cubs this season. They will almost certainly need two or three players to fill the vacancies left from the Derosa trade.
There has been a lot of talk lately of moving Alfonso Soriano out of the leadoff spot and into a spot where the Cubs could get better use of his power to drive in more runs. This seems pretty unlikely because of the addition of Milton Bradley during the off season giving the Cubs a solid left-handed hitter in the middle of the lineup to complement Lee and Ramirez and will also add power from the left side of the plate. The only other logical place to move Sori in the lineup is the two-hole, however the knocks that people have of Alf leading off, excessive strikeouts and a low on-base percentage, also make him a bad candidate for hitting second. Expect to see Soriano remain at the top of the order, but don’t be surprised if one of the big boys in the middle of the lineup takes a day off or goes down due to injury, Soriano might be asked to hit in the 3 or 4 spot to add a spark to the offense. That being said, the top of the lineup and leftfield are pretty much solidified. Micah Hoffpauir will be Sori’s backup in leftfield. The two-hole might be a two-headed monster. Look for Ryan Theriot to get the bulk of the at-bats from that spot early in the season, but his double-play mates Mike Fontenot and Aaron Miles might also get a chance to hit at the top of the lineup. Theriot is a good fit for this spot because he has a high on-base percentage and does a great job spraying the ball the other way. Ryan will be the everyday started at short. He is a solid fielder, although he lacks the range and arm that most shortstops in the game today possess. Fontenot and Miles could give the Cubs another left-handed bat at the top of the lineup if needed and Fontenot could give them a hint of power as 32 of his 74 hits last season went for extra bases. In the field Fontenot and Miles will share time at 2nd, while both will be expected to back up Ramirez at 3rd base and Miles will also backup Theriot at short. Expect to see a lot of both Miles and Theriot during spring training at multiple positions. Hitting third, Pinella will probably stick with Derek Lee. Lee has spoken several times this off-season about how he knows that he needs to be more consistent this year. Don’t expect to see the Derek Lee of a few years ago that hit 47 home runs, but if he can raise his average back up it will give a huge offensive boost to a club with an already explosive offense. There is no doubt Lee is still one of the best defensive first basemen in the league. Hitting forth will probably be Milton Bradley. Putting a lefty between Lee and Ramirez, who will hit fifth, will force opposing coaches to either bring in a left hand specialist to face Bradley or take their chances and have a right handed pitcher face him. We probably won’t see much of Bradley this spring because he has been having some pain in his quad. Management is more concerned with getting him ready for the season than seeing what he can do during spring training. As I already said, Ramirez will hit fifth and look to continue giving opposing pitchers nightmares. With three players who consistently hit for a high average and on-base percentage expect Ramirez to continue to pour in the RBI’s. Ramirez had the best season of his career in the field last year and he’ll have his eyes set on a gold glove this year. Following Ramirez will be last years NL Rookie of the Year Geovany Soto. He will begin his second year as the Cubs everyday backstop and the squad expects big things from him coming off an All-Star season. He should see a lot of good pitches hitting behind the big bats in the middle of the lineup so there is a good chance his batting numbers will increase. Vying for the Soto’s backup job will be Paul Bako, who returned to the Cubs this offseason after spending last year in Cincinnati, and prospect Koyie Hill, who has spent stints in the bigs but hasn’t been able to find himself in a solid role on the major league roster. Soto will be playing in the World Baseball Classic this spring so it will give the coaching staff a chance to get a good look at the backup situation. The center fielder will most likely hit seventh, and much like second base, center field will probably be occupied by a two man team. Kosuke Fukudome and Reed Johnson are expected to split time as the commander of the outfield. Kosuke will also be participating in the WBC so we will see a lot of Johnson and also get a look at newly added Cub Joey Gathright, who will be used most likely as a pinch runner this year. The Cubs management team will be watching Fukudome close this year hoping to see the player that they signed for a big contract a year ago. Batting in front of the pitcher will probably be whoever is playing second base on that given day.
The starting rotation will probably look pretty familiar, although we won’t see much of them this spring. The ace of the staff, Carlos Zambrano, is currently recovering from lasik eye surgery. He will make his first start on Monday, but will be very limited on the hill. Rich Harden is going to be taking some more time to get ready this spring because he is suffering from some on going shoulder problems. It is most important for the Cubs to get Harden healthy and to try to keep him that way. He could be the most electrifying pitcher on our staff when healthy, but has had many injuries in the past. Ryan Dempster says that he knows his body better than anybody and that he is in shape and ready to go this spring. Dempster, who moved from the bullpen to the rotation last year, is coming off the best year of his career and hopes to improve on that by being more consistent on the road this year. Ted Lilly will throw one game this spring before leaving to represent team USA at the WBC. Finally there will be a battle going on this spring for the 5th and final spot in the rotation. Marshall looks like he will be the leading candidate for this spot, newly added Aaron Heilman and rookie Jeff Samardzija will get serious looks.
