Postseason for the Cubs will start in Wrigley, and don't think for a second that Lou Piniella hasn't had at least a passing thought about who he'll start in Game 1.
If you put all emotions and reputations and contracts aside, how do you justify giving the ball to Carlos Zambrano?
I'm a huge Big Z fan. I've written here that Carlos is my favorite and the most dynamic athlete in Chicago right now. But there are huge red flags waving.
He's won his last three, but he's given up 12 earned runs over 17 innings during that stretch. And his ERA is 7.43 in five August starts.
He seems to be dropping his arm on his delivery again, which could suggest fatigue.
And his emotions seem to be getting the better of him - again. I don't mind Zambrano being passionate. In fact, I think it's one of the things he thrives on. But I'll tell you this, it is not going to be a regular postseason for the Cubs. The expectations are higher than ever, and the pressure will be as well.
If Big Z is feeling frustrated now, what happens if he doesn't get a call or someone makes an error with a postseason game on the line? The Cubs are clearly the best team in the NL, but there are potentially dangerous opponents.
Meanwhile, you have Ryan Dempster, who is nearly unbeatable in Wrigley, and Rich Harden.
If I had to make a decision today, I give the ball to Dempster and trust that Zambrano will be professional enough to accept his role. The stakes are higher than bruised feelings for the Cubs.
Then again, there is some regular-season baseball left to be played. Big Z could rebound and make the decision easy.
Stay tuned.
I think with 28 games still left to play, picking a starter for the playoffs is premature; we don't know who is going to have the hot hand in a month. Dempster could drop his next three starts and Z could come out and pitch a no-hitter. Or two.
But, that's not today's question. If the playoffs started today, I definitely want Dempster on the hill for game 1 (as long as he didn't pitch last night...)
I would go with Rich Harden in game one. He's been lights out since putting on a Cub uniform. My only concern is game 4 or 5.
Ted Lilly -- so after Chris Young of the D-Backs hits his first pitch onto Waveland we can watch little Teddy slam his glove to the ground (again) in frustration!
One more thing, perhaps it's just me, but it looks like Zambrano is pitching in a little pain.
Granted, this time of year, most starters are pitching in some discomfort, but there seems to be something going on with him.
I wouldn't go with Dempster. His arm is going to wake up some time soon and not be up to the job. Think Marmol in last year's playoffs. He threw way too much during the season and had a dead arm late in the season and into the playoffs. Dempster could suffer the same issue as he hasn't thrown more than 125 innings in the past 8 seasons.
If Z is alright, I would stick with the bulldog, zany antics and all.
I remember hearing about this discussion the other day, and Len Kasper mentioned a great idea, if the Cubs have the freedom to set up their playoff rotation. Kick off the series with Harden in Game 1, Dempster at home in Game 2, and have Zambrano start in Game 3.
This way, you allow either Dempster or Harden (depending of if Lou would want to have Lilly or Marquis pitch a 4th game) another chance to pitch at home in case of a 5th game. Harden, despite his early struggles today against Philly, has seemed as a constant source of expectations for Cubs fans. We figure he'll go 6+ innings, give up a run or two, and have double-digit Ks. I'd take that, as well as Dempster's home dominance, over anything Zambrano does in the playoffs.
Dempster.
I'm not even a Cub fan but I had to get into this one. Rich Harden, hands down. Kids been as consistent as one can ask, not to mention the freshest of the lot. He's tough!
Mark Prior.
Roman,
I agree that this discussion is perhaps a tad premature; we really need to finish out the season and see how everyone's doing before that type of decision can be made. I trust Lou's knowledge of the game, his pitchers and, just as importantly, our opponents' abilities.
"Besobol has been berry, berry good to Cubs fans this year."
Z
I would save Harden for game three. As a noted flyball pitcher, I would give him a better chance to win by starting him in a stadium with a little more room than Wrigley - which is every park except Fenway. Not that he hasn't been awesome, but why not give him every possible advantage to win. Z in game 2.
YOU ARE GOING TO NOT BELIEVE TIS..
Bengals WR Johnson reportedly changes name
1 hour ago
CINCINNATI (AP) — Maybe receiver Chad Johnson can go by the name that his head coach hates.
The Cincinnati Bengals receiver has legally changed his name to Chad Javon Ocho Cinco in Broward County, Fla., a switch that became official this week, according to several media reports. Johnson, who lives in Miami, didn't return a message left on his cell phone Friday night.
"It's something I don't think anyone has ever done before," he told the team's Web site. "Have I ever had a reason for why I do what I do? I'm having fun."
what culzie said...Z
You dance with the one that brought you, I'd go z,hardin, then dempster.
Z's recent erraticness may be just feeling the pressure of Dempsters emergence and the addition of hardin. Z is no longer the only big dog on the lot, now he has two rivals pushing him.
I don't think it's too early to consider this, cubs should get in playoffs with 90 plus wins, wild card at the least. So why not get things lined up for a playoff run, hopefully longer than 3 games this time.
Hmmm? You came up with a good one, Roman. I have to still go with Z. Dempster has been solid,and Harden is awesome, but Z. is still the best bet. He has a history of digging in when the chips are down if he can only contain his emotions. In any case, isn't it pleasant that any of three or four could likely get a win the first game?
Can you please remove the White Sox "magic number" from the top of the sports section online. As a White Sox fan, I find it embarrassing to talk about magic numbers while their lead is so slim.
Give it to Bozo the Clown and the Cubs lineup will still out hit the other guys.
Do you think Bozo gets dead arm?
Hey Sweeney, Bozo has never had dead arm, but he does get tired walkin' to bucket number six to get his balls.
They should focus on winning their division first because that is far from a lock.
They have 6 games left with the Cardinals, 4 against the Mets and finish with 3 against the Brewers. Those, along with the Phillies, are the very teams that they are fighting for a playoff spot.
They can lose the division lead and the wild card spot in a hurry by going head to head and not taking care of business.
This is not over yet.
Culzie, do you think "Ocho Cinco" even knows that that's not 85 in Spanish? And an even better question: could there be a more f'ed up franchise than the Bengals?
Hey, no more gobbledy-gook on the bottom anymore!! Yay!!
That's right, I said gobbledy-gook. Try it, it's fun!!!
Who cares, most Cub fans dont. The majority of them are nothing but tourists that go to the park and drink beer. I'm with Obama they DONT TAKE BASEBALL SERIOUS. Just drink your beer and yell racist names at your black players...Dusty, LaTroy Hawkins, Corey Patterson, Jacque Jones....
Since I have nowhere else to put this ... (and please, refrain from offering your suggestions):
I'm not very excited about the Bear's prospects this season. I was thinking 5 / 11 or 6 / 10 at best. But sometimes an unexpected good start against a top ranked opponent can set the tone, and help turn things in the right direction.
It is for this reason that I'm not writing off Lovie's Losers quite yet.
IMHO the Bears have a bit of unfinished business to take care of with Manning & Co., and if the defense doesn't come out with ferocity and determination, I'd be very much surprised, (and disappointed).
So I'm hoping that Urlacher, Harris, Brown, and Briggs spend much of their time in the Colt's backfield, and that as a result, Peyton spends most of his on his back, although a stretcher would be preferable.
Z is struggling, but he is still the man. The ball has to go to Z.
I bet he doesnt.