Too bad the Cubs are playing tonight under the lights.
The Cubbies come home from a road trip that saw them swept 0-3 in Milwaukee, 1-2 against the Reds, and 3-1 against the Marlins. So we went 4-6. Not terrible, but it could have gone better of course. We lost 3 of the games by one run, and 2 of the games by 2 runs. So we were in almost all the games. We also haven't had any laughers, win or lose. Haven't been blown out, or blown anybody out. It's nice to not feel like turning off the game after the third inning because we are already losing by 7 runs. Something I did all too often last year. Still on the fence as to whether or not I should feel positive about how we are in all of these games. It's tough to see the forest for the trees in situations where you get beaten by good teams by a run, and beat bad teams by a run. Does that just mean you're average?
Some good news from the trip.... Anthony Rizzo returns home with a batting average over .200, and a total of 8 Homers. We can only hope that as the weather heats up, so will his bat. He was visiting his hometown during the Miami series, and had lots of family and friends at the park cheering him on. Maybe some of us in Chicago could become his surrogate family so he feels more comfortable in the friendly confines. Someone should invite him to their family dinner. Or maybe adopt him as your son?! He's got money!! Also The surprise return of 2009's closer, Kevin "Goggles" Gregg has also proved to be an asset to the Cubs. He has yet to allow a run this year. Which is important of course for a team like the Cubs, who are dead last in the majors with runners in scoring position with a paltry average of .151.
Other than that, my takeaway is that we play all teams pretty tough, and if it wasn't for a few costly errors and lack of clutch hitting, we could have won at least half of the games we lost. You've got to wonder when the Cubs' luck will turn around? We are competitive in all of these games, against pretty good teams too, except the loser Marlins. My hope is that we can click, and start to build a team, or core of players that you can trust into the future. Are Starlin Castro and Anthony Rizzo players we can trust with this ball club for the next 5 years and beyond? 2 things have to happen. Castro needs to get better at shortstop, or be moved to 3rd base, and Rizzo needs to start hitting for average. The whole team needs to cut out on strikeouts and unproductive outs as well. The lack of fundamental baseball play the Cubs have shown thus far this season, is disconcerting. Passed balls and Wild pitches. Lots of costly errors. And especially, a lack of clutch hitting, and situational hitting. I understand all players will make mistakes from time to time. But our errors are not for a lack of talent, but rather for a lack of mental awareness. We're just not playing smart baseball.
Luckily, the San Diego Padres are in town! And they suck. Well, at least as bad as we do. We are both 9-15. In my estimation we have a better chance at winning tonight. I'll be cheering from the bleachers with the Lovable Lou Sears at my side. We should have a new podcast up by game time too. So be on the lookout. We've got The Shark going up against Clayton Richard, who is 0-2 with a 7.94 ERA. So I like our chances. May even show up early and try and shag some home runs at batting practice. But I'll probably just do a little pre gaming at home.
I also wish this game was going on under the sunshine instead of the lights. I said it as a 13 year old in 1987, and I say it today. No Lights at Wrigley. Don't want a scoreboard either. Ugly ad screaming product pusher. It was better the other way and you all know it!
Go Cubbies!
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Monday, April 29, 2013
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Get Out Your Sweep Brooms!
As I sit here 2 hours before game time writing this post, on the verge of winning a 4th straight game against possibly the worst team in the NL, I can't help but hope, and hope hard, that the Cubs can pull this one out and sweep this Marlins team. Why should I care so much about this battle for the basement? Because this Cubs team needs to feel what winning is like. Get used to it. And keep doing it.
The Cubs are to losing what the Yankees are to winning. We are the Lovable Losers. Fans entertain themselves at Wrigley Field whether we win or lose the ball game. We have just as much fun, or at least I do, making fun of this team losing, as reveling in the wins. We have got to change that culture surrounding the team, And expect to win. The players need to do the same. Some of these kids on the team weren't born to watch the Cubs lose in 1984. Many of them were still in grade school in 2003. And there's no reason the Cubs past failures should reflect on the present team. It's all in our head. So lets keep it off the field. And even out of the stands.
I read a recent article where Andre Dawson, one of my boyhood heroes, was quoted as saying that the Cubs need to spend money to win. Everybody knows that. And he's disappointed that this major market team has a payroll half of the Yankees and Dodgers, and even less than the Whitesox. With so many fans nationwide, the Cubs draw well all over the country. Don't we deserve to watch some superstars play? Not to mention the Cubs have the 3rd highest ticket prices in the major leagues. Ricketts has 500 million to spend on a giant advertising screen and some renovations. But not enough dough to buy some decent players for the team. I for one will give them one more year for this "rebuilding" but next year, all bets are off. I want to win.
Andre Dawson and I are right about this. The Cubs need to spend to win. There is no reason they aren't contending now. And there is no reason they shouldn't contend every year. I think we are in the right track with these young guys. But it's hard to know. We spent some dough on Edwin Jackson. But he's been our 4th best starter so far. So of course it's not just about spending money, it's about spending it right. The Cubs have never done that too well. Think Sorianos contract. So we are gonna have to have faith in this wonder boy Theo Epstein. Should we?
Wouldn't it be great if we were buyers at trade deadline? Wouldn't it be great we could sweep the Marlins and Padres and get to .500? Wouldn't it be great if we made a run like the Pirates did last year with a team about the same caliber as our Cubbies?
Lets start by expecting to win. Every day.
Let's sweep dem fish!
Go Cubbies!
The Cubs are to losing what the Yankees are to winning. We are the Lovable Losers. Fans entertain themselves at Wrigley Field whether we win or lose the ball game. We have just as much fun, or at least I do, making fun of this team losing, as reveling in the wins. We have got to change that culture surrounding the team, And expect to win. The players need to do the same. Some of these kids on the team weren't born to watch the Cubs lose in 1984. Many of them were still in grade school in 2003. And there's no reason the Cubs past failures should reflect on the present team. It's all in our head. So lets keep it off the field. And even out of the stands.
I read a recent article where Andre Dawson, one of my boyhood heroes, was quoted as saying that the Cubs need to spend money to win. Everybody knows that. And he's disappointed that this major market team has a payroll half of the Yankees and Dodgers, and even less than the Whitesox. With so many fans nationwide, the Cubs draw well all over the country. Don't we deserve to watch some superstars play? Not to mention the Cubs have the 3rd highest ticket prices in the major leagues. Ricketts has 500 million to spend on a giant advertising screen and some renovations. But not enough dough to buy some decent players for the team. I for one will give them one more year for this "rebuilding" but next year, all bets are off. I want to win.
Andre Dawson and I are right about this. The Cubs need to spend to win. There is no reason they aren't contending now. And there is no reason they shouldn't contend every year. I think we are in the right track with these young guys. But it's hard to know. We spent some dough on Edwin Jackson. But he's been our 4th best starter so far. So of course it's not just about spending money, it's about spending it right. The Cubs have never done that too well. Think Sorianos contract. So we are gonna have to have faith in this wonder boy Theo Epstein. Should we?
Wouldn't it be great if we were buyers at trade deadline? Wouldn't it be great we could sweep the Marlins and Padres and get to .500? Wouldn't it be great if we made a run like the Pirates did last year with a team about the same caliber as our Cubbies?
Lets start by expecting to win. Every day.
Let's sweep dem fish!
Go Cubbies!
Friday, April 26, 2013
Cubs and Marlins "Battle for the Basement"
The Chicago Cubs won a baseball game. With only 7 wins against 14 losses, that is news in and of itself. Sporting a record of 5-17, we should be beating up on these Marlins of Miami. This is certainly a battle for first round draft picks, not that the draft means as much in baseball as in other major sports, but when you have two bottom of the barrel teams like the Cubs and Marlins, The team with the most losses is technically the winner in next years draft. I've often wondered if bad teams lose at the end of the season in order to secure a higher pick in the draft. I doubt it though. No one likes losing or performing poorly, especially if your own job is on the line, but these are two pretty thinly stocked baseball teams playing each other. Looking at the differences between these teams however, their weaknesses and strengths can provide a window into what has A. Gone wrong for these teams and needs improvement, and B. In which direction are these teams heading? Towards a future World Series? Or seasons of languishing at the bottom of the standings?
The Marlins are dead last in nearly every category of hitting, but especially home runs. They have hit only 6 this year, which is no surprise considering the dimensions of their ballpark are huge. The next worst team, The Padres, have double that amount. The Cubs have 26 homeruns, 3rd in the national league. Which is not bad considering how rainy and cold our last homestand was. Is it possible that the Cubbies are built for power, and once the warm weather hits, it'll be bye bye baseball all summer long? Lets hope. Luis Valbuena, our utility infielder turned everyday starter, has played the hero twice this week. Hitting in the clutch, 2 late inning go ahead homeruns. However, when you compare the two team's on base percentage, the Cubs are slightly worse than the Marlins. Which means all of these homeruns are being hit with nobody on base. So the Cubs are 3rd in Home Runs, but 12th in actual runs scored. The Cubs are dead last in walks (45). 8 less than the free swinging Brewers. 4th in Strikeouts. And Second to last, just 2 over the Marlins in total hits. If the Cubs can manage to get some men on base, we might have a shot at putting some crooked numbers on the board with homeruns. A couple of Grand Slams would be nice to see this summer. Get on base boys! So as far as hitting goes, advantage Cubs. But our poor OBP is not going to allow us to beat other teams of a higher caliber.
Now lets look at pitching. The Cubs have a 3.42 ERA. 5th best in the National League. And this has been done with a bullpen that's been horrible. Losing numerous games in which our starting pitchers have pitched incredibly. So, it's a tale of two pitching staffs. The Marlins are second to last in this category 4.48. The Cubs starters have a 3.04 ERA, which actually ranks 3rd best in the NL. However, our bullpen ranks 10th with a 4.29 ERA. A full run and change differential. Compare that to the top teams in the NL like the Braves 1.60, and surprisingly, the Pirates 1.91, you can see the Cubs have a long way to go in improving in this area. However, it might be as simple as a few demotions, and a couple of trades. Pirates....can we have your bullpen? James Russel has been great for us. He hasn't given up a single run in 11 games! Camp, Marmol and Bowden are a different story so far. Marmol leads all NL relievers with 9 walks. Bowden leads all relievers in Wild pitches with 3. Our pitchers are second in hit batsmen, 12, half by relievers. 4th in walks allowed (Marlins are 3rd). The Marlins relievers however are number 1 in walks allowed, while the Cubs rank 10th. So while you compare these two terrible teams on pitching, you can definitely see a bright spot for the Cubbies in starting pitching. Just gotta work out some kinks, and replace a few guys. We've been in a lot of these close 1 run games against tough teams like the Giants and Reds. We could easily be 14-7 if some of these relievers would be relieved from being Chicago Cubs.
Final consideration for these teams. Defense. The Cubs are tied for second with the Marlins in errors with 18. Although only one total error was committed last night, by the Marlins, this weekend has the potential to be one sloppy mess of fielding. We are first in Passed Balls with 3. Add that to our prowess for Wild Pitches, and what you have is a lot of opposing players runners taking free bases. ruining the opportunities for force outs and double plays. Opposing runners scoring from 3rd and all that. Not to mention, with all these errors, you are taxing your pitching staff incredibly. The Cubs have given away too many ball games with these errors. You can't give good opponents extra outs. They will beat you. Starlin Castro has 4 errors, and I can think of at least 2 games that his errors had an impact on the final losing of the game. Scott Feldman, our pitcher tonight in Miami, has 3 errors, averaging an error per game. This has got to improve. We've been waiting for Castro to improve for a few years now, and I'm now of the opinion that he's just not that smart. Certainly, he's talented. But he doesn't really have his head in the game, and he's no better or worse than when he came up as a rookie. I know they are trying to build a team around Castro, but is that wise? He's not Derek Jeter.
OK. So, ballgames are not won on paper. But if they were, we'd have a good chance to sweep the Marlins if we don't use our bullpen, and hit homeruns after our guys reach on a Marlins error. Let's hope. It's hard to know where the Cubs and Marlins are heading in the next few years. The Marlins blew up their failed dream team of a year ago, and the Cubs have told the fans "be patient". It seems to me, we won't have to be that patient to contend as long as some key areas are fixed. Defense. Relief pitching. On Base Percentage. Ugh...that's a lot isn't it? Our slugger Rizzo is batting .173 with a .256 OBP. That's bad. Our star shortstop Castro kicks the ball around. And we have no closer. Sure. We are rebuilding. But for how long? And what the hell are they building?
Well. Let's go get em tonight. I want to see some embarassingly bad baseball at some point this weekend. Just for fun. Maybe we can make a drinking game, where every time something stupid happens, we take a shot. Oh ....my poor liver.....
Go Cubbies!
The Marlins are dead last in nearly every category of hitting, but especially home runs. They have hit only 6 this year, which is no surprise considering the dimensions of their ballpark are huge. The next worst team, The Padres, have double that amount. The Cubs have 26 homeruns, 3rd in the national league. Which is not bad considering how rainy and cold our last homestand was. Is it possible that the Cubbies are built for power, and once the warm weather hits, it'll be bye bye baseball all summer long? Lets hope. Luis Valbuena, our utility infielder turned everyday starter, has played the hero twice this week. Hitting in the clutch, 2 late inning go ahead homeruns. However, when you compare the two team's on base percentage, the Cubs are slightly worse than the Marlins. Which means all of these homeruns are being hit with nobody on base. So the Cubs are 3rd in Home Runs, but 12th in actual runs scored. The Cubs are dead last in walks (45). 8 less than the free swinging Brewers. 4th in Strikeouts. And Second to last, just 2 over the Marlins in total hits. If the Cubs can manage to get some men on base, we might have a shot at putting some crooked numbers on the board with homeruns. A couple of Grand Slams would be nice to see this summer. Get on base boys! So as far as hitting goes, advantage Cubs. But our poor OBP is not going to allow us to beat other teams of a higher caliber.
