So after eight miserable games and nine desultory days, we can finally throw a white flag on the Hi-Plains. Not only did the Cubs win last night, but they beat the man who should be starting the All-Star game, Dontrelle Willis. If LaRussa pulls the Bush League move of starting his guy, Cris Carpenter, in the All-Star game I may have to hit him in the knee with a crow bar.I didn't watch, listen or get updates from the game. I put the Cubs down for a day, and, of course, they won. The bullpen made Zambrano's lead hold up, although barely, but we'll take it. Anything to end the skid. The AA call up for Patterson had two hits and scored a run, which is nice but I still feel uneasy about the two new additions to the club.
And what about Patterson? How does he feel right now? I don't know, but I can honestly say I doubt it is good. Corey was the golden child ever since he was drafted by the Cubs. While he was on the farm, earnest Cubs fans kept asking when he would make his major league debut and maybe as a result they rushed him. The guy has talent. He's great defensively, has power and speed, but he loses his head at the plate. In the four years he's been with the Cubs, there has been little to no year-to-year improvement and that scares me. What's the plan for this guy? What are we doing to ensure he doesn't flame out before he's thirty?
Apparently the plan is send him to the minors to get his confidence back. I honestly don't think Corey is the kind of guy with the mental fortitude to be able to accept the demotion as just such a chance. I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't put up numbers in Iowa either. I hope to God he does, I like the guy. With his power, I don't see him devoting himself to becoming a slap hitter, the kind of guy who could hit leadoff and be happy with it. I hope I'm wrong. I hope Corey rededicates himself to hitting and makes it back to the big squad in a few weeks. But that's all it is...hope.
2 comments:
No offense, but the trouble with the Cubs is that Major League Baseball sucks. And it has sucked for the past 7 or 8 years. There was something fascinating about the idea of an overweight Babe Ruth waking up with a hangover and eating 12 hotdogs and drinking a pint of beer before knocking a few out of the park, but in an era when an irresponsible players association is doing everything it can to protect a player's right to use steroids, there's no excuse for such morbidly misshapen athletes in any professional sport. Any competition that requires excellent hand-eye coordination but only a modicum of physical fitness isn't much of a sport anyway (think golf, Nascar--why else are women on the verge of breaking into these "sports"?). Until there's a salary cap (MLB isn't a nation-state, afterall; a little socialism can't be all THAT bad)--or at least until MLB finds a way to market itself, the Cubs will be in no more trouble than any other team in the National League.
/All kidding aside, your comment about Willis was right on.
You say that baseball hasn't been good for 7 or 8 years, but what's the cut off point? When WAS it good? Is it the strike? That's fair, but this season is producing arguably some of the best baseball in quite some time. Homers are down, teams are having to play fundamental baseball, and the wild card races are wide open. (Anyone who tells you the wildcard is a bad thing, doesn't watch baseball.)
In response to your second issue: I think the fact that one doesn't have to be in shape to play baseball is part of it's beauty. And the only one of the major four sports where that is still true. Take Bob Wickman for example. He's leading the AL in saves, but he's fat, bald and looks like he would be a mechanic if he wasn't playing in the majors. He just happens to throw a baseball extremely well, better than 99% of the world's population. What isn't amazing about that? He looks like a beer league softball player, but he's got a golden right arm. When there isn't a place in the game for people like that, then baseball will really be in trouble. It will be just like everthing else.
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