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West Coast Win

Monday, May 30, 2005

There have been times this season when I seriously doubted whether this team would ever get above .500 again. Well, I'm proud to report that its May 30, and this team is one game above .500.

Of course, that last sentence should depress you a bit. Honestly, if someone had asked you at the beginning of the season whether you would be satisfied with our record at this point in the season, nobody but a Cardinals fan would have answered affirmatively. But, circumstances change and I feel a bit optimistic about our new-found winning ways.

At the Bat: I caught the last seven innings of today's game on Comcast, and it was a sound victory. Jerry Hairston Jr. apparently lead off the game with his first home run of the year. Later in the first inning, Neifi Perez, Aramis Ramirez, and Jason Dubois combined to push a run across.

In the fourth inning, Corey Patterson lead off the frame with a double, and Michael Barrett hit his fifth home run of the year to give the Cubs a 4-0 lead.

In the bottom of the fourth, Greg Maddux committed a throwing error allowing JD Drew to reach first. Jeff Kent then singled and Olmedo Saenz hit a double driving in both runners when Corey Patterson had a little trouble locating the ball.

In the fifth inning, Aramis Ramirez went yard to give the Cubs their fifth run, but in the ninth inning, Olmedo Saenz returned the favor to give the Dodger's their third run of the night. The final score was 5-3.

On the bump: Greg Maddux had a 'Maddux' outing. His stuff didn't seem real impressive, but he went six innings, allowed two runs (one earned), five hits, and didn't walk a batter. He struck out three while getting several ground ball outs. (Comcast showed this table during the game... incidentally Erickson and Maddux both pitched.)

At one point in the game, all Cubdom had their hearts skip a beat as Cezar Izturis lined one back out of the box that nearly hit Maddux in the head. In fact, when they played back the hit in slow motion, it looked like it grazed off of Maddux' hat. So, the Cubs were about an inch away from losing the third member of their starting rotation.

Notes:
Neifi Perez: Coming into tonight, Perez has hit .381 in his last ten games. After his hot start, and subsequent cool-down, Neifi! seems to be back.

Corey Patterson: Saw 6 pitches tonight in 4 at-bats. Granted, he went 2-4 with a run scored... but still.

Aramis Ramirez: His new nickname should be "triple shy." Ramirez has been a triple shy of the cycle each of his last two games. Woo! Ramirez is getting hot.

Posted by Byron at 11:25 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack | | |

Cubs vs. Rockies May 26-29

Sunday, May 29, 2005

May 29, 2005		Record: 24-24, Box Wrigley Field - Chicago, IL
Reg #48		Chicago Cubs	11
		Colorado Rockies	6

May 28, 2005		Record: 23-24, Box Wrigley Field - Chicago, IL
Reg #47		Chicago Cubs	5
		Colorado Rockies	1

May 27, 2005		Record: 22-24, Box Wrigley Field - Chicago, IL
Reg #46		Chicago Cubs	10
		Colorado Rockies	3

May 26, 2005		Record: 21-24, Box Wrigley Field - Chicago, IL
Reg #45		Chicago Cubs	2
		Colorado Rockies	5

Posted by Byron at 10:25 PM | | |

LaTroy Hawkins Traded

Saturday, May 28, 2005

Bruce Levine of ESPN 1000 has just reported that LaTroy Hawkins has been traded to the San Francisco Giants for Jerome Williams and David Aardsma.

Updates to follow.

Update I: 11:45 A.M. I am not too familiar with either player the Cubs are receiving in return, but it looks like the Cubs are the early leaders "on-paper" with this trade. While Hawkins is a good pitcher, he needed a change of scenery. This trade should almost be filed under humanitarian acts for Jim Hendry.

Popping over to BBRef, Williams, age 23, has a 17-12 career record with a 3.77 ERA. He is a right handed starter that I'm penciling in to start for Prior while he's hurt, and then could take over Rusch's spot in the rotation.

