Len & Bob's baseball blog

i just saw the preview for the game today on a commercial on tv and it said something on to the fact that "derreck lee leads the red hot cubs against pujols and the surging cards" first off all the cubs are everything but red hot,they have been playing bad baseball for awhile now,big deal we have won two in a row,and second d.lee is not even close to being hot,he aint even warm and i hope he gets is act together and quit acting like sosa after he got hit in the head.like i said lastnight,pitchers have figured him out some,plus he needs to be more aggresive and expand his strike zone,it looks as if he is just looking for a walk now and only swinging after he has two strikes on him when its much harder to get a hit then and it still believe this but i did forget to mention this funk he is in is after chris young hit him near the head,just like sosa years ago,and just like soriano went into a skid after hudson came high and tight on him this year.its a shame pitchers do that and it should be absolutly unacceptable to hit a guy in the head cuz you can see the after effects of the player along with the obvios,it could be much worse like a career ending injury,i think fines and suspension should MUCH MUCH MORE stiffer then they are now to the pitcher that does it.anyway go cubbies,get em again today anyway you can!!!

"My Game Notes"

Props to Jacque Jones for his strong second half so far. It would have been easy for him to hang his head after the new ownership vetoed Hendry's trade of Jones to Florida.

Anyone else notice that Cedeno is rotting at the end of Lou's bench. Why not send him down for some AB's?

Even though we are in 1st place, in the worst division in baseball, it still would have been nice to see Hendry add another starting pitcher. Pretty obvious he was told he couldn't go after anybody because of the uncertainty of our future ownership.

One thing I'm not looking forward to tomorrow is having to listen to John Miller and Joe Morgan on ESPN. Morgan is the most arrogant human being i've ever listened to on the air. Miller is well past his prime, and spends the whole broadcast buttering up Morgan and telling him how great he is. According to Morgan, no player is as good as they were when he played, and no one is ever worthy enough to be in the Hall of Fame. He would lock the doors to Cooperstown if he could.

WHERE IS THE GAME!!!!and why am i watching the tiger-yankee game on fox,im starting to get nervous here i cannot find the game on anywhere else on directtv,is there a rain delay im hoping?

YES!!!,WAY TO GO BIG D.WARD!!!
lets win this one for floyd,are thoughts and prayers are with you.

Len and/or Bob:

On a day like today when FOX is doing the game what do you guys do? Are you at the park or on the couch? Must be interesting to watch the game and not have to do the coors light cold blast to the booth.

Mike

I don't see how anybody can complain about D-LEE the guy is hitting 316 and playing great defense..as for JONES he's playing great because PIN sat him down for a month and he knows if he stops hitting the ball PIN will make him sit another month!!(something Baker wouldn't do)We got two great wins from two young pitchers...I don't see how anybody can complain about anything...the CUBS are doing real good right now.....
GO CUBS GO

well, what a day today - i bet by tomorrow's game the cardinal fans will be ready for us - but if the shoe were on the other foot they would love it - i wish we do as well tomorrow, i agree with brad about morgan and miller, i do wish it was on wgn instead. good luck to us all.

