By: Chad Ruter
Give a big thanks to Scoutware for letting me have this nice laptop. It will allow me to work from home a little bit, and provides me a computer that A: Isn’t four years old; B: Doesn’t take 4 minutes to load up each web page; and C: Doesn’t sound like a Boeing 757 taking off out of O’Hare. So a big thanks Scoutware, this laptop will keep me sane for a good long while!
—–
Cubs: Alright, let’s get down to business. As I’m watching the Cubbies on my beautiful 42″ Vizio LCD, HDTV – I am sickened by what I see. Rich Hill was yanked after 2/3 of an inning tonight because he walked four batters, and nothing he was throwing was even close. Hill confuses the absolute hell out of me. His best pitch is his knockoff version of the “2002 Zito Curveball” (isn’t it bad when you have to specify a year with a guy?), yet when struggling mightily with his fastball, he continues to go to it time and time again. Why not throw the curveball a couple of times and see if he cant throw it for strikes, and let his fastball be his change of pace? Anyways, Sweet Lou yanked him early (personally, I would’ve left him in for one more batter, but I wasn’t mad about the decision) and Michael Wurtz got out of the inning with a pop-fly to shallow center in which Felix Pie and Ryan Theriot collided. This is the second consecutive day this has happened!! I could understand it to a point yesterday because it was Reed Johnson and Kosuke Fukudome, who speak different languages – even though Kosuke was clearly yelling “I got it” on the replay. Earlier this season, Zambrano almost got hurt because of a pop-up on the infield that he had to take himself because nobody else would come help him out. It’s a freaking epidemic!! Let me lay it out for you guys. In the outfield, if the centerfielder says something…it’s his ball. On the infield, if the shorstop says something, it’s his ball. THAT’S IT!! No questions ask. You screw this up, you’re on a bus to Iowa. Because if a guy gets hurt on an easy play because of your stupidity, you better check yourself into the witness protection program!
-How do I feel about Soriano coming back? Well, I’m wondering if we couldn’t send him AAA on a rehab assignment until he learns to lay off that low outside breaking ball everyone throws him!
-Thank God we have Carlos Zambrano. Not just for his pitching, but for his hitting as well. If a pitcher does get yanked early, it’s good to know we can still put quality hitters out there to pinch hit, and not have to utilize our valuable bench players that we’ll need later in the game.
-There are exactly two situations where I would pitch to Albert Pujols. Whenever the bases are empty, or whenever there is a runner on first. Any other situation…I walk him! Yes folks, I would walk his ass with the bases chucked. I’d do it in a heartbeat!! He’s the best hitter on the planet, and I’m sure as hell not going to let him beat me.
-Felix Pie just hit a double into left, and that marks the best swing he’s taken all year. To all Major League GM’s: The way the Cubs have handled young outfielders is not the way to do it. They’ve failed in the process of helping Pie grow, and by doing that, have all but destroyed his trade value. In all honesty, if they can still pull off the Pie for Khalil Greene trade, pull that trigger baby. You get a very valuable defensive shortstop who hit 27 homers last year, and could provide protection for your big hitters in the middle. Then you can trade Ryan Theriot (who’s got value in a trade to a place like San Francisco – a team desperate for infield help) and sign Kenny Lofton for the rest of the year to lead off (or bat second since God knows Soriano will never move out of there) and play CF. Pie has absolutely zero confidence, and not even his plus defense is making up for the absolute yack job he’s been at the plate.
-And for my closing thought: Don’t worry about Kerry Wood. He’ll be ok. (And yes, the pun was intended).
——
This Marvin Harrison shooting story absolutely stunned me when we saw it blow across the TV screen toward the end of the workday. Honestly, if you could put a group of five NFL players that would never find themselves in a situation like this, Harrison would undoubtedly be in that group, and may very well be the No. 1 guy, wouldn’t he?? A guy that is so focused on his job, quietly goes about his business, and never mocks his opponent gets into an argument with some dude at the bar, and this is the time he flips? My brain is still trying to process and think up a situation that could conceivably trigger Harrison to do something like this.
——
Why on earth did the Bears not take Brian Brohm in the second round of the draft? Does the front office really believe that either Rex Grossman or Kyle Orton is the QB of the future? Haven’t they done everything conceivable to prove the contrary to be true? Instead, we take some RB from freaking TULANE!?!?! I really hope they prove me wrong.
-Oh, one other draft note…the best player was taken 5th overall by the Kansas City Chiefs. Unless you’re drafting a QB, never draft for need folks.
——
My friend/coworker Derek made the comment the other day that the 2007/08 Lakers would blast the 90’s dynasty Bulls teams out of the water. Can I get some non-Bulls or non-Lakers fans to vote on this, please? Hell, Justin, gimme a hand here brother…I know you ain’t drinking that Kool-Aid. Now, if you wanna talk about the Shaq/Kobe Lakers, then I would guess the Bullies don’t win. But this Lakers team? Puhhh-lease.
——
You ask the people I worked with. I said that Yovanni Gallardo tore his ACL when he did that crow hop over Reed Johnson (that was interference by the way). Amazing that he stayed in to pitch. But the same day they lose one of their top-of-the-rotation pitchers, they get rid of Derrick Turnbow. That equals out in my book…and I’m really not joking.
——
Fantasy Update: I still remain in first place, but could make a couple moves to get better. I’m running with four closers right now, but that’s only a short-term idea. I’m currently winning 6-4 over DC (Derek Carroll) because of my monster homer night on Wednesday (5 hits, 4 homers, 13 RBI). With my ERA sitting just below the stratosphere, I’m going to make sure I win in some other categories.
