Friday, May 31, 2013

Cuuuuuuuuuuubs Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!

I never thought I'd have an opportunity to say "Sweeeeeeeeeeeeep" this entire year!  Things for the Cubs were looking bleak as hell after the last road trip, but we've triumphantly come home to Chicago to win 3 in a row against the hated Black Sox!  Damn, I wish I was there!  But alas, Son Ranto is in NYC where last night I did witness another Crosstown Underdog, The NY Mets sweep the hated Yankees.  It was pretty sweet.
My sis got me bleacher tix for my birthday.

But yesterday's Cubs game!  I walked from the Courthouses of lower Manhattan, where I finished my divorce paperwork, up to 54th st, all the while listening to Pat and Keith describe the Cubbies spanking of the White Sox.  I can always say I was in Times Square when pitcher Travis Wood hit a Grand Slam.  Look at that sweet swing!!!

I was in Times Square when Kurt Cobain died too, so I'm happy to have the memory replaced.  Actually, a lot of crazy stuff has happened to me in Times Square, but we won't go into that today....  But with timely hitting, aforementioned pitcher's Grand Slams and homeruns by Nate Schierholtz, and Luis Valbuena, the Cubs completely dominated the White Sox in the Three Game set, winning 8-3 in the finale, 9-3 on Wednesday, and 7-0 on Monday.  I wish Tuesday's game had been played and not rained out.  Jackson was looking good, and we were already winning 2-0.  But alas, we will just have to complete the true sweep later in the season.  

So I ask?  Who in the hell are these Chicago Cubs?  Is it just that the White Sox actually stink.  No.  I saw them beat up on the Red Sox a few weeks ago.  Is it the warmer weather?  Is it streakiness?  Confidence?  Chicago itself?  I think I may be hitting on something.  Most teams have a disparity in their road and home splits.  But I'm not talking about Wins and Losses as much as the players general  ability to play better when they sleep in their own bed.  Not in a hotel, where they get shuttled around on buses.  Eating food from new restaurants.  Trying to figure out where to buy weed.  You know, the normal every day things that are made more difficult when you don't know the area very well.  Just a theory.  Probably wrong.  But I'm going with it.  Who knows?  Maybe they just feel better in Pin Stripes.  

Now, this is not a Son Ranto column unless I complain about something right?  What in the hell is up with Welington "Beef Castle"  Castillo and Catchers interference calls.  In the 10th inning of last weeks Cincy finale, and yesterday.  Castillo's glove has gotten in the way of the bat.  Catcher's interference is not a very common thing to see in a ball game, probably less common than a balk.  So why is it happening twice in a week?  Luckily, the Cubs have won both games it's happened in.  The catching defense is pretty lack luster.  Dropped third strikes and foul tips that could have been K's.  Wild pitches and passed balls, and now, freakin' Catcher's interference!  the other big question is, why in the hell did Sveum sit Navarro the day after he hit 3 homeruns?!  Not gonna make a huge deal out of it.  For most of the games, Navarro's been frustratingly slow and fat.  I guess he know's where to eat on the road.  

Another complaint I have is the Cubs runners watch the play instead of the coaches.  They lose valuable seconds watching how far the ball went.  Especially on homerun balls that end up hitting the wall.  It's a problem, and it shows either a lack of trust in David Price, the third base coach, or a lack of fundamental coaching.  If I were manager, I'd put a stop to it.  Here's a hilarious picture of Castillo tumbling over third base....he was here....

But unfortunately, ended up here....


and then pathetically....here....


Travis Wood also bit it in the second inning, tripping over second base....



But then he hit a Grand Salami in his next at bat so as not to run the bases.  He must have learned that trick from Navarro who hates running more than MLB pee tests.....

Let's keep the train moving!! What do we have going today?!  

The Diamondbacks come to town.  Matt Garza, who was a little shaky in Cincy last week goes against Wade Miley, who looks like a total freak...

Then again...so does Garza!


Battle of the freakazoids!!!  
Let's Go Cubbies!!!
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Thursday, May 30, 2013

Navarro Hit's 3 Homers as Cubs Win 3rd Straight!

Obviously tired of running hard to try and beat out double plays, Dionner Navarro hit three homers and walked yesterday, to ensure he would have to break into nothing more than a trot throughout Wednesdays blowout 9-3 win over the White Sox.  Honestly, in my 39 years on this god forsaken planet, I don't think I've ever seen a back up catcher hit 3 home runs in a game.  Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I googled it, and though I found a great slideshow from Bleacher Report about unlikely hat trickers of the last decade, not one of them was a back up catcher.  Pretty impressive Navarro.  Even more impressive, is the the Cubs putting up 16 runs against the sox in the last 2 games, as opposed to the total of 17 they scored in 6 games on the last road trip against Reds and Pirates, where they went 1-5.  If you haven't seen my writeup on Bleed Bubbie Blue about my road exploits, check it out here!  It's a good read with great pics!  So, what is it about Sweet Home Chicago that causes the Cubs to actually play decent baseball?  Considering all you hear about how the Club Houses are so terrible at Wrigley, there's no batting cage, or scoreboard, or walk up music, and that's why we lose?  I've got to call BS on that.  The Cubs are batting .275 at home and .222 on the road.   They are 24th in the league in Homers on the road, and 6th at home.  As far as wins and losses go, they are only 3 games better at home than on the road, but that has more to do with errors and the bullpen.  Hey, maybe the players would enjoy a fancier clubhouse with more amenities, but when they have it in newer stadiums like PNC, and Great American, they stink.  Explain.

The Cubs won Monday as well, Jeff Samjenfir3bfrbfrbjrhfi44843 was brilliant, pitching the first complete game shut out of his career. Which in this day and age is a big deal!  I wonder what Fergie Jenkins thinks about all this?  Between 1965 and 1983, he pitched 267 complete games and 49 shutouts.  Plus, he didn't make half as much money as these clowns do today.  But Jeff was "dealing" as our announcers like to say these days, giving up only 2 hits, with the final score at the Cell 7-0.  In this game, Borbon proved the whole lefty/righty platoon thing can be bad strategy,  Going 2-5 with a homer.  Castro, Rizzo, and Soriano all had multi hit games, showing that when these guys hit, we win.  And when they don't we lose.  In other, hitting news, Scott Hairston is now batting over .150.  If Hairston's numbers even out, .263 with 20 homers last year with the Mets, we could be in for quite a show as the weather warms up.

On a side note. Does anyone else notice that when Castro strikes out, or is called out at first base, he throws mini temper tantrums?  My theory is that it's just a show to demonstrate to the fans that he is really trying hard.  It looks put on and fake to me.  I understand the emotion, but every time Starlin?  It's like he's acting out his character on MLB The Show.

And of course every silver lining has a grey cloud....Kyuji Fujikawa is going to have Tommy John surgery, and well, I guess that means we've seen the last of him.  I wonder if Fujikawa even knows who Tommy John is?  I'm sure they call it elbow ligament surgery in Japan, but we like to name our surgery's after people who had the surgery.  How did his interpreter translate?  Fascinating.  I wish I knew the answer.  This might be a question for Muskat on the inside....I'm emailing now.  I do think we should start naming all surgery's after people.  How about the "Kenny Rogers" face lift, women can get their breasts "Jolie'd", and of course, double leg amputation........even I don't want to complete this joke...sorry I made you do it yourself....