Now lets look at pitching. The Cubs have a 3.42 ERA. 5th best in the National League. And this has been done with a bullpen that's been horrible. Losing numerous games in which our starting pitchers have pitched incredibly. So, it's a tale of two pitching staffs. The Marlins are second to last in this category 4.48. The Cubs starters have a 3.04 ERA, which actually ranks 3rd best in the NL. However, our bullpen ranks 10th with a 4.29 ERA. A full run and change differential. Compare that to the top teams in the NL like the Braves 1.60, and surprisingly, the Pirates 1.91, you can see the Cubs have a long way to go in improving in this area. However, it might be as simple as a few demotions, and a couple of trades. Pirates....can we have your bullpen? James Russel has been great for us. He hasn't given up a single run in 11 games! Camp, Marmol and Bowden are a different story so far. Marmol leads all NL relievers with 9 walks. Bowden leads all relievers in Wild pitches with 3. Our pitchers are second in hit batsmen, 12, half by relievers. 4th in walks allowed (Marlins are 3rd). The Marlins relievers however are number 1 in walks allowed, while the Cubs rank 10th. So while you compare these two terrible teams on pitching, you can definitely see a bright spot for the Cubbies in starting pitching. Just gotta work out some kinks, and replace a few guys. We've been in a lot of these close 1 run games against tough teams like the Giants and Reds. We could easily be 14-7 if some of these relievers would be relieved from being Chicago Cubs.
Final consideration for these teams. Defense. The Cubs are tied for second with the Marlins in errors with 18. Although only one total error was committed last night, by the Marlins, this weekend has the potential to be one sloppy mess of fielding. We are first in Passed Balls with 3. Add that to our prowess for Wild Pitches, and what you have is a lot of opposing players runners taking free bases. ruining the opportunities for force outs and double plays. Opposing runners scoring from 3rd and all that. Not to mention, with all these errors, you are taxing your pitching staff incredibly. The Cubs have given away too many ball games with these errors. You can't give good opponents extra outs. They will beat you. Starlin Castro has 4 errors, and I can think of at least 2 games that his errors had an impact on the final losing of the game. Scott Feldman, our pitcher tonight in Miami, has 3 errors, averaging an error per game. This has got to improve. We've been waiting for Castro to improve for a few years now, and I'm now of the opinion that he's just not that smart. Certainly, he's talented. But he doesn't really have his head in the game, and he's no better or worse than when he came up as a rookie. I know they are trying to build a team around Castro, but is that wise? He's not Derek Jeter.
OK. So, ballgames are not won on paper. But if they were, we'd have a good chance to sweep the Marlins if we don't use our bullpen, and hit homeruns after our guys reach on a Marlins error. Let's hope. It's hard to know where the Cubs and Marlins are heading in the next few years. The Marlins blew up their failed dream team of a year ago, and the Cubs have told the fans "be patient". It seems to me, we won't have to be that patient to contend as long as some key areas are fixed. Defense. Relief pitching. On Base Percentage. Ugh...that's a lot isn't it? Our slugger Rizzo is batting .173 with a .256 OBP. That's bad. Our star shortstop Castro kicks the ball around. And we have no closer. Sure. We are rebuilding. But for how long? And what the hell are they building?
Well. Let's go get em tonight. I want to see some embarassingly bad baseball at some point this weekend. Just for fun. Maybe we can make a drinking game, where every time something stupid happens, we take a shot. Oh ....my poor liver.....
Go Cubbies!
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Cubs Almost Win; Lose Anyway
In the Chicago Cub's 2013 effort to lose in new and exciting ways, the Cubs last night gave up a 2 run lead in the bottom of the 13th to lose to the Reds. What was the culprit this time? Defense? Sappelt's misplayed ball in Right field? Michael Bowden getting shelled for the loss? Certainly, these plays directly effected our loss in the 13th. But the game should not have gotten this far. The Cubs got 11 hits, 4 walks, and benefited from 3 Red errors, and you're telling me we could only score 2 runs until the 13th inning where we got 2 more?
Well, except for the homeruns by DeJesus (to lead off the game) and Luis "I put arsenic in Ian Stewarts Cheerios" Valbuena, not one of the Cubs other 9 hits were for extra bases. And many of the singles came with 2 out in the inning, not giving much chance to get the guy in. Starlin Castro, who's hitting streak is now at 14, also left 4 men on base. Anthony Rizzo, presumably our best hitter, as he is positioned in the 3 hole went 0-6 with 3 strikeouts. He is batting .191 as well. Terrible! Speaking of strikeouts....umm...we struck out 16 times last night. Granted the Reds relief pitchers looked damned good. Especially fireballer Aroldis Chapman. But damn! It's hard to move runners up when you can't make contact. Some of these swings and misses are just embarassing! There was actually a moment in Sundays game when Luis Valbuena struck out and looked at his bat as if there must have been a hole in it. Apparently there are holes in many of the Cubs' bats. Oh...did I mention that pitcher Travis Wood has a higher batting average than our starting second baseman Darwin Barney, and 2 of the 3 pinch hitters we used last night? This is getting sad people....
Son Ranto and Lou Sears explain it all in the most recent podcast....
Ok. You want a bright spot? A glimmer of hope? Our starting pitching has been excellent. Over all, top notch. I hope it can last, but with our defense kicking the ball around out there, it's a matter of time before exhaustion will set in from all the extra pressure put on by constantly having to get 5 outs an inning. Stay Positive Ranto!! Umm....Starlin Castro made a couple of nice plays last night. It's those routine grounders he can't quite seem to handle... damnit Ranto!!!! Stay Positive!! Ummm errr...David DeJesus is turning out to be a power lead off man? He already has 3 homeruns and he only hit 9 last year....and his wife is smoking hot!! There I got through at least one Cub without both a positive and negative to share. Whew!!! David D for MVP! (of the Cubs anyway). Although to get excited about 3 homeruns, and someone elses hot wife is pretty pathetic.....Damn!!!! Can't do it!!! I have something bad to say about all of them!!! Except......starting pitching. It's been great. Keep up the good work boys, and lets hope these guys behind you can learn how to, score runs, and, well, just not look so terrible.
So what can I say? Let's get em tonight! We got 'The Stache' Carlos Villanueva vs. Reds lefty Tony Cingiani, who I understand mades a killer baked Ziti in the off season. I think we can win at least 1 of these games in Cincy...right? Cant we? I'll be hanging out with the Lovable Lou Sears at Three Aces Bar at 1321 W. Taylor if you want to come by. We will be the best looking guys in the bar, so you can't miss us!
So listen to the podcast, give us free tickets, and say hi! sonranto@gmail.com or http://www.sonranto.com
Well, except for the homeruns by DeJesus (to lead off the game) and Luis "I put arsenic in Ian Stewarts Cheerios" Valbuena, not one of the Cubs other 9 hits were for extra bases. And many of the singles came with 2 out in the inning, not giving much chance to get the guy in. Starlin Castro, who's hitting streak is now at 14, also left 4 men on base. Anthony Rizzo, presumably our best hitter, as he is positioned in the 3 hole went 0-6 with 3 strikeouts. He is batting .191 as well. Terrible! Speaking of strikeouts....umm...we struck out 16 times last night. Granted the Reds relief pitchers looked damned good. Especially fireballer Aroldis Chapman. But damn! It's hard to move runners up when you can't make contact. Some of these swings and misses are just embarassing! There was actually a moment in Sundays game when Luis Valbuena struck out and looked at his bat as if there must have been a hole in it. Apparently there are holes in many of the Cubs' bats. Oh...did I mention that pitcher Travis Wood has a higher batting average than our starting second baseman Darwin Barney, and 2 of the 3 pinch hitters we used last night? This is getting sad people....
Son Ranto and Lou Sears explain it all in the most recent podcast....
Ok. You want a bright spot? A glimmer of hope? Our starting pitching has been excellent. Over all, top notch. I hope it can last, but with our defense kicking the ball around out there, it's a matter of time before exhaustion will set in from all the extra pressure put on by constantly having to get 5 outs an inning. Stay Positive Ranto!! Umm....Starlin Castro made a couple of nice plays last night. It's those routine grounders he can't quite seem to handle... damnit Ranto!!!! Stay Positive!! Ummm errr...David DeJesus is turning out to be a power lead off man? He already has 3 homeruns and he only hit 9 last year....and his wife is smoking hot!! There I got through at least one Cub without both a positive and negative to share. Whew!!! David D for MVP! (of the Cubs anyway). Although to get excited about 3 homeruns, and someone elses hot wife is pretty pathetic.....Damn!!!! Can't do it!!! I have something bad to say about all of them!!! Except......starting pitching. It's been great. Keep up the good work boys, and lets hope these guys behind you can learn how to, score runs, and, well, just not look so terrible.
So what can I say? Let's get em tonight! We got 'The Stache' Carlos Villanueva vs. Reds lefty Tony Cingiani, who I understand mades a killer baked Ziti in the off season. I think we can win at least 1 of these games in Cincy...right? Cant we? I'll be hanging out with the Lovable Lou Sears at Three Aces Bar at 1321 W. Taylor if you want to come by. We will be the best looking guys in the bar, so you can't miss us!
So listen to the podcast, give us free tickets, and say hi! sonranto@gmail.com or http://www.sonranto.com
Monday, April 22, 2013
Ryan Brauns a Jerk Off; Cubs Still Terrible
After putting the losing nail in the coffin of the Cubs weekend with a 3 run homer, Ryan Braun, alleged steroid user and fish eyed jerk, flipped his bat in disgust after being called out on strikes, on what was probably ball four. The umpiring behind the plate yesterday was pretty crappy. Cub starter Chinstrap Feldman, was getting his strike zone squeezed for much of the game, frustrating him and causing longer innings, extra pitches, and an eventual hanging breaking ball to Ryan Braun which he proceded to knock into the upper deck. But lets not discuss further that painful moment when I knew our sweeping in Milwaukee would come to pass. Let's talk about the 8th inning, when Ryan Braun, not content to simply be the hero of the game, and eat the bad call and walk calmly to the dug out, felt the need to show up the umpire by flipping his bat in a childish display of unsporstamanlike conduct. And even though I think it ridiculous that a grown ass, multi-millionaire man would act like a 5 year old in front of thousands of people, I wish he was wearing a Cubs uniform and doing jerk off crap for our team.
We were swept in milwaukee. AND we have gone 2-17 in milwaukee since 2011. It's horrible. So many Cubs fans drive the 2 hours north to go watch the Cubs self destruct in a town full of mulleted Milwaukeeans, with their thin gene pool and generations of aryan alcoholism. It's embarassing! How does this small market team have the best hitter in the National League, and who do we have? Castro who loves to get hits, 13 game hitting streak, but when no ones in scoring position of course. Rizzo, or as he looks to me, Adam Dunn jr., either hits a home run or strikes out badly. Then we got Double Play Soriano. Dar Bar who's batting average for his week back, is not only under his weight, but also under the weight of his 8 year old daughter, .059. Who the hell do we have in this core? Someone like a Ryan Braun? No. Who's gonna step up and be awesome? We as fans should be able to say "we may have some holes to fill, but at least we have the best hitter in the league"! I mean we came in last place in 1987, but at least we had Sandberg and Dawson, two future HOF's. Maybe Castro will make the All Star Team this year if he can keep up the streak to an impressive number like 35, and keep his batting average over .300, but he's not gonna be voted in. That's our bright spot? We have missers instead of catchers. We have wild pitches, passed balls, costly errors, dozens of runners left in scoring position, an erratic bullpen, no real team speed, we give teams at least 31 or 32 outs a game, instead of 27. And hell! When we are on the road the home team only needs 24 outs to beat us.
I don't mind losing in rebuilding years, but what the hell are the Cubs building? I would liken it to watching a building being put up. First you dig a hole in the ground. That was last year. Then you fill it with a foundation, that's this year. If this is the kind of baseball we are building a foundation on, we are gonna have a shaky building for years to come. this is a team capable of firing on about 1 cylinder at a time. If our bullpen is good, we don't hit, if our hitting is good, we can't pitch. If our pitching is good, we have terrible defense. There's always some weakness on the team sabotaging any chance at success the Cubs may have this year. Come on fellas! It's only April, and I'm even more discouraged than last year. Last year was your year to get out the kinks. Now let's see at least a little improvement. We were terrible at fielding last year, and we are still terrible. Come on?! At least get beat fair and square. This team beats themselves. And I'm afraid to say, the Lovable losers, are becoming more like losers in my eyes. Last year I tuned in to the games to see in what fabulously new and interesting way were they gonna lose. I'm feeling this year to be a horrific continuation of last year.
But they say it's always darkest before dawn. But what do they know?
We were swept in milwaukee. AND we have gone 2-17 in milwaukee since 2011. It's horrible. So many Cubs fans drive the 2 hours north to go watch the Cubs self destruct in a town full of mulleted Milwaukeeans, with their thin gene pool and generations of aryan alcoholism. It's embarassing! How does this small market team have the best hitter in the National League, and who do we have? Castro who loves to get hits, 13 game hitting streak, but when no ones in scoring position of course. Rizzo, or as he looks to me, Adam Dunn jr., either hits a home run or strikes out badly. Then we got Double Play Soriano. Dar Bar who's batting average for his week back, is not only under his weight, but also under the weight of his 8 year old daughter, .059. Who the hell do we have in this core? Someone like a Ryan Braun? No. Who's gonna step up and be awesome? We as fans should be able to say "we may have some holes to fill, but at least we have the best hitter in the league"! I mean we came in last place in 1987, but at least we had Sandberg and Dawson, two future HOF's. Maybe Castro will make the All Star Team this year if he can keep up the streak to an impressive number like 35, and keep his batting average over .300, but he's not gonna be voted in. That's our bright spot? We have missers instead of catchers. We have wild pitches, passed balls, costly errors, dozens of runners left in scoring position, an erratic bullpen, no real team speed, we give teams at least 31 or 32 outs a game, instead of 27. And hell! When we are on the road the home team only needs 24 outs to beat us.
I don't mind losing in rebuilding years, but what the hell are the Cubs building? I would liken it to watching a building being put up. First you dig a hole in the ground. That was last year. Then you fill it with a foundation, that's this year. If this is the kind of baseball we are building a foundation on, we are gonna have a shaky building for years to come. this is a team capable of firing on about 1 cylinder at a time. If our bullpen is good, we don't hit, if our hitting is good, we can't pitch. If our pitching is good, we have terrible defense. There's always some weakness on the team sabotaging any chance at success the Cubs may have this year. Come on fellas! It's only April, and I'm even more discouraged than last year. Last year was your year to get out the kinks. Now let's see at least a little improvement. We were terrible at fielding last year, and we are still terrible. Come on?! At least get beat fair and square. This team beats themselves. And I'm afraid to say, the Lovable losers, are becoming more like losers in my eyes. Last year I tuned in to the games to see in what fabulously new and interesting way were they gonna lose. I'm feeling this year to be a horrific continuation of last year.