It should be exciting to see how everything plays out this spring and most importantly we hope that everybody stays healthy and is ready when the Cubs open their season at Houston on April 6th.
There has been a lot of talk lately of moving Alfonso Soriano out of the leadoff spot and into a spot where the Cubs could get better use of his power to drive in more runs. This seems pretty unlikely because of the addition of Milton Bradley during the off season giving the Cubs a solid left-handed hitter in the middle of the lineup to complement Lee and Ramirez and will also add power from the left side of the plate. The only other logical place to move Sori in the lineup is the two-hole, however the knocks that people have of Alf leading off, excessive strikeouts and a low on-base percentage, also make him a bad candidate for hitting second. Expect to see Soriano remain at the top of the order, but don’t be surprised if one of the big boys in the middle of the lineup takes a day off or goes down due to injury, Soriano might be asked to hit in the 3 or 4 spot to add a spark to the offense. That being said, the top of the lineup and leftfield are pretty much solidified. Micah Hoffpauir will be Sori’s backup in leftfield. The two-hole might be a two-headed monster. Look for Ryan Theriot to get the bulk of the at-bats from that spot early in the season, but his double-play mates Mike Fontenot and Aaron Miles might also get a chance to hit at the top of the lineup. Theriot is a good fit for this spot because he has a high on-base percentage and does a great job spraying the ball the other way. Ryan will be the everyday started at short. He is a solid fielder, although he lacks the range and arm that most shortstops in the game today possess. Fontenot and Miles could give the Cubs another left-handed bat at the top of the lineup if needed and Fontenot could give them a hint of power as 32 of his 74 hits last season went for extra bases. In the field Fontenot and Miles will share time at 2nd, while both will be expected to back up Ramirez at 3rd base and Miles will also backup Theriot at short. Expect to see a lot of both Miles and Theriot during spring training at multiple positions. Hitting third, Pinella will probably stick with Derek Lee. Lee has spoken several times this off-season about how he knows that he needs to be more consistent this year. Don’t expect to see the Derek Lee of a few years ago that hit 47 home runs, but if he can raise his average back up it will give a huge offensive boost to a club with an already explosive offense. There is no doubt Lee is still one of the best defensive first basemen in the league. Hitting forth will probably be Milton Bradley. Putting a lefty between Lee and Ramirez, who will hit fifth, will force opposing coaches to either bring in a left hand specialist to face Bradley or take their chances and have a right handed pitcher face him. We probably won’t see much of Bradley this spring because he has been having some pain in his quad. Management is more concerned with getting him ready for the season than seeing what he can do during spring training. As I already said, Ramirez will hit fifth and look to continue giving opposing pitchers nightmares. With three players who consistently hit for a high average and on-base percentage expect Ramirez to continue to pour in the RBI’s. Ramirez had the best season of his career in the field last year and he’ll have his eyes set on a gold glove this year. Following Ramirez will be last years NL Rookie of the Year Geovany Soto. He will begin his second year as the Cubs everyday backstop and the squad expects big things from him coming off an All-Star season. He should see a lot of good pitches hitting behind the big bats in the middle of the lineup so there is a good chance his batting numbers will increase. Vying for the Soto’s backup job will be Paul Bako, who returned to the Cubs this offseason after spending last year in Cincinnati, and prospect Koyie Hill, who has spent stints in the bigs but hasn’t been able to find himself in a solid role on the major league roster. Soto will be playing in the World Baseball Classic this spring so it will give the coaching staff a chance to get a good look at the backup situation. The center fielder will most likely hit seventh, and much like second base, center field will probably be occupied by a two man team. Kosuke Fukudome and Reed Johnson are expected to split time as the commander of the outfield. Kosuke will also be participating in the WBC so we will see a lot of Johnson and also get a look at newly added Cub Joey Gathright, who will be used most likely as a pinch runner this year. The Cubs management team will be watching Fukudome close this year hoping to see the player that they signed for a big contract a year ago. Batting in front of the pitcher will probably be whoever is playing second base on that given day.
The starting rotation will probably look pretty familiar, although we won’t see much of them this spring. The ace of the staff, Carlos Zambrano, is currently recovering from lasik eye surgery. He will make his first start on Monday, but will be very limited on the hill. Rich Harden is going to be taking some more time to get ready this spring because he is suffering from some on going shoulder problems. It is most important for the Cubs to get Harden healthy and to try to keep him that way. He could be the most electrifying pitcher on our staff when healthy, but has had many injuries in the past. Ryan Dempster says that he knows his body better than anybody and that he is in shape and ready to go this spring. Dempster, who moved from the bullpen to the rotation last year, is coming off the best year of his career and hopes to improve on that by being more consistent on the road this year. Ted Lilly will throw one game this spring before leaving to represent team USA at the WBC. Finally there will be a battle going on this spring for the 5th and final spot in the rotation. Marshall looks like he will be the leading candidate for this spot, newly added Aaron Heilman and rookie Jeff Samardzija will get serious looks.