Ok!  Check out the new Podcast!  Where Lou Sears and I talk about my treacherous travels around the midwest watching Cubs games in enemy territory.

Today, Jake Peavy takes on Travis Wood at Wrigley.  This should be a great game.  Wish I could be there, but alas, I am in NYC playing the funny songs festival with my band "Bad Teenage Moustache".  Going to the Mets Yankees tonight though.  I hate Yankee Stadium.  The old and the new.  I suppose I would like it more if it weren't full of Yankee fans....but it always is....I always viewed the Cubs as the Anti-Yankees.  One team famous for winning 27 World Championships with baseballs most legendary players, and the other team famous for.....you'll have to complete this joke yourself too.

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Sunday, May 26, 2013

Cubs Avoid Sweep? Not Bloody Likely....

I have been traveling, watching baseball games, gambling, smoking, drinking beer and eating crappy ballpark food, and the single activity that makes me feel as if I've been run over by a Sherman tank are the baseball games.  The Cubs are about to be swept on this road series, and I can't bear to look anymore.  Take a look at these happy Reds fans hugging a giant baseball headed man.
This is what fans of teams look like when they're happy and playing winning baseball.  Now, take a look at what I look like this morning as I write this blog post after watching the Cubs 6 game losing streak in person.
Yes, it's come to this.  Coffee, Cigarette and blogging.  I made a deal with the Cubs yesterday, I would buy a ticket to todays, Sunday's, game if and only if the Cubs won yesterday.  They didn't win, losing 5-2 in what can be characterized as an anemic display of ineptitude and a lack of basic talent.  So, I'm not going today even though the beach boys are giving a free post game concert. Wait...I hate the Beach Boys... Anyway,  In both of these games in Cincinnati, the Cubs took an early lead, only to have it eviscerated in a big run producing inning by the Reds.  Besides the general lack of run production by the Cubs, there just seems to be a general lack of confidence on this team.  Players like Starlin Castro, and Alfonso Soriano just seem as though they'd rather be anywhere else than on a baseball field in a Chicago Cubs uniform.  The Cubs were 1-5 yesterday and 2-9 Friday with runners in scoring position, scoring a total of 6 runs and leaving 31 men on base in the 2 games thus far.  Ugh.  Take a look at this Scoreboard pic of our lineup from yesterday.
Yes, that's right, our pitcher, Travis Wood has a higher batting average than half the starting position players.  No wonder we've left 31 men on base in the last 2 days.  And on Friday, 2 of the 4 runs the Cubs scored were because of a homerun by the pitcher, Scott Feldman.  Which is awesome, but also pathetic.  

In fact, The only good thing that happened during yesterday's game was not baseball related at all.  I saw Carrie Muskat in the elevator, the Cubs team blogger.  She had a giant plate of fries, and I tweeted about the experience.  She made sure I knew she didn't eat them all herself.  I didn't say she did.  All I said was enjoy your fries!  So now, I've got this image of Carrie, Gordon Wittenmyer and Phil Rogers all chowing down on a big plate of fries.  I got to get myself a seat in that pressbox, and get me some fries, but alas, I'm in the stands and have to resort to other measures.  For example...

   As Reds closer Aroldis Chapman finished off Scott Hairston who came in as an offensive substitute for Julio Borbon in the 9th inning, (hahahaha....Scott Hairstons a substitute for a real baseball player and the only thing offensive is his lack of hitting and giant head) Anyway, the Red's fans around me were chanting "Pizza Pizza Pizza".  I asked what all the hub bub was about and some guy told me that if the Reds pitchers strike out the visitors 11 times, everyone wins a free Pizza if you go show your ticket at LaRosa's pizza.  So, I look up at the scoreboard, see there are 2 outs, and Scott Hairston at the plate, and I turned right around and started chanting "Pizza Pizza Pizza!".  When Scott Hairston was indeed caught looking at a called third strike, I cheered and yelled "pizza!" and gave High 5's to the Red's fans.  Hell at least I won a Pizza, which is more than I can say for the Chicago Cubs.

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Here are a couple pics from my trip....but I'm going back to Chicago ASAP.....






Saturday, May 25, 2013

Cubs Lose While Son Ranto Fights a "Racialist"

While walking over the Blue Bridge, back to my car parked gratis in Covington, Kentucky,  I encountered a Reds fan coming back from the Cubs 5th straight loss.  Said Reds fan, white guy, 20's, skinnier than your average Ohian, was walking a few yards ahead of me and had some sort of encounter with another gentlemen of African heritage, and a confrontation began.  Nothing serious, just words exchanged, no one stopped.  Then, said white guy Reds fan dropped the "N" bomb, loud enough for the 20 or so thrifty people returning to their freely parked cars to hear.  This guy....see pic....


Who I stealthily photographed because of an hilarious asterisk on his Bonds* Jersey, called out to the "N" bomb dropper,  "Hey, I think that's getting, uh, a little racialist".  The racialist Reds fan continued to rant, personally insulting the guys Bonds* jersey, while continuing to drop "N" bombs like my Drunk Uncle at a Christmas Party.  With my legally sanctioned .07 inebriation in tow, I, Son Ranto stuck up for Bonds*, and said to the Racialist Red's fan, "Hey, I agree with him.  Think what you want, but STFU."  Racialist Red's fan's friend wanted the confrontation halted, and whispered to his friend to cut it out, but this set the Racialist off even more, and soon I was berated with  "N-lover" and "I bet you voted for Obama, who ruined this country!" I pointed out that this country has been ruined many times over by white guys, but he didn't want to hear it, and ended his tirade by saying that when I voted for Obama in 2008, I lost my "White Card".  First of all, I only lost half my White Card, because Obama is only half black.  Secondly, where exactly do I get this white Card?  Does it get me a discount at Steak and Shake?  Free tickets to shows in Branson, MO?  I told the guy to let me pass as he is slow, blocking my path, and I don't want to hear his crap anymore.  He continued to yell, but this was from 50 yards away now, and I headed to the car where I have pepper spray.  But alas, it was Fireworks Night at Great American Ballpark, and decided I'd rather enjoy myself watching the sky light up on the banks of the Ohio River, than pepper spray a racialist.  Actually, I think I'd enjoy the pepper spraying more, but it likely comes with consequences like assault charges and incarceration.  The fireworks were beautiful.


I'm not saying that Red's fans are racist.  Nor saying anything bad about Cincinnati or it's people.  Although, I did hear a Red's fan remark at Wrigley that Shin Soo Choo struck out because he couldn't see out of his squinty eyes.  I also yelled at that guy, but that's a story for another day.  Racism permeates our society at every level, but this surface racism, spewed publicly for everyone to hear is unacceptable, and I applaud Bonds* for at least saying something.  I applaud myself for sticking up for Bonds*, and I applaud the Cincinnati Reds for taking my mind temporarily off the encounter with a kick arse Fireworks Display.  