David Aardsma, also 23 years old, made appearances in 11 games for the Giants last year, while posting a 6.75 ERA. Looking at his Baseball Cube page, Aardsma is a reliever with a 2.81 ERA in his 62 pre-2005 minor league appearances. In 2005, he has been converted to a starter and is pitching for the Norwich Navigators. He has a 6-2 record in 9 appearances (8 starts) with a 2.93 ERA. (David Aardsma on MinorLeagueBaseball.com)

Finally, looking at salary, USA Today lists Hawkins at $4.5 million... but I'm pretty sure that number includes a lot of bonus incentives. Jerome Williams is making $336,000, nearly the league minimum. Aardsma will also probably make about the same amount of money if he is placed on the major league roster (which I don't expect he will.)

Mostly Unrelated, Roberto Novoa is taking Prior's roster spot as Prior has been placed on the 15 day DL.

Posted by Byron at 11:38 AM | Comments (6) | TrackBack | | |

All-Star Voting, Part IV

Friday, May 27, 2005

I'm at home (away from school) and enjoying a long weekend. I saw the game today on a widescreen HDTV... amazing. The picture was unbelievable, and the game was very enjoyable. 10-3 Cubs with lots of power, and a little shoddy Colorado defense. Anyhow, I wrote this post Wednesday evening before leaving for the weekend, enjoy.

Update 12:37 A.M. Saturday: Oh Crap! Like I said, I'm at home where we don't believe in things like technology. (No cable TV... and really bad reception over the airwaves.) After posting my short note above, I went strolling through the CBA and found out that Prior's elbow has been fractured. When I was watching the game, we saw the play and I kept repeating "The season is over, the season is over." However, later I had the radio on for a few minutes and had heard about the negative X-Rays, so I didn't think he would miss more than a start or two... wrong. Possibly season ending? Oh goodness.

Well, since you're tired of reading about Mark Prior... here's something different. Read below and forget "the Franchise" if only for a few minutes.

It has been awhile since I've voted for the All-Star team, so I decided to look around the league and decide who should get my vote. My criteria could be characterized as something approaching a meritocracy, but I'm sure to give some extra love to my favorite players if they are close. Players in italics were added to my ballot.

Teams with players receiving two votes: Orioles and Red Sox.

Teams with players receiving one vote: Cubs, Diamondbacks, Rockies, Padres, Reds, Phillies, Marlins, Royals, Yankees, Mariners, White Sox, Rangers.

Notes and discussion:

• Players leaving my ballot were Vladimir Guerrero, Jeff Kent, Troy Glaus, Paul Lo Duca, and Jacque Jones
• I've been looking for a reason to excuse Jeff Kent from my ballot all season... and he's finally gone. Up until this time around, Kent was heads and tails above the other second sackers. But, he's faltered in May (.195/.238/.312) (AVG/OBP/SLG) and several second basemen have surged ahead. I went with Craig Counsell because I like him and because he's got the second highest OPS among NL second basemen. I almost voted for Mark Grudzielanek who is doing well... but he is a Cardinal and so he doesn't get any undue consideration.
• Clint Barmes has captured each of my NL shortstop picks this year... and he did again. He's slowed down a bit, but still has an OPS above .900, and that is more than 100 basis points above Cesar Izturis who definitely got some consideration. I wouldn't be surprised if Izturis makes it onto my next ballot.
• Derrek Lee is also in the same boat. After a red-hot start, he's come down to earth a bit and isn't as much of a no-brainer as he was in April... but again, his stats are still the best among NL first basemen. (Even if they weren't the best... he'd get my vote.)
• After much upheaval in earlier ballots, the NL outfield stays unchanged for the first time this year. Dunn, Abreu, and Cabrera all have OPS above 1.000 and were thus pretty clear picks. Abreu has stolen 13 bases, and his numbers are MVP good.
• Compared to the NL outfield, the AL outfield has been pretty consistent so far. Vlad, Ichiro, and a Minnesota Twin have been on nearly every one of my ballots... until this one. Vlad's stats took a downturn before he hurt himself. I didn't leave him off the ballot because of the injury, but I probably would have if he had deserved the vote. In his place, I voted for Scott Podsednick who is stealing bases like he's Rickey Henderson or Vince Coleman. The high OBP was a big consideration, as was the fact that he's the spark for the team with the best record in baseball.
• Trot Nixon is having a good season, and he took Jacque Jones' spot.
• I finally put Chipper Jones on the ballot. He's one of my favorite players, and you can't ignore the 1.000+ OPS. I just wish I could have voted for Aramis Ramirez.

