Hello again, everybody. It’s been another up and down week for the Cubs, but thanks to one shortsighted play, tensions flared and benches cleared. However, it appears Mr. Junior realized the error of his ways rather quickly and apologized profusely, which is good. And while he made be very laid back, it was good to see the Skipper quickly denounce that type of behavior and promise it will never happen again.
If Soler was not injured, I think Lake would have been sent down to Iowa last night. But Jorge did indeed extend his injury streak to every single year he has been on the Cubs, so Lake is here, and there is currently a lake forming on the tarp in DC. So with that, let us get down to it and go rambling. Also, #LetsGo.
• Hey, Junior … when you are the typical AAAA player, don’t get flipping your bat on your first and only homer of the year, and start a fight. You, sir are not an All-Star.
• And that is not to say an All-Star should do it either. Celebrations are great; disrespect is not … especially in a game where disrespect can get you a fastball in the ear. Or worse yet, your teammate’s ear.
• Lester had really calmed down, and I was really feeling better about the whole situation, and then he gets lit up by the Marlins. That was rough. Very, very rough.
• I had a co-worker start talking to me about trading Starlin. I just don’t think it is smart. I just don’t think it is the right move. At this point in 2009, almost no one had heard of Starlin Castro. At the end of this season, he will have 1,000 career hits, barring injury. One could say that, again barring injuries, he is on pace for 3,000.
• Sure his defense can improve, and so can his average, but it seems like he is concentrating more than ever before, and really buying into this team.
• This brought to you by Best Pal Sports Inc. … the Cubs are 15-11 against teams above .500, and 13-13 against teams below .500.
• Remember when the season started, Baez was sent down, and I said imagine that it is the first week of June and Baez is hitting over .300 with power. And people said there was no way he would be hitting over .300. Yea, he is hitting .325.
• I bring this up now, because when I brought it up then, I was discussing service time. So, here we go again, Scotty Boras. Baez will not come up before Thursday, June 11.
• If Javy comes up June 11, and stays until the end of the year, he will have 171 days of service, or said another way, one extra year of team protection. There are 172 calendar days in an MLB season.
• Nonetheless, I brought the all up in late-March as a hypothetical, and to be honest, I am quite shocked it happened, but it has happened.
• In April, this team gave me the feeling that they were never out of a game. Over the last two games in Miami, I never felt they had a chance to come back … against one of the worst teams in the league, managed by a front office executive.
• If you presume Javy comes up on the 11th or the weekend series, and plays third, who plays right … Lake or Coghlan? It is not even a choice for me. It is CC in a heartbeat. Also, don’t look now, but he has raised his average over 20 points the past few weeks.
• Kris Bryant was the rookie of the month for May, had 22 RBI and is on pace to make the All-Star team. That is not too shabby of a debut.
• Bryant, Harper, Gallo … Las Vegas, the desert oasis of baseball talent. And BPSI would yell at me if I did not give the old Bulldog himself a shout out, Mr. Greg Maddux.
• Do I even need to write anything about Kyle Schwarber, or should we just let it ride? I mean, no need to jinx it.
• Here in Chicago, during the rain delay, they are aired a television show called Chicago’s Best. If you are not familiar, the two hosts travel the city every week finding places to eat Chicago’s Best food, based on viewer recommendations. There are two hosts. One is Brittany Payton, Walter’s daughter. The other is some no-name with an English accent. Seriously. How can you get one choice for host so spot-on perfect, and the other one so terribly wrong. So, here is my note to the producers of Chicago’s Best:
• “I am a Chicagoan from Chicago living in Chicago. I am willing to travel around the city and eat all of the best food and be on television every week. And you only have to pay for the food. Just kidding, I will even pay for the food as well. Thank you.”
[No offense to anyone, especially those with English accents, but the only accent that should appear on a show about Chicago food is a Chicago accent.]
• Wow, sorry for that tangent … back to baseball. If it is not Chris Coghlan, I would really like to see Matt Szczur get a real opportunity. There doesn’t appear to be a better person in the game of baseball, and he has earned the opportunity. Put him out there six out of every six games while Soler is out and see if you have something. It truly cannot hurt.
• David Ross has eight hits. Jason Hammel has seven. This definitely caught my attention. Also, Rizzo is still getting on base over 44% of the time. That is just awesome. 34% is considered rather good.
• And finally, as it normally is, the jury will always be out for years on certain trades, but Carl Edwards Jr. is going to need to perform because I would really like Chris Archer to be pitching for the Cubs right now. Also, hindsight is 20-20 if not even stronger.
Well, that is all for today, children. A quick look at the word count says this might just be the longest ramblings in the history of ramblings. And I hope you enjoyed it all. I hope everyone enjoys the first weekend in June, while relaxing and spending it with loved ones.
And until next time …
Stay Classy Cubs Fans!!