It should be exciting to see how everything plays out this spring and most importantly we hope that everybody stays healthy and is ready when the Cubs open their season at Houston on April 6th.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Spring Training Opener a Success!!!!
Cubs Win!!! Cubs Win!!! Cubs WINNNN!!!
Yesterday the Chicago Cubs kicked off their spring training with a 5-3 win against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Jeff Samardzija got the start and performed well in the first inning, retiring the side in ONE-TWO-THREE fashion. He got himself into a jam in the second inning when the Dodgers got the bases loaded. He battled until a Dodger singled and drove in 2 runs. This put the Cubs down early but in the fifth inning Micah Hoffpauir hit what would be the game winning GRAND SLAM. I love to see this as he is trying to step into DeRosa's utility role or the "I do anything for the team role". Micah hit well for the Cubs last year in 33 game (.342). He could turn out to be the difference maker in the Cubs season should someone get hurt. He can play the corner outfield spots, sub for D Lee when he needs a breather, and hit in the DH spot in interleague play. All we can hope for now is the continued progression for Hoffpauir. As for the game I am saw other positives too. Theriot started off the way he ended last year going 2 for 3 with two singles. Some may not like his lack of power but as long as he is getting on base it helps the team. Reed Johnson got the Cubs their first Top 10 Plays on ESPN. He made a driving catch to rob a Dodger of a base hit. New comer Jason Widdell struck out 2 batters in his one inning of work. While the Cubs are in search to sure up their bullpen and pitching rotation new comers/surprises like this are needed.
GO CUBS!
Yesterday the Chicago Cubs kicked off their spring training with a 5-3 win against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Jeff Samardzija got the start and performed well in the first inning, retiring the side in ONE-TWO-THREE fashion. He got himself into a jam in the second inning when the Dodgers got the bases loaded. He battled until a Dodger singled and drove in 2 runs. This put the Cubs down early but in the fifth inning Micah Hoffpauir hit what would be the game winning GRAND SLAM. I love to see this as he is trying to step into DeRosa's utility role or the "I do anything for the team role". Micah hit well for the Cubs last year in 33 game (.342). He could turn out to be the difference maker in the Cubs season should someone get hurt. He can play the corner outfield spots, sub for D Lee when he needs a breather, and hit in the DH spot in interleague play. All we can hope for now is the continued progression for Hoffpauir. As for the game I am saw other positives too. Theriot started off the way he ended last year going 2 for 3 with two singles. Some may not like his lack of power but as long as he is getting on base it helps the team. Reed Johnson got the Cubs their first Top 10 Plays on ESPN. He made a driving catch to rob a Dodger of a base hit. New comer Jason Widdell struck out 2 batters in his one inning of work. While the Cubs are in search to sure up their bullpen and pitching rotation new comers/surprises like this are needed.
GO CUBS!
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Spring Training Starts Tomorrow
Well the time has come for spring training games to begin. The Chicago Cubs will play their first Spring Training game tomorrow at 2:20pm ET. The Cubs will face the LA Dodgers at Ho Ho Kam Park in the warm temperatures. This game will kickoff the 2009 pursuit of a World Championship ring. The Cubbies will play just under 40 spring training games to warm up for the 162 game regular season. Jeff Samardzija will be the starting pitcher for the Cubs and I expect him to put on a show this year. I could see him blossoming like Rich Hill did in 2007. I think of our options for the fifth starter he has the most long term potential. Samardzija will obviously be limited in his pitch count and most likely not be throwing 100 percent. I am very interested to see who is going to be put at second base for the game as it could be either Aaron Miles or Mike Fontenot. In my opinion I would love to see Fontenot there but I have not see Miles play much except for the horrid Cardinals. Well hopefully I can sneak a peak and the newly revamped Cubbies tomorrow as should all you Cubs fan out there.
New Cubs Owner resigns from job
Tom Ricketts, who is the the representative of the new owners group, resigned from his job at TD Ameritrade. This comes as a huge surprise to some and may give the public more questions as to why he would do this at a time like this. Tom and his family owned the controlling stakes in TD Ameritrade. He used these funds to buy the Chicago Cubs at the beginning of this year. Though he is not the offical owner yet because the process has not been league approved. I wonder if this move will influence the decision one way or another. On one hand you will have an owner that has more time to focus on the team but in the other you have an owner who is more limited in income. I hope that Tom Ricketts will be an aggressive, successful owner much like that of George Steinbrenner. I think if you want to start a dynasty this is the only way to do it. You got to have cash flow to be able to sign the big name players just like the Yankees have done for so long. It is only as of late that their BUY BUY BUY scheme has failed and I contribute that to George's health and age. I also hope that him selling this stake doesn't later show up as a move to cover up illegal activities which in these times seems more prevalent. But only time can tell what in store for the Chicago Cubs and their new owners. I wish them the best and I will be watching.......
