Tomorrow is the first of March. It is also the first spring training game for the Chicago Cubs.
I do not mean to place any significance on the game. It means nothing. It does not count. In many ways, it is just for fun.
In other ways, it is serious business. Piniella has already shown us what we expect to be the opening day lineup: Soriano – CF; Murton – LF; Lee – 1B; Ramirez – 3B; Barrett – C; Jones – RF; DeRosa – 2B; Itzturis – SS; Marquis – SP
Outside of the starting pitcher, this is what you can reasonably expect to see opening day, barring injury or last minute trade. Piniella has even stated what I did yesterday. He agreed his starting five would be Zambrano, Lilly, Marquis, Hill and Prior.
Okay, okay. Truthfully, he said the top four would be all but Prior, but you know if Prior is at all healthy this spring, that he will be number five. The Cubs are paying him too much to sit in the pen or toss in Triple A. Everyone in the country wants Prior in that rotation come the first of April.
Piniella is smart not to commit. Still, you can hear the wheels turning from here. Carrie Muskat quoted Piniella as saying, “He’s really done everything that everybody else has done. He’s right on schedule.”
That does not sound like someone who is going to send the big guy back to Triple A. That sounds like someone who wants to admit that Prior is number five, but is smart enough to hold back in case Jake Fox lines one off Prior’s groin.
There is so much to be excited about regarding the Cubs, I am even excited about the coaching staff. Gerald Perry has a great track record as a hitting coach from Seattle and Oakland. Mike Quade knows the young kids from Triple A and will be a huge asset.
If we could have found a new pitching coach, I would be in heaven. Rothschild has not shown much over the past few years. Nor has the training staff, including Dr. Adams and Mark O’Neal.
Still, I am no doctor, trainer or pitching coach. Rothschild is respected, even though the pitchers have fallen down in recent years. Surely Piniella would have found someone else if he believed Rothschild could not do the job.
Tomorrow, the expected starting lineup will hit the dirt running. Of course, they will only play for a couple innings, but it will be fun knowing a real game is in the making.
I will be at work, but when the clock strikes two, I will say a silent prayer for the team in Mesa. All we want is to see a good effort. Or maybe a strikeout by Marquis and a home run by Derrick Lee. Then we will feel much better.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Pitchers
In the last post, we talked about how Cubs Manager Lou Pinella has stated he would like to take thirteen fielders and twelve pitchers to Cincinnati for opening day. I discussed the many potential options that may happen in the next month that could help the roster fall into place.
Now, what about the pitching staff? Surprisingly enough, this is a simpler puzzle, provided everyone is healthy. That isn’t something we can always assume. Last year, we couldn’t even consider having everyone healthy.
If all the moons align, I expect the starting rotation to consist of Carlos Zambrano, Ted Lilly, Jason Marquis, Mark Prior and Rich Hill, but not necessarily in that order. Barring injury or a complete breakdown, these will be the five pitchers who will carry the Cubs to the World Series, maybe.
Zambrano said recently that if he can win 18-20 games and the other four can win 10-13 games each, there is no reason the Cubs can’t get to the World Series. I have to agree. The tough part is getting him the 18-20 wins and the other four to be healthy long enough to register 10 – 13 wins.
The bullpen should be a harder field to sort out, but it really is not that tough. Ryan Dempster will start the season as the closer. He may also end the season as the closer. He has the stuff and the mindset. Now if we can keep him interested.
Scott Eyre and Bobby Howry will be the primary setup men. Kerry Wood will get his chances. That leaves specialist Wil Ohman, long man Neal Cotts and a number of choices for the final spot.
The final spot could fall to whoever does not stink this spring. Likely candidates include Wade Miller, Michael Wuertz and Roberto Novoa. Longshot candidates include Sean Marshall, Jeff Samardzija, Ryan O’Malley or any of the other non-roster invitees.
Truthfully, the only non-rosters who have any chance to make the club are back-up middle infielders Tomas Perez and Bobby Hill. People will talk about the non-roster pitching candidates, but outside of Ryan O’Malley, I do not think any have a real chance.
The only other longshot for the roster would be if the Cubs traded someone and gained an experienced arm. It would take Jacque Jones and/or Michael Wuertz and or a prospect to land anyone this March, which is not out-of-the-question.