You too can vote for the All-Star starting lineups. I just ask that you keep my man D-Lee in mind.

Posted by Byron at 11:50 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack | | |

Playing "Dumb Ball"

Thursday, May 26, 2005

Today was glorious. Perfect weather for a game, and fortune smiled down upon me. In February, I bought tickets to a game in May. It was one of the only games that still had bleacher seats available, and so I snapped them up with no guarantee that I would actually be able to attend the game.

With a little creative schedule engineering, I managed to come up to Chicago today and catch my first game in the bleachers. I've been to Wrigley field probably 30 or 40 times over the years, but never in the bleachers. Did I mention the weather was perfect?

My friend Chris and I sat next to Al Yellon of Bleed Cubbie Blue and Scott Lange of Northside Lounge. Both guys are really nice and enjoyable to be around. We had some great discussions throughout the day. It really was one of the best experiences I've ever had in the stands.

The game on the field was a different story. Carlos Zambrano pitched well but had trouble getting the third out in a few innings, and so he had his pitch count up early. He left after seven innings, having allowed three runs. Although Cliff Bartosh and Joe Borowski each gave up solo shots, it wouldn't have made a difference if they had hemmoraged 20 runs apiece.

The Cubs offense was not all that interested in playing today, and that manifested itself in 'aggressive' hitting. Lots of first pitch swinging, infield pop-flys, and ground balls to Todd Helton later, the Cubs made Jason Jennings look like a Cy Young candidate. This team needs some patience.

On the way back, I was on the Red-Line discussing the Cubs season with a friendly fellow, and he made a comment that struck a nerve. He said the Cubs were playing "Dumb Ball."

In contrasting the two sides of town, we cast our eyes to the south and see Ozzie Guillen's squad playing small-ball... or "smart ball" as Ozzie likes to call it. The Cubs? "Dumb Ball" is about the best way I could describe it.

Posted by Byron at 10:10 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack | | |

Cubs vs. Astros, May 23-25

Wednesday, May 25, 2005

May 25, 2005		Record: 21-23, Box Wrigley Field - Chicago, IL
Reg #44		Chicago Cubs	1
		Houston Astros	5

May 24, 2005		Record: 21-22, Box Wrigley Field - Chicago, IL
Reg #43		Chicago Cubs	4
		Houston Astros	2

May 23, 2005		Record: 20-22, Box Wrigley Field - Chicago, IL
Reg #42		Chicago Cubs	4
		Houston Astros	1

Posted by Byron at 9:59 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack | | |

A long hard look at Aubrey Huff

With the recent trade rumors swirling, many in the CBA have turned their lecherous eyes to the south. In Tampa, there sits a "left fielder" whom many of us desire. Forgetting God's commandment that we not covet our neighbor's left fielder, we have become enthralled with the idea of bring Aubrey Huff to the northside... to play in "Wrigley Stadium."

Although I admit I have been occasionally weak-willed when the discussion turns to Huff, I'm still trying to figure out what we find so alluring about the guy? Below are career OPS percentages for four players. One belongs to Huff and the others belong to our current crop of starting outfielders.

.841 - Burnitz
.830 - Huff
.819 - Dubois
.735 - Patterson (.765 OPSS)

Clearly, Patterson is underperforming the rest of this group... but makes up some value with his glove. Dubois' OPS numbers are from an admittedly small sample size, but his history in the minor leagues suggests that he'll continue hitting with this kind of power, and eventually increase his OBP.