I spend a lot of time in Ballparks, hundreds of hours a year, and I hear lots of things that probably shouldn't be said in Public or mixed company, some of it, regrettably, from my own mouth.  But baseball is an international sport, whites, blacks, hispanics, asians, and miscellaneous mixes, all play together on one team to try and win for the city they represent.  Wouldn't it be nice if the fans acted accordingly and realized that we live in a country who's strength is built upon our diversity and cultural mixing.  Music, Cuisine and Sports, among other cultural institutions have benefited greatly from this diversity, and as fans and humans on this great big planet spinning haphazardly through outer space, there is no place for small thinking.  Not on a bridge over the Ohio river, not in a Baseball Stadium, and especially, not around a sleep deprived Son Ranto during a Cubs 5 game losing streak.

Now lets eat, dance with monsters, and enjoy the ballgame!

More at http://www.sonranto.com




Friday, May 24, 2013

Cubs Swept in Pittsburgh; But I Won!

Well, at least I won 42$ at video roulette at Rivers Casino after the ballgame.  But unfortunately, I seem to be the only entity associated with the Cubs, who has anything to do with the word "win".  It was a stormy Thursday afternoon in Pittsburgh, and with Edwin Jackson showing early in the game that he didn't have his best stuff, getting tagged for 2 runs in each of the first two innings, the rains came as a Cub rally killer with 2 outs, 1 in and 2 on in the 4th.  Ending both Jackson's day and my afternoon sobriety.  Even though I said I wasn't going to drink at this one, a two hour rain delay in a stadium where you can't smoke has a way of changing these self made promises.  The game continued, and our bullpen was lights out!  Unfortunately, the lights were also out on the Cubs bats.  Millionaire Cubs such as Anthony "Fo Shizzo" Rizzo went 0-13 in the series, Soriano 3-12, Castro 3-13, and overall the Cubs  failed to score runs.  So either the Pirates are really good, or the Cubs are terrible.  You pick.

The best thing about yesterday's game was sitting in the left field, where I had a great view of Soriano's butt.  I like Soriano, he engages the hecklers in aloof and confusing ways, he dances to the opposing batters walk up music, and he likes to watch the replays of him and his fellow teammates on the video screen in left field.  Here he is getting ready for nothing to happen.


After the rain delay, I correctly predicted that people were going to be inebriated at the resumption of the game.  I was right.  A Pirate fan who looked like actor Paul Giamatti when he played "Pig Vomit" in the Howard Stern movie, began to heckle Soriano as soon as he took the field in the 5th.  This man was  not as funny as he thought he was, and was told repeatedly by the staff to sit down and be quiet.  I  retaliated Son Ranto style and heckled Pig Vomit by yelling to Soriano in spanish.  "Los fanaticos son gordos y pelados!"  Translated, "the fans are fat and bald".  Which they are.  I include myself in this as well.  The Pirates are very serious about their fans conduct, and lay out rules before the game about swearing and fighting, as to socially engineer their fans into acting respectfully.  Judging by the mustachioed gentlemen spitting his Skoal laden chaw onto the floor as he topped the escalator, I would say these rule reminders  are probably justified around these parts.  But overall, everyone was very nice to me.  Mostly because I'm a Cub fan and they feel bad for me.  But the long suffering Pirate fans deserve a decent ball club after over 20 seasons of losing baseball.  I hope Pig Vomit and Skoal man get their championship.  They deserve it before they die of some horrible disease in 5 or 6 years.  

Speaking of dying of a horrible disease!  When entering the ballpark yesterday, I saw paramedics wheeling a wheezing man, clutching his chest.  He was apparently dying of a heart attack, but there didn't seem to be much urgency in the step of the paramedics.  Judging by the food options at the stadium, this is probably just a work a day event for these guys.  Note to self, don't have a heart attack at PNC park.   It probably wasn't the best idea to eat this pulled pork pierogi sandwich.  In fact, the invention of a pulled pork pierogi sandwich was also not the best idea.  


It's as delicious as it looks.  Whatever that means to you....

All in all, Pittsburghs a great town!  There are lots of gays.  IE good food, and cool shops.  My cousin took me to her friend Stu's Zombie store, House of the Dead.  Check it out if your in Pitt.  Stu's awesome and knows a ton about the history of Zombies in Pittsburgh. We saw an Oompah band playing 80's songs and danced on the tables.  The Casino is walking distance to the ballpark and you can park there for free.  Did I mention I won 42$?! I went to Banjo night at the Elks lodge and drank 6$ pitchers of beer AND I could smoke in my hotel room!  Something that never happens anymore.  Ever.  So, thanks Pittsburgh! I had a great time even though the Cubs didnt......

Off to Cincinnati now.  Lets hope we don't get swept again.  But I have a bad feeling.  Tonight, we've got Scott Feldman against the Reds Bronson Arroyo.  We shall see.  Go Cubbies!

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Oh!  And look at these purty picthahs!









Thursday, May 23, 2013

I Came to Pittsburgh For This?

Oh my dear Chicago Cubs....I drove 8 hours through the rain to come watch you blow monkey chunks.  Seriously?!  Bases loaded, nobody out and you can't score a single run?  And two of the outs come from our "future superstars"  Starlin Castro and Anthony Rizzo?  Starlin, I'm sorry I missed your 7th error of the year too.  I was looking for a place to smoke.  I'd like to thank PNC Park for A. Being beautiful, one of the nicest parks I've seen on my travels.  And B. For selling me giant beers to wash down the disappointment of watching both Matt Garza and Jeff  Smdebiebifnodnjiee pitch incredibly, allowing only 4 hits over 12 innings to the Pirates, only to have our bullpen blow it on Tuesday, and to not be able to hit at all on Wednesday.  Ugh... Here's a pic of our loser bullpen walking sadly in after the loss.

Me and the smattering of fans who attended Wednesday nights game were treated to either a "pitchers duel", or a "crappy hitters showcase".  Not sure which.  And I can only say, thank god that stadium is beautiful, because the baseball sure wasn't.  Seriously, PNC Park is a great place to watch a game and drink giant beers.  They have awesome salty sweet roasted almonds, and the nachos, though sizable and typical, didn't come in an awesome batting helmet for me to hilariously wear later and get cheese on my ear.  No, that never happened.  But the baseball!!!!???  Rizzo and Soriano.  3 K's each.  Castro and Rizzo 0-4 with 4 each LOB.  The team went 0-6 with runners in scoring position, resulting in, you guessed it, 0 runs!  And I've never heard of a team winning with 0 runs.  Have you? Well at least I did this!

That's me!  Catching behind the great Willie Stargell!  Do I look like Johnny Bench?

Ok...how bout Tuesdays game? Two words.  Grand Slam. Bullpen fail.  The only good thing besides Matt Garza looking pretty sharp in his return about this game, was I discovered the hashtag #bullpenisterrible really says bull penis terrible.  Which is hilarious.  Oh yeah, Rizzo our new multi million dollar man went 0-5 and struck out to end the game.  

