Cubby-Blue

I Got a Text Message: "Holy Sh#t! Cubs Now Lead 10-9!"

I was checking on the phone - texting Google - and it was 0-4 Rockies in the first.
Then 1-9 in the 5th.
I didn't even know who was pitching - we're shooting in NY with Joe Pytka so, you know, it's not a time to jack around.
Figured I wasn't missing much.
Some time in the afternoon Linton sends me a message that reads "this cubs game is INSANE".
Now, what could that mean?
Then, I get the above text from Olson.
The next one reads, "Marmol just struck out the side on 10 pitches. Wow."
Olson again.
And finally I get about 10 texts all telling me the Cubs win 10-9 along with a totally bummed phone call from Mark Carlson saying he had a bleacher ticket in his pocket but couldn't go (ouch).
But he told me Jim Edmonds, Kosuke Fukudome, Henry Blanco, and Mark DeRosa all hit homers in this wacky comeback.
So first, you're shooting with Pytka and then this win - I'm still in the BEST mood ever.
Incredible.

Side note.
If you're in advertising and you have the good fortune to be able to do a project with Joe Pytka, you know...you're in for an amazing experience. Guy's like a national treasure, he's done more famous fabulous stuff longer and better than anybody.
I just feel pretty lucky.

Okay, now how about back to back sweeps!

Soriano being Soriano

Some pretty interesting and passionate and smart conversation happening in here over the last couple days.
I'm gonna copy the comments and just put them up in this post below, but the gist of it is best exemplified by what happened with Soriano the last week: he "loses the ball in the sun" on a fly ball vs. the Pirates and the Cubs lose one day, and the next he's knocking in the winning run in extra innings vs. the Dodgers.
Should we just take the good with the bad (loosely like how they do it in Boston with Manny Ramirez) and call those two extremes "That's just Soriano being Soriano"?

Bud wrote:
I love his bat, but you can’t win a championship with a liability at ANY position, including left field. He’d better forget about the leg (or go on the DL if he’s still injured). Meanwhile, he should be taking lots of extra outfield practice, every day. Pinella says: “nobody knows how hard he works”. Lou’s right…I don’t know how hard he works. The only evidence I have is his performance out there in left field. And it’s not indicative of enough hard work so far.

Christopher wrote:
I share your frustrations about Soriano.
But I have to dispute the following comment: "but you can’t win a championship with a liability at ANY position, including left field."
Now, I'm sure you've heard of Manny Ramirez, right? He of the 2004 and 2007 World Champion Red Sox? Well, we can all learn something here. I think what Cub fans need to do is what Red Sox fans eventually did. Red Sox Nation adopted the phrase, "That's just Manny being Manny." Pure genius. These fans found a brilliant way to come to grips with a phenomenon, or in this case a player, that made them want to go berserk, but that they knew they didn't really want to make go away. "That's just Manny being Manny". What it means is - everything that I am seeing this guy do is logically inconsistent with every single one of my baseball and sporting sensibilities, but I know he won't change. And I also know that given truth serum, I would have to admit that I am damn glad he's on my team. So now I'm going to square all of this up in one tidy little sentence... "That's just Manny being Manny".

Which leads us to... "That's just Alfonso being Alfonso." Try it. It's not that hard. Just say it once. If you adopt it, then you're free to roll with the hot streaks, and throw your hands up in the air over the rest, knowing that in some maddening way it will all add up to more wins than losses.

"That's just 'Fonso being 'Fonso". Nice. I like saying it. It liberates me of the need to remain logically consistent with my baseball sensibilities. A hop before catching a fly ball?... "just Fonso being Fonso." Did he injure himself on that little bunnyhop? Oh well, he'll be back in a couple of weeks, in time to win player of the week and lead a nice little win streak. It's okay.

And by the way... I look forward to having him in the lineup in October.

DB wrote:
Um, sorta OT, but WTH - did you read the Mariotti article today? Now we can't freaking yell at poor wittle Soriano? "SRSLY" as they say on the internets?
Mariotti article here.
I can't help it, I'm pimpin my own thoughts on that one.

Finally, I asked Red Sox expert/fan Texas Gal over at the excellent Out In Center Field to tell us the story behind the "Manny being Manny" thing because I just don't know.
Here's what she said (I edited some):

"The "Manny being Manny" thing has a long and complex history. It was something that took years to attach - his managers and media in Cleveland used to say something similar when he played for the Indians. It wasn't until 2004 or 2005 when the phrase started to be used in earnest by sports fans. It's not because he's a crappy fielder, though. To be sure, Manny won't earn a gold glove. But it's more to describe his wacky, off-the-wall behavior, not to excuse him when he drops a ball or makes a bad throw.
Like when he disappears into the Green Monster during an on-the-mound conference. Or selling a bbq grill on Ebay. Or cutting off a relay throw from Johnny Damon (remember that?) in CF. Or assuming long balls are homeruns (when they're not), and assuming short balls are out (when they're not). Or making snow angels in the grass after a diving catch. Or high-fiving fans over the outfield wall after a catch.
But he's a phenomenally, other-worldly, savant of a hitter... so I think that carries over into him getting a special treatment.
I think it (Manny being Manny) erroneously used to be used by fans who didn't know any better, and assumed Manny's quirks were the result of a lackadaisical attitude, that he wasn't working hard. Which, obviously, couldn't be further from the truth - because he busts his ass to be the hitter he is, and busts his ass on the field as well. It's just that he's wacky. He's a weirdo in such a way that everyone, including his teammates and coaches, can't help but adore him. Occasionally, that wackiness means he has brain farts in the field and does unexpected things (e.g. cutting off a throw)-- but the phrase isn't really meant to describe poor defensive skills or bad fielding per se."

