Being A Cubs Fan Is Hard Enough

But when your owner is working against the baseball people that are trying to make the team better, and against a fan base that has forgotten more baseball than the owner will ever know---it makes it a lot tougher.

Being a Cubs fan is hard. It's moments of childhood happiness sprinkled into years of heartbreak and emotional letdown. And if you take into consideration that they haven't won a World Series since 1908, you'd have to agree.

Then there are the players. "Can't miss" prospects flop, and then the prospects that end up being good leave and prosper elsewhere. Then there are the players that come past their prime and steal money as they play out the final years of their careers.

Where am I going with all of this? You'll find out in a minute.

Yesterday, the Cubs attempted to trade outfielder Jacque Jones (along with cash considerations to pay for the remaining two years of his contract) to the Florida Marlins for a minor league pitching prospect.

Jones is a malcontent and borderline "clubhouse cancer" who doesn't fit Lou Piniella's baseball plans.

However that deal fell through for two reasons:

• The Commissioner vetoed the trade. Why? No one knows, but the Commish's office must approve every trade that involves over $1 million worth of cash.
• Prospective owner Sam Zell nixed the trade as well. Zell, who bought the Tribune Company (who owns the Cubs) in April, is the real culprit here.

Technically, the sell has not completely gone through, so technically Zell doesn't own the Trib (or the Cubs) just yet. But he's got the balls to veto a trade of a player on a team HE DOESN'T EVEN OWN YET!!!!

This is an absolute travesty, not only to Cubs fans but to baseball in general. According to Sun-Times columnist Gordon Whittenmeyer, the Commish's office might be trying to get back at the Cubs for their spending spree that the league didn't appreciate.

Really?!?! But the Yankees can buy who they want when they want? The Red Sox can pay $50 million just to negotiate with Daisuke Matsuzaka? Do they get "punished?" Of course not!

Don't even get me started on how Barry "BALCO" Bonds and Jason Giambi get a free pass even though they both admitted to "unknowingly" taking steroids.

It's an absolute damn shame that the Commish can manipulate moves such as this.

On top of that, we've recently learned that John Canning Jr. is the top choice for Bud Selig (the commish) to buy the Cubs. Canning also has a small ownership in...THE MILWAUKEE BREWERS! Formerly owned by Bud Selig and the Cubs division rival.

I, for one, do not trust Bud Selig's judgment whatsoever. His other "cronies" that own teams aren't high on my (or that fan base's) happy list.

The Marlins have spent extravagantly to win two World Series and then dismantled each team in order not to pay the high salaries. The KC Royals were great back in the day with George Brett--now they're a laughing stock of baseball. Selig has handpicked those owners.

And with 100 years of futility around the corner, it won't get easier.

Joy In Wrigleyville: Cubs Sweep Sox!

Chicago Cubs lead-off man Alfonso Soriano outscored the Chicago White Sox with three solo home runs this weekend, and that was just the beginning of the Sox problems.

Soriano led the way for the Cubs this weekend offensively and defensively as he begins to earn his $136 million pay check. Soriano's three home runs will overshadow his "Web Gem" worthy double-play in which Soriano gunned down Luis Terrero from left field, but there's no question it is Soriano's bat that will carry the Cubs if they are to go far.

Not to be overlooked is the Cubs starting pitching. Carlos Zambrano dominated with 12 strikeouts in 8 innings. Rich Hill picked up 6 Ks in 5 2/3 innings in a no decision. Sean Marshall only threw about 80 pitches in his victory today. The Cubs bullpen was no slouch, not allowing a run the entire season.

As a Cubs fan, I have two fears. Fear #1 is that this series is the peak of the 2007 season and that it is all down hill from here. Fear #2 is that series is just an mirage and more of an indication of how bad the White Sox are instead of how good the Cubs can be.

If you're a Sox fan and you thought things couldn't get worse, they did this weekend. The offense was as bad as advertised with a batting average in the low .200s and only one home run (a solo shot by Paul Konerko in game one.)

Giving credit where credit is due, the White Sox pitching was top notch this weekend. Mark Buehrle, Javy Vazquez and Jose Contreras put forth three consecutive quality starts---and deserved better fates than what their offense provided.

That brings us to the imminent fire sale that will occur on the South Side, which will probably go down in history as "The White Flag Trade: Part Deux." According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Buehrle is good as gone, with the Boston Red Sox as the front runner for Buerhle's services.

Reports state the Sox are offering a package which would include their top pitching prospect and either their top CF prospect and/or their top SS prospect. A trade like this would help rebuild the depleted Sox minor league system and fill two holes in the field.

Not only would that be the beginning of White Flag II, but would also be a subtle admission that "Grinderball" does not work. Why? Because Boston is an organization that stresses sabrmetrics, a system that GM Kenny Williams laughed off in the book Moneyball.

As for the Cubs, I'm not 100% sold that this team is ready to turn the corner. Yes, they swept the Sox and its a great feeling, but the Sox are on the verge of being the worst team in the AL (statistically.)

