Full Court Press

Apathy

I feel positive even though Cubs lost. 161 to go. I didn't expect Woody to go unscored upon so I'm not going to sweat his outing. The real stories are Z having his best Opening Day start ever, and Fukudome fooling us all in Spring Training with all those weak infield hits. Fuk can hit and he's and on-base machine.

Unbelievable! 0-10 from the leadoff and #2 batters! 10 strikeouts - 6 from the top 3 in the order! Starter pitches a shutout and the "team" can't score ONE run in 8 innings in support! "Closer" hits the first batter, then gives up 3 runs! The other "closer" can't hold 'em either. Is this another year of wasted potential, or can someone find a cure for the "optical-rectumitis" that infects this team every year?

Here's the deal. . .things did not go according to plan for either side of town. Both teams need to reset themselves, and not let what happened today affect what happens tomorrow. Which team does that more effectively will be the one appearing in the postseason.

Steve Stone is back Baby! And we got him on the South Side where he belongs. TV is actually where he really belongs, but I'll take his color analysis over anyone else's, hands down. Sorry Ron Santo. Oh, and there's always next year, Cubbie fans. I just wanted to be the first one to say it.

I thought the Sox played a great game. After 3 horrible calls that took away 3 sure runs and probably more as the scoring would have continued, no team was going to still win that game. The umps were the worst I've seen in years.

Dotel wouldn't have even been in the game if just one of those calls went the right way. I think that team looked great today. Lot of fire. Lot of heart. 2007 is in the rear-ciew mirror if they play like that all season.

I thought the Sox played a great game. After 3 horrible calls that took away 3 sure runs and probably more as the scoring would have continued, no team was going to still win that game. The umps were the worst I've seen in years.

Dotel wouldn't have even been in the game if just one of those calls went the right way. I think that team looked great today. Lot of fire. Lot of heart. 2007 is in the rear-view mirror if they play like that all season.

Nah, it was just a day where we were all happy it's baseball season again. How can we take this day so seriously so soon after spring training? We can't. It was just a day where we are all thankful that meaningful baseball is again here in Chicago. What else do we have to cheer about?

I'm a Sox fan. The loss was disappointing, but it was good to see lively bats and, aside from Dotel, the bullpen looked good. Hopefully, we'll soon see the Buehrle of 2005 or 2007 and not 2006. The worst thing about this loss is that it will give the hack Jay Marriotti another reason to rip on the Sox and continue his pathetic attack on Reinsdorf, Williams and Guillen. Hopefully, the SunTimes isn't so broke that it can't pay for counseling to help him get beyond his neurotic fixation on these successful men. In terms of the team, it will come down to starting pitching. I have confidence in Vasquez, but the key will be how Danks, Contreras and Floyd do. My guess is that Danks and Floyd will do OK, but that we'll be looking to replace Contreras with someone from the minors pretty early in the year.

At what point ARE we supposed to start taking this seriously? Spring training's over-these games count! Theriot has NEVER shown the ability to be a lead-off man and I seriously doubt that the light is suddenly going to go on-he has serious flaws and is best suited for #8 (or, even better, utility).
And his injury history aside, Wood had never struck me as having the mental makeup for closing games-he gets too emotional and loses his focus-fatal flaws for a closer-hitting the lead-off man in the 9th with the first pitch is inexcusable.
So, to review, we have no lead-off man and no closer; this is the same semi-talented but flawed team as last year. Hendry better have a trade up his sleeve and soon or we're just going to be spinning our wheels (again)

News flash, Wood didn't enter the game in a save situation. One could argue that you don't bring in your closer in a tie (0-0) game. On the other hand, Gagne had a 3-0 lead and blew a save... When it's all said and done, the Cubs bullpen will be a strength.

