Cubby-Blue

D. Lee TV. 11 games left.

He's finishing up 2009 like a mad man.

I don't think later I'm gonna spend too much time sifting through the embers of 2009, but Derrek's season will definitely be something to savor.

His consistency, reflected in his personal best (so far) 109 RBI's, never wavered.

All season long.

Even with the diseased clubhouse - how do you keep your focus?

Last night he hit his 39th homer, and it went out by a couple feet over the right field wall.

So much about him can be defined in that hit - he's hit some monsters, but I always think of him as a super-intelligent batter, going with the pitch and (as he's always said) not trying to hit it out, just make good contact.

Sometimes they go out.

So...better luck? The wrist absolutely, 100% healed? Wheaties for breakfast?

I don't know, but I'm gonna watch the rest of this season to see that swing.

How about that Tyler Colvin catch?

Ho hum, I'm just a kid up here for the first time and well, take THAT Ryan Braun.

Like it was nothin'.

I feel for Reed and Sam, since Tyler's probably gonna get most of center field for the rest of the year.

But any talk about Tyler being the starting center fielder next year?

Lotta weird stuff's gotta happen before I can think like that.

Randy Wells got his 11th win in his rookie year.

The Cardinals' magic number is 2, and the Cubs remain 7.5 games out of the wild card.

But again, 11 more games to watch D. Lee.

Cubs Open Up About Bradley

Can you imagine holding that in all season long?

I mean, you figured the clubhouse was pretty much lacking in chemistry with the bad chemicals in there.

But I was astounded at how everybody just kinda spoke their mind when they finally had the chance to talk about Milton Bradley.

Here was what Dempster had to say (from Cubs.com):

"It became one of those things where you see him putting the blame on everybody else, and sometimes you have to look in the mirror and realize that maybe the biggest part of the problem is yourself and wanting to be there and wanting to play every day and wanting to have some fun. It didn't seem like he wanted to have very much fun, even from Spring Training."

Derrek Lee:

"He's a quiet guy, I think he likes his privacy. ... I think a lot of frustration built up in him and he didn't let it out the right way."

And when Aramis Ramirez was asked if he thought Bradley would come back next year, he said, "I don't think so."

(That's my fav, by the way).

Imagine how good that must have felt to get off their collective Cub chests?

Like going to a shrink or something...

Why, they felt so good they went out and pounded the Brewers ten to two.

Derrek Lee felt so good he drove in 4 runs and tied his all-time career RBI record at one zero seven.

Tyler Colvin felt so good he decided to join the big club and get his first major league hit, rbi, and walk.

Lou Piniella felt so good he offered Tom Gorzelanny a job next year.

Richard Daley felt so good he said, "Well, that makes our chances of getting the Olympics in Chicago go waaaay up!"

My cat felt so good she offered up a truce with the dogs.

And I felt so good I walked over to Dairy Queen for a chocolate malt with double malt.

I still feel good.

How about you?

Milton Bradley Suspended: An Illustrated Retrospective

It started with the "stealth" dinner Milton had with Jim Hendry. Where he said something like, "I really want to be a Cub, if you'll have me."

Then, less than two weeks into the season, he had that argument with the ump.

In less than 2 weeks he'd already gotten suspended.

He proceeded to have an April that was so unbelievably bad, I had to do this one:

Then, he got called on the carpet by Lou for destroying stuff in the dugout. 

I think Lou was sick of everybody smashing things - the Gatorade dispenser and all that.

And it seemed like Milton struck out literally all the time.

Thus, the bad reaction literally all the time.

Carlos, he was only doing it every 5 games.

Anyway, Lou told Milton to take off his jersey and go home.

Nobody tried to answer this.

To me, the play that defined Milton's stay here in Chicago was the one where he tossed the ball into the bleachers with only 2 outs.

I made the comparison to "Merkle's Boner", just because it's fun to write "boner".

Everybody makes mistakes.

But along with that explanation, Milton added this gem, "...So sue me."

At that moment, I decided that not only was he just not very good, but he was also a dick.

It was barely halfway through June.

And this just a couple days ago, when he seemed to be answering everything with "What else you got?"

So, the news is Milton Bradley has been suspended for the rest of the season.

For saying bad stuff about you, me, the organization, and everybody except himself.

You wish it could have happened earlier.

Jim Hendry also said something like he didn't think this situation could be fixed, and my hope is he means for all time.

