Chicago Sports Talk

i just knew that the sox were going to win yesterday no matter what! it was my first game this season, and i was set on seeing a great game! my blood was boiling with all of those yankee fans walking around with their stupid brooms as if we were going to get swept. yea, i’m not gonna lie i wanted to beat some people over the head with their cleaning supplies, but i held back. so my first game of the season was a winner, and boy was it sweet.

there were a lot of yankee fans at the game last night per usual, which is fine but really i didn’t understand why there were cub fans decked out in yankee apparel. actually according to another fan in our area decked out in fake k-mart yankee apparel. it rained a lot. i purchased a poncho. beefie bought a shirt to represent the chi-rish at the custom t-shirt shop. and i found a new stand called Comiskey Dogs that sells a real Chicago Hot Dog! it costs $5 and they do a very good job although one of the cashiers has a lazy eye and you aren’t sure when she is taking your order or the guy next to you. i got to see Bobby Jenks. i even got to see my Matt Thornton. i saw fireworks. when all was said and done it was a great day at the ballpark.

the game itself was fairly exciting too. i occasionally like the come from behind wins…although only when the White Sox win. =P i had a feeling that Gavin Floyd wasn’t going to have a spectacular game due to the conditions. but i was happy to see him come out after the rain delay. that says something about a pitcher. i think he wanted to show everyone that the picther he was in the 1st 3 innings was not a good representation of him over all. either way he did let some runs cross the plate, but he did a satisfactory job given the weather and field conditions. you also gotta give credit to the offense for getting to Ohlendorf. also very exciting was getting to joba chamberlain. joba is so dominating and i don’t think anyone wants to face him. it’s nice to win the way we did.

Last Wednesday, Cincinnati’s Adam Dunn hit a home run onto Sheffield Avenue. Next, about 15 baseballs where thrown back onto the field. A Wrigley Field tradition on steroids (maybe I shouldn’t use that comparison). But it was a fun, comical moment.

But one person didn’t find it funny. Long-time Reds broadcaster Marty Brennaman launched into a tirade about Cubs fans. He called us the most obnoxious fans in baseball, and people root for the Cubs to lose.

Click here to listen to his rant

Excuse me, Mr. Brennaman. At least we have fans that come out to the park. Every day it’s a sell out. The Cubs surpass 3 million fans every season. The crowd is on its feet in the third inning cheering on the pitcher to get out of the inning.

Bad fans? Are you serious? Obnoxious? I say the most passionate in baseball.

Case in point. When the Cubs clinched the division last year IN Cincinnati, there was more blue in the stands than red — and your seats are red. Cubs fans outnumbered Reds fans 2 to 1. If it wasn’t for the Cubs, you would’ve had more vendors than paying ticket holders.

You root for the Cubs to lose? Well, get used to Cubs Nation rooting for the utter demise of the Cincinnati Reds. Chicagoans do hold a grudge.

Be careful what you say, Mr. Brennaman. You tainted a Hall of Fame career — and your son’s too.

Hey, hey! Holy Cow! And any other celebratory catch phrase you can think of. The team that hasn’t won a World Series in a 100 years became just the second team in history to win 10,000 games.

The Cubs ran their all-time record to 10,000-9,465 with a win over Colorado Wednesday. And they did it in true, heart-stopping Cubs fashion. They jumped out to a lead … lost the lead … captured the lead in the ninth with a dramatic homer … lost the lead again … then an unsung hero saved the day in the 10th.

They join the Giants as the only other team in the 10K club. The Cubs’ first win came on April 25, 1876 with a 4-0 decision against Louisville. Their first game ever played.

How does this happen? 10,000 wins and 0 titles since 1908. Maybe they peaked too early.

There are other teams that have been around just as long and don’t have as many wins — but more big wins. The Yankees have just 9,394 victories but 26 titles. Not fair. I’ll gladly trade a few thousand wins for a World Series ring.

But maybe I won’t have too. They’re looking pretty good.

so i began writing about wednesday’s game and how i just love when the sox score a bunch of runs in the first inning setting a precedent for the rest of the game. and really, while i enjoy a good nail biter i occasionally like to just see a game i know we are going to win.

i have to admit i was a little nervous about contreras starting. he has been a bit inconsistent the last couple of seasons, but i am so glad he had a good outing. i needed to see him have a good game. he had his velocity up in the mid-90s and he was making his pitches. he was also not shaking off pitches and he got in his groove.

but overall i am loving how the white sox are playing right now. i love the defense. i am extremely glad to have crede back out on 3rd. i’m telling you – it was painful to see fields and other randoms miss balls that we all knew crede woulda had. and mr. clutch has also made a huge difference on runs scored and batted in, obviously. not only that but i get to wear my pink crede shirt to the games again! bonus!

keep it up white sox! maybe we will get to see our Sox-Cubs world series yet! it’s early, i know, but anything is possible!

Alfonso Soriano was placed on the 15-day DL on Wednesday after straining his calf after fielding a routine fly ball with a hop. I know it’s silly and unnecessary but if it helps him concentrate I’m fine with it. It doesn’t affect his defense and doesn’t prevent him from gunning runners out. (He’s thrown out 21 runners as a Cub)

What’s funny is that Lou Pinella moved Soriano into the No. 2 spot in the lineup to help save the left fielder’s legs. But the move screwed up his swing (or mind) and the experiment lasted just two games. Back in the leadoff spot, Soriano was starting to find his swing. Then he strains his calf. My head hurts trying to figure this one out.

But the most interesting part is that the Cubs called up a middle infielder (Eric Patterson) from triple A to replace a power-hitting left fielder. What does this mean for Matt Murton? Does this spell the end for Murton and the Cubs?

I say trade him. Who needs a slow corner outfielder with average power. There are rumors the Rays are interested but the Cubs are asking too much. The Cubs have a lot of good, quality players in the pipeline. Trade him for a few more prospects and add to a growing stockpile. This will give he Cubs leverage to make a better deal in the future when a glaring hole opens up or a better player hits the market.

What are your thoughts on Murton? Trade him or keep him?

It’s a miracle the Cubs won the first two games of the Pittsburgh series. A better team would have buried them.

And what’s killing the Cubs early in the season? Fundamentals.

They did everything in their power to give those games away. What was supposed to be the team’s strengths — team defense and a potent lineup — is hurting them in the early going. They must fix these problems quickly to be successful. They can’t play the Pirates 150 times.

On Monday, The Cubs committed three errors that led to five runs, which forced extra innings. The poor defense ruined a good offensive day and a 7-0 lead. That came on the heels of Friday’s game — which I was at — when Mark DeRosa’s error cost the Cubs the game. These mistakes shouldn’t happen. Catching and throwing should be as easy as breathing to these guys. Get your heads in the game.

The Cubs also lack timely hitting. The Cubs stranded 15 men on base Monday and did even worse on Wednesday — 19 LOB. And the poor performance at the plate spoiled a magnificent outing by Ryan Dempster (one hit over 7 innings with 5 Ks). A homer can’t win every game, but nice try Aramis. The Cubs need to start manufacturing runs — move runners up and drive in runners in scoring position with less than two outs.

Until the Cubs get back to basics this is going to be a stressful season.