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Lou Piniella Bio
I thought it would be nice to give some background on the man in charge of the Chicago Cubs, Lou Piniella. Louis Victor Piniella was born on August 28, 1943 in Tampa, Florida. This is where is parents immigrated to from Spain. Lou played his little league ball in the Tampa area where he faced Tony La Russa. Lou once stated that La Russa was like an older brother whose shadow he could not move out of. Lou would continue to face La Russa throughout his life and are now rivals in one of sports biggest rivalries, Cubs vs. Cardinals. Lou is married to his wife Anita. They still reside in Tampa where they both grew up and fell in love together. They both contribute a lot of time and money to charities and volunteer work. In 1990, Lou was given the Ellis Island Medal of Honor for his significant contributions to America’s heritage.
Lou excelled in sports throughout his entire life and was actually an All American High School basketball player at Tampa’s Jesuit High School. In that season Lou averaged over 30 points a game and had a season high of 57 points. He chose to go to the University of Tampa and play baseball. There he received All American honors. He would go on to make his Major League debut with the Baltimore Orioles on September 4, 1964.
He continued to jump around from team to team until settling down with the Kansas City Royals in 1969. This was the Royals first season as a team in the MLB. Lou became the first player to come up to bat as a Royal. In that at bat Lou doubled off of lefty Tom Hall. He then went on to score the Royals first run in team history. This double would set the tone for the rest of his season as he received the Rookie of the Year award in 1969.
In 1974, Lou went to play for the New York Yankees. This team was the beginning of baseball’s great dynasty team. Lou would not get to play full time with the Yankees due to talent that was on hand for the Yankees until 1979 when the Yankees traded the center field in front of Lou. So Lou took over control of center field and moved to the leadoff spot in the lineup due to his quick hands and feet. He would go on the win 2 World Series with the Yankees before retiring in 1984. He played his last game for the Yankees on June 16th, 1984. He would end his career with a .291 batting average, slugging 102 home runs, and batting in 766 runners. He also excelled in the postseason with a .305 batting average.
After retiring Lou quickly became the manager of the Yankees in the 1986 season. He would then be promoted to General Manager before the 1988 season. During that season the manager, Billy Martin, was fired so Lou took the helm once again as the Yankee’s manager. Lou switched leagues in 1990 and took a managerial position with the Cincinnati Reds. In that year Lou led the Reds to the World Series and won his first ring as a skipper. In 1993, Lou took over the coaching duties with the Seattle Mariners. This would be his longest tenure as a manager. He received two AL Manager of the Year Awards. In 2002, Lou got traded to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in a trade. This would prove to be Lou’s ultimate test of his coaching ability. The Rays were the league’s youngest team and had the lowest talent level. He had to start at ground level and build the team up from scratch. Though he was not hugely successful he kept the Rays going in the right direction to where they are today, which in 2008 the Rays made it to the World Series for the first time. Though not under Lou as he stepped down as head coach in 2005. The next stop for Lou would be in Chicago at the start of the 2006 season. There he has become loved by most fans and received the nickname, Sweet Lou. He again would have to try and build up a championship caliber team for the Chicago Cubs. By 2008 Lou had built the best team in the National League but got swept by the LA Dodgers. Lou continues to be the manager of the Chicago Cubs and is trying to earn them their first World Series title in one hundred years. The fans of Chicago keep holding their breath for the day that Sweet Lou brings Chicago back to Championship status once again.
Lou throughout his career was known for his anger and outrage towards bad calls and umpires. He even has had a few altercations with players in the locker room. If you watch Lou now you will see that he has calmed down to the point of controlling his outrage. He uses his altercations to spark the team and show his frustration. Lou has currently been ejected in 61 games but I bet he would not take back any of them. He uses these situations as a tool for winning games and with a career managerial record of 1,701-1,561 it must be working for him. With this record Lou currently ranks 14th all time in career managerial wins. He has won six Divisional Titles (National and American), and one World Series ring.
Lou excelled in sports throughout his entire life and was actually an All American High School basketball player at Tampa’s Jesuit High School. In that season Lou averaged over 30 points a game and had a season high of 57 points. He chose to go to the University of Tampa and play baseball. There he received All American honors. He would go on to make his Major League debut with the Baltimore Orioles on September 4, 1964.
He continued to jump around from team to team until settling down with the Kansas City Royals in 1969. This was the Royals first season as a team in the MLB. Lou became the first player to come up to bat as a Royal. In that at bat Lou doubled off of lefty Tom Hall. He then went on to score the Royals first run in team history. This double would set the tone for the rest of his season as he received the Rookie of the Year award in 1969.
In 1974, Lou went to play for the New York Yankees. This team was the beginning of baseball’s great dynasty team. Lou would not get to play full time with the Yankees due to talent that was on hand for the Yankees until 1979 when the Yankees traded the center field in front of Lou. So Lou took over control of center field and moved to the leadoff spot in the lineup due to his quick hands and feet. He would go on the win 2 World Series with the Yankees before retiring in 1984. He played his last game for the Yankees on June 16th, 1984. He would end his career with a .291 batting average, slugging 102 home runs, and batting in 766 runners. He also excelled in the postseason with a .305 batting average.
