Clark & Addison Blog - CubHub.net

What’s the toughest save in baseball?

My partner at ACTA, Greg Pierce, and I were talking about relief pitchers. We wondered what would be the absolute toughest save situation a relief pitcher could encounter. We decided that it would be a save situation in the ninth inning or later where the pitcher enters with the bags loaded, nobody out, and a one-run lead.

Then we realized: That’s a Houdini. Mostly. A Houdini is the new stat that Bill James developed (www.BillJamesOnline.com) to count the number of times a pitcher got out of a bases-loaded, no-outs jam with no runs scoring. It’s a Houdini Save if it’s done in a save situation.

Then, the most extreme performance would be a Houdini Save with a 1-run lead in the last inning AND the pitcher entered the game at that point. Specifically, the runners were put on base by previous pitchers. We’ll call that an Extreme Houdini Save.

How many times has an Extreme Houdini Save happened in the last eight years?

Zero.

It used to happen occasionally, but now it seems to be a thing of the past. The last time a pitcher entered a game in the last inning with the bases loaded, no outs, and got the save was May 27, 2000. Kerry Ligtenberg entered the game in the ninth inning with the bags loaded and no outs, performed a Houdini, and saved the 6-5 victory for the Atlanta Braves.

Here are the eight Extreme Houdini Saves since 1974:

5/27/2000 Kerry Ligtenberg Braves over Astros, 6-5, 9th inning
4/17/2000 Todd Erdos Yankees over Rangers, 5-4, 11th inning
4/19/1998 Juan Acevedo Cardinals over Phillies, 3-2, 9th inning
7/08/1992 Alejandro Pena Braves over Mets, 2-1, 9th inning
8/03/1991 Larry Andersen Padres over Braves, 3-2, 9th inning
8/14/1983 Tom Stoddard Orioles over White Sox, 2-1, 9th inning
7/19/1979 Sid Monge Indians over Royals, 2-1, 9th inning
8/24/1975 Tom Murphy Brewers over A’s, 7-6, 9th inning

Used with permission from John Dewan’s Stat of the Week™, http://www.statoftheweek.com/.

Posted on the sidebar of the Clark & Addison Fan Blog are two new polls…

“Who is your 2008 MVC (most valuable Cub)?”

and

“Who scares you the most for the Cubs to face in the NL Playoffs?”

You can cast one vote per poll per day, so as your opinion changes you can update your response! 

Could the Cubs clinch the NL Central division at home? Given their current pace, we could be looking at when the Cardinals visit Wrigley Sept 19/20/21.  Have you experienced this glorious season in person yet?  If not, you have options…

Just 12 regular season home games remain for the 2008 Chicago Cubs season schedule. The next six games are at Wrigley, then a 12 day (10 game) road trip to play the Reds, Cards & Astros before the final regular season homestand begins. Tickets are hard to come by but Stub Hub still has plenty.

If you can’t make it to the game in person, check out this video of the final out of a Kerry Wood save followed by 40,000 fans singing “Go Cubs Go” at Wrigley Field in July.  You will feel like you were there!

This team holds its destiny in its own hands. They are taking care of business in a convincing fashion, going 19-6 so far in August. So much for the traditional wilting pattern of Cubs teams past.  This is not your father’s Chicago Cubs, my friend!

At this point in the season, things couldn’t be sweeter for birthday boy Sweet Lou.

 After notching their 6th win in a row last night with a come from behind 6-4 victory over a strong Philly team, capped off by MVP candidate Aramis “I Promise” Ramirez’ 8th inning grand salami birthday present to Lou, things couldn’t look any rosier for the Cubs. Right? Not so fast pal. Let’s not forget.

100 years is a long long time ago but what concerns me even more is what occurred only 7 short years ago when Sweet Lou laid a huge egg that still plays on my mind especially when I think about his Cubbies sporting the best record in all of the major leagues.

How can we forget that 2001 season when his Mariners lost to the Yankees 4-1 in the NLCS after compiling an incredible 116-46 .716 season record. Lou’s Mariners’ team was invincible but errrrrrrrrrrrr!!! thanks for playing. Lets all wish Sweet Lou a happy 65th Birthday but let’s hope he can remember how fast a good/strong/invincible team can get bumped off in the playoffs if they don’t bring their “A” game each and every pitch.

Submitted by: AJ

Note:  This is one of a series of “Guest Posts” submitted by fans of the Clark & Addison Cubs Fan Blog. If you are interested in authoring a Guest Post, please contact us with your idea!

Multiple sources are reporting Tribune chairman Sam Zell informed investors the Cubs will sell by the end of this year to one of five bidder groups. Zell said he expects “rapid” approval of Major League Baseball. Among the reported finalists are groups led by Mark Cuban, John Canning, and the Ricketts family.   

(Crain’s) — Tribune Co. plans to have a deal to sell the Chicago Cubs by yearend, CEO Sam Zell said Tuesday.

The company will choose from the current field of five bidders and present a sale plan to Major League Baseball that is “fully negotiated, fully financed and where the MLB’s decision would be hopefully very rapid,” Mr. Zell told bond investors on a conference call Tuesday.

Three-quarters of the nation’s baseball franchise owners must approve any Cubs buyer. MLB has offered to hold a special meeting, should one be necessary, to speed the approval process, Mr. Zell said.

In my view, no offer will be accepted until the baseball playoffs are over and the dust has settled a bit. If things go the way we all hope for the 2008 Cubs, the value of the franchise - both on paper and in sentimentality - will have increased dramatically by the end of this years World Series.

I don’t foresee a scenario where by the value of the asset will decrease if they fall short this year. It seems the only question is, how high will it go?

Aramis “I Promise” Ramirez is keeping his promise of late, slugging 3 x 3 home run blasts in the last two games. Suddenly talk radio has him slated as a NL MVP candidate. That may be a stretch but considering the Cubs’ success one would think the leagues’ MVP should come from this team, the best record in all of baseball. With all the contributions this team gets up and down the lineup and off the bench, choosing one player as MVP is a tough job. Those having impact years have to be the likes of Soto, Ramirez, Theriot, DeRosa, Soriano, Dempster, Wood, Marmol and Harden. (we can give Derrek Lee an honorable mention) I would vote for Soriano, evident by his numbers despite missing 49 games and how well the team plays when Fonzy is in the lineup.

Kosuke Fukudome may have had a chance if Lou would have talked to him two months ago when the “young man” was doing front foot pirouettes at the plate swinging at everything and anything that moved. If the MVP is a true measurement of the player who is considered the most valuable to his team, that honor would have to befall the likes of Mark DeRosa who by far has demonstrated his high value to the team and if you take a peek at his numbers, you will notice, that boy is having a career year at the plate.

Don’t count out Aramis just yet. If he continues his torrid pace into September, you never know what will happen. Looks like the Cy Young will most likely find itself going to a member of the D-Backs.

Submitted by: AJ

Note:  This is the first in a series of “Guest Posts” submitted by fans of the Clark & Addison Cubs Fan Blog. If you are interested in authoring a Guest Post, please contact us with your idea!