Len & Bob's baseball blog

Have there been any talks about moving Carlos Marmol into a starting position instead of dominating in the bullpen? He has been lights out. Although his time starting last year didn't go so well, the entire team underperformed.

His passion seems to be likened to that of Big-Z and the Cubs need someone to start pumping things up

I just have a comment for len, dude stop jinxing the cubbies with the crap you say man. It doesnt matter if you believe in jinxing, many cubs fans who watch do believe in that...you do it all the time..."Ramirez is 7 for 10" or "Woody Williams leads the league in homers given up" stop jinxing dude

why wasn't fontenot in the line up today against a righty and is there a correlation between his lack of playing time as a starter and their augudt slide?? thanks. you guys are the best.

I know that last year and until the All Star break this year I've been hard on Jauque Jones, but I have to admit he's playing his rear off now. He's hitting and fielding. If Monroe and Jones both hit like they did in the AL, this team wins the division, as Lee/Ramirez will have protection in the lineup. Keep it up fellas, and you'll be playing in October.

Hey Guys, I was just wondering if Eric Munson was the son of the great Thurman Munson?

c'mon Jacque Jones is going to get somebody in the outfield hurt; he is not a very smart baseball player...fortunately for the Cubs neither Soriano nor Theriot were hurt. I would still trade Jones.

First of all Jack... JACQUE has saved us a bunch of runs the last month and a half!!! He's been our BEST outfielder. Cut him some slack. Second.. WHEW!!!!!!!!!! I was on my second bottle of the PINK STUFF when LEE hit that homer.
And BOY DID WE NEED THIS ONE!!!
Way to go men... way to go!!!

take that w flag and signe it then sell to the highest bidder. give the money to lee cure for eyes. in his daughter name. as the year goes on so will the price go up. the last on could fetch apretty penni. ton

WooHoo!!! 'high five' What a great win...what a comeback! D.Lee, MURTON, Dempster...the whole team. We love ya!!

GO Cubs GO!

Len and Bob...regarding the Jones diving catch in today's game: is there a rule of thumb as to who should yield to whom in that example? Seems to me Soriano and Jones have had several close calls out there, but it's got to be awfully tough to back off when you know you can make the catch.

Thanks,
Rose, Central Missouri

I AM NOT A KENDALL FAN 1 FOR 43 SAYS IT ALL.......

i was mad today when rammy got tossed,but looking back at the replays of it and knowing we won it is pretty funny,you dont see ramirez getting tossed hardly ever,i would almost bet in his whole career with the cubs he has prolly only been tossed a handfull of times,if that..............im just going by what i remember through the years i could be wrong i dont know where you would look up a stat like that,but i just dont recall him being tossed hardly ever,him or d.lee.
hopefully like len said during the game we surely dont want to see ramirez getting a suspension,man would that hurt,huge win though,what a game by d.lee.

i like the fact that trachsel is starting,that way we dont have the two leftys going back to back,actually all three,lilly,hill and marshall all pitch alike,so i like this move by the cubs.only thing is i hope steve has sped up his delivery some,i remember watching some of his games years ago and he is as bad vincent padilla trying to "lull the batters to sleep" but it has a worse effect on the defense,so hopefully he can speed things up a bit,but im all for him starting,not to take nothing away from marshall but two leftys going back to back and them both pitching alike sometimes is a recipe for disaster,all though i dont remember it having a negative effect this year so far..........who knows,anyhow go cubs go!!!

I agree 100% with Scott Buchanan. Occasionally you guys will practically gauruntee that the Cubs will win, and it seems like every time you do that we lose. If you could hear all the Cubs fans shouting "Shut UP!" at their televisions five or six times every game then you would stop.

Also, the fact that you constantly jinx the Cubs makes it seem like you guys are not Cubs fans and do not identify with Cub fans. We've had enough dissapointment to know better than to be overly confident of victory. Go Cubs!

When is Lou going to stop playing ball, ball, who gets the ball ? When is he, Lou, going to realize that bringing in Dempster in a tight game is as skating on thin ice ? Both Marmol and Howry have better control and are far more effective than Dempster. Dempster has a manner, lately, of throwing and hoping. As you well know, it only takes one run to win or lose a game. Hey Lou, this is September and the Cubs are in a race for the Division win. Every game is as important as the next. Please consider the use of Howry and Marmol in the tight situations and only use Dempster as you do Eyre.