After retiring Lou quickly became the manager of the Yankees in the 1986 season. He would then be promoted to General Manager before the 1988 season. During that season the manager, Billy Martin, was fired so Lou took the helm once again as the Yankee’s manager. Lou switched leagues in 1990 and took a managerial position with the Cincinnati Reds. In that year Lou led the Reds to the World Series and won his first ring as a skipper. In 1993, Lou took over the coaching duties with the Seattle Mariners. This would be his longest tenure as a manager. He received two AL Manager of the Year Awards. In 2002, Lou got traded to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in a trade. This would prove to be Lou’s ultimate test of his coaching ability. The Rays were the league’s youngest team and had the lowest talent level. He had to start at ground level and build the team up from scratch. Though he was not hugely successful he kept the Rays going in the right direction to where they are today, which in 2008 the Rays made it to the World Series for the first time. Though not under Lou as he stepped down as head coach in 2005. The next stop for Lou would be in Chicago at the start of the 2006 season. There he has become loved by most fans and received the nickname, Sweet Lou. He again would have to try and build up a championship caliber team for the Chicago Cubs. By 2008 Lou had built the best team in the National League but got swept by the LA Dodgers. Lou continues to be the manager of the Chicago Cubs and is trying to earn them their first World Series title in one hundred years. The fans of Chicago keep holding their breath for the day that Sweet Lou brings Chicago back to Championship status once again.
Lou throughout his career was known for his anger and outrage towards bad calls and umpires. He even has had a few altercations with players in the locker room. If you watch Lou now you will see that he has calmed down to the point of controlling his outrage. He uses his altercations to spark the team and show his frustration. Lou has currently been ejected in 61 games but I bet he would not take back any of them. He uses these situations as a tool for winning games and with a career managerial record of 1,701-1,561 it must be working for him. With this record Lou currently ranks 14th all time in career managerial wins. He has won six Divisional Titles (National and American), and one World Series ring.
Cubs Offseason Moves Good or Bad??
Well the Chicago Cubs had another busy offseason compared to most other teams in the league. We have gotten rid of a few keys to last season's success. The trade of DeRosa for 3 minor leaguers is one that is still puzzling me to this day. Last year DeRosa was one of our best players if not the best player when you add in the veratility he gave our team. Every team has to have enough good players on the bench to pick up the slack when someone went down with an injury. DeRosa did that job by himself. We also got rid of one of our best relief pitchers Kerry Wood. Wood is a homegrown product of the Chicago Cub farm system. I can still remember him pitching his 21st K in a single game so early in his career. But what many still see are all the injuries in his past. The one two punch of Wood-Marmol was leathal last year and I am afraid that we won't have the tools for that same situation in the upcoming season. I don't understand how we can stand by Wood in the past few years when he has constantly been hurt but when he is finally coming back into his own we let him go. Granted I know the economy is down and we don't know how this is going to effect the Cubs yet but we still need to make the best moves for the ball club and I just don't know if either of these deals should have happened. O well thats the Cubs and how we do things...... I wish the Cubbies the best this season and hopefully we can get that ring put back on our finger.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Hill and Wuertz Gone!!
Well the Chicago Cubs have moved some more players around this offseason. Yesterday the Cubs traded Rich Hill to the Balitmore Orioles. Hill was looking like an All Star in 2007 but lost his command and confidence in 2008. He was then demoted to the Minor Leagues and we have not seen or heard from Rich Hill in quite awhile. I believe the Cubs are just trying to give Hill another chance with a different ball club because the Cubs just can not commit to him anymore. I would have loved to see the old Rich Hill out on the mound for Chicago this year but we can not afford to waste time and talent. The will receive a player to be named later depending on how well Hill does with Baltimore.
Michael Wuertz was the other pitcher that was dealt yesterday. He was traded to the Oakland Athletics for two minor league prospects. Wuertz has been a middle relief guy for the Cubbies since 2004. He has been solid at times and unbearable on other occasions. This move was to make room for the talent coming up from the minors and the recent acquistions. I wish Wuertz the best of luck in 2009 and beyond.
I believe these moves will free of some cash for the Cubs to possibly use later. I hope this cash can be used to acquire the domant arm of Jake Peavy but I will not hold my breath.
Michael Wuertz was the other pitcher that was dealt yesterday. He was traded to the Oakland Athletics for two minor league prospects. Wuertz has been a middle relief guy for the Cubbies since 2004. He has been solid at times and unbearable on other occasions. This move was to make room for the talent coming up from the minors and the recent acquistions. I wish Wuertz the best of luck in 2009 and beyond.
