Cubby-Blue

Lou Piniella to retire. That's it?

If I were Lou Piniella and Jim Hendry, I would have felt pretty nervous when The Boss went on safari while the season went on toilet. 

Because when Tom Ricketts & Family came home, they were greeted with tons of empty seats at Wrigley Field and a city that was beginning to reflect the Cubs: lethargic. Not caring. 

But Tom didn't do anything, didn't even say much.

For sure Lou and Jim had the conversation I illustrated up there - didn't YOU think a bomb was gonna drop?

When I got the email alert that said "Cubs' Piniella to retire at end of season", I forwarded it to a couple people. Oif responded with this: "This is significant but I'm not sure why."

I laughed out loud.

It is an odd move, coming on the day when Tom backs Jim Hendry with this: "Jim is our general manager full stop and will be our general manager going into next year."

So Jim Hendry is hanging on, and Lou... I guess this is a graceful exit given to a pretty extraordinary baseball man by a rookie owner who still seems to be more about taking stock in, rather than taking action with, his new team. 

And really it's not a bad thing to do. 

No matter how everyone's been howling, including me, about getting rid of Lou - to me this seems better than dumping him and giving temporary reins to a bench coach simply because that move, if it was gonna do anything to actually wake up the team, should have happened a month and a half ago.

Jim Hendry staying is, well, it can't be about what's on the field, right? Gotta be more about the kids, the minor league system, the scouts and team behind the scenes he's assembled. I don't really know those guys by name, but I always hear it's way better than it was down there.

So let the speculation begin for the Next Guy.

And in the meantime, who freaking knows - some people have been saying this might actually make the team play better.

Giant 14-7 comeback win against the Astros last night, Aramis Ramirez with the hat trick and seven RBIs. I hope Dempster's okay. 7 runs (4 earned) in 5 innings? Not like him at all.

Today it's Terrible Ted, who we should all pay special attention to. Now that the Lou shoe dropped, we should expect the others to come tumbling. 

I've been thinking about Ted alot, and if he's gonna go (which I'm almost positive will happen despite the Positive Vibes I'm constantly sending to Ricketts and Hendry), well I hope he goes to the Yanks and gets a win in a World Series and a big shiny ring.

Oh, did I mention that I hate the Astros?

Cubs 5 Astros 11. Is there pharmaceutical help?

Why is it that most of the posts this year have something to do with feeling ill?

Oh wait - this is a Cubs blog?

Right...

Take the top of the 1st last night.

Michael Bourn single. Rolaids! Angel Sanchez single. Pepto Bismol! Berkman walks. Tums! Pence knocks in 2 runs. Alka Seltzer! Carlos Lee knocks in 2 more. Advil! Keppinger single. Extra Strength Tylenol! Chris Johnson grounds into DP, but Carlos Lee scores. Ambulance!

You want me to go on? Because it just gets worse.

A five to eleven spanking by the worst hitting team in baseball (they're right up there with the Pirates), the Houston Astros.

Since this turned out to be about pills and the Cubs, I should have a legal disclaimer.

After watching this Cubs product, should you experience dizziness, a loss of hearing, blindness, difficulty breathing, stroke, or an erection lasting under 4 seconds please seek immediate medical attention. Women who are pregnant (or not) should refrain from watching this product.

 

Presenting the 2010 "I Hate The Astros" page

Before we get to the Astros, how's about puttin' our hands together for taking 3 of 4 from the Philadelpha Phillies! 

6 hits from the kids up top (Colvin with 3 leading off and Castro 3 hitting #2) along with their 3 runs. 

D. Lee, Alfonso Soriano, and Geo Soto with 3 RBIs apiece! If not for the hiccup in the 9th yesterday, the Cubs would have swept last year's NL champs 4 to nothin'!

So the Cubs are, on a scale of cold to hot, probably about oatmeal. But that's a WHOLE lot hotter than we could have imagined during the last half.

With an ASTOUNDING eleven runs including 6 off Roy Halladay, the Phils could manage only 6 off Tom Gorzelanny and co.

Over the series, it was The Cubs 28, Phils 19.

Nice.

And now, I am so happy to announce that the Houston Astros will be playing at Wrigley Field this evening.

In this season of I-just-can't-seem-to-get-happy, NOTHING would make me happier than seeing the Cubs get up to Higher Heat during the next couple nights.

