Clark & Addison Blog - CubHub.net

For a team who owns the best home record (37-12) in baseball, the All Star loss for the NL last night could come back to haunt them in October. The AL’s victory gives the American League team home field advantge in the World Series this year, which the Cubs hope/expect to be a participant in. So last night’s NL loss could be significant for this Chicago Cubs team down the road this season.

Cubs players represented very will on the mound, but not so much at the plate:

• Cubs pitchers: 4 shutout innings, 1 hit, 1 pick-off and 6 strikeouts. 
• Cubs batters went 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts plus a walk.

I think Clint Hurdle did a pretty decent job managing the game and the roster for the Nationals.  However, I don’t know how you let the cleanup hitter (Aramis Ramirez) on the National League’s most prolific offense (based on RBI, slugging, batting average, on-base pct, and runs scored) come to bat just one time in a game where runs are hard to come by. I guess you had to pinch run for him given the tie score in the 9th, but working him into the game an inning or two earlier, perhaps with runners on base, might have been a good plan.

So it seems the Cubs could not help themselves in bringing home field advantage to the National League for the World Series. Maybe this will prove to be a moot point, but for now it stings just a bit.

Which All-Stars earned the trip to New York?

July 10, 2008

There’s an old saying in Chicago: Vote early, vote often. Well, that certainly seemed to be the case for Cubs fans this season, as seven representatives of the Cubs were selected to play in the All-Star Game. You get the feeling there may have been some ballot-stuffing going on…Which of course is within every fan’s right. (Boston fans, by the way, voted in five of their own, which is no small feat in the American League, competing against Yankee fans.) But how close did fans and players actually come to selecting the most-deserving all-stars based on Win Shares and OPS? Here are the starters selected for the All-Star Game, broken down by league, compared to leaders in Win Shares and OPS at their respective positions:

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

Since when did the Cubs move to Boston, NY or LA?  I thought only those cities could get as many as seven of their players to the All Star Game? 

Well, for better or worse, 7 Cubs are going.  I’ve blogged a few times (here and here) about how important it is for Cubs fans to field a team that can win the Mid-Summer Classic for the NL to have home field advantage in the World Series.  For Cub fans this year it may be especially important.  The 2008 Cubs seem to be the team of destiny (I hate that phrase) to represent the National League in the World Series. So if that’s the case, and given how dominant the Cubs are this year at home, the NL must win the All Star Game to give the Cubs that much more of an edge in case they make it.

So now we have 7 Cubs in Soriano, Fukudome and Soto elected by the fans, and Zambrano, Wood, Ramirez and Dempster selected by the All Star Game manager, Clint Hurdle.  Soriano is not likely to play due to injury. But the other six Cubs could be doing themselves a big favor by helping to win home field advantage.

Now as in past years MLB wants to give the fans one more shot at electing the final position player for each league.  You can do so here:

It’s Sunday morning. Grab yourself a nice cup of coffee and click here to vote for the best possible NL All Star lineup.  And do it 25 times (that’s legal). Just a few days left to vote so do not delay… As Cubs fans, we should all be very concerned about fielding the best possible NL team for the All Star game.  If the NL wins, that means home field advantage in the World Series! As Nike would say, Just Do It.

See also: http://blog.cubhub.net/2008/06/03/vote-with-your-head-not-with-your-heart/

With all this presidential election news whirling around, I am reminded of the significance of this years All Star Game. The Cubs are showing their desire to win the Central Division which could, in-turn, lead to <gasp> an NL Pennant and ultimately World Championship.  Ok, I’m extrapolating a lot here, but the point is this year’s All Star Game, more than any in memory, could actually affect the Cubs chances at making it to the Promised Land.

I invite all Cubs fans - no, I beg all Cubs fans - take the All Star Balloting process seriously like you never have before and elect those players who give the National League the best chance to win.  This could give the Cubs an October advantage with Home (Wrigley) Field!  Please: Vote with your head, not with your heart:  VOTE NOW

If you haven’t already or want to vote again, the All Star Game Voting has begun!  It should be a priority for all Cubs fans to vote for the very best lineup possible to assure the NL team wins to benefit the World Series schedule.  The Cubs presence in the World Series is of course not assured, but that’s the plan, right? 

So vote with your mind, not with your heart.  And as we say in Chicago: Vote Early and Often!