Here's a question pertaining to both evenings?  Why is Scott Hairston's head so big?  And why is he still playing professional baseball?  I would rather see a gory middle ages public execution than ever ever ever watching Scott Hairston try to hit a baseball again.  Seriously, he reached on an error last night, and he looked so confused because he hasn't run the bases since Spring Training.  This has got to stop.  Send him down, and he and Brent Lillibridge can knock the cover off the ball in Des Moines.  Ugh.  

Well, I gotta go catch this afternoon game for some reason.  It starts in 2 hours.  Oh yeah...I'm an idiot and bought a ticket.  Hopefully Edwin Jackson can stop the bleeding against Jeanmar Gomez.   I'm parking at the Casino for free....yeah right....ain't nothing free at a Casino, at least not when I'm around.....Check out more pics from last night....and the new podcast is out!

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Monday, May 20, 2013

Cubs Not Fun When They Lose

Ok.  Who's to blame on the Cubs for losing 2 of 3 to the lowly Mets at home?  Friday was probably the most boring game of the season in a 3-2 loser fest, where the Cubs couldn't get anything cooking after the first inning.  Saturday was awesome!  With the Bleachers full of Met fans, the Cubbies explode for 8 runs, and it would have been a shutout too if our bullpen wasn't so damn shaky.  Dolis gave up a 2 run shot in the 9th to tarnish the day a bit.  And then Sunday, the Cubs can't get anything going except for a 2 run homer from the pitcher, Travis Wood, and a solo shot from the new guy, Sweeney, and once again, the bullpen gets the loss.

Who's to blame?  Well, lets take Sundays game for example.  4 doubles by the Cubs.  All of them hit with nobody out, and only one of the runs scores, and that was because the pitcher hit a homerun.  This has been the problem the entire year!  And the main culprits of failure?  There are 3, Starlin Castro 0-4, Anthony Rizzo 0-4, and Darwin Barney 0-3, with a total of 7 left on base.  And unfortunately, they are who we are building our team around.  I'm a broken record here!!! The Cubs as a team had just gotten over .200, and out of the cellar, with runners in scoring position, and then they pull 1-10 garbage on Sunday.  Castro also went 0-5 in Saturday's slugfest,  and committed an error.  Actually, Castro booted 3 balls this weekend, and incredulously, only one was called an error.  Maybe the scorer is the same guy that got him off that sexual assault charge last year.  It was hilarious, however, when a guy wearing a Castro jersey in Terrace Reserved dropped a foul ball, and some guy yelled, that's your third error today Castro!  Yes.  Hilarious.  If it didn't suck so bad.  And Darwin Barney?  Listen, the guys a great fielder, but he just can't hit.  In fact, he's a worse hitter than just about any player on the team.  It's like we have 2 pitchers at the bottom of the order!

Currently the Cubs have only one hitter batting above .300,  Ryan Sweeney, who only has 18 AB's this season.  Fine, we have great starting pitching, 5th in ERA in the whole Major Leagues!  But we have no relief. We can't hit in pressure situations, and we continue to commit errors, throw wild pitches, and lose.

I looked into going to the Cubs/Sox series next week. On Stub hub, and from the Sox, it's 50$ to go.  If you think anybody gives a rats ass about 2 crappy teams going at it for bragging rights to the best in chicago of the two worst teams in the majors?  You have another thing coming Reinsdorf/Ricketts.  Sorry, there is no such thing as a premium game when you can't even beat the Mets.  With the starters the Cubs and Sox both have, we should be .500 teams.  Neither are.  It's embarrassing.

Finally.  I did not go to the game Sunday, or watch it til this morning, because I went to the Schaumburg Boomers game and they won 2-1!  But the hot dogs sucked, the pop was out of syrup, and how do I put this?...  There was a group at the ballpark from a home for the mentally challenged, and I couldn't tell who were the fans and who were the staff.  In positive news, I got my first foul ball ever!  Unfortunately, I got it because it ricochetted off a wall and into my nieces chest, and almost brained my mother who was at a drinking fountain at the time.  They took my niece to the first aid with her grandma, but she was fine.   I was sitting there with my buddy Chris thinking... the Boomers were gonna give us free tickets, t-shirts, food...etc....but you know what she got?  Nothing but An ice bag for her chest.  At least it resulted in an hilarious new nickname, "the cooler".  Get it?  Ice Chest?  Cooler?  Anyway, I told her if anything like that happens again, to turn on the water works and cry loudly, so we can get some free crap.  Hey, uncles are put on this earth to teach you the important things in life that the kids parents can't say without feeling like they suck at parenting.  I do not have that concern.  I'm a professional Druncle.

So what's on tap?  Pittsburgh and Cincy!  Hoping to catch some of these games on the road, but the Check Engine light is on in my car, so it might not be the most astute move.  But we shall see....

Oh...and Garzas back tomorrow night.  Not sure if I should be happy about this or not.  I guess we shall see....

In the meantime, help me with my broken Car by using the Amazon Search bar at http://www.sonranto.com

New Podcast tonight or tomorrow! 

Go Cubbies!

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Boring Cubs Game Results in Loss to Mets

A word of advice to those of you who love watching the Cubs score runs.  Don't show up in the second inning if you want to actually see any runs scored.  Well, at least when Matt Harvey of the Mets is pitching.  Harvey looked shaky in the first inning and then cruised to victory with 6.1 more innings of scoreless baseball.  The Cubs did nothing for the other 8 innings, while Edwin Jackson pitched well enough, giving up 3 runs, two of them on solo homers.  Struck out 4, walked one....blah blah bored.  The only actual play worth mentioning is when with one out in the 8th and Darwin Barney on second,  David DeJesus singled sharply, ostensibly driving in the winning run, but David Bell, our fearless third base coach, waved Barney around third, which was in hindsite a terrible move, because ex Cub Marlon Byrd threw him out by about 10 feet!  It looked bad.  So, instead of 1st and 3rd, one out, we had two outs and a man on second.  Cub Rally Fail!

Dale Sveum, when asked about the Barney play said "these things happen".  Duh!  Of course they happen.  But Barney was rounding 3rd when Byrd got the ball.  He shouldn't have been sent.  Period.  I don't know if we score that run anyway, but we certainly weren't going to score it this way.  Ugh.  Just lame.  Boring.

The Cubs also committed two errors, but neither resulted in a run, so whatevs....We now have 33, but luckily the Nationals still stink at fielding too, and have consistently had two more than us.  I really do hope the fielding can improve.  It's going to cost us a lot more games if they can't get their act together.

All in all, it was a boring boring game.  Almost as boring as this blog post.  So I'll just stick to my main tenants.  Fire Sveum.  Spend money on good players.  No scoreboard.  No Wave at Wrigley.
So what's happening today you ask?

Well, the lovable Lou Sears and I will be attending todays early game 12:05 start.  It'll be Jeremy "Hugh" Hefner 0-4 with a 4.61 ERA vs. Scott "formerly known as Chinstrap" Feldman 3-3 with a 2.53.  Hoping for a better result to this one, or at least a game that's not as boring as yesterdays.

Check out the New Podcast here!  Trust me.  It's more exciting than watching the Cubs Highlights from yesterday!

Also, please support Son Ranto by using the Amazon Search Bar at http://www.sonranto.com

Go Cubbies!