No, Roman. I'm a Sox fan and I absolutely HATE the way that Jim Thome came up with 2 home runs today. =)

I made the trek to Cleveland and wore a bright white Buehrle jersey. I'll say one thing, if any of you Sox fans ever go to Cleveland for a baseball game, don't wear Sox attire unless you're in a group of Sox fans. I literally didn't speak to other fans and had peanuts thrown at me the entire game. People turned away from a very exciting game and missed pitches just to remind me that no, Mark Buerhle did not happen to have a good outing (the same people who gave C.C. Sabathia a standing-O for that junk game he tossed). Many, many people thanked me for the 7 runs that I, personally, let up in the 2nd inning.

I'm just mad the Sox aren't a team built to get revenge on Cleveland. The only thing we can do is like, mess them up the last series of the year if they're in a dead heat with Detroit at that point.

Sox blew a rare chance. Mark is going to be fine. Umps didnt give us a break today. I was proud of Ozzie. We need another arm and that pen could hold off a pop warner team.

I am cautiously optimistic about the Pale Hose, especially after watching them comeback against Sabathia of all people. There were a couple of keys calls that seemed to aid the home team, but there's 161 left. Linebrink would have pitched the eight--not Dotel--worried about THAT guy.

The bench looks alive and Swisher is a sparkplug there. Even if we don't succeed this year, I certainly sense that we'll be far more entertaining. I'm no stranger to kicking my team when it's deserved and sometimes when it's not, but I think the naysayers are going to eat more of their words than stand by them this season.

I truly hope that Mariotti gets fitted for a straitjacket and ticket out of town. Is he supposed to be the Howard Cosell of our town? Intelligent and talented, but his negativity and neurotic obsessions are so old and tired. Please Jay, leave. I think you'll live longer. Go someplace, anyplace but ChiTown!

Keep the faith compatriots. I've been watching baseball analytically for a long time, and I still have a good feeling about this club.

This is what I take away from yesterday's Cub opener, 1) Gagne still stinks, and he should be taking medication for his obvious Tourette's syndrome malady. And why did he get a win for his execrable performance? There should be a Congressional hearing about that.2) The Cubs don't have a leadoff man they'll be able to rely on. Did anybody notice that Roberts went 2 for 2 for the O's? 3)Outside of Fuk the team went something like 2 for 31. Their offense was flaccid. Who's the hitting coach anyway? Can't they be taught the art of small ball and generating runs? 4)How come Soriano as a Cub is 1/3 the player he was with the Yankees, Texas and Washington? 5) Who is the closer and why? Wood stank, Howry stank. Marmol was taken out. 6) The way the team is now, forget a Championship. The same old Cubs team; Sluggish, unfocused, tense. A lot of big guys with feeble swings. We need a leadoff bat and a closer. Kudos to Zambrano and Fukudome. A big loud raspberry to the rest of the team.

Roman responds: Good post.

Another disappointing start on the North Side lead by Mr. Disappointment, Kerry Wood. The guy has had one career hightlight, the 20Ks, unless you consider his flinging his glove leaving the mound in the 2003 NLCS.

Sweet Lou strategy leaves a lot to question. I guess Fukie and Felix are slow footed as neither even hinted at running on Kendall. Not double switching when Marmol came in. Not having someone up in the bullpen with the pitcher possibly coming up late in the game.

The bright spots were of course Fukie, and Soto's two walks.

Looks like we need to up the offer for Roberts quickly. THE RIOT looks like a number 8 hitter who will rotate with Cedeno.

Sox Dotel had a bad outing. Hopefully it is not something us Sox fans will see all year.Umps did mess up .But you still have to make the plays & pitch the game. If Dotel was on,the Sox most likely would of won.On North side,all that money & still a loser! lol.

Posted by Roman Modrowski...
What's your overriding emotion?

You mean, "How Does That Make You Feel?"....dontya?

Well, yesterdays loss felt like being whipped by a cat o nine tails....which...for a loss...is more like a win...yay Cubbies

So..when has the only prerequisite to 'play' catcher become speaking the same language as your pitcher?.. as opposed to being the leader out on the field? ...a bunch of fungomental retards

...can't call a game, can't direct the defense on an infield fly ball (Zambrano is an idiot who needs to be told what to do 24/7), and doesn't look to his pitcher for location of a foul he should have been able to locate off the bat in the first place?