But they say it's always darkest before dawn. But what do they know?
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Bad News Bears Give Birth to Cubs
The folly of men dressed in Cub's uniforms, attempting to play a game called baseball, continued Saturday night to a sell out crowd in Milwaukee. Giving up 5 runs (only one of which was earned), on only 6 hits and 3 walks. Three errors were the cause of the other 4 earned runs, by Soriano, Castro, and the pitcher Jackson himself. In fact, the Cubs have committed a major league leading 15 errors this season and given up 11 unearned runs. Put these unearned runs up against our 3rd to last runs scored statistic, and you have a 2013 Cubs Ballclub that is 5-11, and well, just looks kind of crappy. The most craptastic thing about these errors is that they are being committed by the young "stars" the Cubs are currently building their team around. Well, maybe not Soriano. He will be laying in a hammock listening to the game from his estate in the Dominican Republic, and playing with his grandchildren by the time the Cubs win the World series (I hope). But Castro? This is 3 years now we've basically watched this kid barely get better in the field. Certainly, he has great range, and gets to a lot of balls. But those damn easy one hoppers? Can't quite seem to handle the routine plays. And it's killing us.
Rizzo too looks shaky. His error on the first batter of the game Friday night resulted in a 4 run 1st inning for the Brewers. And last night, he bobbled a ball badly trying to step on first base. And Edwin Jackson? Our 52 million dollar man? Why he chucked a ball 15 feet over second base on what could have been an inning ending double play last night. You're just giving away the game with these stupid errors. It's disheartening as hell. If the errors were all being committed by Luis Valbuena, it wouldn't be as awful because he's not a building bock of the future (I hope), but rather by our stars. I think these guys need an exorcism. They've got the Yips as a team. Goat head?
And our poor pitchers! Having to make all these extra pitches, face extra batters. It's got to be disheartening when you have little to no confidence in who is fielding behind you. It makes you feel as if you have to strike out every batter and be damn near perfect because you have no run support anyway. The Cubs are 3rd to last in runs scored, and walks taken, and 5th to last in hits. The Cubs are of course first place in Wild Pitches, with 13 (5 coming in one inning), and second in passed balls. That's a ton of runners moving around the bases, many of which shouldn't have been on base to begin with! This team needs a serious shake up! If things don't change, and change soon. This season will not only be forgettable, but will leave us with a terrible taste in our mouths all winter long. Young teams are supposed to get better little by little. And right now, even though we have not been blown out as of yet, we look worse than last year. Or did I just forget how bad we were?
But enough about baseball....let's talk about how drunk Milwaukee Brewers fans are...
I went to the game on Friday night up in Brew Town, checked into the local Ramada, which was jam packed with Harley Davidson fanatics from all over the world. Apparently, they are having some biker convention. Boy, how times have changed since "The Wild Ones" when it comes to bikers and biker gangs. First of all these guys are all old, fat and grizzled, and instead of dealing drugs and rough necking it, hard drinking, and loose women, the bikers now hold charity events and raise money for cancer research. Basically, they are really good people now, and I'm the asshole that wishes they were still dangerous outlaws scaring up the straights in small town USA. Those days seem to be long gone.
So, we get to the game, and a severely drunken, likely underage, girl comes stumbling up the stairs with her friends. I mean this girl can barely stand up. She sits down in the aisle and kind of blankly stares at a stranger as if to say, "where the fuck am I? What is going on?" So I see this girl needs a little help, not from me, but one of her more sober friends who got her this drunk in the first place So I tap her friend on the shoulder and say, hey, your friend needs help. You gotta get her outta here. Especially with all the Bro's sitting around us who looked basically like date rapers eyeing her as a possible conquest from afar. But instead the friend proceeds to take shit loads of pictures of herself with the same dums ass smile with all here more sober friends, she of course stylized them with some instagram filter, and posted them to facebook, and basically ignored her friend who looked as if she was gonna hurl at any second. A sad scene. Then this red haired girl comes up who instead of helping her basically admonishes her for her behavior. But that doesn't help at all, yelling at the person while they're drunk. Just ask my ex wife. So, We left our seats to go smoke a ciggy, and when we came back an inning or 2 later, she was surrounded by cops. So at least she was in better hands? Who knows? Either way....kinda ugly scene...she showed up in the first inning like that....
I also witnessed a Brewer fan homoerotically pantomime face fucking his Cub Fan friend after the Brewers scored a run. He was one of the "date rapers" I tracked earlier. And while at the Brewers little patio bar, a Black eyed Broham elbowed my friend in the back, and instead of apologizing for it, tried to start a fight with us. I redirected his sloppy ire and diffused the situation, and I wish I had this on tape, but he was describing himself, and the evening he was having, and he said something to the effect of..."My friends, they were like, lets go out, and we can do something, and I'm like, yeah man, I don't really care, whatever". I just said, well, you sound like a man who knows what he wants out of life. And quickly left the conversation and the area.
All in all, and I've been twice now, Miller Park is tolerable on a sunny day with the roof open, and a dark chasm of drunken date rapers on a Friday night. Hey, at least they let you smoke.
After that we went to the Casino. BTW. They have free shuttles all around Miller Park that can get you close to where you're going. I won a little money on a slot, my friend lost, so we left. All in all, meh, I prefer the Indiana boats. Potawotami Casino is trying to be Vegas, and they totally forgot that they are in shitty ass Milwaukee and a bunch of cheesers. Hey Milwaukee, you're not cool and you look stupid trying.
So, what do we have to look forward to today? Little Chinstrap "I don't know how to cover first base" Feldman vs. Wily Peralta. Ugh...I just don't have a good feeling about this....not at all....
But...
Go Cubbies!!!!
Rizzo too looks shaky. His error on the first batter of the game Friday night resulted in a 4 run 1st inning for the Brewers. And last night, he bobbled a ball badly trying to step on first base. And Edwin Jackson? Our 52 million dollar man? Why he chucked a ball 15 feet over second base on what could have been an inning ending double play last night. You're just giving away the game with these stupid errors. It's disheartening as hell. If the errors were all being committed by Luis Valbuena, it wouldn't be as awful because he's not a building bock of the future (I hope), but rather by our stars. I think these guys need an exorcism. They've got the Yips as a team. Goat head?
And our poor pitchers! Having to make all these extra pitches, face extra batters. It's got to be disheartening when you have little to no confidence in who is fielding behind you. It makes you feel as if you have to strike out every batter and be damn near perfect because you have no run support anyway. The Cubs are 3rd to last in runs scored, and walks taken, and 5th to last in hits. The Cubs are of course first place in Wild Pitches, with 13 (5 coming in one inning), and second in passed balls. That's a ton of runners moving around the bases, many of which shouldn't have been on base to begin with! This team needs a serious shake up! If things don't change, and change soon. This season will not only be forgettable, but will leave us with a terrible taste in our mouths all winter long. Young teams are supposed to get better little by little. And right now, even though we have not been blown out as of yet, we look worse than last year. Or did I just forget how bad we were?
But enough about baseball....let's talk about how drunk Milwaukee Brewers fans are...
I went to the game on Friday night up in Brew Town, checked into the local Ramada, which was jam packed with Harley Davidson fanatics from all over the world. Apparently, they are having some biker convention. Boy, how times have changed since "The Wild Ones" when it comes to bikers and biker gangs. First of all these guys are all old, fat and grizzled, and instead of dealing drugs and rough necking it, hard drinking, and loose women, the bikers now hold charity events and raise money for cancer research. Basically, they are really good people now, and I'm the asshole that wishes they were still dangerous outlaws scaring up the straights in small town USA. Those days seem to be long gone.
So, we get to the game, and a severely drunken, likely underage, girl comes stumbling up the stairs with her friends. I mean this girl can barely stand up. She sits down in the aisle and kind of blankly stares at a stranger as if to say, "where the fuck am I? What is going on?" So I see this girl needs a little help, not from me, but one of her more sober friends who got her this drunk in the first place So I tap her friend on the shoulder and say, hey, your friend needs help. You gotta get her outta here. Especially with all the Bro's sitting around us who looked basically like date rapers eyeing her as a possible conquest from afar. But instead the friend proceeds to take shit loads of pictures of herself with the same dums ass smile with all here more sober friends, she of course stylized them with some instagram filter, and posted them to facebook, and basically ignored her friend who looked as if she was gonna hurl at any second. A sad scene. Then this red haired girl comes up who instead of helping her basically admonishes her for her behavior. But that doesn't help at all, yelling at the person while they're drunk. Just ask my ex wife. So, We left our seats to go smoke a ciggy, and when we came back an inning or 2 later, she was surrounded by cops. So at least she was in better hands? Who knows? Either way....kinda ugly scene...she showed up in the first inning like that....
I also witnessed a Brewer fan homoerotically pantomime face fucking his Cub Fan friend after the Brewers scored a run. He was one of the "date rapers" I tracked earlier. And while at the Brewers little patio bar, a Black eyed Broham elbowed my friend in the back, and instead of apologizing for it, tried to start a fight with us. I redirected his sloppy ire and diffused the situation, and I wish I had this on tape, but he was describing himself, and the evening he was having, and he said something to the effect of..."My friends, they were like, lets go out, and we can do something, and I'm like, yeah man, I don't really care, whatever". I just said, well, you sound like a man who knows what he wants out of life. And quickly left the conversation and the area.
All in all, and I've been twice now, Miller Park is tolerable on a sunny day with the roof open, and a dark chasm of drunken date rapers on a Friday night. Hey, at least they let you smoke.
After that we went to the Casino. BTW. They have free shuttles all around Miller Park that can get you close to where you're going. I won a little money on a slot, my friend lost, so we left. All in all, meh, I prefer the Indiana boats. Potawotami Casino is trying to be Vegas, and they totally forgot that they are in shitty ass Milwaukee and a bunch of cheesers. Hey Milwaukee, you're not cool and you look stupid trying.
So, what do we have to look forward to today? Little Chinstrap "I don't know how to cover first base" Feldman vs. Wily Peralta. Ugh...I just don't have a good feeling about this....not at all....
But...
Go Cubbies!!!!
Friday, April 19, 2013
Sitting at Wrigley with a French Guy
Yesterday was awesome. Not only did I get to send the Cubbies off to Milwaukee with a little "Go Cubs Go" from my 6$ terrace reserved seats, but the rain held off long enough to watch Carlos "The Stache" Villanueva to provide the Cubs with his 3rd strong outing of the season. Allowing only 4 hits, two runs (on solo homers), and striking out 6, Car-ville is what every manager in the MLB would LOVE out of a 5th starter. My only regret is that he didn't come out of the game in the middle of an inning so as to give him a standing ovation while he left the field. Hopefully, his great performances continue, and he will inspire legions of fans to sport his old tyme moustache look. Check it out!
Other positives include back to back homeruns by Rizzo and Soriano, and a 4 hit game by Catcher "Beef" Wellington Castillo who is now batting .425. Given Castillo's hitting prowess, I don't even mind all the wild pitches and passes balls today. All in all, a great game where the Cubs fired on all cylinders. Even Carlos Marmol, save for a couple of out of control pitches was lights out on the mound in the 9th. Great to see him succeed, even if he still doesn't seem to be up to his old form again yet. James Russel was awesome as always and still has not allowed a run this year.
Another cool thing about yesterday is, I went to the game with a french theater director named Valery who had never seen a baseball game before. He drank an Old Style, ate a Chicago Dog, and we had a great time discussing art history between plays. I always love bringing foreigners to ballgames. As I try to explain what happens on the field, I realize the idiosyncrasies of the game, as well as how strange some of our baseball traditions seem to an outsider. For example, when the 7th inning stretch came around, I turned to Valery and said, "OK, now every one stands and sings a song together." He looked incredulous, as if those words could not have possibly just come out of my mouth. It is a rather odd tradition to someone unfamiliar with the custom. He also thought the on deck batter could somehow be involved in the play, just because he was standing on the side swinging a bat. That would be awesome if the on deck hitter could run into the field after the ball is batted and try to disrupt the play. Arena Baseball! Well, at least Valery speaks English. Last time I went to a ball game with a foreigner was when I brought an Argentinian to Yankee Stadium on opening day. Trying to explain the rules of baseball is hard enough, let alone trying to explain it in intermediate level spanish. "Cuando este hombre tira la pelota...." Further confusion and hilarity reigned when I found out that the Spanish word for catch "cojer", is slang for "sex" in Argentina. So when I said "Coje la pelota", in his country it would mean "make love" to the ball. That's a whole new ballgame....
Back to baseball.
So what can you say about a team that's capable of beating the Rangers so solidly? I know it's only one game, but if these young Cubs start to believe in themselves, the sky seems to be the limit. There's no reason we can't go to Wrigley North this weekend in Milwaukee and steal back 4th place from the Brew Crew. We have been competitive in every single game this season. Well....at least we haven't been blown out. And our record would be a lot better than the 5-9 where we currently stand if it wasn't for just a few mental errors and miscues. The Cubs may be bad this year, we may not win the World Series this year, but I think we will look better building towards a brighter tomorrow this year. What I'm saying is, I don't think we will lose embarrassingly, nor do I think we will lose 100 games.
This afternoon, I will be driving up to Milwaukee to watch at least Friday night's game, and do a little gambling at Potawotami Bingo Casino. Send good JUJU my way so I can afford to continue my lifestyle and career as a professional Cubs fan. The new podcast will be out soon too, as soon as the lovable Lou Sear's drunken ass picks up the phone. In the meantime. Take a look at the website....maybe buy some Amazon stuff through our search bar? http://www.sonranto.com
You can help Lou and I in tickets and beer!
Go Cubbies!!!!
Thursday, April 18, 2013
God's Wrath Rains Out Cubs!
