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Baseball - Blogs
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March 31, 2008
Game One - Cubs 3 Brewers 4 - 10 innings WP - Eric Gagne (1-0, BS 1) LP - Bobby Howry (0-1) Save - David Riske (1) Despite the cold and the rain, it was Opening Day at Wrigley Field and the it had everything.... except for a Cubs win. The game started 40 minutes late and not even the weather dampened the spirits in and around the ballpark. The Ernie Banks Statue was unveiled...
March 31, 2008
Game One - Opening Day: Cubs (0-0) vs. Brewers (0-0) Game Time - 1:20pm C.T. Coverage - TV: WGN TV, ESPN 2 - Radio: 720 WGN, XM Radio Channel 184 Location - Wrigley Field, Chicago Carlos Zambrano (0-0, -.--/-.--) vs. Ben Sheets (0-0, -.--/-.--) It's finally here....Opening Day and Chicago Cubs Baseball is on the Air! Carlos Zambrano will take the mound today for the fourth consecutive Opening Day. The Cubs need a solid season...
March 31, 2008
During the course of a year there are dozens of days with more meaning than others. But for a lifelong fan of America's Pastime, there is one that outweighs them all....Opening Day. Technically the season has already begun, but for most of the teams and their fans today is the first, today is the beginning. Opening Day is special and unique. For one day, no matter if your team wins or loses, there is reason...
March 30, 2008
The remaining spot on the Cubs' Opening Day lineup was announced early Sunday afternoon. According to a report in the Chicago Tribune, Carmen Pignatiello will be the lone southpaw in the Cubs bullpen when the season starts on Monday. Scott Eyre is expected to return by the second week in April, but for now Pignatiello will get his shot. The Cubs optioned Sean Marshall to Triple-A, along with Matt Murton. The report in the Tribune...
March 30, 2008
The corner of Clark and Addison was the scene of the 100th Annual 'Next Year Day' party on Saturday night. Rick Telander from the Chicago Sun-Times and Brad Zibung of The Heckler hosted the event at the Cubby Bear and hundreds upon hundreds of Cubs fans turned out to celebrate the start of the baseball season. At the stroke of midnight, Steve Goodman's family joined Rick Telander's band, the Del-Crustaceans, and led the crowd in...
March 29, 2008
Spring Training Game Thirty-Two - Cubs 4 Mariners 2 WP - Ryan Dempster (3-1) LP - Jarrod Washburn (2-2) Save - Kerry Wood (2) Lou Piniella's pitching staff made up for their poor performance on Friday night by allowing only 1 earned run in the final game of the spring. Ryan Dempster was very effective on Saturday afternoon. He allowed the only earned run on 6 hits in 4 innings with 4 strikeouts and most...
March 29, 2008
Spring Training Game Thirty-Two: Cubs (14-15-2) vs. Mariners (13-15-3) Game Time - 2:05pm C.T. TV: WGN TV, MLB.TV - Radio: 720 WGN, Gameday Audio on MLB.com, XM Radio Channel 183 Location - Cashman Field, Las Vegas Ryan Dempster (2-1, 5.23/1.45) vs. Jarrod Washburn (2-1, 2.42/1.25) This is it.... After today, every game counts. Lou Piniella's crew will be the visiting team today at Cashman Field as the Cubs conclude their 32-game exhibition season against the...
March 28, 2008
Spring Training Game Thirty-One - Cubs 2 Mariners 10 WP - Carlos Silva (1-2) LP - Ted Lilly (0-1) Save - None Ted Lilly and Jason Marquis had rough outings in their last spring tune-ups. Ted Lilly made his fifth and final start of the exhibition season and allowed 5 runs on 8 hits in 5 innings. Lilly gave up all 5 runs on 3 home runs before settling down and retiring 9 of the...