Your catcher should have the highest baseball IQ on the field...and rolling your R's shouldn't be part of the test

Geovany Soto=Christopher Burke

Good Morning Everyone

Roman responds: C'mon HItman, you're bordering on racist stereotyping. You're better than that. Do you not remember how Soto finished last season?
Now, I agree that Zambrano really needs to get his head in the game. Pitchers shouldn't be making catches on high pops around the mound. They should back off and call out who should be making the catch.
Another thing Zambrano didn't do was move a bat out of the way on another foul pop that Soto did catch.
And nice job by Aramis Ramirez not going for that other foul pop that nearly flew to the third-base coach's box.

on the bright side the pressure of going undefeated is now gone for both clubs.

I think both teams played great. It's finally baseball season and the excitement is back!!!

What the we need to do is get rid Jay Mariotti and his endless negative smack-talk about the White Sox, Ozzie, and anyone he feels hurt about. Chicago has two great baseball teams and sometimes you just have to accept accomplishments.

Jay, why don't you stop being so sensitive and write an article as if you liked your job?

Well, the Sox really won yesterday's game so I'm not too upset about it. It's definitely Exhibit A of what I expect the rest of the year -- high scoring exciting games with slighly more losses than wins. This is a 79-83 team. Exciting but definitely not playoff caliber.

It felt like business as usual for both teams. Some bright spots coupled with frustrations. Fukudome had a great game; as did Thome. The umpire calls in the Sox game had too much bearing on the outcome, which is unfortunate -- especially in the first game of the season. But Buerhle will be fine; and sure, I'm glad Zambrano had a great outing, even though it was wasted.

More than Wood's crap performance, I was annoyed that Howry was out there at all. He had no business being in that situation. Wasn't he pitching in the minor league camp a week ago after posting a Spring Training ERA of over 7? His only pitch is a fastball that he has to locate perfectly, otherwise he gets hit around. We saw it last year; we saw it yesterday.

Both teams fought though, didn't just roll over. It's only one game, but there was positives for each team. The White Sox showed they can compete with Cleveland, which is productive.

The Umpires were terrible. It's twice as hard when you have to defeat the tribe and the Umpires. The 8th inning was disgraceful!!!

Roman responds: C'mon HItman, you're bordering on racist stereotyping.

NO!!...lol..a catcher is "the most important person on the field"...while it's true Ramirez and Zambrano sleep most of the time defensively...it's the catcher's responsibility...when he has weak minded people in the field...to snap them out of it and coach 'em up..

but when the catcher is just as big of a dope....I can't watch it
Barrett is a 'tard, too...ok big dumb no fightin...ummm?...honky?..

I was happy about Jason Kendall...I think he has Olive skin

and if I go ethnic on someone...me no racist..and I'm not sorry if a panty was bunch'd.... I like to adjust panties....

I wish we were all a nice shade of kelly green anyway...I'd probably be bi...love that color

only a million more days 'til football season...and then RexandCed...oh so much to live for...

maybe I'll ask Jay on a date

Optimistic? Yesterday's Cubs game was nothing short of typical. You are gonna get so sick of hearing me say that.

Kill the umps. Look, Dotel pitched crappy & Masset brilliantly so that's a wash-out. Buehrle pitched no worse than CC but was burned by a bad play by Cabrera. So again that's a wash-out.

What we are left with then is the game being decided by 3 horrible calls that cost the Sox no less than 2 runs & "gave" the Tribe 4 outs. The Sox should have gone into the 8th with the lead & that likely would have led to Ozzie bringing in Jenks at the first sign of trouble w Dotel.

The Sox were robbed & MLB should review those calls & penalize the umps. The guys foot was off the bag at 1B, Crede was not touched at home, & Cabrera's contact did not affect the outcome of that play. He never left the baseline & the contact was incidental.

The best response the Sox can deliver know is a win for Javier Vazquez. Do that & Mon's loss is a wash-out.

Difference a week makes! Go SOX!