A few thoughts....

* The league really figured out Fukudome. It's too bad because his defense is so stellar. Hopefully, he can contribute this year and then become more productive next season.

* No way should Bobby Howry pitch in a close game.

* What is up with D. Lee? He has no lift in his swing. He hits more groud balls than any # 3 hitter in the league.

i like setting the rotation for the rest of the year but i cannot understand with the expanded rosters and all the depth why we do not go on and schedule marshall some starts to keep his arm stretched out. if harden or z stumble we will desperately need him. if he is stuck back in the bullpen it may take him a start or two to get back on track. his starts may very well be the key to the season if we lose another starter.....

I'm assuming that Harden would pitch game 4???

At this point I'd prefer Marquis in game 3 over Lilly. Seriously and also does the name Harden ring a bell? or will Lou save him for the next games like he did with Zambrano last year?[I'm with you there Greg]

yea harden should be pitching game three not lilly. consistency. that is all i have to say.

I would have started Dempster yesterday in order to have 2 lefties vs. the Deadbirds in STL. Everyone knows they cannot hit lefties a lick. In regards to Fuk, whether the league "figured him out" or not, you mean to tell me he can't slap the ball the other way? C'mon Ichiro has made a huge living doing just this. At this point, forget the HR's & doubles, hit a single or two. The defensive woes are unexcusable at this point in the season. Every game is even more magnified and we cannot afford to go into MIL at the end of the season up by only 2 -4 games, I'd like to see 6 or more. If I were Lou, "Stop pressing guys, just relax and see the ball and do with it what is given", opposite field doubles/singles, sac flies/grounders, & hustle... PERIOD. More to come once the Cubs hit STL.

I think the rotation shapes up pretty well. The "workhorses" of Lilly and Demp get two starts... harden and Z get 1 each to either iron out kinks (Z) or keep a little momentum while saving himself (Harden) and Marquis pitches the last day of the year - which means he's out of the first playoff series which I'm perfectly fine with :-)

I'm willing to bet that Harden starts the third game if we're down 0-2 as there's enough rest time between his last regular season start to then... but otherwise I like keeping him in reserve.

Only other topic is Ronny C.

Other than a pinch hitter and reserve "just in case" middle infielder on the bench, I say sit him down for the stretch and the playoffs. He has a real habit of making bonehead plays in pressure situations. Boots double play balls, over slides bases (that he gets for free), etc. Mental errors or physical errors that are made because mentally he's overly revved. His gaffs only seem to be made when there's something on the line, he trys to hard, and BOOM. Wondering if he doesn't simply have a problem coping with stress.

He has managed a clutch hit here or then though, so he's fine as a pinch hitter I suppose... but otherwise I wish Lou would sit him down.

I hate Ronny Cedeno. He is an absolute joke. People talk about how talented he is, big deal. Show me something. I would rather have Rey Sanchez. Clutch pinch hits...maybe 1. One game where he made me physically ill was when the cubs were down in the 9th, I can't remember to who, but they were down by 1 or 2, they get a run, and load the bases with no outs. He comes up after two 4 pitch walks and swings at 3 balls and Ks, then Henry Blanco grounded into a DP to end the game. I was furious. That guy has no instincts or knowledge of the game. He is absolutely abysmal. Hopefully he falls off the face of the Earth...or gets traded to the White Sox, which is roughly the same thing.

Inuendos and Outuendos:

Lou is more than upset. He is mad as hell. And so, I think, are a lot of the players. (To say nothing of the Faithful.) But in this modern era of being super cool, giving everyone their space until they become blatant screw-ups, and not letting outsiders (including us) see them sweat, we won't be witness to as much visible emotion, anger and bit-in-their-teeth resolve as we would like. At the end of the season, someone in management will say something like, "We got enough outstanding performances and workman-like performances from the team as a whole that we did not disappoint ourselves or our fans." Or the statement will be, "We thought we had enough talent to get the job done. We put our best team on the field and just came up a little short of all of our expectations." Of course, if/when we win it all, the excitement level will blast way past just being cool.

Lieber and Howry have been/are class acts. Their ability to perform at a high level has passed. Lieber was hired as insurance with some sense that anything good received on the field would be a plus. That was the case with Johnson and Edmonds too. My guess is that Lieber, Lou and JH agreed to Lieber's certain exit as a Cubs roster player in the way Lieber wanted.