What is out-of-the-question is believing that Roberto Novoa or Wade Miller will bring the Cubs anything worthwhile in return. They may land an iffy Class A prospect, but that’s about all we can expect.
So Thursday is the big day. Let the games begin!!
Now, what about the pitching staff? Surprisingly enough, this is a simpler puzzle, provided everyone is healthy. That isn’t something we can always assume. Last year, we couldn’t even consider having everyone healthy.
If all the moons align, I expect the starting rotation to consist of Carlos Zambrano, Ted Lilly, Jason Marquis, Mark Prior and Rich Hill, but not necessarily in that order. Barring injury or a complete breakdown, these will be the five pitchers who will carry the Cubs to the World Series, maybe.
Zambrano said recently that if he can win 18-20 games and the other four can win 10-13 games each, there is no reason the Cubs can’t get to the World Series. I have to agree. The tough part is getting him the 18-20 wins and the other four to be healthy long enough to register 10 – 13 wins.
The bullpen should be a harder field to sort out, but it really is not that tough. Ryan Dempster will start the season as the closer. He may also end the season as the closer. He has the stuff and the mindset. Now if we can keep him interested.
Scott Eyre and Bobby Howry will be the primary setup men. Kerry Wood will get his chances. That leaves specialist Wil Ohman, long man Neal Cotts and a number of choices for the final spot.
The final spot could fall to whoever does not stink this spring. Likely candidates include Wade Miller, Michael Wuertz and Roberto Novoa. Longshot candidates include Sean Marshall, Jeff Samardzija, Ryan O’Malley or any of the other non-roster invitees.
Truthfully, the only non-rosters who have any chance to make the club are back-up middle infielders Tomas Perez and Bobby Hill. People will talk about the non-roster pitching candidates, but outside of Ryan O’Malley, I do not think any have a real chance.
The only other longshot for the roster would be if the Cubs traded someone and gained an experienced arm. It would take Jacque Jones and/or Michael Wuertz and or a prospect to land anyone this March, which is not out-of-the-question.
What is out-of-the-question is believing that Roberto Novoa or Wade Miller will bring the Cubs anything worthwhile in return. They may land an iffy Class A prospect, but that’s about all we can expect.
So Thursday is the big day. Let the games begin!!
Monday, February 26, 2007
On the Field in the Spring
We are now just three days (two days and twenty hours) from the first spring training game. As I said before, I know it does not matter, but I still am giddy.
Spring training is fun because you get to see and hear about people you hope you won’t think about until spring next year. People like Eric Patterson and Donald Veal. These two, and others, are the future of the Cubs. March is fun to think about the future of the Cubs. Once April hits, it is all about what is happening now.
That is not to say I do not look in on the minor league teams. My son and I took a couple trips to Peoria last year. We saw Ryan Norwood poke one out. We got a signature from Jody. Life is good in the minors!
Yet, as a Cub fan, I want the Cubs to go all the way. This is not the time for Patterson and Veal. This is the time of Soriano and Zambrano. This is the time for men. This is the time for the horses to run the race and cross the finish line first.
So when I think about the Cubs, I am looking realistically about who will be on the roster on opening day. Pinella has already said he wants thirteen fielders and twelve pitchers. That said, who will these likely be?
Catching is easy. There will only be two: Michael Barrett and Henry Blanco. If someone gets hurt, Geovany Soto is waiting in the wings. It may not be the absolute best catching team, but I would say they rank in the top five among the thirty teams in the majors.
The outfield is a little harder to sort. It all hinges on whether Alfonzo Soriano can play center field. If he can, everything starts to work out. If he can’t, General Manager Jim Hendry has some explaining to do.
The plan will be to have Matt Murton play most of the games in left, Soriano play everyday in center and Jacque Jones play everyday in right. Cliff Floyd will get plenty of time in left as well, getting into sixty to eighty games.
The question is, who will be considered the fifth outfielder? Of thirteen fielders, I expect there will be five outfielders, six infielders and two catchers. The Cubs signed Daryle Ward as a backup. Will he be considered the fifth outfielder or a sixth infielder, backing up Derrick Lee at first and helping a little in the outfield? Ryan Theriot and Mark DeRosa have been mentioned as outfield help. Maybe Ward will be the fifth outfielder and Tomas Perez or Bobby Hill will be a sixth infielder? Is there any room for Angel Pagan?
