Jeff Wilson's Chicago Cubs fan blog

Every once in a while a ballgame will come along that even if you lose it, you feel lucky to have been able to see and experience it.   For me, as a pitcher those particular games are ones where the pitching is great.  

You had a Hall of Fame pitcher versus one of the premier pitchers in the big leagues in Randy Johnson and Rich Harden going toe to toe and neither would blink. 

The Cubs hit a lot of at him balls especially to centerfielder Chris Young.  This is basic art of pitching 101.  Use the largest part of your ballpark as your friend.     

Continue reading "The Big Unit outduels Rich Harden in pitching gem."

An open letter to the moron that runs the Green Bay Packers and cant figure out the simplest equation. 

Are you a better team going forward for the next year or two with Brett Favre or Aaron Rodgers.  Considering you are stupid enough to drink the Mister Rodgers neighborhood Kool-Aid that you could somehow think that you could do better than a QB that threw for over 4000 yds  and got his 9th PROBOWL nomination with A-Rod and no not the A-Rod that is the 3B for the Yankees.  

I have nothing against Aaron Rodgers whatsoever,   Do I think Favre made a mistake in how he handled this - absolutely.   But Brett gives you the best chance to win the SB this year.   Personally I think you groom Brohm and let Favre play out the contract if he wants.  Trade Rodgers and KGB for Jason Taylor. 

Continue reading "Go to Hell Ted Thompson"

Chicago Cubs manager Lou Piniella on national TV on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball was ejected for arguing a check swing call.  Technically you cannot argue balls and strike calls but technically this is NOT A BALL AND STRIKE CALL - it is a CHECK SWING call.    Did he swing or not-  the ball itself was clearly outside the strike zone.  Lou approached the first base umpire who warned him and then Lou turned around to head back to the dugout.  He had already been ejected by the home plate umpire who then flashed the second ejection sign in Lou's face.  Clearly on the replay the umpire at first base blew the call.   Clearly also Lou was heading back to the dugout and the first base umpire had exercised control of the situation and there was no need to proceed further.   Unbeknownst to Lou, home plate minor league fill in Rob Drake decided this was his day to make a name for himself on national TV and become part of the show.   He had his mask off and ready for a confrontation with Lou as he first threw him out behind his back and then again in front of him.  

Continue reading "Lou ejected by minor league umpires in bush league incident"

Back when I posted Why the Jim Edmonds signing DOES make sense Jimmy was in the midst of a horrendous slump to start the season. 

He was 16 of 90 at San Diego and a measley 2 for 15 at the time in a Cubs uniform.  I felt though that he would heat up and contribute and he has done that and more.  He has gone 23 for 67 or a .343 clip with 6 homers as a Cub since I made those comments

Kudos to Jim Hendry, Lou, and Gerald Perry who told Edmonds to revert to his swing from a few years ago when he spread out at the plate and this allows the ball to travel further in on you and you just poke it to the outfield - its kind of like the sweet spot golf swing where you hit it at 3/4 speed and nice extension and follow thru.  

Edmonds is supplying a nice left handed bat and he is fitting right in on the Cubs patience train of drawing base on balls.   As a pitcher , nothing makes me madder than to walk a guy. You have to pitch to contact and let your fielders play defense.  

Continue reading "Jim Edmonds Update - I told you so"

 The video is of game 1 of the 1968 World Series vs the Detroit Tigers -  the announcers are Curt Gowdy on TV and on KMOX radio the one and the only Harry Caray.   Gibson would strike out 17 in his shutout of the Tigers. 

As a kid growing up and being part of the great rivalry between the Chicago Cubs and the St Louis Cardinals, I am reminded of those great pitchers duels between MY beloved Ferguson Jenkins of the Cubs and the hated but well respected Robert Gibson of the Cardinals.   Statistically to me there has never been a season for a pitcher as was 1968.  This was the year that Denny McLain won 31 games.   Carl Yaztremski won the batting title with a .301 average and Bob Gibson put on a show for the ages.  

Continue reading "The Great Bob Gibson"

I really enjoy reading good copy whether it be on the Chicago Cubs or just on baseball.   On this site, I highly recommend Street Reporter's work   http://www.chicagocubsnews.com/streetreport/

As to other sites with the Cubs:  

One stands heads and shoulders above the rest and is one of my all time favorites.    Harry Pavlidis site dealing with pitching and a technology called Pitch FX.   Harry does an outstanding job breaking down the pitchers and their arsenal and with incisive analysis he really takes you inside the mind of a pitcher and right out to the mound with them

www.cubsfx.com

I also am fond of www.insidetheivy.com   and www.bleedcubbieblue.com and www.cubshub.com 

www.baseballreference.com is the site to look up any player. 

