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Things were going so well for me over the weekend. The Lovely Dentist and I went to a very nice wedding (with an open bar), I met a group of her good friends, and we seemed to have a good time. The weather was even bearable over the weekend....point being, the sun was shining and flowers were blooming, life was good/great. That is, until I was driving home on Sunday night listening to the Cubs game on the radio and Soriano went down with a strained quad. My whole world turned to crap in an instance. Since I don't want to bother you too much with my angry rants on that issue ( you read can what I wrote about it here), I'm going to rant about something else in an effort to ease my frustration about Soriano.
Jason Kendall has been with the Cubs for 14 games. In 14 games the opponents have attempted 23 stolen bases. Out of 23 attempts they have been successful every single time. How is that even possible? Look, I've always had a problem with catchers back to my days in high school. Our coach always liked to play a Senior over an underclassman. Because of this we ended up with a less than mediocre guy behind the plate who three hopped the ball to second base while we had a stud on the JV team who was throwing laser beams from behind the plate. Sorry, I digress.
It's not that hard to throw out base runners, it's just not. I understand that sometimes it can be the fault of the pitcher because of the amount of time it takes him to get the ball to home plate, but when catchers are hopping the ball down to second base or throwing it into center field....it's just not acceptable.
I like to play catch. I've liked to play catch since I was probably four years old. When my Dad would come home from work I would wait for him at the front door with our gloves and we'd play catch for 20-30 minutes. 99% of the time we would be hitting each other 'in the chest' with these throws as we would start out about 15 feet apart and work to 90-100 feet. Still it can be done. These days I play catch and can still do it. So.....why can't Jason Kendall and/or Koyie Hill (3 thrown out in 13 attempts) throw out a damn base runner or at least make a good throw down to second/third? It's ridiculous. It's as if each single/walk is a double. Sometimes they aren't even throwing down to the base!!! It seems like at the end of the game that Kendall is just letting everyone steal 2nd and 3rd....and then the Cubs walk the next two guys to load the bases to get the force out. That's how horrible they are.
Ok, enough of that. I don't feel better, but I don't want to get too negative just yet. To ease your pain after reading that rant......The Chicago Tribune Online runs a column where readers can send in questions about the Cubs. Usually it's written by Paul Sullivan, but he is on vacation this week so comedian Jeff Garlin (Curb Your Enthusiasm) took over and it's comedy gold. An example that will make you want to run over there....
What is the best thing about Wrigley Field that the average fan knows nothing about? -- Kevin, Payson, Ariz.
The Cubs aren't going to be happy I let this out. But there is a chocolate river that flows underneath the outfield wall that the players both swim in and drink from.
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2008 Cubs Preview
A lot of variables decided whether or not a catcher has a chance to throw a baserunner... slow motion to home, swing and miss and possible disruption by the batter, limp noodle arm, poor footwork, etc..
In Kendall's case, he has a noodle arm to go with his noodle bat to go with his astronomical contract.
Go Soriano!
If I even had confidence that our catchers could throw the ball all the way to second I'd be happier. Unfortunately that is not the case.
I find it unwatchable when teams can steal at will on a catcher. Mike Piazza in his prime was a great example of this.
Would you have been happier if the Cubs traded for Jose Molina instead of Kendall?
I get confused with 'The Brothers Molina', there are like 14 in MLB. So I'm not sure. I'd like the young one that the Cards have and the one the Giants have I guess.
I'm just glad Oakland finally got rid of him. They were in awe of his "defense". What defense? He can call a game though.
By 'awe' do you mean awful?
Jose is the least of the Molinas, but he can throw.
Oh yeah, I remember him now. I think I'd prefer a healthy Henry Blanco.
There is a dearth of catchers with good arms in the majors. It's telling that over the past decade Posada has gone from "subpar" to "average" without improving any.
Posada improved noticeably last year, basically because of Tony Pena. His technique improved. He's always had a strong-ish arm, his footwork improved to the point where he's average now.
most of the stolen base is on the pitcher though... slow move to home = not money
0 for 23 is more than just a pitching staff who can't hold guys on, it's like divine intervention. I mean, you'd figure someone would trip, or a hit and run would be missed or someone would get picked off and tagged out on his way to second (which counts as a caught stealing). These numbers border on pitiful.
"Border on pitiful"? You are too kind, Brian. Those are beyond "pitiful", into "atrocious"....
Actually Boney, while the pitcher is a part of the equation, most times it is the quickness and strength/accuracy of the throw of the catcher that is the deciding factor in the stolen base.
It's just that announcers make such a big deal out of 'runners stealing bases off of pitchers' that makes it seem like it happens more than it does.
While the vast majority of SBs are always going to be blamed to the catcher and his noodle, a good portion of them can be avoided by varying your motion and speed to home plate...
a good catcher to look at regarding pitchers poor motion to home is Pudge Rodriguez. Sure, he is getting older, but he's still slender like last season. If you watched opening day, you saw the Blue Jays running all over Bonderman with his high leg kick... The only thing saving Pudge this year is Kenny Rogers (when healthy) and Verlander both can holds runners on about as good as any pitcher in baseball
Boney...you kind of contradict yourself by saying, "vast majority of SBs are always going to be blamed to the catcher and his noodle, a good portion of them can be avoided." Vast majority + good majority = ?
I stole a lot of bases and did a lot of studying on it. You are kind of correct in saying that pitchers can vary their motion/leg kick/amount of time they wait before they pitch/etc, but even if the pitcher is lighting quick to the plate, the catcher still has to make a good throw. The Cubs aren't even getting that now.
Here's how I broke it down when I was stealing. No matter how quick the pitcher was to the plate, I knew I could steal a base if the catcher didn't, at the very least, throw it to second without bouncing.
Yes, in some instances bases are stolen on pitchers, but with the Cubs....they aren't even getting good throws from the catchers. I'd like to see that problem solved first.
That underclassman with the laser arm is now catching for the Joliet Jackhammers
Damn, your right. Good for him. Man, I remember playing Legion ball with him (when he was sober and clean) and we would pick guys off of second. He'd pat on the top of his helmet before the pitch and I'd sneak in behind the runner from short....We must have picked off at least eight guys doing that before teams caught on. I believe the guy who played in front of him now works at a Subway or something like that? (no offense)