In the field: First, lets get this straight... Huff is not really an outfielder. Coming into 2004, Huff had played 111 games in the outfield, 103 of which were in right field. He had played 219 games at third, 124 at first, and DH'ed another 140. He is a man without a position. With Derrek Lee putting up MVP numbers at first, and Ramirez and Lee both inked to long-term deals, Huff probably won't be seeing too much corner infield action if he were traded to the Cubs. Moreover, as we play in the superior league, Huff wouldn't be doing too much work as a designated hitter for the boys in Blue.

As an outfielder, Huff is not exactly a gold glover, so I don't think he'd be that signicant of an upgrade over Dubois or Burnitz. Furthermore, he lacks the speed necessary to play centerfield. So he couldn't replace Patterson without doing more harm than good defensively.

Age is one factor in Huff's favor. He's 28 and entering the prime of his career... but he's also entering free agency at the end of this year. With a nearly $5 million dollar salary in 2005, he costs a little more than 15 times what Dubois is making. Furthermore, Dubois has another two years before he's even eligible for arbitration.

Batting: Another factor favoring Huff is his left handedness. However, with Patterson, Burnitz, Walker (he's back from the DL as of today), and the ability to spot start Todd Hollandsworth, the Cubs already have a number of lefty bats.

Looking at this year's stats, it also appears that Huff is struggling a bit. His OBP is down slightly from his career numbers, and about 20 basis points from the last three years. In the power department, Huff is having his worst big-league season. His SLG so far is 122 basis points below his career average, and 150 to 250 points below his last three years. Not that I've seen him play at all this year, but I'm wondering if he's struggling with the pressure of his contract year?

So in summary, Huff is a good player, but not great. He doesn't bring any skills to this team that we don't already have, and he isn't a significant upgrade for any of the positions he can play. He's also much more expensive than Dubois, and in my opinion has a lower ceiling. In addition, he's struggling this year and probably wouldn't supply the Cubs with the proverbial 'shot-in-the-arm.'

If the Cubs were set at the other eight positions and were in a dogfight for a pennant, I could understand mortgaging the future to win a championship. But for the Cubs, a team that is struggling to play .500 ball, with more pressing questions at two or three other positions, we shouldn't be looking to make a trade for Huff.

I'll close by saying this: As Cubs fans, we need to recognize the value that Jason Dubois represents for our franchise, and not be too hasty to give him away or cut short his playing time.

Posted by Byron at 6:51 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack | | |

Sergio Mitre has a solid outing... Roger Clemens too

Tuesday, May 24, 2005

I watched the game this evening in an ex post manner. After the game was over, I went back and watched the top of the fourth, the bottom of the eighth and the bottom of the ninth.

What I watched was pretty good... but I'm betting that if I had the time to watch the other 15 frames I would have seen some excellent pitching and a fair amount of offensive frustration.

Regardless, its good to see the Cubs picked up their third straight victory... we're now only one game below .500 Woo!

From the boxscore, it looks like Sergio Mitre had a good outing. He went seven innings, allowed two (earned) runs, walked one, struck out five, and allowed five hits.

Despite his strong outing, Mitre didn't take the win — largely because Roger "The Rocket" Clemens pitched five innings of two hit baseball while allowing no runs. This outing lowered the Rocket's ERA to 1.19, but his record is still only 3-2. If I were Roger, I'd be thinking about walking into Drayton McLane's office tomorrow and asking to be moved.

Jason Dubois: My favorite Cubs rookie this year continues his mixed play. In the fourth, he botched a play in left field when a flyball was hit into the well and he didn't follow the ball into the leftfield corner. His miscue on the ball directly led to both Astros runs in the inning. However, in the eighth, Dubois led off the inning with a double and scored on Todd Hollandsworth's pinch hit single. Dubois' average now stands at .261, his OBP at .301, and his SLG at .565. Meanwhile, he has struck out 28 times in 72 AB (38.8%), while mustering only 2 bases on balls. So, while he's struggling in some aspects of the game, "The Face" has an .866 OPS, which is definitely respectable. ("The Face" is not my nickname for Dubois... but I certainly like it. "The Face" was proposed by another member of the CBA, but I can't find the post. If its your's, please leave the URL in the comments and I'll link to you.)

