Chicago Cubs – A Year-End Report – Batters

It was another roller-coaster ride for all the fans of the Chicago Cubs. They nearly won 100 games this season and yet couldn’t even garner a single win in the post-season. The Los Angeles Dodgers was just a better team and the Cubs didn’t show up at all. I don’t really know how to take the last two post-season exits. There wasn’t anything that screamed “curse,” “Billy Goat,” or “Bartman. The Diamondbacks and Dodgers were teams that turned it on at the right time and clearly the Cubs were content with just making the playoffs.

I’m going to be commenting on the Outfielders and Infielders on the 40-man roster of the Cubs. I will be evaluating their year and possibly if they are needed for next season.

Alfonso Soriano – The Cubs paid a great deal for him a season ago and over the past two years, he hasn’t been completely healthy. I am not sure if he will ever be a 35/35 guy again, but the power numbers should still be there. Soriano needs to be pushed down to the 2nd, 3rd, or 6th in the order in order for the Cubs to turn the corner in the playoffs. He has demanded being kept in the lead-off spot, but something needs to be shaken up. The Cubs needs to acquire a left-handed lead-off bat with a high .OBP.

Kosuke Fukudome – Fukudome started out the season on fire, he was nearly batting .400 much into the first month. He hit a wall around the All-Star break and batted around .200 the rest of the way. His defense kept him in the lineup, but he clearly hurt the Cubs down the stretch. The Cubs would be much-improved if they went out and got a power bat to play right field and used Fukudome off the bench. Fukudome was a bit of an oddity, most Japanese players tend own pitchers in the States for a high .OBP. Fukudome has proven that he has a decent eye, but he sometimes looks horrible while striking out.

Jim Edmonds – Edmonds played well for the Cubs, but he isn’t a long-term fix for their center field position. He would be nice to hold onto next season for some at-bats, but clearly shouldn’t be a starter next year. He can hit homers, when needed, but his average will be around .250, at best.

Reed Johnson – He was a spark plug for the Cubs after they acquired him mid-season. I watched many Cubs games and in the games that he played, he always made a big catch or had a key hit. I like him better than Edmonds in center, but Pinella didn’t use him down the stretch this season. I am not sure if he is in Pinella’s doghouse or if he trusted Edmonds more as the season progressed.

Felix Pie – Pie has speed and can cover a lot of ground in center. He hasn’t figured out major-league pitching yet and I’m starting to lose hope. He was sent down to Triple-A mid-season and he did very well, even showed some power. He could be trade bait this off-season, but I would like to see him get a chance in spring training and prove he deserves a spot.

Sam Fuld – He didn’t show up in the majors this year and probably best known for running full speed into the brick wall at Wrigley in 2007. Pie beat him out of a center field spot in spring training and Fuld struggled at the plate and a hand injury troubled him. He will be at spring training to see what he can bring to the team.

Ronny Cedeno – Lou Pinella seems to be high on this guy. He is mostly used as a pinch-runner, but Cedeno was in the line-up a little more than he should be. He started out the year pretty well, but fell off at the end. He is trade bait with the emergence of Mike Fontenot and Ryan Theriot playing so well.

Mark DeRosa – He has done everything for the Cubs, I’m surprised he hasn’t been called upon to work the front gate at Wrigley. I like him as a full-time replacement in right field, but I’m unsure of Mike Fontenot can play everyday at 2nd. DeRosa can play nearly every infield spot and has proven himself as a potential big-money free agent after next season. The Cubs need to make sure they work on a contract to keep him around.

Derrek Lee – I’m not saying that he had an off-year, but the expectations were definitely high coming into the year. The wrist injury that hampered him the last few seasons was 100% healed and a few even picked him as possible MVP candidate going into this year (John Kruk). He hit nearly 20 homers and had a batting average that fluttered around .290-.300 all season. Maybe this is the real D-Lee that the Cubs got from Florida, not the player that tore up pitchers a few season ago. I am just not sure which player will show up from here on out.

Mike Fontenot – This guy looks like he should be a jockey, but could he possibly turn into Dustin Pedroia? He has had moments where he looks like a starter, but it is still unknown if he could put up numbers as an everyday player. For a guy of his stature, he has a swing that could hit 20+ homers a season. It would be a risky move to give him the starter’s job at 2nd and move DeRosa to right field. If this team was a .500 team, it would be easy to give the keys to the car to a young player, but the Cubs have high expectations and Fontenot may be a victim of not being given a fair shot.

