Cubs for Breakfast

Cumann Daorchluiche Cubs na Chicago

Monday, February 28, 2005

The Monday After

It's the Monday after the Virtual Waiting Room Weekend.

Want to hear my ticket story? I’m sure you don’t, but too bad. I was after tickets for June 10th, the first game of the Red Sox series. As you probably know, that was the first series to sell out, and no, I did not get lucky. This left me with a dilemma when I finally got the chance to order tickets after four mind-numbing hours watching the PC screen.

Like many, I like baseball the way it was played when I first became a fan. I don’t actually like inter-league play, because of the unbalanced schedule, but I am only going to be in Chicago for about a week this year and it corresponds with the inter-league part of the schedule. On the other hand, I could probably stretch my trip by a day or two and go see the Marlins on the 13th. Trouble is, that’s a night game, and I like night baseball even less than inter-league play. So although the Marlins game would have been somewhat more meaningful, given the two teams’ history together and the fact that Florida should be an NL contender in ’05, I decided to go see the Blue Jays on the 8th in the sunshine with my Dad. We’ll sit in the same section (upper deck box) we sat in for the Cubs 16-15 victory over the Reds, when Bill Buckner and George Mitterwald both hit a pair of homers and both Reuschel brothers pitched, with Rick coming in to win the game in the 13th inning. We also had luck in that section last year, in another walk-off victory in extra innings.

In the Tribune today, we learn that Carlos Zambrano will start the Cubs’ spring opener against the Athletics on Thursday. Pitching coach Larry Rothschild also confirms that Ryan Dempster could be fifth-starter material. Could this mean that Joe Borowski truly is looking like his old self?

Meanwhile, in the Sun-Times, the Cubs have apparently denied that they are talking to Detroit and Oakland about their surplus closers, Ugueth Urbina and Octavio Dotel.

Friday, February 25, 2005

When I started Cubs for Breakfast on last November 1st, I imagined it would follow this news aggregation format up until the season started in April. Once the season starts, although there is a lot of news, it is almost all game news and we all have plenty of things -- like watching the actual games -- to focus our Cubs energy on. When the season starts, I thought, I would migrate to a more traditional blog format, flexing some writing muscles and including personal views and impressions of an overseas Cubs fan.

Although I've been on vacation the last 10 days, I've checked the headlines, and it seems all the stories from all the sources are the same - almost like during the season. Since it's been awhile, I'll go ahead and post some of today's headlines below. Over the next six weeks, I will continue to watch for significant (and, of course, obscure) news which I will pass on, but I will start experimenting with more personal blogging as well.

PS: I am going to skip the Sosa soap opera stories.

Herald
Borowski happy with early results (Miles)

Sun-Times
All in the Cubs family: Mia gets Wrigley honor (Kiley)

From around the country
Apparently, ESPN will be showing more baseball games this year, at least in April and May, due to the lack of hockey. Does that mean more analysts are needed? Today's New York Post says both Steve Stone and Eric Karros could land color jobs with the network shortly, and the Los Angeles Daily News confirms that Karros' is a done deal.

Monday, February 14, 2005

No news this morning, but an article making the rounds since Friday is enough to provide a little bit of cheer cheer to Cubs fans, if you haven't already seen it. The Arizona Republic reported that 15 members of the Cubs' spring roster arrived early last week, including Corey Patterson and Jason Dubois.

Oakland GM Billy Beane told the Athletics' fan fest that Octavio Dotel is not on the trading block, despite the Cubs' apparent interest in the closer.

Over the next week and half I will be offline more than usual, and so updates to this site will be few, and possibly, non-existent. In the meantime though, check the other sites in the Cubs Blog Army (listed on the right side of the page) for ongoing coverage of the Cubs.

Friday, February 11, 2005

Aramis Ramirez Wants a New Deal by April

According to this AP story, he's looking for four years and between $40 and $52 million in total.

Like you, I suspect, I would like to see A-Ram around for a long time to come and hope that this is one player the front office will make a long-term investment in. Jim Hendry doesn't like to do more than three years, but at this stage of his career, Aramis is worth going for four.

Thursday, February 10, 2005

Thumbs up: The Farns and His Dad to Detroit

Kyle Farnsworth drove me, along with everyone else, to distraction with his inconsistency on the mound, but I was probably one of the only fans who actually liked the hairstyle he wore last year. Wouldn’t look good on me, but the Farns pulled it off.

The Cubs gave up on him this winter and sent Kyle, his dad and his hair gel to Detroit for three prospects, including pitcher Roberto Novoa and Chicago area native Bo Flowers. There are rumors that this could be part one of a larger transaction that could add a premier reliever, but Jim Hendry says the team will be sending scouts throughout the Cactus and Grapefruit leagues this spring to identify guys to go after later. (What's that about Kyle's dad? Nothing, only that the guy seems to be vicariously involved in his son's career, always talking to the press, as in today's Sun-Times piece, and apparently getting a mention from Dusty Baker early last year when the manager referred to a discussion with one of the players' father about the boy's maturity level.) Good luck in the Motor City, Mr. Farnsworth.