Todd Hollandsworth: He's back to pinch-hitting... and back to getting huge pinch hits. Last Wednesday, Holly singled in the game tieing run against Pittsburgh in the Cubs win. Today, Hollandsworth drove in Dubois with a pinch hit single to centerfield. That run got the Cubs on the board and was hugely important in the win.

Aramis Ramirez: Aramis made the final out of the eighth inning. Last year, if Ramirez came up in the late innings of a close game with men on base, the ball was likely to end up on Waveland Avenue. This year, A-Ram is struggling mightily. While he's hit seven home runs (on pace for about 28), the rest of his game is suffering. He's currently hitting .238/.317/.456 (AVG/OBP/SLG) with 18 RBI in 147 AB. Furthermore, the strikeouts are up a bit too (although I believe his K/AB rate has decreased since April). Ramirez is on track to strike out 82 times this year as compared to 62 last year. On the other hand, the walks are up. He's on pace for 68 walks versus 49 last year.

Aramis Ramirez rate stats decline
Avg: -.080 from 2004 to YTD 2005.
OBP: -.060 from 2004 to YTD 2005.
SLG: -.122 from 2004 to YTD 2005.

The Attend-O-Meter is up to date.

Posted by Byron at 11:46 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack | | |

Considering Danny Graves

Monday, May 23, 2005

Danny Graves has been designated for assignment by the Cincinnati Reds. According to ESPN, there was a hand gesture involved, but the real reason he was designated is that he hasn't been very good this year.

So now, I want to make a case for the Cubs to strongly pursue Graves. Below is a table of blown saves rates. By looking at the numbers, one can compare the average blown saves rate for MLB, the Cubs, Danny Graves, and Mariano Rivera from 1999 - 2004.

After inspecting the table we learn several things such as:

• The MLB average is between 30-33% blown saves
• In general, the Cubs bullpen has been worse than the MLB average over that six year span.
• Danny Graves has been consistently better than the MLB average.
• Mariano Rivera is really, really good.

Like most Cubs fans, I long to have the security of a Closer... with a capital C. But Danny Graves is not a capital C kind of guy. In fact, despite posting some impressive saves totals, Graves isn't lights out... but he's a lot better than what we've had recently.

To stand on the sidelines, with no real knowledge of what is going on, while advocating a particular move is a luxury afforded to fans... and that is what I am doing. I may be ignorant of facts that are important, but I would go after Graves. While I certainly understand Chuck's position (in the comments) that the Cubs could wait ten days and get him on the cheap... I think the Cubs should move now. Graves may well be the best closer to move this offseason, and he would definitely improve a struggling bullpen.

Posted by Byron at 6:14 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack | | |

Welcome Carlos Zambrano

Sunday, May 22, 2005

It turns out Carlos Zambrano's 'tennis elbow' was a result of using his computer too much. Well, I'm figuring if Carlos spends all that time surfing, he must be visiting here or GROTA on a regular basis. Afterall, I/we are his biggest fans!

Anyhow, this story is the very definition of bull----. Granted, I'm not a finely tuned professional athlete who goes out and throws 110 pitches every five days... but I do know what it is to spend too much time on the computer... and trust me, Carlos arm isn't injured because of too much point-and-clicking.

Well, the Cubs played the Sox this weekend and it was a tough weekend. I'm happy to report that due to a complete game gem by Mark Prior and a three run home run off of Jason Dubois' bat, the Cubs managed to avoid being swept by the White Sox. Otherwise, it was awfully difficult to watch this team over the last three days.

Friday's game featured about sixteen instances of Cubs infielders diving for balls and missing them. Meanwhile, the Sox pounded the ball into the ground all afternoon en route to beating the Cubs soundly.