GO CUBS!

Please read the words above out loud and pause at the end of each line (it rhymes, I swear), and should you leave a comment, begin with our traditional I HATE THE ASTROS...

 

Carlos Marmol's INSANE Slider

So if you were watching Game Day on MLB.com, you probably saw this.

Because I copied it right off the site.

And I am not kidding.

I couldn't believe it either.

Terrible Ted was a strike-out GOD with 10 of 'em over 7 innings. He also walked with the bases loaded. If he didn't have over 100 pitches in the bottom of the 7th, I'm sure Lou woulda left him in to hit instead of bringing in Kosuke who struck out with Castro on 3rd... but anyway... what an AWESOME VICTORY! 

And why do we love Ted so much?

How's about this quote (from here) when somebody asked him about the possibility of a trade:

"I'm not the guy with any answers," Lilly said while munching on a sandwich. "I'm the guy who needs to induce a ground ball to shortstop with a man on first. ... Then you can turn two, and then we can hear 'Go, Cubs, Go.'"

Dude is all biz.

Meanwhile, Aramis Ramirez is too hot to even get near. Another bomb, this one the winning run in the bottom of the 8th. He's got 5 over his last 8 games.

And so Ted gets lifted for Sean Marshall, who gets his 6th win pitching the 8th.

And then Marmol with the save.

He strikes out Jason Werth, Ryan Howard and Ben Fransisco on 14 pitches.

Those poor guys.

Probably 8 of 'em looked like the graphic above.

I am traveling and won't be back on for a couple days...GO CUBS!

 

The Cubs a year ago

Hi Guys. So it's SUPER BUSY and I don't have a new illustration for today.

But it was an awesome game last night if you got to watch (I didn't), and had I done an illustration it would have been something about Starlin Castro stealing home. Because stealing home is AWESOME even if actually it was kind of a busted suicide squeeze by Ryan Dempster.

The easy illustration would be about Bob Howry: the PERFECT guy to put in if you're a Phillie fan. Nothin' but bad heat over the meat of the plate. Seriously, how could you put him in and expect anything less than 4 runs in .2 of an inning against those bats?

But I digress - last night was a fabulous way to start half number two.

Cubs 12 Phils 6.

Ramirez indeed seems to be awakening from the dead, in fact most of the bats were wide awake.

Now, onto premature but interesting manager talk.

Here's a thing about Ryno.

He's my favorite Cub of all time. I'd like to keep him that way, so I hope this doesn't happen. At least for now.

Next: here's an interesting Facebook thing regarding Joe Girardi.

I find this idea incredible, Joe Girardi coming to Chicago. But Joe LOVES this city, his contract is up in NY, he's got 4 WS rings, and he's just the guy to be up for this seemingly impossible task. Yeah, the Ryno thing would be fairy-tale stuff, but the Joe thing would too. Plus, he's seriously got the greatest baseball face you'll ever see.

Finally, there's the guy I thought was the most realistic, Bob Brenly, but of course I can't find any "Bob Brenly for Cubs Manager" stuff anywhere.

Remember what he said last year about Milton Bradley? That's what a manager ought to sound like when there's a problem like Bradley. I have no doubts that he would be happier saying this kind of stuff to someone's face behind closed doors. I would SO welcome him.

And lastly lastly, here's what we were reading about a year ago: Ted Lilly's 100th Victory.

Wow.

Can you think of a better Cub this year?

Clutch, go-to, backbone, cojones, bamf, all around stud pup.

Ted Lilly.

What a performance yesterday for his 100th win.

4 hits over 8 innings of absolute St. Louis Cardinal shut-down.

Gotta admit, Marmol made me wig out, but we don't really need to talk about that...

Ryan Theriot looked like freaking Derek Jeter at short last night.

The double play the umps didn't screw up?

Did you see the flip?

Scooping and running past the bag into center?

And whoever that Baker guy is... my god.

I still don't know where he came from and I'm just gonna stay away from Google.

Far as I'm concerned he's just "Baker" and his stats start right now.

So he's hitting whatever 2 out of 3 is.

D Lee left with a neck strain, which he's used to I guess and he says it's not that bad.

And that's good because he's been the only offense you believe in.

Anyway, this is what happens when you get some hits, some sparkling D, and tough pitching:

Cubs 5 Cards 2.