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Cubs Beat Rockies; No Wave at Wrigley!

You may find this hard to believe, but the Cubs are actually a .500 ball club in May.  It was law enforcement appreciation night at Wrigley, and Shark Samardzija was enforcing the laws of pitching, giving up 2 runs over 8 innings for his second win of the year.  No meltdowns, no extra pressure put on himself, causing stupid mistakes, just good solid pitching.  Shark even hit a 2 run homer to help his own cause.  Yes, the Cubs were firing on all cylinders last night, and are a much better team than their 17-23 record illustrates.  As far as the hitting went, Rizzo, Castro and DeJesus all had 2 hit games,  and DeJesus hit a homerun to lead off the Cubs 1st. The Cubs scored 6 runs, and won the game 6-3, and it was  especially helpful to have the extra run padding, as Kevin "goggles" Gregg gave up a run in the 9th on 2 hits, and also committed an error.  So the game ended with the tying run at the plate.  Never a good thing when you're a Cubs fan.

The only thing I didn't like to see, besides two bad base running plays by Rizzo and Valbuena, was the throngs of morons doing the damned wave at Wrigley.  I sat down on my bleacher seat every time the damned wave came around.  Don't you out of town, non game watching bro's and ho's, understand that at Wrigley Field, we don't do the wave.  I know this may come as a surprise to some of you strapping Iowa farm boys who grew up in a town where ears of corn outnumber the people 999999999999999999999999 to 1, but we don't do the wave at Wrigley Field.  If you don't believe me, just start typing into Google, "No Wave at...." and automatically, it completes as "Wrigley".  Why is this you ask?  You think the Wave is fun?  Well.  You're an idiot.  Fun is drinking beer and watching baseball.  Not standing up and down in order.  For a little history about why we don't do the wave, I can pretty much pinpoint it to 1984, when the wave was just getting going as a phenomena.  The Cubs won the first two games at Wrigley, and then went to San Diego and lost the next 3, all the while, the Insipid Padres fans did the wave.  True story.  If you don't believe me.  Next time you're at Wrigley ask an old lady.  She'll tell ya.  No Wave.  The Wave is reserved for domed stadiums and astroturf.  Not to mention, how do you think people in wheelchairs feel when the wave comes around?  You insensitive fools....

I'm sure Lou Sears and I will talk about it on the next podcast.  There is also a great interview with a Wrigley first timer  from the improv olympics, and a hilarious exchange from last night's game, when I ask a girl who's 27th birthday was being held in my section of the left field bleachers if she knew what the score was....she didn't...and last night, being law enforcement appreciation night, there was a a dude with a gun sitting in the bleachers, who was asked to see his permit....such excitement....

Now let's talk about those bad base running plays.  Rizzo was standing on second, when a ball was hit to 3rd.  Rizzo holds up, and the third baseman fakes a throw to first, and Rizzo takes off for 3rd and is easily tagged out.  I like that the Cubs are aggressive on the base paths, but seriously, wait until he throws the ball next time Rizz?  Also, Luis Valbuena who started stealing second, but thought the batter at the plate, Navarro had walked was thrown out at second in a strike em out, throw em out double play.  Not cute Luis.  First of all, why are you looking to see what happened.  Just run to second and slide.  That's your freaking job.  Valbuena looked in at home plate as if to say..."but I thought he walked!".  Well, he didn't and you looked foolish.

Alright!  What's on tap?  My second favorite team comes to town...the New York Mets!  And unfortunately on Friday our very own Edwin Jackson 1-6, 6.02 will face their ace pitcher Matt Harvey 4-0, 1.44.  The Mets are a worse team than the Cubs 14-23, but I don't have a lot of hope for Friday's game.  Hey!  Maybe Harvey's due for a clunky start!  Let's hope!  Either way, I'll be there, with some family....and Lou Sears and I will be at the game Saturday.....

As always go to http://www.sonranto.com and like us on Facebook....follow us on twitter at @sonranto


Here are some pics from this series!



Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Mountain Man Wood Lifts Cubs over Men From Mountains!

I sat on a rooftop last night to watch the Cubs clobber the Rockies 9-1.  Living Social offered a 69$ deal for all you can drink and eat, so as I write this, I am most likely drunk, because I still feel good.  Or maybe, I still feel good because the Cubs, who are dwelling the basement of the NL Central have won 3 straight, and at 60 degrees, going up to 82, it actually feels like Spring today in Chicago.

Lefty Travis Wood was brilliant last night, allowing only 2 hits, and 3 walks over 7 innings.  He lowered his ERA to 2.03, and his beard looks awesome too!  No hipster coiffe for him!  No Way!



This mountain man, mowed down the men from the mountains.  Wood quieted the bats of a Rockies team that is top 5-10 in the Major Leagues in almost every hitting category that counts.  RBI's, OPS, Runs scored, Home Runs.  The Rockies couldn't figure out Wood, who was dominant the entire evening.  Travis "Kerry Who?" Wood also went 2-3 at the plate, hitting a single and a double, and knocing in and scoring a run.  So this boy does it all!  That Sean Marshall trade is starting to look pretty good on the north side of Chicago.  I wish they were both on the team though!

Wood received tons of run support as well, with the Cubs pounding out 9 runs on 14 hits.  DeJesus, Castro, Soriano (HR), Schierholz, Castillo, and Wood, all had 2 hits.  The Cubs are still the worst in the majors as far as batting average with runners in scoring position, but at least we are up above the "Mendoza Line" at .204.  Watch your back Diamondbacks!  We coming for you at .214!!

Unfortunately, Anthony Rizzo celebrated his new long contract by going 1-5 and leaving 6 on base.  But he was probably tired from being at the Ferrari dealership all day, and buying houses for his Mom. Darwin Barney went 1-4, which unfortunately raises his batting average slightly to .159.  Travis Wood, the pitcher, is batting .235.  Also, The cubs would have had their first shut out of the year, but you guessed it, Carlos Marmol came in and gave up a solo homerun to Rockies second baseman Josh Rutledge.  At least it was 9-0 when Marmol came in.  Though no lead truly feels safe either with our bullpen.

Regardless, the Cubs won!  I drank a bunch of beer!  and let's get em tonight!!



Tonight, Carlos Villanueva 1-2 3.02 takes on Jeff Francis 1-3 6.90.  On paper we win this one too, though Francis is a lefty, and our lefty platoon pretty much stinks.  Hey! At least we don't have to see Dave Sappelt!  But  Scott Hairston will most likely be out there and he's only batting .136.  Between him and Barney and the pitchers spot, at least I'll have time to visit the Wrigley trough and not miss anything.  Sitting in 6$ terrace reserved tonight!


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Go Cubbies!  

Monday, May 13, 2013

Cubs Win Road Series! Rizzo a Cub til 2020.

The Cubs stopped the streaking Nationals, who had won 7 of their last 8 games, to win the series, taking 2 of 3, in Washington DC.  Amazingly, they did it against some of the best pitchers in the National league, Steven Strasburg and Geo Gonzales.  And while the bats might have been somewhat silenced in yesterday's 2-1 nail biter, the Cubbies managed to win, playing small ball, and scratching out a run, instead of waiting for a huge timely hit, that so far this year has been an elusive event for the Cubs' hitters.