Micah Hoffpauir – He is a proven minor-league player and was given a shot near the end of the season to come off the bench and had a few shot at starting. He is a natural 1st basemen, but with Derrek Lee secure at the job, Hoffpauir could be moved to right or be trade bait. He clearly has the ability to play in the Majors, but unless an injury, he could be stuck.

Aramis Ramirez – He was the leader of the Cubs this season and was the MVP of the team. He didn’t show up in the playoffs, but he did so much for the team this year. Ramirez has the ability to be a 40/120 guy, I think he should keep improving. It may take a contract year to get that productivity out of him, but he will be a top 3 third -basemen in this league. His defense is suspect, but his bat makes his errors go away a little.

Ryan Theriot – He’s a .300 hitter, steal bases, has a decent .OBP, but somehow he isn’t the lead-off hitter. If the Cubs don’t acquire a pure lead-off guy, Theriot needs to be at the top of the lineup. He kind of fell into the shortstop position, but I don’t see him losing the job anytime soon. Theriot looks like a future all-star and should be in Chicago for awhile.

Daryle Ward – He is the Lenny Harris of the Chicago Cubs. I can’t say that he is a great pinch-hitter, he doesn’t get a lot of chances to get into games. I don’t know an adequate replacement for Ward, but any power bat that doesn’t have an ego will do.

Geovany Soto – He is a clear winner of the National League Rookie Of The Year Award and did a great job behind the plate. His defense got better as the year went along, but his ability to call a game needs to improve. I see him as a possible 1st basement later in his career, but for right now I like him as the starter.

Henry Blanco – He is making over 3 million a season to play a handful of games. I want his job. I don’t think the Cubs will pick up his option for next season, but could re-sign him for a lower amount. He has a decent bat, but doesn’t have a certain pitcher he catches, unlike a few seasons ago when he was the catcher for Greg Maddux.

Koyie Hill – He nearly cut his hand off in a freak accident a year ago. He got to play some at the end of the season, but I have always been a fan of game calling ability. He seemed to rejuvenate the pitching staff a season ago when he was brought up from the minors. Hill may not play long-term for the Cubs, but I like him as a player and could see him having a decent career on another team.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

A New Found Respect For Pharmacists

My girlfriend started pharmacy school last week and I didn’t realize how much stuff that they have to know. They pretty much need to know what doctors know and everything else that a pharmacist needs to know on top of it. I’m throughly impressed by the material of knowledge that they need to know.

I know this post was completely random and maybe my readers think that I am posting this to appease my girlfriend. I wish she read my blog ’cause I would earn a few points, but she doesn’t.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

Song Of The Day – Rise Against (Re-Education Through Labor)

I can’t tell you how happy I am that Rise Against is releasing a new album. I have enjoyed this band the last five years and I think “Siren Song Of The Counter Culture” was one of the best albums released that year. Many of you are just familiar with them from Guitar Hero 3, but Rise Against has a catalog of music that is just as good as “Prayer Of The Refugee.”

Rise Against is set to release “Appeal To Reason” very soon and I’m sure it will be a Top 10 album the first week of its release. They are one of the pure punk bands to get mainstream airplay. They are better than Anti-Flag (barely, I do love them), and currently more relevant than Bad Religion (I still enjoy those guys). Rise Against can garner airplay through MTV via a major label and proof that major labels can still market to punk listeners, but they are still not great at it.

Go buy “Appeal To Reason” and check out the song “Re-Education (Through Labor)”

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

Song Of The Day – Kanye West (Love Lockdown)

Kanye West is becoming a polarizing figure. Either you love him or you hate the guy, but he does have talent that you can’t hate on. I saw him close out the Video Music Awards on MTV with a new song called “Love Lockdown.” I didn’t like it when he performed it live, mostly because it was completely different from what I expected. I thought that he would jump his new album off with a club anthem, but this song sounds like something that could possibly be a cross-over hit into top 40, indie, and possible alternative radio. I heard “Love Lockdown” on the radio on my way to work yesterday and I changed my mind. I think the studio track did it for me and he’ll have another platinum album.

West’s new album is coming out in a few months, just a week after 50 Cent’s newest release. It was last year when West put a beating on Fiddy that week. It should be about time for Fiddy to come out with an amazing club anthem if he wants to compete this time around.

Here is the audio for “Love Lockdown.”

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Pray For Dante Love

I was watching the game against Indiana and Ball State on the Big Ten Network on Saturday night and it was turning into a really entertaining game. Nate Davis and Dante Love were looking good and were looking forward to getting the school’s first ever victory over a BCS team. Everything went from great to scary in the 2nd quarter.