March 28, 2008
Spring Training Game Thirty-One: Cubs (14-14-2) vs. Mariners (12-15) Game Time - 9:15pm C.T. TV: WGN TV, MLB.TV - Radio: 720 WGN, Gameday Audio on MLB.com Location - Cashman Field, Las Vegas Ted Lilly (0-0, 6.00/1.40) vs. Carlos Silva (0-2, 9.20/2.18) The final tune-up of the spring for the Cubs begins tonight in Las Vegas against the Seattle Mariners. The quick 2-game series is dubbed as 'Big League Weekend' and takes place at Cashman Field,...
March 28, 2008
Could this finally be the year? Crane Kenney has repeatedly mentioned the 100-year due bill the Cubs' front office is faced with on a daily basis. It is more than obvious the Cubs are in "win now" mode. But do they have enough to play games in October? Some say yes, some say no....but what does the Faithful think? The final look ahead before Opening Day stateside is centered around not only the final standings...
March 27, 2008
Spring Training Game Thirty - Cubs 10 Brewers 10 - 10 innings WP - None LP - None Save - None Another exhibition season for the Cubs in Arizona came to an end on Thursday....with a tie game. Both the Cubs and the Brewers teed-off against mostly minor league pitchers at HoHoKam and the result was a total of 20 runs on 26 hits with 5 home runs. Alfonso Soriano hit his third of the...
March 27, 2008
Spring Training Game Thirty: Cubs (14-14-1) vs. Brewers (17-10) Game Time - 2:05pm C.T. TV: WGN TV, MLB.TV - Radio: 720 WGN, Gameday Audio on MLB.com Location - HoHoKam Park, Mesa TBD (0-0, -.--/-.--) vs. Steve Bray (1-0, 1.80/1.60) Today's game at HoHoKam is the last for Lou Piniella's crew in the desert this spring. After this afternoon's match-up with the Brewers, the Cubs will make their way to Las Vegas for the annual 'Big...
March 27, 2008
The definition of "unlikely" according to Merriam-Webster is: not likely, improbable, likely to fail....and that was the word Andy MacPhail used on Wednesday to update the media on the possibility of Brian Roberts being traded to the Cubs. Fitting, isn't it? While Brian Roberts appears to be staying in Baltimore, the Cubs made more roster moves and is Lou Piniella really thinking of inserting Kosuke Fukudome in the leadoff spot? Here is the latest from...
March 26, 2008
Spring Training Game Twenty-Nine - Cubs 7 Angels 5 WP - Carlos Marmol (2-0) LP - Francisco Rodriguez (0-1) Save - Carmen Pignatiello (2) Jered Weaver held Lou Piniella's offense in check for the first 5 innings of Wednesday's game, at one point retiring 11 in a row and 12 of the first 13. The Cubs finally broke through with a run in the 6th off of Weaver before batting around and scoring 5 runs...
March 26, 2008
Spring Training Game Twenty-Nine: Cubs (13-14-1) vs. Angels (18-7) Game Time - 3:05pm C.T. TV: MLB.TV - Radio: Gameday Audio on MLB.com Location - Tempe Diablo Stadium, Tempe Carlos Zambrano (1-0, 0.60/0.73) vs. Jered Weaver (5-0, 1.33/0.74) Updated - 2:35pm C.T. - With Roster Moves - According to Paul Sullivan in the Chicago Tribune, Ronny Cedeno and Mike Fontenot will make the Cubs' Opening Day roster and Matt Murton will either be sent down or...
March 26, 2008
How would you fill out the Cubs roster? With the signing of Reed Johnson on Tuesday, Lou Piniella figures to have three spots remaining....two on the bench and one in the bullpen. According to several reports on Tuesday night, the final two back-up spots are between Ronny Cedeno, Alex Cintron, Matt Murton and Mike Fontenot while Carmen Pignatiello or Sean Marshall should fill the vacancy left in the pen by Scott Eyre. Based on the...
