Lou Piniella argues with plate umpire Jeff Kellogg during Wednesday's game.
No one should be happier about the Bulls' and Blackhawks' headline-hogging playoff runs than the underachieving Cubs, who have managed to float quietly under the media radar despite falling to 10-10 on the season with a 10-0 loss Wednesday at Arizona.
A team that was supposed to cruise to the NL Central title is struggling with injuries and inconsistencies. Clutch-hitting Aramis Ramirez could be headed to the DL with a strained calf, reliever Carlos Marmol is recovering from a twisted knee and prized free-agent pickup Milton Bradley has been nothing but a headache: He's hitting an anemic .094, has been slowed by nagging injuries and already is voicing irritation with the media and the fishbowl-like realities of life at Wrigley Field. That's pretty much the worst-case scenario skeptics envisioned when the Cubs signed him during the offseason.
Alfonso Soriano, back batting leadoff after a two-game trial in the No. 3 spot, cited the Cubs' lack of intensity in an interview this week with Sun-Times beat writer Gordon Wittenmyer. "We're too much relaxed," Soriano said. "We've got to go out and fight. We've been giving the 'W' to the other teams, because from what I see, we're not fighting to win."
Could it be the Cubs put too much stock in the widespread view that nothing they do in the regular season is of much importance -- that after two straight playoff flops, there's no need to get worked up about anything until October rolls around? Virtually every preseason forecaster picked the Cubs to easily win their division, but injuries and adversity could alter that outlook in a hurry.
"The last two years, I saw more hunger to win," Soriano told Wittenmyer. "We've got to get that hunger back."
Told of Soriano's comments, manager Lou Piniella said, "He might be right. ... I told our team, 'Make it happen. Don't think it's going to happen just by going out on the field.' If his assumption is right, we'll do something about and correct it."
Besides Bradley's struggles, the Cubs are getting next-to-nothing from Derrek Lee (.200), Geovany Soto (.111) and the two-headed replacement for departed second baseman Mark DeRosa: Mike Fontenot (.227) and Aaron Miles (.195).
The Cubs now have lost three consecutive series (to Cincinnati, St. Louis and Arizona) and already are four games behind the first-place Cardinals. They will hope for better things during a six-game homestand that begins Thursday against Florida.
It's still only April, too early to panic -- but what is it going to take to get the Cubs turned around? When the Bulls and Blackhawks finally reach the end of their postseason odysseys and the spotlight shifts back to baseball, just where will this Cubs team be?
This is a non-issue.
This Cubs team is the greatest ever assembled and the regular season means nothing.
Don't worry about the players doing nothing because the fans can just blame Soriano like always and everyone goes home happy.
Yes he may win you three games in a row but if he does not win that forth one...... whaaaaaaa! He hops when he catches the ball!
If they can just get Bill Murray to buy the team and make Mark Grace the manager then life will be perfect.
Maybe Carmen Fanzone or Larry Biitner are in need of a job.
The Goat is well and alive...as we feed him well
Well, the text said it is too early to panic, and I would agree with that. We will not be saying "April" tomorrow any more, but it is indeed too early to panic.
The header, though, asked if it is too early to worry. No, it is not, not the way this ballclub is playing. As anemic as the batting averages are, the team has won games when the scored 7 runs or more. That shows that in many games, this lineup is struggling to score 2 or 3. And where would we be without Fukudome and Soriano, the only two who are really providing much offense?
Our starting pitchers are only average right now, with the big 3 being hurt often by that one big inning which seems to put the game out of reach. Harden, #4, impresses but cannot go more than 6 innings and always seems to be one pitch away from injury, almost like having Prior/Wood back in/out of the rotation. And the bullpen is awful. Yesterday suggests that the only man out there we had confidence in is hurt. Gregg looks awful, we brought up Samardzija to close out blowouts, Cotts is terrible, Guzman is erratic, Patton does not belong in the majors.
Joey Gathright is a professional pinch runner who gets picked off after his only hit in the month of April. D Lee is hurt, can't hit, and can't cover any ground at first base. Fontenot can't play 3B, Aramis will be out for two more weeks, and we have no 3B at Iowa or Tennessee.
Yes, it is too early to panic. No, it is not too early to worry. This team looks to be on a treadmill to follow Detroit on the big drop from contender/division champ to mediocre -- or worse. Something must change. Soon.
The Goat is alive and Well............you know it sweet Lou..you have finally accepted the Goat and your denial is history
Too early to worry in THAT division. Cubs could loose every game until June and still have enough games to take the Central. The key is getting hot down the stretch.