My wife Becky and another couple are attending the game on September 3rd. We are from South Bend, IN. We desperately need a Cubs win after attending the ND vs. Georgia Tech game in South Bend this past Saturday.

i am glad to see the cubs bump marshall to the pen, i have thought for a long time he has been off his game for a nicer term, he needs some more seasoning in my opinion, trachsel will be fine for now but next yr we need to go out and try to find another #5 or trade route, or maybe keep trachsel there

It's clear to me that there should be co-MVP's for the Cubs this year, Ryan Theriot and Carlos Marmol.

Ryan has brought a level of enthusiasm and energy to the club that has been missing. He is the consumate team player, almost always having a quality at bat. His sense on the field is like a ten year veteran. He's been responsible for starting many of the rallies. He should hit lead-off regardless of what Soriano likes. Soriano swings at a lot of junk breaking balls. He would see far fewer of these if Ryan was on the bases and Lee was the next batter. This is a no brainer.

As for Carlos, he has been nothing short of spectacular the entire year. His ability to stop potential rallies has been evident all year. His "stuff" reminds me of F. Rodriguez of the Angels, and he will be the future Cubs closer.

If anyone doubts the allegiance of Len and Bob, just listen to the shout of elation that came out of Len as he was calling the game when D.Lee hit his homer...although I could barely hear him over my own screaming. What a thrill.

I understand the concern about being overly confident...but lets be careful not to lean too far in the other direction either and become too negative and fearful. We need to TRY to keep it in perspective. Being optimistic, hopeful and positive is not synonymous with being overly confident. Len and Bob share stats, both favorable AND unfavorable. Instead of fearing the power of a possible jinx, how about trying to 'send' some of the possible power in positive thinking?

Again with the Jinxing. The fourth inning of the home opener with the Dodgers just ended. With runners on 1st and 2nd and 2 outs, with Henry Blanco coming up, Bob says, "I have a feeling the Cubs are going to score some runs today."

What horrid timing. Blanco is hitting .190 or so, and it was predictable that he was going to strike out, but it stings more when you hear someone confidently predict that the Cubs are going to score a lot.

Knock it off! Please!

You all seem to be a little harsh on Jacque Jones. Last year, everyone "hated" him and dissed him. Now that he's doing well, people seem to like him better. The play he made was awesome and saved a run. It was a nice diving catch, and yeah he did come close to Soriano. The center fielder is the one that should call the others off, and he felt he could make the play.

There really isn't such a thing as jinxing or whatever you people are talking about. Bob and Len are supposed to talk about SOMETHING, since they are the announcers. When they mention that someone is 7 for 10 or whatever, it's just a FACT.

Go CUBS & it was a SWEET comeback by them yesterday.

[[Fans should really stop criticizing the players and let LOU figure out what line-up he wants to go with.]]

Is it me, or am I the only Cubs fan who thinks Carlos is the most over-rated, over-paid, under-performing, player ever?
Since the Cubs aren't televised nearly every game, as they used to be, I dont get to watch everyday. I'm stuck here with Dodgers and Angels 20x a day. So, I don't ever get to see what people see in Zambrano. All I know every time I see him, he's doing something stupid. Whether it's getting into a fight with a decent catcher; or, ignoring a stop sign, and thinking his huge self can outrun a ball flying 90+ mph to home. Maybe in my limited view, that's all I see. But, to me, he is at best medicore. He's never won more than 16 games. Which, unless he keeps skidding this year, he SHOULD beat, and SHOULD do so rather easily. But, undoubtedly won't pass it by much. His best ERA is solid, at 2.75. But, has only been under 3.00 that one time. He's not even at a 2-1 ratio in K's to W's. He is passionate; and he is a work-horse. I'll give him those. And those are huge pluses. But, what the Cubs REALLY need is to give the excuses a rest; and, some pitchers who can get out there and get 20+ wins.
For the record, that is how Michael Jordan won 6 titles for the Bulls. He didnt accept the excuses. He went and did whatever it took to win, and performed. The Cubs, as much as I love the Cubs, are an excuse giving team. Unless they can stop making excuses they will never win the WS. And, until we fans stop accepting them, they won't stop feeding them to us.

