A manufactured run! DeJesus started the game with a double, was pushed over to third (perhaps unintentionally, but still!) by Barney and then Castro knocked him home with a long RBI sacrifice flyball to right - I could almost have cried! Sadly, the Cubs needed two more of them in order to take out the Brewers.
Ryan Dempster pitched another baseball gem and James Russell, Kerry Wood (3 K's in the 8th!), along with Carlos Marmol kept the game close. Even though the Cubs had a couple of chances to score the tying run in the 8th and 9th innings, a sad realization kept over me as I began to feel the weight of just how crappy this 2012 Cubs team is with the bat at this time. For purely selfish reasons I hope the bats of LaHair, Stewart, Byrd and the rest come alive, but right now, ugh!
Ohhh, Maholm! It is way too early to tell if Paul Maholm will be one of those players who was a Cubs killer when he played for another team, but then upon putting on the Cubbie Blue, was downright awful -- I'm thinking of Jeff Blauser, Todd Hundley, Mel Rojas, etc. Nonetheless, the Brewers were all over Maholm hitting shot after shot to the deepest parts of Wrigley. Thankfully, strong winds kept most of the balls in play for long warning track outs, but several escaped into the stands. It got so bad that Bob Brenly wondered if the Brewers had figured out a hitch/tell in Maholm's pitching motion for upcoming change-ups.
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Bob Brenly was astonished that there was no reaction to Aramis Ramirez ("positive or negative") when he stepped into the batter's box in the first inning. The camera showed a lady wearing a Cubs Ramirez jersey going nuts, but everyone else just sat mostly in silence. The biggest reaction to a Brewers player was for Ryan Braun in his first road game following the infamous overturn of his 50 game suspension for a positive steroid test. The true highlight of the night was for the first 10,000 people who showed up at Wrigley as they received a Cubs Puffy Ball Winter Hat. I hope this becomes a regular giveaway because along with the Floppy Hat, I'm feeling some major love for the Puffy Ball Hat!
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Is pitching a nine-inning game a skill that can be taught or is it something that has been learned by experience? Jeff Samardzija made his first start since 2010 and pitched brilliantly through eight innings, but his demeanor on the mound noticeably changed when he took the mound for the ninth inning. Bob Brenly pointed out that Samardzija could "smell the finish line" and that he "needed to focus on each at bat and every pitch" -- after two quick outs, unfortunately human nature took over. After a Castro throwing error to allow a baserunner, Samardzija tried to sneak just one more fastball by a ready Adam LaRoche who deposited the pitch in the right field bleachers. Mercifully, Carlos Marmol came in got the save to preserve Samardzija's win, but only after throwing way too many pitches.
The other Cub who played a huge role in getting the win was Alfonso Soriano! I have been quick to come down hard on our extremely overpaid leftfielder, but he had a fabulous catch in left AND knocked in both go-ahead runs. Have to give credit where it is due -- keep it up Alfonso!
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Up until the 8th inning, the game was great! The Cubs were flying around the bases, Garza (other than the 2-run homer) was fully in command, and good defense -- even from Soriano!
Sad to say, but after getting the first two outs of the inning, Kerry Wood opened the floodgates as Nationals jerseys circled the basepaths again and again and again. Carlos Marmol turned in another awful performance and all that were watching this bullpen blowup kept asking, "where is Sean Marshall?"
I know it's only the second game of the season, but given how the first 10 games of the season do set the tone for the year, why not be a tad more aggressive with warming up relievers and having relief pitchers available to avoid the hitting avalanches? Anyway, I'm still riding the high of BASEBALL IS BACK and will quickly look past this loss, but still, get some guys up and start tossing before 3 runs score.
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One thing is clear: if indeed this is to be a season of loss upon loss, then we need more Bill Murray! Not every single game mind you, but how about every other series and Murray can drop in and out of the booth whenever he pleases. For those of you who did not watch the WGN telecast, Murray threw out the opening pitch and then sat with Len & Bob for a full entertaining inning before Len (for some unknown reason) thanked Bill and basically asked him to take off.