There are a lot of question marks in that last sentence, but I have to toss one more in the mix. Will Jacque Jones be traded? That would leave room for Angel Pagan, but only if he becomes a center field option and Soriano heads over to right. Or does DeRosa goes to center or right field and Theriot start at second?
Oops! One more question. What if the Cubs trade Jones for a bonafide centerfielder? Back to Iowa for Pagan?
Lots of outfield questions, and a couple of infield questions as well. Ramirez, Itzuris, DeRosa and Lee seem like a solid starting infield. Theriot seems to be the main back-up, along with Ward covering Lee. Still, I cannot see the team going to Cincinnati without a second infielder. Maybe Jones will be sent away for a new back-up.
It sounds like I want Jacque Jones to leave town, but really I don’t. He is just a logical choice for a last minute trade.
For a set thirteen, there seems to be a few questions to be answered in the next four weeks. Tonight, let me know what you think. Tomorrow, let’s look at the pitching.
Spring training is fun because you get to see and hear about people you hope you won’t think about until spring next year. People like Eric Patterson and Donald Veal. These two, and others, are the future of the Cubs. March is fun to think about the future of the Cubs. Once April hits, it is all about what is happening now.
That is not to say I do not look in on the minor league teams. My son and I took a couple trips to Peoria last year. We saw Ryan Norwood poke one out. We got a signature from Jody. Life is good in the minors!
Yet, as a Cub fan, I want the Cubs to go all the way. This is not the time for Patterson and Veal. This is the time of Soriano and Zambrano. This is the time for men. This is the time for the horses to run the race and cross the finish line first.
So when I think about the Cubs, I am looking realistically about who will be on the roster on opening day. Pinella has already said he wants thirteen fielders and twelve pitchers. That said, who will these likely be?
Catching is easy. There will only be two: Michael Barrett and Henry Blanco. If someone gets hurt, Geovany Soto is waiting in the wings. It may not be the absolute best catching team, but I would say they rank in the top five among the thirty teams in the majors.
The outfield is a little harder to sort. It all hinges on whether Alfonzo Soriano can play center field. If he can, everything starts to work out. If he can’t, General Manager Jim Hendry has some explaining to do.
The plan will be to have Matt Murton play most of the games in left, Soriano play everyday in center and Jacque Jones play everyday in right. Cliff Floyd will get plenty of time in left as well, getting into sixty to eighty games.
The question is, who will be considered the fifth outfielder? Of thirteen fielders, I expect there will be five outfielders, six infielders and two catchers. The Cubs signed Daryle Ward as a backup. Will he be considered the fifth outfielder or a sixth infielder, backing up Derrick Lee at first and helping a little in the outfield? Ryan Theriot and Mark DeRosa have been mentioned as outfield help. Maybe Ward will be the fifth outfielder and Tomas Perez or Bobby Hill will be a sixth infielder? Is there any room for Angel Pagan?
There are a lot of question marks in that last sentence, but I have to toss one more in the mix. Will Jacque Jones be traded? That would leave room for Angel Pagan, but only if he becomes a center field option and Soriano heads over to right. Or does DeRosa goes to center or right field and Theriot start at second?
Oops! One more question. What if the Cubs trade Jones for a bonafide centerfielder? Back to Iowa for Pagan?
Lots of outfield questions, and a couple of infield questions as well. Ramirez, Itzuris, DeRosa and Lee seem like a solid starting infield. Theriot seems to be the main back-up, along with Ward covering Lee. Still, I cannot see the team going to Cincinnati without a second infielder. Maybe Jones will be sent away for a new back-up.
It sounds like I want Jacque Jones to leave town, but really I don’t. He is just a logical choice for a last minute trade.
For a set thirteen, there seems to be a few questions to be answered in the next four weeks. Tonight, let me know what you think. Tomorrow, let’s look at the pitching.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Spring
January and February are always my toughest months. It is crazy.
Car trouble always hits during January and February. Illness usually hits during those months. Most family crises happen during the early part of the year.
Maybe it is because there is no baseball.
Somehow I can last through October because of the post season and November and December due to the hot stove. Lots of baseball happens during those months. January is a barren desert with an occasional oasis. February is similar, except the handful of stories about who is arriving in Arizona and Florida.