Yesterday's ballgame was won, when with 1 out in the 9th, and Soriano and Borbon on 2nd and 1st respectively, the runners began to double steal with Welington Castillo at the plate.  Kurt Suzuki, the Washington Catcher snapped up to try and throw out Soriano at third base, but Suzuki threw the ball directly into Castillo's bat, and the ball sailed into left field.  Soriano came in to score.  Cubs go up 2-1, where the score remained, as Kevin Gregg snagged his 6 save with a perfect bottom of the 9th, including 2 strikeouts.

The play involving Suzuki throwing into the bat is an interesting one, because Castillo doesn't have to move from his spot in the batters box to get out of the way.  If he had been in the way of a throw to second however, he would be called out for interference.  My favorite thing about this surprise double steal, was that the Cubs' base running aggressiveness is what caused Suzuki's error.  The Nationals are making a run at the Cubs for the worst fielding team in the majors with a total of 30 errors against Chicago's 31, and Sveum, our fearless manager figured, "Hey, let's let them make a mistake here.".  The Cubs played aggressively earlier in the inning too.  After Soriano's leadoff single, Julio Borbon came to the plate in what was obviously a bunt situation, but Borbon swung away and singled as well.  Aggressive=Win.  Ryan Sweeney came to the plate in an even more appropriate bunt situation, as he lacks the speed of Borbon to beat out a double play, and ended up striking out. Aggressive=Lose.  I was listening to this game on the radio in my car, and at this point was cursing the name of Sveum out loud!  Yes, I was that man in the Volkswagon Beetle on I94 yesterday yelling to himself around 3 pm.  But Sveum kept coming at the Nats, and on the first pitch called for the double steal.  Suzuki throws the ball into Castillo's bat and the Cubs capitalize on the error.  These are the kinds of errors the Cubs have been making all year, costing us numerous ball games.  It was nice to see it happening to someone else.  The Cubs and Nats have as many errors as the top 3 fielding teams combined.  However, the Nats are in second place, 1 game behind the Braves, while the Cubs languish in last.  As exciting and beneficial to the Cubs win yesterday as this play was, I'd rather see Sweeney bunt than strike out.  Hell, I'd rather see Borbon bunt too.  I'll give Sveum credit for pulling surprise plays like this, but it's not necessarily the smartest baseball.  Check out my new Sveum Video!


In other not necessarily the smartest baseball new, but we will see.....the Cubs locked up Anthony Rizzo, our unproven future star, until the year 2020.  He's going to be paid 41 million with 2 club options worth 19 million, and he could make as much as 73 million all told.  There is no "no trade clause" in the contract as well.  So Rizzo will make between about 6 and 10 million a year, depending on his performance.  Usually this means making the All Star team, winning batting Championships, hitting over a certain amount of homeruns, etc etc....Compare this to other major league ball clubs, and this contract doesn't even break the top 10 in terms of cost.  In fact, Rizzo's contract is half as much as the top 5 first basemen in the majors, which includes such names as Mark Texiera at 23.125 million, and Prince Fielder at 23 million.  Texiera's currently injured and on the 60 day DL.  He is also 33 years old and was injured some of last year as well, depressing his numbers.  Prince Fielder is 4 years younger than Texiera, and has actually comparable numbers to Rizzo. They both have 9 homeruns this year.  Fielder is slightly better in all other hitting stat categories, but Rizzo has yet to play a full year in the majors and is 5 years younger than Fielder.  If Anthony Rizzo turns out to be a top tier hitter, then I'd say we got a real bargain here.  But that's a big "IF".  I like what I see for the most part.  Rizzo started out painfully slow this year, but made adjustments and has been tearing the cover off the ball for a few weeks now.  The Cubs future is securely in place, centered aroung Rizzo and Starlin Castro.  Will it work?  Time will tell....

So what's up next?  A new podcast for starters....you can subscribe here....

And...I'll be on a rooftop tonight watching the Cubs take on the Rockies.  The Rockies will pitch Juan Nicasio, who is 3-0 with a 4.72 era, while the Cubs will throw lefty Travis Wood, who is 3-2 with a 2.33 era.  On paper, we win tonight.  But we will see which way the ball bounces!

In the meantime http://www.sonranto.com for all things Cubs....

Go Cubbies!

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Cubs Win! Jackson Wins!

What can you say about a team that's stinks one day, and then looks great the next?  That is the roller coaster the Chicago Cubs have us all on this year, but hey, I'll take a win where I can get it!  Edwin Jackson got his first win of this season, giving up 2 runs in 5.1 innings, while hitting a double driving in two, and eventually scoring a run as well.  All together the Cubs scored 8 runs on 12 hits and committed 0 errors, and they did it against a pitcher, Steven Strasburg, who is apparently the next Nolan Ryan incarnate.  However, Strasburg, who did strike out 7 in 5 innings, does certainly seem hittable, as the Cubs lit him up for 4 runs in 5 innings.  In fact, over the course of the game, every starting Cub player reached base in one way or another, and Welington Castillo was the only Cub to not have a hit, but he scored two runs and reached on two errors.  It was nice to see the line moving, and to watch the Cubs put up 4 spots in back to back innings.   Further good news had the Cubs bullpen, Camp and Rondon pitch shut out baseball for the final 3.2 innings, while Rondon didn't give up a hit or walk in a 2 inning relief appearance.  If only every day could be so incredible!

This 2013 Cubs team has got me going bi-polar.  Some days, I truly see the future structure that Theo and the gang are trying to build, and other days, it just looks like a big hole in the ground.  Baseball is like that, streaky and inconsistent.  Even the best teams lose 60 games, and the best hitters hail 2 out of 3 times.  It really all comes down to performing under pressure, playing the game fundamentally correctly, and being smart and timely in your approach to playing as a team.  The cubs are inconsistent at best in these endeavors, but when they do fire on all cylinders, such as yesterdays ball game, it truly looks like the skies the limit for these guys!

So which Chicago Cubs team will show up today in Washington DC?  The lovable losers?  Or the future stars?

The Cubs are pitching Chinstrap Scott Feldman 3-3, 2.70 vs.  Gio Gonzales 3-2, 4.97.  Should be a good game and being that it is my birthday today, they'd better hop to, I'm looking at you Soriano, and give me a win.

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Subscribe to the podcast via itunes here.

Go Cubbies!

Saturday, May 11, 2013

Shark Tanked; Cubs Lose in DC

Washington DC is a city filled with wealthy do nothings who disappoint their constituencies on a regular basis by wielding power in ineffectual ways.  Last night, there were 25 extra humans wearing blue in our nations capitol similarly ineffectually wielding power.  They are called the Chicago Cubs, and I wouldn't vote for any of them for dog catcher if they were running for office.  The Cubs wielded some power last night, collecting 7 doubles among their 10 hits, and yet managed only 3 runs in this game that mercifully lasted 2 hours and 23 minutes.  The hapless Cubs went 2-14 with runners in scoring position, and an error by pitcher Jeff Samardzija led to the first 2 of Washington's 7 runs.  Isn't it a kick in the pants that when the pitcher makes an error, he is not charged with earned runs on the play?  Technically, the Shark allowed only 5 runs, but really, it was 7.  All 7.  In 5 innings.  Shark tanked.

