It must be such a cool feeling for Jim Hendry. He takes a chance on Jacque Jones, gets torched by the fans and media for it (justifiably as bad as Jones played for a while), tries to trade him and now watches Jones be an integral part of a playoff chase.
Like I've written before, you just expect these guys to win now, right? They have that aura about them. Cubbie Swagger?
Yep, while everyone was blasting Jones...I'm just sitting there looking at his body of work as a player and his numbers from last year...and maintained he was due, and he would come around..ha ha
and yeah...this is a Team....its cool to watch guys who want to win as a group
Cubs have got that mojo working! Last night was a huge test and they passed. I just cannot see them going all the way without 4 solid horses, but all of the little things are working in their favor and that is 80% of the battle. Go Cubs!
Whoooo! Maybe your convincing me Roman. Is it coming together? They looked good last night.
Lou kept the faith with Hill to save the pen. Hill delivered. Key hitting with men in scoring position, and even a little chin music for the opposition (watch for a brawl this series). I think there was swagger dude.
Jacque Jones! I wanted him gone for a lefty reliever since May. Thank goodness that never panned out. Fate has spoken. He has played a pivotal role especially in the last month since the Soriano injury.
And I hate to bring this up again however mlb.com dialed in a little early to the broadcast last night and caught the opening credits for the comcast show. I see they feature the Zambrano/Barret fight as well as Lou's big blowup. Those incidents weather by fate or quincidence were the turning point, things got better after that. I don't know if it was because Barret was the bad apple and they sussed him out that day or because everyone was waiting for Lou to leave the dugout in a rage and couldn't concentrate on baseball until he did. I can't explain it except emotion and heart play a role in everything. And you can't deny that things changed after that.
Let's roll, swagger, use the force, whatever it takes to finish the Brewers so all their fans can can go dust off their cheezehead hats, concentrate on the Packers losing, whatever they do. And so Bob Uecker can take his lame unfunny ass home. He had a lot of nerve last night during the stretch. He does it all the time and thinks its cute. Probably feels pretty safe in the booth, bolsters the nerves. How about this Bobby: get out of the booth and broadcast from the bleachers next time jackass, see if you get to the end of the song oh but I doubt you would have sang the same lyrics there. Show some respect for the home field. Coward.
GO CUBS!!!
I don't know about Cubbie Swagger or expecting them to win? Remember, they are only a few games over .500 and they have had a pretty bad August. But saying all that, I would still pick them to win the division and then anything can happen in the playoffs, look at St. Louis last year. Although St. Louis and LaRussa seem to know how to win when the chips are down so they concern me. The five games with the Cardinals could very well decide the season.
Roman-----
uuhhhmmmmm, no. Even though I never thought they would stay in first this long (St. Louis took longer to warm up than I thought.) This basically .500 team should have no swagger.
Knew Jones was a good player in Minn., broke my heart a few times. Hendry was just lucky almost everyone wanted to stay pat.
With that bullpen, and not enough clutch hitting, the aura will fade, and St. Louis will win the division again!!!!
Roman-----
uuhhhmmmmm, no. Even though I never thought they would stay in first this long (St. Louis took longer to warm up than I thought.) This basically .500 team should have no swagger.
Knew Jones was a good player in Minn., broke my heart a few times. Hendry was just lucky almost everyone wanted to stay pat.
With that bullpen, and not enough clutch hitting, the aura will fade, and St. Louis will win the division again!!!!
Yea,verily.J.J. and Cubs. Now down with St. Louis.
Jeff and Chuck are right......considering the mediocrity of the NL Central, "swagger" is kind of a strong word to use at this point. The Yankees have swagger. The Braves of the '90's to early 2000's had swagger. The Cubs have spirit, yes they do. Now that Soriano's back, hopefully he will stay out of the way of the other fielders after they call for catches. The pitching staff has been adequate, bordering on admirable, despite having Rothschild at the helm. But after having hopes dashed year after year and time after time, I'm going to keep the "woohoo" factor down to a minimum until this thing is over and I'm out purchasing my Cub NL Championship, or dare I say it, World Series-winning merchandise.
Big Z has been pitching well. He isnt a lights out pitcher. They have to score some runs and play great defense. Lou had better be careful with him. The Cubs playoffs future is riding on him. You don't want him going Contreras on you.