March 25, 2008
Spring Training Game Twenty-Eight - Cubs 7 Giants 5 WP - Sean Marshall (1-1, BS 2) LP - Tyler Walker (0-1) Save - Carmen Pignatiello (1) For the first time this spring, Lou Piniella's crew posted a win for the third consecutive game. While wins in the Cactus League have little to no meaning, the individual performances on the field have shown a lot of improvement over the last week. The Cubs' newest acquisition, Reed...
March 25, 2008
Updated - 2:14pm C.T. with Additional Information and Roster Cuts According to a report in the Chicago Sun-Times and from Paul Sullivan in Mesa, the Cubs have agreed to a 1-year deal with Reed Johnson worth $1.3 million dollars. Johnson will serve as the Cubs long awaited right-handed outfielder that can play all three spots. In other news, the Cubs made another roster reduction on Tuesday morning. Eric Patterson and Sam Fuld were optioned to...
March 25, 2008
Lou Piniella's crew has only three games left in the desert before leaving for Las Vegas on Thursday afternoon. The Cubs' skipper announced his starting rotation on Monday and he still has a couple of spots on the bench and a possible vacancy in the bullpen up for grabs. But could there be a new name in the mix? According to several reports out of Chicago and from Ken Rosenthal, the answer is yes. The...
March 24, 2008
Spring Training Game Twenty-Seven - Cubs 7 Rangers 6 WP - Les Walrond (2-1) LP - Robinson Tejada (0-1) Save - None The Cubs' offense continued putting runs on the board on Monday afternoon at HoHoKam Park and were able to out slug the Texas Rangers. Two of the players that have received a fair amount of press in the last few weeks were responsible for 5 of the Cubs' 7 runs....Mark DeRosa and Felix...
March 24, 2008
According to a report in the Chicago Sun-Times, Ryan Dempster and Jason Marquis will join Carlos Zambrano, Rich Hill and Ted Lilly in the Cubs' starting rotation. Jon Lieber will work as Piniella's long man out of the bullpen. Dempster will be inserted into the 3rd spot in the rotation behind Ted Lilly and make his first start of the year against the Brewers on April 3rd. As expected, Kerry Wood was announced as the...
March 24, 2008
As the 2002 MLB draft was approaching, the Chicago Cubs' farm system was highly regarded. Baseball America had it ranked in the top 3 in 2002, and 2001 and the trend would continue in 2003. Their biggest strength at the time was pitching. The club had four out of the first thirty-eight picks in 2002 and spent them all on promising pitching prospects. Unfortunately for the Cubs, only one of them tasted AAA ball and...
March 23, 2008
Spring Training Game Twenty-Six - Cubs 7 Padres 3 WP - Jason Marquis (1-1) LP - Greg Maddux (1-1) Save - None Lou Piniella's offense has finally started putting runs on the board. Over the past 4 games the Cubs have tallied a total of 26 runs, the same amount they scored in the 7 games prior dating back to March 13th. On Sunday afternoon the Cubs batted around in the 1st inning against Greg...
March 23, 2008
Happy Easter from everyone here at the CCO.... The Weekend Update returns for the final Sunday in Arizona. Counting Sunday's game, Lou Piniella's crew has only 5 games left in the desert and 7 total in the exhibition season. The Cubs square off later today in Peoria against Greg Maddux and the Padres. Kerry Wood is expected to throw in back-to-back games for the first time and if everything goes as planned, will be named...
March 22, 2008
Spring Training Game Twenty-Five - Cubs 8 White Sox 8 - 10 innings WP - None LP - None Save - None For the first time this spring a Cubs game ended in a tie after Lou Piniella's crew rallied with 3 runs in the bottom of the 10th. The Cubs played catch-up all afternoon against the White Sox after spotting them an early 4-0 lead. The Cubs scored 4 runs in the 6th to...
March 21, 2008
Spring Training Game Twenty-Four - Cubs 3 Rockies 7 WP - Mark Redman (2-2) LP - Sean Marshall (0-1) Save - None Spring Training in Arizona is very convenient. The travel time from park to park is minimal even during traffic delays, except for one destination....Tucson. The Cubs made the long two-hour trip for the second time in the last six days on Friday afternoon and while the starting nine featured a few of the...
