Cubby-Blue

Chase Utley: Bad Time To Get The Yips

Mortifying.

You could see the yip just after he let go with the throw, that little bit of body english, the slight change in facial expression, the shrinking of the testicles. Chase Utley's throw is so far off the bag it's uncatchable for Ryan Howard. It flies by him while former Cub Juan Pierre scores all the way from second. 

Utley has had two throwing errors in two days. Yesterday's happened in the evil eighth, when the Phillies went from the one run lead to gagging up two Dodger runs and eventually, the 2-1 loss.

An error can happen to anybody - it's part of the game even for an All-Star. But Utley only had 4 errors all season long. And when 2 happen in 2 games games in a row, well... is it a trend? Is the pressure getting to him? Could he have a case of... the yips? 

He can say anything he wants to ("I had plenty of time to turn it, I just didn't make the throw."), but now it's in the headlines, and certainly in his head. Like a wiggly earwig that talks when he's about to throw: "Okay you OH GOD got plenty of MOTHER OF MERCIFUL BASEBALL GOD just YIP throw it CAREFUL like YIP YIP you have a YIP million YIP times YIP YIP! YIP!YIP!YIP!YIP!"

Well, I'll be watching the next time a grounder comes his way.

Because if he gets 3 in 3 games well, he'll be starring in his own Alfred Hitchcock movie, looking alot like Jimmy Stewart falling...falling.

The ALCS game was, I guess, all CC Sabathia and the Yanks win pretty easily 4-1 - I didn't see.

But now we're all gonna be treated to our favorite October baseball event: the rainout.

There's some monster system all over the east, it's supposed to be in the low 40s and raining til about Tuesday.

Tonight might be a good night to go see "Zombieland", which is so much fun I might go see it again.

Joe Torre. Damned if you do...

Man, these manager decisions - they blow up if you do, they blow up if you don't.

Joe Torre decided to leave Clayton Kershaw in the game after he, well, he did alot of bad stuff in that 5th inning. Before he was done Young Clayton had walked 3 batters and threw 3 wild pitches and gave up 5 runs.

He faced 8 guys total, and maybe somewhere in there you might argue that Joe Torre shoulda given him the hook, but he didn't. Because he believes in the kid.

Not the exact situation, but I immediately thought of Lou in 2007 when he yanked Big Z and put in Marmol. A big time manager decision in the heat of battle that, had the Cubs won and Big Z starts game 4 rather than Jason Marquis, everybody woulda been pretty happy.

Didn't work out, Lou gets crucified in the press, which adds another layer of panic and dread, which I'm happy to say is happening right now in Los Angeles.

Bill Plaschke is a super talented sports writer - whenever I'm out there I always read that guy - but while he's certainly doing his job this is just the kind of thing that widens cracks. And if you're like me and are kinda holding a grudge against the Dodgers for so handily bitch slapping the Cubs out of the playoffs last year, you should be happy too.

Phillies 8 Dodgers 6. 

Manny with a dinger but also leaving a number of guys on base. 

Meanwhile in Chicago, there's talk of getting a "name" hitting coach.

I gotta tell you, at this last Cub convention I got to see the funniest and most honest exchange between an angry fan and hitting coach Gerald Perry. This isn't exact, but essentially:

FAN: Why don't you tell Soriano to lay off those pitches that are 50 feet outside.

PERRY: YOU tell him.

EVERYONE: (LAUGHS)

Old Favorite

This is from 2006.

"Cubvoyant".

Everybody has predictions.

I predict the Cubs sale will be final this month, the Angels beat the Yanks and go on to beat the Phils in the WS. I predict I will do a post that fakes some rumors about how badly other teams want Milton Bradley, hoping with tongue in cheek that other GMs will pick up on it and try to get on the bandwagon. I also predict that I'm gonna stay in bed til I'm done with this cold thing.

In the meantime, anybody got any predictions?

Chicago Blackhawks Biggest Comeback Ever.

Think that built a little confidence?

The Chicago Blackhawks, after going down zero to five vs the Calgary Flames in the first period, scored the next six goals for their biggest win of the early season. The biggest comeback ever for the Hawks, which is saying something since they've been around since the NHL became the NHL.

This game...say it's really late in the season and the Hawks are down by 3 in the 3rd vs. Detroit. On the bench Toews or somebody says simply, "Remember Calgary" or "Remember October 12th" or "Remember that one time at home when we came back from 5 down and won in overtime when Seabrook scored that last goal against the Flames?" (He'll have to think up something cool.) But it's a mental weapon they can keep in the back of their minds - anything is truly possible, they can win under the worst circumstances. 

I'm sick. 

Like a dog sick.

I fell asleep on the couch drinking hot tea with lemon and a gob of honey watching the Rockies vs. Phillies game (Phils win when Rocky all season long dependable studly closer Huston Street melts down and gives up 3 runs after there were 2 outs in the top of the 9th and the Rockies had the game in the bag).

Then I woke up and thought football was on, so I flipped through and accidentally found a Hawks game when it was still 4-5 Flames.

Got to watch the end of it.

Sure it's only one game, but damn. 

In other news, the Cubs file for bankruptcy! Hooray!

Okay, goin to the doc's.

Matt Holliday, Bill Buckner, and Steve Bartman star in "Droppin' The Ball".

Well...again, kinda mean. But right or wrong these guys'll be linked by post season blunder. Playoff disaster. High pressure fumbling. 

Maybe if they had a pr department and some Hollywood agents, they could have fun with it. Create a tv show called "Droppin' The Ball" with writing about the scale of "Two And A Half Men". And throughout, they just...drop stuff.

Matt: What happened to Rhonda?

Bill: Your girlfriend?

Steve: Don't you remember - you dropped her!

(LAUGHTER)

Matt picks up his cell phone, drops it. Looks to audience.

(LAUGHTER)

He dials.

Matt: Rhonda? Hey it's Matt. Listen about the other night I...Rhonda? RHONDA?

Steve: She hang up?

Matt: Nah, AT&T. Dropped the call.

(LAUGHTER)

Enter the dog, LEON.

Leon: WOOF!

Bill: Leon! Leon catch!

Bill picks up a rubber dog-bone, tosses it to Leon, but Leon misses and it goes between his legs.

Bill: Good boy!

(LAUGHTER)

You get the idea. Ron Santo can be the crotchety neighbor who lets out a yell every time something is dropped...Brant Brown can be the milkman with the signature "No use crying over spilled milk!" line. Plus there could be a parade of minor characters coming through, depending on who "dropped the ball" that week. This week could guest star the ump that missed the fair ball call in the Yankee/Twins game, or even David Letterman.