How about the Sox? First time for us sinking this low. Ozzie snapped and rightfully so. These guys are dogging it.
"Like I've written before, you just expect these guys to win now, right?"
Yes, I expect them to win every other game, just like a .500 team does. Sorry, Roman, but I have to disagree with you on this one. 5-5 over their last 10 shouldn't have people thinking they're in "swagger" mode.
And watching "Fat Z" doing pirouettes on the mound just makes me wonder when Soriano is going to be getting a fastball to the quad.
Roman responds: You know something, it wasn't long after writing that entry that I wondered if it was overstated. You're right. Now, part of the season they stumbled is because Soriano was out. But he's back. Zambrano should be a huge concern. Is it too soon to say I told you so about that contract?
Have they put a cubs hat on the Lions out frot of the Art Musum yet??
Yes, Roman, it's too soon to say "I told you so," about Z. I suspect he will come back with a vengeance the way he did after the Michael B. affair. He certainly can be annoying though. I much prefer the guys who quietly do their jobs and let their performances speak for themselves. At least St. Louis lost last night, but unfortunately the Astros can't pitch Oswald against them every night.
"The biggest concern is Carlos Zambrano, winless in his last 4 starts and may have some shoulder problems. In the last 4 games, he has given up 29 hits, 18 earned runs, 15 walks, and 16 strikeouts in 23 innings with an ERA around 3.80; going 0-3 with 1 no decision. And, lasting through the 7th inning only once.
Does have Carlos have the Cubs 'right-handed starting pitcher-itis' after signing the big contract? Is there another reason why he signed the new contract, instead of testing the free-agent market in the winter? Will simulated games be in his future? Only time will tell."
UPDATES ZAMBRANO STATS:
In the last 5 games, he has given up 38 hits, 23 earned runs, 16 walks, and 22 strikeouts in 29.1 innings with an ERA around 3.90 (4.06 OVERALL; going 0-4 with 1 no decision. And, lasting through the 7th inning only once.
August 2007 Pitch Counts/Innings/Decisons for Zambrano
NP-S (INN) DECISION
93-49 (5.0) ND
113-70 (5.2) L
107-67 (7.0) L
103-67 (5.1) L
115-72 (6.1) L
----------------------------------------
531-325 (29.1) 0-4
Did I get censored for the Uecker attack? I only used ass twice.
Cubbie swagger? Get real.
The NL Central is so weak that the Cardinals... and the Reds... and the Pirates... and Houston are still in the race.
Cubs have the best talent, but don't seem to know how to win. The Brewers have the best hitting team, but can't get any wins from their starters. The Cardinals have the best manager and the best pitching coach, but I just can't see them patching everything together two years in a row.
The Big Zzzzzzzzz needs to wake up. I laughed when I read that he was distracted by his contract talks. Yeah, I would be distracted knowing that my next contract means I'll never have to work another day in my life if I so choose. Oh, yeah, baby, that's a real nightmare.
I'm telling you, Lou needs to launch into one of his f-bomb filled tirades and start fighting with his players. They are simply too complacent. (That or pick up Michael Barrett after he is placed on waivers by San Diego. Keep him for one week or until he scraps with Zambrano, whichever is sooner. Then release him. Lightening might strike twice.)
NP-S (INN) DECISION
93-49 (5.0) ND
113-70 (5.2) L
107-67 (7.0) L
103-67 (5.1) L
115-72 (6.1) L
----------------------------------------
531-325 (29.1) 0-4
MAJOR CONCERN!
last night I dreamed, I past from the scene
and went to a place so sublime
all the Cubbies were there
champagne in their hair
then the alarm clock started to whine
30 games to go and they're leading the show
but the lead is razor's edge thin
is this finally the year die hard fans get to cheer
or will their hearts get shattered agin
the Red and White Sox recently broke their curse
and the Tribune opened it's moth eaten purse
is that enough or is that damn goat too tough
30 more games determine the next verse
Was it me, or did Kendall actually look speedy on the basepads last night?
Thank you Mark DeRosa!!!
They took care of some vital business last night. Its there for the taking. If they exercise the Cardinals, hold on to your hats Cubs fans!