Love caught a pass from Davis for a short gain, Love put his helmet down to get a few extra yards when the Indiana cornerback did the same and they collided helmet to helmet. Love instantly lost the ball and his whole body went limp. Indiana picked up the ball and went in for the touchdown, but no one really cared. Love laid lifeless near the sideline. He stayed there for over 15 minutes while the medical staff attended to him, they even called his parents from the stands to be with him. They took unscrewed the facemask off his helmet and put him on a board. As they took him off the field on a golfcart he never moved, not even a thumbs up from the crowd that most hoped for. They took him to a hospital in Bloomington and then they transferred him to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis.

Ball State ended up winning this game and instead of an upbeat press conference after the game, Brady Hoke, Ball State’s head coach, said a short statement and went to see his star wide-receiver at the hospital. There wasn’t any word from the university after the game about Love other than he felt “tingling and numbness.”

This afternoon more about Love’s injuries came out, he is lucky to be alive. He underwent five-hour back surgery to stabilize a cervical spinal fracture. He is said to be moving arms and legs and is currently in the critical care unit.

I went to college at Ball State for a year, I loved the school, but didn’t fit what I needed at the time. The football program has never done anything at all. The most famous Ball State alumni that went onto the NFL is a punter, if that tells you anything. Dante Love is a huge reason for the recent success that Ball State has seen over the last three years. No word if this ends his potential pro career, but that isn’t important at the moment. He needs to focus on getting better and hopefully he doesn’t have any complications from this injury in the future. I hope the best for Love and for all his friends and family who needs everyone’s support right now.

Get well soon Dante Love.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

I’d Rather Have An MCL & ACL Tear

I’ve had the flu for much of this week and I have been completely miserable. I’d rather have something manly to keep me down like a cool sports injury, but as of right now all I have to keep me comfortable is a box of tissues and the some Nyquil on ice. A lot has happened this week in sports and music, I will make sure that I comment on everything that I need to very soon.

I need to get back to my Nyquil cocktail.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

Song Of The Day – Kings of Leon (Sex On Fire)

It’s not every day that a band from Tennessee tops the charts in the UK. Kings of Leon haven’t tops the charts in the U.S. yet and you can say that they are bigger in the UK than their own country. I’ve seen this one other time, Zebrahead is huge in Japan and never really quite broke into the mainstream here in the States. I think hitting it big on the UK charts is a great indication that success for Kings Of Leon is coming very soon.

I have been a fan of Kings of Leon since they released “Youth and Young Manhood” back about five years ago. Their latest release, “Only By The Night” is their fourth major-label release, but so far the band has been considered an indie-band. That moniker comes from the type of radio stations their music gets airplay from. Here in Columbus it’s CD101, which on most days a good amount of Modest Mouse, The Shins, and Death Cab For Cutie. All of those bands are all on major labels and have sold a great deal of albums, but “indie music” is now considered a genre since many of the successful underground bands have been snatched up by major labels and packaged as “indie.”

Kings of Leon were musical guests on Saturday Night Live last night and did a great job. I think the lead singer’s voice is so distinct and the music on their new album does such a great job at showcasing it. I would put money down that “Only By The Night” will be their best-selling album in their careers so far and a few awards should be coming their way.

Here is a performance of “Sex On Fire.”

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Speak Before You Think Monday

After a long weekend, it is easy to do or say something that is completely insane. Your mind isn’t right on a Monday. You are still thinking about how you should have gotten that blonde’s number at the bar or how your team still has a shot at the National Championship, even if you lost a nationally televised game 35-3 (sorry Buckeyes, i live in your territory and I shouldn’t be so ill, but it’s real talk). Here is a few observations of things people are saying or what they have done without thinking things out clearly.

– The Milwaukee Brewers fired Ned Yost. Really? Before the Brewers hired him, they hadn’t had a winning season since dudes named Yount and Molitor were sporting the yellow and blue gear. I know that they imploded last season, but the team was full of rookies, I am not sold that they are used to the long Major League season. You can’t make much of an argument that they are tanking again this season, because they haven’t been in first place since the beginning of the season. Milwaukee is realizing that they only have Sabathia and Sheets for this one season and they will not be able to sign them, so they must win now. Rickie Weeks has been a disappointment so far and J.J. Hardy is not consistent. The trade talk has already started about Prince Fielder, they realize that they can’t win every game with their offense and your #1 starter cannot be Dave Bush or Manny Parra. Fielder is set for abitration soon and he will also grant a huge contract when free agency comes around. The Brewers may still make the playoffs, but now they have to combat the Phillies/Mets, whoever doesn’t win the NL East, and Houston. Not a smart move by the upper management in Milwaukee, Yost will get a job next season, either as a manager or a high-profile bench coach.