I believe these moves will free of some cash for the Cubs to possibly use later. I hope this cash can be used to acquire the domant arm of Jake Peavy but I will not hold my breath.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Lou Piniella
I thought I would give some incite on the wonderful leader of the Chicago Cubs. I am a big believer in the fact that a ball club plays as good as the man running it. In my eyes Lou Piniella is one of the top managers in the MLB. He has gotten a bad rap with his outrage at some umpires and past altercations with players and media persons. I contribute this to frustration and not being happy with where he was so like anyone he showed his emotions. He has found his element with the Cubs organization and is focused on building a World Series champion. He comes into this year with just over 1600 wins and one World Series ring. The Chicago Cubs are 5th organization that he has coached. He is nearing the end of his glorious, (maybe) Hall of Fame career. He has coached one of the best teams in MLB history as he led the Seattle Mariners to 116 wins. He also is the one who started the ball rolling in Tampa Bay, who just got to their franchises first World Series last year. I am hoping 2009 will give Sweet Lou his second World Series ring.
The Starters
Well in anticipation of the upcoming season I am going to try and figure out which lineup Lou Piniella will chose. Coming into this year we have many more left handed bats which will make our lineup more balanced. The addition of Aaron Miles, Milton Bradley, Joey Gathright, and Paul Bako may prove to be great or a huge bust. I really did not like to see Derosa traded because every team needs that guy who can do anything the manager asks him. Aaron Miles is supposed to take of this role. I hope he can pick up the role quickly. Milton Bradley is going to be a huge upgrade in right field. His left handed bat is added power to the starting lineup. The only down side to him is the worry about his attitude getting in the way. His past manager has taken his side saying that he should not be a problem in the club house. Joey Gathright is one of the fastest players in the MLB. I would love to see him come on strong and have a career year because his speed would be very helpful in center field. Below is my "probable" Cubs lineup.
1. Alfonso Soriano
2. Ryan Theriot
3. Derrek Lee
4. Aramis Ramirez
5. Milton Bradley
6. Geovany Soto
7. Aaron Miles
8. Fukudome
9. Pitcher
While this lineup seems solid I hope Lou will adjust some things to get the most out of the team. I believe Mike Fontenot is ready to be a start in the Major Leagues. I see him and Theriot being a great combination up the middle of the field since they played with each other in college. I also took a page out of our rival's playbook with moving the pitcher up to the 8th spot. I did this for one just to mix things up a little bit and two because I grew up with the mentality of the 9th hitter being a second leadoff man. I would only do this with Joey Gathright because I believe he is the only one fast enough to pull this off. Obviously you also have the option of Reed Johnson and Fukudome in CF so I would switch the lineup back to the pitcher being the 9 hitter in that case. I moved D Lee down in the order due to his lack of production last year. Below is my hopeful starting lineup.
1. Alfonso Soriano LF
2. Ryan Theriot SS
3. Milton Bradley RF
4. Aramis Ramirez 3B
5. Geovany Soto C
6. Derrek Lee 1st
7. Mike Fontenot 2ND
8. Pitcher
9. Joey Gathright CF
What do you think??
1. Alfonso Soriano
2. Ryan Theriot
3. Derrek Lee
4. Aramis Ramirez
5. Milton Bradley
6. Geovany Soto
7. Aaron Miles
8. Fukudome
9. Pitcher
While this lineup seems solid I hope Lou will adjust some things to get the most out of the team. I believe Mike Fontenot is ready to be a start in the Major Leagues. I see him and Theriot being a great combination up the middle of the field since they played with each other in college. I also took a page out of our rival's playbook with moving the pitcher up to the 8th spot. I did this for one just to mix things up a little bit and two because I grew up with the mentality of the 9th hitter being a second leadoff man. I would only do this with Joey Gathright because I believe he is the only one fast enough to pull this off. Obviously you also have the option of Reed Johnson and Fukudome in CF so I would switch the lineup back to the pitcher being the 9 hitter in that case. I moved D Lee down in the order due to his lack of production last year. Below is my hopeful starting lineup.
1. Alfonso Soriano LF
2. Ryan Theriot SS
3. Milton Bradley RF
4. Aramis Ramirez 3B
5. Geovany Soto C
6. Derrek Lee 1st
7. Mike Fontenot 2ND
8. Pitcher
9. Joey Gathright CF
What do you think??
Chicago Cubs Starting Rotation
As of February 1st the Cubs have not offically set their 5 pitchers in the starting rotation. The rotation won't see many adjustments in the first four spots of the rotation are set by last years first four starters. These spots include Carlos Zambrano, Ted Lilly, Ryan Dempster, and Rich Harden. I listed them in no particular order because I think Lou will move people around in the rotation order. Obviously Carlos Zambrano will be the Ace of the staff. He has been the staple of the cubs rotation since 2001. Rich Harden is a second year Cub coming into this year. He has had some arm trouble this offseason so I am hopeful that he can have an injury free season but it seems that Lou may need to give him more rest than usual. Ryan dempster is coming off of a career year. He lead the Cubs with the lowest ERA and was tied with the most wins. Dempster bleeds the Cubs so I expect him to have another good year and help the Cubs win some games. Next we got Ted Lilly. If we could get the Lilly from a few years ago the rotation would be the strongest in the MLB but to me it seems that we never know what we are going to get from him. The final spot in the rotation is going to be an epic battle between Sean Marshall, Jeff Samardzija, and Aaron Heilman. Marshall and Heilman seem to be the front runners for this spot as the media is giving them the most attention. I would rather like to see Samardzija in the rotation because he showed signs of greatness. Whoever gets it I hope they can keep the Cubs in games and not have that final spot in the rotation be a weak spot.
