Cubby-Blue

Tired? Imagine being in the Cubs' bullpen right now.

With Matt Garza and (when he's healthy again) Ryan Dempster as the Cubs' top trading chips, the prospect of being a relief pitcher for the Chicago Cubs couldn't be more bleak.

Maybe there's another pitcher who can start that the Cubs recieve in whatever trades happen.
Maybe there's a double or triple A guy who can come up.
But maybe not.
Maybe post-trades, the starters are Jeff Samardzija, Travis Wood, Paul Maholm, Chris Volstad and uh...whatever happened to Thomas Diamond anyway?
Even without that scenario, we'll probably be seeing more relief appearances like Casey Coleman's in the last Met's romp.
Where even if you simply don't have it that day, you gotta DO YOUR TIME.
Even if it means you give up 6 hits, two walks, and 7 runs in 1.2 innings.
Nobody will save you.

Still, I continue to be amazed by the performance of Shawn Camp, rejected by I don't know how many other teams and transformed into kind of this year's rock.
Camp, James Russell, Carlos Marmol, Scott Maine, Rafael Dolis, Manny Corpas, and Jario Asencio.
I sure don't envy those guys.

But you know what today is?
It's a game against the Houston Astros.
And even though I can only name maybe 3 of them, well, you know how I feel about the Astros.
So COME ON Paul Maholm.
Try to give those guys sleeping in Sean's Camp some rest today. 

The Yin and Yank of the Chicago Cubs: Rizzo and Samardzija.

Whew!
I was almost giddy the day before yesterday.
Remember?
Anthony Rizzo came up and looked awesome and we were all so happy and the Cubs won and...hey wait.
Giddy means something's out of whack.
See, there's a balance with our favorite team that must be maintained at all times.
It's a Cub thing.
Like, Ryan Dempster starts off the season with one of the best ERAs in baseball, that's got to be balanced out with a latissumus dorsi injury.
Or say they make $2 million off the Toyota sign in the bleachers (woo HOOOO), that money is spent on the recently DFA'd Randy Wells (awwwwww).
Or just like the other day, when we experience the Yin of Rizzo Bliss, it must be countered with yesterday's Yank - a Jeff Samardzija freak out.
The New York Mets scored 17 runs off the Cubs.
Why, the last time they scored those kindsa runs, it was 18.
Last September.
Against the Cubs.
Anyway, I'm not reading the sports or blogs today because I'm sure there's nothing but dread about Samardzija.
But look at this.

He's less than an inning away from his total innings from last year.
I can't find total pitches, but doesn't it seem like he's had alot of innings this year where he's thrown um, alot more pitches than your basic pitcher uses to get through an inning?
He may say his body feels fine and probably it does, but it seems to me like maybe he'll need to get through this year, and next year his body'll be more used to this grind.
So, I ain't freakin' out about Jeff Samardzija.

I did freak out when I saw the replay of Andy Pettitte getting his ankle fractured on a ball hit back to the mound.
Owwww. 
Owwww owwww owwww.
I have a well-documented hurl mechanism that kicked in when I watched.
So Pettitte's gone and CC Sabathia went on the DL and the Yanks are in first and certainly want to stay there and Theo Epstein still has Matt Garza.
Hmmmmm... 

Lastly, I keep forgetting to mention this.
Somebody sent me an email about this crazy new product called the Looftlighter.
It's this awesome thing that lights your charcoal in a couple minutes.
No lighter fluid.
You still have to wait a bit for the coals to turn all white, but I'm here to tell you this thing is awesome.
Family got it for me for Father's Day.



Probably pay for itself in 6 months on what I save in lighter fluid.
Nice.

 

 

Anthony Rizzo did my heart some good.

When you think about it, it's really been kind of a crappy summer.
Baseball-wise, at least.
But when the Cubs F I N A L L Y brought up Anthony Rizzo to play first base, and put him in the starting lineup, and he came up to bat and got a hit?
Didn't that feel a little better?
And then when he knocked in the winning run against the previously hot but currently doing not so well New York Mets, well, it truly did my heart good.
Something real, for now and the future, is finally happening for our favorite team.
Yay.
Randy Wells not so much.
But still, a pretty awesome day, Tuesday, June 26th, 2012.
Anthony Rizzo's first day.

Cubs 5 Mets 3.
They win a series (they could even SWEEP today), they have a 2-game winning streak and improved to 26 wins and 48 losses. 
Okay so that last part isn't so good, but...hey look over there!
See that guy on first base?
That's Anthony Rizzo.
The new Cub.

 

Hey Anthony Rizzo, those are some mighty big shoes you've got to fill. Just kidding.

Poor Anthony Rizzo.
All these quotes from Cubs' management saying he shouldn't feel any pressure.
Just come up and have fun.
When that's all you hear, I bet it makes the pressure so much worse.
But I say balls to all that.
There really shouldn't be any pressure.
You gotta fill Jeff Baker's shoes?
Come ON, man.
Bryan LaHair's?
They don't even trust him to start against left-handers.
You gotta go back to Derek Lee before his wrist injury to find anyone worthy of pressure.
Plus, it's the Cubs.
Not only is it the Cubs, but they're the worst Cubs ever.
So relax.
Let the city get to know you, this year doesn't count anyway.

Next, Marlon Byrd.
I'm not gonna read all the stories, but the drug he used is banned and it's real use has something to do with women's breasts, but guys who take steroids use it to counteract shrinking nads.
I'm sure they love him in Boston, having already been a colossal failure.
And now this.

What else?
Travis Wood.
The Cubs came so close to shutting out the Mets last night, and young Mr. Wood went 7 innings of giving up nothin' but 5 hits and even better, only one walk.
With all the "control" plan Theo's got for him, wouldn't it be nice if he really turned into something?
 
Okay, it's the Mets again tonight.
There's a reason to watch again.
Lets hope Anthony gets a hit quickly, fields all of Starlin Castro's throws and he can just get on with life as a Cub.
And while I kinda dissed LaHair earlier, I sure hope they keep him starting in right and we can see some combo of young bangers in the lineup. 

Go Cubs.

 

If the Cubs were pizza, Anthony Rizzo might make it a tad palatable (cartoon)

Even if Anthony Rizzo comes up and struggles, at least it would be something to talk about.
Besides another loss.
Last night the Cubs managed 5 runs, but that was only half of what the Arizona Diamondbacks scored.

Come on, Theo Epstein.
Bring up Rizzo.
We know he's not a miracle cure.
We know not to expect jack.
Being a Cub Fan is hard enough, why be cruel?
Figure someting out and get him up here.
Please.
I'd like just one tasty ingredient on my Chicago Style Deep Shit Pizza.