Sports
Cubs are threatening to score double digit runs again having 7 runs through 5 innings in Arizona.
Only at the top of the fourth inning and two hours in to Cubs/Brewers game. Why so slow? Bad pitching and fielding, which is why any rule change MLB may make to require relief pitchers to face at least 3 batters is idiotic. You don’t want rules that keeps bad pitching in games, they will go on and on.
Nothing, not mound visits, and not replacing pitchers makes games go longer than continual walks and hits.
I find this article about how the Ricketts acquired the Chicago Cubs fascinating.
Warmest day so far and it happens to be in opening day. ‘nuf said. Go Cubs go!
Happy opening day! Looking forward to the Cubs starting the 2019 season this afternoon.
Only 14 days until the baseball season starts again. Go Cubs go!
It is nearly 40 degrees outside and the first Cubs spring training game is on the air. Spring is coming.
Smith, Baines elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
Smith, 61, retired after the 1997 season with more saves than any player before him. His saves still rank third all-time behind Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman. A seven-time All-Star and three-time Rolaids Relief Man Award winner, Smith led his league in saves four times, including a career-best 47 in 1991, and had 30-plus saves in 10 of his 18 seasons with the Cubs, Red Sox, Cardinals, Yankees, Orioles, Angels, Reds and Expos.
Lee Smith more or less ascended to the closer role after Bruce Sutter went to the Cardinals, and was the Cubs closer through my high school years. He was a classic power pitcher who occasionally would grove a fastball for a home run. Sutter is in the Hall of Fame and I think it’s right that Smith joins him.
The Packers have fired Mike McCarthy, which given they will not make the playoffs, is in my opinion the remaining best outcome for this season.
I am a long critic of McCarthy. I don’t like how he contributed to running Brett Farve out of town. The team has clearly regressed in the last few years and while there has been a depletion of talent, McCarthy did not adjust well the personnel that was available.
Aaron Rodgers has been playing hurt and there isn’t enough talent on the offense to help pick him up a bit. I expect that if the Packers lose a couple more games to be completely eliminated from the playoffs, Rodgers will go on IR.
The real downside is that all the injuries provide an excuse to keep Mike McCarthy.
Ten years ago I was bemoaning another Cubs playoff loss. Ten yeas later, another Cubs playoff series loss. Of course the big difference is that within those years the Cubs won it all. :)
So, it turns out the 2018 Astros were not any better than the 2017 Cubs.
Nothing is static, particularly baseball. It is not likely your team will be exactly the same, someone is going to get injured. More importantly, the competition is not going to stay the same, they are going to get better.
The gist of the articles currently being written about Aaron Rodgers and the Packers is that the Packers are wasting what time they have left with Aaron. Frankly, I had the same complaints about how the Packer’s treated the second half of Brett Farve’s career.
You have one of the best, if not the best, quarterbacks in the league, but you do not keep him surrounded by good talent. Good receivers, running backs, offensive line, or defense. You put in place a coach who frankly doesn’t appear to have a sense of urgency.
The Packers were very fortunate to have drafted Aaron and that he was better than they most likely thought when he was drafted. Most teams do not replace one hall of fame quarterback with another hall of fame quarterback. It is not likely they will do the same when it comes time for Aaron to step down, and that means that every season that Aaron plays in which you don’t win a Super Bowl could be another year added to many, many years of not winning one.
I disagree a bit with Epstein’s view on the leadoff spot in the Cubs lineup. It clearly has been a problem, but it is also about the 2nd spot. When the Cubs have had success it has been due to the catalyst in the 1 and 2 spots in the lineup.
Theo Epstein on the Cub’s hitters:
It’s probably time to stop evaluating this in terms of talent and start evaluating it in terms of production
Yes, exactly! Looking forward on the conclusions and actions taken as a result of such an evaluation.
Looking back, it occurs to me that my analysis of the Cub’s performance in last year’s playoffs might be applicable to this year too.
The Cubs did make moves to address their bullpen, but the closer the signed, who pitched for the Dodgers last year, is not playing due to injury. The closer’s backup is also not playing due to injury and the result is that all the remaining arms in the pen are doing things unexpected of them.
Overtime Baseball
The Cubs and Brewers are playing game 163 starting at 1 PM EST to determine who wins the NL Central division and who will have the best record in the National League and with it home field advantage through the NL portion of the playoffs.
On paper the game appears to come down to momentum versus experience. The Brewers have won seven straight to finish the season and force this game, while the Cubs have been in the playoffs the last three years and won the world series in 2016.
For me the Cub’s chances to win the game weigh heavily on Quintana’s ability to keep Lorenzo Cain off the bases so that he can pitch around Yelich. Cub’s need to hit and score runs early as the Brewer’s bullpen is superior and this most likely will turn in to a bullpen game early. The Brewer’s bullpen enables them to follow the same formula as the Royals did when they had their playoff runs.
Anxious to see how this turns out. While the Cubs at worse will end up with the second-best record in the NL, they go in to playoffs as the weakest team due to injury and the grind of playing on 40 of 41 days to end the season. In some ways this is a must win just to get a few days off, but I don’t think Maddon will manage in such a manner.
The Packers made an incredible comeback last night because of Aaron Rodgers. The fact that team is so dependent on one player is nearly negligent. Wouldn’t it be prudent to have an experienced backup?
Last night the Cubs played much better and broke out of a hitting slump to beat the Tigers 8 to 2.
I took pictures while at the Cubs/Tigers game last night.