– Carlos Zambrano is back. I’m a Chicago Cubs, everyone who reads this blog knows this is true. Historically, Zambrano is extremely good on a long rest. He nearly had a no-hitter mid-season this year after he took some time off for injury. He may throw another gem next time out too, but it’s too soon to say he is back. Houston evacuated a hurricane and their minds were not 100% on baseball. The game was also played in Milwaukee, which is Wrigley Field North. If you go to any Cubs/Brewers game, the Cubs fans/Brewers fan ratio could learn in Chicago’s favor, let alone Houston fans versus Chicago fans. Also, Ted Lilly took a no-hitter today into the 7th inning against Houston and the last few games I watched Lilly pitch, he looked horrible. Zambrano needs his last few starts to be solid for me to be sold.

– Ohio State still has a shot at that National Championship. Even if OSU runs the table in the Big Ten, the best they can do is a birth in the Rose Bowl. Unfortunately for the Buckeyes, if USC loses a game or two, they will meet there. I don’t see USC losing any games, but there is a Pac-10 team that usually gives them a close game or beats them (i.e. Stanford, Oregon State). The Buckeyes do have a chance to turn the season around, but that would mean Todd Boeckman would lose his job as starting quarterback. Terrelle Pryor looked pretty good against USC, but it was a too tough of a test for a true freshman to face. Beanie Wells may have made this game closer, but he wouldn’t have won the game for Ohio State. Wells would have helped them have some ball control and help manage the clock. The score would have been around 27-10, still an embarassment. Ohio State has no shot at making the BCS Championship game, so I do not want to hear about a slim chance, there is no chance.

– The Minnesota Vikings will still make the playoffs. They are 0-2 and it looks like the NFC North will be very solid this year. I know that they lost to the Packers and Colts, two teams that are playoff caliber, but the way they played in those games didn’t look like a playoff team to me. Adrian Peterson should have ran all over Indianapolis, which he did, but never got into the endzone. Tavarius Jackson isn’t a starting quarterback in this league, yet. He may be a starter in the future, but with the kind of talent this team has, minus wide-receivers (they really don’t have any #1 receiver), they need an establish quarterback to spread the defense and let Peterson run amok. The Bears are better (they play them twice), the Lions can score points, something Minnesota has trouble with (they play them twice, the Packers own them (they play them again), and they play the AFC South (which is one of the best divisions in the league). I would suggest that you look at the remaining schedule of the team before you put them in the playoffs, Mike & Mike.

– Denver Broncos is the best team in the AFC. They have looked impressive so far this season, but they played the Raiders and a San Diego team that haven’t found themselves without Shawne Merriman. Eddie Royal has been a huge surprise, Brandon Marshall caught about a million pases this week, and Jay Cutler looks like John Elway. The NFL loves to scheme and take players out of the game, I’m guessing the next few weeks that teams will start pressuring Cutler more and make the young quarterback think faster on his feet. They will have to run the ball more, which may fall into Shanahan’s lap, but this core of Denver running backs aren’t Terrell Davis or Clinton Portis, it’s Selvin Young and a few castoffs from other teams. Denver looks like they will win that division, it looks to be very weak, but they are not the best team in the AFC. They will have to beat New England, Indianapolis, or Pittsburgh to garner that honor.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

Hurricane Ike Is Not My Homeboy

After spending all day Sunday and most of Monday without power, I would like to say that whatever was left of Hurricane Ike, really put a hurtin’ on Central Ohio. I was minding my own business on Sunday, just watching Jillian Barberie or Jillian Reynolds do the weather on FOX NFL Pre-game and then I thought I saw a cow fly across the parking lot. By the way, who the heck did Jillian marry this time? I remember her ex, Bret Barberie, I actually had his rookie card when he played for the Montreal Expos. I was actually surprised to find out that he actually bagged such a dime.

Central Ohio was hit with winds of a category one hurricane and tore it a new one. I know the people of Houston and Galveston were hit much, much harder, but no national news outlet is giving us any dap. In fact, most of the region’s electric personnel was in Texas helping out. This delayed us from getting back to normal. I must have went through 20 red lights that were treated as 4-way stops on my way to work today. It was a hassle and caused a major cramp in the little style I have. I actually listened to the entire album of “The Secret Handshake,” and I forgot how much I like that guy.