Kudos to Soriano, but let's pause for a moment and recognize the ramifications of THAT Alfonso Soriano being the stand up guy on this team. It really goes to show the desperate lack of leadership amongst this group. I felt like last year's bunch was lost, but dropping DeRosa and Wood, two veteran, outspoken, character guys is starting to look foolish. Not to mention their production and effectiveness, but where's the emotional glue amongst this team?
Born and raised a Cub fan, I'm proud to say that for the first time since I was in diapers I've effectively ignored this whole first month of baseball. The little baseball I've seen though has been telling. How David Patten was allowed back on the plane, let alone the mound, after his disturbing performance in St. Louis is baffling. How Derrek Lee is left in the middle of a lineup stacked with proven run-producers is sick. Years now, YEARS, since he's been a legitimate 3-4-5 guy! The fact that Lou shakes up a lineup for two whole games and thinks he's accomplished something is pathetic. What a nibble to feed the wolves, but Lou, the wolves are right. The lineup is ass-backwards! The rotation looks nice and all, but fans know these guys. Do we really think they can get it done? This team's gonna come up with a dozen excuses, the fans are gonna hate on Milton Bradley and this summer will be better spent at the beach.
I realize I'm becoming one of those pessimistic fans, the ones who say, "it won't happen, it's the Cubs." I know eventually it will, but I kinda hope I no longer care at that point. This won't be the year, unless by "the year" you mean the thousandth or so time the Cubs and their fans embarrass the whole city.
Cubs are 10-10 despite higher-than-normal number of injuries to key players and 12 of 20 games on the road.
The season started later than usual. There are 142 freaking baseball games remaining The teams are barely into the top of the second inning of a nine-inning game, if you will.
Soriano had a great first 20 games, and Bradley had a bad first 20 games, and so on. Cycles. Ups, downs. More ups, downs. That's baseball.
There's no significant story here. The Cardinals have done well without Carpenter and Glaus. Like the Cubs, they have bullpen issues. They also have a suspect defense. You want to look deeper than just short-term results. A 10-10 start doesn't mean diddly, one way or the other.
Unless you're the ulimate passionate Cubs fan who gets hyped up about every single game, I'm beginning to sense that most fans are just expecting the Cubs to figure it out, get healed up and do enough to make the playoffs before really worrying about the games that really matter. Expectations are through the roof and they should be. The talent is there, the coaching is there.. they're all supposed to be the consummate pros, so it's all on them to fire themselves up for the games. No excuses. If all these injuries become a major factor throughout the entire season, then what can you do? Those are forces no one can control. Just play and get the job done. There should be no pressure from fans while most fans are paying more attention to the Bulls and Blackhawks in the playoffs right now.
It may be time to blow it all up.
We know by now this team will never win a World Series.
it's time for drastic measures. Bring out the white flag!
Trade DP-Lee, Soriano, Dumpster (oops, I mean Dempster), and Zambrano now while they still have some value.
Convert Harden to a closer (what kind of quality starting pitcher can't go past 6 innings?).
We can keep Lou, but his time is about over here too.
Move Samardzija to the starting rotation.
Bottom line is, we know the ceiling, so it's time to go young. And while we're at it, can we please get rid of Len Casper? he has the most annoying announcing voice. It's a shame because this team will never be able to replace Steve Stone.
The question for me is, why would anyone waste their time worrying about these losers in the first place?
To fret over a bunch of scrubs who are absolutely guaranteed in advance to make hundreds of millions of dollars for their inevitable failure is insane.
I worry more about that stupid cat ... and I HATE cats.
I see vitually no chemistry with this team...do others feel the same way?
Its a special season...
The ivy's blooming on the wall...
Its a special season...
Can't we just go to the fall?...
Milton Bradley is a faker and Lou sounds just like Dusty Baker...
As the excuses pile till up there ten feet tall....
Its a special season...
Why did they ruin it by playing dumb baseball?....
There.
Now the Cub fans have another feel good song to sing and that means that the World Series trophy is being shipped to Chicago even as I type this because everyone knows that the Cubs have more "special" seasons than Col. Sanders.
You are welcome Cubbie fans.
That's funny Phil.
I'd like to see the entire team parade aroung the locker room singing Monty Python's "Lumberjack" song.
He's a lumberjack, he's ok,
He sleeps all night, and he works all day ...
I’m a Cubbie fan and I’m okay
I work all night and watch Cubs all day.