I agree with the others who have commented on not liking ESPN announcers calling the game. The last time against the Mets I started counting the times John Miller said Tom Glavine's name within a 5 minute period. I know he was going for his 300th win, and I commend him on that, but Miller made it sound like Tom could leap tall buildings with a single bound and stop freight trains as well!..Kerry Wood's relief outing in that game (his first outing) was shadowed out by "Tom Talk" which upset me... LORD! Miller even thought the standing ovation cubs fans were giving Kerry Wood as he walked onto the mound was for Glavine!
Anyway, that is rant one, here is number 2....Bob and Len I cannot stand it when you two arent doing the games! Today on Fox, you could almost tell that Joe Gerardi (I forgot the other guys name) were rooting for the cards instead of being impartial, (which they should be in my opinion more so than you guys who spend the season traveling with the team) An example of this was their discussion of Yadier Molina's 53% rate at getting out runners stealing second base and then mentioning a few times that Jason Kendall is 0 for 33 so far as a cub. I would like to point out something concerning this.Jason Kendall is a ten year veteran of the game,if he sees someone trying to steal second, its automatic that he is going to throw the ball...there has to be someone there to catch it however!...He did not have the luxury of spending spring training with Theriot, Fontenot and Derosa working with them to get the tag out throws down on runners stealing bases! I believe that his numbers are bad because Theriot and Fontenot (and Derosa, when he is playing second) are not getting into position to get the ball and make the out. Bob, if you can go into this more sometime during a broadcast and give your opinions on this I certainly would like to hear them, since you were a catcher. Yes it didnt look good today seeing that throw from Kendall go flying into the outfield and the runner advancing to third, but I dont think it would have happened if someone would have been there to recieve the ball! ....anyway, that is rant number 2, I am glad that we have taken two from the cards so far and here is hoping that between Zambrano and Lilly, we can get a sweep of this series!

Good Morning! WooHoo Cubbies!!!

What a L O N G afternoon yesterday. Just wanted to get past the 5th while we were in the lead before they had to roll out the tarp. Only option to watch the game was on Fox, who ended coverage after the rain delay in the 8th, so had to either keep Gameday up or keep an eye on ESPN's ticker, lol. Is this obsessive? Sometimes I wonder. :)

Leo, I agree with you about the need to come down harder with fines/suspensions when those kinds of throws are determined to be intentional ... and should also apply to personal fouls, such as when Fontenot got slammed at second base. I don't know how long those close calls affect a player, but I think D.Lee is just fine. He's had many close calls to the head before, and he most likely has always known it could always happen again. I LIKE the patience D.Lee has at the plate...other batters can learn a lot from him. Much better to walk than strike out. D. Lee is the team Captain, isn't he? I've always understood that his importance to the team (aside from at-bat performance) is also due to the leadership he brings to the team--a calming presence, quiet strength, and a great attitude--and we always know he's just one hit away from being hot again, right?

Let's keep it going Cubbies! We love ya!

Rosie
(Illinois native stranded in Missouri)

yes i agree it is much better for him to walk and i dont have any idea if his slump was a after affect of young htting him,i just thought id mention it cause so many ballplayers go into a slump after a pitch like that,also it looks as if d.lee has got his swing back as of yesterday,nice to see him hit those outside pitches for hits instaed of taking them or fouling them off.

WOO HOO Cubbies!! There's nothing sweeter than spanking the Cards around....unless, of course, the Spew Crew is stumbling as well. SWEETNESS!!!

Okay, a couple points to pick on....ARE WE DONE BOOING JACQUE JONES NOW?? Has he proved himself ENOUGH?? Because that would be nice.

CAN WE STOP BITCHING ABOUT JIM HENDRY NOW?? Z said it himself -- this deal wouldn't have gotten done at all if it weren't for the great relationship he has with Hendry. All some do is bitch about everything they think Jim does "wrong," and then they grudgingly give him credit when he does something "right." I've said it before, I'll say it again -- Jim ain't perfect (as none of us are), but he gets it right more than most. I'm glad he's on our team -- I don't care what the pissers and moaners say....YOU ROCK, JIM!!

Don't even get me started on the ESPN Sunday night crew. My feelings about them have been well-documented here, and I won't rehash them now....I actually found myself relieved when the game was postponed, as I'm assuming we won't have to suffer them when it's replayed. That's sad.

People, are we honestly bitching about DLee?? You've gotta be kidding me....the guy goes through a slump (as all hitters do at some point), and you're ready to throw him under the bus. Gimme a break!! Apparently, if he isn't going 3-for-4 every game, he sucks, right? PLEASE.