So, how else are the Chicago Cubs like the politicians that ubiquitously roam around DC looking for attention and favors from lobbyists and special interest groups?  Well, the Cubs campaign slogan for one.  Most politicians utilize buzz words like "freedom" or "moving forward", which really doesn't mean anything.  Freedom to do what?  Moving forward into what?  Similarly, the Chicago Cubs' campaign slogan of this year, "Committed" is also an empty buzz word.  Committed to what?  Apparently, committed to leaving men on base.  The boys in blue are batting only .181 with runners in scoring position, a full 28 points below the next closest cellar dweller, the Toronto Bluejays.  We all had a good laugh over the "committed" slogan when it first came out because of the empty rhetoric inherent in the term.  Like when someone says, "it is what it is".  Well of course it is what it is.  You didn't have to remind me that "it" is what "it" is.  The only people that should be "committed" are the idiot fans like me that continue to suffer through these poorly played baseball games, both in the stands and on television. Yeah, committed to a mental institution, or some sort of baseball rehab.  Yes, the Cubs are certainly committed to losing baseball games in frustrating ways, like a politician "moving forward", which usually means your rear end is gonna be left in the dust.

I've put a ton of blame on the management, IE Dale "please don't shoot me, I'm not a Quail" Sveum, and it resulted in this song that I wrote yesterday.  So at least adversity breeds art....


Good things?  Besides my awesome new song?  Darwin Barney ended his 0 for 1,245,674 streak by hitting another useless Cub double with one out in the 9th.  So, he's got to feel pretty good about that. Go Dar Bar! Skies the limit!  Rizzo went 2-4.  New Cub lefty,  Ryan Sweeney went 2-3 against a left hander.  Castro hit 2 doubles from the leadoff spot, and our relievers, Rondon, Fujikawa, and Camp actually held the Nats to 0 runs and 1 hit over 3 innings.  They always seem to come through when the game is not on the line.

Bad things?  Alfonso "how much longer on this contract?" Soriano went 0-4, as did Welington "my batting average is like water seeking it's level" Castillo.  And Jeff Smadfebkvbkfbgebgvvzija basically sucked.  Jeff's an emotional player, and I like that, except for that it makes him screw up.  He was pretty terrible at controlling his emotions last night. It made him lose focus, and well, lose the game.

So, yes, the Cubs are Committed.  Committed to being one of the worst teams in baseball.  Committed to leaving runners on base.  Committed to frustrating their fans.  Committed to building a giant scoreboard at Wrigley Field, so we can watch them stink twice.

You can hear me and the Lovable Lou Sears complain all about it on the new podcast....

So, today, it's Edwin Jackson vs. Steven Strasburg at 3:05.  This should be fun....

Go Cubbies!




Thursday, May 9, 2013

10 Day Cubs Baseball Binge; Now I Have a Sveum-over

After spending 9 of the last 10 days in the Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field, missing only the cold and wet Friday game against the Reds, I can truly say that for the first time in my life, I'm glad the Cubs are on the road for a 3 game set against the Nationals. The Cubs were 4-6 on this homestand, splitting a 4 game series with the Padres, swept by the Reds in 3, they clobbered the Rangers in a makeup game, and then split the 2 game series with Cardinals to finish it off.  Besides the obviously exhausting problem of drinking too much, talking too much, and eating too much at these 9 ball games,  I am actually hung over from the Baseball itself.  Once again, as in earlier series this year, we were close in almost all of these games, but ended with a losing record for the homestand.  Why can't this team get over the hump?  Why do they make stupid errors?  Why is Carlos Marmol given the ball in close games?  Why do we allow teams 5 outs an inning due to misplays?  And most importantly, why is Dale Sveum still the manager?

Let's take yesterday's 5-4 loss to the Cardinals, a game we were winning until the 7th inning, and didn't go behind until the 8th.  The Cubs starter, Carlos "the stache" Villanueva had 2 outs in the 7th, and was due up second in the bottom of the inning.  Sveum pulls him after 101 pitches, because his arm was tired from twirling his mustache between innings,  and in comes James Russel, who has been great, until yesterday, gives up a double and a single.  Tie game.  Now I'm not a big fan of the whole lefty/righty match up thing, especially with Villanueva due up second in the inning, it makes no sense to use your lefty in the 7th for one batter, Matt Carpenter, when the next 4 Cardinals are switch hitters, or righty's.  Russel gives up the double to Carpenter, and then Beltran, a switch hitter, brings him home with a single.  Russel then stays in to get the final out against righty Holliday.  So what's the point of the lefty match up, when Russel comes in and faces two righty's anyway?  Stupid.

Sveum, then pinch hits Borbon in the 7th for Russel, who attempts to bunt Cody Ransom to second, but runs to first base on the grass side of the baseline, and is called out on interference.  Ransom goes back to first.  DeJesus comes up, grounds into a double play, inning over.  Why the hell doesn't Borbon run in the damned baseline?!  The man has been in and out of the big leagues since 2009, but can't do something simple like run down to first base!  Why?!  Sloppy play= crappy coaching.

Then in the 8th inning, Michael Bowden come in for the Cubs, and the Cardinals take the lead because of a single, a wild pitch (our league leading 21st), and another single.  Why all the wild pitches?  They don't score without a wild pitch!  We have 2 Missers....I mean Catchers that can't catch or block the damn ball.  Your called a Catcher!  What you are supposed to do is in the damn job title!  I don't know if these are pitch crossups, lack of communication, sheer ineptitude, or a combination of the 3.  But I do know, when something negative happens enough in your game play, that you must work to fix said negative problem.  Once again...sloppy play=crappy coaching.

So, that's how we lost yesterdays game, but what did we do to not win it?  Well, ground into 4 double plays for one.  Two of them reflecting on coaching or management in my opinion.  The first one that bugged me was Dioner Navarro's DP in the 6th inning.  With men on first and third.  Navarro, who is visibly fat, hit a 2 bouncer to second.  Just about every other player on the team would have beat that out, but not Sir Chuggington Navarro.  He is listed as 5'9" 205 lbs.  Which is the exact weight and height same as me.  And I'm fat.  About 25-30 lbs overweight.  How is this guy a professional athlete, and allowed to stay this rotund?  The run from third would have scored had he been able to leg it out.  Maybe I can shame him into losing weight by sitting near the first base line, and yelling Boom Babba Boom Babba Boom as he runs down the line.  Don't these guys have dietitians and conditioning coaches?  Why is nobody demanding this guy get fit?  He gets paid millions of dollars to play a kids game!  Ever hear of Seattle Sutton's healthy eating?  They're a freakin Cubs sponsor for Crissakes!  But do you think Dale Sveum went up to Navarro and told him, "you know you would have beaten that out if you weighed 15 lbs less".  No.  Probably not.  Sloppy Body=Crappy Coaching.