I wear a blue windbreaker, a cap and cargo shorts…
I never have a girlfriend, cuz I’m just into sports
"Too early to worry in THAT division. Cubs could loose every game until June and still have enough games to take the Central. The key is getting hot down the stretch"
Excuse me? The best team in baseball right now is the St. Louis Cardinals, you know, that team that has won 10 world Championships since your last one and hold the best record in baseball. The cards rotation is pitching better than the cubs even without Chris Carpenter. You guys can't score runs, don't have the best player in the game and your bullpen is awful.
I love how Cubs fans act like they are the ones who should be winning this division each year simply because they magically somehow won it two years in a row. You must forget that you are still the CUBS. I guess none of you watched baseball before you a) moved to Chicago or b) 2003. The cards had a couple of down years after they won a world series, but what you guys fail to realize is that the most successful franchise in history behind the Yankees is in the NL central. You do not own this division, that title belongs to the team in St. Louis, and until you guys do more than simply sniff success you need to quit acting like you've been there. Because you have not.
Chicago ego makes me laugh - I am cracking up - because I am a die-hard Sox FAN LOL!!!!!
And even I know the Cubs are going to take the Central. I respect St. Louis - Love LaRussa - but looking at the Cubs roster...cmon man. I wouldnt go around bragging this early.
The Cardinal fans speaks the truth.
Egads, where to start?
Let's see, I predicted the Cubs would get out of the gate and go 7-14 in their first 21 games. With one more loss, I won't be too far off.
The Cubs are fortunate to be playing on the road so much, because their drunken boo-bird fans would skin them alive if they were playing this poorly at home.
Chicago Ego Makes me laugh -- truer words were never posted!!!
Go Cards.
If William Shakespeare were alive, the trials and travails of the Chicago Cubs would no doubt be among his most epic tragedies.
"To choke, or not to choke ... THAT is the question."
"The fool doth think he is wise, but the Cub fan knows himself to be a fool."
"If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you pitch to us, do we not strike out?"
"Neither a bunter, nor a base stealer be."
"Though this be madness, yet there is a paycheck in it."
"All the world 's a stage, and all the men and women merely players.
But Wrigley Field is a f@%kin' zoo!"
"I like this place and willingly could waste my time in it."
(I didn't change a word in that one)
"It is October, and the World Series is but a dream."
"For you and I are past our playing days."
(sung in unison by the entire Cub's roster)
"The better part of valour is the disabled list."
"A man can die but once, but a Cub fan dies a thousand times."
"The first thing we do, let's kill all the umpires."
"Not that I loved the Cubs less, but that I loved Wrigley more."
"What 's done is done." (uttered after Bartman took a stab at a foul ball)
"How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is to have a thankless fan."
"Tis neither here nor there." (Derek Lee discussing a ball lost in the ivy)
"You pay a great deal too dear for what should be given freely".
(sign over Wrigley Field ticket window)
One more thing...
I thought last year's playoff game when they made so many errors behind Zambrano (and Soto couldn't even get the ball back to him in the air) spoke volumes about this team. I don't think they like Zambrano and the baggage he carries. Now, they have the sideshow freakazoid in Bradley to go with ubernutjob Zambrano.
And KLSS, yes, I agree it is probably too early to write off the Cubs, but they are eerily similar to another team -- the Detroit Tigers -- who in 2008 following two winning seasons were loaded and the odds on favorite to rule the AL Central. I think you can still hear the echo from the thud of them landing flat on their face.
Could it be?
Could it be?
Hey, Hey, another Cubs team falls flat on its face.
Harden will have a stint on the DL, so will Soriano and Soto looks like he should never have come off the DL. Dempster is coming back to earth like all one-year wonders.
The Cards? Certainly overachieving, but they are fun to watch; don't have whiny fans; and have the best player in MLB who is constantly trying to improve himself and the team.
Go Cards.
No, I do not agree that it is too early to question what has happened. High expectations were set once the Cubs moved into the top spending category with the other elite teams.
That said, a solid baseball team is comprised of key aspects much like the spokes of a wheel: pitching, hitting, base running, team speed, defense, and coaching is not over-rated. If anyone thinks coaching is over-rated simply look at the results of the coaching tandem of Tony LaRussa and Dave Duncan.
The Cubs are lacking in most of the key areas and without Soriano they might well be much deeper in the hole than they are at present.
Hitting: Lee is over-hyped and over-rated. No longer a threat.
Ramirez doesn't take care of himself and is very slow.
Team speed: Not much and a liver-challenged manager who doesn't know how to use speed or advance base runner effectively.
