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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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!