Cubby-Blue

Sean Marshall is really good.

Here's what it says in the box score:
Sean Marshall entered the game in the bottom of the 8th, and threw 0.2 of an inning. While he got a strikeout, he didn't give up a hit or a run, there was no earned run or walks, no homer.

But it's a better story than that.

There were runners on first and second with only one out because young Andrew Cashner, while striking out Logan Morrison, allowed Gaby Sanchez to hit a single and then walked Dan Uggla.

The Cubs were up by two on a night when Ryan Dempster had thrown 123 pitches through 7 innings to hold the Marlins to nothing. And if you're one of Ryan's team mates, you have to be aware that he's been pretty freaking masterful this entire season. But name it - a breakdown in the defense or the offense has let Ryan down so many times it's like a felony. And every time, Ryan sits in that room afterwards with all those reporters and explains that he gave up that one home run (or whatever), and it's okay. He'll take the blame. 

If you're one of Ryan's team mates, you'd probably want to win just a little bit more for the guy.

So Mike Quade calls in Sean Marshall.

When you see that shot of him running onto the field before they cut to a commercial, don't you feel an unusual sense of calm? 

Unlike almost every other Cub, Sean Marshall has earned our confidence. 

And he delivered.

Next comes Carlos Marmol, who kind of inspires the opposite feeling even though he's 5th in the NL with 31 saves (32 after last night).

And he walks the first two guys and maybe you should turn off the tv, but he gets a guy to fly to center. Then he gets a strikeout. And then the dinky pop up behind third that's falling fair and nobody's gonna get to it and suddenly there's a weird special effect that looks like Starlin Castro coming out of nowhere to divebomb the hit into the last spectacular out of the game.

Castro, he's exactly like Sundance.

  

Right in here, Strother Martin is hiring Butch and Sundance to be guards.

Look at the part where Sundance can't hit the coin until he moves, about 1:35 into the clip.

"I'm better when I move." he says.

That's our Starlin.

The Cubs are playing their most exciting ball of the season. 

If you're not watching, you're missing it.

 

PLEASE GO HERE TO SEE THE RULES FOR THE PAINTING GIVEAWAY COMPETITION, AND THEN ENTER!

The illustration of Marshall is also in the latest issue of VINELINE.

 

Cubby Blue competition with original painting as prize!

That's right, I'm giving away a Tim Souers original painting, probably worth a couple mil, as a prize for this competition.

It's a 16"x12" acrylic and ink on canvas with one of my favorite sarcastic subject matters: things I'd rather do than watch the Cubs.
inspired of course by 2010, but it's kind of a timeless theme with the Cubs, don't you think?

Here's a detail:

I'll post it on Oct 3rd, the day of the Cubs' last game.

All you have to do is guess who the next Cubs manager will be, and then come as close as possible to exactly what that man will say at the press conference when Jim Hendry puts the Cubs jersey on him and all the flashbulbs are going off.

For an example, I'll use Lou even though we know it won't be him. But note that "Hi Fellas" is something only he would use. So think specifically about who your choice is. What nuances they may have. The winner will be the one that's as CLOSE TO EXACT to what the new manager will say.

 

EXAMPLE:

Manager: Lou Piniella

Quote: "Hi Fellas. First I'd like to thank the organization for bringing me back and allowing me the chance to bring a championship to Chicago for the second time. Jim got a nice group of players together, and we're going to have fun. Thank you."

 

I'm certain that scene will be a video on Cubs.com, or at least the quote will, and I'll use that as the guide to compare your quote to. 

Please put all entries in comments, or if you still haven't figured out how to do that then email me and I'll put your manager pick and quote there.

If you can't make up your mind on who the manager will be, feel free to enter more than once, but each entry must be a separate comment.

I'm not sure how long comments stay "live" on my blog, so if you can't comment under this post just comment on any post between now and the 3rd.

If we have 2 or more entries that feel incredibly similar, I'll put it out as a vote from you on which is closer to The New Cub Manager's actual quote, meaning his content, phrasing, and length of the quote.

If the Cubs name someone that nobody guessed, then I'll put the names of everyone who entered into a hat and choose that way.

The deadline is Oct 3rd, 2010, or the day Hendry announces, whichever comes first.

I'll have to ask the winner, via email so we're all private, what address you want the painting shipped to once we're done. And I insist I get a photo of the winner holding the painting with a big smile on their face to put up on the blog.

Hell, seems like something to do while we wait out the end of 2010, right?

Thanks in advance for participating, and I was just kidding about a "couple mil".
Probably more like "seven zero figure" would be correct. 

One last thing: I've never done this before. If something I weird happens and makes the competition lame or unfair, I'll figure out something simpler. But the painting will be definitely be given away.