The other Double play I will second guess Sveum on happened in the 8th inning.  Now granted, Nate Schierholz has been one of the best players on the Cubs this year.  But he rarely plays against leftys.  In fact, he's had only 9 at bats and 1 hit against lefty's this year and is batting .111.  The Cubs have first and third, one out.  Now, Sveum has Alfonso Soriano on the bench,  and all we need is a sac fly to tie the game.  Soriano is batting .421 against leftys.  Yes, .421 vs. .111 with the game on the line in the 8th inning against the hated Cardinals.  What does Sveum do?  Nothing.  Schierholz bounces into the Cubs 4th double play of the day.  Inning over. Chance squandered. Cubs go 1-9 with men in scoring position and......Ugh... Soriano did end up making an appearance in the on deck circle in the bottom of the 9th where he would have faced a righty though.  As I said, I'm not a fan of the lefty righty thing.  Maybe Schierholz would be better against leftys if he actually got to face them once in a while, but Sveum loses the lead by using a lefty matchup with James Russel, and then fails to do the exact same thing on offense an inning later.    This team is inconsistent.  Dale Sveum is among the most inconsistent.  Actually, I take that back.  He is incredibly consistent, at losing baseball games.

Further reasons why Sveum sucks and should be canned.  Even though we beat the Cards on Tuesday, why was Marmol allowed into that game?  We were only winning 2-1, and Marmol gave up a walk and 2 hits in an inning and a third.  We were lucky that the Cardinals Molina made a stupid base running play and was picked off.  Marmol needs to work out some kinks, yet he didn't pitch in the blowout against the Rangers on Monday.  It would have been the perfect time to let him get out there with no pressure.  Because under pressure, he blows it.  Every time.  Yet, we did see James Russel, our lefty specialist in the blowout.  Why?  What was the point of that?  Bad decisions.  Bad coaching.  Yesterday, Rizzo tries to steal third with 2 out in the first.  Why?  He's already in scoring position!  What's the point?  Dumb Dumb Dumb.  Bad Coaching.

So, yeah.  I'm calling for Sveums head.  These young players who apparently don't know the simple fundamentals of baseball like running in the baseline, or not stealing a base when it's unnecessary, or being fit enough to run, need a manager like Bobby Cox, or Piniella in his hey day.  Someone old school who will teach them how to play the game right.  Why they already don't know that at this point, as professional millionaire ball players is beyond me.  I guess jocks are dumb.  But the Cubs make me feel like I'm at the blackjack table, and someone next to me keeps taking my Ace, by hitting on 16 when the dealer has a bust card.   They're just playing the game wrong, and it's killing us.

Well...what's on tap?  A new podcast with the Lovable Lou Sears for one.  Check out the expiring one here....   You can follow us on Soundcloud or subscribe on itunes!  And you will be notified accordingly...

In the meantine...check out http://www.Sonranto.com and Go Cubbies!

Let's Kill dem Nats in DC!!!




Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Cubs Win; Goat Head Magic Finally Working

Umm, who took my Chicago Cubs and replaced them with a good baseball team?  After an April spent on the bottom rung of the NL Central, the Cubs have surprisingly played pretty darn good baseball the last 2 days.  Blowing out the Rangers on Monday, and squeaking by the Cardinals last night for a 2-1 victory.  Timely clutch hitting, a 2 out single by Soriano followed by a Schierholz homer, rock solid starting pitching, and an actually effective bullpen have made this team look more like contenders than also rans.  At least for the last two days.  All I can think is that the severed Goat Head sent to Tom Ricketts at the beginning of the season is finally starting to have the magical effect it was intended to have.  There really couldn't be any other possible explanation, right?

Or could it be that these Cubs aren't as bad as our record shows?  I've been saying all year that if a few plays had gone differently, if the wheels didn't totally come off the bus sometimes, and if we had played more solid fundamental baseball, we could easily be a .500 team, if not better.  You could sense the tension in the crowd last night when Sveum went to the bullpen in the 7th to replace Travis Wood with Carlos Marmol.  The fans booed Sveum (I was one of them), then clapped for Wood's strong performance, and then they booed Carlos Marmol (I was not one of them).  I can't really say that Marmol did well either, he gave up a walk and 2 hits in an inning and a third.  And but for a base running error by Yadier Molina, where Marmol caught Molina trying to steal, we could have easily been "Marmoled" once again.  He's blown many a ball game for us this year, and as much as I used to love watching him pitch, I really don't ever want to see him pitching during a tight game ever again.  I mean ever.  I understand Sveum is trying to work out some of Marmol's head problems by putting him out there day after day.  But why not let him work it out on Monday when we won 9-2, and the damn game isn't on the line.  Honestly, he almost blew the game again last night, and the blame would have been on Sveum.  It was almost as if Sveum was trying to lose.  Why use James Russel, our hottest hand in the pen on Monday night in a blowout, and Marmol, a guy that's lost at least 4 games for us with terrible performances in a 1 run ball game?  I just don't get it.

What else happened?  Well, Castro made a great play up the middle, and then proceded to drop the ball for his 6th error of the season.  He's only one behind the league leader, National, Ian Desmond who has 7.  Welington Castillo has 5 errors, and the Cubs are also one error behind the league leading Marlins with 28.  Besides shoddy relief, this has been the Cubs biggest problem this year.  Makes you feel as if the wheels could come off at any second with just one poorly executed play.  We also lead the league in Wild Pitches with 20, which is a reflection on our Misser...ummm....I mean Catcher as well.  Hey...at least Castillo can hit and has the best batting average on the team, which is more than I can say about Castro, who's batting a paltry .277.  They shoved Castro in our face as a superstar, but he hasn't really done anything too spectacular yet.  Sure...he makes some flashy amazing plays, but he's not clutch, and it all goes to hell in a hand basket on a two hopper straight at him.  I say trade him while his value is decent.  I really don't think he's the future of this team.  Darwin Barney went 0-3 last night too, lowering his average to .147.  Umm...wassup with that?  It's like we have two pitchers up there!  Hey at least I can take a whizz and buy a beer in the third and not miss anything.

Side note, Luis Valbuena hit a screamer 10 feet over my head onto Waveland Avenue in the second inning.  I was leaning up against the fence in terrace reserved, right field.  And it looked as if the ball was coming straight for my face.  I don't think my heart stopped thumping until the 7th.

But we won yesterday!  We freaking won!!  We tried to lose, but the Cardinals gave us one and it felt good.  I know my blog posts are overwhelmingly negative, even when we won the game.  I'll try and be more positive, but it's frustrating to think how many more games we could have won this year if it wasn't for these major flaws in the Cubs game plan.

Well, it's gonna be another tough one today as we face Jake Westbrook  with "the Stache", Carlos Villanueva.  Westbrook has a 1.07 ERA, so he's damn tough.  As I said yesterday, we have to, have to, have to get to their bullpen, it's surprisingly the worst in the majors.  So come on boys!  Let's work some counts, lets foul off pitches for days.  Anything to tire the guy out.  Going to the game with Mom, who I don't think has seen the Cubs win in the last 5 years.  So let's get one for her, she's freakin 75!

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Go Cubbies!!