Archive for August, 2010

5 reasons to go to a Cubs game this year

Ok, so this season is a wash from a baseball perspective. But there is still something to be said about the experience of going to a Cubs game at historic Wrigley Field. Here are five reasons to head on out to the ballgame, despite the awful record of the 2010 Chicago Cubs: There is no [...]

August 29, 2010  Tags: , , , , , ,   Posted in: Wrigley Field, awards, game day, tradition  2 Comments

Andre Dawson day at Wrigley Field

The Chicago Cubs will honor the latest inductee to the Baseball Hall of Fame, former Cub Andre Dawson before Monday’s (8/30/2010) game against the Pirates. Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley will declare Monday “Andre Dawson Day” in the city, despite his status of being a devoted Sox fan. The Cubs will present a ‘gift’ the [...]

August 26, 2010  Tags: , , , , ,   Posted in: Chicago, Wrigley Field, announcement, awards, game day, news, oldschool, players  One Comment

Bob Dernier finds his way back to the Cubs

When Dallas Green came to the Cubs from the Phillies organization, he systematically plucked ‘his guys’ from the Phillie system to stock the Cubs for a playoff run. Within a year or two, the Cubs acquired Larry Bowa, Gary Matthews, Keith Moreland, Dickie Noles, Warren Brusstar, a young third baseman named Ryne Sandberg, and outfielder Bobby [...]

August 24, 2010  Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,   Posted in: Jim Hendry, awards, biz of baseball, coaching, manager, observations, photo of the day  No Comments

Mike Quade gets an audition

With Lou stepping aside early, this allows the organization to get on with player evaluation and for coach Mike Quade, an opportunity to audition for the Cubs managerial position in 2011 and beyond. When I first hear Tribune beat writer Paul Sullivan say Quade is a leading candidate for the job, I started talking to myself, alone [...]

August 23, 2010  Tags: , , ,   Posted in: Jim Hendry, biz of baseball, coaching, manager, observations  No Comments

Lou Piniella rides off into the sunset

Lou Piniella has called it a career. He came to Chicago saying this would be his final managerial job and yesterday morning it was announced he would retire following what would be a 16-5 drubbing by the Atlanta Braves, the exact same outcome from Cubs vs Braves on opening day this year. Ironic how that [...]

August 23, 2010  Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,   Posted in: Jim Hendry, Lou Piniella, announcement, biz of baseball, coaching, manager, news, photo of the day  No Comments

Derrek Lee will be missed, but it was time

The Cubs having traded fan favorite  Derrek Lee to the Atlanta Braves, it was strange to see him playing first base and batting cleanup for the visiting team on Friday at Wrigley Field. In his first at bat, Lee stepped to the plate to a rousing standing ovation, tipped his helmet to the crowd and [...]

August 21, 2010  Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,   Posted in: Jim Hendry, biz of baseball, fielding, photo of the day, players, roster, stats  2 Comments

John Dewan’s Stat of the Week™

Losing the Golden Touch A lot has been made recently about Torii Hunter – a nine-time Gold Glove centerfielder – moving to a corner spot to make room for the speedy rookie Peter Bourjos. A look at our data supports this move. Hunter was the best center fielder in baseball in 2003 and 2004, the [...]

August 13, 2010  Tags: , ,   Posted in: John Dewan, Stat of the Week, awards, fielding, stats  No Comments

John Dewan’s Stat of the Week™

Cahill, Latos and Floyd, Oh My A hot start can make a big difference in how players are perceived for the rest of the season. However, many times these same stretches occur in the middle of the season and may go unnoticed. A miniscule season ERA or a batting average above .400 for a couple [...]

August 5, 2010  Tags:   Posted in: Fantasy Baseball, John Dewan, Stat of the Week, stats  No Comments