March 21, 2008
A couple of weeks back the CCO took a look at the Cubs' offense for the upcoming season. Today the second of the CCO's 3-part preseason predictions will focus on Lou Piniella's pitching staff. Lou Piniella still has a few decisions to make.... Which two pitchers will fill out the rotation? Who will end up closing for the Cubs? Bobby Howry? Carlos Marmol? Or will Kerry Wood stay healthy enough to pitch in the 9th...
March 20, 2008
Spring Training Game Twenty-Three - Cubs 8 Rockies 6 WP - Neal Cotts (1-2) LP - Manny Corpas (0-1) Save - Michael Wuertz (1) The Cubs offense picked the right day to break out of their rut and score their third highest run total of the spring. Somehow, someway, Lou Piniella's crew managed to win a ballgame in which the pitching staff walked a total of 12 batters on the afternoon. Rich Hill had a...
March 20, 2008
In January the Cubs unveiled their new ad campaign that featured Kosuke Fukudome and Aramis Ramirez in familiar Cubs red, white and blue with flags from their country in the background. The campaign is "designed to showcase the international breadth and depth of the Cubs." Additional ads have been designed that feature Kerry Wood, Alfonso Soriano and Carlos Zambrano....here are the images....
March 20, 2008
Spring Training Game Twenty-Two - Cubs (ss) 4 Giants 2 WP - Jon Lieber (2-0) LP - Kevin Correia (0-1) Save - Jose Ascanio (2) Jon Lieber followed the performances of Jason Marquis and Ryan Dempster with a solid outing of his own. He worked fast, threw strikes and kept the ball down. Lieber allowed a run on 7 hits with a walk and 4 strikeouts in 5 innings of work. The Giants put runners...
March 19, 2008
Spring Training Game Twenty-One - Cubs (ss) 2 A's (ss) 5 WP - Andrew Brown (1-0) LP - Kevin Hart (1-1, BS - 1) Save - Fernando Hernandez (1) To say Lou Piniella's bullpen had a rough afternoon at HoHoKam Park would be an understatement. A day after Piniella proclaimed that Kerry Wood was the front-runner to land the closer's job, Wood was scratched from his scheduled outing on Wednesday with lower back spasms. Wood...
March 19, 2008
The next 12 days could be very busy around baseball and especially on the North Side of Chicago. According to several reports, Lou Piniella would like to have his roster, rotation and lineup set by Monday, which would give the Cubs a week before Opening Day to settle in. But there is always a trade or two that could shake things up in Cubs camp....so could the long rumored trade be on the verge of...
March 18, 2008
Spring Training Game Twenty - Cubs 6 Royals 5 WP - Kevin Hart (1-0) LP - Joakim Soria (1-1, BS - 1) Save - None If the reports are accurate about the numerous scouts in attendance during recent Cubs' games, then Jason Marquis and Ronny Cedeno picked the right time to have a good day at the office. Marquis was very effective once again. He allowed only 1 run on 5 hits with 2 walks...
March 18, 2008
Call him Carlos, or Big Z, or El Toro but the Cubs' pitcher that most often refers to himself in the third person is arguably the biggest key to the upcoming season. Carlos Zambrano is the number one pitcher on the Cubs' staff and possesses the stuff to be a legitimate ace, but he has yet to put it all together over a full season. From all reports Zambrano has arrived in Arizona much more...
March 17, 2008
Happy St. Patrick's Day from all of the Irishmen here at the CCO.... It is the third week of March and the Cubs last full week in Arizona. Lou Piniella's crew has just 13 games left in the exhibition season and only 11 more in the desert....Opening Day is two weeks from today. The Cubs still have decisions to make on spots in the rotation, the bullpen, on the bench and then there is the...