Who do you think should get the final spot?? Leave me a comment!!
Who do you think should get the final spot?? Leave me a comment!!
Cubs Payroll
The Chicago Cubs are being looked at as a spend happy ball club lately but in all reality they are just trying to buy quality players to achieve their goals. All baseball fans know of the Yankees and how they can buy whoever they want. To me this just gets old and frankly I am sick of it. I appreciate what Cubs' management is doing because it shows me that they are trying to get that World Series ring at all costs. You don't see the Cubs going after anybody and everybody. I see them as carefully selecting the pieces to this never ending puzzle. Some of you may argue that you hear the Cubs' name everytime a big name becomes a free agent but I just see this as the Cubs looking over every possibility. At the moment the Cubs 2009 payroll is estimated to be around 138 million dollars. The only figure I could find on the Yankees is 201 million dollars and that was only for the 16 players signed on their current roster. I don't think the Cubs have over paid in many areas. The only players I could see an argument with that statement is Soriano and Fukudome. The same people wouldn't be saying that if Soriano could stay healthy and if Fukudome produced the second half of the year. All in all I hope those people are proved wrong this year when both these players come back into their own element.
Cubs' History
The Chicago Cubs have a rich history of baseball in their franchise. They are considered one of the oldest teams in Major League Baseball. The organization was started in 1870 when it joined an amateur league. The club then did not recognize a mascot and was named only the Chicago Base Ball Club. 1870 was the first and last year the Cubs were in the amateur league. In this year the Chicago Base Ball Club stop the dynasty power from Brooklyn to become the leagues last champion. In 1871 the club entered into a professional league called the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players. Since it was a requirement for the teams to have a mascot or name the club took over the name of the Chicago White Stockings. In this year the White Stockings were one of the top teams all season and placed second in the league’s standings. This was the year of the Chicago Fire and it destroyed much of the teams equipment and ball field. Due to these circumstances the team had to be disbanded so the city could be rebuilt.
The White Stockings return to action in the 1874 season with the National Association and were not very successful due to the Boston Red Stockings dominating the whole league. This league was very unethical and many contracts were breached by contract jumping. The owner of the White Stockings was so outraged he went in pursuit of starting a new league with stronger restrictions on the way the league would be ran. This gave birth to the National Base Ball League and with the league change so did the name of Chicago’s team. The new name that appeared was the Chicago National League Ball Club. The owner of Chicago’s team went after some of the games biggest stars and came up big before the team ever played a single game in the first season of the league. In the next three seasons Chicago would end up being the league’s top team. Since Chicago knew of another league called the American Association so they decided to play each other in what would later become the World Series. The team that Chicago played in each one of those seasons was the St. Louis Brown Stockings. We all can see now where the St. Louis vs. Chicago rivalry was born. Chicago never won the games against St. Louis, though they tied on one occasion. Eventually the American Association disbanded and the National Base Ball League became the nation’s top league.
In the next ten years the club was led by Cap Anson. Cap is the first superstar that Chicago and the league ever saw. He would lead the club to 6 championships in those ten years. At this point in time the club had been given the name the Colts. Some referred to the Colts and Anson’s Colts because of how good he was. Anson collected 3000 hits in his career and when he retired the club changed its name to the Chicago Orphans. This is due to the fact of losing their main leader and best player.
In 1900 the American Base Ball League started up as a new type of the American Association. This league rivaled Chicago’s league for the years to come and would eventually join into what we see today as the National and American leagues. Chicago also started up a team along with the American Base Ball League and took Chicago’s old nickname the Chicago White Stockings. In the years to come the Chicago’s National and American League teams would rival each other to try and gain more popularity with fans. In 1902 the Chicago Orphans were sold to a new owner and the club became known as the Chicago Cubs. This name change would benefit the Cubs greatly and they produced many winning seasons in the future years. In 1906 the Cubs made it to the World Series where they would play their inner city rival the Chicago White Stockings. The Cubs would lose to their rival in this World Series but would eventually record more World Series victories than them.