Also, I can't take the Cubs seriously as long as their record at home is sub-.500. The Cubs are 15-20 at home, the Brewers are 27-13 (or something like that) at home. That would account for their big lead in the division at this point of the season.

Big moves are possible in the Cubs future as well. They're looking to dump Jacque Jones, Scott Eyre and maybe even Cesar Izturis while also looking to acquire relief help (i.e. Eric Gagne) and a left handed bat (i.e. Ken Griffey, Jr.)

Acquiring Griffey would put a dangerous left-handed bat between Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez. However, that trade is unlikely---but Wayne Krivsky is a bona fide idiot---trading young, up-and-coming players Felipe Lopez and Austin Kearns for marginal bullpen help. Maybe Eyre and Izturis would do the trick?

Landing Eric Gagne is more of a possibility. I wanted the Cubs to sign Gagne this winter when he was a free-agent, but the Cubs never listen to me. Rangers GM Jon Daniels is a bit like me. He knows a lot about baseball, he's young and believes in the Moneyball system. If the Rangers were to trade Gagne, I believe Matt Murton would be a key trading cog for Jim Hendry.

This weekend could the turning point in this season. Or it could be a typical flash-in-the-pan weekend for my Cubbies. Only time will tell.

NOTES:

• Sammy Sosa hit his 600th HR against the Cubs this week. I advocated hitting Sosa at least once during the series because of his actions at the end of the 2004 season. Even though I love Sammy for what he did in his years a s a Cub, I'm still bitter that he walked out on his team and his "no speak English" act during the Congressional hearings.
• In one bulletin, I call for someone to get beaned--in the next, I call out Sox announcers Hawk and DJ for advocating Bobby Jenks to throw at the head of Ryan Theriot. Theriot executed a perfect suicide squeeze in Saturday's win, but after the play Hawk & DJ said that if they knew it was coming, then Ozzie should have called for Jenks to "throw at his (Theriot's) head." And DJ's a punk for not disagreeing with Hawk on air. Throwing inside is the proper thing to do if you suspect a squeeze, but throwing at someone's head is UNACCEPTABLE! If it was a team throwing at the Sox head, Hawk & DJ would be up in arms, calling for someone's head. I guess its different when the shoe is on the other foot.
• Finally, the Michael Barrett trade has come with mixed emotions. Mikey B. was one of my favorite Cubs because he played with pride, passion and energy. He was one of the top offensive catchers the last two years, but his defensive deficiencies caught up with him this year. Also, thanks to Paul Sullivan (Tribune reporter) we learned that Barrett was the clubhouse snitch who went to ESPN saying that the players disliked Lou Piniella's style. And who did Mikey B. allegedly snitch to? None other than former Cubs manager Dusty F*cking Baker. If indeed that is the case, I've lost all respect for Barrett.

That's all for night. Good night & Go Cubs!

Who Stays? Who Goes?

Ever since the "dugout slugout" between Cubs catcher Michael Barrett and pitcher Carlos Zambrano, many Chicago sports fans have debated about the future of each player. After tonight, some fans might be leaning towards letting go of Barrett.

Again, there was another confrontation between Barrett and another Cubs starting pitcher during tonight's 5-3 loss to the Seattle Mariners. This time it was lefty Rich Hill. Hill and Barrett shared words, and were immediately separated by pitching coach Larry Rothschild.

The Barrett/Zambrano debate has really kicked into high gear of late. Zambrano is 2-0 since the incident, while Barrett continues to struggle behind the plate defensively and offensively. It begs the question, which one is more important to the team.

At one point, it was Barrett. Despite his defensive short comings, Barrett has been a top-tier offensive catcher since coming to the Cubs. Last year he posted career highs in home runs, RBIs & batting average. Barrett's offense was very important to this ball club, seeing that its every day shortstop (Cesar Izturis) had a career on-base percentage hovering around .300.

On the other hand, some Cubs fans (and management) could argue that Big Z was expendable. The Cubs have several pitching prospects rising quickly through the minor leagues including lefty Donald Veal, and righties Sean Gallagher and Jeff Samardizija.

However, 27-year old aces that throw 200 innings don't grow on trees, especially not in Wrigleyville. But Zambrano's attitude---and the fact that he's a total nut job---rub a lot of people the wrong way.

At the end of this season, both Zambrano and Barrett will become free agents and that's where it gets interesting.

Trading Zambrano would bring back the bigger bounty, something like what the Marlins got when they traded SP Josh Beckett and 3B Mike Lowell to the Red Sox for their top hitting and pitching prospects (SS Hanley Ramirez and SP Anibal Sanchez.)

As for Barrett, the jury is still out. His struggles this year offensively and defensively really lessen his value in the trade market. Not to mention his perceived anger management problems. However, MLB scouts are more afraid of Big Z's emotions than Mikey B's.