Continue reading "Outstanding blogs to read"

This summer some of the time I get to watch the games with my little 6 month old grandson and we have a lot of fun cheering on the Cubs.    I made up a little song that I sing to him in the spirit of the Cubs Fan Bud Man commercials that Harry Caray used to do.   Its entitled Cubs Fan And A Milk Man.

Cubs Fan And A Milk Man

By Jeff A. Wilson

My name is Brody Pozo

I'm only six months old

I love my mommy and my daddy and playing with my toys

Watching baseball with my grandpa and seeing Lou Piniella's boys

(Chorus) 

I'm a Cubs Fan and a Milk Man

Just a little Cubs Fan drinking my Milk, man

I'm a Cubs Fan and a Milk Man

Rooting for my Cubs the best that I can.

HEY HEY  Get up and say  HOLY COW

Continue reading "Cubs Fan And A Milk Man"

Within 24 hours, two of the most exciting players in the National League went on the shelf for the next month or so as both St. Louis Cardinals first baseman, Albert Pujols and Chicago Cubs left fielder Alfonso Soriano were injured in their respective games.   

Both of these injuries have the potential to be costly but I see the Chicago Cubs weathering their storm much easier than the St. Louis Cardinals will theirs.    I would like to see Lou Piniella bring up 2 players specifically.  Micah Hoffpauir and Matt Murton.   There had been some talk of Eric Patterson who does have the speed element that Soriano has but Patterson is another left handed bat like Hoffpauir.   Murton being right handed gives Lou the option of a Murton-Reed Johnson- Kosuke Fukudome outfield against lefties.   Lou could shuffle DeRosa to left and play Cedeno in the infield if he wants.  Hoffpauir is a given with the way he has swung the bat in the spring and in his short callup.  

Continue reading "Soriano breaks hand - out six weeks. What Lou should do in that time to keep train on tracks"

By Jeff A. Wilson

Chicago Cubs ace pitcher, Carlos Zambrano did yesterday what every good and successful pitcher in the big leagues does at some point in the season.  He went out there with subpar stuff and he battled and he scratched and he clawed his way thru a 130 pitch ( 2nd most in his career) performance throwing only 79 strikes, walking 4 and being constantly behind the hitters. He still found a way to limit the Dodgers to only one run on 4 hits over 8 grueling innings with men on base constantly.

It is easy to pitch when you have your best stuff, but when you have an umpire with a tight albeit according to K-Zone accurate strike zone and you feel you are being squeezed, it makes it that much tougher.   When Zambrano left after 8, the Cubs trailed in the ballgame by a 1-0 score and they managed to score the tying run off Saito, one of the better closers in the National League.   This setup the Cubs 9th inning where Geovany Soto lofted a flyball sacrifice fly to tie the game at 1 and send it to extra innings.   The Cubs held the Dodgers in their half of the 10th and then in the bottom of inning #10, a Mike Fontenot pinch hit double set up Alfonso Soriano to be the hero with his bloop single to left field scoring Fontenot with the winning run. 

Continue reading "Portrait of a Gutty Performance : Zambrano goes 8 and keeps Cubs in the game"

I have to disagree with those that say that the Jim Edmonds signing doesnt make sense and those that would really get down on it now with his 2-15 start.   There are numerous reasons why this DOES make sense for the Chicago Cubs

1) Experience-  it appears that you do not lose a lot defensively as evidenced by that incredible catch in Houston that saved 2 runs and the ballgame.  Pie is the better defender and has more speed on the basepaths for the Cubs to exploit there, however at the plate, Pie is lost.  He strikes out far too frequently and by doing that he limits how Piniella can use him.  He cant reliably be a hitter for the hit and run if he fails to make contact - he leaves the runner hung out to dry.  Edmonds on the other hand can give you the fly ball if you need it for a sacrifice fly or to move a runner from 2nd to 3rd. He can also hit the ball to the right side to move that runner along to 3rd.  This is assuming the worst case scenario, that he doesnt begin to hit for a reasonably high average.  Should he begin to hit, the Cubs have a nice set of people that could play center-  Edmonds, Johnson and Fukudome. If he doesnt hit, then he didnt cost them much. 

Continue reading "Why the Jim Edmonds Signing DOES Make Sense"