 

Quade runs circles around LaRussa as Cubs sweep Cards

Mike Quade just ran circles around Tony LaRussa.

Well, he did if you just watched the Cardinal's effort.

Even Pat Hughes last night said he'd never seen such a lethargic Cardinal team play the Cubs.

Not good for Tony LaRussa.

Pretty awesome for Mike Quade.

Yeah, of course it's meaningless and all that, but it's better than a poke in the eye...

The Cubs sweep the Cardinals in St. Louis for the first time since 1988? (Did I hear that right?) 
Young Tyler Colvin drives the stake in the heart with the 3 run homer (his 20th!) off of Cardinal Ace Chris Carpenter. 

Carlos Zambrano wins yet another game, and he's so excited he decides to talk about retiring! 

AWESOME CARLOS!

Can you please do that kind of reflection when you're home this winter so we'll all have something to talk about rather than how the Bears could possibly be 1 and 7?

And Mike Quade as the new Cubs manager.

He's seriously doing some kind of job, and surely his performance has to give Jim Hendry pause.

For sure Hendy's gonna travel around and do all the interviews, but... how to put this?

There's a weird phenomenon amongst fishermen.

When you're fishing you always take the boat to the other side of the lake because you're positive that's where that Big Bass is.

But sometimes, he's right off the pier.

Randy Wells obviously wants to remain a starter.

He's kinda been, I don't know, relegated to the back burner.
Sort of not reliable or consistent or whatever.
Recently I've read Randy Wells may go to the bullpen next year, and it seemed like the tone of whatever I read was like, ho hum, la dee da, Randy Wells is just an afterthought...

I think Randy mighta read that stuff too, because he played like a man who intends to keep that corner office in the Chicago Cubs pitching staff.

I didn't get out of my office til close to 8 or so, and when I turned on the radio Randy had just hit a single with guys on base and got his second RBI off of Adam Wainwright? Implying that he'd already gotten a hit that scored a run?

That's crazy talk.

I turned the dial around to make sure I wasn't on the Sox-loving Score listening to a Sox joke.

But no, the Cubs were beating the St. Louis Cardinals 4-zip in the 4th inning.

And then he proceeded to go 4 more innings giving up only one run on a hit by Matt Holliday and the Cubs beat the Cardinals in St. Louis 7-2. That would be 2 days in a row of the Cubs taking playoff heartbeats away from the Cards. 

And I feel awesome.

But not as awesome how THIS made me feel:

Last Friday I'm in the elevator with another guy leaving late. Other guy has a giant vase of flowers. I go to the Other Guy, "Those are really pretty." Other guy goes, "It's our anniversary." And I go, "HOLY MOTHER OF GOD IT'S OUR ANNIVERSARY THIS WEEKEND TOO!".

My wife tests me on Important Dates all year long, she never says anything and I'm supposed to remember, right? 

It's like a game of Chutes and Ladders, only I could actually die.

"So, honey, I was thinkin'... what do you wanna do Sunday night?"

She'd obviously had a hectic day too because she blows hair out of her eyes but keeps reading the paper and says, "Nothin'."

A trap.

"You don't want to even go to dinner or anything?" I ask.

"Nah." 

Hey wait a min...

I can barely contain my excitement as I nervously half-whisper, "Uhh, do you know what Sunday is?"

Finally she looks up and goes, "What?"

Oh man.

"IT'S OUR ANNIVERSARY! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! WHO'S THE MAN? WHO IS YOUR DEE AYY DEE DEE WHY? I cannot BELIEVE it isn't ME who forGOT! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"

I ripped my shirt off and did that thing soccer guys do when they score, falling on my knees and waving the shirt around.

No idea why a soccer thing, I guess I was pretty excited.

But anyway, I've shared the story around. Most guys say I've got a lifetime pass for Forgetting Important Dates, and I have to agree. 

And I am STILL in a good mood over that one.

Now, how about a Cardinal SWEEP for the cherry on top?

 

 

 

Cubs beat Cardinals, Tyler Colvin's funny bone takes a hit.

The noise.

That hideous crack of hardball on elbow bone.

Yadier Molina tried to convince the ump that the ball had actually hit Tyler Colvin's bat, that's how loud and gross that sound must have been.

I fell off the couch and rolled on the floor even before they showed a replay - I CANNOT IMAGINE A WORSE PLACE TO GET HIT BY A BASEBALL.

If you missed it, Card pitcher Jaime Garcia threw a pitch just under lefty Colvin's right elbow, and it sailed across the front of his chest and then SMACKED right into the inside of his left elbow. There's a knotty bone back there, and if you've ever hit it you know what I'm talking about.