There are plenty of trade partners out there and if the right deal came along, who knows who might be shipped out. Barrett could fit on a team in the AL who isn't getting much offense from the catcher's spot or from their designated hitter. Zambrano could fit anywhere there is a hole in the starting roation.

If both players hit the market, it leaves the Cubs with at least $20 million to spend on the free agent market.

Some would have you believe that the Cubs might be saving up for Yankees 3B Alex Rodriguez (who would likely move to SS if he came to the Cubs) in the even he exercises an out clause in his contract this off-season. Others would tell you that the Cubs could go after Braves CF Andruw Jones, moving rookie Felix Pie to RF.

However, at this point these notes are all rumors and hearsay and nothing will be put in place until the new Cubs management (hopefully Mark Cuban) is put into place.

As of right now, both will play out their contract with the Cubs until they are out of the NL Central race (which won't likely be soon, seeing that the NL Central leading Brewers were no-hit tonight by Justin Verlander.)

Oh, To Be Rich!

Breaking news from this morning, Paris Hilton is a free woman.

I'd like to start this post by saying shame on whoever let Paris free on this B.S. excuse of a 'medical condition.' I didn't know crying and pouting were 'medical conditions' that would allow someone to finish a jail sentence at home, wearing an ankle bracelet.

House arrest still is an unfair punishment for Hilton, who probably lives in a multi-million dollar mansion. That doesn't sound like punishment at all. That's like when parents these days 'punish' their kids by sending to their rooms---rooms that they've filled with toys and games that they still allow their children to play with.

Back to the whole 'medical condition' B.S. excuse. Unfortunately, we will never find out what the 'condition' was because of its confidentiality. Also, don't you think that the people at the jail would have already known about the condition and then thought twice about putting her there anyway.

Seriously though, we should have seen this coming. Paris was due to get 45 days in jail, but it was reduced to 23 days because of good behavior. Her good behavior? Showing up to her court hearing. Since when did that become "good behavior?" So now, 23 days was turned into 3.

Also, I don't buy the bullsh*t five days that the people out west are saying because she showed up on Sunday night and was released this morning. She was there Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday. They also didn't give her a cell mate--again--more proof that this "punishment" was a bunch of B.S.

Don't get me wrong, if I was rich and was able to buy my way out of prison I most certainly would. However, buying your way out of jail shouldn't even be an option.

Alas, this just might be the beginning of something bigger. Everyday people seem outraged about the whole deal, and I'm in agreement with them and I'm sure that someone out in Cali will be taking the fall for setting her free. I know that if it was my Puerto Rican ass they would have locked me up, thrown away the key and put me in a cell with Bubba and Tiny.

FINAL THOUGHT (I): This is a shame that this is making major headlines. This should be a blip on the national scene. Instead, someone who is famous for being famous and spreading her legs is a major news story.

Shame on this society for letting it get this far. Hopefully Paris will learn her lesson. Unfortunately, these Hollywood starlets won't learn their lessons until they kill each other off in drunk driving incidents.

FINAL THOUGHT (II): If I was as rich as these rich little bitches out in Hollywood I wouldn't drive anywhere. You're rich, hire a personal driver and let's not put people's lives at risk because of your drinking habits!

FINAL THOUGHT (III): An incident like this just looks bad. It just goes to prove that there are two systems of justice, and that is just not right.

A Whole New Blog

This is my fourth blog, hopefully it will be my last blog for a while.

I started blogging my freshman year at SIU after being introduced to Blogger by my English teacher Mr. Weiss. Since then I've been blogging.

My blogs started as somewhere I'd be able to write random stuff like I used to do in high school. However it would later evolve into more. It quickly turned into a place where I could vent about the stresses in my life, write about sports, post poems and much more.

Now I'm less than a month from turning 21 and I'm thinking I need a new blog. Just one blog. A blog where I can post everything I want. Sports, poetry, life....it will all be here on one blog---instead of several different blogs.

Sometimes I'll post a "note" on Facebook, but those are reserved for short blogs that I don't mind everyone reading. Some of my blogs will be posted on MySpace so my friends on MySpace can read it. But all of my blogs will be here.

Things I want from this blog:

• I want this blog to be more organized.
• I want the posts to be shorter and more focused. Randomness is nice, in fact it is encouraged, but when it makes no sense then it is worthless.
• Every little thing doesn't need to be blogged about, so I won't blog about every little thing like I used to.
• I want to sharpen my "journalistic" writing style because I am a journalism major, so you might see a lot of newspaper article-type postings from me.
• I'm almost 21, so I'd like for my blog to be a little more mature. A lot has happened in recent years and I haven't been the composed person I know I can be. Maybe a clean slate on a new blog will be able to help.

For the record my original blog will still be up, mostly for referencing purposes. I deleted my Cubs blog because it was too much to handle for someone who can't blog all the time. If it's worth writing about it will be here for you to read it.

That's it. Until later, have a nice day.