Why is every one getting so excited about a team thats four games above 500? I cant understand this, and about Jacque Jones if was him I would tell the Cub fans to shut the H** up!!! These are the same fans who kept calling him the "N" Word. What class. A bunch of racist drunk fans. GO SOX!!! and I dont care if they are in last place, if they win about ten in a row they would have the same record as the Cubs.
Ironic that you used poor grammer when your last name is English, in plugging your site. I hope your cheezy blog has spell check!
Roman responds: Thanks Culzie. Don't know how those slipped by.
Roman, the phrase "Cubbie Swagger" means absolutely nothing. If it did mean something, it would sarcastically refer to a longtime losing tradition.
Realistically, the Cubs are better than their record due to bad luck, and we saw what happened to the Cardinals last year, so anything can happen when a team gets to the playoffs (due to luck from small sample sizes, not due to "teams of destiny or the fire burning in David Eckstein's heart). They're way better than the competition in the Central, and honestly, should coast to a division win nicely in September.
I got your back Romski!!
It was prety lame too, I think there was a Chess section. No joke! I mean, I like chess, but if you like it so much you need to blog on it, you may want to open your windows and let in some fresh air. Maybe go out and talk to a real person. If you dare.
Calling Mrs Bates!!!
CARLOS ZAMBRANO SCOUTING REPORT
The scouting report probably sounds like this...make him throw a lot of pitches each inning, run up the counts, let him get on base and tire himself out more, hope for him to keep up his theatrics and tire even more, send a case of high-sugar energy drinks to Cubs clubhouse for him to drink and dehydrate himself, and then start attacking him at the after the 6th inning.
Noles: My god. No! The Cubs are not better than their record because of "bad luck." The Cubs as a team lack hustle and baseball intelligence. How many off-the-wall singles do we have because a hitter decided it was more important to assume a home run pose than to run just in case the ball didn't go out of the park?
How many opposing runners have we allowed to tag from first because our fielders lazily caught balls on their heels and hesitated before throwing the ball in?
How many times has our catcher failed to hold runners and given up passed balls or wild pitches that could have been blocked? And how many times has this led to the opposition scoring crucial runs? (Anyone wonder why we rocked with Koyie Hill? It's because he is a great fielding catcher).
If anyone who is in any way involved with the Cubs organization is reading this please tell the Cubs that it is O.K. for them to run hard unneccessarily. We won't laugh, I promise!
It is sickening watching us get consistently out-hustled and beaten by teams that don't have our skill. Nonetheless, I still love the bastards.
Go Cubs!
I see some people here, including Roman, are picking on Zambrano again.
Zambrano's lifetime ERA is 3.41. He's 78 and 53.
In his last game his fastball reached 98 mph. Almost every hit against him was due to poor location (a lot of fastballs down the middle), not lack of velocity.
He is a bit excitable, which is why the Cubs should call up Koyie Hill and use him as Z's personal catcher. Who cares if he can't hit, so long as the other team doesn't score that won't matter too much.
Zambrano will most likely kick butt in September, even with Kendall behind the plate. He's also due for a home run :). Everybody just calm down.
Mr. Modrowski, please don't speak for us real fans. We always have liked Jacque. I think you are talking about White Sox fans.
Roman responds: So those weren't boos directed at him at Wrigley earlier in the season? What were they yelling?
Come on sir. Those were boat jumpers early in the season. You know..they tune in to Mike North for a few minutes and listen to him trying to blame the problems of the world on Jacque-ever since last year. The next thing you know, you have booooooooos and boooooooooze at Wrigley. I don't recall him being booed in Minnesota. Misplaced anger is a double edged sword. Getting a player like Jacque Jones is not 'taking a chance', rather, it is good baseball sense. Good day to you sir. p.s. I just don't understand the Steve Trachsel thing. Does he have a history of performing in the clutch like Marquis?? I don't recall.
Yesterday's game was, as Lou said, really exciting. It was about time D. Lee did something great. Aramis was right about all the outside pitches except the one he threw his helmet on. That one really was a strike.
here we are...it's Sept. 3rd...coming off back to back one-run victories...Z is on the mound today...he's due...good time to be a Cubs fan...2-0 so far in September
Roman responds: That was the calm before the storm.
I guess I should know better...Carlos rounding third and subsequently melting down on the mound....
Michael Barrret and Carlos Zambrano....Dumb and Dumber