the chicago white sox finally got the pitcher they wanted in jake peavey but at the same time conceded the central division title to the detroit tigers. why? well, the tigers also made a big trade but the pitcher they got is healthy and ready to go right now while peavy still needs at least a month before he's ready and in the meantime, the sox have just 4 pitchers with the toughest part of their schedule happening RIGHT NOW.
don't get me wrong. i LOVE the trade because peavy is the real deal whose just short of a hundred victories at the age of 28 and he's averaged 15 wins a year while playing mostly for really bad padre teams that averaged 85 losses a year for the past seven seasons.
but regarding this season, the sox have screwed themselves in order to be the odds-on favorite next year. relying on 58-year old jose contreras and the grossly overweight bartolo colon to bring you to the winner's circle this year is pure folly and the south siders traded away any possible pitching help for this year in order to obtain peavy.
so the die has been cast for next year when the core of their rotation will be mark buerhle, john danks, gavin floyd and jake peavy. colon will just be a bad memory so if you can plug in a decent 5th starter along with the strongest bullpen in baseball.........you can start making plans to spend part of october on the south side.
i hope i'm wrong about this year but unless the sox go to a three man rotation, it looks like a third place finish.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Thursday, July 30, 2009
CUBS AWAKE JUST IN TIME
just three weeks ago, i told you that the window of opportunity on the north side was closing rapidly and the season was slipping away and with a roster filled with malcontents and journeymen, the cubs were simply playing out the string. that proclamation was made right at the all-star break as they were spiraling out of playoff contention. it was a done deal.
not so fast, retired fat cop.
the cubs suddenly wake up with bradley & soriano raising their averages 30 points while the pitching becomes the strong point of the team with kevin gregg closing the deal again and again, as good closers do. the starters were overwhelming for the most part as the ball club won 11 of 14 during the past two weeks.
but they still had a glaring weakness in the bullpen because sean marshall was the only lefty and being overworked because of it. but what do they do just before the trade deadline??? they make a deal that puts them over the top and clinches the central division for the third consecutive season by plucking the bones of the pittsburgh pirates like a vulture in the desert, getting not one but TWO lefthanded pitchers and giving up basically zero in return.
are they a perfect team?? absolutely not. they're still a jeckyll and hyde offensive team although mr. hyde has appeared almost every night the last two weeks and the cubs have averaged almost SEVEN RUNS PER GAME!
so now they have starting pitching, a closer, the possibilities of three lefties with major league experience in the bullpen and an exploding offense. hmmmmmmmmm.
do cub fans get excited now? or is it a mirage like so many seasons past? i say they are now the real deal in the central division. stay tuned.
not so fast, retired fat cop.
the cubs suddenly wake up with bradley & soriano raising their averages 30 points while the pitching becomes the strong point of the team with kevin gregg closing the deal again and again, as good closers do. the starters were overwhelming for the most part as the ball club won 11 of 14 during the past two weeks.
but they still had a glaring weakness in the bullpen because sean marshall was the only lefty and being overworked because of it. but what do they do just before the trade deadline??? they make a deal that puts them over the top and clinches the central division for the third consecutive season by plucking the bones of the pittsburgh pirates like a vulture in the desert, getting not one but TWO lefthanded pitchers and giving up basically zero in return.
are they a perfect team?? absolutely not. they're still a jeckyll and hyde offensive team although mr. hyde has appeared almost every night the last two weeks and the cubs have averaged almost SEVEN RUNS PER GAME!
so now they have starting pitching, a closer, the possibilities of three lefties with major league experience in the bullpen and an exploding offense. hmmmmmmmmm.
do cub fans get excited now? or is it a mirage like so many seasons past? i say they are now the real deal in the central division. stay tuned.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
CUBS' WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY ALMOST CLOSED
in what has been the most disappointing season in recent memory, the chicago cubs have about an inch of space left on a window of opportunity that was wide open just two years ago.
following a 'mail it in' weekend against the cardinals, the cubs find themselves 3 1/2 games behind the redbirds at the all-star break and trailing FIVE other teams for the 2009 wild card slot. this team has been a first half disaster, rivaling only the mets and indians for biggest disappointments of 2009. a quick review of the team:
two un-coachable players in soriano & bradley, with no trade contracts that extend for 2 and 5 more years, respectively. nice job, jim hendry.
they have the dumbest manager in the major leagues. mark my word.....if the cubs hire bob brenly as the manager, they will be in the world series within three years.
a substance abusing catcher in geovany soto who only leads the league in calorie intake.
a shortstop named ryan theriot who has no range and is better suited for second base.
a third baseman named aramis ramirez who will struggle the rest of the year and his average will drop like the stock market as the season continues.
to the best of my knowledge, there has never been a sucessful team without a solid second baseman and if you think mike fontenot (.230) aaron miles (.203) or andres blanco (.222) can lead you to the promised land, then i have swamp land in florida for sale. anyone missing mark derosa?
an outfielder from the pacific rim whose average has dropped 80 points in six weeks. at least this year, the league wasn't embarrassed by him being named an all-star.
and a bunch of journeymen reserves who will be out of baseball in five years.
one class guy in derek lee.
the pitching is abysmal other than ted lilly and pleasant surprise randy wells. carlos zambrano has been exposed like a pervert in the park and carlos marmol is yesterday's news. kevin gregg is the cubs' answer to billy koch.
the good news for cub fans? summer camp for the chicago bears opens in two weeks and then you can put away the turtleneck dickeys and "W" flags & t-shirts and start cheering for the orange & blue. at least you'll have some chance for success with the monsters of the midway but there is no chance of that on the north side.
following a 'mail it in' weekend against the cardinals, the cubs find themselves 3 1/2 games behind the redbirds at the all-star break and trailing FIVE other teams for the 2009 wild card slot. this team has been a first half disaster, rivaling only the mets and indians for biggest disappointments of 2009. a quick review of the team:
two un-coachable players in soriano & bradley, with no trade contracts that extend for 2 and 5 more years, respectively. nice job, jim hendry.
they have the dumbest manager in the major leagues. mark my word.....if the cubs hire bob brenly as the manager, they will be in the world series within three years.
a substance abusing catcher in geovany soto who only leads the league in calorie intake.
a shortstop named ryan theriot who has no range and is better suited for second base.
a third baseman named aramis ramirez who will struggle the rest of the year and his average will drop like the stock market as the season continues.
to the best of my knowledge, there has never been a sucessful team without a solid second baseman and if you think mike fontenot (.230) aaron miles (.203) or andres blanco (.222) can lead you to the promised land, then i have swamp land in florida for sale. anyone missing mark derosa?
an outfielder from the pacific rim whose average has dropped 80 points in six weeks. at least this year, the league wasn't embarrassed by him being named an all-star.
and a bunch of journeymen reserves who will be out of baseball in five years.
one class guy in derek lee.
the pitching is abysmal other than ted lilly and pleasant surprise randy wells. carlos zambrano has been exposed like a pervert in the park and carlos marmol is yesterday's news. kevin gregg is the cubs' answer to billy koch.
the good news for cub fans? summer camp for the chicago bears opens in two weeks and then you can put away the turtleneck dickeys and "W" flags & t-shirts and start cheering for the orange & blue. at least you'll have some chance for success with the monsters of the midway but there is no chance of that on the north side.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