On Saturday, Carlos Zambrano went out and had a no-hitter going through 5.2 innings until Jeff Torborg (Fox' color commentator) had the audacity to mention the no-hitter. Sure enough the White Sox got a hit. It was the only hit Zambrano allowed in the seven innings he pitched, but the Cubs bullpen imploded and the White Sox scored 5 runs in the eighth and ninth.

Today, Mark Prior took care to keep his pitch count down (somewhat) and went the full nine innings in a 4-3 victory (126 pitches). As opposed to the first two games, the long-ball ruled the day. All seven runs were scored on the home run. Prior allowed solo shots to Jermaine Dye, Tadahito Iguchi, and Paul Konerko. For the Cubs, Henry Blanco went deep with the bases empty, and Jason Dubois hit a three run shot in the sixth.

On the whole, it was a disappointing weekend of baseball. The Cubs continued to play sub .500 baseball without any indications that things might be turning around. We essentially crossed the 25% mark this season, and the Cubs are sitting seven games behind the Cardinals. As it is currently constituted, I don't think this roster is capable of winning the division... but I'll continue to watch and hope. I'm expecting to see a trade soon if Hendry and Baker think they can make the postseason, but until then: Let's go Cub-bies.

Posted by Byron at 9:18 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack | | |

Cubs vs. White Sox, May 20-22

May 22, 2005		Record: 19-22, Box Wrigley Field - Chicago, IL
Reg #41		Chicago Cubs	4
		Chicago White Sox	3

May 21, 2005		Record: 18-22, Box Wrigley Field - Chicago, IL
Reg #40		Chicago Cubs	3
		Chicago White Sox	5

May 20, 2005		Record: 18-21, Box Wrigley Field - Chicago, IL
Reg #39		Chicago Cubs	1
		Chicago White Sox	5

Posted by Byron at 8:45 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack | | |

Cubs vs. Sux Today at 1:20!

Friday, May 20, 2005

I'm so very original! (But this post has nothing to do with the game.)

A few weeks ago, the Sportsblogs network expanded again and added Beyond the Boxscore. The blog is sabermetrically inclined and an awesome read. Today, they got Al Yellon and Will Carroll to sit down and have a Cubs Roundtable discussion. You might want to stop on by.

While doing some research for an upcoming feature, I stumbled across some old Doug Pappas articles over at BP. If you're interested in the finances of MLB teams, you MUST READ this series of articles. Unfortunately the numbers are dated, but the trends and tendencies Doug discussed are still quite relevant.

The Numbers (Part One): Gate Receipts
The Numbers (Part Two): Local Media Revenues
The Numbers (Part Three): More Revenue
The Numbers (Part Four): Player Compensation
The Numbers (Part Five): National and other local expenses
The Numbers (Part Six): Profits and Revenue Sharing
The Numbers (Part Seven): Interest-ing
The Numbers (Part Eight): MLB vs. Forbes

Posted by Byron at 10:01 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack | | |

Seven reasons to be a White Sox fan

Thursday, May 19, 2005

Well, today's game was certainly exciting, but its time to start preparing ourselves as Cubs fans for the upcoming civil war. The North vs. the South. The lovable losers vs. the only franchise to ever intentionally lose a World Series. 1908 vs. 1917.

With this in mind, I have decided to answer a question posed by Tom of A Season with the Cubs (a mighty fine Cubs blog). In fact, this post originated as a comment on Tom's site.

Why would anyone ever be a White Sox fan?

First, the league (AL) didn't always suck. Before there was the DH, two leagues actually played 'real' baseball. So, I'm guessing there are some holdovers.

Second, the Sox have been good on a few occasions. If you were coming of baseball age in '83, '95, or '00 you might be tempted to be a White Sox fan.

Third, this team used to employ Bo Jackson... and Shoeless Joe

Fourth, Comiskey Park is really easy to get to if your primary mode of transportation is a car. In my case, I grew up in NW Indiana. It takes about 45 minutes less to get to Comiskey than to Wrigley.