Complain all you want about Soriano's attempted steal of third, but to me, the dumbest decision of the game came when Sveum took out Dempster in the 8th with 2 outs. The wind was blowing in, Dempster was in complete control, and given the Spring Training bullpen woes, why over-manage and ruin the flow of the game? As much as I love Kerry Wood, why not have somebody else warming up -- like Sean Marshall (oh wait ...). Anyway, that is my only complaint.
Otherwise -- Baseball is back! Wrigley Field looked great! I look forward to spending a game or two in the newly remodeled right field bleachers! I like the new scoreboard in right and ivy is already growing on the outfield wall! I'm up for whatever 2012 holds for our beloved Cubs!
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As the excitement builds for Saturday's college football extravaganza with Northwestern and Illinois playing at Wrigley Field, the Chicago Tribune has decided to prominently feature a downer article by Steve Chapman stating the (way too obvious) reasons for demolishing Wrigley Field. The fuel for Chapman's desire to take a wrecking ball to Wrigley lies in his assertion that $300 million of government dollars is too much to give to a private organization (particularly with a crumbling resource) in this era of deficits and recession. Chapman also prominently lifts the success of the Cowboys and Yankees new facilities, but fails to mention the public financing that went into making those stadiums a reality. Finally, Chapman pisses all over his Chicago readers by proudly claiming that the last time he was at Wrigley, he was wearing a Cardinals cap. Dude, enough already ...
What Chapman and other Wrigley haters fail to realize is that Wrigley Field is an underutilized resource in an important northern neighborhood of Chicago. Tom Ricketts is actually doing a hell of a job giving the reasons why this $300 million is not money wasted (watch the two-part video below), but an investment in an important Chicago tourist destination as Wrigley Field is ranked third in the state of Illlinois in attendance numbers. In this "we need more jobs right now!" era, what better use of $300 million than to infuse Wrigley with some modern amenities, build the triangle building with a full kitchen for more gameday cuisine options, expand player/clubhouse resources, a museum and store that would remain open year-round -- along with (perhaps the best reason) the assurance that Chicago Cubs will continue to play at the now almost 100 year old Wrigley Field on Clark & Addison for the foreseeable future.
Although slowly changing for the better, ride the Red Line just a few stops north of the Addison stop and one quickly realizes what the Wrigleyville neighborhood could become without a prominent fixture like a major league ballpark. Even though the Ricketts family constantly assures Cubs fans that Wrigley Field would never be demolished on their watch, the realist in me quickly figures out that if the ballpark sunk to the poorest of conditions and had to be torn down, the possibility of a new, full-amenities ballpark being built on the limitations of the land that Wrigley Field now occupies would never happen. The Cubs would probably move further north -- way north -- like Gurnee or to a northwestern location at some convenient exit off of Interstate 90. Let's hope it never comes to that as old neighborhoods (and yes, Wrigleyville, even with the new construction, is an old neighborhood) need the foundations on which their communities are built. Wrigley Field anchors the north side of Chicago and will remain standing for my and your lifetime. Knowing this, let's all agree to limit any further conversations about demolishing Wrigley Field to the back pages of the Chicago Tribune, the discussion/comments sections of lame Internet sites and blogs like this one, and bars on the South Side. In the meantime, enjoy watching Wrigley Field get dolled up for football.
Watch the full 20 minute interview with Tom Ricketts after the jump to the next page. [Click to Continue…]
Well, that was cute. If you are in need of a baseball/Cubs fix, then consider this little TV show. Undercover Boss had Todd Ricketts selling hot dogs, cleaning the bathrooms, preparing the field, etc. and the full episode is now up and ready for streaming (click here to watch). Todd claims that he went undercover [...]
Dallas Green (currently the Senior Advisor to the General Manager of the Phillies and former Cubs GM) reportedly claims that Ryne Sandberg is bitter about the Cubs decision to go with Mike Quade as manager for 2011. As happy as I am about Quade remaining as manager, I am still (even a month later) somewhat [...]
![Post image for Enough Already … [Why Wrigley Field Is Here to Stay]](http://miserablecubsfan.com/pics/2010/PurpleWrigley.jpg)