In 1916, the Chicago Cubs received their first stadium. This field would become known as today’s modern day Wrigley Field. The name changed from Cubs Park to Weegham Park to finally settling on Wrigley Field in 1921. The name came from their new owners who produced Wrigley Bubblegum. This field was a favorite for millions of fans over the years but has never seen a World Series victory made by the Cubs. This fact currently eats away at the minds of current Cubs fans as they wait for that victory to appear. One reason many think the Cubs have not won a World Series is because of the infamous CURSE. The Curse involves a man that came to the 1945 Chicago Cubs World Series appearance. This may not seem unusual at all but you must know that he brought his goat with him. This made Mr. Wrigley very mad and made the man leave the stadium because he said the goat smelled horrible. The man believed he should be able to stay because he had bought a ticket for his goat. Mr. Wrigley still insisted that the man be ejected. While leaving the game the man shouted the words, “ The Cubs ain’t going to win no more!!!” He was proved correct when the Cubs lost that game and every game after that to lose the World Series title. Since 1945 the Cubs have not made it back to the World Series. The Curse lives on to this day.
The White Stockings return to action in the 1874 season with the National Association and were not very successful due to the Boston Red Stockings dominating the whole league. This league was very unethical and many contracts were breached by contract jumping. The owner of the White Stockings was so outraged he went in pursuit of starting a new league with stronger restrictions on the way the league would be ran. This gave birth to the National Base Ball League and with the league change so did the name of Chicago’s team. The new name that appeared was the Chicago National League Ball Club. The owner of Chicago’s team went after some of the games biggest stars and came up big before the team ever played a single game in the first season of the league. In the next three seasons Chicago would end up being the league’s top team. Since Chicago knew of another league called the American Association so they decided to play each other in what would later become the World Series. The team that Chicago played in each one of those seasons was the St. Louis Brown Stockings. We all can see now where the St. Louis vs. Chicago rivalry was born. Chicago never won the games against St. Louis, though they tied on one occasion. Eventually the American Association disbanded and the National Base Ball League became the nation’s top league.
In the next ten years the club was led by Cap Anson. Cap is the first superstar that Chicago and the league ever saw. He would lead the club to 6 championships in those ten years. At this point in time the club had been given the name the Colts. Some referred to the Colts and Anson’s Colts because of how good he was. Anson collected 3000 hits in his career and when he retired the club changed its name to the Chicago Orphans. This is due to the fact of losing their main leader and best player.
In 1900 the American Base Ball League started up as a new type of the American Association. This league rivaled Chicago’s league for the years to come and would eventually join into what we see today as the National and American leagues. Chicago also started up a team along with the American Base Ball League and took Chicago’s old nickname the Chicago White Stockings. In the years to come the Chicago’s National and American League teams would rival each other to try and gain more popularity with fans. In 1902 the Chicago Orphans were sold to a new owner and the club became known as the Chicago Cubs. This name change would benefit the Cubs greatly and they produced many winning seasons in the future years. In 1906 the Cubs made it to the World Series where they would play their inner city rival the Chicago White Stockings. The Cubs would lose to their rival in this World Series but would eventually record more World Series victories than them.
In 1916, the Chicago Cubs received their first stadium. This field would become known as today’s modern day Wrigley Field. The name changed from Cubs Park to Weegham Park to finally settling on Wrigley Field in 1921. The name came from their new owners who produced Wrigley Bubblegum. This field was a favorite for millions of fans over the years but has never seen a World Series victory made by the Cubs. This fact currently eats away at the minds of current Cubs fans as they wait for that victory to appear. One reason many think the Cubs have not won a World Series is because of the infamous CURSE. The Curse involves a man that came to the 1945 Chicago Cubs World Series appearance. This may not seem unusual at all but you must know that he brought his goat with him. This made Mr. Wrigley very mad and made the man leave the stadium because he said the goat smelled horrible. The man believed he should be able to stay because he had bought a ticket for his goat. Mr. Wrigley still insisted that the man be ejected. While leaving the game the man shouted the words, “ The Cubs ain’t going to win no more!!!” He was proved correct when the Cubs lost that game and every game after that to lose the World Series title. Since 1945 the Cubs have not made it back to the World Series. The Curse lives on to this day.
World Baseball Classic 2009
2009 is a lucky year. Its lucky because its the year that baseball fans get to watch major leaguers in a different type of setting. This setting is called the World Baseball Classic. This event is one of baseball's biggest events as it is the players playing for the country's pride and not for the next paycheck. To me the World Baseball Classic is pure baseball not tainted by steroid issues or greedy players. It shows how the players can come together to fight for their country's pride. 2007 was the first year of the World Baseball Classic. It received mixed feelings from players and fans as it cuts out some of the players' spring training. Some major league clubs made statements in 2007 saying that if their players missed camp they would be fined. 2009 must be a different story as I have not seen any reports from clubs doing this. I hope that the clubs can work around this great event and let the players voluntarily play for their country.
The Chicago Cubs will be well represented in the World Baseball Classic. AS of right now they have 11 players on 6 different country's roster. This is great and I can't wait to see some of the games. I will definitely have my DVR set to record most games.
I am interested in what you guys think about the World Baseball Classic please leave me a few comments on the topic.
I will post the Cubs players and their country at a later time.
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