The Dayton Daily News has a story on Ohio resident Scott Williamson, who signed a minor league deal with the Cubs this off season following his second Tommy John surgery in October (which followed a season of pitching in pain for the Red Sox). The site requires visitors to register, so I’ll pass on a few bits of it here:

Even though the Red Sox said Williamson would be on the postseason roster, he decided during the last series that he would go back to Cincinnati for surgery. "I loved Boston," he said. "I loved the aura and the fans. But I didn't want to risk my career any longer."

Williamson was a free agent and wanted to get back to the National League Central, where he began with the Cincinnati Reds. The Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals and Houston Astros all called.

He expects to be ready to pitch in the majors by mid-May or June.

The Arizona Republic says Cubs spring training game ticket sales are up 12%, and that they are considering putting up temporary bleachers to boost capacity on weekends.

Down in Louisiana, Todd Walker country, one of the local papers talks to another second baseman in the Cubs organization, newly acquired minor leaguer Mike Fontenot, who came over from Baltimore in the Sosa deal.

Wednesday, February 09, 2005

Relief Needed

Relief from the tedium of early February, relief in the bullpen -- we need it all.

Cubs message boards are passing on rumors from local broadcast reporter Bruce Levine that a big change in the Cubs' bullpen will be made in next day or two. I can't find anything similar in today's papers, although the Sun-Times' Chris De Luca discusses the closer situation in this morning's column and repeats again that the team is pursuing Robb Nen.

For those message board posters more worried about the outfield than the bullpen, Ken Rosenthal at the Sporting News speculates on what it would take from the Cubs to get Aubrey Huff from the Devil Rays.

If you look around, there are several columns and soft news pieces that discuss, in part, Sammy Sosa's upcoming transition to a new club. If you are like me, you'll find these depressing. But only because we are so tired of reading about him this winter.

Desperate times call for desperate measures: Tom Goodwin is the last 2004 Cub to secure a job for '05. Tampa Bay extended a minor league deal to the perennial bench warmer yesterday.

Who is more desperate then? The Devil Rays, for taking a flyer on Goody? Or Cubs for Breakfast, for scrounging the tiniest crumbs of Cubs news and calling it a meal?

Monday, February 07, 2005

Super Bowl Monday is not usually a good day for finding baseball news, and this year is no different from others. Besides the Magglio Ordonez signing by the Detroit Tigers, very little is going on and not much that includes the Cubs.

This is how cold the hot stove is: out-of-town columnists dedicate columns to pointless interviews with bench coaches (in this case, the Cubs' Dick Pole).

Somewhat more interestingly, the Orioles' Larry Bigbie Jr. told his hometown paper in Lake County, Indiana, how both he and Jim Hendry wished he was included with Hairston in the Sosa deal.

Friday, February 04, 2005

This Morning's Menu

Even if Jim Hendry is done dealing, which I doubt, there is plenty to speculate about the Cubs prior to pitchers and catchers reporting to Mesa in what, 11 days?

Today's menu of crystal ball gazing includes:

Kyle Farnsworth is on the block?

Hairston Jr. as the everyday lead-off man?

The ghost of Steve Stone will haunt Wrigley Field?

Camden Yards will be a "paradise" for Sammy Sosa?

Thursday, February 03, 2005

No Sammy, None of the Time

I have not posted much this week mostly because of outside factors, but the Sosa story is a contributing one. I’m uncomfortable about the trade and sad to see Sammy go despite the fact that I know it was the best thing to do. There’s been a Sammy Sosa poster on a bedroom wall in my house for seven years, and even though its owner is now old enough to understand the situation with the player and the team, I’m glad that our last visit to Wrigley Field ended with a 10th inning Sosa walk-off homer to beat the Astros 5-4 (on July 1st last year).

Herald
Newcomers set pressure gauge at low (Miles)
Neither happy nor sad, Cubs says it's time to move on (Miles)

Tribune (Reg. Req.)
Joyous Sosa joins Orioles, sidesteps Cubs questions (Mitchell)
Baker eager to clear the air with Sosa (Sullivan)
Burnitz takes Sosa's spot on field, not in clubhouse (Sullivan)

Southtown
This Bird has flown (Vorva)
Sosa moves into 'new house'
Team player? Consider new Cub Burnitz just that (Vorva)
Hendry passes on Maggs (Vorva)


Wednesday, February 02, 2005

Sammy Sosa’s deal is expected to be finalized today, after which the Cubs apparently plan to announce the signing of Jeromy Burnitz to a one-year deal with a second year mutual option. Cubs fans will want to know if that’s the end of the off season as far as roster moves are concerned, and I predict that Jim Hendry will say just that. But he always says he’s content with “the roster we have now”, and remember Greg Maddux was signed only a day before spring training in 2004, so I’ll continue to look out for news and rumors on the ever-cooling hot stove.

Herald
Sosa's physical expected today; Burnitz signing near (Miles)

Sun-Times
Burnitz waits in wings (Kiley)

Tribune (Reg. Req.)
Next up for Cubs? Signing of Burnitz (van Dyck)
Sosa is 'ready to win crowd' (Mitchell, et al)
Favored treatment for Orioles denied (Hirsley)
WSCR close to Stone deal (Sherman)