Lieber got $3.5 million dollars this year for being a class act who reached the end of his effectiveness. Howry's career likely will end with this regular season too, and he has received $4 million for giving us his best. IMO, his best won't be good enough for our post season roster unless he has an amazing turn around or we lose a couple of guys in the pen. It is a fact of modern baseball life that the last year of veteran players in the bigs and the last years of long-term, "big people" contracts are usually disappointing.

I'm not expecting Dome to hit well the rest of the way, and I'm hoping that Hoffpauir will. Lou then may play the CF counter part of my man Edmonds Johnson, Micah Dome, in RF with Dome playing the "defensive innings" late in games. Lou will say, "We were sick in RF until we called in the M.D.

I don't even like seeing a "1st round of playoffs" scenario just yet. Lot's of baseball to play yet, and if the team doesn't right this funk, then anything can still happen.

What I find amazing is how cold this team got so quick. The last week have been games that this team a few months ago would have easily taken, and certainly not blown in late innings. Mental errors have certainly mounted, and each player (regardless of recent playing time), has to start producing.

Lows, I recall that game well that you referenced Cedeno's headcase at the plate. It was mind-boggling, but told us about his ability to understand the circumstances around him.
Clutch" is certainly not his middle name. And Fukodome continues to look like toast at the plate. If I was him I'd stand right on top of the plate, and either get hit with the inside pitch, or atleast be somewhere in the vacinity to make contact with the ball on the outer half. Another guy unwilling or unable to make adjustments.

Let's hope this team wakes up this week since Milwaukee won't continue to help us forever.

For what it's worth, the White Sox in '05 played really mediocre the last 2 months of the season, including a 7-game losing streak, yet burned through the playoffs. Need to turn it around no question, but maybe we're just cold.

RE: Cedeno, it wouldn't surprise me if he was moved this off season. Like Pie, he might have more value to another team thinking he'll do better out of the limelight.

I would rather Harden pitch game three in the postseason rather than Ted Lily. Lily been struggling these last couple of starts.

I'm trying to find my hat, really I am!!!!

As soon as I find my lucky hat this will all be over with.

Please hurry and find that hat.

Who cares if Lou Piniella is upset.

The guy gets paid an obscene amount of money to motivate and manage elite MLB players.

I don't want to hear that Lou is upset and to show how powerful and upset he is, he decides to bench Lee, Ramirez, and Soriano, and play bench/role players.

How about this: Earn your millions by motivating and getting the best out of your players!!!

How about managing/instructing Lee on how not to hit so many grounders, and to start elevating and slugging the ball?

How about preaching intensity, and making sure his guys play motivated, and not like the dead fish they have looked like the past week or so?

Oooohhhh...Lou is mad...watch out! Who cares.
How about: Lou was upset at his players' lack of effort and consistency, and showcasing why Jim Hendry rewarded him with a rich multi-year contract a year ago, Lou used his master motivational/management skills to get his players refocused, remotivated, and they started showing energy, hustle, and consistency at the plate. In addition, using his vast experience, Lou was able to take Lee and Fukudome under his wing, and get Fuku turned out, and get Lee elevating HRs again.

Way to go, Lou!

That would be more like it...

They need a players meeting is what they need.

Some of the leaders of this team need to step up and ask these guys do they really want this or not??

Do they want to waste all thier hardwork all year long only to end up were they always do. With a big disappointment.

And this would be a big one. This is a championship team. No doubt. Do a lot of things still got to go their way??? Yes.

But after yesterday's game, you can tell fustration is starting to set in. They got time to turn it around but their the only ones that can do it now.

They just have to decide to do it.

Sounds simply but thats what it comes down to.

I dont even think that Lou can help right now.

Maybe my lucky hat.

Jason B...I care if Lou doesn't get mad when the Cubs play badly. Are you saying that Lou is only going to bench Lee, Aram and Soriano out of spite? Are you saying he ought not get mad when the team plays badly? The last thing Lou will do is bench Lee, Aram and Soriano--unless it's a rest day or the result of an injury. Rest days are likely over until we clinch.

