Clark & Addison Blog - CubHub.net

• Aramis Ramirez has reached base in all 20 games so far this season, including 13 walks (gasp!). His carrer high for walks is 50 - for an entire season.
• Kosuke Fukudome leads the league in # of pitches seen per at bat with 4.72. He is batting .357 with an on-base of .477. His style is having an obvious affect on his teammates - they all seem to be more selective at the plate which is paying off huge in getting guys on base and (obviously) scoring.
• Derrek Lee, Ramirez, Soto, Blanco, Theriot, Fukudome, Reed Johnson & DeRosa are each hitting better than .320 over their last seven games.
• The Cubs team franchise has 9,999 career wins as of today.  The Chicago National League Ballclub has a lifetime record of 9,999 wins, 9,465 losses for a winning percentage of .514.  They have won 16 National League Pennants, and 2 World Series championships (1907 & 1908)

For the Cubs to make a serious run at anything serious this season (forget any talk of October baseball in April), the entire team is to be counted on. Its a very good sign there has been so many big hits by so many different players so far in this young season. Yesterday was Ronnie Cedeno, on Monday Felix Pie, and before that we’ve seen Fontenot, Fukudome, Theriot, Reed Johnson, Geo Soto, DeRosa…all in addition to the great start of Derrek Lee and now Aramis Ramirez is coming around.  Only the highest-paid player, Alfonso Soriano has been missing from the highlight reel. But his day will come soon enough.  Meantime, the team is off to a 14-6 start, their best in more than 30 seasons!

The pitching has really been a strength too. After slow starts from Rich Hill, Bobby Howry & Ted Lilly, they are all showing signs of coming out of their fog.  Marmol & Wood have been outstanding. Marquis is being Marquis, ya just can’t count on him, but he can surprise you on occasion.

Consider this: Carlos Zambrano is historically a slow starter. April is always a terrible month for him but he still manages to close a season with strong numbers.  Now this year, he is suddenly not walking people, and generally performing at what is usually his month of May level.  As a rule, when the weather warms, so does Big-Z.  His 2008 numbers could be filthy good if he can just be himself for an entire season.  Meanwhile, Ryan Dempster continues to shine - I was a huge critic of his going into the season so I’m happily eating some crow now. The guy has been flat-out good so far. 

Closing out this homestand 7-1 and averaging more than 8 runs per game, the Chicago Cubs are making it look easy these days.  One of my favorite stats from this span was a 25 inning streak of having at least 1 man on base. Think about that, from Friday until Tuesday the Cubs lineup had not been retired 1-2-3 for 25 innings straight! 

With all the talk lately about the racist, inappropriate, offensive Kosuke Fukudome t-shirt being peddled around Wrigley, its nice to see some enterprising Cub fans come up with something respectful to celebrate Kosuke.  Check out this head band from BleacherBand.com:

For ten bucks, you can celebrate new Cubs right fielder Kosuke Fukudome - with a portion of the sale price going to charity (Ron Santo’s JDRF, I believe is one of the beneficiaries). That’s how to celebrate a player - don’t give a cent to those who butcher his name (obvious & sophomoric) or slur his native culture!  Take the high road …and GO CUBS!

Reds announcer (and father of former Cubs announcer Thom Brennaman) Marty Brennaman ripped Cubs fans during the game broadcast this week at Wrigley.  He critized fans throwing balls onto the field of play which in my view is fair game.  But then he takes the opportunity to spout off on what appears to be some deep-seated hate for all fans of the Cubs! 

Listen to it here

Read it here

With Alfonso Soriano blowing a tire last night at Wrigley, his enrollment on the 15-day DL was certain.  Instead of calling up left fielder Matt Murton, - surprise! - the Cubs recalled second baseman Eric Patterson.  Seems like the plan is to send DeRosa to Left for a couple weeks until Soriano can limp back to hit more solo home runs. I would think the fairly hot-hitting Mike Fontenot would fill in admirably at second with DeRosa in the OF.  But they call up Patterson instead?  Something is brewing methinks - why add a potential fourth option at second?  Could Mr Hendry have a deal in the works??  Seems like the future for Matt Murton in blue pinstripes is as uncertain as ever if he’s not called up under these circumstances.

Tonight at Wrigley will be a sort of homecoming for Dusty Baker.  I would anticipate a mixed-to-negative crowd reaction when he is announced just prior to the first pitch.

Despite how Dusty’s tenure as Cubs manager ended in 2006, let’s not forget the “In Dusty We Trusty” magic of 2003.  As David Kaplan pointed out on last night’s WGN Sports Central, Dusty really was the first modern day manager of the Cubs that came in with the clear expectation of winning. Don Baylor was much like his million predecessors as more simply minding the store, and not really expected to win - the culture on the Northside had been more hoping to win.

In my view, Dusty was not a very good in-game manager.  His strength was in getting the most out of his players but the X’s & O’s were mostly lost on him.  His player-centric management style sometimes works against him (ie his handling of LaTroy Hawkins & Neifi Perez) but let’s not overlook what he represents in the bigger Cubs picture - he brought the expectaion of winning to the Friendly Confines.  Now it’s up to Lou to get it done.

The Cubs are managing to win tight games, sometimes in creative ways.  And Lou simply outmanaged Phillies acting-manager, coach Jimy Williams (Phils skippper Charlie Manuel was tossed arguing a fair/foul home run call) by running up Felix Pie as a decoy pinch-hitter.  With the game on the line in the 8th, Piniella sent in struggling rookie Felix Pie to pinch bat (hard to call him a pinch-hitter) for catcher Henry Blanco.  This was a genius move to chase Tom Gordon and force the Phils to bring in another pitcher - JC Romero - to face Geovany Soto.  The move paid off big as Soto hit a check-swing single to tie the game.  Well done Lou, you out-classed ‘em today.

Off Monday then back to the Friendly Confines Tuesday.  …I wonder how Dusty Baker’s return to Wrigley will be…?