February 2008 Archives

Spring Training Game Two - Cubs 6 Giants (ss) 8
WP - Vinnie Chulk (1-0) LP - Les Walrond (0-1, BS 1) Save - Sergio Romo (1)

A day after an impressive offensive output in Scottsdale, the Cubs dropped their Cactus League home opener against a Giants split squad. As with all Spring Training games the final score is a mere technicality and is not a good way to judge the play on the field. It is the performances and execution of the players that will be with the Cubs come Opening Day that is important.

Carlos Zambrano and Rich Hill both had productive outings. Zambrano allowed a run on 2 hits with 2 strikeouts in his 2 innings of work. His error and wild pitch in the 1st inning led to an unearned run. Hill gave up a run on 3 hits in 2 innings with 3 strikeouts. Both pitchers threw better in their second inning of work. Five of the Giants' eight runs were scored off of Shingo Takatsu and Les Walrond, two pitchers that will likely not be with the Cubs 25-man roster on March 31st.

Kosuke Fukudome continued clogging the bases. He walked twice, scored 2 runs and lined out hard to center in his third trip to the plate. Mike Fontenot continued to impress on Friday. His ground rule double over the centerfield wall scored a run in the 1st and he walked in his other two at bats. Alex Cintron was 2-for-2 with 2 RBI's.

Spring Training Game One - Cubs 12 Giants 6
WP - Ryan Dempster (1-0) LP - Noah Lowry (0-1)

Lou Piniella's crew started the 2008 Cactus League schedule with an impressive effort against the Giants. While a win is a win, exhibition game or not, the performances on the field outweighed the final score. Thursday afternoon in Scottsdale featured the debut of Kosuke Fukudome and the deceiving debut of Jose Ceda in a Cubs' uniform. Fukudome reached base in each of his three trips to the plate and recorded an RBI single in the 3rd inning.

Mike Fontenot supplied the big blast, a 3-run home run pinch-hitting for Ryan Dempster in the 3rd. Felix Pie had a very impressive day at the plate, 2-for-2 with 3 runs scored, a walk, a double and a solo home run in the 4th. Ryan Theriot added a 3-for-3 day of his own with 3 runs scored and the Cubs scored 10 of their 12 runs in the first 4 innings.

Spring Training Game One: Cubs (0-0) vs. Giants (0-0)
Game Time - 2:05pm C.T. WGN Radio, XM Radio Channel 179
Location - Scottsdale Stadium, Scottsdale

Ryan Dempster (0-0, -.--) vs. Noah Lowry (0-0, -.--)

Chicago Cubs Baseball is on the Air....it's the Cactus League opener, the debut of Kosuke Fukudome and the first Talkin' Cubs Live of the year. While the Cubs first telecast of the spring is not until Saturday against the Angels, Pat Hughes and Ron Santo will broadcast the play-by-play on 720 WGN from Scottsdale.

Lou Piniella's starting lineup in his second year with the Cubs in Arizona will be without two familiar faces. Aramis Ramirez and Alfonso Soriano are not scheduled to play today but are expected to be back in lineup for the Cubs home opener at HoHoKam Park on Friday.

For more years than I care to remember spring has always been my favorite time of the year. Blooming flowers, green grass and a renewed spirit replace the long, cold winter. Everything is new, fresh and just looks a lot cleaner than it did a couple of months earlier. But the biggest reason I favor spring over any other time of the year, is, well you guessed it, baseball.

I had something else planned for this morning. It was the best article I had ever written. It was full of stats, with charts and nice graphics to prove all of the points I was intent on making. But as I sit here in Arizona, I realized that is not what baseball is all about. And it is not the reason I started watching so intently more than three decades ago. Baseball is more than numbers on a screen, or in a book, it is about a game that I learned as a kid and played until there was not enough light to see the ball.

In the past few weeks, I have bestowed my greatest gift on the CCO, my voice. Nope, no ego problems here.

Anyway, while podcasting has added a fun element to the CCO, writing is at the core of disseminating news and thoughts, and it is about time I get back to doing it. With that being said, I decided to put the pen to paper, or more aptly said, fingers to a keyboard, and share my rambling stream of consciousness with the beloved readers of this great site.

So without further ado, here goes nothing....

Mark DeRosa continued to make headlines on Monday for all the wrong reasons. Reports indicated Monday that DeRosa returned to Chicago to be treated for atrial arrhythmia that might include a surgical procedure. The Chicago Tribune described DeRosa's heart condition as treatable. DeRosa will spend today, his 33rd birthday, weighing his options.

Lou Piniella announced Jon Lieber would start the 5th game of the spring on Monday. So the "starting rotation" for the first 5 Cactus League games....Ryan Dempster, Carlos Zambrano, Jason Marquis, Ted Lilly and Jon Lieber. Rich Hill will take the mound in "one of those first two games" according to a report on Cubs.com. Read on for the rest from Day 13 of Camp Lou, including more on Mark DeRosa.

The CCO Radio returns just three days before the exhibition season gets underway for the Cubs in Arizona. Once again Brian and Shaun discuss a variety of Cubs topics from Harry Caray to the latest revelations from Lou Piniella on his lineup to Brian Roberts and Jose Ceda to the centerfield competition to a heated discussion over Kerry Wood.

Ted Lilly was announced as the starter for the 4th game of the Cactus League schedule against the Giants at HoHoKam. Read on for the latest from Mesa, including updates on Mark DeRosa and Jose Ascanio and the rest of the news from Day 12 of Camp Lou....

Updated 12:01pm C.T. - With Information on Mark DeRosa

News from Day 10 of Camp Lou surrounded Mark DeRosa's early exit from practice in an ambulance. DeRosa was taken to the hospital with an irregular heartbeat. Several reports early in the afternoon indicated DeRosa was alert and never lost consciousness and was taken to the hospital for precautionary reasons only. According to a report from the AP on FoxSports, DeRosa was released from the hospital on Saturday evening. Piniella said he does not "expect this to be serious" and does "expect it to be too long."

Here is the rest from Mesa, including Lou Piniella on Talkin' Baseball....

According to several reports out of Mesa, Mark DeRosa left Fitch Park on Saturday in an ambulance with an irregular heartbeat. A report in the Chicago Tribune indicated it was for precautionary reasons only and Lou Piniella said DeRosa is "fine". Paramedics hooked up DeRosa to an EKG machine; he was placed on a stretcher and left in an ambulance. The Tribune reported DeRosa "has experience irregular heartbeats in the past, was alert and sitting upright when he left."

The last weekend update before the exhibition season gets underway on Thursday. The Cubs lineup was the hot topic on Friday. Lou Piniella appeared on the Mike North show and confirmed reports from Thursday that he was considering hitting Kosuke Fukudome third in his lineup. Several reports brought up the number 125, as in the total number of lineups Piniella used in his first season on the North Side. Piniella will continue to tinker with his lineup all spring....history has proven this much.

A day after announcing Ryan Dempster will start the Cactus League opener, Lou Piniella announced on Friday that Carlos Zambrano will start the home opener on Friday and Jason Marquis will start the third game of the spring against the Angels.

Here is the rest from Day 9 of Camp Lou with more from the Mike North interview....and a couple of rumors.