Time to start building an ark and collecting two of each animal, because what began with a goat head being delivered to Wrigley Field, has brought the wrath of God on the Chicago Cubs. God is using his favorite punishment, flooding rains, in order to express his disproval of the recent Wrigley renovation deal that will build an ugly 6000 sq. foot scoreboard in left field. God said in an interview with CBS 2 news at 5 last night that he would have rained out Tuesday's loss to the Rangers as well, but thought it better that the Cubs players would have to sit around for two soggy days in gray-ass Chicago thinking about their lack of timely hitting and poor defensive skills. God also is considering raining out today's (Thursday's) matinee finale, but he may let the game start and go 3 innings, whereafter the Cubs take an early 4 to 1 lead,the score will be washed away with another postponement. As extra punishment, The Cubs would also waste the Carlos Villanueva slot in the rotation. One of their best performing pitchers as of late. The rainout Thursday would also make the Cubs play 89 games in the month of June, including 17 double headers and 3 triple headers. However God is considering not raining out the game and just letting the Cubs lose today in a rain soaked 5 and 2/3 inning affair.
God has a long history seeking vengeance on the Chicago Cub's. It is a well known fact that Steve Bartman was NOT listening to the ball game on his iconic headphones, but rather, was taking direct orders from the lord through a two way radio connected to heaven. God also rained out the first scheduled night game at Wrigley Field on 8/8/88. And was quoted at the time as saying, "I made the damn sun for you to play baseball in! What the hell you need lights for? ya ingrates!". God also has no intention of ever letting up on his vengeful wrath for the North Siders. God has been displeased with the Cubs and their goat-ish ways. God has sacrificed the blood of the lamb. Not the goat. The goat, or Baphomet, is a well known symbol of Satan, and his 5 pointed star, the pentogram....see illustration.
God has a long history seeking vengeance on the Chicago Cub's. It is a well known fact that Steve Bartman was NOT listening to the ball game on his iconic headphones, but rather, was taking direct orders from the lord through a two way radio connected to heaven. God also rained out the first scheduled night game at Wrigley Field on 8/8/88. And was quoted at the time as saying, "I made the damn sun for you to play baseball in! What the hell you need lights for? ya ingrates!". God also has no intention of ever letting up on his vengeful wrath for the North Siders. God has been displeased with the Cubs and their goat-ish ways. God has sacrificed the blood of the lamb. Not the goat. The goat, or Baphomet, is a well known symbol of Satan, and his 5 pointed star, the pentogram....see illustration.
As with most things God related, you can never quite tell what he will do next. However, his displeasure with the Chicago Cubs over the goat head, and now the score board were simply to much to have the games played this....wait...is that the sun I see out there? Wait! I hear birds chirping, and my office is being flooded with light!! Could it be?! There will be baseball today?!
Praise Allah, Jeebus, Ghandi and Meryl Streep!
There will be baseball today!!!!
Oh shit...it's grey again...and raining....
God is such a cock tease....
Go Cubbies!
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Cubs got Wood; But not in Bats
Another great performance by Cubs pitcher Travis"The New Kerry" Wood, only to be wasted by an errant pick off throw, and another poor performance by our bullpen and specifically Shawn Camp, who was the goat and the loser in Sunday's loss to the Giants as well. We are too busy beating ourselves in these games. There was another passed ball where our 'Misser' Wellington Castillo couldn't turn his glove around in time which resulted in a runner advancing, and then scoring. The aforementioned wild throw to first, and then of course, a 2 run homer to put the Rangers up 4-0. The Cubs managed only 6 hits. Half of them in the 9th inning, where we managed to scratch out 2, and it could have been more if Darwin Barney's (welcome back buddy!) sinking line drive had gotten down for a hit. But alas. We lose. Game over. Another one got away. Another one bites the dust.
I would like to suggest that Cubs fans should have a song to sing when we lose. I mean we only got to sing 'Go Cubs Go' 38 times on the North Side last year. Seems we should sing more, even at the losses, to keep our voices in shape. I suggest Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust". First of all, it's a great song, and will nicely bookend with "We Will Rock You" when our new giant monstrosity of a scoreboard blasts us with ads and ways to cheer. I'm sure "We Will Rock You" will be blasted at us too. Boom Boom Chick Boom Boom Chick. I suggest that after every Cubs loss, we sing as well. I mean the best songs are sad songs anyway. We should sing our pleasure and our pain! Beer na bow bow bow....Another One Bitse the Dust!!
So what else happened? We finally got rid of the Leprechaun Lillibridge, thank god! And Dar Bar came back from his knee gouge to play second and almost win the game last night. In addition we picked up some bullpen help from the castaways at Gilligans Baseball Island. With Fujikawa on the DL, Marmol in yipsville, and Clevenger on the 60 day DL with "Crumbling at Home Plate-itis", we needed a little help. And a "little" help is what we got. We picked up Cameron Loe a righty who had some decent years with Milwaukee. Seattle released him. We got him. He did well last night anyway. 1 scoreless inning pitched. We also picked up Kevin "goggles" Gregg. For those of you that remember 2009, he was the guy who blew a bunch of saves for the Cubs and typically has an ERA between 4 and 5. I watched Kevin Gregg blow a 4 run lead in the 9th against the Mets once in NYC. Classy! Hey while we're at it, lets bring back all our failed closers from the past. Kerry Wood, Ryan Dempster. How about Goose Gossage? Not excited about this move, but whatchoo gonna do? At least we can spread the blame around the bullpen for these late inning losses. We also picked up veteran infielder Cody Ransom, who basically sucks at hitting and spends a fair amount of time under the .200 Mendoza line. We are his 8th team. But I welcome him with open arms because Lillibridge is gone and off the Cubs. Goog riddance to bad rubbish. When's Ian Stewart coming back? Who the hell knows or cares. Does he even exist? Either way, I don't like his attitude. I'd rather see the ghost of Ron Santo out there at third. Or if we get Goose Gossage to close. Why not get Ron Cey? Penguin!!!!
Well, Lou Sears said in the last podcast that we will get swept in this series. And looking at the radar map and the giant ass storm headed our way, there is a good chance it will be a one game sweep. I hold tickets for tonights game, yet am doubtful about its playability. I have even less hope for tomorrow. Thunderstorms!!!!! Hell, it might do us good. The new guys can get to know each other, and maybe Shawn Camp can watch a bunch of video to see what the hell he's doing wrong. I of course will be lamenting my decision to live just north of 3 graveyards. Graceland Cemetery, Hebrew Benevolent Cemetery, and Wrigley Field....
Go Cubbies!
I would like to suggest that Cubs fans should have a song to sing when we lose. I mean we only got to sing 'Go Cubs Go' 38 times on the North Side last year. Seems we should sing more, even at the losses, to keep our voices in shape. I suggest Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust". First of all, it's a great song, and will nicely bookend with "We Will Rock You" when our new giant monstrosity of a scoreboard blasts us with ads and ways to cheer. I'm sure "We Will Rock You" will be blasted at us too. Boom Boom Chick Boom Boom Chick. I suggest that after every Cubs loss, we sing as well. I mean the best songs are sad songs anyway. We should sing our pleasure and our pain! Beer na bow bow bow....Another One Bitse the Dust!!
So what else happened? We finally got rid of the Leprechaun Lillibridge, thank god! And Dar Bar came back from his knee gouge to play second and almost win the game last night. In addition we picked up some bullpen help from the castaways at Gilligans Baseball Island. With Fujikawa on the DL, Marmol in yipsville, and Clevenger on the 60 day DL with "Crumbling at Home Plate-itis", we needed a little help. And a "little" help is what we got. We picked up Cameron Loe a righty who had some decent years with Milwaukee. Seattle released him. We got him. He did well last night anyway. 1 scoreless inning pitched. We also picked up Kevin "goggles" Gregg. For those of you that remember 2009, he was the guy who blew a bunch of saves for the Cubs and typically has an ERA between 4 and 5. I watched Kevin Gregg blow a 4 run lead in the 9th against the Mets once in NYC. Classy! Hey while we're at it, lets bring back all our failed closers from the past. Kerry Wood, Ryan Dempster. How about Goose Gossage? Not excited about this move, but whatchoo gonna do? At least we can spread the blame around the bullpen for these late inning losses. We also picked up veteran infielder Cody Ransom, who basically sucks at hitting and spends a fair amount of time under the .200 Mendoza line. We are his 8th team. But I welcome him with open arms because Lillibridge is gone and off the Cubs. Goog riddance to bad rubbish. When's Ian Stewart coming back? Who the hell knows or cares. Does he even exist? Either way, I don't like his attitude. I'd rather see the ghost of Ron Santo out there at third. Or if we get Goose Gossage to close. Why not get Ron Cey? Penguin!!!!
Well, Lou Sears said in the last podcast that we will get swept in this series. And looking at the radar map and the giant ass storm headed our way, there is a good chance it will be a one game sweep. I hold tickets for tonights game, yet am doubtful about its playability. I have even less hope for tomorrow. Thunderstorms!!!!! Hell, it might do us good. The new guys can get to know each other, and maybe Shawn Camp can watch a bunch of video to see what the hell he's doing wrong. I of course will be lamenting my decision to live just north of 3 graveyards. Graceland Cemetery, Hebrew Benevolent Cemetery, and Wrigley Field....
Go Cubbies!
Monday, April 15, 2013
Cubs Pitchers Break Wild Pitch Record; Lose
As I sat in the freezing shade of the upper deck, during the 6th inning of Sunday's 10-7 loss to the Giants, I had no idea I was witnessing history. Edwin Jackson and Michael Bowden combined for a record 5 wild pitches in a regular season game during a single inning. The only time this pathetic feat was matched was during a playoff game when pitcher Rick Ankiel got the yips and couldn't pitch anymore. He eventually became an outfielder. The video's pretty awesome if you've never seen it and hate the Cardinals. But the video of yesterday's 6th inning is not awesome. I think they need to change the name of the 'catcher' position to 'misser', because that's what's been happening. The Cubs have combined for 13 wild pitches and 2 passed balls this season in only 12 games. That passed balls wild pitch number would be higher if there were men on base at all times, luckily there aren't. Combine these wild pitches with the 6th worst walk totals in the league (44), and what you got are opposing players getting triples without touching the ball. We are beating ourselves with these stupid mistakes. And there is blame to go around for certain. Castro makes an error, Feldman can't cover first. Result 4 runs. Wild pitches and passed balls yesterday resulted in all of the Giants early runs yesterday, and they barely even have to swing. It's a problem. I believe Navarro and Castillo could have blocked many of these wild pitches. They simply don't look good back there, Like there was a crossup with the pitcher or the wrong pitch called for. If you you are going to call for a pitch to bounce in front of home plate, you've got to be ready and able to block that pitch. These errors result in runs, tougher game situations for the pitchers, and unnecessary, frustrating losses. You leave each game thinking, "If only that one thing didn't happen, we would have won." That one mistake that opens the flood gates.
So the Giants take 3 of 4. We had a chance to win all of these games. Castro's error sunk us thursday. Fujikawa's pitching tried to sink us Friday, but we won in walk off style. On Saturday, The Cubs don't hit or score when The Shark is pitching. 0-7 with runners in scoring position. They fail to move lead off doubles to third. They strike out with bases loaded and no one out. It's just horrific. Then yesterday, they are one strike from victory, and the game is tied with a last minute Hunter Pence blast, only to have the go ahead run balked in in the 10th. Awful.
I'm not totally certain how to feel about all of this. Should I be excited that we almost beat the World Champion Giants, and even though we lost, at least we played them tough and made all the games close? Or should I feel that these guys that we are rebuilding the team with are just not very good, And will always be a day late and a dollar short. Only time will tell ultimately. I for one am thankful for this Monday off day before we play the Rangers this week. Maybe these guys can get their heads together to stop making the stupid mistakes. Giving teams 5 outs an inning along with free bases. Let's hope.
It's better to get beat fair and square playing a good clean game, than to beat yourselves with mental and physical errors. Confidence. Execution. Team spirit. All currently lacking. Is this poor management? Or just a young team trying to figure it out? Too early to tell, but the cracks are showing.
Hey. At least I didn't have to watch Lillibridge suck yesterday....
Enjoy your off day.
Go Cubbies!!
So the Giants take 3 of 4. We had a chance to win all of these games. Castro's error sunk us thursday. Fujikawa's pitching tried to sink us Friday, but we won in walk off style. On Saturday, The Cubs don't hit or score when The Shark is pitching. 0-7 with runners in scoring position. They fail to move lead off doubles to third. They strike out with bases loaded and no one out. It's just horrific. Then yesterday, they are one strike from victory, and the game is tied with a last minute Hunter Pence blast, only to have the go ahead run balked in in the 10th. Awful.
I'm not totally certain how to feel about all of this. Should I be excited that we almost beat the World Champion Giants, and even though we lost, at least we played them tough and made all the games close? Or should I feel that these guys that we are rebuilding the team with are just not very good, And will always be a day late and a dollar short. Only time will tell ultimately. I for one am thankful for this Monday off day before we play the Rangers this week. Maybe these guys can get their heads together to stop making the stupid mistakes. Giving teams 5 outs an inning along with free bases. Let's hope.
It's better to get beat fair and square playing a good clean game, than to beat yourselves with mental and physical errors. Confidence. Execution. Team spirit. All currently lacking. Is this poor management? Or just a young team trying to figure it out? Too early to tell, but the cracks are showing.
Hey. At least I didn't have to watch Lillibridge suck yesterday....
Enjoy your off day.
Go Cubbies!!
Sunday, April 14, 2013
No Lights at Wrigley Field!
So, yesterdays game against the Giants sucked. We had lots of opportunities to score and win this game, but FAIL. Lillibridge went 0-3, so what's new? I'll tell you what's new. The damned electronic scoreboard the Ricketts want to install at Wrigley field. I hate it. I don't want it. And if it were up to me, they'd tear down the damned lights too, and play all the games at 1:20 or 3:05 like they did when I was a kid. It was better that way, and you all know it.
I know all the arguments for this new damned scoreboard. "It will provide advertising revenue, which we will put back out onto the field." Bullshit. The Rickett's are full fledged dyed in the wool capitalists. If you think they want to do anything but make money for themselves and their friends, then you were not only born at night, you were born LAST NIGHT. This is the 1% we are talking about here. Some of the richest people on earth, and as Mr. Burns says on the Simpsons, "they'd trade it all for a little more". But what it adds up to ultimately is that we will be forced to sit through loud ass commercials for Geico and Lays potato chips. And that's a fact jack. Trust. I've sat in dozens of other major league ballparks, and those damned scoreboards are always telling you what to buy, when and how to clap, how to cheer, and they keep you "entertained" between innings with stupid contests like the 'ball under the hat' game, all while spewing commercials at you. You have to look at giant photographs of the players faces, which are truly only good for making fun of, if a player is ugly or takes a less than flattering shot. Who cares what they look like? Let's watch the game, not the damned scoreboard!