So, "Manny being Manny" sounds more like a quirky personality thing rather than a quirky performance thing to me, or at least weighted that way.
And while I want to make the thing go away (in my head, at least) with something as simple as "oh that's just Alfonso being Alfonso", it's not that easy.

What do you think?

I think the Cubs swept the Dodgers and got back to hot again.
I wish Carlos hadn't thown 130 pitches.
And I'm glad Fontenot came thru along with Soriano to win the extra inning game yesterday.

Mark Sweeney - What a Life

Mark Sweeney.
I probably never would have paid attention to him much except his brother Brian worked at our agency for a while.
Good guy, think he’s in Boston now.
But Mark is THE professional left handed bat off the bench.
Since ’95, he’s played for the Cards, Padres, Reds, Rockies, Giants and now Dodgers.
And all he’s ever done is hit – he’s second on the all-time list for pinch hits.
I know he’s hit at least one out at Wrigley, and that’s pretty much enough to retire on – an unimaginably cool thing to tell your grandkids.
He’s played with Barry Bonds, Rickey Henderson, Ozzy Smith, Dennis Eckersley, Trevor Hoffman, Tony Gwynn, Willie McGee, Todd Helton, Barry Larkin, Matt Holliday, Jeff Kent and of course Turk Wendell who used to brush his teeth between innings.
How cool is that?
Guy should write a book.
But he didn’t connect when he pinch hit yesterday, and the Cubs beat the Dodgers 3-1.
Sean Gallagher must have looked pretty good with the 7 innings, 4 hits and 1 run allowed.
I didn’t see it.
Working.
Okay, Carlos vs. Derek Lowe tonight, and then the 20-32 Colorado Rockies come to town.

Premature Jack-Elation

I noticed this at Wrigley one time when I stood up and screamed for a long Aramis Ramirez fly ball.
And don't tell me it hasn't happened to you.

Say some Cub is up, he makes good contact, the ball sails up into the blue and you...can't...help it...
You jump up.
You hold that "I'm about to clap" pose for a second, mouth hanging open.
Is it gone?
You think it's GONE.
You look at the outfielder and he's still running back.
You want to be part of what's about to happen, the magical home run.
So you let it out - that special-ecstasy home run noise you make.
aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH
The ball reaches it's apex and...falls limply into the left fielder's glove.
It didn't even reach the warning track, did it?
What you've just experienced is called "Premature Jack-Elation".

I don't know why this is embarrassing, but it is.
It's like when you hail a cab, but there's somebody in there, and then for some reason you scratch your head like you were never hailing anything in the first place?
Only there's no scratching your head here, my friend.
Because now you have to sit back down and not make eye contact with anyone for a minute, maybe find something interesting floating on the surface of your beer.
The people around you - the ones with...better control - they stood up maybe, but they didn't go full monty with the moan and everything.
They didn't get naked like you just did.

One more thing.
Premature Jack-Elation isn't relegated to just fans.
If you're a professional baseball player, and you hit a long fly ball but instead of running you stand there and admire it?
(We know a couple of these, don't we?)
And if that ball clangs off the wall and you only get a single out of it why, that's the worst kind of Premature Jack-Elation imaginable.

Oh yeah, there was a game today wasn't there?
Back on the winning track with some clutch plays, pitching (or "shoveling", Mr. Dempster), and I LOVED the insurance homer, Aramis.
Cubs 3 Dodgers 1.
Home sweet home.
Keep it going, Sean Gallagher.

ps: Flynn, I found this photo of you with the EXACT expression I was looking for - you were riding my son's skateboard, about to kill yourself.
So you were the model here, bro.
Not that you're a Premature Jack-Elator or anything.

The Baseball Yin and Yang of Alfonso Soriano

Well, guess what?
We all knew this.
It's just...shocking when you see it.
Being polite here: Alfonso Soriano is not a great fielder.
I might be less calm if I had actually seen the play, but father and son had interrupted Cub Action and were busy bonding over a little HALO, so the tv had been taken over by aliens and guns and...you can totally lose track of time when you play this stuff...
Anyway, had the radio on and suddenly heard that we were in extra innings, and Ron and Pat referred to a ball "lost in the sun" by Alfonso.
That allowed the tying run to score.
With 2 outs.
In the bottom of the 9th.
Disaster.
Jason Bay, for the 2nd day in a row, gets the extra inning hit that kills the Cubs who lose 6-5.

So, what can you do?
He's an odd guy, Soriano.
Probably would be the most feared designated hitter in the AL, but that ain't gonna happen.
He's a (very expensive) Cub, and he plays left field.
I am trying to manage my expectations about the guy - he's gonna make costly errors.
And he'll do fabulous things with the bat.
His baseball Yin will never balance with his baseball Yang.
And...that's it.

I fully expect some comments to come filled with dread...