Ah baseball. It’s so nice to have you back. I’ve now settled into the 2006 season. Let me introduce you to my baseball self. First off, I’m a diehard Cubs fan but not a huge Wrigley Field fan (I know I’m gonna get skewered on this one). I definitely enjoy the park, but I have to agree with my brethren down south. In general, folks at Wrigley are there for a good time, not to watch a baseball game. It sucks because those people who are knowledgable baseball fans get lumped in with all the yahoos with floppy hats, sunburns, and a full tank of beer. All that said I plan on heading to both Wrigley and U.S. Cellular Field this summer to enjoy me some baseball.
A lot of my contributions to this site this summer will have to do with the Cubs. There are other contributors who will be offering up posts about other teams (if there are any of you out there who would like to post on other teams, let me know by commenting on this post and we can get you set up).
Back to baseball. I really like the team the Cubs are fielding this year. I can’t tell you how excited I am about the youth and speed on this team. Don’t get me wrong, Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez hitting home runs is still vital to the success of the Cubs. Having Juan Pierre and Todd Walker on base in front of them is invaluable. I’ve only been able to watch games on nights and weekends so I’ve only seen about 4 of their games, and in each one of those games Juan Pierre’s speed has caused the other team to make a mistake that benefitted the Cubs. Jim Hendry deserves his contract extension. Matt Murton and Ronny Cedeno have been very welcome additions. I really liked Matt Murton last year, so I was glad to see that they went with him as the everyday starter. And Ronny Cedeno just consistently hits, and he has a solid glove too. Michael Barrett continues to be servicable behind the plate, and a clutch hitter (as well as my favorite player). My only real concern (besides starting pitching, but I won’t go there) is Jacque Jones. He strikes out an awful lot. That concerns me. Other than him, I really like this lineup.
The starting pitching. Wow. All that I can say is that I’m glad that they’ve been moderately successful so far. I really hope that Glendon Rusch can settle into a consistent starter. Sean Marshall has been fun to watch. I think that Carlos Zambrano needs to reel it in and realize he’s the ace of this staff, and he’d better start acting like it. There is nothing I can say about Greg Maddux that hasn’t already been said. I’m certainly not depending on Kerry Wood or Mark Prior to come back and make any substantial contributions and I hope that the Cubs aren’t either. If either/both of them do, consider it a huge blessing. If they don’t I still think that the Cubs can be in the hunt for a Division title or the wildcard.
- Vigilante Sports: Twitter and the MLB Trade Deadline http://localhost:8888/vsports/2009/07/twitter-and-the-mlb-trade-deadline/ 2010-05-03
- There is one spot left in the Vigilante Sports Roto Relegation League. Who's going to fill that spot? http://bit.ly/cI17bH 2010-03-25
- Anyone interested in a 5x5 #roto keeper league. Trying to establish a solid, knowledgeable group. #Fantasy #Baseball http://twib.es/t-EQEFG 2010-03-19
- More updates...
Good point about Wrigley…I’ve heard before that if people stopped coming to the games, the Ownership might actually feel it necessary to put a winning team on the field. If it is sold out regarldess of the product…what’s the motivation? Not for the love of the game thats for sure.
I totally agree… but wait… i’m going to games… am i part of the problem?
Hmmmm…but they are winning, so there is a point to go to the games. Also, I doubt you would be cheering at the wrong times which seems to characterize many who go to Wrigley. Moreover, perhaps you would keep from catching a foul ball that would lead to the other team getting an out.
I’m also a big Cubs fan but hate Wrigley Field. I’d love to see another stadium built somewhere else with a parking lot and it easy to get to. I do get frustrated about peoples comments about Cubs fans in general. How do you know people are just there to party, how do you know that the fans don’t care about winning? The Cubs have been in a major funk over the last month and I hear an awful lot of booing on the North side. I find it arrogant that people make those kinds of comments. When you have a large amount of people in one space there are going to be certain percentage that will be there for the wrong reasons. I feel it’s the same on the South Side. I could also say that Sox fans are fair weather fans. They win the world series and their fan base increases. I hope that anyone that makes the move to the south side stays there.