One of the best aspects about Wrigley is that the fans cheer, for the most part, organically. We get each other into the game. We make up our own chants. Remember "Jody Jody Jody" for Jody Davis? That was made up by fans, as was bowing down to Andre Dawson in right field, as was "left field sucks, right field sucks". Now, if there is some scoreboard or now possibly two they are saying, constantly barraging the fans with their capitalist babble, the fans won't have the opportunity to even hear themselves think, let alone come up with new awesome chants. I myself was trying to get the crowd yelling, "Kuji Fuji!" for Kyuji Fujikawa. It hasn't caught on yet because he's new, he kinda sucks, and is now injured, but it could happen people, but not if there's a damned scoreboard yelling at me to clap my hands 17 times in a row on some pre-determined beat.
What do the fans get out of this anyway? They say that the advertising revenue will generate 5 million dollars. Big whoop! That's not even enough to buy a lousy fourth starter these days. So, the Rickett's expect us to sit through all this extra advertising for let's say, Jason Marquis? And how can a damned scoreboard help us win the World Series? The reason the Cubs have not gone to the World Series is because the didn't win the games they needed to win. They were swept the last two times they went to the playoffs under lights, and then there was Bartman. Remember when in the 80's they wanted to put lights in and they blamed the tragedy fiasco of 1984, and how we got screwed out of home field advantage because we had no lights. It's not because we had no lights! It's because major league baseball is greedy, and decided San Diego would get home field advantage because they did have lights! Game 5 was played in the daytime anyway, in San Diego. It was simply a royal screw over. And what did lights get us? NADA. It's been 25 years since lights were put in, and even though the Cubs play the majority of their home games in the daytime, (they play around 30 at night), they still haven't won a pennant. Baseball is better played in the day time, and you all know it. It was better before 1988, and now, "progress" has our feet to the fire once again. Progress.
Let's take a look at our modern life. Screens screens screens everywhere! In our pockets and hands. Everyone staring into their smart phones. Digital Billboards next to high ways. Televisions in every bedroom, along with computers, and ipads, and tvs in taxi cabs. Have you ever counted how many screens, and advertisements you see in one day? And now, the Rickett's want to put 1 or 2 more screens in front of you where there were no screens or need for them. Giant fucking screens, telling you what to buy, and who to be. I resent it. I bought a ticket, now play the damned baseball game. I don't care which hat the ball is under. I don't need to hear the southern players Kenny Chesney walk up music, or the latin players Bachata. I don't need to hear "Enter Sandman" when the closer comes in. Did you know that at Yankee stadium, every time an opposing batter strikes out, you hear an ad? They play a pneumonic whistle which is an ad for PC Richard and Son, a local electronics store. It sucks. and that's where the Chicago Cubs are heading to make a lousy 4th starters salary.
And believe you me. These Ricketts, they love the Cubs for certain. They are spending hundreds millions of their own money to "renovate" Wrigley, but I can guarantee you they would NEVER have bought this team if they weren't looking to turn a profit. Fine. Turn a profit. Spend a few million making sure the roof doesn't cave in, build some new club houses, forget the giant screens, and spend the hundreds of millions on fielding a competitive team. Fans will pay good money to see a competitive Cubbies. It was only a few short years ago we went to the playoffs twice. All the games were sold out, and many times, I had to pay a premium from a reseller, a scalper or Stub hub to see the games I wanted to attend. Why? Because we were winning. The Cubs brass proclaims a scoreboard will help us get to the world series. Well, the Pirates have a relatively new stadium too, AND a giant scoreboard, why do they not go to the World Series? Oh yeah...they're terrible, and so are the Cubs.
So fuck the damned scoreboard, and lets rip down the lights too. Keep it real Chicago. A damned scoreboard will only annoy the crap out of us, and the extra night games only make us have to go to work hung over, instead of day games which demand you knock off work early sometimes, and be sober by the time you get home to the wife and kids. It's a better system.
I'm going to hopefully watch the Cubs split the series with the Giants today, in the daytime, under the sunlight, as the universe intended. Progress isn't progress unless it serves the people it's supposed to be progressing. What does a damned scoreboard get us? Another damned Screen to stare at and more ads. Progress?
It was better before people. You all know I'm right. Fuck the damned scoreboard.
Go cubbies!
I know all the arguments for this new damned scoreboard. "It will provide advertising revenue, which we will put back out onto the field." Bullshit. The Rickett's are full fledged dyed in the wool capitalists. If you think they want to do anything but make money for themselves and their friends, then you were not only born at night, you were born LAST NIGHT. This is the 1% we are talking about here. Some of the richest people on earth, and as Mr. Burns says on the Simpsons, "they'd trade it all for a little more". But what it adds up to ultimately is that we will be forced to sit through loud ass commercials for Geico and Lays potato chips. And that's a fact jack. Trust. I've sat in dozens of other major league ballparks, and those damned scoreboards are always telling you what to buy, when and how to clap, how to cheer, and they keep you "entertained" between innings with stupid contests like the 'ball under the hat' game, all while spewing commercials at you. You have to look at giant photographs of the players faces, which are truly only good for making fun of, if a player is ugly or takes a less than flattering shot. Who cares what they look like? Let's watch the game, not the damned scoreboard!
One of the best aspects about Wrigley is that the fans cheer, for the most part, organically. We get each other into the game. We make up our own chants. Remember "Jody Jody Jody" for Jody Davis? That was made up by fans, as was bowing down to Andre Dawson in right field, as was "left field sucks, right field sucks". Now, if there is some scoreboard or now possibly two they are saying, constantly barraging the fans with their capitalist babble, the fans won't have the opportunity to even hear themselves think, let alone come up with new awesome chants. I myself was trying to get the crowd yelling, "Kuji Fuji!" for Kyuji Fujikawa. It hasn't caught on yet because he's new, he kinda sucks, and is now injured, but it could happen people, but not if there's a damned scoreboard yelling at me to clap my hands 17 times in a row on some pre-determined beat.
What do the fans get out of this anyway? They say that the advertising revenue will generate 5 million dollars. Big whoop! That's not even enough to buy a lousy fourth starter these days. So, the Rickett's expect us to sit through all this extra advertising for let's say, Jason Marquis? And how can a damned scoreboard help us win the World Series? The reason the Cubs have not gone to the World Series is because the didn't win the games they needed to win. They were swept the last two times they went to the playoffs under lights, and then there was Bartman. Remember when in the 80's they wanted to put lights in and they blamed the tragedy fiasco of 1984, and how we got screwed out of home field advantage because we had no lights. It's not because we had no lights! It's because major league baseball is greedy, and decided San Diego would get home field advantage because they did have lights! Game 5 was played in the daytime anyway, in San Diego. It was simply a royal screw over. And what did lights get us? NADA. It's been 25 years since lights were put in, and even though the Cubs play the majority of their home games in the daytime, (they play around 30 at night), they still haven't won a pennant. Baseball is better played in the day time, and you all know it. It was better before 1988, and now, "progress" has our feet to the fire once again. Progress.
Let's take a look at our modern life. Screens screens screens everywhere! In our pockets and hands. Everyone staring into their smart phones. Digital Billboards next to high ways. Televisions in every bedroom, along with computers, and ipads, and tvs in taxi cabs. Have you ever counted how many screens, and advertisements you see in one day? And now, the Rickett's want to put 1 or 2 more screens in front of you where there were no screens or need for them. Giant fucking screens, telling you what to buy, and who to be. I resent it. I bought a ticket, now play the damned baseball game. I don't care which hat the ball is under. I don't need to hear the southern players Kenny Chesney walk up music, or the latin players Bachata. I don't need to hear "Enter Sandman" when the closer comes in. Did you know that at Yankee stadium, every time an opposing batter strikes out, you hear an ad? They play a pneumonic whistle which is an ad for PC Richard and Son, a local electronics store. It sucks. and that's where the Chicago Cubs are heading to make a lousy 4th starters salary.
And believe you me. These Ricketts, they love the Cubs for certain. They are spending hundreds millions of their own money to "renovate" Wrigley, but I can guarantee you they would NEVER have bought this team if they weren't looking to turn a profit. Fine. Turn a profit. Spend a few million making sure the roof doesn't cave in, build some new club houses, forget the giant screens, and spend the hundreds of millions on fielding a competitive team. Fans will pay good money to see a competitive Cubbies. It was only a few short years ago we went to the playoffs twice. All the games were sold out, and many times, I had to pay a premium from a reseller, a scalper or Stub hub to see the games I wanted to attend. Why? Because we were winning. The Cubs brass proclaims a scoreboard will help us get to the world series. Well, the Pirates have a relatively new stadium too, AND a giant scoreboard, why do they not go to the World Series? Oh yeah...they're terrible, and so are the Cubs.
So fuck the damned scoreboard, and lets rip down the lights too. Keep it real Chicago. A damned scoreboard will only annoy the crap out of us, and the extra night games only make us have to go to work hung over, instead of day games which demand you knock off work early sometimes, and be sober by the time you get home to the wife and kids. It's a better system.
I'm going to hopefully watch the Cubs split the series with the Giants today, in the daytime, under the sunlight, as the universe intended. Progress isn't progress unless it serves the people it's supposed to be progressing. What does a damned scoreboard get us? Another damned Screen to stare at and more ads. Progress?
It was better before people. You all know I'm right. Fuck the damned scoreboard.
Go cubbies!
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Cubs Try to Lose; Win Anyway!
If there was any question as to how "Marmol" is spelled in japanese, I looked it up, and it's "F-U-J-I-K-A-W-A". In a dismal 9th inning appearance, trying to preserve Carlos Villanueva's 2-0 gem, Kuji-Fuji, as he will be referred to from here on in, stank up the joint, allowing 3 runs on 3 hits, plus a wild pitch, and he hit a batter (Buster Posey). I was really hoping the plunked Posey would charge the mound ala Carlos Quentin vs Zack Greinke (video of melee in link), and break Kuji-Fuji's collar bone too. At least I could have forgiven the 2 more runs he gave up, as I imagine it's tough to pitch with a broken collarbone. But alas, cooler heads prevailed, and Posey trotted down to first, giving the Giants one more chance to go ahead. And go ahead they did. Eventually,leading 3-2 going into the Cub's half of the 9th inning.
What is it with Cubs closers this year? I've talked on the podcast with the lovable Lou Sears about how these pitchers trying to close out the game, put extra pressure on themselves to wrap it up for a win. That unnecessary extra pressure results in mistakes, thus runs, thus blown saves, and thus losses. Granted, the fans in the stands are all a titter about going home with a win, standing, drunkenly chanting, and clapping randomly, but the closer, whoever it is, needs to just pretend it's the 3rd inning, and approach it as the routine 1-2-3 we Cub fans long for. Maybe the fans could help set the scene by getting up to take a leak and buy a hot dog. Let's all just pretend it's the third inning, and listen to the "W" from the bathroom, standing shoulder to shoulder singing "Go Cubs Go" from the iconic pee troughs of the Wrigley Field men's bathroom. (Ladies, if you don't know what I'm talking about, find out by grabbing any random man in a Cubs hat and just say "Wrigley trough". Actually don't do that, it's weird... ). So what changes in the 9th? The only thing I can think of is that they stop selling beer, so many alcoholic fans have retreated to the Captain Morgans club, or one of Wrigleyville's many watering holes to watch the end of the game. Maybe the absence of the constant chatter of "Beer here!", and "Get your Old Style", is unnerving to the pitcher. It may be breaking the law to sell beer after the 8th, but I feel like we have to think outside the box for solutions. I, Son Ranto, for one would be happy to 'take one for the team' and buy beer from vendors in the 9th. Hell! I'll even make the sacrifice to buy and drink beer in extra innings. Yes. I love the Cubs that much. It's all about sacrifice.
OK. Ranto Rant over.....We won the game!!!! And I was there!!!!
I took a little time off of my busy schedule of complaining about everything, procrastinating and drinking at home, to ride my bike the mile or so down to the Friendly Confines. I was feeling generous, so I gave a scalper 10$ for a Box Seat and got to the game around the 5th inning. Might I add, I decided to go down there in the 15 minute period where the sun was out. I had been listening on the radio, as my poverty lacks Comcast Sports net and It was 1-0 when I got to the stadium. I heard Castro's homer from the roar of the crowd and Captain Morgan's amplified broadcadst, and found me a scalper. 2-0 is where it stayed until the fiasco 9th. And I was like "Just great! I come down here to sit in the cold rain to watch the Cubs blow another one. 2 damn days in a damned row". I was truly questioning my purpose on earth, along with my horrific life choices, when the Cubs came to bat in the 9th...and from the ashes rose the phoenix!
The 9th started wonderfully with Dionner Navarro, who's aversion to running the bases, gives him extra incentive to hit home runs, did just that. At 5'9", and 205 lbs, he prefers a trot as opposed to a full out sprint. But it's fine by me. Trot away Dionner! So tie game, and I'm figuring extra innings, basically, because I don't have a whole ton of faith in this team to score twice off Romo, the Giants closer, who was lights out the day before. My pessimism was briefly vindicated by watching Valbuena and "Oh God! why is this guy still on the team?" Brent Lillibridge strike out. So two outs, and DeJesus doubles, Castro singles. We win!!!
I must admit, I welled up a bit while singing "Go Cubs Go" with my drunken brethren. To steal a victory from the jaws of defeat with my fellow inebriated Chicagoans was just as sweet as any thing that's happened to me ever. Seriously. Ever. There are few better feelings for a baseball fan than a walk off win. Of course I prefer it happen in a 4 game sweep of the World Series (don't think my heart can take a 7 gamer). But I felt great walking out of there! Seriously wonderful! The fans were still singing on the streets. The atmosphere was jubilant! Hopefully, this walk off win can carry the team with confidence into the weekend and beyond. Especially Starlin Castro, who has failed miserably to be the hero all season until yesterday. Way to go Starlin! You acted the champion we all hope you'll be!
So, unfortunately, I will not be able to attend todays 12:05 start. I'm going to watch some little kids play soccer in the burbs, and hang out with my Michigan cousins. But I'll be back in the Friendly Confines tomorrow. Up in the FC! Got tickets? Cause I don't. Hit me up at sonranto@gmail.com, and of course http://www.sonranto.com. Don't forget to check out the podcast here!