Then, he stayed in the game.

Came out awhile later, but I'da called for an ambulance immediately.

Anyway, the Cubs got to Garcia early and while it wasn't a total cruise this was a pretty solid outing by jeff Samardjiza. I feel a little bit of optimism there.

Later in the game, youngster Andrew Cashner struck out Albert Pujols with a fabulous slider that had Albert completely bamboozled. I love that word, and more importantly I think the kid is learning...

So Cubs 5 Cards 1 in game 1.

Pretty awesome.

Only, I hope Colvin's arm is okay.

ps: I cannot remember or tell jokes. Never been able to. But when I was little, somebody told a joke with the punchline, "...and the polar bear says, "HEY, gimme back my fish!"
And I've used it my whole life.
Try it some time in a bar when people are telling jokes. Just blurt out that line and laugh like a hyena.

Okay maybe nobody ever laughs, but in my head it's funny as hell. 

 

Cubs vs Cardinals rivalry. I found some old photos.

I found some old photos in a box.

Crappy, from an old point and shoot in the pre-digital days.

I asked Oif if he thought that was crazy Mitch Williams on the mound, he said he thought it was Rod Beck.

Made me crazy. I simply had to find out.

I scanned 'em at high resolution and you know what? Fuzzy shots scanned at high resolution still look fuzzy.  
But #25? That's Mark McGwire.

And of course this one is of Sammy Sosa.

That narrowed it down alot.

Then, I blew a shot of the scoreboard waaay up, and you can see the starting pitchers both were number 30.

Again online, I deduced that that would be Geremi Gonzalez and Todd Stottlmyre, and these photos are from May 1, 1998, when Sammy and McGwire were in the process of that Great Home Run Race. Back when players doing evil black magic stuff in the locker rooms with needles.

But anyway, forget that stuff for a minute and look at this photo.

It's Wrigley Field back in a far more innocent time. Seats nowhere near filled, Torco sign, cigarette smoking Mark Grace at first, and that WAS Rod Beck throwing the ball for the Cubs. They won 6-5.

This was the year Harry Caray died - in fact just a couple months before these photos. On Opening Day my brother and I sat in the front windows at Bernie's (which was still a pleasant old man bar) thinking we'd watch it there. Then we took a chance and ran across the street just before the game and got tickets at the will call window for face right down the 3rd base line about 20 rows up and watched a thousand black balloons fly into the sky in honor of Harry and pretended we didn't notice each other wiping our eyes.

That was just 12 years ago, and the photos look like they're from another time completely.

Lineups:

Cubs
Brant Brown cf
Mickey Morandini 2b
Sammy Sosa rf
Mark Grace 1b
Henry Rodriguez lf
Jeff Blauser ss
Tyler Houston c
Kevin Orie 3rd
Geremi Gonzalez p

Cardinals
Royce Clayton ss
Delino DeShields 2b
Mark McGwire 1b
Ray Lankford cf
Willie McGee lf
Gary Gaitti 3b 
John Mabry rf
Eli Marrero c
Todd Stottlemyre p

You can go to Baseball Almanac to see the actual box score.

Anyway, I don't remember this at all, but I guess I got to see a McGwire homer, Grace and McGee double, about 20 guys steal on Tyler Houston, and Rod Beck get the 9th save of his 51-save season.

By the way if there is a heaven, I hope to have a couple beers with Rod at some point in the future.

And couple months after these photos were taken the Cards would dump Gary Gaetti, the Cubs would pick him up, and in a 2-month span he'd hit .320 and slug .594 with 8 homers and 27 RBIs.
I also liked Brant Brown. We all thought he was gonna be a star, but of course later this season he'd make his famous "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" (that's Santo, of course) Error.

The Cubs would win the wild card in a 1-game playoff vs. the Giants and go on to... get swept by the Braves in round one of the NLDS?

SWEPT?!

That's CRAZY!

Must be a common Cubs theme or something.

Anyway, hope you like the photos, and I hope the Cubs help the Cardinals continue their 2010 plummet.

Now, the Bears.

Of course I'm happy they won, and I guess they did. They beat the HELL out of the Lions with stats. 

You know that saying about a tie? That it's like kissing your sister?

That's exactly what I felt like at the end of the game.

So far, I think I understand that that rule is in it's second season, and with this play I hope it's the last.

If that happened to the Bears, you'd be really really pissed.

I'm gonna hold my tongue about the play calling and coaching, and just, I guess, be grateful for the win.

And tonight we'll see the return of Jeff Samardzija, since Odd Job got an elbow strain or something. 

Cubs/Cards. 

My favorite rivalry in sports.