During January and February I have nowhere to hide. There are no fresh statistics in which I can hide my head. Even the winter leagues dry up after the first of the year. After the hot stove this year, the Cub roster is pretty much set.
Oh sure, the writers can talk about the crowded outfield and speculate about the pitching. There may be a surprise as there was last year when Marquis Grissom retired during the last week of spring, leaving a spot for Angel Pagan. There may be a last minute trade or two, like when we sent John Koronka to Texas last year. Still, those things generally happen in March. Barring a spring time injury (don’t say Wood or Prior), the Cubs pretty much have their twenty-five ready to go.
As I write this, according to www.bleedcubbieblue.com, there are four days, six hours and fifty minutes before the first spring training game. For one, I am holding my breath and waiting to hear the sound of the first pitch, and listening for the umpire to shout “play ball”.
Of course, spring training games are not real baseball. It is thirty-six days, five hours and now fifty-two minutes before the first pitch of real baseball. But March brings us closer to reality. I can live with spring training games until real baseball rolls around. I have made it through the past one hundred plus days since seeing the Cardinals pummel the Tigers. Four days are nothing.
That is four days, six hours and forty-three minutes. And counting.
Car trouble always hits during January and February. Illness usually hits during those months. Most family crises happen during the early part of the year.
Maybe it is because there is no baseball.
Somehow I can last through October because of the post season and November and December due to the hot stove. Lots of baseball happens during those months. January is a barren desert with an occasional oasis. February is similar, except the handful of stories about who is arriving in Arizona and Florida.
During January and February I have nowhere to hide. There are no fresh statistics in which I can hide my head. Even the winter leagues dry up after the first of the year. After the hot stove this year, the Cub roster is pretty much set.
Oh sure, the writers can talk about the crowded outfield and speculate about the pitching. There may be a surprise as there was last year when Marquis Grissom retired during the last week of spring, leaving a spot for Angel Pagan. There may be a last minute trade or two, like when we sent John Koronka to Texas last year. Still, those things generally happen in March. Barring a spring time injury (don’t say Wood or Prior), the Cubs pretty much have their twenty-five ready to go.
As I write this, according to www.bleedcubbieblue.com, there are four days, six hours and fifty minutes before the first spring training game. For one, I am holding my breath and waiting to hear the sound of the first pitch, and listening for the umpire to shout “play ball”.
Of course, spring training games are not real baseball. It is thirty-six days, five hours and now fifty-two minutes before the first pitch of real baseball. But March brings us closer to reality. I can live with spring training games until real baseball rolls around. I have made it through the past one hundred plus days since seeing the Cardinals pummel the Tigers. Four days are nothing.
That is four days, six hours and forty-three minutes. And counting.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Welcome
This is a new blog from Alexander Dimm. This one I call “A Dimm View of Baseball”.
If you have read any of “A Dimm View of Life”, you already know that I have been a lifelong Chicago Cubs fan, but this blog will not necessarily be only about the Chicago Cubs.
I will likely write about all clubs throughout the course of the season. You will hear about my son and I taking occasional trips to Peoria, Illinois to see the Chiefs, or to other ballparks. We may also take in a college game or two.
It is February and the teams are all gathering in Arizona and Florida, preparing for the new season. This is always an exciting time.
There will be websites and podcasts to share, wins and losses to discuss, trades to bicker about, etc.
You may learn more from other blogs, but you will not have more fun! This is strictly a fan’s view of baseball. It is going to be a long summer. Let’s sit back and enjoy!!
If you have read any of “A Dimm View of Life”, you already know that I have been a lifelong Chicago Cubs fan, but this blog will not necessarily be only about the Chicago Cubs.
I will likely write about all clubs throughout the course of the season. You will hear about my son and I taking occasional trips to Peoria, Illinois to see the Chiefs, or to other ballparks. We may also take in a college game or two.
It is February and the teams are all gathering in Arizona and Florida, preparing for the new season. This is always an exciting time.
There will be websites and podcasts to share, wins and losses to discuss, trades to bicker about, etc.
You may learn more from other blogs, but you will not have more fun! This is strictly a fan’s view of baseball. It is going to be a long summer. Let’s sit back and enjoy!!
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