Let's go get a W today! It's Madison Bumgarner (who I understand garners bums for the Giants) vs. Our very own ace Shark Samardzija.
Let's go Cubbies!
PS. Clevenger looked good at 3rd. Get rid of Lillibridge!
What is it with Cubs closers this year? I've talked on the podcast with the lovable Lou Sears about how these pitchers trying to close out the game, put extra pressure on themselves to wrap it up for a win. That unnecessary extra pressure results in mistakes, thus runs, thus blown saves, and thus losses. Granted, the fans in the stands are all a titter about going home with a win, standing, drunkenly chanting, and clapping randomly, but the closer, whoever it is, needs to just pretend it's the 3rd inning, and approach it as the routine 1-2-3 we Cub fans long for. Maybe the fans could help set the scene by getting up to take a leak and buy a hot dog. Let's all just pretend it's the third inning, and listen to the "W" from the bathroom, standing shoulder to shoulder singing "Go Cubs Go" from the iconic pee troughs of the Wrigley Field men's bathroom. (Ladies, if you don't know what I'm talking about, find out by grabbing any random man in a Cubs hat and just say "Wrigley trough". Actually don't do that, it's weird... ). So what changes in the 9th? The only thing I can think of is that they stop selling beer, so many alcoholic fans have retreated to the Captain Morgans club, or one of Wrigleyville's many watering holes to watch the end of the game. Maybe the absence of the constant chatter of "Beer here!", and "Get your Old Style", is unnerving to the pitcher. It may be breaking the law to sell beer after the 8th, but I feel like we have to think outside the box for solutions. I, Son Ranto, for one would be happy to 'take one for the team' and buy beer from vendors in the 9th. Hell! I'll even make the sacrifice to buy and drink beer in extra innings. Yes. I love the Cubs that much. It's all about sacrifice.
OK. Ranto Rant over.....We won the game!!!! And I was there!!!!
I took a little time off of my busy schedule of complaining about everything, procrastinating and drinking at home, to ride my bike the mile or so down to the Friendly Confines. I was feeling generous, so I gave a scalper 10$ for a Box Seat and got to the game around the 5th inning. Might I add, I decided to go down there in the 15 minute period where the sun was out. I had been listening on the radio, as my poverty lacks Comcast Sports net and It was 1-0 when I got to the stadium. I heard Castro's homer from the roar of the crowd and Captain Morgan's amplified broadcadst, and found me a scalper. 2-0 is where it stayed until the fiasco 9th. And I was like "Just great! I come down here to sit in the cold rain to watch the Cubs blow another one. 2 damn days in a damned row". I was truly questioning my purpose on earth, along with my horrific life choices, when the Cubs came to bat in the 9th...and from the ashes rose the phoenix!
The 9th started wonderfully with Dionner Navarro, who's aversion to running the bases, gives him extra incentive to hit home runs, did just that. At 5'9", and 205 lbs, he prefers a trot as opposed to a full out sprint. But it's fine by me. Trot away Dionner! So tie game, and I'm figuring extra innings, basically, because I don't have a whole ton of faith in this team to score twice off Romo, the Giants closer, who was lights out the day before. My pessimism was briefly vindicated by watching Valbuena and "Oh God! why is this guy still on the team?" Brent Lillibridge strike out. So two outs, and DeJesus doubles, Castro singles. We win!!!
I must admit, I welled up a bit while singing "Go Cubs Go" with my drunken brethren. To steal a victory from the jaws of defeat with my fellow inebriated Chicagoans was just as sweet as any thing that's happened to me ever. Seriously. Ever. There are few better feelings for a baseball fan than a walk off win. Of course I prefer it happen in a 4 game sweep of the World Series (don't think my heart can take a 7 gamer). But I felt great walking out of there! Seriously wonderful! The fans were still singing on the streets. The atmosphere was jubilant! Hopefully, this walk off win can carry the team with confidence into the weekend and beyond. Especially Starlin Castro, who has failed miserably to be the hero all season until yesterday. Way to go Starlin! You acted the champion we all hope you'll be!
So, unfortunately, I will not be able to attend todays 12:05 start. I'm going to watch some little kids play soccer in the burbs, and hang out with my Michigan cousins. But I'll be back in the Friendly Confines tomorrow. Up in the FC! Got tickets? Cause I don't. Hit me up at sonranto@gmail.com, and of course http://www.sonranto.com. Don't forget to check out the podcast here!
Let's go get a W today! It's Madison Bumgarner (who I understand garners bums for the Giants) vs. Our very own ace Shark Samardzija.
Let's go Cubbies!
PS. Clevenger looked good at 3rd. Get rid of Lillibridge!
Friday, April 12, 2013
Its a Great Day for Cubs Baseball! Not!!
It's cold. Damned cold. My old ass heater is loud and wakes me up at night. It's baseball season people. The taxes are paid. Why can't I watch a game at Wrigley field without wearing long johns and a parka!? I blame the lord fighting back against the dark magic of the goat head.
Speaking of goat heads. Check out the new Podcast here, where the lovable Lou Sears and Son Ranto sing "Goat Heads" to the tune of fish heads. Classy.... There's also an interview with Brent "Leprechaun" Lillibridge from Opening Day. And some "reality radio" from a roof top, where a fan obsessed with the 1984 Cubs says how we can win the World series this year. It's a drunken mess.
Ok. So Yesterday, after purchasing 6$ tickets to sit in terrace reserved, I walked through Challenger park in the cold mist towards Wrigley field, feeling confident that the Cubbies could scratch out some runs, and hand a loss to Los Gigantes. How wrong I was. Castro boots an easy grounder. And Chinstrap Feldman can't cover first base (twice). Result 4 runs. Boy. When the wheels come off the bus for the Chicago Cubs, the bus also bursts into flames, under an acid rain cloud, while an earth quake tears the ground on which Mongol warriors slaughter the women and children. The Cubs crack under pressure. They cant handle pressure or adversity, and before you know it, there are 7 runs on the board for the other guys. As a Cub fan, I know better to be confident, ever. Winning by 5 runs in the middle of the game does not guarantee a victory. Especially when you give the World Champion Giants 5 outs in an inning. But we could have won this one. Castro fields the grounder and we win.
Further illustrating the Cubs cracking under pressure when the chips are down, are the strikeouts of Clevenger (8th), Rizzo and Castro (9th), with a runner in scoring position. All it would have taken was for one of these guys to get a base hit, and the games at least tied. And Rizzo and Castro are our best players! They just can't deliver when the game is on the line. And that's just sad. Theo has emphasized only swinging at pitches you can do something with. Pitch selection. But now these guys just stand there with the bat on their shoulder watching called strikes whizz by them. Listen. I'm not saying I can do better. But this new approach seems to result in called third strikes. No me Gusta! I have not drunk the Theo Kool Aid as of yet. This whole "process thing" from the wonder boy from Boston. Remember where the Red Sox finished after he left? Last place. Remember where all those high priced free agents Theo signed are now? Yeah. Dodgers. I'm not going to sit and trust this "process" when it results in losses. So, this is a rebuilding year....blah blah blah....what the hell are we building? Great pitching? Defense? Slugging? Speed? What?! I don't see it. Maybe all the future wins are buried in saber metrics.
Speaking of metrics. I mentioned I only paid 6$ for Terrace reserved yesterday, which of course means 6$ for terrace box (you gotta sneak past the old man ushers if you wanna sit further down). 6$ on Stub Hub. And if you recall a story from this winter about the Cubs doing a different deal with Stub Hub, the result is you have to buy tickets by 7:20 AM for a 1:20 start. 6 hours before game time. Instead of last years 2 hours. I waited til 7:19 and bought the tickets. The price had not changed since the night before. But the moment I bought the tickets. The prices shot up to 7$. Like, just because I'm an idiot who wants to sit in the cold rain, and watch a team that has a good chance at finishing in last place, there must be other idiots like me ready to snatch up tickets. First of all. I'm resentful at the Ricketts for the 6 hour cut off time. It's ridiculous! Do you want people to come to these games or not? Do you know what looks terrible on TV? An empty stadium. Nothing attracts a crowd like a crowd. And with no one there, it looks like a lame scene. Who is sitting there at home watching this sparse crowd, and saying to themselves..."Hey! That looks like fun! I'm gonna sit in the freezing rain with nobody and watch the Cubs lose!" The only excited fans yesterday were school groups. They should just let kids in for free. Hell they should let us all in for free. I spent 34$ on a Stanley Burger (which was quite good), and 3 beers. So yeah...they should go back to the 2 hour window. It's just petty, and annoying considering the team they are currently fielding.
So what's on tap? I gotta work today, and watch some little kids play soccer in the burbs tomorrow. But I'll be back at the game Sunday! It's supposed to be nice and warm and sunny! I'll be singing a different tune by then I hope. Come on boys. Lets get em today.
Go Cubbies!
http://www.sonranto.com
Speaking of goat heads. Check out the new Podcast here, where the lovable Lou Sears and Son Ranto sing "Goat Heads" to the tune of fish heads. Classy.... There's also an interview with Brent "Leprechaun" Lillibridge from Opening Day. And some "reality radio" from a roof top, where a fan obsessed with the 1984 Cubs says how we can win the World series this year. It's a drunken mess.
Ok. So Yesterday, after purchasing 6$ tickets to sit in terrace reserved, I walked through Challenger park in the cold mist towards Wrigley field, feeling confident that the Cubbies could scratch out some runs, and hand a loss to Los Gigantes. How wrong I was. Castro boots an easy grounder. And Chinstrap Feldman can't cover first base (twice). Result 4 runs. Boy. When the wheels come off the bus for the Chicago Cubs, the bus also bursts into flames, under an acid rain cloud, while an earth quake tears the ground on which Mongol warriors slaughter the women and children. The Cubs crack under pressure. They cant handle pressure or adversity, and before you know it, there are 7 runs on the board for the other guys. As a Cub fan, I know better to be confident, ever. Winning by 5 runs in the middle of the game does not guarantee a victory. Especially when you give the World Champion Giants 5 outs in an inning. But we could have won this one. Castro fields the grounder and we win.
Further illustrating the Cubs cracking under pressure when the chips are down, are the strikeouts of Clevenger (8th), Rizzo and Castro (9th), with a runner in scoring position. All it would have taken was for one of these guys to get a base hit, and the games at least tied. And Rizzo and Castro are our best players! They just can't deliver when the game is on the line. And that's just sad. Theo has emphasized only swinging at pitches you can do something with. Pitch selection. But now these guys just stand there with the bat on their shoulder watching called strikes whizz by them. Listen. I'm not saying I can do better. But this new approach seems to result in called third strikes. No me Gusta! I have not drunk the Theo Kool Aid as of yet. This whole "process thing" from the wonder boy from Boston. Remember where the Red Sox finished after he left? Last place. Remember where all those high priced free agents Theo signed are now? Yeah. Dodgers. I'm not going to sit and trust this "process" when it results in losses. So, this is a rebuilding year....blah blah blah....what the hell are we building? Great pitching? Defense? Slugging? Speed? What?! I don't see it. Maybe all the future wins are buried in saber metrics.
Speaking of metrics. I mentioned I only paid 6$ for Terrace reserved yesterday, which of course means 6$ for terrace box (you gotta sneak past the old man ushers if you wanna sit further down). 6$ on Stub Hub. And if you recall a story from this winter about the Cubs doing a different deal with Stub Hub, the result is you have to buy tickets by 7:20 AM for a 1:20 start. 6 hours before game time. Instead of last years 2 hours. I waited til 7:19 and bought the tickets. The price had not changed since the night before. But the moment I bought the tickets. The prices shot up to 7$. Like, just because I'm an idiot who wants to sit in the cold rain, and watch a team that has a good chance at finishing in last place, there must be other idiots like me ready to snatch up tickets. First of all. I'm resentful at the Ricketts for the 6 hour cut off time. It's ridiculous! Do you want people to come to these games or not? Do you know what looks terrible on TV? An empty stadium. Nothing attracts a crowd like a crowd. And with no one there, it looks like a lame scene. Who is sitting there at home watching this sparse crowd, and saying to themselves..."Hey! That looks like fun! I'm gonna sit in the freezing rain with nobody and watch the Cubs lose!" The only excited fans yesterday were school groups. They should just let kids in for free. Hell they should let us all in for free. I spent 34$ on a Stanley Burger (which was quite good), and 3 beers. So yeah...they should go back to the 2 hour window. It's just petty, and annoying considering the team they are currently fielding.
So what's on tap? I gotta work today, and watch some little kids play soccer in the burbs tomorrow. But I'll be back at the game Sunday! It's supposed to be nice and warm and sunny! I'll be singing a different tune by then I hope. Come on boys. Lets get em today.
Go Cubbies!
http://www.sonranto.com
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Satan loves the Cubs!
As many of you who troll through Cubs blogs already know, a severed goat head has been delivered to Wrigley Field. Now, this gruesome discovery could be seen as just some crazy Santeria witch off their meds, but if this was a horned goat head, which the reports are unclear about, the fact of the matter is The Chicago Cubs are now in league with Satan. Baphomet, the horned goat, is an ancient pagan symbol and is often overlaid on top of the pentagram, A five pointed star which perfectly fits the 5 pointed goat head.
And what could this mean? This goat head at the gates of Wrigley? Obviously, it means the Rickett's family along with Theo Epstein are members of the church of Satan, and have sold the soul of the Cubs in order to bring a championship to the North Side of Chicago. I don't believe it to be a coincidence that last nights game was called on a count of freezing weather and rain. Remember when Jesus died on the cross, there was also a torrential storm. I wouldn't be surprised if we have a week of rain outs. Which is fine with me, as I have tickets to todays game, and wouldn't mind if the game was played some time in August. But notice also that the only day it's supposed to be pleasant, sunny, Spring weather is Sunday. The lords day.
Now I know some of you out there of the religious persuasion, the big 3 faiths anyway, are aghast at this news. But if you are a true Cubs fan, it is worth taking pause and noting that if selling the soul of the team to the devil is the only way to bring a championship to the Cubs, it might just be worth it. As an individual fan, you must search your soul and ask yourself. Would you sell your soul to the devil to be at Wrigley field the night the Cubbies win it all? Is it worth an eternity of damnation to be covered in tears and beer, running naked up Sheffield avenue, wildly celebrating a Cubs World Championship? I Son Ranto say yes. Reverse the curse.