March 16, 2008
Spring Training Game Nineteen - Cubs 4 Angels (ss) 1 WP - Carlos Zambrano (1-0) LP - Nick Green (0-1) Save - Kerry Wood (1) Carlos Zambrano pitched the way a team's ace is supposed to against a split squad team in Spring Training on Sunday. He dominated the game. Zambrano was scheduled to throw 5 innings but he found a rhythm early and ended up going 6 strong innings. Zambrano faced the minimum through...
March 16, 2008
Spring Training Game Nineteen: Cubs (6-12) vs. Angels (ss) (10-6) Game Time - 3:05pm C.T. TV: WGN - Radio: 720 WGN, Gameday Audio on MLB.com Location - HoHoKam Park, Mesa Carlos Zambrano (0-0, 1.00) vs. Nick Green (0-0, 3.86) The phrase for the day in the desert is weather permitting. The Cubs and a split squad of Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are scheduled to play for the second time in 3 days....while the rest...
March 15, 2008
Spring Training Game Eighteen - Cubs 3 White Sox 5 WP - Scott Linebrink (1-0) LP - Neal Cotts (0-2, BS 1) Save - D.J. Carrasco (2) Lou Piniella's lineup was missing the Big Three of Aramis Ramirez, Derrek Lee and Alfonso Soriano while Ozzie Guillen played all but one of his projected everyday line-up....and the Cubs pitching staff performed quite well against a very dangerous offensive team. Rich Hill was effective but not sharp...
March 15, 2008
Spring Training Game Eighteen: Cubs (6-11) vs. White Sox (8-10) Game Time - 3:05pm C.T. TV: WGN (White Sox) - Radio: 720 WGN, Gameday Audio on MLB.com, XM Radio Channel 177 Location - Tucson Electric Park, Tucson Rich Hill (0-1, 7.04) vs. Nick Masset (0-1, 3.00) The Crosstown Classic from the Desert.... The Cubs and White Sox face-off for the first time today in 2008, Spring Training or not, it is the Cubs vs. the...
March 14, 2008
Spring Training Game Seventeen - Cubs 5 Angels 6 WP - Ervin Santana (1-0) LP - Ryan Dempster (2-1) Save - Rich Thompson (1) Ryan Dempster's fourth outing of the spring started much like the other three. He worked fast, was efficient and retired the Angels in order in the 1st inning. The Cubs' offense handed him a 3-run lead before he took the mound to start the 2nd inning but his own error led...
March 14, 2008
Installment 5 - Avoiding Pie's Problem. The CCO Radio returns for a Friday edition at the midway point of the exhibition season. Brian and Shaun discuss a variety of Cubs topics from Brian Roberts to Lou's lineup to Micah Hoffpauir with all of the dude references that can be packed into nearly a 38 minute show....plus a possible new nickname for one of the closer candidates. The CCO is excited to announce our podcast has...
March 13, 2008
Spring Training Game Sixteen - Cubs 3 Padres 2 WP - Carlos Marmol (1-0) LP - Carlos Guevara (0-1) Save - None Lou Piniella's new look lineup did not light up the scoreboard against Greg Maddux and the Padres pitching staff, but they did just enough to end a 3-game losing streak. With the game tied at 2 in the 9th, Matt Murton worked a bases empty 2-out walk. Micah Hoffpauir followed with a solid...
March 13, 2008
Should the Cubs trade several prospects for Brian Roberts? Should they trade for Marlon Byrd of the Texas Rangers? The short answer to both of them is a resounding no....
March 12, 2008
Spring Training Game Fifteen - Cubs 4 Rangers 5 WP - Sidney Ponson (1-0) LP - Bobby Howry (0-1) Save - Wes Littleton (1) After winning 4 out of 7 last week, the Cubs dropped their third in a row on Wednesday afternoon against the Texas Rangers. Lou Piniella's offense was minus all but Alfonso Soriano and they scored just 4 runs for the third consecutive game. Alfonso Soriano hit his first home run of...
March 12, 2008