Fifth, its much less expensive to be a White Sox fan. In years past a can of Coke got you half-priced tickets, and a Wendy's value meal could get you into a game for free.

Sixth, even if you have some money, its too hard to get tickets to a Cubs game. For years now, Cubs fans have been unable to buy walk-up tickets on game days to most home games. If you love baseball and want to see it regularly, but can't get tickets, then that might drive you into Jerry Reinsdorf's arms.

Seventh, some people just like to be different.

Posted by Byron at 12:01 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack | | |

Deconstructing the Ninth

Wednesday, May 18, 2005

I didn't get to see most of the game today, but I got home in-time to watch the eighth and ninth innings. And despite the totally awesome second straight come-from-behind win over the Pirates, I definitely was frustrated with some of the managerial decisions in the ninth inning.

Top of the Ninth:
Jeromy Burnitz: walks, but is then caught stealing second base on a 1-0 count. The decision to send Burnitz was pure folly. First, we're talking about Jeromy Burnitz here, he's not exactly a speedster. Sure, if he made it, the tying run is standing on second base... but if he gets caught you have one out and no one on base in the event something happens like oh say a double.
Michael Barrett: with the bases newly cleared, Michael Barrett doubles to right field. Had Burnitz been on first, he probably would have been held up at third.
Corey Patterson: Intentional Walk. I wouldn't have done this if I were Lloyd McClendon because it puts a guy who hits .250 with a lot of speed on first base representing the winning run.
Todd Hollandsworth pinch-hitting for Jason Dubois This move had me muttering at the TV. Hollandsworth was 0 for 15 and Dubois has been fairly clutch. Plus I was very concerned about a double play ball, and Hollandsworth at bat certainly doesn't decrease this possibility. Well, in a stroke of cosmic luck, Todd Hollandsworth smoked a ball right at Daryle Ward who managed to not only let the ball hit off his glove, but also avoided an error while he was at it. Michael Barrett scored from second, and Corey Patterson advanced to third on Hollandsworth's single.
Jose Macias: I really couldn't believe he was hitting with Aramis Ramirez left on the bench... but this decision again turned out for the better as Macias hit a sac fly to right field that drove in Patterson.
Aramis Ramirez: struck out... proving that an honest second-guesser is really no better off than a big-league manager.

Bottom of the Ninth: I could barely watch
Tike Redman doubles
Rob Mackowiak pinch hitting for Humberto Cota walks
Freddy Sanchez pinch hitting for Jose Mesa attempted sacrifice bunt that ended with Tike Redman getting thrown out at third.
Matt Lawton groundball to second baseman Jerry Hairston Jr. who promptly commits an error.
Jack Wilson GIDP!!!!

With the double play, the Cubs won their second straight and fifth of seven. Ryan Dempster got his second save, Michael Wuertz his second win, and Glendon Rusch just got jobbed. He went six innings and only allowed two runs.

Oh yeah, and the series was a sweep! Things **could** be looking up.

Posted by Byron at 2:47 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack | | |

Cubs @ Pirates, May 17-18

May 18, 2005		Record: 18-20, Box PNC Park - Pittsburgh, PA
Reg #38		Chicago Cubs	3
		Pittsburgh Pirates	2

May 17, 2005		Record: 17-20, Box PNC Park - Pittsburgh, PA
Reg #37		Chicago Cubs	4
		Pittsburgh Pirates	3

Posted by Byron at 2:31 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack | | |

Ballpark Travels Pictorial

Tuesday, May 17, 2005

The Cubs are killing me and I'm having a tough time translating my mental anguish and emotional uncertainty into some kind of unique post. I could rant and rave about Zambrano or Enrique Wilson, or whatever, but I'll leave that up to the other 70-odd CBA blogs. Instead, we're going with some pictures today.

I took some film over to the drugstore this week to be developed and have finally gotten my pictures from some of my more recent ballpark travels.

I went to Dodger Stadium last August, the post is here. Pictures below.

I went to the Great American Ballpark in April, the post is here. Pictures below.