I should be posting more, but since I didn’t watch a single NFL game on Sunday, I can’t really do a “What I Learned” for Week 2, unless my post is only about the Eagles/Cowboys game.

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Song Of The Day – TBDBITL (Hang On Sloopy)

For the people who haven’t lived in Columbus, OH, you might be wondering what “TBDBITL” stands for. The Ohio State marching band calls themselves “The Best Damn Band In The Land,” which is a long acronym, but they mean their business. I picked this as the “Song Of The Day,” mainly because they have little to no chance at winning their game against USC. They play each other at 8pm on Saturday night in Los Angeles, CA. I almost put USC’s fight song here, but I couldn’t do it, even though I do like their song.

I will leave my Ohio State/USC analysis for another post, but I thought that I could just put “Hang On Sloopy” as a sign of good faith. This song isn’t Ohio State’s fight song, but it is probably more recognizable than their actual fight song.

I’m not a huge fan of TBDBITL for one reason, I dislike their tuba players. I lived next door for a couple of them when I first moved here and they had tuba practice at their house. Any random saturday you would hear a stampede of tuba sounds coming out of their house. Also, they do this thing called “script Ohio, which they spell out “Ohio” in cursive on the field. It is tradition that a tuba player dots the “i’, but only a few notable Ohio State alumni have dotted the ‘i’ that were not tuba players (i.e. Jack Nicklaus, Woody Hayes). The tuba players that I lived next to had the license plate of “IDOT08” and “IDOT09,” which is too close to IDIOT in my book.

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Breaking News – Vince Young Likes Fried Chicken

I woke up to a lot of banter on morning sports talk shows about the state of mind of Vince Young. Chris Mortensen may have said the most absurd, semi-racist thing I’ve heard before 9am. He was describing the situation where the police was searching for Vince Young and worried about his state of mind. They found him at his buddy’s house watching Monday Night Football. Mortensen said, “He was just at his buddy’s house eating fried chicken and watching football.” I think a better use of words could have been used when describing what Young was doing at a friend’s house. I mean you either refrain from using “fried chicken” in reference to a African-American male or you go all out and make it like he was re-enacting a scene from the movie “Friday” or “Don’t Be A Menace To South Central While Drinking Your Juice In Your Hood.”

Vince Young seems like a pretty weak person. The kind of person that has went through life where he’s been showered with praise. I know he may have had a harsh childhood financially, but you know he had the football field to rip the local guys up when he was feeling a little down. He hasn’t had the chance to do anything in the NFL yet, the only reason they were in the playoffs last year was due to Indianapolis playing Jim Sorgi and resting Peyton Manning in the final game of the year.

Yong has a few weeks to heal up physically and get his mind around the situation. I think he may need a mentor to help him through everything or he’ll end up like Michael Vick. I’m not saying that he is going to be the Don King of professional dog-fighting, but he will end up being a bust and never maturing into the kind of NFL player he should become. The Titans did sign Chris Simms, he also went to University of Texas, I don’t think they have much in common, but maybe he can help Young out. The best situation would have been the Titans drafting Limas Sweed, Young target at UT in last year’s draft, but that didn’t happen.

Kerry Collins isn’t going to steal anyone’s job away. Collins has had some success in the NFL, he lead a star-less NY Giants offense to the Super Bowl nearly a decade ago. If the Titans signed Daunte Culpepper or drafted another young quarterback last season, Young would have been all but out of Tennessee, but it’s still his job to lose.

I would have checked the clubs out first before I called the cops.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

Song Of The Day – Ne-Yo (Closer)

I really shouldn’t have Ne-Yo in any of my “Song Of The Day” posts for many reasons. He suffers from “gayface,” which he has tried to combat rumors that he isn’t gay, but the dude probably needs a sex tape or some beach shots with a hot lady to help him out. The other main reason is the dude wears a hat to hide his hairline. There are a few pictures on the ‘net that shows him without a hat and he looks like Clyde Drexler. He should just shave his head if he is that ashamed of his hair crop.

“Closer” is one of those songs you can’t escape from. You go into a restaurant/bar and they are playing the track, then you head home and turn on the radio and it’s playing again. I think it is a perfect song for its genre. I am not a huge fan of the R&B genre, but I can respect when someone has hit a song out of the park. Ne-Yo is best known for writing music for other artists, but if there are more tracks like “Closer” on his album, “Year Of the Gentleman,” he is looking at platinum status.

Here is the video for “Closer.”

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.