Okay, enough bitching about the bitchers from me (for now). :) Let's go for the quasi-sweep today, boys!!!!

to bad big Z DIDNT GET TO GO THE DISTANCE,he was pitching well,oh well lets get the shortended series SWEEP!!!!!!

yes i was bit#### about d.lee as carrie put it,others have too on here and on other blogs,this aint the only blog ya know!its ok for us to ride jones all season and last season but its not ok to mention's lee's problems at the plate?i dont care if lee is the superstar,they all are on the same team too me.and i wasnt putting lee down,i was simply pointing out a few issues you can EASILY SEE when you watch d.lee bat lately and just cause he went 3-4 the other night doesnt mean he is outta his slump,i hope he is and for those of you saying he isnt in a slump his average has dropped nearly .36 points over the last month,i love the guy,he is my favorite player but c'mon people tell it like it is.

also few other points to make,i dont recall saying anything about throwing lee under the bus as one put it second kendalls throws have been way off,i dont care if someone wasnt there or not,most of the time there has been someone there,when a catcher is 0-31 or whatever it is there is obviosly a problem with HIM (not the ss or 2nd basemen) throwing out runners.i do agree he brings leadership and is a vetaren of the game,and is also a very good defensive catcher as far as pitch calling,blocking balls in the dirt etc.

Tell it like it is?
If ALL the CUBS were batting 316 like D-LEE we would be in first by many many games.He will probably end the season hitting 316....that's how steady he is.Consiering Kendall is on a new team I think he is doing excellant.
GO CUBS

Calm down, Leo....yes, I'm well aware there are other blogs out there, and more than aware you're not the only one bitching about DLee. I only post on this blog because I think most of the others are run by idiots with opinions and time on their hands....I choose to spend what little time I have with the pros. My rant was never pointed at YOU -- it was pointed at the sports world at large, who rants and raves about every little ebb and flow like it's the end of the world. Yes, sometimes you resemble those folks, and if you took it personally, maybe that's because I struck a chord. Only you can decide that for yourself.

I simply have NO FRIGGIN PATIENCE for those who don't believe a baseball season and a baseball player's season both have natural ebbs and flows....peaks and valleys....high times and low times. What matters is the end result, and sometimes you can get an idea of what that's gonna be along the way....most of the time, you can't. Yes, DLee's average has dropped a ton -- did anyone really think he was gonna keep hitting at a .340 clip all year? I didn't. I'll bet DLee didn't either....because we're realists. Would that be nice? Sure! But is his year failure because .340 didn't last? NO! I'll take him hitting .316 and eating up everything coming his way at first ANYDAY. So would most others.

And no, I don't think the way Jones has been treated by the fans over the past couple years is "okay"....I think it's crap. I've said it before a hundred times, I'll say it again....REAL FANS DON'T BOO. Period! Be critical, sit on your hands, and go ahead and bitch about it -- fine. But I have never, and WILL NEVER think it's okay to boo your team or your players, in any situation, ever. But at least when people booed him in the past I understood it -- now people boo him (I think) just because they're used to it, or something. SHUT UP already....if you're just gonna boo for the sake of hearing yourself boo, stay home and open up some tickets to those of us who truly support the team and its players. I know I'm gonna catch flack for having this attitude, but I'm just damn sick of it.

Now you can go back to shouting about whatever you were shouting about before if you want....I'm not saying you (and others) don't have good points, you do. I agree with your take on Kendall, and I can really appreciate those opinions when they're presented in a calm, well-thought-out manner. I think Dempster is a crappy closer, and there are other issues on the team too. I'd love to see us all just take a breath, gain a little perspective, and think about what we say rather than spewing loud, frantic opinions just because we can.

Okay, enough from me already. :) GO CUBBIES!!!

carrie,i hate to argue with fellow cub fans,and i guess we really aint we are just trying to get are points across,yes there are some on this blog that get overexcited or whatever you wanna call it,and i at times am one of them,i can think of others on here too like you said,bottom line is we are in the middle of a peenat race starving for a world series so at times i get a little out of control with stuff,im not really bit####,im just pointing things out cause i want this damn n.l. pennat this year like i want a job making a million dollars a year.you get the point,we are both passinate cub fans so ill ileave it at that,go cubs!

one more thing,i think lenny c. on here is a little more outspoken then me,sorry bud,i love ya but i had to point it out,lol.