This is the coolest picture. You can see out of the Great American Ballpark into Kentucky... this is an awesome view.

I went to Victory Field last week, the post is here. Picture below.

Oh yeah, this one's kind of cool too.

End of Post Check of the Score: D-LEE!!!!!! Cubs seize the lead on a two run dinger by Derrek Lee in the ninth. Now lets hope Ryan Dempster can hold it... 1-2-3 Cubs Win! Cubs Win! Holy Cow!

Posted by Byron at 8:36 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack | | |

Hey-Hey!-Holy-Cow!-Belted!- Outta-here!!!!-O-meter

Monday, May 16, 2005

Last year in about July, the collective Cubs Blog Army started whining about the number of solo home runs the cubs had hit, and so I attempted to gather some statistics... it didn't happen. Well, this year I decided to get started a bit earlier so that the catch-up wouldn't be too bad.

So, I am unveiling the "Hey-Hey!-Holy-Cow!-Belted!-Outta-Here!!!!-O-Meter" as one of the o-meters I'll be regularly updating throughout the season. I encourage you to go check it out as it has some truly cool (read: obscure) information.

For instance:

• Derrek Lee and Jeromy Burnitz lead the team in occasions where they were on base when a home run was hit. They've each been driven in 6 times.
• The Cubs have hit the most home runs (eight apiece) in the fourth and sixth innings. The first inning is close behind with seven.
• The Cubs have hit 33% of their homeruns with 0 outs, 39% with 1 out, and 28% with two outs.
• 52% of the Cubs home runs this year have been solo shots.
• 28% of the Cubs home runs have come with a man on first base. 30% of the time, they had a runner at second base prior to a blast. 8.5% of the time, they had a runner at third.

These trivialties and many more in the "Hey-Hey!-Holy-Cow!-Belted!-Outta-Here!!!!-O-Meter"

I'm working on the "Oh-geeeeeeezzz-O-meter" to track the home runs given up by our pitchers. That might be up later this week.

Finally, the attend-o-meter has been updated to correct an error where I transposed two numbers in the attendance for April 23.

Well, I'm O-metered out.

Posted by Byron at 10:15 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack | | |

Charting Perez

Today we take a pictorial look at Neifi's production over the course of the season. The first chart is a five day trailing average of Neifi's OBP* (OBP without accounting for sacrifice flies which will slightly inflate his OBP).

The second chart is the same treatment with his slugging percentage. The same pattern is evident.

Looks like Neifi! is now just Neifi.

For a good read, I direct you towards Derek Smart's review of Jim Hendry in the Goat Riders' GM series.

Posted by Byron at 1:12 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack | | |

Cubs @ Nationals, May 13-15

Sunday, May 15, 2005

May 15, 2005		Record: 16-20, Box RFK Stadium - Washington, DC
Reg #365		Chicago Cubs	4
		Washington Nationals	5

May 14, 2005		Record: 16-19, Box RFK Stadium - Washington, DC
Reg #35		Chicago Cubs	3
		Washington Nationals	4

May 13, 2005		Record: 16-18, Box RFK Stadium - Washington, DC
Reg #34		Chicago Cubs	6
		Washington Nationals	3

Posted by Byron at 11:15 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack | | |

MLB Ticket Revenues per game for 2005

Saturday, May 14, 2005

For most teams in baseball, we are 20-25% of the way through the season and so I decided to capture a snap-shot of the ticket revenues per home date for each of the thirty teams. So, in true Cubdom fashion, I present these charts of team revenue per home date (in millions) for each MLB team. If I do any analysis, it will be in an update, otherwise feel free to comment about what you see.

The numbers below are estimates formed by multiplying the announced attendance by the average ticket price per team as determined by Team Marketing Report in their annual Fan Cost Index. These estimates don't take into account variable ticket pricing, childrens tickets, or other special ticket prices aside from those that have already been factored into the FCI.

The colors on the charts are determined by division:
blue = central
green = east
yellow = west

National League

American League