Regarding jinxings:

NO SUCH THING!

jinxes are a way to make excuses for a team playing badly. The players can't even hear the announcers.

This was Zambrano's biggest game of this season, with a real chance to put more distance between the Cubs and the Brewers and Cards. If he had the baseball savvy of Theriot maybe he would recognize the seriousness of doing the intellegant things like watching his third base coach with the play in front of him. Stop calling Zambrano the "ACE". He hasn't earned that respect as yet. His brains must be in his socks.

Nobody can jinx the Cubs like Brickhouse could. When we first got Len and Bob, I wasn't sure, but I really like them now. They are knowledgable, funny and I feel like they like the Cubs. I hope we don't lose Bob to managing. Between Len and Bob and Pat and Ron we are really lucky right now as far as announcers go. Good riddance, Chip Carey.

HEY KASPER,

WE DON'T NEED TO KNOW WHAT THE DODGERS WANT THE CUBS TO DO TO GET OUT OF AN INNING!!! DO YOU KNOW WHAT "JINX" MEANS? I'M GETTING REALLY TIRED OF YELLING "SHUT UP!!!" AT THE TV. I'D RATHER LISTEN TO RON AND PAT ON THE RADIO!

Batman - Yes, jinxes probably are an illusion, but nonetheless there's something in my bones that hates them. Also, jinxes usually result from taking something for granted that is uncertain, which is just a way to set oneself up for a bad dissapointment.

Zambrano is one of the top ten pitchers in baseball, and until this year there was no one disputing that. Even now, there aren't too many insiders who disagree, and those who do are often idiots (read: Jay Mariotti). He has electric stuff that, on his good days, can't be matched by anyone. The knock on Z is that when he gets frustrated his game goes to hell, and therefore he needs someone around to help encourage him and keep him grounded, and he doesn't seem to have anyone in the dugout like that right now. I thought that he worked really well with Koyie Hill, but unfortunately Hill's light hitting disgusted his bosses so badly that they won't even use him every five days.

John,
You're correct on your response
"jinxes usually result from taking something for granted that is uncertain, which is just a way to set oneself up for a bad dissapointment."

Regarding Zambrano, well, I've not seen his great stuff. Part of the problem has to be playing with a losing team. Obviously, you're not going to be a 20+ game winner, when your team can't even hit 60 to 80 games. But, I have always believed that if your team only scores one run, the pitcher cannot give up more than one. And true, baseball depends on the whole team more than a lot of other sports. Once a ball leaves the pitcher's hand, he is often at the mercy of his defense. I'm not disputing that. I am saying, however, that when the team is slumping offensively or defensively, or both, then the pitcher needs to step up his game. I have never seen Zambrano do that. Instead, what i see is the same thing I saw with Shaq: whining. What we saw with Jordan is what revolutionized my way of thinking: Whatever it takes. No excuses. Remember that last championship? The Bulls were wore out, could have easily folded, and lost. Jordan realized that there was only 30 seconds left, and if they were going to win, HE had to step up HIS game. He could rest after they won. But, most people are willing to accept defeat, and make excuses. Those are the ones who never win championships. Those are the teams who allow a botched defensive play lose an entire series. Those are the teams that blame a fan for losing the world series.
When will the Cubs win the World Series? When they quit blaming everyone else for their losing, and start taking responsibility for themselves. When they look to themselves to lead the team. It's amzaing to me how we always worry about what other teams do. Who cares? If a team goes out and wins every game, it doesnt matter what the other team does. But, instead of striving for going 162-0 and 11-0 in the play-offs, we accept that we will lose some games. And with each loss it becomes easier and easier to accept defeat, and blame everyone else for why we lost.
Btw. It's not unrealistic to expect to win 162 games. Who goes out and says, "We're going to lose today"? Sure, teams will lose. But, they can't expect to lose. Because when you expect to lose, you will.