He and the hitting coach have been working overtime with Dome and others in their coaching roles. And, while we won't likely hear much about it, he has been and will be in some players' faces. You are right that big dollar, multi-year contracts make it harder to get some players attention some of the time. But probably not right now.

jerljr....It's possible that your lucky hat is only lucky if you wear it brim forward (assuming it's a baseball type cap). Why not try it that way for the next five games and see if we don't win 3 or 4 of them.

Jason B From AZ

Once again you have correctly speled out a very important aspect to the whole "Lou is made as hell" theory. You are spot on when you write that Lou is savvy and knows when to push buttons and or take the ball out of a pitchers hand. Not to mention the bat outta of others' hands.

Lou will right the ship, no panic here.

GO CUBBIES!

Hi, long time everyday visitor to the site, lifelong Cub fan.
I have to say that I agree Cedeno just seems to get to excited to execute a bunt or complete a defensive play.
Bobby Howry seems to nibble until he gets behind and then has to challenge the hitter and that has not been a good thing for him this year.
Anyway I am just so excited, I think this is a real good team. I think Lou will get the most out of them. I think Fuk, DP Lee, and the rest will return to form. We have a good bench and good pitching we should match up with anyone.

JimK,
My point was that a truly good manager will get the best out of his players. If not, what good is he? Any one of us can write a lineup, and since we can all count to 100, we can all manage a pitch-count too.

So what separates Lou from us? I would hope it is his years of experience and his ability to motivate his star players, to gain consistency out of his players, and to help turn them around when they are struggling.

Fukodome has consistently regressed all year...so if Lou is trying to fix Fuku, then it is not working.

All year, Lee has hit for avg, but his power numbers are down, and we all know he hits way too many ground balls, and hits into too many DPs. What has Lou done to improve Lee's game in this respect? Whatever he is doing, hasn't been working.

I do want Lou to be upset.
What I don't want to see is lineup changes, in which our core players (Fuku, Lee, Soriano, Ramirez, Soto, Riot, DeRosa, and Edmonds) are being substituted for.

Instead of punishing poor production, by replacing starters with bench players, I would rather just see Lou get these starters playing better!

Replacing your starters with bench players does NOT increase our chances of winning. I am a huge believer in consistency, and making lineup changes in September is not a good idea, imo.

I remember when Scott Skiles would pull all his starters when they were not giving a full effort, and put in the subs. Guess what, we still didn't win the game! Now Scott Skiles is gone, because, for whatever reason, he couldn't get the players to buy in anymore...they tuned him out.

I doubt any of the players have tuned out Lou yet...but whatever he is saying to them hasn't worked the past 8 games (with one 14-run exception).

Quite simply, Jim, this is where Lou earns his paycheck.

Jason B....We're in almost complete agreement. I said, in effect, that Lou and the coaches are earning their (generous) paychecks by not benching their key players except for rest and injuries, by teaching, by getting mad, by knowing who needs a kick in the butt and who needs a pat on the back and by using every motivational technique (and strategy) they know. In Lou's case, he's won a lot of games as a manager and a world series. Lou makes a few mistakes too, but he, the players and all of us know that this is the time when the manager and the players earn their pay--or don't.

I don't think we can assume that Lee hasn't been watching film, taking extra BP, getting treatments and conditioning exercises for his back, getting suggestions from Lou and the hitting coach, etc. His lack of power and DP's mostly to the left side of the infield, I think, result from the disc problems in his back. I, of course am neither a doctor nor a major league hitting instructor, but I think Lee no longer has as compact a swing as he did. The "jerk" that a compact swing requires (I suspect) hurts his back so he starts his swing sooner to get his bat into the hitting area and pulls a lot more balls to the left side with not much power. If he were more compact and quick, he could stay back and hit the ball more to all fields. So why does he play? Because he's the best we have at the position, averages in the .290's and because of the intangibles he brings to the ballpark.

We seem to disagree on Dome, who has struggled for 4 months, hasn't found his early form regardless of self adjustments or outside help and isn't playing hurt. So, if Hoffpauir comes up with a hot bat, I think Lou should give H a lot of innings in RF. We need production from the left side. With the addition of Johnson to your list, all of the other guys you mention will be playing nearly all of the time.