RBi
05-24-2009, 07:05 AM
It surely already has been quite a season for the 2009 Chicago Cubs. The Cubs made many changes to a 97 win team in order appease Lou Pinella’s desire to get more left handed in their everyday lineup. What the Cubs are now dealing with is an injur plagued baseball team that can’t get healthy. Meanwhile, The Milwaukee Brewers, after a slow start, have turned on the heat and lead the division by 2 games. The St. Louis Cardinals have also started off hot although they are dealing with injuries of their own. This could be a lost season for the Chicago Cubs but they seemingly are sticking tough while awaiting key players to be healthy.
What can you say about the injuries the Cubs have dealt with since day one of the season? The Cubs came out of spring training almost fully healthy but the injury bug has run as rampant as a Robin Williams’ stand up set. Carlos Zambrano pulls a hamstring while trying to bunt for a base hit. Aramis Ramirez makes a great diving stop down the third base line only to be frozen in pain. Even newly acquired Ryan Freel came to the Cubs only to be held out of the lineup because of an injury. Ryan Theriot, Carlos Marmol, Kevin Gregg, Milton Bradley, Derrek Lee, Geovany Soto, and others have all been dealing with diificult injuries. This all might sound like an excuse but it really isn’t. The Cubs have a 21-17 record and are holding strong in the NL Central despite dropping the last two games to the Cardinals.
Word around Cubdom is that many fans are sickened by this team and they aren’t coming through like they should. Bradley is a new target for Cubs angst. He is still hitting below .200 while slugging a paltry .361. Geovany Soto is just over .200 with a .202 batting average but has been given a little bit of a pass due to being very inactive during the World Baseball Classic. Derrek Lee’s head has been called for all season because of the legend that is Micah Hoffpauir (there is another smiliar legend called Jake Fox). Lee has been hot of late and has driven his average up to .230 but his slugging average is only .389.
The Cubs have also had an atrocious bullpen to go along with a starting staff that only has one starter with an ERA under 4. The Cubs have shuffled their roster many times over and manager Lou Pinella has many peculiar moves that have not worked out. So, I’ll repeat that the Cubs are 21-17 and nothing is going right for the Cubs. The National League doesn’t seem to be an overly strong league although the NL Central now looks tough with the Brewers, Cards, and Reds playing well. If the Cubs can stand pat and not drown by the time they get fully healthy, they should be in excellent shape. In any case, the Cubs have enough talent that might break out which could still put the Cubs amongst the best in the NL even without Aramis Ramirez.
The Cubs also are a team that has a GM who is aggressive when the Cubs are in the playoff hunt. The Cubs will look to add the best piece available near the middle of the season to the trading deadline. Jake Peavy is being shopped right now but it looks as if the Cubs won’t have a shot at him while the Rickett’s family tries to finalize their deal to buy the Chicago Cubs.
The Cubs have a very talented team even without some of their star players playing or performing at their normal level. Many Cub fans are growingly frustrated with the team’s performance but those fans need to take a closer look at all the variables going on with this team instead of soley looking at the negatives…and the legends.
Written by: John Ontiveros (http://www.cubshub.com/?p=1125)
What can you say about the injuries the Cubs have dealt with since day one of the season? The Cubs came out of spring training almost fully healthy but the injury bug has run as rampant as a Robin Williams’ stand up set. Carlos Zambrano pulls a hamstring while trying to bunt for a base hit. Aramis Ramirez makes a great diving stop down the third base line only to be frozen in pain. Even newly acquired Ryan Freel came to the Cubs only to be held out of the lineup because of an injury. Ryan Theriot, Carlos Marmol, Kevin Gregg, Milton Bradley, Derrek Lee, Geovany Soto, and others have all been dealing with diificult injuries. This all might sound like an excuse but it really isn’t. The Cubs have a 21-17 record and are holding strong in the NL Central despite dropping the last two games to the Cardinals.
Word around Cubdom is that many fans are sickened by this team and they aren’t coming through like they should. Bradley is a new target for Cubs angst. He is still hitting below .200 while slugging a paltry .361. Geovany Soto is just over .200 with a .202 batting average but has been given a little bit of a pass due to being very inactive during the World Baseball Classic. Derrek Lee’s head has been called for all season because of the legend that is Micah Hoffpauir (there is another smiliar legend called Jake Fox). Lee has been hot of late and has driven his average up to .230 but his slugging average is only .389.
The Cubs have also had an atrocious bullpen to go along with a starting staff that only has one starter with an ERA under 4. The Cubs have shuffled their roster many times over and manager Lou Pinella has many peculiar moves that have not worked out. So, I’ll repeat that the Cubs are 21-17 and nothing is going right for the Cubs. The National League doesn’t seem to be an overly strong league although the NL Central now looks tough with the Brewers, Cards, and Reds playing well. If the Cubs can stand pat and not drown by the time they get fully healthy, they should be in excellent shape. In any case, the Cubs have enough talent that might break out which could still put the Cubs amongst the best in the NL even without Aramis Ramirez.
The Cubs also are a team that has a GM who is aggressive when the Cubs are in the playoff hunt. The Cubs will look to add the best piece available near the middle of the season to the trading deadline. Jake Peavy is being shopped right now but it looks as if the Cubs won’t have a shot at him while the Rickett’s family tries to finalize their deal to buy the Chicago Cubs.
The Cubs have a very talented team even without some of their star players playing or performing at their normal level. Many Cub fans are growingly frustrated with the team’s performance but those fans need to take a closer look at all the variables going on with this team instead of soley looking at the negatives…and the legends.
Written by: John Ontiveros (http://www.cubshub.com/?p=1125)