Not just this season.

Because never.

Have I ever.

Seen such a clueless, arrogant asshole play for the Chicago Cubs.

LaTroy Hawkins is a mere Bush Leaguer when it comes to this kind of assholiness.

Now, I'm not done with Milton.

He's gonna get one last very special illustration, probably when there's nothing to talk about in January.

Go to Cubs.com to read the player's reactions.

Lastly, in their first game without Milton, the Cubs collective karma went up so many notches that when the Cardinals were about to win the game last night, Matt Holliday went and ran outside the basepath to break up a Theriot throw and the ump called it: automatic double play.

And then Jake Fox hit a 2 run tie-breaking homer in the 11th.

Pretty happy about that.

Cubs 2 Cards1. DeRosa with the winning run.

DId you see the grin?

He was all business coming down the 3rd base line, but after he crossed the plate?

Then he broke out into that Mark DeRosa grin and whipped off his helmet to join in the mad Cardinal celebration on the field, and...

Man.

I know we're all sick of talking about the DeRosa trade, how he ended up a Cardinal and all that, but every time I see the guy now I get TeeO'd all over again.

It was a very good game.

Mark Grace was one of the announcers, and whoever the other guy was just kept congratulating himself on figuring out that a Dempster/Carpenter game might be a pitcher's duel...

And it really was.

They were both brilliant, but Demp more so because the Cardinal line-up is so much better.

Bobby Scales.

Loyal minor leaguer playing out of position against the Cardinals in September.

Maybe too much adrenaline?

He totally had that ball.

I'm ill for him, since he kinda helped it go out for the homer.

The Cubs tied it up in the 9th with an awesome little rally off Card's closer Ryan Franklin (didn't that end in a double play?).

And then Carlos Marmol - I thought he looked pretty good, but he couldn't get those 3rd stikes.

DeRo gets on trying to bunt Ludwig to 2nd, but Ludwig's out.

Molina hit and runs DeRo to 3rd.

Brendan Ryan is absolutely at a loss up against Marmol - those first two fastballs over the inside of the plate?

NObody could hit that.

But the next pitch wanders over the middle, Ryan hits the grounder to left, and that's when DeRo got to go cross the plate.

The Cubs played hard - nobody was slacking (at least those on the field), and it really was a good afternoon of baseball watching.

Today I'm gonna watch the Bears and hope that that guy playing qb last week has settled down a little, then make spaghetti and watch the last one of these Cubs/Cards games.

It's the other Cardinal Cy Young candidate, Adam Wainwright (18-8), vs. Confusing Carlos, which reminds me that the spaghetti will require a glass or so of a nice red.

I'm gonna leave you with this thought:

Like Greg Maddux.

Like Mark Grace.

I'm gonna be pulling for a good-guy ex-Cub to walk away from '09 with a fancy new ring.

He's also a Cardinal.

Chicago Cubs Baseball On Demand

Well?

Where the hell is it?

I DEMAND Chicago Cubs Baseball!

Remember the last couple years?

That team I came to think of as the Cubs?

The one that actually put fear in the minds of opposing teams?

Where did those guys go?

If you drive in on the Kennedy and get off on Ohio, you too have been able to enjoy this Comcast billboard all summer.

I've been meaning to do a drawing like this all summer, too.

Because all summer I haven't seen the Chicago Cubs.

It was actually a pretty good game last night, but I literally screamed and turned it off when Lou pulled a battling Ted Lilly to put in Kevin Gregg to face Albert Pujols.

Now, I know Ted threw a bunch of pitches his last start, and he obviously put up a semi-lengthy argument with Lou to stay in, but...

How could I watch?

Or I should say, I've seen that movie with Gregg.

It ends badly.

So I went to bed.

Prayed for a gift in this morning's sports section.

I guess I coulda kept watching, because it was the bottom of the 9th when, facing Aaron Heilman, Matt Holliday hit one out for the walk off win.

For the Cardinals.

Smoltz had given up 3 back to back doubles in the first.

He looked very hittable.

Then, he got better.

Today at 3 it's Ryan Dempster against Chris Carpenter, who got dinged up pretty bad his last start.

He went 6 innings and gave up 9 hits and 7 runs.

You know everybody in St. Louis is holding their breath, praying something isn't breaking down with him at the worst time.

So...gotta turn the tv back on at 3 today, I guess.

On demand.