Pitching: Harden and an erratic Zambrano. Too bad no DH in NL as Zambrano is a decent hitter.
Dempster has returned to "Dumpster" which he was labeled whenhe was a reliever.
Much of the fault and blame lies directly with Piniella and Hendry. Why is DeRosa looking so good at Cleveland?
After watching every home & a good part of away spring training games along with the first month of the season as bad as I hate to say it I think D-Lee's days as a powerful 3 hitter are done. His bat speed looks very slow to me. He is getting fool on breaking balls & here in AZ if you get fool on breaking balls a lot something is wrong because breaking ball pitchers do not usually do well here in the dry heat. He also seems to forget there is a field in right & center & is trying to pull way to much. Several times this year he has failed to move a runner over from 2nd to 3rd. I know he is paid to drive runs in but sometimes if a team is not scoring runs move a guy over. Don't get me wrong D-Lee is a great player & a wonderful person but the time as come where the Cubs have got look at giving Micah Hoffpauir at least 400 AB's. This guy all he has done is hit everywhere including Chicago. He has 3 home runs already this year in limited action. He is not a bad first baseman either. I know he is no D-Lee at first base but your corner guys have got to produce. I also want to say I am not blaming D-Lee for everything that is not happeing on the offense side but he is the main cog. I am not sure how long he has left on his contract but I think if the Cubs would shop him now they could get a front line guy & some A prospects. I hope I am wrong & most of the time I am but my feeling if the Cubs do not do something soon whether its start hitting the ball like a $140 Million team is suppose to hit or trade D-Lee & give Hoffpauir the most of the playing time it is going to be a long summer on the North side & we are going to have to watch the Cardinals run away with it which is too much for this Cub fan to watch.
YES IT IS
I know it is early, but 300 miles south of here that one man team, with a bunch of no names and their ace pitcher and starting third basemean are on the DL, is leading the league again. Their payroll is half what the Cubs is. How do Cardinals just keep on winning pennants and World Series when we cannot get into a Series with all our high paid stars. The Cardinals seem to pick up no names for pennies and they contribute to a winning cause.
It is not even May. Where were the Dodgers this time last year? Then they destroyed the Cubs in the playoffs. It is a long season and panic helps nothing. But, it has to be said that moving De Rosa was not a good move so far.
It is early in the season, and their 11 / 10 record isn't all that bad. In fact, I'm surprised when either of our baseball teams comes strong out of the gate, considering the miserable weather they have to play their home games in during the first month of the season.
What the Cubs have to worry about is St. Louis running away and hiding from the rest of the division. For this reason it is important that they avoid a prolonged losing streak, because I don't believe that the wild card will come out of the Central this year. They'll need to win the division if they want to play in the post season.
The traditional Cubs June swoon came in April this year. Maybe next Century...
Hey Lou!
What you guys need is a top flight bat boy, and it just so happens that I'm available. I see that nobody is currently wearing my #8, so this will not be a sticking point in the negotiations.
I could prove useful to the team in ways you can't begin to imagine.
Let's say that Kuoske is in the middle of a season long slump, hasn't had a hit in 25 games, and his batting average looks like my passer rating. They're booing the bejeezas out of him as he steps into the batter's box, when suddenly I spring from the dugout to bring him a new bat.
Immediately, the fans forget all about poor Kouske, and start throwing things in my direction. I think you can see how valuable I'd be under similar circumstances.
And I work cheap!
Time to worry about the SOX! We've got ROYAL problems.
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Worry? Why not? Who are we waiting for? The whole dang team, that's who! We can't score any runs lately! 21 good starts, and 14 lossed. That goes to show you that 1 guy (the pitcher) can't win games, when the other eight can't score any runs. These guys are pros, not amateurs. When will enough be enough? Lou even looks frustrated. Seems like no one is motivating the other. All they do is sulk, hang there head, throw a bat, hit the drink machine or yell. For what? They're not fooling anyone. They need to get their crap together and start hitting and scoring. Len Casper doesn't help either (mr obvious) why does he say things that seems to always happen? Like, that Adrian Gonzales is hitting us really hard. He's hit 5 homers in 5 games. I understand he needs to announce stats, but not jinks! I'd rather listen to Ronnie Santo ( a true Blue fan) than watch and listen to this blow hard, announce the oppositons next run.
Whatever. I love the Cubs and vehemently dislike Len Casper.
FYI...I like Bob Brenley...he's alright.
Go Cubs Go!
Lalo