It is a well documented fact that the New York Yankees sold their soul to Satan, with the Redsox taking a 35% stake, for Babe Ruth. Resulting in 27 World Championships and the musical Damn Yankees.
In the musical, a fat old Washington Senators fan becomes a phenom baseball player after he sells his soul to the devil to give the Senators the pennant. Being the 1950's, the Senators succeed only after Joe recants his devilish deal. However, the story is based on the Yankees and their deal for Babe Ruth, who was also a well known Satanist. How else could you explain that one of the best hitters ever was also one of the greatest pitchers of all time. The called shot? The work of the devil.
Every person of faith must spend a little time in the desert, where the temptations of fasting overwhelm us with earthly desires. The Cubs have been in the desert for 104 years now. The long suffering fans have sacrificed enough. My mother, Mom Ranto is an ex nun and die hard Cub fan. She worked her whole life for the Catholic church, and used to bring me to the ball game with priests. Some of the biggest Cubs fans I know are priests and Nuns. Big shout out to Sister Carmel over at St. James. But after years of failure of the Catholic hierarchy of Chicago to bring the Ring to the Cubs, I believe it's time to try a new approach. That approach is Satan.
So, dark lord of the universe, I will follow you to the gates of hell, (which is apparently gate K). Bring us, oh black king, a North Side Championship for the men in blue. Not next year. But this year. 2013. While on offense, May the wind wreak havoc on pop ups in the infield, allowing the ball to drop in for a bloop single. On defense, with a runner on first, may the double hit get stuck in the ivy, stranding the lead runner at third. Satan. Bring us a championship. Satan. Bring us runs. All hail Satan! All hail the Chicago Cubs!
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
From a frigid rooftop!
Well, after attending 4 games (2 spring training), I finally saw the Cubbies win one! Clutch hitting, good relief pitching, and all in sub arctic temperatures. At least they were sub arctic sitting on that damned roof top. The nice thing about the roof top is that you could stand on the patio and jump around. Which I did. We also boxed a bit. But that was more because we were drunk to hell. The other nice thing about a roof seat is the camaraderie you feel with other die hard cubs fans. Especially in freezing temperatures on the roof. I interviewed a guy who's obsessed with Ryne Sandberg and the 84 cubs. Ill have him on the podcast tomorrow. He thinks the Cubs can win this year by being buyers at the All Star break. I'm skeptical and so was his son, who thought I was just making fun of his dad. I wasn't. I actually liked the guy and when people booed Marmol on his way into the game. The guy reprimanded everyone and said, hey we should be supportive! This is our guy!! He went on to say that booing your own guy is like yelling at your son for getting a bad grade. He said you gotta encourage people if you want them to do better. I agree.
In other news, the Lovable Lou Sears, who was supposed to be in attendance at this game was a no show. Apparently, he attended a wine event on Monday night and could not be found more than 3 feet from a toilet all day Tuesday. I will be sure to make fun of him during the podcast we will record tomorrow. Hopefully his gout is better.
So tonight. If the game happens. It's cold and rainy as opposed to just cold last night. Kyle loshe and chinstrap Scott Feldman are going. I've said this on the podcast. I'm not real high on Feldman. But he's just pitched the one time. So I suppose I'll give him another chance. Either way. A win will get us some momentum into Thursday where the Cubs will have their work cut out for them facing the world champion Giants for 4 games. Ill be there on Thursday for my free texting gloves and Sunday because I'm trying to corrupt my born again cousins son. Figured Wrigley's a good place to corrupt him. Don't worry people. He's over 21. And so am I. God am I.
Lets go get em tonight Chinstrap!!!
In other news, the Lovable Lou Sears, who was supposed to be in attendance at this game was a no show. Apparently, he attended a wine event on Monday night and could not be found more than 3 feet from a toilet all day Tuesday. I will be sure to make fun of him during the podcast we will record tomorrow. Hopefully his gout is better.
So tonight. If the game happens. It's cold and rainy as opposed to just cold last night. Kyle loshe and chinstrap Scott Feldman are going. I've said this on the podcast. I'm not real high on Feldman. But he's just pitched the one time. So I suppose I'll give him another chance. Either way. A win will get us some momentum into Thursday where the Cubs will have their work cut out for them facing the world champion Giants for 4 games. Ill be there on Thursday for my free texting gloves and Sunday because I'm trying to corrupt my born again cousins son. Figured Wrigley's a good place to corrupt him. Don't worry people. He's over 21. And so am I. God am I.
Lets go get em tonight Chinstrap!!!
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Cubs Lose Opener. Wrigley Still Fun.
From our slightly obstructed view, Terrace Reserved seats behind home plate, The Lovable Lou Sears and I, Son Ranto witnessed a ball game where everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. Yes, 30mph wind was wreaking havoc upon any fly ball hit, too bad the Cubs didn't hit too many balls in the air. Yes. Starlin Castro's 9th inning fly out would have been a walk off grand slam, or a bases clearing double 2 innings earlier, but the wind started blowing in, and it was an out. Yes. If Darwin Barney had been playing second, or Valbuena would have tried to turn two instead of throwing home, the brewers wouldn't have scored 4 in the first. But that's what happened, and these are all excuses as to why we lost the game yesterday. Excuses excuses excuses.
This is going to a season of excuses. But I'd like to dig deeper. Why did Starlin Castro try to hit a homerun when he knew the wind was blowing in? I woulda settled for a single. Why is Brent Lillibridge on the team at all? Granted Barney's hurt and Javier Baez is not ready, but it would just be a few weeks, and we wouldn't have to watch Lilliput...the troll out there not fielding, or hitting! He's batting .000. His OBP? .000. The most exciting thing he's ever done for the Cubs was yesterday thrilling fielders choice. Another excuse, and over heard in the stands..."Barney would have gotten to that ball"....You know who else would have? Javier Baez, or Junior Lake.
Now here's the big mystery of the year. Why can't our catcher catch the ball? Beef Wellington's only been charged with one passed ball, but there have been numerous wild pitches and just straight up cross ups. Other, better defensive catchers would have gotten to some of those wild pitches. Sometimes. Castillo just straight up misses the ball with the glove. All I'm saying is, the whole battery looks shaky.
The boo birds were out for Carlos Marmol yesterday too. And the vitriol I heard spewing from the fans around me is unprintable. Here's my question? Do you want him to do well or poorly? Why boo the guy? He's already having a bad time of it? What if you were at work and having trouble getting something right, and everyone just came around telling you that you suck? Wouldn't that make it infinitely harder to do your job? I mean, Christ! It's not like we're going to win the world series this year. Let's just support these guys. It's our team. Team team team. Are you on it or just some drunken nay sayers?
Speaking of drunken nay sayers. The shadow unemployment in our society was well represented and explained yesterday, as on a Monday afternoon, unemployed alcoholics from all over the midwest showed up to watch the Cubbies lose this stinker of a ball game. They were quite hilarious though. And I look forward to recording these hilarious low lifes as the season goes on, and giving you out there who can't afford the 6$ to go to a game a window into how drunk Subs fans truly are. It's gonna be ugly people.
Speaking of the podcast...listen to it here... https://soundcloud.com/danny-rockett/son-ranto-home-opener. There's a problem with our itunes feed right now...in the process of fixing it....
Well...Lou Sears and I will be on a rooftop tonight getting shit faced if you wanna look us up....email sonranto@gmail.com , and we can commiserate in our misery....
Excuses excuses excuses.....
This is going to a season of excuses. But I'd like to dig deeper. Why did Starlin Castro try to hit a homerun when he knew the wind was blowing in? I woulda settled for a single. Why is Brent Lillibridge on the team at all? Granted Barney's hurt and Javier Baez is not ready, but it would just be a few weeks, and we wouldn't have to watch Lilliput...the troll out there not fielding, or hitting! He's batting .000. His OBP? .000. The most exciting thing he's ever done for the Cubs was yesterday thrilling fielders choice. Another excuse, and over heard in the stands..."Barney would have gotten to that ball"....You know who else would have? Javier Baez, or Junior Lake.
Now here's the big mystery of the year. Why can't our catcher catch the ball? Beef Wellington's only been charged with one passed ball, but there have been numerous wild pitches and just straight up cross ups. Other, better defensive catchers would have gotten to some of those wild pitches. Sometimes. Castillo just straight up misses the ball with the glove. All I'm saying is, the whole battery looks shaky.
The boo birds were out for Carlos Marmol yesterday too. And the vitriol I heard spewing from the fans around me is unprintable. Here's my question? Do you want him to do well or poorly? Why boo the guy? He's already having a bad time of it? What if you were at work and having trouble getting something right, and everyone just came around telling you that you suck? Wouldn't that make it infinitely harder to do your job? I mean, Christ! It's not like we're going to win the world series this year. Let's just support these guys. It's our team. Team team team. Are you on it or just some drunken nay sayers?
Speaking of drunken nay sayers. The shadow unemployment in our society was well represented and explained yesterday, as on a Monday afternoon, unemployed alcoholics from all over the midwest showed up to watch the Cubbies lose this stinker of a ball game. They were quite hilarious though. And I look forward to recording these hilarious low lifes as the season goes on, and giving you out there who can't afford the 6$ to go to a game a window into how drunk Subs fans truly are. It's gonna be ugly people.
Speaking of the podcast...listen to it here... https://soundcloud.com/danny-rockett/son-ranto-home-opener. There's a problem with our itunes feed right now...in the process of fixing it....
Well...Lou Sears and I will be on a rooftop tonight getting shit faced if you wanna look us up....email sonranto@gmail.com , and we can commiserate in our misery....
Excuses excuses excuses.....
Monday, April 8, 2013
Home Opener! Dream come True....
Hooray! We've all made it another year!! Now it's time to accomplish my life long dream of walking to Wrigley Field from my very own North Side apartment!!! As a child, I dreamed of living in one of the flats across the street (where the current 'rooftops' are). This was back in the 80s when I think the main people sitting up there were actual tenants, just sitting on lawn chairs. But alas, I can't afford to live closer than a neighborhood away...damned yuppies.....but still, I can walk to Wrigley in 25 minutes, and I'm freakin giddy as a japanese school girl about it. (Is that racist? make sense?) I'll be joined in the stands today at the Cubs home opener against by the Milwaukee Brewers, but we're starting out the festivities with a little Champagne Brunch at the Ranto Crib. And hopefully this morning rain will subside, and Tom Skilling's prediction of a decent afternoon will be fulfilled. Either way, I think they'll get the game in. And even though the Cubs looked horrible this weekend in Atlanta, there's nothing that can't contain my excitement about watching a game at Wrigley Field today.
OK. Enough wistful rhetoric about how awesome my life is right now. And onto how terrible the Cubs are.
Carlos Marmol. There's nothing I can say that hasn't already been said. And unfortunately, I've been saying this for two years now. Carlos Marmol is not a very good pitcher anymore. Every batter in the league played fly swatter with his slider for years, and then figured out that if they didn't swing, one of two things would happen; they would walk, or get hit by the pitch. Either way. They'd end up at first base. So then, the Cubs made him develop his fastball. So, Marmol starts throwing straight darts down the middle of the plate in addition to the slider (which was usually a ball), and it was like batting practice. His slider has or had crazy movement, his fastball has none. Whatever the pitching coaches turned Carlos Marmol into, the result is horrific. And I feel horrifically bad for the man because I used to love watching him pitch....in the 8th inning. He never should have been the closer. I've said it from the beginning. Why take him out of the 8th inning when he's doing great in that role. Don't fix it if it ain't broke. Well now it's broke, and I don't think anyone can fix it. It's over for Marmol and the Cubs. My hope is that he goes to another team....preferably in the American League, where some dynamo pitching coach can help him straighten out everything. I wish the man success, I loved watching him pitch, but I just don't want to watch it anymore. It's a train wreck.
The news then broke Sunday, that Marmol's out as closer, and Fujikawa's in. Great. Fabulous. Sound the trumpets. They finally did what I've been saying they should do for two full seasons now.
The real question about the Cubs front office when it comes to Marmol is..."why is he even on the team still?". They could have traded him for Dan Haren in the off season, and didn't because Dan Haren has a nagging hip problem. Well Carlos Marmol has a nagging pitching badly problem. And has for some time. I woulda traded Marmol for the organist for the Las Vegas Area 51's and a couple of Ho Ho Kams this off season. Seriously.
OK. Now I'm getting depressed...but today is Opening Day at Wrigley! Just checked the Sattelite, and it's looking good for weather this afternoon! Come say Hi!!!! We will be in Terrace Reserved to the third base side behind home plate. Look for two devastatingly handsome men sitting with an old lady (Mom Ranto)
In the meantime.... here's the podcast link for today!
https://soundcloud.com/danny-rockett/son-ranto-home-opener
OK. Enough wistful rhetoric about how awesome my life is right now. And onto how terrible the Cubs are.
Carlos Marmol. There's nothing I can say that hasn't already been said. And unfortunately, I've been saying this for two years now. Carlos Marmol is not a very good pitcher anymore. Every batter in the league played fly swatter with his slider for years, and then figured out that if they didn't swing, one of two things would happen; they would walk, or get hit by the pitch. Either way. They'd end up at first base. So then, the Cubs made him develop his fastball. So, Marmol starts throwing straight darts down the middle of the plate in addition to the slider (which was usually a ball), and it was like batting practice. His slider has or had crazy movement, his fastball has none. Whatever the pitching coaches turned Carlos Marmol into, the result is horrific. And I feel horrifically bad for the man because I used to love watching him pitch....in the 8th inning. He never should have been the closer. I've said it from the beginning. Why take him out of the 8th inning when he's doing great in that role. Don't fix it if it ain't broke. Well now it's broke, and I don't think anyone can fix it. It's over for Marmol and the Cubs. My hope is that he goes to another team....preferably in the American League, where some dynamo pitching coach can help him straighten out everything. I wish the man success, I loved watching him pitch, but I just don't want to watch it anymore. It's a train wreck.
The news then broke Sunday, that Marmol's out as closer, and Fujikawa's in. Great. Fabulous. Sound the trumpets. They finally did what I've been saying they should do for two full seasons now.
The real question about the Cubs front office when it comes to Marmol is..."why is he even on the team still?". They could have traded him for Dan Haren in the off season, and didn't because Dan Haren has a nagging hip problem. Well Carlos Marmol has a nagging pitching badly problem. And has for some time. I woulda traded Marmol for the organist for the Las Vegas Area 51's and a couple of Ho Ho Kams this off season. Seriously.
OK. Now I'm getting depressed...but today is Opening Day at Wrigley! Just checked the Sattelite, and it's looking good for weather this afternoon! Come say Hi!!!! We will be in Terrace Reserved to the third base side behind home plate. Look for two devastatingly handsome men sitting with an old lady (Mom Ranto)
In the meantime.... here's the podcast link for today!
https://soundcloud.com/danny-rockett/son-ranto-home-opener
Saturday, April 6, 2013
The Cubs Look Bad in Hotlanta and other Matters
Here is a list of Cubs position players in Atlanta last night who do not have a hit this year. Sappelt, DeJesus, Lillibridge, Valbuena. Here is a list of Position players batting under .200. Hairston, Navarro, Rizzo, Soriano. This is not good. Obviously not good. Terrible. Ok. Fine it's April and it's colder. As far as I'm concerned. Excuses Excuses. The cold doesn't make a batter swing at a pitch one foot outside the strike zone does it? Does the cold make you miss hit and run signs? I mean, as exciting as Dionner "la casa" Navarro is trying to steal second base is, I still only want to see that sort of thing on Celebrity Fit Club not in a Major League baseball game.
Other reasons why the Cubs look bad. I think Scott Feldman and Beef Wellington Castillo need an interpreter more than Takahashi. Judging by Feldmans chin strap beard, he is obviously Amish and speaks an obscure German dialect, while Castillo's original language is Spanish. How else could you explain 2 wild pitches, 4 walks, a hit batsman and 3 stolen bases? The battery looked like it was shorting out last night. To further pick on Feldman, while attempting to cover first base on a grounder to Rizzo, Feldman missed the base by a few inches, and that run later scored. How many times did they run that drill in Spring Training? 1000? I don't know. Except for that it's just fundamentally shitty fielding. Feldman also committed an error. Did I mention he kind of pitched like shit too? Well. He did. So far, not a fan of the chinstrap.
Ok. I would rather watch Ron Santo's legless ghost play 3rd base than Brent Lillibridge. Not only is he a career .209 hitter who belongs in his home town in Washington State coaching high school baseball and teaching remedial math class to learning disabled kids, but he's also a leprechaun. Nuff said. My prediction? The pot of gold is hidden under home plate, because he doesn't ever leave the batters box when its his turn at bat.
Anthony Rizzo struck out thrice last night. He chased pitches all night long. He looked like shit. This is the future people. Our future. I know we all think he's the second less drunk coming of Mark Grace, but it's unproven. Professional pitchers know how to miss his bat.
Other miscues...Alberto Gonzales clearly was out of position to tag a runner stealing second, which pissed off Beef Wellington, resulting in some of those afore mentioned pitcher/ catcher crossups, and a run. The Cubs struck out 9 times and didn't walk once. Swinging and missing badly on many a third strike. Oh....and they only scored one run. On a home run, with no one on base. And they lost.
The one positive take away? Carlos Marmol did not appear in this game.
Now on the podcast, located here, I predicted we would lose this game and win the next two. So far I'm right, I just didn't think the Cubbies would look so bad losing. One the bright side, Carlos Villanueva is going against Julio Teheran who is basically a rookie. Gives me some semblance of hope we can scratch a win out.
One interesting thing to watch for, and I'm going to predict it here. There will be a fist fight in this series. You may know about the Braves GM waving the Cubs relief pitchers off the field while they were playing catch in the outfield. Check the story out here...There were two hit batters last night. Add a little batting frustration, and you got yourself a Donnybrook! Maybe it'll light a fire under their ass....
OK. Enough with the nay saying! Let's go get em tonight!!!
Other reasons why the Cubs look bad. I think Scott Feldman and Beef Wellington Castillo need an interpreter more than Takahashi. Judging by Feldmans chin strap beard, he is obviously Amish and speaks an obscure German dialect, while Castillo's original language is Spanish. How else could you explain 2 wild pitches, 4 walks, a hit batsman and 3 stolen bases? The battery looked like it was shorting out last night. To further pick on Feldman, while attempting to cover first base on a grounder to Rizzo, Feldman missed the base by a few inches, and that run later scored. How many times did they run that drill in Spring Training? 1000? I don't know. Except for that it's just fundamentally shitty fielding. Feldman also committed an error. Did I mention he kind of pitched like shit too? Well. He did. So far, not a fan of the chinstrap.
Ok. I would rather watch Ron Santo's legless ghost play 3rd base than Brent Lillibridge. Not only is he a career .209 hitter who belongs in his home town in Washington State coaching high school baseball and teaching remedial math class to learning disabled kids, but he's also a leprechaun. Nuff said. My prediction? The pot of gold is hidden under home plate, because he doesn't ever leave the batters box when its his turn at bat.
Anthony Rizzo struck out thrice last night. He chased pitches all night long. He looked like shit. This is the future people. Our future. I know we all think he's the second less drunk coming of Mark Grace, but it's unproven. Professional pitchers know how to miss his bat.
Other miscues...Alberto Gonzales clearly was out of position to tag a runner stealing second, which pissed off Beef Wellington, resulting in some of those afore mentioned pitcher/ catcher crossups, and a run. The Cubs struck out 9 times and didn't walk once. Swinging and missing badly on many a third strike. Oh....and they only scored one run. On a home run, with no one on base. And they lost.
The one positive take away? Carlos Marmol did not appear in this game.
Now on the podcast, located here, I predicted we would lose this game and win the next two. So far I'm right, I just didn't think the Cubbies would look so bad losing. One the bright side, Carlos Villanueva is going against Julio Teheran who is basically a rookie. Gives me some semblance of hope we can scratch a win out.
One interesting thing to watch for, and I'm going to predict it here. There will be a fist fight in this series. You may know about the Braves GM waving the Cubs relief pitchers off the field while they were playing catch in the outfield. Check the story out here...There were two hit batters last night. Add a little batting frustration, and you got yourself a Donnybrook! Maybe it'll light a fire under their ass....
OK. Enough with the nay saying! Let's go get em tonight!!!
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Morning baseball!
No sooner had I woken up red lipped and hung over from hanging out with the lovable Lou Sears last night at Quartino on State, then it was time for baseball! It seems we drink more when the Cubs don't score. Drink drink drink. That's all we do as batter after batter comes to the plate, failing miserably. Lou and my livers fail with them. Anyway. Last nights 3-0 loss to the Pirates sucked and I don't want to talk about it cause I'm hung over as fuck.
So yesterday, I headed down into enemy territory. South side. Sox park. The cell. Lets just put it this way. I paid 8$ for box seats right behind home plate. I lost the ball under hat game on the scoreboard. And if some recording tells me to clap my hands one more time I'm gonna kick a cop. The cell is nice. The food is good. The fans are drunk and all look like they were born in an Irish bar. And the white sox hit more dingers than there were fans at the game. And then there was this guy! See pic.
It was nice to sit in the sun and hear the crack of the bat. It's baseball time and I can't wait to do the real thing at wrigley on Monday.
So. Lets win this series eh? The game starts now. So I'm gonna shut up and drink water.
Go cubbies!
So yesterday, I headed down into enemy territory. South side. Sox park. The cell. Lets just put it this way. I paid 8$ for box seats right behind home plate. I lost the ball under hat game on the scoreboard. And if some recording tells me to clap my hands one more time I'm gonna kick a cop. The cell is nice. The food is good. The fans are drunk and all look like they were born in an Irish bar. And the white sox hit more dingers than there were fans at the game. And then there was this guy! See pic.
It was nice to sit in the sun and hear the crack of the bat. It's baseball time and I can't wait to do the real thing at wrigley on Monday.
So. Lets win this series eh? The game starts now. So I'm gonna shut up and drink water.
Go cubbies!
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Off Day Blues
After running down to Montrose Beach to interview Boban Simic, a cage fighter who swims in the icy waters of Lake Michigan, and taking a 2 hour nap, I realized the Cubs off-days might prove to be more interesting than the days the Cubs are playing, where I predictably drink beer and sit on my ass, while texting brain farts to the Lovable Lou Sears. I did get some baseball in however, successfully rooted against the Brewers, which gives the Cubs sole possession of first place for the next 12 hours or so at least. Enjoy it while it lasts. I switched over to watch Yu Darvish blow his perfect game. which is hilarious because I love the look on fan's faces when they thought they were going to witness history, and instead have to tell the same story I've told about Eddie Milner breaking up Chuck Raineys NO-NO in 1983. I was 9, and it still hurts. I was at Johan Santanas no-hitter last year at Citi Field, but i was on a terrible OK Cupid date with this fat Philipino chick who laughed like Sylvester the cat, so I didn't even have that much fun. But I digress. Here's what disappointment looks like....
Ha. Freaking Ha!
So after watching Darvish blow the perfect game, I switched over to Bob Brenly and the DBacks hoping to root against the Cardinals, but I failed miserably and the Red Droppings won. By the end of the night, it was Vin Scully and the Dodgers, but alas it was the 9th inning already, so when that all ended I was forced onto youtube to watch fat people falling until I got tired enough to fall asleep. Damned naps keep me up to the middle of the night.
My overall point is. Baseball is back. And i cannot get enough. So much so, that I may just shell out the 11 bucks to sit in the box seats at "The Cell" today just to watch a little baseball live and in person before the Cubs home opener next week. Could someone please send me a private message at sonranto@gmail.com to remind me which way to where my hat, and what colors not to wear in order to not get shot at while on the South Side? I definitely won't wear any Cubs gear because then they'll know I'm lost, and I'll end up singing the baby sitting blues at some dingy hole in the wall before I can get back north. Actually, that would be kind of fun. And I prefer the company of minorities and women, so it might just work out perfectly. White people are pretty boring. Sorry.
Well, hopefully, I can make it back uptown for the Cubbies 6:05 start. It doesn't matter anyway because I don't have cable, so I can watch the game anywhere BUT my apartment. Maybe I'll see what the Lovable Lou Sears is doing and mooch a couple of beers off him. He's not supposed to drink because of the gout and I have a feeling that his wife is going to hate him, and subsequently me by the end of June. My divorce is pending. Lou's still married, and I Son Ranto aim to keep it that way.
So tonight! Edwin Jackson vs. Wandy Rodriguez. Let's just hope Lillibridge is somewhere guarding his pot of gold and doesn't play, and Marmol is spotted a 5 run lead in the 9th. Fingers crossed people.
Play ball.
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Your First Place Chicago Cubs!!
While the hated St. Louis Bird Droppings languish in last place, the Cubs sit atop the NL Central! Many that has a nice ring to it! Our magic number is now 161. And if we extrapolate the performances of the players yesterday, Anthony Rizzo will hit 162 home runs. Brent Lillibridge will strike out 486 times. And Carlos Marmol will almost lose every game for us. But let's stay positive for a moment....
First of all. A special thanks to Three Aces Bar on Taylor st. and Benny the bartender for not judging me for drinking in the day time. The lovable Lou Sears and I had a lovely afternoon drinking Left Handed Stout. I also ate a delicious pulled pork sandwich, kale salad, and the best tomato soup ever for only 10$. And yes. That was a commercial. The game seemed to zip by, as Samardzija just mowed em down. 9 strike outs, 2 hits, 0 runs, 8 innings. Do we have a bonified ace now? Lou Sears is convinced he's the second coming of Randy Johnson. I still remain unconvinced until his fastball kills a bird.
First of all. A special thanks to Three Aces Bar on Taylor st. and Benny the bartender for not judging me for drinking in the day time. The lovable Lou Sears and I had a lovely afternoon drinking Left Handed Stout. I also ate a delicious pulled pork sandwich, kale salad, and the best tomato soup ever for only 10$. And yes. That was a commercial. The game seemed to zip by, as Samardzija just mowed em down. 9 strike outs, 2 hits, 0 runs, 8 innings. Do we have a bonified ace now? Lou Sears is convinced he's the second coming of Randy Johnson. I still remain unconvinced until his fastball kills a bird.
Yeah...the Shark was great! Let's hope this trend continues, and when the rest of the staff is healthy, we might actually make things interesting in the Central this year. Like the Pirates last year. Castro and Castillo had 2/3 of the Cubs 6 hits, which basically means that the rest of the team, besides Rizzo who homered didn't do anything. Soriano struck out twice, and Lillibridge, that elf looking MoFo, was horrible. 3 Ks and an error. We need our Dar Bar back and fast!
OK. Marmol. WTF.
He should not close a game ever. It's over for him. I'm sorry, but it just is. Marmol was a great 8th inning guy. But in the 9th. He's a head case. Why in the hell do pitchers treat the 9th inning with such a different energy? Just go up there, execute each pitch, and get the guy out! No matter what inning it is! One pitch at a time. Carlos Marmol is incapable of closing ballgames. Period. I have no idea if Fujikawa is any good. All I know is, he got the save yesterday,and was pumped his fist when he got the fly ball to center to save the game. So Dale. Mr. Sveum. Please. Don't ever let Carlos Marmol pitch in the 9th inning. Please. Thank You.
So who else sucked? Lillibridge. I actually think I hate him. First of all, he's an ex White Sox. Second of all. He sucks. and he looks like an elf. Or a troll. All I know is he's better off on Lucky Charms boxes and not playing second base. I'd rather see Aaron Fucking Miles hitting weak scribblers to second than watch Brent "Magically delicious" Lillibridge play baseball. Got it. Dar Bar come back to us!!!
After the game, The lovable Lou Sears and I went over to the Billy Goat Tavern and met up with friends and did shots of Malort until we were either gonna sleep or fight. Big thanks to our Bar Tender Jeff who kept me and the boys in line. We capped off the night with an amazing Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds concert at the beautiful Chicago Theater. Seriously incredible show. And the perfect end to what turned out to be the best opening day I've had in a looooonngggg time....
So what's next? Edwin Jackson debuts for the North Siders against Wandy Rodriguez. Wandy always seems to pitch the Cubbies tough, and we've seen a lot of him in a Houston uniform. I actually wish he was on our team. I'd rather have him than Scott Baker at this point. Anyhow, he's on the Pirates now, and we gotta figure out a way to beat him on Wednesday night. I'm psyched to see what Edwin Jackson can do for us. We've got him for 4 years and 52 million. So...he better not get injured, and he'd better win 80 games through 2017. Got it?
Go Cubbies.
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